Okay, so before I begin this review I have to take the biggest, deepest breath. Guys, this story left me with the heaviest book hangover I have had in a long, long time. It’s taken me days of writing and rewriting this review to finally feel like I could do it justice.

I’m actually going to start with, I think, my only complaint and I am starting there because this needs to be said before going any further for those reading my review. On the listings for this story on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads there aren’t any trigger warnings/content warnings. This is probably my only issue because there are heavy topics tackled in this book that warrant a pretty strong warning. Childhood emotional abuse and childhood sexual abuse are both referenced. On page there are a couple instances of violence, one of which ends in a very graphic near rape. Again, off page, there is a non consensual act that, while not actually referred to as rape, is rape and occurs in their current timeline.

I think the lack of sufficient warnings is something the author and publisher should heavily consider. I was personally tipped off by a fellow reader ahead of time, fortunately, but not all readers would have this benefit and really should know ahead of time what they are getting themselves into.

Now that I’ve said that, I need to quickly switch gears and transition into gushing over this story. I have some personal readerly tastes as all readers do and one of those is that I really, really, REALLY do not like stories written in a single POV, first person, present tense. As in I avoid those stories like the plague.

However with Born For Leaving, I was practically in the third chapter before the lightbulb finally flashed over my head and I realized that it was written in first person, present tense and we won’t even discuss how much longer it took for it to sink in that it was single POV.

How is that even possible, you might be asking. Easy. This story was so expertly written, so beautifully woven, and so utterly gripping that I was oblivious to absolutely everything but the tale itself. As a person who reads A LOT and writes A LOT it is so rare that I lose myself so completely within the actual words of the story that I don’t notice something that is normally a great big, fat nope for me.

Immediately Oliver grabbed my heart and held it tight through the entire story. I connected with his need for sanctuary and solitude deeply. He was a perfectly crafted character that didn’t need very long for me to form an attachment that was meaningful.

Let’s just give a quick run down of the premise because I practically forgot that when writing this review. So Oliver works for his sleazy ex (and OMG I looooooooathed Jack) as a mixologist at a bar. He sees an ad from a stranger requesting a room to rent for the summer and takes a leap to invite the guy to check out his place. The five hundred a month rent will help Oliver get the car of his dreams a little faster.

And that guy is Bodie. Oh heaven help me with Bodie. From the moment he arrived at Oliver’s house to see the accommodations (and this is, quite cleverly, not the first time Bodie and Oliver meet) their is an undeniable spark between the two men, although Oliver is certain Bodie is straight so his fantasies must remain locked in his lusty little brain.

Because living together isn’t tempting and confusing enough for Oliver, they are also coworkers. Yup, our adorable little Bodie is the bouncer Oliver has been waiting for to handle the overly enthusiastic drunk clientele at the bar. A position Oliver had to fill in on in between mixing drinks. While Jack played Candy Crush rather than actually managing the bar he owns. And this? Probably one of Jack’s BETTER moments. Nope. Not kidding.

There are so many twists and turns and absolute soul-crushing moments of heartbreaking devastation when long held secrets are revealed that my review would be a book in itself to recap it all and wouldn’t even come close to doing the story justice. When I tell you that these are two broken boys just looking for love and acceptance, that is a complete and total understatement.

In the interest of full disclosure, had this story not been written so exquisitely and each and every characters created and molded with such beauty and care, the lack of CW/TW would have resulted in—at the very least—a 1 or 2 star loss on my review and, quite possibly, me even scrapping the read and returning it to the publisher with a refusal to review. When I say that Born for Leaving overcame many of my own personal readerly biases as well as my deep concerns about the absence of warnings to rank as one of my favorite reads of 2020, that is a weighty statement.

Born for Leaving is an emotional roller coaster than takes you on incredible highs and gut wrenching lows that I can’t possibly summarize and, even if I could, wouldn’t come close to being crafted as poignantly and beautifully as Ms. Munro did in the story. This is a book I can’t possibly recommend highly enough, but please keep in mind the warnings I listed above.

Born for Leaving is an intense and original read that oozes chemistry from the two main protagonists. Very enjoyable read,

Where does one start when attempting to write a review for a book that changed their life? Okay, okay. Melodramatics aside, I mean it. Born for Leaving by Jude Munro hit me in a very special, emotional, and high-impact readerly spot. It was one of those books that gave me such an intense book hangover when it was over, I sought out another read as completely opposite it as possible—a psychological thriller with a lesbian lead—just to keep my mind from spiraling in circles. Because I couldn’t get this book, or its wonderful characters, off my mind.

