Knock Knock

From Nothing #3

by Nordika Night

When life comes knocking, can they go from nothing to something?

After a lifetime of having each other’s backs, meddling in their brother’s lives, and keeping their families going, Nate and Xavi don’t know what to do with all this… freedom.

For the first time ever, they have no one to watch out for. Love and dreams come next on their big agenda, and they soon learn the connection they share goes far deeper than any normal friendship. But with a lifelong bestie bond on the line, flipping their dynamic comes with big risks… and big rewards.

Despite the outside pressure that comes with their age and moving into the next phase of life, Nate and Xavi will try to figure out how to go from nothing to something.

Together.

*Knock Knock is book 3 in the From Nothing series and should be read after Garron Park and Lot 62. It is Nate and Xavi’s story. MM contemporary romance, best friends to lovers.*

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Found Family, Contemporary Romance

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 29, 2023

About the author

Openness. Acceptance. Tolerance. Respect.

Nordika is a coffee-addicted Canadian with a love of the outdoors and the fictional worlds inside books.

Reading is a joy, writing is an adventure, and together, they are an addiction.

Writing mostly MM romance with all the banter, bullish!t and boys!

Working in multiple genres and tropes, Nordika has lots more to come.

Follow on IG: nordikanightauthor

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

TIME OF DEATH: 56%

Sometimes I think “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”...
This is not one of those times. This book was FUCKING awful. PERIOD.
(lol editing this to add right here, do I ever think that anymore? No. Never. Idgaf anymore 😂😂😂)

As an enjoyer, of Garron Park and Lot 62.
This book hurt my skull from the amount of -

that was going on in my head, at most stages of this book.

Xavi and Nate are written to be literally the stupidest humans ON EARTH. And not in a cute, silly 'tehe🤭' kind of way. They were dumb af and it was insanely irritating.
Their characters were literally written so perfectly in the first 2 books, when I heard they were getting their own book, I WAS 🐀FERAL🐀.... This book was a slap in the face because wtf did I just attempt to read?

I wanted to dnf on page one when one of them throws a used condom on a lava lamp, and the other kicks a used condom under the chicks bed, and I’ve regretted my life and every single page I read since I ignored that initial feeling.

The idiot to lovers thing wasn’t cute.. This authors strengths obviously lie elsewhere.
This had so much potential for cuteness, but it was a cringe fest from the start.
🙈💩

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy shit. I have no words. What a freaking disaster.

Where are Nate and Xavi that I was so invested in from previous books? They were a couple of silly besties, childhood friends who were sweet and funny together, I loved them and I couldn't wait for their book to come out.

🟢 Trailer park
🟣 Best friends-to-lovers, but butchered
🔵 MMCs completely losing character in their book
🟡 Misogyny
🌶️ Didn't like the spice or the vocabulary around it

The Nate and Xavi in this book were clowns. Dumb as shit, they had awful characters, they really were going nowhere unlike their brothers and when you get to know them for who they really are, you start wondering if maybe Pearl wrote this book. Did she? Sure sounds like it.

The story is filled with moronic misogyny and I hate it when authors do that, when they try to show us how much they love two men together with bashing women in the process.

First of all, I completely get this is set in a trailer park and these guys are white trash. I get it.
Nate and Xavi do everything together, which in their story means they also have threesomes all the time, never have sex apart, only them with another women and it always seemed they enjoy it. Always looked like it.
So, instead of them slowly figuring out they actually want to do each other and deduct the woman, we're actually privy to how much they hate these women they sleep with.

"It wasn't even that weird that the chick wedged between our bodies squealed like a stuck pig. To be fair, she was totally being stuck by two pigs, but she didn't need to squeal about it."

"Sorry, chicky. We gotta go."

"Bridget was on her front lawn, headed our way in nothing but her birthday suit, with her fingers pressed over her nips like they were more virtuous than her vag."

"It made me so mad that I needed to leave the room before I smacked a bitch."

Girl, bye. I swear.



Shitty men can be brutal when talking about women, but damn, some women just add another layer there, don't they?

Xavi and Nate have a complete misscommunication trope going on for the first 20% where even I didn't know what the hell was going on. They evidently tried to have relationships with women, yet the storytelling was very confusing and that slow bi-awakening that was going on in the background didn't work for me.
I expected that slow, sweet bi-awakening in their story, but most of the time it didn't make sense. It almost felt like they were so lost or confused in their lives in general, had nothing going on, had very low self-esteem, couldn't form any relationships, that this was just something to make their days more interesting.

Friends to lovers done in a very, very confusing way and not palatable, at least for my taste.
Even if I tried to extract their sweet story from all of this mess, I simply couldn't because their characters were so shitty.

If you remember Xavi and Maddox' parents, they had a mom who was an alcoholic, but they both lived with her, she wasn't agressive or malicious, but she was drunk most of the time. Their dad however was a mean addict who took all of their money and beat Maddox up constantly.

Well, surprise surprise, in this story the tables have turned dramatically.

"She was who she was, and I hated that I spent so much of my life blaming my dad for everything. It was her. She was the downfall of their relationship and sobriety every damn time."

Wow. So, the dad was an abusive prick who didn't even want to live with them, but by the end of the day, it's the mom's fault. What's that, trailer park logic or Pearl logic?

"She made her shitty dinner, had us all over, and kept on deluding herself into thinking she was a good mom."

"People were who they were, and that was fine, but my mom was a selfish person who tried to make up for it by feeding us shitty caseroles."

"Did she have trauma? Obviously she did, including the times my dad left her and treated her horribly." Tadaaaa

You know, she was an alcoholic who relapsed many times over, but still wanted her family together on fridays, right? So she couldn't cook, but made that dinner. Fine. It comes to mind that there's three more people in that family and noone can cook. Noone's making dinner. So, I'll bet you that trailer and the next that if the dad was doing this, the author would praise his shitty dinners, because you know, even if he hit them and took all their money - the man is at least trying, god dammit!!!



Not finished yet. Let's continue, because after all, the whole book is written like this with Xavi and Nate's inner monologues or dialogues that are simply very worth mentioning.
Enjoy the exquisite storytelling.

"It made me wanna punch her in the tit because noone knew shit about Nate that I didn't! No one!"

"But I couldn't titty-punch her because she was a kind-as-hell lady who just wanted me to suceed in life. Goddamn her."

"I wanted to punch her in the tit for knowing something about you that I didn't."
"Don't hit her."
"I couldn't. She's too nice."

"Perceptive bitch. Shit, she was the furthest thing from a bitch."

"Xavi tried explaining the temperamental truck, but the bitchy lady with saggy tits and a pinched face figured we were bullshitting her."

"Oh, there was a saggy pair of tits right in front of the window, and I swear to Gnat that was the longest nipple hair I'd ever seen."

"He wrapped his arm around his skanky girlfriend. I wasn't just calling her skanky because I was in a bad mood. She really was. Earlier in the night, I saw her flash her tits at Clark's brother, and immediately after that, she spit her shot of tequila into Clark's cousin's mouth. That was pretty skanky."

