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Romeo Falling
What happens when he’s your Romeo…but you’re no Juliet?
Romeo and I were friends long before we were lovers. Best friends. Ride or die. What started as an innocent kiss slowly unraveled and shattered, giving way to years of tears and total obsession.
Now I’m back in the small town I call home, staring straight into the face of the only man I’ve ever loved…or hated. To make matters worse, his wife stands at his side, smiling sweetly as my heart breaks all over again.
When life throws us back together, cracks quickly start to appear in the perfect façade of their marriage, and I’m left fighting the unstoppable force that is my attraction to Romeo.
My enemy.
My lover.
My life.
Some say fate is written in the stars and once something is done, it can’t be undone.
But what if that isn’t true?
If you could rewrite the stars and unbreak your heart, would you?
Romeo and I were friends long before we were lovers. Best friends. Ride or die. What started as an innocent kiss slowly unraveled and shattered, giving way to years of tears and total obsession.
Now I’m back in the small town I call home, staring straight into the face of the only man I’ve ever loved…or hated. To make matters worse, his wife stands at his side, smiling sweetly as my heart breaks all over again.
When life throws us back together, cracks quickly start to appear in the perfect façade of their marriage, and I’m left fighting the unstoppable force that is my attraction to Romeo.
My enemy.
My lover.
My life.
Some say fate is written in the stars and once something is done, it can’t be undone.
But what if that isn’t true?
If you could rewrite the stars and unbreak your heart, would you?
365 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2024
314 people are currently reading
2502 people want to read
About the author
Jesse H. Reign
18 books1,424 followersI'm Jesse, and I write contemporary and paranormal MM romance.
Whether my characters are born magical, or whether magic is something they make between the sheets, I strive to take the reader into the mind of the narrator. My ultimate goal is to leave the reader feeling like they’ve made a new friend or have spent a few hours flirting with a brand-new book boyfriend.
I love coffee, chocolate and daydreaming, in no particular order. I love conflicted characters, lust at first sight and angst – no seriously, ALL the angst. Give it to me!
Whether my characters are born magical, or whether magic is something they make between the sheets, I strive to take the reader into the mind of the narrator. My ultimate goal is to leave the reader feeling like they’ve made a new friend or have spent a few hours flirting with a brand-new book boyfriend.
I love coffee, chocolate and daydreaming, in no particular order. I love conflicted characters, lust at first sight and angst – no seriously, ALL the angst. Give it to me!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 610 reviews
July 2, 2025
6 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Format: ebook
“‘All I have to offer you is my bruised, bleeding heart. It’s not much, but if you want it, it’s yours.’
‘That’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted.’”
Romeo Falling follows childhood friends-turned-enemies Romeo and Jude. Jude is back in Alabaster Falls after five years to oversee the construction of his family’s old home. The story is told exclusively from Jude’s POV, fluctuating between the present, where he and Romeo are flung back into each other’s lives after a mysterious falling out, and the past, which details their friendship leading up to its eventual dissolution.
It’s glaringly obvious from the onset that Jude has unrequited feelings towards his childhood best friend, and that this is one of the reasons for the tension between them, especially when we are introduced to Jude’s ”sworn enemy”, Romeo’s wife, Selby, who is wholly unaware of their ended relationship and invites Jude to stay with them while his home is temporarily uninhabitable. The proximity has both Romeo and Jude reminiscing about their younger years and bringing them incrementally closer. They can’t help but be drawn to each other, even after so much time and anger.
↳ “To me, loving Romeo was natural and easy, like breathing. It made as much sense as it did for the sun to come up in the morning. It seemed unavoidable. Inevitable. Eternal. Yes, to me, loving Romeo seemed eternal.”
We weave through years and years of beautiful friendship. What started as make-believe in the playground between their houses, turns into Jude guiding Romeo through school, standing up to bullies and teachers who didn’t understand him. Soon we’re in the teenage years, and what was once Romeo’s mom making the boys gourmet snacks and her stories about falling in love with Romeo’s father in fair Verona and how Romeo got his name—was her sudden and tragic passing. Romeo’s grief was a physical ailment to Jude, who hated nothing more than seeing him in pain. This starts the tradition of Jude leaving his window open for Romeo to come through if he needed.
