Anyta Sunday

This book? Made me happy.

Low-angst, humour, kindness, a perfect comfort-read. One of the best light friends-to-lovers stories that I have read.

The quotes opening each chapter and the banter between MCs are witty and funny. Theo is adorkably oblivious and his chemistry with James is almost palpable. Leone, Sean, Ben, Kyle and the mothers are marvelous characters too.

I have just one very little hassle with James, He gave me the feeling of being a somewhat older character, closer to 30 than show more to the 24 years old unveiled in the story. But this tiny point doesn't alter my rating at all.

Finally, I appreciate that the Zodiac side is amusing but unobtrusive. show less

Absolutely a delight! The author has a group called "Slow Burn Sunday" and this really did unfold in such a slow, almost cozy way. Perfect reading for a lounge-y long weekend in the fall. I really enjoyed all of the characters, both the main crew and the supporters. I'm hoping that some of these characters will get their own books as the series progresses! Even the moms are cute! Jamie and Leo are economists and (in spite of that!) they are both lots of fun. There's so much empathy here, and show more even a gentle treatment of PTSD/overcoming phobia of water. Absolutely recommend. show less

From an interesting idea - all it takes is 500 kisses to steal someone's heart - to the very sweet execution, this free story made me smile. Dylan and Chris went from best friends when they were teenagers to enemies (and the reasons are only slowly revealed as the story develops), then circumstances force them together and they finally deal with their issues. Not in a mature way - oh no! One man is more stubborn than the other and each of them tries to "power through" the 500-kiss bet they show more have dared each other to without giving in. The fact that they still have feelings for each other is blatantly obvious - to anyone except Dylan and Chris.

Written with humor and a deep understanding of these two men's characters, this story is delightful, intense, and left me smiling. show less

Another retelling of Austen's Emma to add to my obsessive list, this one an M/M romance. The gay romance/sex scenes didn't bother me but all of the characters, out of necessity, being male and the relationships between Lake and Knight, and also Harry and Martin, did bring me up short, I must admit. The only female character in the whole story is Amy, the new wife of Lake's best friend Taylor, and she doesn't even get to speak - she's always 'upstairs' or 'visiting with friends'. Lake falls show more in love with his best friend's father, a man twice his age who has been a pseudo-parent figure since the death of Lake's dad, and Harry is in love with his cousin, Martin. I know the story is set in New Zealand, but surely the dating pool has to be larger than immediate family!

Also, even though the plot sticks fairly close to Austen's novel, I didn't really get to know or connect with any of the characters. Most of them are just there for Lake and his charming (read: obnoxious) personality to bounce off, since he spends most of the time lusting after Knight. The whole point of Austen's story is that Emma doesn't realise the depth of her feelings for Mr Knightley until she fears she might lose him to another, but here, there is no doubt who Lake wants - and the two even have sex in the garden midway through the book! This is the level of the 'Plot? What plot?' dialogue:

“I was naked, and you liked what you saw. Nothing wrong with that, Lake.”
“I was ogling my best friend’s dad.”
A growly sound came from Knight. “I’m not your dad."

Obviously I'm not the target demographic, but I was completely confused. By 'slow burn', the author obviously means getting round to equating sex with love.

The story as a whole was quick and easy to read, and there were even illustrations thrown in, which is unusual! The twist in West and Josh's relationship made sense as an update of the Frank and Jane subplot, and the 'Miss Bates' character, Cameron, is obsessed with Jane Austen, which was a cute touch. The sex between Lake and Knight, both before and after they confess their feelings, was steamy, although obviously I can't comment on the technical details! show less