"Fuck no. Trisha's sister was even more of a skank than Trisha."

"Hold my beer," Trisha the skank said, standing up.
"Fuck you, bitch."
I wanted to hit a girl. Considered it.
"Your tit is literally hanging out the side of your tank top, Trisha. Not sure how you got a whole lot of ground to stand on."

Done with the saggy tits every woman seems to have in this book (like that's even relevant to the story)?
Can I throw up this body shaming now?
Thank you.



Throughout the whole book women cannot catch a break, let me tell you. I was so damn disappointed, because Xavi and Nate seemed so good in the previous books, they were like the ideal besties, but really getting to know them sobered me right up. While Dev and Madd were awesome while still trash, these two were a joke.

Xavi and Nate were 30 years old and were talking about settling down, about being father figures, the stuff they were trying on with Karen and Evan was ridiculous, these guys were nowhere near stable and settled, yet they were trying to play saviours, man, save yourself first, because something's not working in those heads, it's not.

Their bi-awakening was terrible, just awful. I couldn't feel that spark, not even once, they were so damn stupid it hurt to read! God, the cringe of the cringe.

"Fuck me. Make me a bottom." Ok fine, sounds hot, but in their case it wasn't.

"Shit," I gasped, loving that. "Learned it from Devon." Yeah, mention your brother while having sex with another man, bravo.

"Fuck, you're-"
"If you say tight, I will flip this fuck around and show you a different kind of flip fucking," I warned him.
"Don't treat me like a chick."

"I'm the alpha," I growled again, sucking and biting until Nate started continuously moaning beneath me. "You're my beta."

"I'm marking you. Making sure every person in the world knows you're mine, Nathan Neegan. You belong to your alpha."

"Since I was a gay now, I took offence."

"I was a president of this new gay club. A dab just won't do anymore."

"Oh yeah. We're a lil bit gay now," Xavi said, holding up our hands.

"No dicks in the name, asshole. Jesus, you turn gay and it's all cock talk."

"Versatile vibes," I said, gripping the oven door handle. "That's the word. I learned it in my gay bible studies."

I gripped his chin and forced him to look at me. "Yes. Permission. Fuck me while I'm sleeping and turn me into your omega bitch."



Holy fuck, this was so juvenile!

I'm starting to think Garron Park duet was a random fluke, nothing else. But it wasn't, was it? Because I've read another author with this exact premise a while ago and it pre-dates Garron Park, so I'm almost positive it's where the author got her inspiration from. I'll try to remember and post it here, it's literally almost the same story.

I'm disappointed, but not so much with the bad storytelling, but with Nate and Xavi turning out to be total dicks. Fuck, I didn't expect that! What a waste.

Not reading this author again.

[♡Gabi♡ [life & work is chaotic hiatus] · Rating 1 out of 5]

if you look up man child in the dictionary it will say nate and xavi 🥴

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just everything!! I have been impatiently waiting for Nate and Xavi since I first read Garron Park and this was absolutely perfect. Nordika Night is just magic.

The relationship between these two is obviously very different from Maddox and Devon. They know each other so well and really build each other up and support each others goals and dreams. It genuinely made me feel so, so happy while I was reading this and it was clear they were meant to be together. Plus the hand holding...🥹🥹🥹

Xavi's goal with the fridge is so relatable that I'm thinking the next time someone asks where I see myself in five years, my response can only be 'with a water and ice dispensing fridge'.

The kink list was fucking hilarious. The cock warming scene made me laugh so hard that I was crying and couldn't breathe 😂😂😂😂 I will never look at a flannel the same way ever again! I also loved how Maddox and Devon were so uncomfortable whenever Xavi or Nate wanted to talk about sex 😂

The overall found family vibe of this book was so Xavi and Nate, and I loved how they wanted to be the support system for other kids who needed someone in their corner. I would love to see them again in a future story because I am honestly so sad to be leaving this story world.

Cannot recommend this series enough.

Thank you SO much for the ARC Nordika Night!!

[Amina · Rating 2 out of 5]

✰ 2.5 stars ✰

“Anyway, sometimes it feels like I have to follow that path, you know?”

“I know you need to find a different way to end a sentence.” I smirked at him. “Fuck what society wants.”

“Wanna do life with me, Nate?”

With a title like Knock Knock you would think that there would be at least one knock, knock joke that could have been made. 😅 Alas, disappointment abounds. In more ways than one, unfortunately. But, just knowing how knocking on someone's door played a key part in the development of their relationship was a take that resonated deeply with Nate and Xavi. And yet, while I had been looking forward to their sudden shift from friends to lovers, somehow, it didn't quite play out the way that I had expected. 😞

“Secrets led to confessions and confessions led to a fight, but after all we’d been through, our strength of communication won out and brought us to this moment.

This desperate, hot, euphoric as hell moment of sexual contact with no one else to steal the show.”

And maybe, that's my fault - they've always had an unconventional dynamic, completely they're own and still considered the butt of everyone's jokes for how very less they had accomplished in their lives up till now. 'Dulled down by rocks and waves that softened our edges and matted our shine. But whatever. We got by, even with all our downfalls, insecurities, and self-doubts.' 🥺 Best of friends, Nate and Xavi have done literally everything together under the sun - seen each other in the most compromising and awkward of situations - supported their younger brothers through their highs and lows - and even shared in the experience of threesomes, which apparently, somehow, always left the desired female feeling less than desired. Well, if that wasn't a clear indication that something was amiss, then, I don't know what was. And, we finally get to learn why; and when we do, Nate and Xavi finally take that next step that they too can be more than just best friends. ☺️

It was sweet, in a way - in their own way, after all. They're both thirty and don't really feel like they fit into the mold of what people expect them to behave like at this stage in their life - that is an understandable feeling. But, they've never been the ones to follow the same path as the rest of the world expects them. The two of them really shared a one-track mind and a single brain cell between the two of them, so to see that they both were first hesitant to express the sudden shift in emotions, to finally acknowledging that they could find their future happiness with each other was nice. 🖤🖤 Even if it was in a rather rambunctious method, once they established just how much they were each other's endgame, they weren't hesitant or shy in really embracing the gay experience - it was an uncomfortable way to approach it, but considering their zealous drive, they really lived up to the challenge! 😅😅

“So, just your best friend?”

My fingers dug into his ass, squeezing a nice handful. “My partner.”

He reached behind him, linking his fingers with mine as they groped at his ass. “In crime?” He brought our hands around to the front, trailing them down his chest and stomach.

“Yeah.” I breathed. “And in life.”