I read this book in a single day. I started it, sadly, not expecting much. I had a slow day at the office and decided to grab a “read now” book off NetGalley so I wouldn’t have to wait for approval. And when I found a MM romance on the list, it was an easy choice. But almost from the first page, Munro drew me in. If you want a great example of just how well she accomplished this task, let me say this. I have never been—and likely will never be—a fan of first-person POV. It’s just not my personal preference, but I can still enjoy a story with it. However, I also happen to get a bit of the readerly chills when a story is present-tense. Again, purely personal preference, but it reads off to me. Finally, in my romance, I don’t like things one-sided. I want to see both parties experiencing the relationship. I want to have the emphatic, undeniable consent and confirmation of motives and feelings that comes with dual POV.

Which, if you’re following along, you can probably guess what comes next. This book was all three of my least favorite POV styles all rolled into one. First-person present single POV. Pretty much any other book and I would’ve spent the entire time cringing a bit, or might’ve simply DNFed to save myself and the author any unfounded issues due to personal tastes alone. But with this book… I legit didn’t realize it fell into this category until I was chapters upon chapters into the book. That’s how engrossing the story is, how relatable and personable Oliver’s POV is, and just how dang well this book is written.

Now, before I press on… I’m going to start with my biggest—and, really, only significant—complaint. This book should’ve come with some serious Content/Trigger Warnings and there were none in sight. I checked everywhere, just in case wires were crossed and NetGalley didn’t get the memo. But, nope, there’s nothing on Amazon, Goodreads, the author’s website… nowhere. Thankfully, I caught something in one of the characters’ reactions to a situation that made me think, “Hmmm. Something isn’t right.” So, I decided to go on a hunt for a review with spoilers. (I hate having to do that, but there are certain things I can’t step into blindly without causing me some serious mental and emotional damage, so I have to look out for myself. If I’m walking into a read well aware of what’s to come, I can handle almost anything. Just warn me first.) It was kind of a bummer to have to read so many reviews that basically told me what the story would be about, but I’m so grateful I did. Because, had I read these things blindly, the ultimate result of this read would’ve been a much, much different one for me.

So, that being said, if you don’t need or want Content/Trigger Warnings, then skip this paragraph. Because they do have some spoilery things to them, but they need to be out there. Clear as day. For starters, Bodie has a history of childhood molestation that dramatically affects him and is discussed in fairly great detail throughout the book. Second, Oliver is brutally raped on page. No, there isn’t any penetration, but the scene is violent, graphic, and plenty of other traumatizing and life-altering things occur. Had I not walked into that prepared… Anyway, Oliver also has a history with his mother of mental, emotional, and in some fairly disturbing ways very physical abuse. I’ll let you discover most of that on your own, but I’ll say this… she repeatedly forced him to get naked and show his body to her. Finally, Bodie is raped off page. He claims he “allowed” it to happen, but trust me, under the circumstances, it was rape. Period. Oh, and there are also quite a few violent and bloody scenes, two separate stalker-type characters, and some pretty intense themes of childhood abandonment.

Okay… I think (hope) I got ‘em all. Now, back to the positives… which is literally everything else. Since I went into this story aware of what to expect thanks to my personal digging, I was able to “appreciate” the painful experiences of the characters as part of the story, their challenges, and horrific but genuine stones on the path to their beautiful HEA.

I realize I’m rambling at this point, so I’ll try to sum up what I love in as few words as possible. Oliver—our single POV character—is a breath of fresh air. He’s struggling with a lot of repressed emotions due to some crappy parenting in his past, but he is trying to make his dreams come true and fighting tooth and nail to get them. Enter Bodie—broken, beautiful, badas* Bodie—who exudes charm, raw masculinity, and this painfully real side of childish intrigue and fear of the world. After the childhood he endured, and the solitary life he’s led since, it’s no wonder. But when these two get together, it’s like instant magic. The chemistry sparkles and pops and leaps off the page. And when that first sexy time scene happens, it broke me with its perfection, beauty, and bittersweet discovery.