↳ “‘I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you again, Romeo. I won’t. As long as I live, nothing bad will ever happen to you again. Do you hear me? I swear I won’t let it.’”
Romeo eventually expresses anxiety over having not been kissed while all of their friends have, and how he’s worried he’d be bad at it when he finally meets someone special. Jude offers to let Romeo practice on him, which turns into a small tradition of them taking each other’s firsts for everything. The problem is that it always means so much more to Jude than just practicing, and he loses more pieces of his heart each time. Jude is scared to initiate anything for fear his feelings will become obvious, so he lets Romeo lead. But Romeo keeps coming back, and it doesn’t feel like just practice anymore.
↳ “…being inside Romeo was what I craved above everything else. And I really do mean everything else. I’m not talking about small things. I’m talking water and air. Shelter and breathing. Those kinds of things.”
Everything seems to go south after the summer they take each other’s virginity. While the line of communication stays the same, there’s an obvious strain. It becomes more pronounced when Jude brings his roommate home for Spring Break. Romeo pulls away more, and when Jude tries to kiss him, he pushes him off and says he wants to stop and that he doesn’t want to complicate their friendship further. Jude’s hurt feelings lead him to coax Romeo into pursuing Selby, which he regrets more and more as they date, get engaged, and eventually get married. It comes to a head on the wedding night, when Jude finally confesses his feelings and takes off for New York, where he spends the next five years trying and failing to get over Romeo. This brings us back fully to the present.
↳ “It was what happens when he’s your Romeo, but you’re no Juliet. It was the end of our story. The end of Romeo and me.”
What Romeo and Jude did while Romeo was still married to Selby was not okay, but it happened. It was an explosion after years and years of buildup and heat, especially when we find out that Romeo had an entirely different view of events and thought his own feelings were unrequited.
↳ “‘You’d always been my safe place, and right when you stopped feeling safe, right when you started feeling uncertain and scary, you shoved me into her arms and smiled like you hated me when you did it.’”
This book tore me apart and put me back together at so many different points. The love and devotion Jude and Romeo had for each other was so prominent, even at the tensest of moments. What they had was so beautiful, and by the time we finally, finally get to their happily ever after, it feels 100% inevitable. This book has heavy notes of grief and there were times the overall angst had my chest tight. Every moment of pain was worth the ending we got though. I felt, as Romeo would say, whelmed. Not over, not under. Just in the middle. This is a book that will stay with me for years and years. I’ll never recover from these boys.
“He’s a vision. The answer to every question I’ve ever asked. The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
My friend. My lover.
My Romeo.”
Special Edition Cover
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Format: ebook
“‘All I have to offer you is my bruised, bleeding heart. It’s not much, but if you want it, it’s yours.’
‘That’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted.’”
Romeo Falling follows childhood friends-turned-enemies Romeo and Jude. Jude is back in Alabaster Falls after five years to oversee the construction of his family’s old home. The story is told exclusively from Jude’s POV, fluctuating between the present, where he and Romeo are flung back into each other’s lives after a mysterious falling out, and the past, which details their friendship leading up to its eventual dissolution.
It’s glaringly obvious from the onset that Jude has unrequited feelings towards his childhood best friend, and that this is one of the reasons for the tension between them, especially when we are introduced to Jude’s ”sworn enemy”, Romeo’s wife, Selby, who is wholly unaware of their ended relationship and invites Jude to stay with them while his home is temporarily uninhabitable. The proximity has both Romeo and Jude reminiscing about their younger years and bringing them incrementally closer. They can’t help but be drawn to each other, even after so much time and anger.
↳ “To me, loving Romeo was natural and easy, like breathing. It made as much sense as it did for the sun to come up in the morning. It seemed unavoidable. Inevitable. Eternal. Yes, to me, loving Romeo seemed eternal.”
