This is a beautifully written M/M Romance with some serious dark overtones. As much as I loved it, reading it left me in a melancholy state of mind. Bode and Oliver are two extremely complex characters that as a couple-- fit together like two pieces of a puzzle- this combination is the only option. They are meant to be together.

I loved the vivid beach town backdrop. The relaxed, lazy atmosphere plays perfectly with the intensity of the story. There are some wonderful supporting characters to love here too. And, of course, then there's Jack.

Despite the sometimes sad, often melancholy feel-- there is the feeling of hope. I really connected with this on many levels. It's haunting.

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

There is really no way to categorize this as a sweet romance because there was a LOT about Born for Leaving that the characters went through that was far from sweet. So much so that the author has left trigger warnings that some readers probably pay close attention to. What was sweet was the relationship between Oliver and Bodie, if they could have lived in their own little bubble, things would have been great for them. *sigh*

A lot of the trauma that Bodie and Oliver went through was in their past, but it definitely affected their present lives. Granted, as debilitating as Oliver's childhood was, it was nothing compared to Bodie's. They were both survivors though. I loved both of them and the slow burn between them was perfect.

As much as I loved Bodie and Oliver, there were quite a few characters in Born for Leaving that were just as easy to hate. One character in particular was devious enough to find a way to push just hard enough to come between Bodie and Oliver. Trust is a fragile thing and although I spent time internally screaming at Bodie and Oliver, it only took one interaction to throw everything away.

Although this is the first book written by Jude Munro, I know from reading several books by Mia Kerrick that this author is not afraid to face tough issues head on. She has a knack for totally breaking characters (and reader's hearts) and slowly putting them back together. Although everything that Bodie and Oliver went through was totally heartbreaking, they came out stronger in the end. And that's what makes reading books like Born for Leaving totally worth it.

Born for Leaving by Jude Munro

A newspaper request for a place to rent
A man with a room available to rent
A bartender and a bouncer will share a house
Two men with potential to become more than roommates

This was a sweet story with the promise of love, safety, a sense of belonging and “home” for Oliver and Bodie. Both men have trust issues and are a bit silent and rather distant from others but do make a connection with one another. The question is whether or not the one “born for leaving” will decide to stay or leave once again.

What I liked:
* Oliver: a mixologist-bartender with debts and dreams. He has a home, a dog and has been burned in love. He knows what he wants but it might take time for him to get everything he wants.
* Bodie: a strong rather silent man but still waters run deep. He had a difficult childhood and has reasons for keeping himself apart. He is a jack of all trades that feels safe rooming with Oliver
* The relationship that builds between Oliver and Brodie – sweet and charming and filled with hope
* Hugo – a special yellow lab that is special to both Oliver and Bodie, too.
* Sam and his daughter LeeLee, Mika and Nico – great friends and colleagues of Oliver and later of Bodie, too.
* The way the friends looked out for one another
* The information about mixology that was shared
* That the story did not veer away from tough subjects
* The way the story made me think and care and feel while hoping for a HEA for the two men
* Knowing that there was a good future for the people I learned to care about in the story

What I did not like:
* Knowing that the tougher issues faced by both Oliver and Bodie are confronted daily by people in the real world. People should not have to put up with harassment at work, child abuse, attempted rape/rape, etc
* Having to say goodbye to the characters when the story ended

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A Match Made in a Want Ad"

When they say be careful what you wish for, do you pay attention?

Neither did Oliver Tunstead.

Oliver wishes for nothing more than to get his mind off his crappy bartending job, pile of debt big enough to swallow him whole, and playboy ex-boyfriend/boss who refuses to back off. Too bad distractions, like the hot little convertible he has his eye on, cost megabucks. And Oliver is flat broke. Renting the spare bedroom in his rundown beachfront cottage is his only option to pick up the cash he needs—a risky proposition, as Oliver is the polar opposite of a people-person. When he responds to a bizarre ad in the Waterfront Gazette seeking summer housing, he gets more than he bargained for. But Oliver can cope… After all, how much harm can a single quirky tenant do to his tightly guarded life in three short months?

Where Oliver is a loner by design, urban cowboy Bodie is a loner by necessity. A family dispute long ago dropkicked him onto the path of a lifelong wanderer. This changes when Bodie moves into the tiny beachfront cottage and starts working the door at Oliver’s bar.

Despite Oliver and Bodie’s nearly paralyzing instinct to avoid commitment, they fall into a wary romance. And to their surprise, life as a couple is sweetly satisfying; that is, until their jealous boss devises a cruel plan to destroy the tentative bond they’ve built. True to form, Bodie hits the road, leaving Oliver to lick his wounds alone.

Can these wounded souls defy their urge to flee and fight for love?

An atypical MM romance novel that dives into darker themes of childhood trauma, sexual harassment, and rape; while there are rough patches in its characters and narrative, the author has overall woven an engaging story with two sympathetic and memorable leads.

