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