Lately, I've been trying to read as many of my shorter books as possible. I really want to make progress on my Goodreads challenge, and get some of the books off of my TBR that have been there for a really long time. I read The Return of Innocence by Duane Simolke earlier last year, and really enjoyed it. I've been wanting to pick up more of his books. I recently decided to read Now That We're Grown. Unfortunately, I didn't like it at all.

It makes me sad that I didn't like Now That We're Grown. The premise sounded so intriguing to me. I love books about LGBTQ+ characters, and keep ranting to anyone that will listen that we need more disabled representation in the LGBTQ+ books that are being published. However, Now that We're Grown didn't make a lot of sense to me. The story line was way too short. It hopped around all over the place without really giving you much of an introduction to any of the characters. It almost seemed like the author expected the reader to know the characters from one of their previous stories, or something. Because of that, the plot was choppy, and hard to follow. I think if the book would have been a little longer, it could have easily been a three or four star book for me. If the author would have expanded by one hundred pages, or maybe even fifty pages, to flesh things out, I could have seen myself really understanding this story, and enjoying it a lot more.

I found Now That We're Grown to be really disappointing, which is unfortunate. I found the premise to be intriguing, but the short story just lacked so many things. I did love the author's previous book that I read, The Return of Innocence. Therefore, I'm not giving up on this author just yet. I might try another one of their longer books, and just not read their short stories.

I give Now That We're Grown: 1.5/5.

Cute read, exactly what I've been expected, well written and very mature I really loved to know Gavin and Peter a shame that is so short, could be more larguer and explore other aspects of the relationship of them.

While this does say a short story, I felt as if there were things just thrown in so the story could move on. I learnt almost nothing about the characters and the story in general didn’t keep my interest.

Former classmates Gavin and Peter meet several years after high school and reconnect, starting a romantic relationship. Peter works part-time at an ad agency, while Gavin is working with a veterans group to design a park that caters to people with disabilities. Along the way we meet several secondary characters who pass through the story plus a villain who hacks a gay vlogger's site and spews hatred toward Gavin.

This brief 25-page novella reads more like random scenes pulled from a larger work than one complete plot / story. I would have liked more character development and background on the main characters during high school, as well as more in-depth details about their current life together. There are no on-page sex scenes, which is fine, but there is little discernible chemistry between the two MCs. 3 stars.

Short story
No sex
3 stars


It's always somewhat difficult for me to review short stories. It's not fair to judge them the same way I would a novel or even a novella, there just isn't time for character development.

Peter and Gavin were friends in high school when things took a wrong turn and they grew apart. Now back in the same city they renew their friendship and begin to date.

There are references to the bullying of Gavin in high school and a recurrence that was quickly traced to a hacker.

I kind of think that the writer tried to cover too much for a short story. If it had focused just on the relationship between Peter and Gavin it might have worked better for me. Adding in the bully and the jeopardized funding for a disabled athletic center that Gavin is working on caused the focus of the story to become a bit scattered for me.

This was my first read by this author and it held my interest OK but it's probably a good thing that it was only 25 pages long. I'd be willing to read more from this author and hope that his strength lies in stories that are a bit long than this one.

I really struggled with this read. I found the the writing style awkward and I just couldn’t get in to it at all.
It also seemed like there was too much to be covered in so few pages.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.

A short, quick read-
About love, friendship- it’s based around 2 school friends who feel in love- part company only to be reunited later in life.
Not a bad read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

There were some cute moments in this little short story. I love that although this was relatively short (25 pages to be exact), there was still a full cast of characters with different backgrounds and sexual orientations.

However, maybe the length of the novel is what fell short to me because nothing was quite developed well enough. I think the story could have easily been a 100 pager because I believe there was enough conflict to flesh out all the events.

The ending was also kind of weird to me which fully supports my point that there should have been more pages. It was just sprung out of nowhere and sort of shifted the tone of the story.

If you want a very short story with a diverse cast of characters, then this one might be worth checking out either on Netgally or January 2019.

This is not a fully developed story, at least, it doesn't work as a short story. Being so short, the author relied on broad stereotypes to plow through to the end. It almost felt like I was reading excepts for a treatment of what was to be a full length novel.

I didn't get much of a sense of who Peter, the MC, was; though Gavin was better flushed out.

The other issue I have was the author (Simolke) tried to cram a lot of 'buzz topics' , way too many, into such a short piece resulting in more awkwardness. Bullying, cyber-bullying, disabilities, gay denial, gay acceptance... all stuffed into a few pages.

The antagonist is so briefly seen (and not developed) that his purpose and relationship to the MC is forced and has no believability. The relationship between Peter and Gavin is equally lacking in credibility.

Basically, this is an underdeveloped idea that needs to go back to the drawing board.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The author wrote a compelling short story about two twenty-something former gay high school friends and one-time lovers who reunited. The two main protagonist's of the emotionally-charged storyline showed promising character development had the tale continued. The well-written prose made for an interesting read.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

In High school, a well-intentioned act becomes a cruel target for ridicule when Gavin takes pictures of wheelchair-bound Peter and these pictures of strength become ugly and twisted. When they meet up after college, the sparks from their youth still remain, but so do the ghosts of the past. Has life and their personal maturity taken them far enough from the pain to find a home for their hearts?

Duane Simolke’s NOW THAT WE’RE GROWN is a simple and sweet love story of strength against the odds. Very short, this is a tiny slice of life, of letting the past stay in the past and looking to a future that promises so much more. The characters feel real, tentative, yet clearly meant for each other, if society’s judgment hadn’t got in their way.

This author writes with a gentle strength that comes through as he both spotlights social issues and love. The potential for a much longer tale is here, but perhaps we were never meant to be voyeurs to years of pain.

This was an interesting short story. There's lots going on, and I felt it was too short. I wanted to know so much more about the characters and their history, together and apart. I did like what I read but, again, felt like too much was missing to really get into the story and form an attachment to the characters.

This was an ok read for me. I felt the story started too far along and would’ve like it to start maybe at the beginning of their story as a prologue.

This is a romance between two boys who met in high school. Peter is in a wheelchair and from a far Gavin admires him for his independence despite the wheelchair and his courage not to hide that he is gay. Gavin is a photographer and asks to photograph Peter. The photographs are then altered into something embarrassing by an anonymous person and posted on the internet. Imagine the horror to both Peter and Gavin. Their relationship dissolves. Years later they run into each other and the chemistry is still there, but is it enough to erase the past? There's a tenderness between them that's relatable and universal to any two people in a relationship. For such a short read, a lot is packed in and felt longer that the few pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Duane Simolke.