Reviews - Ache | The StoryGraph

352 reviews for:

What we get:
• MM
• Best friends to lovers
• Angst

They say “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, but more times than not, that shit follows you home! Jordan whisks his best friend Gael off to Vegas for his bachelor party, but this trip isn’t so altruistic because it’s also a chance for Jordan to get in some alone time with Gael, who he happens to be in love with. Their time in Vegas was everything I didn’t know I wanted or needed (hello shower scene!)

But OHHH, this book made me feel all sorts of things!! Some may consider what I’m about to say a spoiler, but the blurb insinuates it so stop reading now if you want to go in completely blind….

…I always said I wasn’t a fan of cheating unless it was warranted (ie: persons in an abusive relationship they can't get out of and fall in love with someone else) BUTTTTTT even though Elena didn’t do anything wrong and I truly felt bad for her, I was rooting for Gael and Jordan SO DAMN HARD! The way Marley wrote their characters and their love for one another completely negated any negative feelings I normally would have towards how these two crossed the line from friendship into something more. Gael was scared of Jordan’s past rejection from years ago, but Jordan only did that because he was scared of being part of an experimental stage for Gael and couldn’t risk losing him, no matter how much Jordan loved him. These two deserved their chance at love!

I also have to give a quick mention to Gaels family

tag_gregory's review

3.75

emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The book is well written and the spicy parts are definitely spicy. I guess my only critique is that I don’t like plot lines with any cheating involved. Otherwise, this was good.

galleytrot's review against another edition

3.5

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

READ: Mar 2023

FORMAT: Audio

BRIEF SUMMARY:

In this contemporary romance, Jordan surprises Gael with a four-day surprise bachelor party in Las Vegas. Best of friends, having been drawn to one another since early grade school, weaving their lives together through thick and thin, supporting Gael through his engagement to Elena is the toughest thing Jordan has ever had to do. Vegas is meant to be a big sendoff, a last hurrah, the nail in the coffin for Jordan’s feelings, but a game of roulette brings back an event from the past that Gael refuses to let go of, changing the courses of their present and their future.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.25 / 5⭐

I was looking for a romance with a bit of angst, and this one delivered. It delivered it in a direction I was absolutely not prepared for and didn’t see coming, although I knew something was up when the boys started to plan and prepare for their happy-ever-after much too quickly into the run of the book. In an attempt to keep my review spoiler-free, I’m going to have to be intentionally vague about any thoughts and feelings to the second half of the book.

We have two men who are deeply in love with one another but refuse to acknowledge it. Jordan, because Gael is clearly straight and any feelings he might have must stem from curiosity or need for experimentation, all with a clear expiry date; and Gael, because once upon a time the sting of rejection was too great, and he now feels obligated to stay with Elena (whom he loves, but isn’t necessarily in love with) despite the change in circumstances that led to their engagement in the first place.

Elena is a victim to just so much circumstance, and the true tragedy of this story is hers. She is not cruel, she is not unlikable, she is not a villain in any way. She is a woman in love with a man whose heart was claimed long before she was ever in the picture, and after a taste of their wonderful future together was ripped away from them, she has to handle loss after loss and pick up the pieces on her own. I can’t and won’t sanction a marriage where only one of the parties’ hearts is in it; one could easily argue that’d be far worse than breaking off an engagement before things could come to a head. But I almost wish she was somehow undeserving of being happy with Gael, if only to justify their wrongness for one another.

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3.75 / 5⭐

So I don’t know if this is on the author or on the character, but I’ve got a bone to pick with anyone who thinks that sex isn’t sex unless there is penetration involved. There’s a line in the book where Jordan claims they never got around to sex yet, and while I understood his meaning, it would be extremely easy for Gael to misunderstand and assume that no sex acts occurred whatsoever – which would be a wildly misleading and harmful thing for Jordan to claim, given the circumstances.

This is my second book from Valentine. I’m finding that, while the stories and especially the characters are very well put together, they are lacking in a way I haven’t been capable of putting a finger on. I thought for the last book that I might have just not been in the right mood for what I was reading, but I’m experiencing a similar issue here. Essentially, I recognize that this was a good book but I just didn’t find it especially memorable. I wasn’t thinking about it the next day after finishing it, I feel like I’ve forgotten a significant portion of the events already, and I honestly had to look up everybody’s names just to write this review.

The audiobook performance was fine. All three narrators were new to me, although only Jordan’s voice stood out as one I’d love to hear more from.

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.5 / 5⭐

If you're looking for something emotional and aren't too sensitive about someone getting cheated on, this book could be a good fit. If you're looking for something deeply impactful, this didn't fit the bill for me. Your mileage may vary.

This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. A main character and his family are Latino.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. ***In this case in particular, content warnings will reveal the story’s twist, and are notably spoilers even without going into deep detail.***

This book contains: a somewhat toxic relationship; strained family relations, disowning based in homophobia; alcohol use and gambling; mentions of drug and alcohol addiction; past pregnancy resulting in miscarriage; infidelity/cheating; single-vehicle car accident leading to medical trauma; on-page panic attack; injuries including broken arm and head trauma, swelling in the brain, severe concussion, memory loss.

Content Warnings

rachel_proano's review

4.0

emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

wrenvale's review against another edition

5.0

Valentine has captured my heart yet again!!

triplebriiii's review against another edition

3.5

Characters well fleshed out and sympathetic. Does not vilify the female fiancee which is appreciated. I knew something was going to go horribly wrong when they were making out and confessing their love 30% into the book. I was convinced Gael was going to fuck it up, but then he didn't and I was happy.

I want to be part of the Herrera family 😭😭😭

emilia777's review

3.75

slow-paced

cute, elena kinda ruined it for me, she wasn’t even unlikeable, i just felt like the whole cheating trope was a unnecessary, it made for a whole lot of drama when i just wanted to read about the main couple