Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.

Worthless. Trouble. Good for nothing. I’d heard it all before. It was all I’d ever heard.

I have genuinly lost count of the amount of times I’ve read or listened to this book. It is definitely one of my favorite N.R Walker books, and one of my favorites overall. There’s very few happy and good vibes in this in the normal sense until quite late, but the feeling of hope that slowly builds is really special. Noah has experienced true tragedy in his life, yet he’s optimistic and spends his time trying to make life better for others. One of those he tries to help is our other main character, CJ. He is so freaking prickly and angry. Life has dealt him a shit hand, and he’s just trying to endure it. Behind that wall of prickliness, he’s a touch starved sweetheart that just needs someone to help him and care for him. He deserves the world.

He put a cigarette between his lips and I was transfixed. Smoking was a filthy habit, but I’d never wanted to be a cigarette so much in my life.

The MCs are a probation officer and probationer, and the sexual tension that builds when they’re waiting for CJ’s probation to be over so that they can be together is *magnifique*. I love both main characters to death, but CJ holds a special place in my heart. He’s barely making any money, his entire family is incarcerated except for Pops (who is chronically ill), and when his dad isn’t in jail, he’s abusive. He can’t read or write, and yet he’s so kind and does his best to care for Pops. How could you *not* love him?

Every time I hugged him, he held on for dear life. I loved it, truly I did, but it tugged at my heartstrings, reminding me of all the things he’d missed. Of all the things he’d been deprived of.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Probationer
Probation officer
Poverty
Illiterate MC
Slow burn
Closeted MC
Coming out
Touch starved MC

⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Housefire
Death of a parent (present, few details)
Domestic violence (father/son)
Mentions of car accident (past)
Mentions of death of family (past)
Side character with chronic illness
Mentions of suicide (family member, past)

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: Noah goes on a date with someone else before the MCs get together. They kiss, but immediately realize there’s only friendship there.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile, but both have strong preferences and don’t switch on page.

“[…] They see my beat-up face and assume I’m some troublemaker. But I don’t do nothin’ wrong. I try, every day, to be a good person. To help out and take care of Pops, ya know? I don’t ask for nothin’. I don’t have anything and I don’t blame the world for that. I don’t think nobody owes me a goddamn thing. I’m just trying to get through each fucking day.”