I really loved the family theme of this book. I think the author did very well in connecting Ben and Jack and their love felt real and raw. Their love develops naturally from attraction which I really appreciate, because a lot of times authors tend to make these stories into instant-love, which isn't realistic.

I also like that we got a look at their future. I really like them together and look forward to maybe seeing them in the authors future books.

This was just charming. Ben's struggle and anxiety over taking care of his younger brother was so realistic, and it moved the plot forward in a way that felt genuine. Jack's growing relationship with Ben and Milo had the perfect balance of sweetness and restraint.

**** 4 Stars ****

"Made for you". The title couldn't be more fitting; actually, it is just perfect.
The story is endearing, heartwarming and at times overwhelming.

Now, don't let my adjectives fool you into thinking that the story is heavy stuff only, trust Anyta Sunday to do some magic, throwing a good dose of humour to balance it all perfectly.

With a VERY clever and witty banter, solidly presented through the whole story, she turned this in something truly special.
I just loved the bond between the two brothers and how Jack effortlessly becomes a part of it.

If you're looking for something with lots of feels and a pinch of humour, look no more.

MADE FOR YOU by Anita Sunday is the first book I've read from this author. Ben and Milo touched by heart, their relationship amazing. I loved the way Ben put Milo first! The way Ben came into their lives and was such a support to them without any judgement. This story had many special moments and I enjoyed every one of them!

I think at this point I’ve read almost every Anyta Sunday book and I love how well she’s able to write flawed characters with hearts of gold. It can be so tricky to write a book that’s both funny and emotionally compelling but she does it so well and this book is no exception. I loved the unconventional relationship between the brothers just as much if not more than the romantic parts with Jack. I hope there’s more to come!

Oooh mais qu'est-ce que j'ai aimé ce livre !!

Voilà un petit moment que j'ai lu le premier tome de cette série... Jack y était apparemment présenté, mais je ne m'en souvenais pas vraiment. Étant donné qu'il devait y être probablement très peu développé, je me suis jetée quand même sur la suite, les tomes étant indépendants.

Ben McCormick est un jeune homme de 24 ans qui doit assurer l'éducation de son petit frère Milo, leurs parents étant décédés. Lors d'une réunion parents-professeur, Ben tombe sur Jack Pecker, le professeur de Milo.

J'ai adoré ce livre, cette histoire, ces personnages... Ben est un personnage très drôle. Ses petits flirts envers Jack étaient adorables. Mais c'est un homme qui m'a beaucoup touchée aussi. Sa volonté de bien faire avec Milo, la peur de ne pas être à la hauteur, mais la peur aussi de perdre la précieuse amitié et le soutien énorme de Jack. Certains passages dont un en particulier m'a fait monter les larmes aux yeux, fendu le cœur et je me suis sentie alors si proche de lui...
Jack éprouve de nombreuses choses pour Ben mais il se freine, du fait de sa situation professionnelle, de l'état émotionnel de Ben mais également celui de Milo, probablement un peu aussi la différence d'âge entre lui et Ben...
Milo est un petit garçon adorable, ce petit m'a fait tellement sourire ! Son attachement à sa maison et sa peur d'y partir m'a beaucoup touchée aussi...

J'ai adoré suivre le rapprochement de Jack avec cette famille, famille dont il va faire partie à part entière, l'évolution de sa relation avec Ben, tout doucement. Leur premier baiser, qui m'a surprise sur le coup, m'a mis des papillons dans le ventre, j'étais en apnée et sur un petit nuage. Bref, j'ai tout aimé...

Je parle probablement très mal de ce livre... J'ai adoré chaque page, de la première à la dernière... Je ne pensais pas vivre autant d'émotions différentes en le lisant, à être autant touchée... Je m'attendais à une lecture légère, à bien aimer certes, mais pas à ce point-là. Ce livre fut une véritable surprise. J'ai tellement aimé Jack, Ben et Milo. Rien qu'à repenser à une certaine dernière scène concernant le suivi scolaire de Milo me donne les larmes aux yeux, des larmes de joie. Et puis cet épilogue, qui est juste parfait...
J'aurais aimé ne jamais terminer ce livre en fait... Un livre drôle, émouvant, poignant pour ma part par certains côtés, un livre qui m'a fait un bien fou et qui m'a permis durant quelques heures de m'envelopper dans une bulle de bonheur et de bien-être, et j'en avais tellement besoin... Merci infiniment Madame Sunday !

I'm going to be honest, I don't remember ANYTHING about Taboo For You, which meant I don't remember Jack either. BUT, it's Anyta Sunday's -- and I love Anyta Sunday. So I took a chance to request for this book. Starting this book, I'm not particularly worried about the 15 years age-gap between Ben and Jack. I'm more more ambivalent about the fact that Jack was Milo's (Ben's younger brother) teacher, and he moves in with the brothers; although, yes, Jack moves into the guest cottage instead of the main house.