Turning literally into sex fiends overnight, getting railed over the railing (yes, I couldn't resist that joke! 😆), fiercely dedicated to trying out every known kink under the sun, it's not only the honeymoon phase for them. It's simply that this is who we are and we aren't beholden to anyone - that this is us and no one can take what we have away from us. They were bold and brash and unabashedly brazen in expressing just how much excitement they were deriving from getting to experience the greatest heights of pleasure. ❤️‍🔥 There were some very tender and affectionate gestures that tugged at my heart-strings; everyone deserves a happy ending, and they did get theirs. I liked Xavi's little hopeful dream - yes, I did kinda tear up at it - for being deprived of nice things for so long, even the grandest thing, that may be simple to some, is a rewarding feeling. And when it came true, haha, yes, they definitely put it to good use - in kinkier ways than one. 🥰

I liked that they also still had very strong ties to Garron Park; that deep-rooted connection of loyalty and familiar bonds of trust to how much it impacted their lives gave them a clearer perspective of why they would at least try to - well, not act their own age - but be people, someone in need could turn to. 'We were troubled kids with people to go to, and it felt full circle, like the perfect life goal, to become one of those doors kids could knock on.' For while this was also a declaration of love, their relationship also gave them a chance to prove to others that they weren't just screw-ups - that they had the potential and the consideration to care for others - that they could be there for someone in need, to return the favor for those in a place that meant so much to them. ❤️‍🩹

“I think everything we do is a bit weird. Even our friendship was weird, so my progress report on weirdness is a bit skewed. But it doesn’t feel weird. It feels right.

Because I don’t have to pretend to be anyone other than who I am with him, and isn’t that what love is supposed to be all about?”

A while back, I read a book recently where the MC compared the way a cat was rubbing herself all over the person he was in love with, akin to how 'a slut would' - that comparison really rubbed me the wrong way. 😑 I didn't mention it in my review, because I did not want one single note to detract from the overall enjoyable read that it was. I tried to reason with myself that it's not an example of how the writer actually feels, but what she thought was the best way to portray the jealousy the character was feeling at not being the one who could be in that position.

But, it weighed on me heavily - it still does - and I couldn't help but think, that as female writers - why would they feel it necessary to paint their own sex in such a demeaning and derogatory fashion? 🤐 And the reason I brought it up here, is because in this particular book, there was a rampant amount of comments that did not sit well with me at all. Right from the start, the remarks passed by either MC were not just inappropriate, they seemed completely unnecessary and uncalled for and unjustified. 😤 Their misogynistic train of thoughts felt like such a negative portrayal of people from the trailer parks, and even worsened their own personalities - it made them appear crude, rude, and a prude. It should have been concerning at how often they wanted to be physically violent with a girl Terms like, 'titty-punch' and casually calling a woman 'bitch' or a 'skanky meathead' - I mean, really? 🤨



I didn't like it; I tried to brush it off - maybe it'll only happen once, maybe twice, but the fact that it happened again on more than one occasion, left me a bit appalled as to why the author chose to write them so uncivilized and unrefined like this in the first place. 😕

The blatant slander did die down after a while, but then the story quickly delved into a rotation of the adventurous exploration of kinks that Nate and Xavi were interested in. It was entertaining, at first, but after a while it became a bit redundant. I'm glad that they embraced being the gay so whole-heartedly, but some comments and jabs and sex stories are better left not mentioned - especially with your siblings, for crying out loud! 🤦🏻‍♀️ And while I also did mention that I liked how important knock, knock meant to them, I still felt that the inclusion of Karen's storyline wasn't quite necessary; Ethan's was tolerable, since it was something that meant a lot to them, but I think the story could have stayed stronger without her. I mean, they barely just got their act together, I thought it highly implausible that they should have even taken the community service stint - even if it was actually meant for the previous owner. 🙅🏻‍♀️

“I wanna do more than just do life together. Not just with you, but like… with us. With this new thing we are.”

“What are we, Nate?” he asked, fingers skimming over my short hair. He smiled, waiting for me to name it.

“We’re…”

“Everything.” He kissed me. “We’re everything, Nate. Everything that was missing and everything we’ve been looking for. We found it.”

Oh my god. Yeah. That. Exactly that.”

*sigh* And to think, they could have carried the soulmate vibe to perfection. 😞 It is a shame that the series concluded on such a low point; the series had something special, they could have been something special and memorable, but marred down by it's rather disappointing portrayal, all it's left me with is a bitter taste of that wild entertaining memory of how Maddox and Devon exploded onto the scene. 😮‍💨 It all seemed to have negated the good points with this conclusion, and makes me more than slightly wary of reading more books from the author in the future.

[Mug]

dnf @ 56% - okay so they definitely boarded the hate on women train or should i say bitches😭😭😭 every woman was bitch in this story pls was that necessary🙄 i promise it is very possible to have 2 men fall in love without demonizing women. there’s multiple other examples but my fave is when xavi was chatting with one of his buddies, clark, who told xavi “You gotta ditch Nate, man. He’s holding you back.” to which xavi thinks: “My first instinct was to knock Clark out and call his girlfriend a bitch.” i was like damn what the gf do😭😭😭 thought xavi and nate were supposed to be chill???

don’t even get me started on that bullshit drama after they both basically admit they have “things” for each other and then subsequently fought about it/didn’t talk to each other for days for LITERALLY NO REASON?????? wtf was that even for fr😐 that was the dumbest thing i’ve ever read…..plus they’re apparently known for being really good at communicating and talking to each other so wtf!! like character assassination fr……nate literally got mad at xavi for liking him back!!!!!😭😭……. how does that work!?🤦‍♀️ like that’s such a devon and maddox thing to do, these are very different characters or did you forget???? plus these mfs are 30!!! nate has been secretly crushing on xavi for a YEAR and worried about their friendship if xavi knows and doesn’t like nate back…..then xavi admits he’s also got a thing for nate and nate is MAD bc it was “so easy” for xavi to just tell nate, while nate has been struggling and ruminating on it for a year……sorry no, nate would be relieved as fuck xavi feels the same way not angry????? mind boggling like pls in what world would that ever happen😭😭 for the author to have reminded everybody in the author’s note that nate and xavi have the same trailer park vibes but are very different from maddox and devon, i did not get that at all. everything felt very similar to garron park/lot 62, less screaming and arguing and i hate yous, sure, but nate and xavi didn’t have clear, defined voices of their own….it felt like the same recycled shit as the first two books.

after trudging through 54% of the book, they fuck for the first time and i was completely out of it, eyes glazing over, i just don’t care about them anymore, their chemistry was soooo BLAND omg😭😭😭😭 best friends to lovers is literally a cheat code to not having to do too much to develop a connection bc it’s literally built in…….like you have to do real damage to make it suck ass💀💀💀💀 like somehow all of their sexy scenes were so unsexy, maybe just bc they were giving NOTHING idk, but it did not work for me……like it was a little weird to me that 30 year old dudes are going to their little brothers for sex advice instead of maybe just fucking researching anal sex???? except weren’t they already having anal sex with women when they were doing their threesome thing??? pretty sure it was a cock in each hole sitch going on there, so it’s not making sense!!!! (also i’m telling you nate is not a top, there i said it, like pls don’t play games with me, that’s a needy bottom and how is xavi not a dominant top??? but whatever that doesn’t really matter)…..then, they started talking about their brothers WHILE THEY WERE FUCKING……nate manoeuvered them into some sex position and then said he “learned it from devon”…..after nate’s dick found xavi’s prostate, he said “devon bet me i couldn’t find it the first time” to which xavi replied “devon’s husband bet that i wouldn’t come the first time”……..😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 very very STRANGE…..not to mention earlier in the book, they’re at devon and maddox’s house for dinner, and while they’re cooking, xavi and nate go outside, jerk each other off, slide their dicks against each other’s, cum all over their stomachs, and devon comes out and tells them dinner is ready and throws both nate and xavi cum towels all while THEIR DICKS ARE STILL HANGING OUT and says “clean up cum buddies” like help😭😭😭😭 why are y’all not mortified????!! bring back boundaries and shame!!!!!

