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A review by gee_reads_books
This I Promise You by Jordon Greene, Kalob Dàniel
5.0
Fourth in the Noahverse collection, and first within said series to have been penned in collaboration with another author, Jordon Greene and Kalob Dàniel's "This I Promise You" is a New Adult romance starring Paul and Easton, two young men whose love story is - at the very least - unlikely. When Paul and Easton meet, it's hatred at first sight; Easton can't believe that Paul would hit on his roommate when he just said that he's taken, whereas Paul doesn't understand why this entitled brat is giving him hell for venturing out of his comfort zone to try and make a new friend. Neither of them wants to admit the obvious; that they might've gotten a very wrong first impression. Thankfully, Paul's best friend Huxley isn't about to put up with such a silly misunderstanding ruining what promised to be an otherwise fantastic friendship, and the more she - and other circumstances - pits Paul and Easton together, the more they start to realise how they might be far more compatible than they seem.
If you've read any of Jordon Greene's Noahverse books, you already know that you can expect a cute, fluffy gay romance with a pinch of dramatic angst to keep things interesting. In my opinion, Paul and Easton are the best couple in the whole series thus far (my sincere apologies to Jacob and Skylar, oops), since they share a really beautiful story that might as well have been pitched as "'Pride and Prejudice' meets 'A Walk To Remember', and goes gay". Indeed, watching both boys slowly realise how wrong their first impression of each other was felt quite Austenian, and the way their love story went moved me as much as the aforementioned Nicholas Sparks book. There was beauty in the way they slowly overcame their prejudices, and then their difficulties, together. (If anyone's ever gone through a similar journey with their partner, I'm advising them to get a plus-sized box of Kleenex, since this will make them CRY like a BABY)
Both Paul and Easton were great characters. I really loved how Paul, below his tough guy facade and his gazillion uses for the word "fuck", was a sweet and caring soul, and how being around Easton made him realise that maybe he wanted to show up with his authentic self instead of keeping at pushing everyone away. He might've been my favourite character by far, since I feel like he also provided really nuanced representation in terms of CSA and complex trauma. On the other hand, Easton was a candid, lovely guy, whose chapters read exactly the way first love feels. I got butterflies in my stomach from the way he felt about Paul; which, in any romance, is a sign that you're reading good stuff. Jordon Greene's stories always make me feel really jittery in a vicariously-in-love kind of way, but this one definitely stood out as a particularly well-crafted one at that. Paul and Easton's chemistry was off the charts, as were their feelings for each other, and I teared up more than once at their love and devotion for each other.
The only character that rubbed me the wrong way, slightly, was Huxley. Once we learn what's going on with her, some of her actions make more sense, but I still felt like she was a bit too stereotyped considering what her diagnoses were. It got a lot better towards the end, but I still would've appreciated less attempts at highlighting what everyone thinks these and those symptoms look like, and a slower introduction to why she's the way she is (rather than a really long, info-dumping-ish conversation with Paul). Still, this was a personal opinion, and I don't share most of Huxley's experience - perhaps readers who do will be able to see themselves reflected in her, and I definitely don't want to speak over them. Besides, she became a much more sensible and kind character after a couple of chapters, and I ended up wanting to French-kiss her for saving Easton and Paul's in-denial asses.
As is customary of Greene's books by this point, we got a couple of crossovers (the main one being how Aiden, main character of 'Watching For Comets', is Easton's roommate and best friend), which were so very well done! Sometimes authors will do crossovers that feel really forced, or unnecessary, but every single one that happened here felt only natural, and like a really affectionate wink at Jordon's previous books. I could still tell that there was a slight change, since this book is NA instead of YA like the previous ones, and I think that Kalob Dàniel's own quill gave the book's prose a really unique flavour. I could tell that his and Jordon's styles meshed really well, since the story flowed freely and was really well-written.
In conclusion, "This I Promise You" was a really beautiful story about two lost souls finding a home in each other's arms, and I would highly recommend it as a 2022 Must Read for anyone who enjoys queer stories, romance, and angst with a happy ending. Can't wait for the next Noahverse story!
If you've read any of Jordon Greene's Noahverse books, you already know that you can expect a cute, fluffy gay romance with a pinch of dramatic angst to keep things interesting. In my opinion, Paul and Easton are the best couple in the whole series thus far (my sincere apologies to Jacob and Skylar, oops), since they share a really beautiful story that might as well have been pitched as "'Pride and Prejudice' meets 'A Walk To Remember', and goes gay". Indeed, watching both boys slowly realise how wrong their first impression of each other was felt quite Austenian, and the way their love story went moved me as much as the aforementioned Nicholas Sparks book. There was beauty in the way they slowly overcame their prejudices, and then their difficulties, together. (If anyone's ever gone through a similar journey with their partner, I'm advising them to get a plus-sized box of Kleenex, since this will make them CRY like a BABY)
Both Paul and Easton were great characters. I really loved how Paul, below his tough guy facade and his gazillion uses for the word "fuck", was a sweet and caring soul, and how being around Easton made him realise that maybe he wanted to show up with his authentic self instead of keeping at pushing everyone away. He might've been my favourite character by far, since I feel like he also provided really nuanced representation in terms of CSA and complex trauma. On the other hand, Easton was a candid, lovely guy, whose chapters read exactly the way first love feels. I got butterflies in my stomach from the way he felt about Paul; which, in any romance, is a sign that you're reading good stuff. Jordon Greene's stories always make me feel really jittery in a vicariously-in-love kind of way, but this one definitely stood out as a particularly well-crafted one at that. Paul and Easton's chemistry was off the charts, as were their feelings for each other, and I teared up more than once at their love and devotion for each other.
The only character that rubbed me the wrong way, slightly, was Huxley. Once we learn what's going on with her, some of her actions make more sense, but I still felt like she was a bit too stereotyped considering what her diagnoses were. It got a lot better towards the end, but I still would've appreciated less attempts at highlighting what everyone thinks these and those symptoms look like, and a slower introduction to why she's the way she is (rather than a really long, info-dumping-ish conversation with Paul). Still, this was a personal opinion, and I don't share most of Huxley's experience - perhaps readers who do will be able to see themselves reflected in her, and I definitely don't want to speak over them. Besides, she became a much more sensible and kind character after a couple of chapters, and I ended up wanting to French-kiss her for saving Easton and Paul's in-denial asses.
As is customary of Greene's books by this point, we got a couple of crossovers (the main one being how Aiden, main character of 'Watching For Comets', is Easton's roommate and best friend), which were so very well done! Sometimes authors will do crossovers that feel really forced, or unnecessary, but every single one that happened here felt only natural, and like a really affectionate wink at Jordon's previous books. I could still tell that there was a slight change, since this book is NA instead of YA like the previous ones, and I think that Kalob Dàniel's own quill gave the book's prose a really unique flavour. I could tell that his and Jordon's styles meshed really well, since the story flowed freely and was really well-written.
In conclusion, "This I Promise You" was a really beautiful story about two lost souls finding a home in each other's arms, and I would highly recommend it as a 2022 Must Read for anyone who enjoys queer stories, romance, and angst with a happy ending. Can't wait for the next Noahverse story!