“Trouble” is the word that comes to mind when thinking about the infuriating, cocky, beautiful man that is Tyler Cochran. The (much) younger brother of my best friend, he swooped in, pissed me off, then vanished, leaving the fleeting moments we spent together locked away in my fantasies. Because thanks to my past, that’s all he can ever be—a fantasy.
Tyler
Mysterious, wise, and drop-dead sexy Oliver Schmitt, who in all his Orlando Bloom-esque glory won’t give me the time of day, doesn’t know I never stopped wanting to get to know him–every last inch of him. Sure, he sees me as nothing more than his best friend’s baby brother, and first I'll have to figure out whatever holdup he has about dating—a secret he's not inclined to share. But it’ll take more than a mysterious past to stop me.
Does Tyler have what it takes to help Oliver let go of his past and learn to love again? The Trouble With You is a standalone, age-gap whirlwind of a romance full of sugar, spice, and everything you could ever want… even if you aren’t supposed to.
“Love is too beautiful to be hidden in the closet.”
Once upon a time, there was a little kid who consistently had their face glued to the pages of a book. With a little faith, trust, and a whole hell of a lot of determination, that little kid went from the person reading books, to the person writing them. And thus, Rae Simmons was born. With the publication of their debut Hunt You Down in the spring of 2022, this Atlanta native set off on a mission to highlight the hard-hitting issues facing the queer community. When they’re not writing, Rae can be found curled up on the couch with one of their three dogs with their knitting in hand, watching Grey’s Anatomy for the millionth time—much to their partner’s dismay.
I receive this copy as an ARC, for my honest review.
From the beginning of this book I absolutely LOVED the banter between Chase and Oliver. It reminds me of how my best friend and I are. I mean are you really best friends if you can’t joke around and mess with each other like they do! But what I also loved was the unconditional love and support Chase gave Oliver and Tyler. (Into todays age, you don’t find people like that.) And that support gave Oliver and Tyler courage to push through. Also, leave it to Chase to take on that older brother role by giving his brother hell, about his “crush” 😂 I mean, isn’t that what an older sibling does!
Now back to one of my favorite couples, My dear Tyler and Oliver. Tyler, is the sarcastic little annoying brother we ALL need. I laughed along with him, and cried along with him. The moment with his baby blanket, and Oliver was there with no judgement just support, my heart gushed. ☺️😭 They CHEMISTRY, oh my gawd. 🫠 This author wanted a slow burn, and she DELIVERED! I was constantly saying to myself “PLEASE, please make a move!” 😂 Tyler reminds me of an extra shy hermit, when Oliver comes around. And I can’t help but giggle because honestly I would act the same way. I can’t deny you, as a reader would as well. ☺️ And don’t even get me started when the moment, THE MOMENT someone FINALLY makes a move, my “HELL YES” moment, the “ITS ABOUT DAMN TIME” moment was absolutely ruined when Chase had to come in… I wanted to punch him in the esophagus! 😂 🙃
And when that first kiss FINALLY happens, I will not deny that I was SCREAMING in my car, waiting in the car rider line. Let’s just keep that part to ourselves. Tehehe. 😉 And boy does Tyler live up to the definition of trouble, but ALL for great reasons. 😉I loved watching Tyler bring Oliver out of his shell, he brought him back to life.
As it seems I’m a little one sided on this review let’s go to Oliver shall we? ☺️ What can I say, I adore Oliver. I couldn’t help but giggle quite a few times with his sarcasm. He evened Tyler out, he is the calm in his storm. Oliver ALWAYS put other before himself regardless of his emotions. Which, I can seriously relate too. His passion for being a doctor says plenty about his character.
Chapters 9 && 10… *chefs kiss* How Oliver just took control. 🥵🌶 😉 “Yes doctor” had me in a chokehold I tell you. 🤤 Oliver and Tyler’s chemistry had me sweating! 🫠
When Oliver confided with Tyler about Sean, my heart broke. For someone like Oliver to go through what he went through and had taken from Sean. And to be passed for a fix. Completely shattered me. I felt what he felt, because personally this is something I can relate too. Seeing someone you love, being destroyed by something so vile. Oliver didn’t deserve any of it. And Tyler sat there and picked up the pieces. I mean, how does your heart not break!?