reading this put me in some dissociative fugue state fr like what is going on and why is this book so disappointing!! i can’t believe i’ve been looking forward to this for months, i’m sick!!!! oh my fuck, the most interesting part about this book was the two kids they were helping…..but even that was like hmmm do i think these two 30 year old teenagers should be given that much responsibility??? mmm probs not……i kinda wanted to see how that all played out, but i just can’t take it anymore, i gotta put me first😩

i now gravely fear opening devon and maddox’s book back up bc i gave it 5 stars and now i worry i was in a trance or some shit and it will give me major ick💀💀 such skill and power to be able to ruin all 3 books for me😂😂

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knock Knock is the long-awaited slow-burn adorably clueless friends-to-lovers story that is nothing short of perfection for Nate and Xavi. I love how unapologetically adorkable these two are together as they discover their underlying feelings for one another. Their process of finally acknowledging their deep care and devotion for one another is so darn cute and precious to see. I also enjoyed seeing the reactions of Devon and Maddox to their brothers' new relationship dynamic, which is nothing short of hilarious.

Overall such a great send-off to these characters that I love so much and enjoyed visiting this crazy world that I can never get enough of.

*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***

[Miki_reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update: it's been 3 days since I finished this, and it's put me in the worst slump ever, so I'm deducting my half star bc honestly, wtf.

All I've learnt from this is that friends to lovers is not Nordika's strong suit. Respectfully, whilst they had cute moments, this was a mess.

For the first 50% of this book, it's virtually impossible to tell the difference between the 2 MMC's. Neither character is properly established when they have their first fight, so every POV change I had to keep going back to check who's POV I was in. In the first 2 books in this series, Nate and Xavi came off as fun loving whilst still being responsible enough to make sure their brothers didn't die. THAT DID NOT TRANSLATE HERE. I literally loved them so much, and now I'm going to have to pretend this book doesn't exist to preserve my memories of them.

To top it off, this was one of Xavi's inner monologues:

"I wanted to hit a girl. Considered it. Felt Maddox put his hand on my wrist to keep it steady. Thought about Karen instead. If I got myself arrested for hitting a skanky methhead, I wouldn't be able to run to the grocery
store for the list she gave me."

Now, before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, I am a dark romance girlie and have read some messed up stuff, but this shit me to tears. I literally do not care what she's said. Why is this in here ? Why are we passing off hitting women as a funny HAHA moment as long as they're addicts.... bit weird, but ok. There were like a million other things that could have been done to show Xavi as protective of Nate, but sure. The whole quote is honestly gross, and this wasn't even an isolated incident.

Now, onto the things I did like. The smut was hot when it wasn't cringe. I liked how affectionate they were with each other, and it had a lot of funny moments. I also really loved the full circle moments towards the end, but the negatives far outweighed the positives for me.

I had such high hopes for these 2, and I can see I'm in the minority but I'm actually really disappointed. It physically pains me to give this such a low rating, and I've been generous because i LOVE this series. Nate and Xavi should have been giving soulmates/idiots in love, but they just gave me a headache. I'm literally glad I missed arc sign ups for this.

Ratings
⭐️ ⭐️
🌶 🌶 🌶

[Tania ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨.

First of all, I'm sad to have to say goodbye. I discovered Nordika Night with Alter Arlo and then with Garron Park and I fell in love with her writing style, her characters, her stories. So yes, I'm sad to have to say goodbye to this incredible universe but I'm so happy to have been able to discover it. If you already follow my goodsreads account it’s not a secret to you that Maddox and Devon are my favorite couple of all time. Nordika Night is one of my two favorite authors and I can't wait to read her next stories.

“Knock Knock”: I want to start by saying that by reading you will discover why this title for this book. And honestly? I love the reason for this title, it's really adorable and it fits so much with the personnality of Xavi and Nate, I couldn't have imagined a better title, a better reason behind it.

𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙥𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙮𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮.

Xavi and Nate are a whole. They cannot exist without each other. They had a complicated childhood but they never stopped smiling, laughing to keep their childish soul. They bring comfort and joy to each other. And oh my god, how much I laughed during this reading. These two are hilarious!
I particularly loved the fact that they often made references to popular teen shows from the 2000s. It was super funny and relatable.
I can't name everything that's funny in this book because I don't want to spoil it, but: No, Xavi, remember to never listen to Maddox's advice on sexuality when he's shit at giving it. And no Xavi, you can't be as grumpy as Maddox. But it was hilarious to watch him try. And not to mention the Kink List. I still laugh thinking about it!

𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙃𝙞𝙢. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙋𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚-𝙮. 𝙄’𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨.

I don't want to spoil it so I'm going to remain vague again: but their life goal is so touching. The spirit of Garron Park and its community is highlighted in this volume and I was emotional on several occasions. What a great way to end The From Nothings series.

𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙄𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙩, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙, 𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙, 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙧. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.

Anyway, I don't want to say too much. But Xavi and Nate are meant to be together and the transition from “best friends” to “boyfriends” is executed so well! It’s done naturally, without ever changing what has made them great partners throughout their lives as bff.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.

Nordika has a talent for taking you from laughter to tears. And in this volume it’s even more in the spotlight with our two favorite meddling boys. They are touching, funny, cute, clumsy. All.

So thank you Nordika Night for giving me the chance to get an ARC. And I will be there for your next books. Count me in!

PS : sorry if my english is bad but i’m french

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nate was my person and I was his."

Nate Sawyer and Xavi Kane have been best friends for as long as they can remember.
Even through their brothers hating each other and loving each other while still hating each other (exactly) they have always had each other.
No matter what.
But now they don't have anyone to watch out for.
Freedom is a concept they know nothing about and now that they have it they need to figure out what to do with it.
They have always been friends, through thick and thin, through everything.
But maybe friends was never the right word…

"Xavi had always been the leader, and I'd never hesitated to follow him anywhere."

This book was so cute!!
It was fluffy and heartwarming and I needed it honestly.
Now IYKYK I am not the biggest fan of friends to lover (understatement. Such an understatement), but this is getting added to the list. Because when it is done right I am all for it!!

"…we could face everything together, and I wanted to do just that. Face life and fucking win."

