Book Review: Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen’s writing college-aged characters again and she’s still great at it. This fits into the Moo U series with Weston being on the hockey team. And Abbi is a waitress at the Biscuit in the Basket. There’s some fake dating in this one, too. It was so close to five stars and I could see upgrading it on a re-read.

Weston has some soap opera style family drama so for Thanksgiving he seeks a fake girlfriend to spend time with instead of going home. Abbi has her own drama and a grabby sort of stepbrother. She’s also had a little crush on Weston so she takes him up on that offer.

They end up clicking: emotionally and physically. So, they continue a friendship and some more fake dating. Naturally, that turns into more. But Weston has commitment issues triggered by the family issues and Abbi wants out of Vermont.

I loved these characters. I often liked one part of a couple more than another, but Sarina Bowen makes it hard to pick one. It’s so easy to see their perspectives and to connect with them.

The romance was so well-paced. I’m not always a big fan of fake dating, but this one worked. There’s great physical chemistry. And they have a great mental connection. You can tell they care about each other beyond the physical. Now the sexytimes were very good too-don’t get me wrong.

This was a great addition to Moo U. It also felt like a Sarina Bowen book. She will write non-traditional families or weird drama, but make it perfectly believable. She also doesn’t just fall back on stereotypes. It’s why she’s a favorite.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Afterglow by Aria Wyatt

Afterglow was a bit emotional and hard hitting. There’s discussion of alcoholism, assault, and parental death. I’m not bothered by any of it, but it’s important to know. It’s also an age-gap romance. That’s not my favorite trope, but I wasn’t bothered.

Solana is a college student who returns to Vermont because her panic attacks are too much. Her panic stems from the death of her parents when she was a kid. She’s now working at the Busy Bean. Declan’s a moody Irishman who wants more time with his son, but has issues with his ex-wife. He’s also a recovering alcoholic. Solana’s parents died because of a drunk driver so...drama.

They meet at the Busy Bean because Declan comes in a lot usually with his son. And the chemistry is there right away. Declan tries to avoid a relationship with Solana because he doesn’t want to piss off his ex-wife. But this is a romance so you know they give into the temptation. It starts as a physical thing, but they both want more.

There is some relationship conflict which I’m not going into because that’s maybe too spoiler. Ms. Wyatt took what I expected, but did some interesting things with it.

A lot of the story is about Declan and Solana’s personal issues and conflicts. Declan’s surround alcohol and his ex-wife. Solana is still dealing with the loss of her parents 15 years earlier. She was raised by her older brother and that wasn’t the healthiest relationship. I liked how deep their characters were.

This may have been a tad too long. Some parts felt drawn out. Other times resolutions felt fast. Maybe I just can’t be satisfied.

Oh, I almost forgot the side characters. They were very well developed and felt real. They were also complex-again realistic. They also provided some sequel bait.

Afterglow was a good addition to the Busy Bean series and a nice conclusion.

Thanks for reading!
Holly