And chapter 12 & 13, Lawd have mercy! 🥵🥵 It was so f@&$:)/ HOT! “please daddy!” 😏 And that’s all I say on that. 😘
When Chase busted Oli and Tyler together and the basic standoff in the kitchen.. I snorted laughed, but I loved how supportive he was for both of them. I loved how he “pushed” them together. Everyone needs someone like Chase. And when he told them “you’re standing under the mistletoe.” Full blown acceptance. 💙
The moment Oliver panicked and said what he said when Tyler was listening. Broke my heart and sank to the deepest part of the ocean and was gobbled up.
Plot twist: I did NOT see Sean coming back into the picture somehow. But it’s the closure Oliver needed to be able to love on and truly love Tyler. And when the moment of realization hit, my heart had begun to float back to the surface and mend itself, with beautiful scarring. He followed Tyler and confessed everything, it was EVERYTHING.
The author took her time with this one, she brought you in emotionally. I laughed, cried, and at times was even irritated. And that’s something I want in a novel/story. I want to be enveloped, I want to FEEL it. And boy did I. 😭🥰🫠 Not only that she gave an extremely relatable story, not a story that would have you “rolling your eyes” at the fact it’s so far fetched, it makes you want to walk away from the book. Not with this one. You stay invested, I wanted to keep turning the pages! the secrets and trauma, the teasing, THE FLIRTING and spice WAS UGHHHH. 💙 I seriously couldn’t find anything wrong with this amazing novel, The trouble with you. Absolutely loved it. And let’s even mention THE COVER, just that alone draws me in. Just beautiful.
And I’ll leave this review with one final sentence. “I’ll never leave you alone again.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a hard read for me, but once I got through it, I felt the story was worth pushing through.
Oliver and Tyler are cute and well suited, while Oliver has a lot of hang ups to work through throughout the story. Chase's meddling was fun and added some flesh to the kismet of the main story line. While Stephanie only appeared in a handful of scenes, her full background motions provided a lot of movement toward the main story line. I did love the romcom references throughout as well.
I will say for the amount of impact that was put on Tyler's illness, it felt like a side note, and didn't seem to have much impact on the story. Its not necessarily a bad thing- well-managed chronic illness is not necessarily a life changer, or something to add layers to a story like this- but as far as saying this could be a story for those struggling with chronic illness, I also would not find that true.
Oliver, as a medical professional, is a nice example of someone who manages a good work-life balance. Though I did find the time skip to be a bit long, and had to suspend my disbelief a bit to imaging being completely enamored with someone after not even getting a kiss. Three years is a long time, haha.
There were a few grammatical error, but overall a well written and thought out story. Thankfully not lost physics or disappearing clothing happened.
I would recommend this story to friend who enjoy some romcom level love story with a nice dose of brotherly meddling and hospital surprise visits.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Trouble with You is a beautiful, age-gap story. The age difference is discussed, but it is not overplayed. It is tastefully and maturely reflected, with the main characters seeming to be evenly matched in maturity. Tyler and Oliver’s story is well-written, with wonderful characters. Not just the main characters, but the secondary characters have purpose and enhance the storyline.
I like when a story has characters that have real-life situations. Tyler has a medical issue that is part of his life. I appreciate the author adding this. It makes his character so real and relatable.
Tyler and Oliver are wonderful together. Their story is emotional, humorous, romantic, and spicy hot.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.
I was a bit nervous going in as an ARC reader. Because I got to see this story from the roots unfold in many aspects. But still went in blind. I was afraid to have a bias opinion and review. But let me TELL YOU !!!! This story captivated me. I stayed up late to read as much as I could. M/M romance haven't been my go to books. But the spice in this book, while teasing and slow burning to start. Once you get to it. Destiny left no rock unturned. It was passionate and fun. And pretty darn HOT. Spice aside. I know everyone's favorite is going to be mister cutie Tyler. But I felt an oddly satisfying connection to Oliver. His stand offish and timid approach to love felt relatable. And so naturally, Oli became my instant favorite. The rom com but also very real things happening in this book kept me going and wanting to see what happened. I can't wait to see what comes next for Mrs. Booth!