BUT, it turns out that it isn't such a big problem. Despite the constant flirting from Ben (he's so adorable when doing so), Jack doesn't physically acts on it. It's pretty slow-burn relationship -- in terms of physical though, because emotionally, THEY ARE SO INVOLVED!!!

I love that the story also includes Milo a lot, and the way that both adult men deals with this eleven years old kid. I may not agree with Ben's style of "parenting" in some parts, but I can't really point fingers either. I mean, I'm not sure I can do a great job too if I'm in Ben's position.

It's a sweet story, that makes me smile quite a lot (OH GOD'S Ben's quips and Milo's mouth!), either happily or achingly (this includes moments of Jack saying Ben's the best *sniff*).

And that ending... precious!

3.5 stars rounded up!
While I had some problems with this book I really enjoyed reading it and the writing style was flowing really well, so it was very easy and fun to read.

If I loved one thing about this book, it was the family dynamics! Seeing Ben and Milo interact, they truly felt like brothers and I loved how sassy Milo could be. And when Jack got thrown into the mix, I liked it even more. I wanted even more of these family scenes. I also loved seeing the struggles Ben had to deal with, taking care of Milo, dealing with a house he feels like he can't live in anymore, trying to do what is best for Milo and beating himself up when he feels like he failed. While this book didn't deal with a lot of angst, seeing these issues come up from time to time gave this book a sense of reality.

Now, if there was one thing that I didn't really like about this, it was the sexual tension between Ben and Jack. Why? Because this was pitched to me as a slow burn romance, and while on a technical level that might be true, because they don't act on their feelings until very late in the book, Ben and Jack admit they are attracted to each other pretty much from the start. This has been something that's been bothering me in MM romance for a while now, but here it really was the one thing that kept me from enjoying the book to the fullest. I want to read about people falling in love and why, not how they lust after each other because of how hot they find the other person. And there were moments where you could see the great chemistry Ben and Jack had, but it was always pulled back to the physical aspects and that was a little disappointing. But if this doesn't bother you as much as me, I think you'll have a great time with this book.
One other small disappointment for me was, while we are told that Jack rebuilds the main house In the time where he's living with Ben and Milo, we don't get a lot of information on what he actually changes. There are some small snippets here and there, but nothing that made me feel like this family of Ben, Jack and Milo feel at home there. I know the point was kind of that home is where the heart is, but I would have loved to see how Ben comes to terms with this old/new house and what exactly Jack did during his renovation of the house.

Overall, I did really enjoy my time reading this, although I did have my problems with the romance at times. I will definitely read the first book in the series at some point!

Unfortunately, for the most part this didn't work for me. After reading several glowing reviews, I may have had too high expectations, but I suspect even if it hadn't been for that, this book would have fallen flat for me.

Ben has his hands full trying to raise his younger brother Milo after their parents' death. He's struggling with keeping everything together, so when it turns out Jack, Milo's woodworking teacher, is good at renovating houses and needs a place to stay, Ben is relieved when Jack accepts for several reasons. Not only can Jack help with the house and Milo, there's also a definite spark between Jack and Ben - and while they can't act on it because Jack is Milo's teacher, it becomes more difficult to ignore each day.

The thing is, I kind of loved the idea of the story. I have a thing for found families growing out of "broken" ones. But the way it was realised just never really clicked with me. I didn't feel the attraction between Ben and Jack - I tend to need additional convincing when the age difference is as big as it is here (17 years), and unfortunately I wasn't convinced at all. Ben and Milo also sounded like they were continually high on Fanta, and Jack never seemed like he was a forty year old adult. Neither the characters nor their interactions were convincing to me, and the writing over all lacked subtlety and was a bit too simplistic for my taste. I don't think I've encountered this many simple main clauses strung together in a while. I admit this added to my difficulty with taking this seriously.

I really liked the idea of this, but the execution didn't work for me at all. If you're more forgiving when it comes to writing, and if you can handle comedy better than I can (I always think I like it, bit my sense of humour is seldom satisfied by romantic comedy) you may enjoy this more than I did.

I will be posting this review tomorrow!

-=-=-=-

The descriptive bit: Ben McCormick is only twenty-four years old and already the legal guardian of his younger brother Milo. Their parents were killed and Ben is barely managing to stay afloat as he tries to parent his brother, work at an unsatisfying job and maintain some semblance of a social life. He wants to sell the family home – a home that he can’t face being inside and a home that his little brother loves. The home needs a lot of work done on it – and so does his relationship with his brother.

Enter Jack Pecker (yes, that’s his name), Milo’s teacher and a part-time contractor. He thinks Milo is a great kid and becomes even more curious when he meets Ben on his way to a parent/teacher interview.

