Lee Blair (3)

*4.25

Jesse the tech geek lives his life in a bubble (thanks overprotective parents!). He doesn’t realize how much he dreams of actually living life, and not just going through the motions...

Until he encounters his sexy neighbour who leaves his blinds open during a hookup.

‘If only I’d learned the etiquette for navigating being caught jerking off when I’d learned other important things like which fork to use”

Together, in the safety of feeling seen by the other, they discover how to show more let loose, be free, and go after the good things. Through city-wide adventures (is there such a thing as too much cheese), home-cooked meals, and some steamy nights (even if they aren’t in the same room), they find friendship and love that gives you all the feels!

This is a low-angst book from the singular POV of Jesse and for a short story (135 pages), that works really well. I truly smiled throughout the whole book (and giggled more than a few times!), and I definitely fell in love with the characters.

It was a wonderful story that kept me engaged the whole way through. I look forward to reading more from this author. show less

This is cute AF. Enjoyed it so much. Perfect treat after a few heavy books.

I love the ‘hidden identity online but ya actually know each other irl’ trope (needs a catchy nickname). It ratchets up the fun and the hijinks until the big reveal and (usually) all hell breaks loose. This story is so damn sweet though, and their chemistry is so tingly perfect that I was wrapped up in it and actually forgot about the Discord identities subplot.

I enjoyed this story and the small town that the author created. There was a bit more telling than showing here especially in regards to the external factors in the lives of Austin and Caleb, but it still worked well enough for me. All the food and beer stuff was fun even if I’m one of those people who never liked beer; if nothing else it all made the reader realize how perfect these guys were for each other.

Parker and Ethan were both great, and it was fun seeing them slowly build their fake relationship into a real one. I will look forward to more reads coming out of this brewery and town, although there’s still something I can’t place about what feels slightly off about them. Even though it’s in first person POV for each guy, I still felt rather removed from what was happening more than other reads with the same type of POV (as it’s pretty typical for contemporary romance); still show more enjoyed but at least I know a bit more for future reads. show less