This was a fun romance book between Oliver and Brodie. It had it's flaws One of the things I found lacking in this book was the quality of the conversations. I wouldn't say 'sexy' or 'hot' scenes because I truly believe that the focus was on the intimacy of the act. But it didn't feel that much special for me and I missed some technical aspect that are often left out but are still part of love making.

This was just ok for me. I had to force myself to finish. It started good. Thank you to netgalley die the ARC.

Oliver is broke and wants to buy a car so he places an add for a roommate for the summer. Brodie is a drifter who just needs a place to crash for the summer. The two end up sharing a house and working at the same bar. Oliver is the bartender and seems to run the place. The owner is his ex and quite a jerk who doesn't like to take no for an answer. Brodie becomes the bouncer and quickly gets the place in shape. Oliver and Brodie naturally get together and their relationship works despite themselves.

It is good to know that even gay romance novels still follow the same tropes as straight ones. There is the instalove factor of course. Relationships never really grow over time but happen very quickly in romance. Brodie is the brooding guy with a past that haunts him. In this case he was sexually abused as a child and has shut away his feelings ever since. Oliver has to deal with the ex Jack who pressures him for sex and actually rapes Brodie. I thought the story wrapped up a little too neatly but it was enjoyable.

This was a fun romance book between Oliver and Brodie. It had it's flaws but I feel it earned its 4 stars because it was fun and I didn't want to put it down

The first major flaw is that I cannot believe that the strong manly cowboy has ginger ringlets. Every time the word ringlets was used it broke my emersion

The second flaw was that there was no regard for employment law. Jack is a terrible boss and there should have been lawsuits against him since chapter 1, instead, Oliver keeps trying to cover for him

I liked the love story between Bodie and Ollie. Unfortunately, I didn’t like a couple of things about this book, so it only got 3.5 (rounded up to 4) stars from me. As several reviewers mentioned, there are several possible triggers which I’m assuming have now been added to the synopsis as trigger warnings.

Bodie and Ollie are similar in that trust doesn’t come easy to either of them and they don’t open up to others. However, their backgrounds are very different. Bodie’s childhood was horrible and it doesn’t sound like he’s ever dealt with it, just pushed it down and moved on. Ollie was emotionally manipulated, and he hasn’t ever really dealt with it either, so he just isolates himself. I love how they learn to open up to each other and start to heal together.

I don’t understand the customer Dale, his actions, and his sudden disappearance. Jack, the bar owner, was horrifying and I honestly can’t believe all his employees just accepted the way he treated them. I also can’t believe ALL the customers accepted it. If I had witnessed it, I would have said something and never gone back.

The miscommunication/lack of communication between Bodie and Oliver came out of nowhere and was surprising. The resolution also seemed rushed. I know Bodie’s view of forced sex is skewed but it feels like the conflict between them surrounding Jack is glossed over. The entire situation was confusing.
I didn’t realize this is the start of a series. I’m not sure if the series will continue with Bodie and Ollie or a new couple as we don’t really meet anyone who could be characters of a new book. I’m interested in seeing where this goes…I would not read a book with Jack as a main character, but I would read a follow-up story with this couple.

3.5 Stars

An atypical MM romance novel that dives into darker themes of childhood trauma, sexual harassment, and rape; while there are rough patches in its characters and narrative, the author has overall woven an engaging story with two sympathetic and memorable leads.

The novel's biggest accomplishment is the depiction of its two leads; both Oliver and Bodie are emotionally introverted with a less-than-happy family history. The gradual unveiling between the characters, both physically and emotionally, in small snippets of daily interaction, is both tender and believable; a rarity for this specific genre. Born for Leaving shines the most during its intimate moments.

For the overarching narrative, the novel sticks close to the genre playbook, telling a summer-long tale on a fictional New England resort island, with the anticipated ups and downs of friend-to-lover and moments of obstacle and miscommunication. The story contains several antagonists, all of whom are quite comically villainous in comparison to the complexity of the two leads. In particular, the character of Oliver's mom and an ex-lover Jack, both went through a character arc that felt very sudden and over-dramatic. Lastly, while the last plot turn offered some emotionally raw moments between Oliver and Bodie, the initiated action taken by the character felt out of place, and the following events leaned a little too much into the melodramatic, rather than common sense.

Overall, thanks to the author's perceptive writing and the introduction of darker subject matter to a genre commonly known for its sexy fun, Born for Leaving is a captivating read beyond what the lackluster book cover otherwise suggests.

***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***

Wow, this is a truly spectacular story! It's also intense, raw , gritty , thought provoking ; it gave me goosebumps and left me a basket case of emotions.

Please, take to heart , the trigger warnings . They're plenty, they're graphic , they're heartbreaking and they're taboo.

I know , I am going to have a massive book hangover . Born for Leaving is one of those tales who stays with you for a long time.