Ben and Jack are definitely attracted to one another but fifteen years and the fact that Jack is one of Milo’s teachers keeps them at arm’s length. However, when Jack agrees to renovate the McCormick family home, the amount of time they spend together becomes a problem… for all of them.

My thoughts bit: This is a lovely, heart-warming story about family and finding your way through the curve-balls that life continually lobs.

Ben is overwhelmed with trying to raise an eleven-year-old but his love for his brother keeps him putting one foot in front of the other. What I loved most about the relationship between the brothers was the overwhelming sense of family that Sunday captured. They’re struggling through really heavy stuff, losing their parents, trying to find out how to be a family on their own, potentially moving away from the home that holds all their fondest memories. Ben and Milo are adorable, the way they interact with one another is endearing and humorous without seeming impossible.

Jack is an interesting character. He is living with his ex-partner (and his new lover) as he waits for his dream house to become available. He seems to believe that if he buys and renovates the perfect house it will become the home that he has always wanted. I loved reading about the slow progression of his feelings for Ben and fondest for Milo. It was beautiful to read the way that Jack managed to support Ben as he struggled without taking away his control or taking over.

This is a slow-burn of a love story, peppered with the perfect amount of attraction and sexual tension. I would recommend this book in a heartbeat! It made me tear up, made me laugh and made me sigh happily. Who could ask for more in a romance!?

Also? Adorable cover!

The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: description of accident, blood (minor).

I received an ARC of Made For You by Anyta Sunday from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love Sunday’s work. She always seems to get the right amount of romance and problem dealing in each book.
This one was warm-hearted and showed not only a budding romance but how to work with loss, a teenage kid and a guy doing his best.
I enjoyed seeing more of Jack and getting his story and I would be intrigued to know if there will be anymore in this series at all.

Left to care for his teenage brother, Ben hopes he is doing the right thing. But when parent/teacher night happens at the school, Ben is left feeling not up to par and in desperate need of some help. Jack is a teacher at Milo's school and sees a boy who loves his older brother but struggling with the death of his parents. One conversation between Ben and Jack sets them all on a journey that sets them on the path to finding their forever family. This book was a joy to read. The characters were beautifully written and the storyline one I was sad to see end. This is my first book by Anyta Sunday but it will not be my last.

I read Made For You on a sunny bank holiday when I was stuck inside sick, and it was the perfect gentle companion to cheer me up.

The story follows 24 year old Ben, who is struggling in his role as sole caregiver to his younger brother Milo after their parents died, and Milo's hunky woodwork teacher Jack who is approaching 40 and desperate for a family after his own rejected him, and moves in with Ben and Milo to remodel their house.

It's a lovely slow burn of a novel, with Ben and Jack finding their way to a relationship while always keeping what's best for Milo in mind, and the complicating factors of grief, the age gap and and Jack's professional role. I really enjoyed seeing the three of them come together as a family, so this is a great read for anyone who loves the found family trope.

I also loved the New Zealand setting and kept interrupting my reading to google the native birds Ben, Milo and Jack bonded over and the beautiful settings for their daytrips. I'm super keen to visit Zealandia now!

The queen of hilarious, heart-warming slow-burn romances does it again!!!

*dreamy sigh*

This was just so perfect. I read this from start to finish with a stupid grin on my face, bursting into uncontrollable laughter at some of the things the sweet idiots said, and I didn't want it to end.

I love how this book was as much serious (at 24, Ben raises his little brother after their parents died and tries so very hard not to be a total screw-up it sometimes hurt, and I just wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be ok! Which Jack did for me, but oh well.) as it was hilarious (inappropriate bickering, and lemon-throwing is all I'll say on that). It was so sweet to watch Ben tackling the adulting stuff with Jack's help, and I'm so glad that the book took its sweet time making sure they were ready before they jumped into bed. It's one of the things I love most about Anyta Sunday's writing, that character development and building a foundation of friendship never falls short, so that by the time they do realize they love each other, everyone else pretty much already knows from the way they constantly bicker. This is just my kind of romance, and I LOVED this one especially!

This was seriously delightful.
I'm a sucker for the single parent trope and this was a beautiful story about a family finding their feet!
Ben is such a sweet guy and while he is still a fun loving guy in his early twenties, he is so willing to sacrifice whatever needs to be done to raise his little brother right.
Jack has such a heart of gold and I'm so happy he finally gets his happy ending.
Together they are just so wholesome and watching them work together for Milo was so lovely.