I won’t keep going because I could talk for days about this book—in fact, I forced my bestie to download and read with me because I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive the read without someone to gush to. Thankfully, she did, and we finished within 20 minutes of each other. Then went into mourning together. Because we will never be able to experience Bodie and Oliver or their delectable romance for the first time ever again.

I would recommend this to everyone. Anyone. All lovers of love. It’s so well-written and takes you on such an emotional journey.

And to the author, if she were to ever read this review: I beg of you, do yourself, your readers, and these wonderful characters a huge favor by adding Content Warnings. Seeing as how this book is in Kindle Unlimited, it would be a quick fix. Having that information made this book what it was for me. Without it, I would be singing a very different tune right now. And would likely be damaged, mentally and emotionally. Oh, and don’t quit writing. Because I might be your newest and biggest fan! 💕

I was bored somewhere in the beginning. It was a great start to this story, different than other books in this genre. I really loved the way Ollie was introduced then, the Bodie introduction kinda ruined it for me, it's so overused. Thank god I kept reading.

The cover is simply a picture of an attractive man, you'd expect some fun and sexy story but what we get is something entirely different that made me feel like this Is a great story but hidden behind a mediocre cover. This is about learning to trust and love after a painful betrayal in the past, after being cheated on. After a traumatic experience that changed your whole childhood and made you feel unworthy of love.

What I really loved about this book is the story didn't use the usual gays and their daddy issues thing, instead we get mommy issues. It was interesting. I like Bodie, he's a big softie with words that makes me want to melt like ice cream under the sun. I love how the main enemy of this story isn't homophobia as we see in other stories. We get to see the bad seeds in our community instead. That's another interesting thing. AND the sex scenes were so intimate, that made me feel like I'm spying on someone's life. It was so awkward reading that because the author pulled it off really well.

Overall, this is a good book. I finished it in three hours and was satisfied despite the cover and the intro of Bodie that was 'meh' to me.

*I wanna thank the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I liked this book but not as much I as I thought I would. While I liked the unique story line, I found it to be predictable once everything started with the mom and boss, who was way over the top. The level of evilness from a bar owner was just way too much and I didn't believe that people would continue to accept the behavior. The time spent with just Bodie and Oliver was great, loved them together.

Well, I just finished that read in one single sitting when I'd already been up for over 24 hours before starting to read. If that doesn't say it all, I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it any better justice. But I'll certainly try.

This book hit me in every one of my feels. Bodie and Oliver might be two of my favorite characters I've had the pleasure of reading in quite some time. They have such delightfully unique voices—even though this is written in first-person single POV with Oliver as the MC, the dialogue and their various actions and mannerisms were so very well crafted and unique.

They both had heartbreaking backgrounds and trials and tribulations in their present lives, but Bodie broke me. Absolutely shredded my soul. I needed his HEA like there was no tomorrow, and when the black moment hit, I crumbled. I stopped breathing. I almost straight up forgot to breathe.

Overall, this is a highly, highly recommended read, and this author is being added to the tippy top of my follow list.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jude Munro's "Born for Leaving" is a wayward romance between two men that don't really know what "love" means to them. Bodie and Oliver are unlikely housemates and co-workers through a confluence of events. They are by design two very different characters, which helps to build some of the tension and propel the plot points. There's a nice supporting cast of characters that helps develop continuity and empathy for the central couple. Yet, there were definitely some slow points that felt like unearned hurdles and issues that needed to be bypassed. When the characters were left to learn how to work together, that's when the story worked best.

Born for Leaving is built on an interesting concept. Bodie is searching for a place to stay for the summer and Oliver has a spare room and a strong desire to purchase a car that he's fallen in love with. Upon stumbling onto Bodie's ad, he answers and the two men make arrangements for Bodie to move in on Friday. Of course, nothing is ever that simple. It appears that Bodie is also the new bouncer at the bar where Oliver works. The bar owned by Oliver's terrible ex-boyfriend, Jack. As is predicted by this type of novel, Bodie and Oliver begin to grow closer and eventually begin a relationship.

Despite being formulaic in that regard, this book manages to grab your attention and hold it thanks to the characters. Oliver is a self-proclaimed introvert. He doesn't like people and tends to keep them at arm's reach due to his past. Bodie wears his Stetson like armor and proclaims that he is simply born for leaving, always on the move, and has an incredibly troubled history as well. Watching the growth of these two characters, watching them gain one another's hard earned trust as they fall in love, is the true magic of this book.

