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A review by itsnotoveryet
Sweat by Jonah Yorke
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sweat by Jonah Yorke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3 chillies)
Thank you to the author for gifting me this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Reading Sweat felt like watching a gritty, intimate MM drama unfold—packed with unresolved tension, self-denial, and unspoken desire. We start with an accidental reunion between two former middle school soccer rivals: Tommy, now 20, cheated on by his girlfriend... with that guy. Rowan. The same boy who once called him names on the field and chased him out of the sport he loved.
Now, years later, they meet again in a heated, emotional soccer match that feels more like foreplay than competition. From there, it’s locker room tension, angry stretching sessions, and more “accidental” brushes than you can count.
Tommy is figuring out who he is. Rowan is pretending he already knows. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it’s tangled in denial, fear, and a desperate need to keep control.
But what begins as sexual tension and unresolved resentment slowly morphs into something else. They train together. They touch. They stare a little too long. And eventually? They break. “It doesn’t have to be gay, Tommy,” Rowan says, right before their first explosive encounter. Spoiler: it was very gay.
Rowan is in deep denial—angry, closed off, and terrified of how he feels. Tommy is fumbling through his own queer awakening, working through guilt, grief, and the heartbreak of watching his sister slowly slip away to cancer. Neither of them knows what they’re doing. But they’re trying. And failing. And trying again.
But this isn’t just about lust. It’s about self-acceptance—about navigating shame, identity, and vulnerability in a world that still makes it so hard to come out whole. One of them knows what he wants but doesn’t know how to say it. The other is still figuring it all out, wrestling with everything he’s been told not to be. Watching them stumble toward truth—together—is heartbreaking and beautiful.
Trigger warnings apply, and the author handles them with care. The emotional scars these characters carry run deep, but nothing is gratuitous. Every reveal, every unraveling is earned and layered with meaning.
And in between the heaviness? Tenderness. Banter. Nicknames that make you smile. Stretching sessions that turn heated. First public hand-holds. First whispered labels. First time choosing each other—even if the world isn't ready for it.
It’s hard to believe this is Jonah Yorke’s debut novel. It’s so good—raw, gripping, and emotionally layered. And honestly? It’s refreshing to read MM romance written by a guy. That’s a first for me, and it brought something real and grounded to the story that I really appreciated.
💥 And yes—I’ll say it—this is one of the best romances I’ve read all year.
If For the Fans by Nyla K is your MM Roman Empire, this will be your new obsession. Sweat is angsty, hot, intimate, and ultimately a story of survival—and of two boys who choose love, even when it’s hard.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3 chillies)
Thank you to the author for gifting me this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Reading Sweat felt like watching a gritty, intimate MM drama unfold—packed with unresolved tension, self-denial, and unspoken desire. We start with an accidental reunion between two former middle school soccer rivals: Tommy, now 20, cheated on by his girlfriend... with that guy. Rowan. The same boy who once called him names on the field and chased him out of the sport he loved.
Now, years later, they meet again in a heated, emotional soccer match that feels more like foreplay than competition. From there, it’s locker room tension, angry stretching sessions, and more “accidental” brushes than you can count.
Tommy is figuring out who he is. Rowan is pretending he already knows. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it’s tangled in denial, fear, and a desperate need to keep control.
But what begins as sexual tension and unresolved resentment slowly morphs into something else. They train together. They touch. They stare a little too long. And eventually? They break. “It doesn’t have to be gay, Tommy,” Rowan says, right before their first explosive encounter. Spoiler: it was very gay.
Rowan is in deep denial—angry, closed off, and terrified of how he feels. Tommy is fumbling through his own queer awakening, working through guilt, grief, and the heartbreak of watching his sister slowly slip away to cancer. Neither of them knows what they’re doing. But they’re trying. And failing. And trying again.
But this isn’t just about lust. It’s about self-acceptance—about navigating shame, identity, and vulnerability in a world that still makes it so hard to come out whole. One of them knows what he wants but doesn’t know how to say it. The other is still figuring it all out, wrestling with everything he’s been told not to be. Watching them stumble toward truth—together—is heartbreaking and beautiful.
Trigger warnings apply, and the author handles them with care. The emotional scars these characters carry run deep, but nothing is gratuitous. Every reveal, every unraveling is earned and layered with meaning.
And in between the heaviness? Tenderness. Banter. Nicknames that make you smile. Stretching sessions that turn heated. First public hand-holds. First whispered labels. First time choosing each other—even if the world isn't ready for it.
It’s hard to believe this is Jonah Yorke’s debut novel. It’s so good—raw, gripping, and emotionally layered. And honestly? It’s refreshing to read MM romance written by a guy. That’s a first for me, and it brought something real and grounded to the story that I really appreciated.
💥 And yes—I’ll say it—this is one of the best romances I’ve read all year.
If For the Fans by Nyla K is your MM Roman Empire, this will be your new obsession. Sweat is angsty, hot, intimate, and ultimately a story of survival—and of two boys who choose love, even when it’s hard.