“Being queer isn’t the part that scares me.”
“No?” I ask, throat tight. “What scares you?”
“The thought of losing you,” he answers, just about doing me in. “I couldn’t stand to lose you, Joey.”

ARC review

This book is 328 pages long but it felt like half, at most. This was incredibly easy to read, beyond sweet and entertaining, and just made me smile a lot. I genuinely believe it’s way harder to pull off a low angst book such as this than something full of trauma and angst. I was invested from the very first page and didn’t want to put it down, which, considering I prefer more action, external angst and less humor, is really impressive.

Brad is a golden retriever himbo of epic proportions who communicates entirely in unintentional innuendo, and he is probably the kindest person ever. When he (finally) realizes his gym bro Joey’s cum gutters and juicy pecs make him a bit more excited than they would if he were completely straight, his worry isn’t about his sexuality, but about not wanting to hurt Joey or lose him as a friend, and I just love him to death for it.

Brad for sure steals the show a lot, but Joey is a strong character as well. He goes along with all of Brad’s antics and lets him be himself fully, and indulges Brad’s need for closeness and cuddles, pre and post sexual awakening. He was pining so damn hard for a while there that it almost made me cry.

The only thing I wasn’t stoked about was Brad and Jason’s friendship in this book. To be fair I haven’t read Himbo, but I’ve seen a lot of quotes, and those + the way Brad talks about his best friend, I was surprised by how very unfriendly Jason seemed. Yeah, Brad’s a lot and he makes Jason uncomfortable and embarassed sometimes, but all the time?? He ended up coming across as a pretty bad friend, imo.

“But orgasms don’t last. They just don’t. It’s all well and good to want someone’s body. To enjoy getting off with them. But wanting someone past that? Outside of that? Wanting to share a moment of connection? I think that’s pretty great.”

Anyways. Please read this, chances are you’ll freaking love it.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Never-ending puns
Himbo
Gym bros
Sexual awakening
Innuendo for days
Boudoir photoshoot
Failed wingmanry
Pining
Size difference
Itty bitty shorts and crop tops
First times
Intercrural sex
Jerking it while inside him
Golden retriever

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Brief mention of death of parent (past)
Alcohol consumption
MC abandoned by parents (past)
Mention of homophobic parent (past)
Explicit sexual content

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Brad sets Joey up on a handful of dates, trying to be a wingman. Joey isn’t interested in anyone but Brad and nothing comes of the dates (Brad third-wheels most of the dates anyway).
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
Main characters’ age: 25 and 29
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 328
Happy ending: Yes


“This list is quite possibly the best thing I’ve accomplished in my entire life. Because, as it turns out, it was ten ways to accidentally fall in love. And every step led me to you.”

Fuck. This man. I barely know him, and I’m already wondering what kind of fence he’d like around his backyard. White picket?

“He’s like… If niceness were a man,” I say. “His eyes are warm like brownies. And he’s all muscly in a kinda soft way? Like a loaf of challah. Add some chocolate sprinkles on top for his hair, and there you have it.”

Turns out floating in place is fucking hard. But Joey makes it fun. After several attempts, I manage it for about three seconds before grabbing for Joey’s arm. “You’re getting the hang of it,” he says. “Sure,” I agree. “Now I know if I go overboard at sea, I’ll have just enough time to panic before slipping under.”