Xavi Kane and Nate Sawyer are both golden retrievers who have always felt like they were treated as jokes (knock-knock jokes) to be exact. Now they are free from the whole mess, their brother's love story is right where it should be and it's just Nate and Xavi. Just how they like it. But without life meddling about what do they do now?

"Nate made me powerful because he gave me power, and I wanted to make him powerful because I helped his confidence. I wanted him to rise up with sureness, knowing that I craved every goddamn part of him."

Nate and Xavi figuring out how to navigate life, their feelings, and being around each other is so addicting to read. I loved their relationship. I loved them figuring out what they mean and how Devon was pissed that it took him and Maddox so much time I was snorting I swear 🤣🤣
But the fridge fantasy and the truck being their baby. And the end meaning of Knock Knock is not the same as the beginning and I cried at each one of them.
Oh oh and the pop culture TV obsession is real people!!! Loved the references! I could hear Xavi and Nate take about "Teen Wolf" for years I swear.

"We're everything, Nate. Everything that was missing and everything we've been looking for. We found it."

This playlist is legit so fluffy it kind of makes me sick but not really so enjoy 🥰🥰

(Link - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2N5...)

🎶 "Look After You" - The Fray
🎶 "Degenerates" - A Day To Remember
🎶 "Wish You Were Sober" - Conan Gray
🎶 "Bigger Person" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎶 "I Want You To Want Me" - Chase Holfelder
🎶 "Clap Snap" - Icona Pop
🎶 "Loverboy" - You Me At Six
🎶 "Somebody To You" - The Vamps, Demi Lovato
🎶 "How It Feels to Be Lost" - Sleeping With Sirens
🎶 "Meddle About" - Chase Atlantic
🎶 "Sex On Fire" - Kings Of Leon
🎶 "Hypnotize" - Flights Over Phoenix
🎶 "Fuck Up the Friendship" - Leah Kate
🎶 "NO HANDS (SIDE A)" - UPSAHL
🎶 "Right Here" - Ashes Remain
🎶 "MURDER MY FEELINGS" - Lala Sadii
🎶 "Someone To Stay" - Vancouver Sleep Clinic
🎶 "Already Numb" - Dayseeker
🎶 "Anabelle's Homework" - Alec Benjamin
🎶 "Dial Tone" - Catch Your Breath
🎶 "Hey Stupid, I Love You" - JP Saxe
🎶 "fleabag" - YUNGBLUD
🎶 "Would That I" - Hozier
🎶 "Mount Everest" - Labrinth
🎶 "Softcore (Violin)" - Joel Sunny
🎶 "Flawless" - The Neighbourhood
🎶 "Earned It" - The Weeknd
🎶 "Tourniquet" - Evanescence
🎶 "I Want To Hold Your Hand (Acoustic)" - Coloratura
🎶 "Beggin'" - Maneskin
🎶 "More Than a Friend" - girli
🎶 "R U Mine?" - Arctic Monkeys
🎶 "Constellations - Piano Version" - Jade LeMac
🎶 "Beg" - Aryia
🎶 "Lights Down Low" - MAX, gnash
🎶 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎶 "I Wanna Ride I Wanna Ride (Sped Up); Vegas" - Hiko
🎶 "HONEY (ARE U COMING)?" - Maneskin
🎶 "faceplant" - LOLO
🎶 "Partners In Crime" - Set It Off, Ash Costello
🎶 "Spectrum" - Florence + The Machine
🎶 "Paris" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎶 "Infinity" - Jaymes Young
🎶 "Tattoo" - Loreen
🎶 "Taste" - Ari Abdul
🎶 "VALENTINE" - Maneskin
🎶 "BABYDOLL" - Ari Abdul
🎶 "We Found Love" - Rihanna, Calvin Harris
🎶 "People Watching" - Conan Gray
🎶 "Shake It Off (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Sure Thing - Sped Up" - Miguel
🎶 "As Long As You Love Me - Acoustic" - Justin Bieber
🎶 "golden hour - Cello Version" - JVKE
🎶 "Something Just Like This" - The Chainsmokers, Coldplay
🎶 "Slow Dance - Original Version" - AJ Mitchell

And don't worry I'm not gonna leave you hanging 😏😏

"Knew you'd know just what to do to get what you wanted and then have no idea how to take it. Don't worry. I know how to take it."

"You've already decided, and soon, you'll be begging."

🛻 Tropes 🛻

🐺 Friends to Lovers
🐺 It's Always Been You
🐺 Golden Retriever Boys
🐺 Found Family

Book Edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/C3H6gW4LVgn/

[patrícia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Twenty-five-to-life, Nate,” he whispered, hand in mine. “It starts now.”
And then…
Knock knock.”

Despite some flaws and some very teenage thirty old guys, I love them so so much. They are so sweet and caring… this was low angst, adorable and hot! Love the way they got though the list of kinks and 🐓 warming will never sound the same for me 😂🔥.

This has a total different vibe from the previous 2. This is pure love, friendship and finally finding your path, together. Yes they are childish and even irresponsible, but the approach is supposed to be light and funny and sweet, and we get that. not all books have to be super deep and follow rules like everyone is responsible or has their shit together at 20Yo, go to college. And that’s what we get in From nothing series, a different side of the coin with people who are just trying to survive and live one day at the time. Having simple dreams like having a refrigerator with and ice dispenser, no June bugs in sight and a place to call their own.

Even being immature, they always look up for each other, their family and friends and in this book we see a side of them that I simply loved 🥰 giving a good example and keeping the front door open 🖤 knock knock 💚

They are so crazy in love and super lame and dumb yes, but I love them anyway with thorns and all!

I’ve received an ARC by Nordika and this is my honest opinion 💚🖤

[Sarah]

DNF 68%

No rating - mostly skimmed.

[Ro {semi-hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars and i decided to round down after all. the author's bio is literally something about tolerance, respect, and acceptance etc but i was kinda put off by all the flagrant misogyny in this jawn. like she does realize the biggest group of mm readers ARE women, right??? it was weird. it didn't feel true to Nate and Xavi either. Devon and Maddox, especially Maddox, would've been more believable on this row because he's a lot more volatile... but Nate and Xavi are meant to be golden retrievers and it just felt... wrong. to have them be so vocal about their objectification and violent impulses towards women, including their mothers.

all that aside, i am a sucker for friends to lovers and this did hit the mark for me for the most part. i still felt like something was missing between them and i can't quite put my finger on what it was exactly. maybe it was Xavi automatically knowing he'd be a bottom before they ever even ventured that far. maybe it was them being really innocent to the plight of gay sex. i mean, grown men in their 30s, no matter how sheltered they are, will be pretty familiar with sexual acts of all kinds. rimming should not have been a surprise.

my favorite part about this book was Karen and Evan. i liked that their lives were tied up pretty nicely too, giving them businesses and people to look after while they started their new lives together. it was low angst and all very sweet which felt very true to Nate and Xavi even with all the other weird shit thrown in. it was also really nice to see how plain and simple they both were: duct taped slides, dirty bracelets, uneven cropped sweatpants. and they still were so wildly into and attracted to one another, it steeped the whole thing in their intimacy and closeness and i am always a sucker for that. it's why i love friends to lovers so much because it just adds layers to something that's already good on its own. Nordika does capture that just right in my opinion. i still have mixed feelings about this but overall i did like it. maybe not as much as i was hoping to, but i won't sit here trashing it either cos that'd be disingenuous to my enjoyment of it.