The book is also interwoven with some incredibly interesting side characters. Oliver and Bodie's co-workers at the bar - Mika, Sam, and Nico - each have unique voices and I found myself loving scenes between Oliver and his co-workers. The scenes between them particularly display his character growth. Oliver's parents are rarely seen, but they leave an impression behind and the interactions inform a lot about why Oliver is the way that he is. Even Jack, Oliver and Bodie's vile boss, is an interesting character though I wish he had more complex motivations rather than simply being a moustache twirling terrible boss.

The flaws in this book are easily overlooked thanks to the amazing characters that drive the plot forward. I could barely put it down, wanting to see what happened next. I managed to finish the book within a day and will be rereading it.

Content warnings do apply for this book however. This book deals very bluntly with child molestation, sexual harassment on the job, and attempted rape. Sexual assault is a very big plot point in this book on multiple occasions, including one scene where it is written out. As this book is in first person narrative, it focuses more on the feelings during the attack and a lot on the aftermath, but if you are particularly sensitive to these types of things, I would not recommend this book.

Otherwise, read it. The characters are worth it.

~ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL~

~ENGLISH~

The ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

If you are looking for an extremely sad book, with lonely characters and a tender and deep romance with a lot of drama around, this is your book!
Trust me you are going to finish it real quick, this book is addicting and the characters just win your heart, starting with Oliver.

Oliver who is not going through the best moments of his life. He has a semi-stable job as a bartender, but the truth is, the boy is multi-tasking and constantly subjected to double work to keep the bar where he works decent. His boss, a horrible and selfish boy, doesn't make it easy for him, he's constantly harassing him and doing nothing to help keep the bar up, not to mention that he is the worst ex-boyfriend in the world.

Yes, Oliver does not have an easy life, and it is about to be even more complicated, because he has gotten into the head buying a dream convertible and for this he needs to earn more money as soon as possible or he will lose the car. Along with the debts of the house and his school, buying a car is not the best decision, but Oliver is willing to share his room with a stranger in order to earn more money and get the convertible.
So he will meet Bodie, a boy tormented by his past that makes Oliver's legs tremble with excitement. He is lonely, mysterious, quiet, someone who seems to understand Oliver and his way of being. The more time they spend together, the more they will fall in love for each other, but their insecurities are not the only thing they will have to struggle with, because Oliver's ex-boyfriend and boss is determined to ruin their relationship.

I really enjoyed reading! Oliver is a very special and very complex character that made me love him completely. Normally the characters in the books I have read are very happy and lively, very outgoing, but Oliver is not the same, he likes to be alone, to live his life in his own way, he is reserved, but not necessarily cold. Meeting him was a real pleasure, I really identified a lot with him!

And Bodie... God, that tormented soul made me cry more than once. I loved Bodie and adored the way he gradually opens up to Oliver, the way they both learn to know each other and to accept what they are like, to trust their partner's good intentions.

Their romance was one of the most beautiful things in the book. They did not push themselves too hard, they knew where their limits were, they learned to trust each other and speak with a naturalness and clarity that relaxes you, because although there is some misunderstanding, they always do what is best for the other, they take care of themselves, they love each other, they have learned to be friends as well as a couple, and truth be told, that is not seen much in romance books.

What I loved the most was that they learned so much from each other and respected each other so much that the mere thought of harming themselves was impossible, that they were not offended when any of them wanted to stop or take time out. It is something that seems very beautiful to me and I think that there should be more romances with that level of affection and devotion.

As for the story and the narration, the truth is that I could not stop reading at any time, I was too excited to know what would happen to Oliver and Bodie~. Ollie's voice was really amazing to read, and while I would have liked see some of the topics in depth, the truth is that I really enjoyed reading.

Some topics that were touched on here are very delicate, very sensitive topics that made me cry too much, and although I would have liked them to delve into them and give them a more definitive resolution (in the case of the aggressors), the truth is that I really liked that these specific topics were touched on.

As I said before, I really liked the story, it only took a bit to make it perfect for me but it was a pleasant surprise, in short~.

~ESPAÑOL~

El ARC de esta novela fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta. ¡Muchas gracias!

Si buscas un libro sumamente triste, con personajes solitarios y un romance tierno y profundo con un montón de drama alrededor, ¡este es tu libro!
Créanme que van a terminarlo muy rápido, este libro es adictivo y los personajes simplemente se ganan tu corazón, empezando por Oliver.