We weave through years and years of beautiful friendship. What started as make-believe in the playground between their houses, turns into Jude guiding Romeo through school, standing up to bullies and teachers who didn’t understand him. Soon we’re in the teenage years, and what was once Romeo’s mom making the boys gourmet snacks and her stories about falling in love with Romeo’s father in fair Verona and how Romeo got his name—was her sudden and tragic passing. Romeo’s grief was a physical ailment to Jude, who hated nothing more than seeing him in pain. This starts the tradition of Jude leaving his window open for Romeo to come through if he needed.
↳ “‘I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you again, Romeo. I won’t. As long as I live, nothing bad will ever happen to you again. Do you hear me? I swear I won’t let it.’”
Romeo eventually expresses anxiety over having not been kissed while all of their friends have, and how he’s worried he’d be bad at it when he finally meets someone special. Jude offers to let Romeo practice on him, which turns into a small tradition of them taking each other’s firsts for everything. The problem is that it always means so much more to Jude than just practicing, and he loses more pieces of his heart each time. Jude is scared to initiate anything for fear his feelings will become obvious, so he lets Romeo lead. But Romeo keeps coming back, and it doesn’t feel like just practice anymore.
↳ “…being inside Romeo was what I craved above everything else. And I really do mean everything else. I’m not talking about small things. I’m talking water and air. Shelter and breathing. Those kinds of things.”
Everything seems to go south after the summer they take each other’s virginity. While the line of communication stays the same, there’s an obvious strain. It becomes more pronounced when Jude brings his roommate home for Spring Break. Romeo pulls away more, and when Jude tries to kiss him, he pushes him off and says he wants to stop and that he doesn’t want to complicate their friendship further. Jude’s hurt feelings lead him to coax Romeo into pursuing Selby, which he regrets more and more as they date, get engaged, and eventually get married. It comes to a head on the wedding night, when Jude finally confesses his feelings and takes off for New York, where he spends the next five years trying and failing to get over Romeo. This brings us back fully to the present.
↳ “It was what happens when he’s your Romeo, but you’re no Juliet. It was the end of our story. The end of Romeo and me.”
What Romeo and Jude did while Romeo was still married to Selby was not okay, but it happened. It was an explosion after years and years of buildup and heat, especially when we find out that Romeo had an entirely different view of events and thought his own feelings were unrequited.
↳ “‘You’d always been my safe place, and right when you stopped feeling safe, right when you started feeling uncertain and scary, you shoved me into her arms and smiled like you hated me when you did it.’”
This book tore me apart and put me back together at so many different points. The love and devotion Jude and Romeo had for each other was so prominent, even at the tensest of moments. What they had was so beautiful, and by the time we finally, finally get to their happily ever after, it feels 100% inevitable. This book has heavy notes of grief and there were times the overall angst had my chest tight. Every moment of pain was worth the ending we got though. I felt, as Romeo would say, whelmed. Not over, not under. Just in the middle. This is a book that will stay with me for years and years. I’ll never recover from these boys.
“He’s a vision. The answer to every question I’ve ever asked. The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
My friend. My lover.
My Romeo.”