This was a fun, endearing read. I admit that I felt like it was a little slow to start and I struggled just slightly to get into it. Once things began to unfold with Oliver and Tyler, I didn't want to put it down. I love a good love story. Oliver is a rather serious, focused ER doc with some past trauma and abandonment issues. Tyler is his best friend's brother. Carefree, young(er) and kind of a wild child, he falls for Oliver. I really liked the family dynamics and how they worked out their relationship. The men were strong and broken at the same time, and realized that their hearts were meant to be. Drawn together by fate or love or whatever you want to call it, they were meant to be. My heart swelled, broke, beat faster and swelled again. It was a great read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is truly a classic, modern MxM romance. I absolutely devoured this book in record time, and had my first sobbing episode in years over it. The characters are lovable, the tension is strung tightly, and the warm and fuzzy is so very welcoming that I was itching each day to pick it back up and return to Oliver, Tyler, and Chase. While the problem was a little on the predictable side, I truly feel that it was nice to read something for once that doesn’t involve death, torment, or other general instances of total heartache and despair. I was very happy to find something to read for once, that ran its course without adding any additional anxiety to my life. And I devoured it to its entirety. Can’t wait for the next one!!
From the first chapter I knew that I was going to love this story. Both MC's were very likeable and the tension between them was electric. A lot of teasing before they got together but when they did it was all go. Hot and incredibly intense. Some mild Daddy talk whilst intimate but it doesn't go further than name calling.The scenes got steamier as they went on. There is something incredibly sexy about doctors and Oliver is just so sexy. There is some slight angst as wires get crossed and we learn a bit more about Oliver's past. The rom-com ending was just perfect and gave a fantastic HEA. For a first novel, this was fantastic and I am not sure I can wait until 2024 for the next book.....I am intrigued! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The author shared an ARC link in a m/m romance group. I’ve had really bad experiences with newer authors but this was one of the better ones.
The characters just didn’t speak to me- for whatever that’s worth. I felt the same way when I read “they both die in the end” where I just don’t care what happens to them.
There are some good concepts and ideas here and I hope the author continues to refine her craft
I really enjoyed this story. From the moment they met, there was sparks.....but maybe not the nice ones initially. I liked that this wasn't an immediate hate to love......they became friends first (with some benefits, of course !!). And then the walls start coming down - beautifully written romantic, sweet, funny and spicy story. And yes, we've all done that after watching Notting Hill and Notebook !!! Great read !!
With all the spice and beautifully crafted chemistry typical of Booth’s work, TTWY continues her tradition of writing flawless M/M romances you won’t want to put down. She’s knocked it out of the park once again, and I’d highly recommend giving this, and all her books, a read.
I loved Oliver and Tyler. Watching them navigating to a relationship was both sweet and honest. This was such a light hearted feel good story. I highly recommend reading this.
I freaking LOVED this book. I’m new to the male/male romance but I am so glad that destiny told me to give it a try. I’ve fallen in love with all her characters, but something about tyler and hearing about those strawberry blonde locks does it for me. oh, and who wouldn’t wanna be relentlessly teased by oliver? I mean if he looks anything like he sounds that man’s probably DELICIOUS. I can’t wait for the next one my friend puts out ❤️ it’s even more special because i’ve gotten a glimpse as to just what she puts in her books to make sure they’re perfect for her readers. amazing job destiny!!!
Thanks to BookSirens, I received an advanced review copy (ARC) for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was intrigued by the cover and a bit confused from the blurb at first. However, the confusion dissipated rapidly while reading. Oliver is a doctor dedicated to his work which he started practicing later in his life. Almost 40, he’s been burned from his last relationship. As for Tyler, he’s young (25), homesick and he’s still learning to live with a lifelong disease. They both felt an instant attraction, and together they learned to trust and to love each other. Not without some hurdles and miscommunication first, but they gain their HEA. This was a sweet and somewhat smooth love story.
I’m pretty sure this is a debut by this author or at least is new to me. I enjoy slice of life romances and this is exactly that…we see the day to day with these guys while they navigate their attraction and connection. What I especially appreciated was Chase… bff to Oliver and brother to Tyler actually supported these guys and wanted them together. What a novel idea… no possessive big bro threatening their best friend! Lots of potential by this author.
I’m pretty sure this is a debut by this author. I enjoy slice of life romances and this is exactly that…we see the day to day with these guys while they navigate their attraction and connection. What I especially appreciated was Chase… bff to Oliver and brother to Tyler actually supported these guys and wanted them together. What a novel idea… no possessive big bro threatening their best friend! Lots of potential by this author.
What a great Romcom with some of my favorite references. ❤️ this story shows you love isn’t easy, but in the end if it’s something you want then you chase after it.