Charli Meadows

First of all, I read this in less than a day because it was just THAT good!

Fallon and Ryder meet when Fallon is brought from Philidelphia all the way to northern California to live with his Uncle Joel, his partner Alejandro and his kids. Fallon has shut down for years after his father's death due to cancer and Fallon blames himself for not being there in his final days. When Ryder meets Fallon, he makes it his mission to make him smile, laugh and protect him forever.

I loved the way Ryder got Fallon to come out of his shell and slowly open up when he realized that he had some kind of support system that he hadn't had since his father had passed away. Ryder does have his own secrets being gay but only his friend Jamie knows until he makes his intentions known to Fallon.

With it being both of their "first time", it was nice to see their spicy first times being experienced together and in the way they wanted to. Ryder made sure that Fallon was always comfortable and had his full consent before doing anything. A huge green flag right there!

I have to admit, this book did make me cry at one point for Fallon but it was handled gracefully. I hope we see more out of this series!

I received an ARC from Charli's ARC Team in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

When Remi is arrested for underground fighting and then expelled from school he is stunned to find the whole other life his mother has hid from him - one with wealth and a loving grandfather who very much wants to know him. Life only seems to be going up. Especially when he meets his student advisor, Linc.

Linc only wants to get through school and get out of the town. Away from his overbearing perfectionist parents and his gang of bullies. But all that changes when he meets Remi. Remi who is brave and bold and brutal to anyone who threatens him - parents included.

I loved this book. Charli Meadows is a new favourite. I loved Cali Boy and I adored this. I can't wait for more books! Remi and Linc were adorable. I loved them so much. This is a low angst, bad boy/nerd romance with humour and a pinch of danger. Their chemistry was off the charts. They were funny and sweet and totally swoonworthy.

As far as the warnings go, I was expecting this to be a lot darker than it was. I honestly didn't find it too bad. There's a couple of underground fights, one scene where the boys get jumped by a couple of men - one of which has a knife - and a scene with a gun. The violence was pretty tame really. My biggest issue was the text messages. The overwhelming panic that developed in Remi was ridiculous.

I know where you went.
And I know you have money.

Why is that so terrifying? He doesn't even know who it is? I feel that it would've been a stronger book for either toning down the panic and letting it slowly develop - or revealing who the messages were actually from. Because the panic would've made a ton more sense if he knew who it was. It was his dad. And if it was revealed I could've got behind it. His relationship with his dad was clearly volatile for a lot of years and I could see it becoming a problem if he found out there's money. But it wasn't revealed and so it just seemed disproportionate to the situation.

The rest of the book though was incredible. I loved that Remi was so protective of Linc - even if that meant telling off his parents. The dinner scene at the end where Linc comes out was hysterical. Remi was a total badass and I loved how the parents were constantly having to adjust.

As far as Remi's family - I would've liked to know more about his mother and the grandfather. There's not really many conversations between them - but I feel like it would've rounded out the book a little more.

Overall, it's probably not quite perfect but it was perfect for me. Right time, right book - lots of feel good moments and a very swoonworthy couple I adored. 5 stars.… (altro)

Oliver and Finn are thrown together when Oliver's mum and Finn's dad marry each other in a whirlwind romance and leave for two weeks on their honeymoon.

Finn wants to be furious - he had no idea his dad was even dating and he certainly isn't impressed that he has one day to process before his new step family move in. But one look at Oliver and his anger melts.

I really loved this book. Part of it was right time, right book. But it was also just a really great book. It's a low angst, grumpy/sunshine romance with lots of fluff and lots of steam. Oliver and Finn were adorable together and while a lot of their feelings are instant, they also get to know one another. Plus it helped that this is on the older end of YA, probably more NA than YA really. Both characters and their friends were much more mature than expected so there wasn't a huge amount of teen angst, but actual legitimate issues and feelings to work through.

I would've liked to see more resolution between Finn and his father though. They have one conversation, but it's mainly Finn venting and we never really get to hear his father properly apologise. On the other hand, I like that they do seem to work through their issues and resolve to move on. I also would've liked to see more explanation behind the main drama with Eric and Hazel. Like why they tried to kill Oliver with peanut butter. I mean, it was pretty drastic. I know they were jealous and that, but I would've liked to see more of an apology and why they were so stupid. I did like that it really highlights how something so dumb can have serious consequences not just for your own future but for someone else's as well.

Oliver and his mum were terrific. I loved how they were both bright sparks of light for Finn and his dad. They both lived with such positivity and it just brought great feel good moments to the book. So it's probably 4.5 stars than 5, but I'm going with the full 5 anyway because my enjoyment factor was through the roof. 5 stars.… (altro)