I just reviewed Born for Leaving by Mia Kerick writing as Jude Munro. #BornforLeaving #NetGalley

A true romance book grim at times yet still seems always gentle with true love winning through in the end. Maybe its not real life but its nice to dream at times

Olliver wants a roommate to save money for a car and he finds one in a newspaper ad. The mysterious Bodie, turns out to be a handsome cowboy in need to stay for the summer so the arrangment is perfect.
They become easy friends with both of their quiet, solitary nature and then slip into a relationship just as simply.
Nothing is that simple, though, as both men have a painful past that they struggle to overcome and Bodie's instinct to leave before he can build a life in one place is destructive for their relationship.

Also, an ex and boss is living out his jealousy and does everything to break them apart. Every wicked, disgusting thing.

So I was rather pleased with this book! The story, the characters and the backstories were built in a great way and I enjoyed it a lot. Though my MM romance obsession might have had something to do with this fact!

Ollie's shy nature is a strange pairing with him being a bartender but his passion lays with the drinks he creates not the people he has to interact with. It is rather interesting how slowly it is revealed why is he the way he is and how a man who only stays for three months can get him out of this lonely existence.
Bodie's issues are with intimacy and trust due to his horrible past which is introduced a bit suddenly and without tact but maybe that was the point?!

One of the things I found lacking in this book was he quality of the conversations. A huge emphasis was on the importance of sharing snippets of their past with each other so it was a bit disappointing that their convesations were written a bit weird. Like the author's strength was writing the other parts, the inner conversations and acts but not the actual talking part. It wasn't really bad it just kind of stopped the flow of the story every time.

My other issue was with the intimate parts. I wouldn't say 'sexy' or 'hot' scenes because I truly believe that the focus was on the intimacy of the act. But it didn't feel that much special for me and I missed some technical aspect that are often left out but are still part of love making.

These little problems were mostly writing style related and I had a great time reading because the story after all was nice and enjoyable.
Character building and consistency was great and the evil of the story was introduced and depicted in a way that I just knew from he first moment I'm going to hate him.
There were a lot of sweet moments showing how one can learn to be intimate and loving after going through some terrible things.
And I also shed some tears at the end on the cruelty of the situation.

All in all, a really nice read for the lovers of bittersweet MM love stories!

CW: (attempted) rape, coercion, sexual harassment, (childhood) sexual assault, violence, parental abuse

This book was a "Read Now" option on NetGalley, and my first one at that. From the beginning, I enjoyed the narrator's voice and opening scene, even as things grew more predictable. It was a little weird to have the initial "twist" be very clear to the reader but still go unnoticed by the main character (Oliver) when he was the one noting things that made it very clear.

There were some cliches that are typical to the genre, such as instalove and the love interest effortlessly rescuing the main character even when he insisted he ~didn't need it. As it went on, most of the dialogue flow was less realistic and more stiff, and the last 15% of the book was not as enjoyable as the first portion. Everything wrapped up quickly and a little too nicely with everyone getting the jobs they wanted through incredibly convenient circumstances, lifelong poor relationships repaired with no effort, etc.

Some of the main character's comments near the end of the book contradicted things from earlier (eg. "I know you would never do that" when he'd spent weeks wondering about it), and miscommunication/lack of communication caused the big final conflict, which was frustrating and a trope I'd love to see the end of. The multiple villains in the book seemed a little one-dimensional and as if they were just there to cause strife for the main characters, even when the main characters didn't really take any actionable steps to be rid of them.

A lot of this book focuses on instances and impact of sexual assault, and while I appreciated the characters calling things rape and the way trauma affected some characters long after the assault happened, it felt like it was used as a plot point quite often. One character's attempted rape was framed so strangely it didn't seem to have much of a lasting impact at all.

Overall, the story was unique in some ways, and it did have an LGBTQIA+ couple as the focus. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it was far from the worst story I've read for this genre.

Firstly, there are trigger warnings listed by the publisher and I was thankful that they were. Please pay attention to them, however they are well written. The only thing I would add, would be harassment.

<3 I adore the two main men in this book, although LeeLee have stollen my heart. Sorry! LeeLee is the cutest person to grace the planet. I love the build of this book over a singlle summer though occasionally I wanted to bump their heads together. Hah, but what good plot happens where you are completely satisfied with everything that happens?

Officially love Hugo too, everyone needs a good boy like him in their lives.

I like to see family arcs and I liked what happened with Ollie's family - but I also wish I could slap Bodie's mum. Multiple times... then I'd like to slap Jack. I was worried that he wasn't going to get his comeupance but I'm glad that rectified itself by the end too. 100% glad that Bodie and Ollie both don't work for him any more.

I read this book in under 24 hours, and I really liked it. I would have liked if they had stood up to Jack sooner, but I'm glad they got there in the end.

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.