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A review by eesh25
Fake Boyfriend Breakaways: A Short Story Collection by Eden Finley
4.0
2.5 Rebound - 4 Stars
Novella number one of the book. This one follows Aron and Wyatt, both of whom we met in the first two books of the series. But for the purpose of this review, we're mainly concerned with the second book since Aron's story is connected to Noah's. They had a friends-with-benefits relationship that went wrong. Aron developed feelings, Noah did not. And if you've read Trick Play, you might remember that Noah told Wyatt to check on Aron. I think this is what happens afterward since that's what Wyatt does when the story begins.
The title "rebound" should be self-explanatory. Though considering how Aron's first friends-with-benefits arrangement went, you'd think he would've learned his lesson. But he and Wyatt have been a long time coming.
This is almost a decade of mutual crushing and not doing a single fucking thing, finally coming to a resolution, one way or another. It's a short and sweet story about finally exploring feelings that have always been there (side note: tell me I'm not the only one noticing the similarities between this one and Blindsided). And though the romance progresses pretty fast, it's mostly believable because the author makes an effort to paint a clear picture of the history the two protagonists share.
I liked this story. I especially liked that it wasn't focused on what happened between Aron and Noah. Yes, that played a part, but ultimately this was Aron and Wyatt's story.
3.5 It's Complicated - 3 Stars
I find it appropriate that my feelings for this novella are, like its name, complicated. The story follows Max and Ash. Yes, Ollie's brother and his ex-fiance. And if you're not familiar with who Ollie is... well, you might like this one more than I did. Because while I ended up liking Max just fine by the end of Deke. Ash... not so much. And this book doesn't help matters.
The plot is that Max, who everyone, including he, himself, thinks is straight, has actually been in love with his best friend Ash for years. Even before he started dating Ollie. But Max never said anything and then it was too late. Now, even though Ash and Ollie have been broken up for over a year, he can't make a move because it would hurt Ollie. Also, Ash is engaged. To a total douchebag. And only because after years of Ollie not willing to come out or get married, this new guy, who does want to get married, seems like a good option. It's a terrible logic but it makes sense. And usually, I'd feel bad for someone in Ash's position. Not in this case.
You see, Ash spends a lot of the book blaming Ollie for his issues. And yes, Ollie putting his career first wasn't a great thing for him to do. But not once does Ash think to apologize to his ex about the fact that he spent a significant portion of their relationship trying to force Ollie to come out. That is not an acceptable thing to do. Yes, you can break up with someone if you don't want to be back in the closet, but no one has the right to force another to come out. Especially when it involves a homophobic environment.
So yes, I had no issue with the relationship between Ash and Max and I do like the story. But Ash himself never grew on me and, in turn, I never truly enjoyed the novella.
4.5 Winning You - 4.25 Stars
This was, surprisingly, my favourite of the three. I knew neither of the two protagonists beforehand (pretty sure this was the first time they showed up in the series) and the book was separate from the events of the rest of the series. The only links it had were to the next book, Hat Trick.
The MCs are Marty and Luce. They win a date with one another (music festival) via a charity raffle, and both have ulterior motives for taking part in the raffle. Marty wants to see his favourite band perform. He also claims that the lead singer will see him and fall in love and they'll live happily ever after. Luce's motive I won't reveal, but let's just say that, once they meet, the connection they feel plus their fun banter ensures that getting to know each other, and spending time together, becomes a priority.
The story is just so fun and light. The interactions between the protagonists are hilarious but also fucking adorable. I really like Marty especially. Yes, there was a bit of an insta-connection thing going but I didn't mind it much. I liked the two together and I loved the direction their story took. Now I want the last book in the series even more because I'll hopefully get to see these two as well.
Novella number one of the book. This one follows Aron and Wyatt, both of whom we met in the first two books of the series. But for the purpose of this review, we're mainly concerned with the second book since Aron's story is connected to Noah's. They had a friends-with-benefits relationship that went wrong. Aron developed feelings, Noah did not. And if you've read Trick Play, you might remember that Noah told Wyatt to check on Aron. I think this is what happens afterward since that's what Wyatt does when the story begins.
The title "rebound" should be self-explanatory. Though considering how Aron's first friends-with-benefits arrangement went, you'd think he would've learned his lesson. But he and Wyatt have been a long time coming.
This is almost a decade of mutual crushing and not doing a single fucking thing, finally coming to a resolution, one way or another. It's a short and sweet story about finally exploring feelings that have always been there (side note: tell me I'm not the only one noticing the similarities between this one and Blindsided). And though the romance progresses pretty fast, it's mostly believable because the author makes an effort to paint a clear picture of the history the two protagonists share.
I liked this story. I especially liked that it wasn't focused on what happened between Aron and Noah. Yes, that played a part, but ultimately this was Aron and Wyatt's story.
3.5 It's Complicated - 3 Stars
I find it appropriate that my feelings for this novella are, like its name, complicated. The story follows Max and Ash. Yes, Ollie's brother and his ex-fiance. And if you're not familiar with who Ollie is... well, you might like this one more than I did. Because while I ended up liking Max just fine by the end of Deke. Ash... not so much. And this book doesn't help matters.
The plot is that Max, who everyone, including he, himself, thinks is straight, has actually been in love with his best friend Ash for years. Even before he started dating Ollie. But Max never said anything and then it was too late. Now, even though Ash and Ollie have been broken up for over a year, he can't make a move because it would hurt Ollie. Also, Ash is engaged. To a total douchebag. And only because after years of Ollie not willing to come out or get married, this new guy, who does want to get married, seems like a good option. It's a terrible logic but it makes sense. And usually, I'd feel bad for someone in Ash's position. Not in this case.
You see, Ash spends a lot of the book blaming Ollie for his issues. And yes, Ollie putting his career first wasn't a great thing for him to do. But not once does Ash think to apologize to his ex about the fact that he spent a significant portion of their relationship trying to force Ollie to come out. That is not an acceptable thing to do. Yes, you can break up with someone if you don't want to be back in the closet, but no one has the right to force another to come out. Especially when it involves a homophobic environment.
So yes, I had no issue with the relationship between Ash and Max and I do like the story. But Ash himself never grew on me and, in turn, I never truly enjoyed the novella.
4.5 Winning You - 4.25 Stars
This was, surprisingly, my favourite of the three. I knew neither of the two protagonists beforehand (pretty sure this was the first time they showed up in the series) and the book was separate from the events of the rest of the series. The only links it had were to the next book, Hat Trick.
The MCs are Marty and Luce. They win a date with one another (music festival) via a charity raffle, and both have ulterior motives for taking part in the raffle. Marty wants to see his favourite band perform. He also claims that the lead singer will see him and fall in love and they'll live happily ever after. Luce's motive I won't reveal, but let's just say that, once they meet, the connection they feel plus their fun banter ensures that getting to know each other, and spending time together, becomes a priority.
The story is just so fun and light. The interactions between the protagonists are hilarious but also fucking adorable. I really like Marty especially. Yes, there was a bit of an insta-connection thing going but I didn't mind it much. I liked the two together and I loved the direction their story took. Now I want the last book in the series even more because I'll hopefully get to see these two as well.