Special Edition Cover
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2024
this was such childhood besties to lovers goodness, i literally couldn’t get anything done today bc i couldn’t put this down…..like holy fuck the hurt/comfort was soooo good!!!!😩😩😩 like that moment when romeo’s face turned sheet white??? that hit hard afffff😭😭😭 esp when we finally got to hear romeo’s side of things….like i had a inkling about some of it, in fact, i lowkey called most of it, (i LOVE a good single pov where you can tell where the other mc’s head is at, but the mc of the pov ur in can’t!!!!) but that one shock detail????😱😤 holy shit, i need to buy a gun!!!!!!! i need to take revenge on behalf of my babies!!!! omfg i bawled my eyes out for what they went thru😭😭😭 ugh god it was done so well, made all the sense in the world, this is my favorite kind of miscommunication, holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, i felt BIG emotions, like i have no choice but to hurt with them and feel robbed, bc life isn’t fairrrrrr😭😭😭 but they came back to each other and it was so beautiful, and just omfggggggg soulmates are realllll🥺🥺🥺🥺 jude’s better than me tho, bc as soon as i found out romeo’s dog’s name, romeo’s pants would’ve been down in seconds🤣🤣🤣 also the box in the attic!?!?! baby loves HARD🥺🥺🥺🥺 and WHELMED!!!!!!!!!!!🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭 i’m in tears all over again, MY BABIESSSSS🫶🫶🫶
speaking of tears tho, and not the good kind, there’s an instance where the slit of a dick is referred to as “meatus” and it literally jerked my soul outta my body bc whyyyyy😭😭💀💀 ahahahahah immediately a new addition to my list of words that should never be in a sex scene🤣🤣🤣🤣
speaking of tears tho, and not the good kind, there’s an instance where the slit of a dick is referred to as “meatus” and it literally jerked my soul outta my body bc whyyyyy😭😭💀💀 ahahahahah immediately a new addition to my list of words that should never be in a sex scene🤣🤣🤣🤣
September 15, 2024
I was honestly a little underwhelmed with this. I didn't get that gut punch of emotion that I was expecting, it didn't make my heart hurt, and I don't really know why!
I really did like Romeo and Jude together, but I think the reveal of why Romeo pushed Jude away was just so random. Like these guys talk about absolutely everything, they have no secrets, yet Romeo just believes a complete stranger and never thinks to ask Jude for any kind of confirmation? I just found that unbelievable and I found myself rolling my eyes when it should have been something more impactful that broke my heart as much as it broke Jude's.
Selby was an odd character and it's probably the chaos gremlin in me, but I did feel cheated that we didn't get to see the fallout of Romeo telling her he was done and that he loved Jude. She gave off massive controlling psycho vibes and I just expected more drama from her.
Also would have loved to see the reactions of the people who knew them, but this was just a Romeo and Jude bubble.
Loved the overall concept, it was just lacking that emotional punch for me.
I really did like Romeo and Jude together, but I think the reveal of why Romeo pushed Jude away was just so random. Like these guys talk about absolutely everything, they have no secrets, yet Romeo just believes a complete stranger and never thinks to ask Jude for any kind of confirmation? I just found that unbelievable and I found myself rolling my eyes when it should have been something more impactful that broke my heart as much as it broke Jude's.
Selby was an odd character and it's probably the chaos gremlin in me, but I did feel cheated that we didn't get to see the fallout of Romeo telling her he was done and that he loved Jude. She gave off massive controlling psycho vibes and I just expected more drama from her.
Also would have loved to see the reactions of the people who knew them, but this was just a Romeo and Jude bubble.
Loved the overall concept, it was just lacking that emotional punch for me.
February 5, 2025
“Is your window open?“
„Always“
Jeez, I consumed this book, or more accurate: this book consumed me.
I couldn’t think of anything else. Every spare second of the day I spend reliving moments of Romeo‘s and Jude‘s story, feeling every emotion they pulled out of me again and again.
My god; the heartache, joy, longing, angst, pining, lust, friendship, love and devotion in this was incredible. Gut-wrenchingly beautiful and so, so painful.
I cried, I laughed, I felt my heart break, I got angry, jealous, irritated, then I got hopeful again and cried some more - this time from happiness.
You know you’re reading a really good book, when you get so invested in a story that you start yelling at your kindle:
DON‘T DO IT, LET HIM GO, PROTECT YOUR HEART!
DO IT, FUCK EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE ELSE, YOU BELONG TOGETHER!
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, USE YOUR MOUTHS FOR SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE FOR ONCE AND TALK TO EACH OTHER YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!
OMG FREAKING FINALLY!
So, ahem, yeah. This was good, really fucking good. The best I’ve read from this author so far. I loved the alternating timelines, making this both a childhood best friends-to-lovers and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story at the same time. I loved the OTT writing. I loved the ending and Romeo’s perspective on it. It - surprise - made me cry some more.
My only tiny complaint is, that we didn’t get Romeo’s reaction to Jude’s side of the story. I wanted shock, understanding, grovelling and apologies, I wanted more situations from their past explained from Romeo’s perspective, more of Romeo’s thoughts and feelings and desires, a little more closure in general I guess.
