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A review by nerida182
Cali Boy by Charli Meadows
3.0
If there’s one thing I love it’s M/M stepbrother romances. My favourites are usually full of angst and tension… but this wasn’t that.
Cali Boy is a insta-lust/love story; Finn is automatically protective of Ollie pretty much from the moment they meet. The attraction formed a little too quickly for me, but it works for this book. Given it’s such a short read, I understand why the romance element gained pace so quickly.
I really liked Ollie as a character. He’s sweet, funny and very quirky. His backstory of what happened to him in California really makes you feel for him, especially because he’s so innocent and just an all-round good guy.
Finn… I didn’t like as much. I was hoping for more of a grumpy/sunshine trope, but Finn’s soft side comes out pretty much straight away. We still see the grump, just not as often as I would have liked.
Both characters are 18 and still in high school, and while I think there are a lot of books that work in this setting, there was maybe a little too much high school drama going on. Don’t get me wrong, I understand they’re in HIGH SCHOOL so durr… why wouldn’t there be juvenile drama, but I felt sometimes that the mature, let-me-do-a-really-long-drawn-out-poetic-speech thing didn’t mix with some of the story that unfolded.
The spice was pretty solid though. Would have thought Finn would be dirtier but hey, we can’t always get what we want. I’m a sucker for steamy first times and this one delivered… on multiple occasions.
If you’re a fan of smooshy, snuggly insta-romances, this one is for you. I still smashed it, still enjoyed it, just felt it was a tad overhyped. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Charli brings to her next book, because I think once she finds her rhythm she’s going to be amazing.
Cali Boy is a insta-lust/love story; Finn is automatically protective of Ollie pretty much from the moment they meet. The attraction formed a little too quickly for me, but it works for this book. Given it’s such a short read, I understand why the romance element gained pace so quickly.
I really liked Ollie as a character. He’s sweet, funny and very quirky. His backstory of what happened to him in California really makes you feel for him, especially because he’s so innocent and just an all-round good guy.
Finn… I didn’t like as much. I was hoping for more of a grumpy/sunshine trope, but Finn’s soft side comes out pretty much straight away. We still see the grump, just not as often as I would have liked.
Both characters are 18 and still in high school, and while I think there are a lot of books that work in this setting, there was maybe a little too much high school drama going on. Don’t get me wrong, I understand they’re in HIGH SCHOOL so durr… why wouldn’t there be juvenile drama, but I felt sometimes that the mature, let-me-do-a-really-long-drawn-out-poetic-speech thing didn’t mix with some of the story that unfolded.
The spice was pretty solid though. Would have thought Finn would be dirtier but hey, we can’t always get what we want. I’m a sucker for steamy first times and this one delivered… on multiple occasions.
If you’re a fan of smooshy, snuggly insta-romances, this one is for you. I still smashed it, still enjoyed it, just felt it was a tad overhyped. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Charli brings to her next book, because I think once she finds her rhythm she’s going to be amazing.