Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

 

Jasper and Sutton have been best friends since the age of five. When Sutton’s family was killed when he was 12, he relied on Jasper even more. Now that they are older, they jointly own a business and live together. They are so much a part of each other’s lives, but they never realized there was so much more to their relationship. Sutton is the first to put a name to what he is feeling, but if he tells Jasper, he could risk losing the one person he needs in his life. But being so close to Jasper and not being able to have him they way he wants is slowly killing Sutton day by day.

Jasper loves his life in small town North Carolina. He lives close to his family, he has a thriving business, and his best friend Sutton is the one constant in his life. When Sutton starts putting distance between them, Jasper’s life gets a whole lot dimmer. Jasper has to reexamine his friendship with Sutton and, when he does, he realizes that he is in love with Sutton as well. It should be the best time for the men, but Jasper’s family and the townspeople are not accepting and Jasper and Sutton now live in secrecy as Jasper is not ready to come out. But the men have shared a million tiny moments that make up their best life and Jasper has to stand up to the people who won’t accept him to make sure Sutton is forever by his side.

Childhood best friends and a double bi awakening will always call to me and this book did just that the moment I read the description. The story opens with Jasper and Sutton as young boys and we really get a sense of their deep bond through the years. Sutton lost his entire family and Jasper and his parents became even more important to Sutton. Now, in their 20s, their bond is tighter than ever. They have dated and hooked up with plenty of women over the years, but they never felt the need to settle down with any of them.

The men live in a small town where homophobia is prevalent and neither of them know of any out residents, which is one of the reasons it takes the men longer to embrace their attraction. It’s more difficult for Jasper to accept his feelings for Sutton, but when the men finally acknowledge what’s happening between them, their need for each other is incredibly intense and that part of their story was easy to fall into.

I felt the dialogue at times was too stiff for my liking and some conversations didn’t flow naturally. There was a side story about Jasper’s cousin, Sammy, and I was not aware that Sammy had a book prior to this one. So, that part of the story didn’t resonate with me and felt out of place, so I would suggest reading that book first. By the end, I just wanted more from these guys.

There are plenty of books out there with these tropes and it can still be a magical book with familiar elements, but this one didn’t hit me that way. This author does tend to be up and down for me, so if you do like everything the author puts out, then definitely pick this one up as well.