justinlife's reviews
847 reviews

Advanced Chemistry by A.J. Truman

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I wasn’t expecting to like this poly romance novel as much as I did, but it was a lot of fun. I did find the teacher former student ratio to be a bit uncomfortable but overall this was a good time. Chase is a nerdy chemistry teacher who starts a relationship with two best friends Anton and Sebastian. Overall it was an interesting read about how relationships can evolve and how to let go of the fear of falling for someone or someones.

Romance Languages by A.J. Truman

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing

2.5

This was just ok. I didn’t like this friends to lovers story. It made no sense to me and while I’ve gotten used to Truman’s over the top situations, I just didn’t buy this one. Like at all.

Drama! by A.J. Truman

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing

3.75

A fake bf, enemies to lovers book was fun and ridiculous. That seems to be my word for Truman’s writing. I keep reading so I must enjoy it. 

Here we have drama teacher Everett stuck in a circumstance where he needs his enemy’s help as a fake boyfriend. His enemy is the football coach Raleigh. 

I thought this was fun. There were some interesting conversations around art vs. sports funding in public schools that I enjoyed. The characters were a bit much but overall a solid read.

Ancient History by A.J. Truman

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Truman starts a new series in the same town which is fun. Here we have teachers instead of single dads. 

This was a sweet second chance romance between that picks after the characters’ closeted high school romance. Hutcheson was the star soccer player and carried on for two years with Amos secretly before abruptly cutting it off and leaving Amos to wonder what happened. Ten years later, Hutcheson returns as the soccer coach at the school Amps works at. 

Truman is a fun writer and I enjoyed how he wrote these characters, giving them chances to explore their feelings and explain the past. There’s a nice section where go down where they would’ve been if things went differently that I found touching.  This was a sweet read.

The Barkeep and the Bro by A.J. Truman

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

As I thought the last setup was ridiculous, this one took pit to another level. Here, we have Mitch, owner of a local pub who falls for his daughter’s ex Chase (everyone is over 21 here). While Chase might be 17 years younger, Mitch keeps gravitating towards him. 

I’m not a fan of workplace romance,but Truman handles it delicately and shows the issues with it. Both characters are given space to explore and figure things out. Overall a fun quick read.

The Mayor and the Mystery Man by A.J. Truman

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The second in the series, this friends to lovers follows the local mayor as a scandal breaks out amid his reelection campaign. In order to quash the rumors and the bad press, he recruits his best friend to pretend to be his boyfriend. The best friend who is straight doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. 

A ridiculous setup but the fake boyfriend trope is ridiculous. Overall I enjoyed it.it was fun to add new careers in the to,nave genre and the addition of a local election added more tension and opportunities for Truman to have fun.

The Falcon and the Foe by A.J. Truman

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Sloppy bear bear meets neat freak in this single dad enemies to lovers romance. This was a lot of fun and the cover listed wasn’t the one that I saw. I saw a cartoon image on insta so I picked it up. 

Cal is a single dad in his forties working two jobs and trying to have a life for his son. When his son wants to join the local equivalent of the Boys Scouts, he has to deal with Russ, his enemy, also a single dad whose husband passed away. 

Overall a fun read. It’s rare to see stories about men in their 40s. Truman does a great job giving these characters depth.

I'm So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I like how Kosoko Jackson writes. Part of the fun of reading Jackson's work is how he narrates the character. I'm So Not Over You follows former flames who have to be fake boyfriends for a meeting and a wedding. It gets complicated, and in my opinion, the fake boyfriend trope is the dumbest, but also my favorite in the romance genre. 

Kian is an aspiring journalist whose ex, Hudson needs his help to impress his uber wealthy family. Kian is a mess of a character but he's fun to read. The way he's written is part of the fun of reading this. 

This felt like the great romantic comedies of the 90s. It had the right amount of wealth porn with just enough reality checks that the world Hudson lives in isn't for everyone. Kian keeps his guard up and doesn't trust people easily, particularly someone who hurt him in the past. When ready romcoms I tend to give passes to some of the plot bc it usually doesn't make sense. This was no exception. 

That being said, it was a fun read and I'd recommend it. 

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This book was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. It was recommended to me by a customer service associate at Elliot Bay Bookstore for my choice for the bookclub this round. We did books based in the states and I chose Oregon. 

Logan Ortiz-Woodley is the daughter of popular gay ghost hunters. She returns with her dads to their hometown b/c something is up and it's terrorizing the community. They aren't welcome, btw and some believe her dads are the cause of the problem. 

The story deals with being different in a small town and the loneliness that can happen when you think everyone is out to get you. It's also a very CW-esque horror/romance story. It didn't feel too serious and perfect for the YA/New Adult crowd. Being that it is YA/New adult, we get so much emo. It's a lot but it's expected for the genre. 

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a slam dunk. 

We follow Trey, an 18 year old who leaves his wealthy family in Indiana behind for reasons and moves to NYC in the mid 80s. He learns that he doesn't know enough and has to figure it out. As he's getting life lessons, queer NYC is struggling with the AIDS epidemic. Trey eventually finds his place in the community but it comes with some hard battles and major losses. 

This book doesn't shy away from gay sex or queer lifestyles which was both refreshing and unnerving. I'm used to the "fade to black" but there was not fading here. We get the deets but not in an erotic way, maybe more a "matter of fact" way. 

Newson does an excellent job introducing us to characters that are fictional and real. He shows how this disease tore through the community and how that effected various members in that community. We get a look at how activism and the things we do to save people have consequences and that we have to live with the consequences. Choices, actions, helping, saving are not easy tasks and when you get involved, it's not easy to keep it separate from your life. 

Newson does an excellent job showing the youthful naivete of beginning activists and holding the past to the standards of the day. It felt real and fresh. Some of the conversations Trey has have been thoughts I've had. 

I both love and hated how it ended. I wanted more. I wanted two more chapters. It ends in a way that's heartbreaking and left me thinking about it for days.

Highly recommend this one. Don't do Audio on this one (it's good, though). The hard copy has footnotes that are fun and add depth to the text.