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A review by theoguinto
Best Man by Lily Morton
4.0
This had the chance of being really really good, but it unfortunately doesn't stick the landing.
Zeb being scared of becoming his father (to the point of swinging too far to the other end of the spectrum) was interesting to read. His incredible commitment to his word was definitely a fatal flaw that needed to be addressed. Though I will be honest, it didn't really come through during the story. It seemed to be more like a spoken threat rather than an actual concern since Zeb really didn't seem to have very many issues with it other than keeping his promise to Patrick (everything else he seemed to be a generally well adjusted person)
Jesse on the other hand was portrayed to be Zeb's opposite. Chaotic and impulsive, which definitely come through. He's funny, quick witted, and infatuated with Zeb and the author does a really good job of telling that story. I constantly shared Jesse's fears that Zeb was going to hurt him in the end.
The setup was perfect. I got invested in Zeb and Jesse's attempts to stay their attraction for each other. It was amazing when they finally gave in, and then Zeb's immediate rejection was a nice reversal (even if I wish Jesse had stayed angry for a little longer after the hate sex)
Everything up until the wedding was well done. I enjoyed reading about their novel dates and getting to know each other.
Then when Jesse saw Zeb kissing Patrick, I was gutted. That was really such a nice heartbreak moment, but everything after that didn't live up to the experience.
Jesse leaving the note for Zeb was a great followup, no notes on that. His heartbreak was palpable.
Zeb running to his office to find Jesse's parents' house was messy. The scene was paced awkwardly since Zeb went from rushing, desperately trying to find the address to getting stuck in a weird setup for a future story between Felix and Max. He even found time to make quips with the two, and that just slowed the whole thing down.
Then when he does find the address, Jesse's dad essentially just does an emotional dump on Jesse and why Zeb should treat him with respect, and I felt that was incredibly lazy. I mean, we've seen how strongly Jesse feels about Zeb, having his dad give Zeb the OK to marry a younger man because he himself was older than Jesse's mom felt like a cop-out way of making Zeb okay with the age difference.
AND the worst sin of all, Jesse immediately taking Zeb back. I get that Jesse really wanted to get back together, but how could he take Zeb at face value? He was literally scared of Zeb getting back with Patrick, and THAT HAPPENED in front of his eyes. He saw Patrick and Zeb kissing. Like he was more angry when Zeb rejected him the morning after they had sex for the first time. Why? Shouldn't he be angrier and more hurt now that his worst fear had come true?
He took him back way too easily and without any ramifications, which felt incredibly disappointing for what could've been an amazing grovel and redemption.
4 stars because the first 90% of the book was great, but I will forever lament the wasted opportunity of being a great story with this one.
Zeb being scared of becoming his father (to the point of swinging too far to the other end of the spectrum) was interesting to read. His incredible commitment to his word was definitely a fatal flaw that needed to be addressed. Though I will be honest, it didn't really come through during the story. It seemed to be more like a spoken threat rather than an actual concern since Zeb really didn't seem to have very many issues with it other than keeping his promise to Patrick (everything else he seemed to be a generally well adjusted person)
Jesse on the other hand was portrayed to be Zeb's opposite. Chaotic and impulsive, which definitely come through. He's funny, quick witted, and infatuated with Zeb and the author does a really good job of telling that story. I constantly shared Jesse's fears that Zeb was going to hurt him in the end.
The setup was perfect. I got invested in Zeb and Jesse's attempts to stay their attraction for each other. It was amazing when they finally gave in, and then Zeb's immediate rejection was a nice reversal (even if I wish Jesse had stayed angry for a little longer after the hate sex)
Everything up until the wedding was well done. I enjoyed reading about their novel dates and getting to know each other.
Then when Jesse saw Zeb kissing Patrick, I was gutted. That was really such a nice heartbreak moment, but everything after that didn't live up to the experience.
Jesse leaving the note for Zeb was a great followup, no notes on that. His heartbreak was palpable.
Zeb running to his office to find Jesse's parents' house was messy. The scene was paced awkwardly since Zeb went from rushing, desperately trying to find the address to getting stuck in a weird setup for a future story between Felix and Max. He even found time to make quips with the two, and that just slowed the whole thing down.
Then when he does find the address, Jesse's dad essentially just does an emotional dump on Jesse and why Zeb should treat him with respect, and I felt that was incredibly lazy. I mean, we've seen how strongly Jesse feels about Zeb, having his dad give Zeb the OK to marry a younger man because he himself was older than Jesse's mom felt like a cop-out way of making Zeb okay with the age difference.
AND the worst sin of all, Jesse immediately taking Zeb back. I get that Jesse really wanted to get back together, but how could he take Zeb at face value? He was literally scared of Zeb getting back with Patrick, and THAT HAPPENED in front of his eyes. He saw Patrick and Zeb kissing. Like he was more angry when Zeb rejected him the morning after they had sex for the first time. Why? Shouldn't he be angrier and more hurt now that his worst fear had come true?
He took him back way too easily and without any ramifications, which felt incredibly disappointing for what could've been an amazing grovel and redemption.
4 stars because the first 90% of the book was great, but I will forever lament the wasted opportunity of being a great story with this one.