“What are we, Nate?” he asked, fingers skimming over my short hair. He smiled, waiting for me to name it.
“We’re…”
“Everything.” He kissed me. “We’re everything, Nate. Everything that was missing and everything we’ve been looking for. We found it.”

cheers i guess

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We lived a whole life with one responsibility: keep our brothers alive. That left us with no idea how to put ourselves first, no ability to plan ahead, and a promise to have fun together because nothing else in life was fun. Maybe we weren’t dumb, but we weren’t the sharpest shards of glass."

Oh my, I couldn't have loved these two boys any harder! Knock Knock is the final book 3 in the From Nothing series by the amazingly talented Nordika Night.

Books 1 and 2, Garron Park and Lot 62, focus on Maddox and Devon and their messed up, enemies-to-lovers-to-still enemies-sort-of, romance (and if you haven't read those two books yet, for the sake of continuity and also because they are SO DAMN GOOD, please go and download them immediately), whereas Knock Knock is Nate and Xavi's story (Maddox and Devon's respective brothers).

Against all odds, these two goofballs have been besties the whole way through the series, despite having to keep Mad and Dev from killing each other, dealing with abusive and alcoholic parents, having no money, living hand to mouth, avoiding prison and crazy exes, and just trailer-park life in general. And somewhere along the way they fell in love. It just took them a while to recognise it.

"Our hearts that usually beat to the same drum echoed on off-beats that made angry music. No melody. No flow. Just guttural, unclear lyrics that overpowered one another."

I am usually an enemies to lovers gal through and through, but these two (through the amazing writing of the author) made a friends to lovers fool out of me!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Highly recommended.

5⭐MUST READ!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 full stars!

I have no words ...
but ALL the feels! 🥴

Every, single feel.

Every one ... feeled! 🥰

Everything good overwhelmed me, and my eyes got watery. I always thought I was this loser who’d been down on his luck and the butt of all jokes, but when I really thought back on my life, it wasn’t so bad. I had Nate all along. I had Maddox. I had a community in Garron Park and people looking out for me. Maybe my luck didn’t change as of late. Maybe I’d always been lucky but was only just realizing it for the first time.

“Most of the world would look at us like we’re poor idiots. But we’re happy like this, aren’t we? We’re… life is fucking good, Xav.”

“Because of you,” I told Nate. “Even when we were kids. Idiots running around. We got through everything together. I think we were always meant to be here. Like… what kind of friends actually do the whole threesome thing together?” I laughed. “It was fate, pushing us to this point.”

Against my lips, he said, “So glad we’re the kind to be pushed by fate and flounder through it all.”

When Nate kissed me, it didn’t end. Hours could have gone by. Days, even. Because it was easy to get lost in him—in us. In the bond we’d always shared and continued to deepen. I wondered if soulmates always turned out this way. We found them when we needed them, even if it wasn’t romantic, and morphed the bond into whatever worked in the best interest of both of us.

We were done feeling weird about it, thinking we were unworthy of it, and being afraid of it because it was risky. It wasn’t risky anymore. It was fate. Him and me and the love we shared.

Love was our luck. And once we stopped denying it, that’s when all our dreams started coming true.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ - This was a chaotic, sloppy mess. I adore friends to lovers but this felt so forced and the miscommunication for nearly 40% was not only unnecessary, it didn’t make sense for these two at all. At least for the Nate and Xavi from Garron Park/Lot 62. These two idiots were entirely different from the other books. These were two barely functioning 30 YEAR OLD MEN!

I get that they were white trash, lacked higher education and were surrounded by problematic people but they were adults by this point who owned a business, helped raise their brothers, dealt with horrible parents - but you’d think these two were not only the exact same person but were only 14 years old.

I also don’t think I’ve read “saggy tits” so many times in a book. What was with calling women bitches and skanks - and basically just viewing them as holes? Who were these two - they weren’t misogynists like this in the other books.

Genuinely touching moments - like wanting to be those people others, especially teens, could go to for help, just like they’d had. However, these elements felt super forced. In what world would these 2 clowns get approved for some teen outreach program. And the fact they would even want to do that makes zero sense. And the teen is literally a Karen and they make fun of her - they are 30!! Why the hell did Xavi want to be a role model?

I did find their intimate moments very romantic and intense - they genuinely seemed to care for each other and were quite swoony. The hand holding, kisses, hugs - all so sweet.

Overall, this should’ve been a novella. The plot was either lost or virtually nonexistent. Both characters read as the exact same person and were entirely different from their characters in the other books. The intimacy was sweet, the miscommunication and moronic behavior was not.

The more I think about it, this book actually would’ve read as a great prequel. It would’ve shown us how moronic they were (in their early 20s) and how they developed feelings and became a couple and then led into Devon and Maddox’s story - this would’ve given us progression and character development. As this book stands now, it’s a total regression for their characters.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instead of friends to lovers, I'd actually call this dumb asses to lovers 😂😂 its not even a miscommunication, because they do communicate they are just both kind of stupid 😂
At 30% they do finally pull their heads out of their asses and get together and that does improve

Friends to lovers is so hit or miss for me in general because when the book starts they are already close, already have feelings for each other, then they quickly get together at 30% so the romance itself is a bit anticlimactic.

I'll still go with three stars though because this book did get me to laugh out loud several times (the cock warming scene 😂😂). I loved them taking mentoring the two kids and kind of taking a fatherly roll. And I love their relationship with their brothers, so funny and fun to read.

[lakshmi · Rating 1 out of 5]

weird characters with boring personalities 🤡

[haletostilinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sorry to say that this was just okay.

After the amazing first two installments in this series, this one was lacking a lot of what made those so amazing.

Both in plot and in the relationship, sorry to say.

I like Xavi and Nate, the older brothers of our couple from the first two books, Maddox and Devon. I do.

They have a completely different dynamic than those two and I like that. Which, their different dynamic wasn't my problem at all with their relationship in this.

It's just...where was the drama, I guess?

Aside from the very beginning of their transition from just besties to more, there is barely any drama in this. Even the "drama" leading to them getting together isn't that bad.

These two are just...perfect for each other. Which I do love, but also...they just never really fight. So their one fight in...what, their entire lives? I think so, is just so short lived and after the initial hurdle of getting them to admit feelings, it's just pretty much smooth sailing from there.

And they figure their shit out pretty early on.

So....it was honestly? Mostly boring from there on out.

I HATE admitting that, but I can't let it go. This took me a week to slog through and I hate that I have to say I had to slog through it, but I just did not connect with this at all the way I did the last two.