Read this if your heart needs a bit of a lift!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Genre: MM Romance
Steamy?: Yes
Cliffhanger?: No
Can be read as Standalone?: Yes
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

This was one of the better works that I’ve read from Anyta of late. This book was definitely a SLOOOOOOOOW burn as the characters didn’t become official until the last few chapters of the book. But the characters were enjoyable and there was more maturity to this piece than the last few I’ve read. Even though I felt something was lacking and I couldn’t put my finger on it, I did enjoy the journey and couldn't put the book down.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A year after the sudden death of their parents, twenty-four year old Ben and his eleven year old brother Milo are finally beginning to get the hang of their new lives. Sure, Ben may have to pay his younger brother to go to bed on time, and it's possible the brothers have an unhealthy diet of orange fanta and frozen dinners. But, they're managing. Barely.

However, after a parent/teacher conference gone awry, Ben comes to the conclusion that he needs to do better. First on his list is to renovate his family home in order to sell and start fresh. Enlisting Milo's thirty-nine year old shop teacher, Jack Pecker, to help seems like a great idea at the time, but the budding attraction between Ben and Jack complicates matters. Despite being determined to keep the relationship platonic and professional, the two soon realize that perhaps love and family takes precedence.

Anyta Sunday is one of my go-to authors for slow burn romance. Nearly every book I've read by her has had wonderful protagonists with realistic, sweet relationships full of banter and warmth. While I hadn't read the first book in this series, Taboo For You, I kind of couldn't resist requesting this book when it appeared on NetGalley. I'm more than psyched to report that I may have just found my new favorite of Sunday's works. Ben and Jack were absolutely perfect for eachother, and I loved the family dynamic between them and Milo. As many have mentioned, Jack's "Ben is the best" speech is one of the best romance scenes I've had the pleasure of reading, and I totally reread it a couple times.

tl;dr Anyta Sunday writes the literary equivalent of fuzzy blankets and warms hugs and everyone needs to read her books. Thank you and goodnight.

5/5

This is the second book in a series and I liked it SO much more than the first one! This one was written in first person which I LOVED and I also LOVED the two main characters Ben and Jack. Ben is in his early twenties, guardian to his 12 yo brother Milo, since his parents died in a car accident. He is finding out how hard it is to take raise a kid, work and be a responsible adult all while trying to have fun and act his age too. Near impossible, actually especially since Milo is a handful. He meets Jack, who is Milo's wood shop teacher and is instantly attracted to him even though Jack is much older than him. After a few innocent meetings, Jack agrees to move into and help rehab Ben's parent's house that they live in (well, B & J live in the guest house next to it because Ben has issues with being in the house where he lived when his parents were alive). The house needs a lot of renovations and Ben wants to sell it and move so they can get on with their lives somewhere else. The three of them get much closer, as do Ben and Jack but Jack keeps Ben at arm's length because he is the teacher of Ben's brother and they just can't have a relationship...at least not right now anyways. This story is so sweet. Jack and Ben are totally adorable together and once they find their way it is fabulous. Milo is funny and smart and the three of them together are the best. I loved the love story and watching Ben grow up into his role as Milo's "caretaker." A great read, short and sweet.

3.5 life stars

I was blown away with the first book in this series, Taboo For You. So when I heard a 2nd book was coming out I might as well have been sitting on an ant pile I was so anxious to get my hands on it. I'm so happy to say it did not disappoint.

I felt so bad for Jack in the previous book. I just had to see his HEA in this one. He couldn't possibly be a more angelic character.

This story brings such a strong feeling of family. Twenty-four year old Ben is the sole caregiver for his 11 year old brother Milo after their parents both died in a car accident. Throughout the story you can see how hard Ben is trying to be a good parent. You can feel the love between the brothers.

When 39 year old Jack comes into the picture, his maturity and no nonsense attitude is exactly what both boys need. We watch as all three of them fall inexorably in love with each other. It's a slow, beautiful process.

Anyta Sunday makes the small moments count. She shows us everyday life through a rose colored microscope and I feel privileged to have seen the beauty by reading this wonderful story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Made for You. I had a very hard time putting it down once I started it. It’s is so well-written and tugged at my heartstrings in many ways, but also made me laugh a lot. This slow burn romance was beautifully executed, allowing readers to really know the characters and become invested. It was also a treat to catch up a bit with Luke and Sam from Taboo for You.
Ben feels in over his head as he struggles to raise his brother, Milo, after their parents’ deaths. He’s only 24 and is trying his best, but he constantly questions his skills as a caregiver. The relationship between the brothers is so lovely and heartwarming and realistic. They are often at odds, but are also each other’s champion when it matters most.
Jack is approaching 40 and working hard to achieve his goals. As Milo’s wood shop teacher he knows it’s wrong to get involved with a student’s caregiver but he is deeply drawn to Ben. He knows he should keep his distance, but he can’t stop himself from helping the brothers. So many people at school are concerned about Milo and Ben, but no one is supporting them as they learn to adapt to the major change in their lives. Jack steps in and soon find himself falling hard for Ben and Milo. He’s been alone for so long and with them, he finally feels like he has a family again.
I highly recommend Made for You.