Oliver quien no está pasando por los mejores momentos de su vida. Tiene un trabajo semi-estable siendo bartender, pero la verdad sea dicha, el chico es multi tareas y constantemente se ve sometido a trabajar el doble para mantener decente el bar donde trabaja. Su jefe, un horrible y egoísta chico, no se la pone fácil, lo acosa constantemente y no hace nada para ayudar a mantener en pie el bar, eso sin mencionar que es el peor exnovio del mundo.

Sí, Oliver no tiene una vida fácil, y está a punto de ser aún más complicada, porque se ha metido en la cabeza comprar un convertible de ensueño y para ello necesita ganar más dinero lo más pronto posible o perderá el auto. Junto con las deudas de la casa y su escuela, comprar un auto no es la mejor decisión, pero Oliver está dispuesto a compartir su habitación con un desconocido con tal de ganar más dinero y obtener el convertible.
Así conocerá a Bodie, un chico atormentado por su pasado que hace que las piernas de Oliver tiemblen de excitación. Él es solitario, misterioso, callado, alguien que parece comprender a Oliver y su forma de ser. Conforme más tiempo pasen juntos, más caerán en amor por el otro, pero sus inseguridades no son lo único con lo que tendrán que luchar, porque el exnovio y jefe de Oliver está decidido a arruinar su relación.

Disfruté muchísimo de la lectura! Oliver es un personaje muy especial y muy complejo que me hizo amarlo por completo. Normalmente los personajes de los libros que he leído son muy alegres y vivaces, muy extrovertidos, pero Oliver no es igual, le gusta estar solo, vivir su vida a su manera, es reservado, pero no necesariamente frío. Conocerlo fue un verdadero placer, realmente me identifiqué muchísimo con él!

Y Bodie... Dios, esa alma atormentada hizo que llorara más de una vez a lo largo de la historia. Amé a Bodie y adoré la forma en que poco a poco se va abriendo con Oliver, la forma en que ambos aprenden a conocer al otro y a aceptar cómo son, a confiar en las buenas intenciones de su compañero.

Su romance fue una de las cosas más bonitas del libro. Ellos no se presionaban demasiado, sabían dónde estaban sus límites, aprendieron a confiar en el otro y a hablar con una naturalidad y claridad que te relaja, porque aunque sí hay uno que otro malentendido, ellos siempre hacen lo mejor para el otro, se cuidan, se aman, han aprendido a ser amigos a la vez que pareja, y la verdad sea dicha, eso no se ve mucho en libros de romance.

Lo que más me encantó fue que ellos aprendieran tanto del otro y se respetaran tanto que el mero pensamiento de dañarse fuera imposible, que no se ofendieron cuando alguno de ellos quisiera detenerse o parar o tomar un tiempo fuera. Es algo que me parece muy hermoso y pienso que debería haber más romances con ese nivel de afecto y devoción.

En cuanto a la historia y la narración, lo cierto es que no pude parar de leer en ningún momento, estaba demasiado emocionada por saber qué le pasaría a Oliver y Bodie~. La voz de Ollie fue realmente increíble de ver, y aunque me hubiera gustado que profundizaran en algunos temas, la verdad es que disfruté muchísimo de lectura.

Algunos temas que se tocaron aquí son muy delicados, temas muy sensibles que me hicieron llorar demasiado, y aunque me hubiera gustado que profundizaran en ellos y que se les diera una resolución más definitiva (en el caso de los agresores), lo cierto es que me gustó mucho que se tocaran estos temas en específico.

Como dije antes, me gustó muchísimo la historia, sólo faltó un poco para que fuera perfecta para mí pero fue una grata sorpresa, en definitiva~.

It all began with a Want Ad!
A loner bartender and a quirky urban cowboy what could possibly go wrong?
Oliver Tunstead is in debt. He is working a dead end job with his ex as his boss who can't take no for an answer. Renting his spare bedroom in his cottage is risky but a necessary evil to get cash.
Bodie has been a wanderer for half his life. When he responds to Oliver's ad he doesn't know what to expect.
A blossoming romance between the two eludes the need to run from committment, but can a crazy jealousy boss foil all that with his evil plan?

This book was super fun and exciting to read.
I recommend it to those who like an opposites attract, good humor, hurt/comfort and a good ole HEA