Not only was there basically nothing happening plot wise - because the big shit happened in the first two, and that was all wrapped up and taken care of - but once these two got over their relatively small hurdle of getting together, it was a lot of smooth sailing after that. For like...over 200 pages, at least.

This book did not need to be over 300 pages.

It had several ending spots, honestly (If even the author at the end says "The end...for reals!" that tells you all you need to know - and then it's not even the end because we get a bonus scene after the author said it was the end...for reals! Haha NOPE) and it wasn't a "omg yay I get MORE" feeling it was "ugh I still have 30, 20, 10....3 percent left *sighhh*" like I just wanted it to be over.

But I loved the first two, and I do so enjoy Xavi and Nate as characters, and they had their moments, and I just forced myself to slog through, for them. For Maddox and Devon too and the times they showed up on page.

And yes, it was sweet that Xavi and Nate became like big brother/parental figures to kids - the new trailer park kid, Evan, was cute and I did love the bond they started forming with him to be the place to go that they had with each other as kids.

But basically that's the plot. They gain a relationship with a 15 year old kid, Karen, and this trailer park kid, who is either 8 or 10, Evan.

Oh also Xavi and Maddox's mom, at the very end finally gets the push she needs to really give sobriety a shot. For real, finally. That's about it.

Then it's just...them moving back to Garron Park into Lot 62, making it their own, getting a fridge - literally that's a plot point throughout this, for them to get a fridge (and yes I know it's Xavi's dream and it's means more than just the fridge, but still), and learn all the gay sex kinks they can try out with each other.

Which, at times, was hot. But by the time this was nearing the end - finally - I was just wanting it to be over, so several sex scenes near the end just annoyed me, mostly.

I did like seeing them try out things on the kink list (and totally not knowing what cock warming is and getting it totally wrong. That made me laugh. And I they finally find out at the end, which I was hoping to see lol.) but we didn't have to see every damn kink they wanted to try.

It was just dragged out for way too long, is the thing.

I think I would have loved if this had been a novella. There was so much extra that we did not need, for no reason, and it....honestly made this boring to read.

And friends to lovers can honestly be tricky. Sometimes it's just...a boring trope if done wrong. And while I enjoyed these two together, I didn't love them like I loved Maddox and Devon.

And I don't like overly complicated, convoluted, melodramatic romances at all, but also I think I need a little bit of drama. Things were almost too easy for these two and I think that's what made it boring for me a lot of time.

Xavi accepted his feelings for Nate too easily. Yeah, he's a go with the flow guy, but man was he way too go with the flow with this. Nate had a more difficult time, yes, but once they talked it out and got on track, he was pretty cool with it too.

And while it's very them, it just...didn't make for an exciting read, unfortunately.

Which is why, for me, a novella would have been perfect. They have the minor drama in getting together, get together, have some hot sex, settle into their life together, and voila! That's all I really needed. Have the mom finally get her act together, have maybe just the kid from Garron Park storyline - sorry to Karen, I liked Karen, but was she wholly necessary? Not exactly - have them move to Lot 62 and that's it.

If not a novella, then just cut at least a hundred pages from this. Several of the sex scenes could have been tossed out honestly.

Just...this was too much of not much going on.

Unfortunate, as I really loved the first two books. But it is what it is.

I still liked and enjoyed Xavi and Nate together. I just didn't love them. They weren't quite given the fulfilling story they deserved, sorry to say.

But I know this author can do so much better. So I'm excited for whatever comes next. I can't wait!

Onto the next! 😘

My Ratings for the From Nothing Series:

🔆 Garron Park: 4.5 stars (my review)
🔆 Lot 62: 5 stars (my review)
🔆 Knock Knock: 3 stars

[a_n_i_t_a · Rating 4 out of 5]

• m/m • lifelong bffs to lovers • trailer park trash •

I enjoyed this SO much! I loved Xavi and Nate. The playful older brothers of our MMCs in book 1 and 2, 30 years old and still viewed by almost everyone as the types that will never grow up and settle down.

They have always done absolutely everything together, the hang out, work and live together, and for the past year or so have been seeing the same women and all their sexual encounters have been MFM threesomes. But lately things just, aren’t the same and they are questioning their feelings and their lives in general. They should be growing up, settling down, but how can they maintain their friendship if they do that?

“We’re getting older, being held to new standards, and let’s be real, we’re fucking failing at all of it.” 

Xavi and Nate were adorably CUTE together. We already knew they were a bit silly and playful from previous books so I was expecting this to be a bit fun. I was not disappointed, I genuinely laughed so much 🤭🤣

“When do you do squats?” “I did like seven squats last week,” he said, turning to face me. […] “Did they work?”

🤣 this line in particular SPOKE TO ME 🤣🤣

And the whole cockwarming thing …. Omg! I cackled!


And while this book was absolutely fun and entertaining (especially the kink list and the fights over who’s the bottom 🤣) there was a beautiful tenderness too. When two people who just wholeheartedly love each other for the longest time and their bond goes from friendship to a romantic love is just…. So touching, my heart melted into a mushy puddle of goo... All the feels 🥹🫠🫠

The way Xavi and Nate grow together, the way they want to fulfill each other’s dreams and goals, even if the big goal in life is to have a fridge which dispenses water and ice 🤣… the way they become role models and appreciative of their simple but happy lives, together. I loved it 🥰

two guys doing twenty-five-to-life together in the same cell. Couldn’t have asked for anything more

💕

4⭐️
2-3🌶️

[Bookish Meag 🩵 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pub Date: November 29,2023

Knock Knock, is book three of The From Nothing Series, it ends with the most perfect HEA. This series should be read in order.

🛻MM Romance
🛻Pining
🛻Tattoos
🛻Found Family
🛻Hand Holding
🛻Kink Checklist
🛻Bi-Awakening/GFY
🛻Meddling Brothers
🛻Best Friend to Lovers

Nordika Night, my heart hurts a little, in the best way. I can’t believe I am saying goodbye to my favorite boys, but you have done them proud! I adore Nate and Xavi.

Knock Knock was funny, engaging, and top notch. Nate and Xavi were so unexpected but everything I hoped for. I love how there relationship developed; It was so perfect for them. The chemistry between them and just the way they loved each other without fail or fault. Beautifully done.

This book is vastly different from Garron Park and Lot 62. This is not Maddox and Devon’s story and has different tropes. These two weren’t hate fucking but boy were they fucking and “cock warming”. I have laughed until I cried at these two and their antics.

I laughed with all these characters, I cried for Karen, that little sunshine has won me over. I loved her character and she was so unexpected and I’m blown away by her and Evan. Evan, that poor kid, I’m so glad he finally opened up to Nate and Xavi. Not completely but he still let them in. They made me so proud with the way they supported these kids and wanted to be in their lives.

I loved every moment we got of Madd and Devon. Those two boys will always have my heart. The love fiercefully and unapologetically. What they did for their brothers was so sweet, they probably hit me or cuss me for that.

