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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Every single time I read Dianna Roman book I’m drawn in immediately and I never let go until the end and then I’m just staring at wall after thinking “Does every book have to be perfect?” This book was no exception. Max and Jack had my heart from the very first page. This was such a gut-wrenchingly heartbreakIng yet amazingly sweet, story that shows while loss can gut you and break you down until you feel like you might never be whole again…love, real true love can build you back up in a different way that leaves you maybe even stronger than you were before.
The first half of this book I was a deranged sobbing mess, like finger-tingling sad (iykyk) I wanted to simultaneously squeeze-hug Max so tight because he’d been through such a devastating, debilitating loss and while also pummeling him upside the head for hurting my dear sweet bby Jack too many times. Of course he redeemed himself x a million after he worked through his pain, grief and understanding of himself and was definitely worthy of Jack but damnnn I was mad for a good minute there.
My dear sweet bby Jack was so perfect yet heartbreakingly lonely because of so many hags in his past I just wanted to protect him from every bad thing everrrr. He was so sweet, patient, understanding and forgiving of Max, much more than I was but I understood why and loved that we got sooo much time with them after they got together. The banter and their friendship never died or even really changed after they got together, it just became stronger, funnier and more beautiful and I loved that for them
The first half of this book I was a deranged sobbing mess, like finger-tingling sad (iykyk) I wanted to simultaneously squeeze-hug Max so tight because he’d been through such a devastating, debilitating loss and while also pummeling him upside the head for hurting my dear sweet bby Jack too many times. Of course he redeemed himself x a million after he worked through his pain, grief and understanding of himself and was definitely worthy of Jack but damnnn I was mad for a good minute there.
My dear sweet bby Jack was so perfect yet heartbreakingly lonely because of so many hags in his past I just wanted to protect him from every bad thing everrrr. He was so sweet, patient, understanding and forgiving of Max, much more than I was but I understood why and loved that we got sooo much time with them after they got together. The banter and their friendship never died or even really changed after they got together, it just became stronger, funnier and more beautiful and I loved that for them
wow! what a fun read. when you get into it, you really get into it. I loved the journey each character went though and how they grew together. I know nothing about baseball, but I do like this baseball player! I’d vote for him for all the sports awards if that’s a thing!
I was expecting a cute mlm romance with a hot baseball player and that’s what I got, but it was also so much more than that. The love Jack and Max shared was beautiful. They were so patience and supportive of each other. Watching them fall in love was such a such an enjoyable journey.
This book was very romantic but it was also fucking hilarious. The witty banter in this book had me cracking up every other page. Emma was also such a funny kid! The bond Max, Jack, and Emma had was so special. I truly loved their family dynamic.
If the sweet romance and the laugh out loud dialogue didn’t sell you, this book was also probably one of the spiciest books I have ever read….
This book was very romantic but it was also fucking hilarious. The witty banter in this book had me cracking up every other page. Emma was also such a funny kid! The bond Max, Jack, and Emma had was so special. I truly loved their family dynamic.
If the sweet romance and the laugh out loud dialogue didn’t sell you, this book was also probably one of the spiciest books I have ever read….
Liked it
A closeted baseball player falls for the straight widower next door.
I liked the premise - neighbours falling for each other (well one had already fallen...). There's more to the story though, including humourous banter between Max, Jack and other characters, some drama, lots of emotions, good character development. Sadly, I was not a fan of Max when he ghosted Jack early in the book, and that coloured the rest of the story (for me). When Max comes to terms about his attraction to Jack, he redeems himself by accepting it.
Good story.
A closeted baseball player falls for the straight widower next door.
I liked the premise - neighbours falling for each other (well one had already fallen...). There's more to the story though, including humourous banter between Max, Jack and other characters, some drama, lots of emotions, good character development. Sadly, I was not a fan of Max when he ghosted Jack early in the book, and that coloured the rest of the story (for me). When Max comes to terms about his attraction to Jack, he redeems himself by accepting it.
