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daniireads 's review for:
Only Temporary
by Nicole Dykes
Only Temporary was messy and emotional, and had me hooked from the start.
The story follows twenty-four year old Kellan, finds himself with temporary custody of his four younger siblings after the passing of their addict mother.
Kellan barely has his life together, but is willing to do whatever he takes to make sure it’s permanent and that his siblings have the life they deserve.
Enter Phillip, the young and friendly social worker assigned to their case. From the moment he and Kellan meet something sparks between them.
Phillip does everything he can to make sure everything is strictly professional, but the more he gets to know Kellan and his family, Phillip realizes he may be over his head on this one.
Holy cannoli, I loved this one! The characters, their stories, and their development throughout Only Temporary was fantastically done.
I really loved Kellan’s journey the most—from the panic of being a new ‘parent’, to dealing with his anger at his mother and his guilt for leaving his siblings behind, to repairing his relationship with them, and figuring out his sexuality and exploring that connection with Phillip. It felt raw and genuine.
The family dynamic here felt realistically portrayed as well. I loved that Kellan wasn’t instantly a father of the year type, he made mistakes but still did his best by the kids. I even liked that his siblings gave him shit for abandoning them—even if it was for the best—and didn’t instantly forgive him for doing so.
I wasn’t overly invested in Kellan and Phillip’s romance tbh—it was sweet and steamy and everything I expected from Nicole, but the family dynamic here is what really cinched this for me.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧:
- mechanic + social worker
- forbidden attraction
- different worlds
- bi awakening
- found family
- angsty + emotional