If I might end this review with one little takeaway:
The moral of this whole thing is, that there’s always two sides to every story, always reasons for people acting and deciding as they do and you should fucking communicate to reduce the risk of absolutely unnecessary, brutal heartbreak for everyone involved. M‘kay?
But if it were that easy, we would have missed out on one helluva story 🫶
4,5 ⭐️
August 18, 2024
One of my top reads for 2024.
Romeo and Jude were inseparable ever since they met when they were kids. They practice kissing on each other, gradually progressing to more. For Jude, the time he spends with Romeo is everything. But Romeo is just messing around. This isn't the forever, soulmate, star crossed kind of love- right?
I wish I had the words to explain how I devoured this book and didn't want it to end! Jesse is the queen of hurt/comfort, angst, 'rip your heart out and make you thank her for it' books and all I can say is thank you Jesse! Wow did I love Romeo Falling! All the details in this book were incredible and I wish I could mention everything that I loved but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. The HEA was so beautifully satisfying it made me tear up. Whatever I read next is going to be horrible in comparison 🙈🙈
Rating: 5
Angst: 4/5
Steam: 3.5/5
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.
Romeo and Jude were inseparable ever since they met when they were kids. They practice kissing on each other, gradually progressing to more. For Jude, the time he spends with Romeo is everything. But Romeo is just messing around. This isn't the forever, soulmate, star crossed kind of love- right?
I wish I had the words to explain how I devoured this book and didn't want it to end! Jesse is the queen of hurt/comfort, angst, 'rip your heart out and make you thank her for it' books and all I can say is thank you Jesse! Wow did I love Romeo Falling! All the details in this book were incredible and I wish I could mention everything that I loved but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. The HEA was so beautifully satisfying it made me tear up. Whatever I read next is going to be horrible in comparison 🙈🙈
Rating: 5
Angst: 4/5
Steam: 3.5/5
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.
August 29, 2024
Christ.
I have a tendency to word vomit but this is still so new and everyone deserves to (and should—no, must) experience it spoiler-free so I'll hold off on an extended review for now.
I'll just post some of my favorite bits from this instead 🥰
'Thick, boiling love and lust shot out of me and into him.' The depth of their love was so overwhelming that we couldn't have just called it cum.
'I was instantly aroused. Not just aroused, more aroused than I’d ever been. More aroused than any man in living history had ever been.' —when I tell you Jude is the most dramatic ass MF to ever walk this earth.
“Don’t you want to know what it’s like to be with someone who doesn’t regret it the next day? "
' I prayed for bad things to happen to her. Terrible things. When they didn’t, I prayed for them to happen to Romeo. When that didn’t work either, I prayed for them to happen to me.'
And I know that technically fated mates applies to paranormal/fantasy romance but I will not be convinced it's not right in this case and anyone who says otherwise can pry that tag from my COLD. DEAD. HANDS.
I have a tendency to word vomit but this is still so new and everyone deserves to (and should—no, must) experience it spoiler-free so I'll hold off on an extended review for now.
I'll just post some of my favorite bits from this instead 🥰
'Thick, boiling love and lust shot out of me and into him.' The depth of their love was so overwhelming that we couldn't have just called it cum.
'I was instantly aroused. Not just aroused, more aroused than I’d ever been. More aroused than any man in living history had ever been.' —when I tell you Jude is the most dramatic ass MF to ever walk this earth.
“Don’t you want to know what it’s like to be with someone who doesn’t regret it the next day? "
' I prayed for bad things to happen to her. Terrible things. When they didn’t, I prayed for them to happen to Romeo. When that didn’t work either, I prayed for them to happen to me.'
And I know that technically fated mates applies to paranormal/fantasy romance but I will not be convinced it's not right in this case and anyone who says otherwise can pry that tag from my COLD. DEAD. HANDS.