Good story.
Bi-awakening is one of my favorite tropes, so I was really looking forward to it. I loved that this was about a baseball player! There aren't too many good books out there about baseball players. This book started off being hard to read with how Max reacted, but I ended up really enjoying it. Once Max was in it, he was all in, which was amazing.
The game at the end had me smiling, laughing and crying all at once!
The game at the end had me smiling, laughing and crying all at once!
A first read for the author with this book.
A good start with an over loaded Max at breaking point trying to deal with life as a sole parent after the death of his wife 3 years ago..
Both men are 100% straight as Max thinks but Jack may be having feelings for his friend.
Max is a lawyer who needed help...badly.
I loved the banter that Jack and Max have in their moments. Emotions and angst are there as Jack does something that threatens their friendship. The book is a full length with lots of pages to read for their relationship going up to another level. Written with both pov's for a HEA ending.
Includes grief, clogged toilets and icky moments, humor, chemistry between them.
Jack was 32 and a single ex baseball player, when he wasn't he was caring for Emma helping Max.
Living next door was Max a widower and his daughter Emma.
*also reviewed on mmbookwormreviews.com
A good start with an over loaded Max at breaking point trying to deal with life as a sole parent after the death of his wife 3 years ago..
Both men are 100% straight as Max thinks but Jack may be having feelings for his friend.
Max is a lawyer who needed help...badly.
I loved the banter that Jack and Max have in their moments. Emotions and angst are there as Jack does something that threatens their friendship. The book is a full length with lots of pages to read for their relationship going up to another level. Written with both pov's for a HEA ending.
Includes grief, clogged toilets and icky moments, humor, chemistry between them.
Jack was 32 and a single ex baseball player, when he wasn't he was caring for Emma helping Max.
Living next door was Max a widower and his daughter Emma.
*also reviewed on mmbookwormreviews.com
Update Mar 20 2025: Needed to drop this down to one-star due to the fact that I still can’t over the language used in this book. I can no longer recommend a book that does not understand the struggles experienced by the queer community. And using the language like “turned gay” is harmful and reeks of “conservative conversation therapy”. This to me shows ignorance and lack of sensitivity to the queer community.
——
Original review:
A steamy M/M romance of a bisexual/biromantic character struggling with grief while at the same time growing closer with his best friend/next door neighbor.
Overall, if you really like angsty, with lots of pining, M/M romance this may be for you. It’s too much angst for me and was a bit too long as well. I read the author left it long because fans requested it but it didn’t really work for me. I was bored in the beginning, although it sort of picked up a bit in the middle. There was also too much introspection. I enjoy introspection but when that is all the book is it takes away anything that is even remotely a plot. While the author tried to throw in some challenges related to being a closeted gay pro-athlete and shine light into homophobia, this is still first and foremost an M/M romance (read that as: inaccurate depiction of queer). The social aspect of it is just a conflict in which the characters have to face. As far as romance goes, this book really doesn’t have too much conflict. The cold-shoulders and the struggle with each other was very short-lived. If this book was leaning towards more gay romance and fiction I think I’ve enjoyed it more.
Finally, I read somewhere a synopsis of this book mentioned a bisexual/demisexual character. I have to say none of that was mentioned in the book - they were implied. Again, as this isn’t a gay fiction or queer fiction so it may not have mattered. However, when the character is being constantly referred to as “gay” and not “bisexual” and “demisexual/asexual” it can be perceived as a form of bi-erasure and asexual erasure. I feel the synopsis was a more recent update to appease a specific community who may have picked up on that and that can be problematic. I don’t even know if the author is even aware of those orientations or identities at the time of writing.
One thing to note though that I consider the most problematic issue in this book is the idea that a person can be “turned gay” (yes the book did mention this many times). The character did not acknowledge that he could be bisexual as a response to that, which goes back to my previous point of bi-erasure. In fact, the character never reassessed his sexuality nor corrected the other person’s “mislabeling”. It could almost be seen as a GFY book. Authors choosing to write M/M venturing into queer identities should be careful with this. Or just don’t even mention that at all.