This was an amazing way to tie up the From Nothing series. Thank you for all the dreams you let come through with writing this one.

Seriously, love you! Thank you so much for letting me read another ARC for you!

I’m completely obsessed and this was pure perfection.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great ending to the From Nothing series. It was fun going back to Garron Park for Nate and Xavi’s story. This book had me laughing and swooning, they were just so clueless and sweet. The kink list was cracking me up 😂 This was my favorite book in the series, and I’m sad for this to be the end.

[kaye taz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.3 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Format: ebook

"’Twenty-five-to-life, Nate,’ he whispered, hand in mine. ‘It starts now.’
And then…
Knock knock.”

Thanks. I hate it.

No. I didn’t hate it that much. Just a little bit.

Look, this was an objectively bad book. And it also contained a lot of things I subjectively hated.

First of all, way too many pop culture references. WAY too much Teen Wolf. And I fucking love Teen Wolf, so that’s saying a lot. Xavi and Nate were just so cringey, and sometimes it was in an endearing way but mostly they were awful and made me uncomfortable.

Nothing could have prepared me for the cockwarming scene. I’ve heard rumors for a long time but I was not ready for…that. That was a lot.

Also, I cannot tell you a single distinguishing factor about Xavi and Nate except that Xavi is Maddox’s brother and Nate is Devon’s. Otherwise I didn’t even know whose POV I was in because they were the same fucking person. Gun to my head, I could not tell you which one of them loved Teen Wolf and which one wanted the fridge. Maybe it’s the same person. I don’t know. No matter whose POV, I felt my brain melting the same amount.

I don’t remember the first two books being as dirty and disgusting as this book. I know they’re poor and the author is trying to really drive that home, but why the hell aren’t they washing underwear or cleaning mold off walls? I remember vague ick-ness but not the level of nausea-inducing grossness this book had.

WHY WERE THEY ALWAYS WEARING SOCKS DURING SEX? RED FLAG.

I don’t know, fam. Honestly I put off reading this book sooo much, I don’t think I’ve been on TikTok nearly as much as I was this week just trying to avoid reading this. And yet I can’t seem to bring myself to rate lower than two stars because I still feel slightly sentimental over these dumb characters. And I can’t believe I’m gonna spend $20 buying the special edition of this book but I am. I’ll do my clown makeup for when it arrives.

I’m just glad it’s over.

[BeckieLouLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Book 3 in a series, must be read in order. I love everything about this series and these trashy, trailer park boys. Finding joy in unexpected places and making do with very little is a strong theme in the series. While the first couple was all aggression and intensity, this couple is fun and silly and easy going. Double bi-awakening that is adorably funny as they try to figure out what goes where and who does what. They have a list of things to try! So cute to watch them cluelessly navigate this list. The small details make these books shine, the tape at the hardware store, the dream refrigerator, so very entertaining. Medium high spice with some beginner kink done in an open adorable way. The end of this one tugged at my heart strings. Watching the boys handle good things coming their way made me teary since all these boys know is that good things come with strings, don’t last and always get taken away. Being scared to hope, dream, aspire and accept the goodness was so in character and lovely to see them work through it.

This is actually a spin-off from a duo. The first 2 books in the series follow the same couple and these MCs are featured heavily in those books. The couple from the duo make some excellent cameos in this third book.

HEA, m/m, contemporary, trailer trash, trailer park, best friends to lovers, poverty, double bi-awakening.

[Nessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

"𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒌𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆. 𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕."🥰🥰

This was the cutest thing I read😊 I loved these guys from Garron Park books before (I mean, who didn't?). As a big fan of friends to lovers, I was really looking forward to reading their story. Risky part of friends to lovers is how the transition is handled, but oh how I loved it here. It was a truely friends to lovers, awkwardness of new things handled together with the closeness that came with that friendship🥰

" "𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕", "𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕", "𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕" , "𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅." "

I giggled throughout the book. Out loud. But what I didnt expect was how hot the intimate stuff would be for these guys. Yeah they are cute and meddley, so I thought sex would be on the cute side too. Nope... their physical chemistry was much stronger than I thought.

"𝑻𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖😏"

"𝑫𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕"🤣

Much less angst then Maddox and Devon's story but equally sexy and different. All the fun things Nate and Xavi brought to the previous books are troughout the book together with their bluntness, bond, confidence in their relationship and protectiveness for their people. Ah, it might be one of the best friends to lovers thrope I read. Even when they had problems or things to deal with, they didnt become weird strangers all of a sudden. Even when they were afraid their friendship would be affected by stuff, I wasnt. You just know they will get through it.

It was wholesome, hot and since, this is the end of Garron Park series, sentimental. I loved these boys, their life, purple undies, their recaps, and misintepretations of new things they discover😅

"𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅"


Story:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ending:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angst:⭐️
Banter:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing quality:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶🌶🌶

[Mir]

DNF. Misogyny personified in book form.

ETA: that doesn’t really make sense but neither does this book hahaha

[reading_paiges]

dnf @24%
I still love and respect Norkida Night as an author. I absolutely adore the first 2 books in the Garron Park series. I still frequently go back to these books to read some of my favorite quotes and scenes when I need a pick me up. I will continue to read anything she puts out in the future.

What I appreciate most about this book is that it is completely different than books 1 & 2. This couple has a unique dynamic and story that is entirely their own and is not a copy and paste of their siblings.
However.....this felt like I was reading slap comedy about completely different characters than the ones we met in previous books.
They were sweet, but that can only take me so far. A lot of their relationship drama hinged on miscommunication and immaturity, so the plot was mainly being moved forward by side characters. I struggled to get invested in all the new side characters and plots being introduced because I was distracted by the fact that these 2 felt so different than the Nate & Xavi we met in the first books.

This series will always hold a special place in my heart, my experience with this book does not change any of that for me. This was a highly anticipated read, but when I found myself skimming huge chunks of each chapter only 1/4 into the book I had to come to terms with the fact that this was not doing it for me and move on to my next read.

[mmenulyje · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this happened. I sit here heartbroken because my favorite series just ended. Ending was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but I am still in denial, so please let me be sad for a moment.

I absolutely loved Maddox&Devon and am so glad that their meddling brothers got their own book. It was everything I expected and more. Book is super funny, swoony, emotional and hot.

Nate and Xavi are just adorable 🥹 They are sweet, naive and funny goofballs most of the time. But also they are caring, sensitive and kind men who are willing to sacrifice a lot for people they love. And little by little they learn to accept love they deserve.

Their friends to lovers journey was very well written. Boys were so insecure and hesitated a lot, but once they realised they both want same things, their dynamics started to shift and it was just beautiful 💜

To sum up, I loved everything. It's a religion at this point. Do yourself a favour and read this book 😉

[Gaby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this was a disappointment.

After liking so much Madd and Dev’s journey I was expecting to equally like reading about their dumb brothers. But alas! This story was just extremely meh!

Like nothing at all really happened except having to read the word “bond” a thousand times

[Tare]

DNF @ 60%

No rating 🤡