Rating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Jamie and Alex were friends since they were little kids. They knew each other better than anyone and their friendship was special. At the age of fourteen, they both knew they had feelings for each other, but it wasn’t until they were seventeen that Alex finally spoke his truth. In one moment they had everything, and in the next it was all taken away.

The men are now 27 and haven’t seen each other in ten years. They both have had a lot to overcome since that fateful day, but neither one has ever forgotten what it felt like to be together. They have tried to date others, but the memory of each other still holds them back. When Jamie and Alex see each other again, the pain is still raw and the hurt is too close to the surface. They struggle to regain their friendship, let alone a romantic relationship, and neither is ready to tell the other what has happened since they last saw each other.

Both guys need to heal, but they are meant to be together. Jamie and Alex—a love story that will last a lifetime.

This book is intense and emotional and stays that way all of the way through. It’s the story of Jamie and Alex and their friendship, their history, the moment they knew, and the moment (or many moments) it all fell apart.

It’s not possible to discuss this book without discussing the style in which the story is told. The book is told through both Jamie and Alex’s first person POVs, with one chapter from prominent secondary character, Rhys. The book starts in present day, but then flashes back and moves forward once again in a non-linear fashion. We get glimpses of Jamie and Alex at 10, 14, 17, and 27, but the POV and time frame jumps around. The author made it work seamlessly for me and this is the type of book that appeals to me. But the style might not work for everyone and if it doesn’t resonate with you, the heartfelt story will be lost.

The book is highly character driven and relationship driven. The relationships seen are not all of just Jamie and Alex. Alex was in a long-term relationship that also left him heartbroken and it takes him a long time to reveal to Jamie what happened and Alex has never fully processed that relationship. Jamie has been with many men, but also has an incredibly close and co-dependent relationship with his best friend, Rhys. They are all emotionally unstable to various degrees and from one scene to the next, they are precariously balanced.

The book was on the longer side and it took a while for many of the reveals to come forth on page. For me, some areas went on a little too long. While their experiences are raw and difficult, I would have liked to have seen the reconnection happen a little sooner rather than repetitive scenes of the men saying they weren’t ready to discuss what had happened to them. There were also a reasonable number of typos and a strong proofread could have saved them from disrupting poignant moments. The men had a lot of issues to work through and there could be a case made that they were not fully equipped to handle it all on their own. Even when the men were shown in present day, at the age of 27, they all read as much younger, and while it could have been a nod to their emotional turmoil, Jamie, Alex and even Rhys all came across as younger.

I was fully captured by the relationship between Jamie and Alex at all of the stages of their lives. Rhys’ story will be next with an enemies to lovers vibe and there was even a setup for a story for Jamie’s brother, Matthias, and while he was a little bit of a caricature in this book, a redemption story would be something to see. A Love Story does exactly what the title implies and shows the never-ending love between Jamie and Alex and despite years of separation and sustained turmoil, how they were truly meant to be together. Check this book out for an emotional love story between the closest of friends.