Overall, I’m a bit mixed about this book but if I were to judge it based on what one would expect M/M romances to be and its intended audience and written by an assumed non-queer author, it should meet those criteria. I still maintain a rating of 3 just based on that. But it is not and should not be treated as queer fiction, no matter what the latest synopsis says.
——
Original review:
A steamy M/M romance of a bisexual/biromantic character struggling with grief while at the same time growing closer with his best friend/next door neighbor.
Overall, if you really like angsty, with lots of pining, M/M romance this may be for you. It’s too much angst for me and was a bit too long as well. I read the author left it long because fans requested it but it didn’t really work for me. I was bored in the beginning, although it sort of picked up a bit in the middle. There was also too much introspection. I enjoy introspection but when that is all the book is it takes away anything that is even remotely a plot. While the author tried to throw in some challenges related to being a closeted gay pro-athlete and shine light into homophobia, this is still first and foremost an M/M romance (read that as: inaccurate depiction of queer). The social aspect of it is just a conflict in which the characters have to face. As far as romance goes, this book really doesn’t have too much conflict. The cold-shoulders and the struggle with each other was very short-lived. If this book was leaning towards more gay romance and fiction I think I’ve enjoyed it more.
Finally, I read somewhere a synopsis of this book mentioned a bisexual/demisexual character. I have to say none of that was mentioned in the book - they were implied. Again, as this isn’t a gay fiction or queer fiction so it may not have mattered. However, when the character is being constantly referred to as “gay” and not “bisexual” and “demisexual/asexual” it can be perceived as a form of bi-erasure and asexual erasure. I feel the synopsis was a more recent update to appease a specific community who may have picked up on that and that can be problematic. I don’t even know if the author is even aware of those orientations or identities at the time of writing.
One thing to note though that I consider the most problematic issue in this book is the idea that a person can be “turned gay” (yes the book did mention this many times). The character did not acknowledge that he could be bisexual as a response to that, which goes back to my previous point of bi-erasure. In fact, the character never reassessed his sexuality nor corrected the other person’s “mislabeling”. It could almost be seen as a GFY book. Authors choosing to write M/M venturing into queer identities should be careful with this. Or just don’t even mention that at all.
Overall, I’m a bit mixed about this book but if I were to judge it based on what one would expect M/M romances to be and its intended audience and written by an assumed non-queer author, it should meet those criteria. I still maintain a rating of 3 just based on that. But it is not and should not be treated as queer fiction, no matter what the latest synopsis says.
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Max and Jack are best friends and neighbors, especially after Max’s wife passed away unexpectedly several years ago. Jack is a regular fixture in Max’s home and also helps out with Max’s daughter, Emma. Jack is a popular, successful professional baseball player who is closeted, even from his best friend.
When the truth comes out - and that Jack has been in love with Max almost as long as they’ve known each other - Max struggles. What will the future hold?
I felt the book could have been a bit shorter and skimmed some parts, and had a harder time reading others because there was a bit too much machismo from Max and his friends. I know that is unfortunately reality but it doesn’t make it easier to read. Thankfully, Max challenged his preconceived notions and became a better person as the book went on. Jack was pretty great throughout, a wonderful friend and bonus parent to Emma, too.
Thank you to the author for the ARC of this book. This review contains my own thoughts and opinions.
When the truth comes out - and that Jack has been in love with Max almost as long as they’ve known each other - Max struggles. What will the future hold?
I felt the book could have been a bit shorter and skimmed some parts, and had a harder time reading others because there was a bit too much machismo from Max and his friends. I know that is unfortunately reality but it doesn’t make it easier to read. Thankfully, Max challenged his preconceived notions and became a better person as the book went on. Jack was pretty great throughout, a wonderful friend and bonus parent to Emma, too.
Thank you to the author for the ARC of this book. This review contains my own thoughts and opinions.