February 23, 2025
I didn’t realize it then, but that day in the pool was the first time he carved my name into his heart. He did it deeply. Deep enough to leave a fine, silvery thread of scar tissue. I didn’t mind or complain. Not at all. Hell, I cracked my own sternum and held my ribcage wide open, giving him the time and access he needed to cut as deeply as he wanted. I didn’t wince. I didn’t flinch or pull away. I stood still. I was such a dumbass.
I looked on and smiled as he did it.
WOWWWW….yeah this was everything. Childhood bffs to enemies to lovers, codependency to the extreme, jealousy, possessiveness, hurt / comfort, fantastic writing, memorable characters. Deep passion. There’s a thin line between love and hate as they say….
My favorite book of the year so far and good luck to the other contestants vying for the title…. So the night I started this I had to be awake at 4 am but I stayed up way too late to finish it, just so entranced with their coming together and falling apart. A page turner, to say the least. I’m changing my stance on being annoyed at people not communicating well in romance books. IT GAVE ME THIS!!!!! Plus my previous read before this (Green Light by Lark Taylor) that I enjoyed so much also had this trope done to perfection. My heart really broke for them both once they realized why they fell out, once that mystery was unveiled to them and the reader at the same time. Brutal. Devastating. There’s loads of inner monologue here but to me it worked immensely well. The dialogue hitting even harder when it does come. Do you ever love a book so much you’re mad that you read it and it’s over?? That you’ll never get to experience it for the first time again?? That’s me with this one. This was so beautiful, I wish I could find it again and again and again. I miss Romeo and Jude already but I’m so grateful I was lucky enough to find them in the first place. ❤️
A song that suits this book…7 years by Charli xcx
So hard, the things that we've been through
Could've fallen but we've only grew
So I make my house a home with you
Right here and it feels brand new
I used to live inside the lie with you
And now I'm honest and it feels so good
I know that look inside my eyes means always
Even if we fall apart, split two ways
Used to be afraid to say it, felt so strange
Oh yeah I really, really love you for life
We went from distant to inseparable types (that's right)
I looked on and smiled as he did it.
WOWWWW….yeah this was everything. Childhood bffs to enemies to lovers, codependency to the extreme, jealousy, possessiveness, hurt / comfort, fantastic writing, memorable characters. Deep passion. There’s a thin line between love and hate as they say….
My favorite book of the year so far and good luck to the other contestants vying for the title…. So the night I started this I had to be awake at 4 am but I stayed up way too late to finish it, just so entranced with their coming together and falling apart. A page turner, to say the least. I’m changing my stance on being annoyed at people not communicating well in romance books. IT GAVE ME THIS!!!!! Plus my previous read before this (Green Light by Lark Taylor) that I enjoyed so much also had this trope done to perfection. My heart really broke for them both once they realized why they fell out, once that mystery was unveiled to them and the reader at the same time. Brutal. Devastating. There’s loads of inner monologue here but to me it worked immensely well. The dialogue hitting even harder when it does come. Do you ever love a book so much you’re mad that you read it and it’s over?? That you’ll never get to experience it for the first time again?? That’s me with this one. This was so beautiful, I wish I could find it again and again and again. I miss Romeo and Jude already but I’m so grateful I was lucky enough to find them in the first place. ❤️
A song that suits this book…7 years by Charli xcx
So hard, the things that we've been through
Could've fallen but we've only grew
So I make my house a home with you
Right here and it feels brand new
I used to live inside the lie with you
And now I'm honest and it feels so good
I know that look inside my eyes means always
Even if we fall apart, split two ways
Used to be afraid to say it, felt so strange
Oh yeah I really, really love you for life
We went from distant to inseparable types (that's right)
September 16, 2024
This book was really good. A second chance romance for two childhood friends that goes pretty deep, is well written, very emotional, passionate and gives you a very satisfying, intense love story.
I'm rating it with 4.5⭐ because it was written with 1 POV while I think there should've been two, the second main character comes more to life by the end of the book and I was sorry to see that, because he's amazing and his input would've been more welcome throughout the whole story - but even so, the story is fantastic.
🟣 Childhood best friends to lovers
🟢 Small town
🟡 First times, gay/bisexual
🔵 Miscommunication but it's readable, it's the whole reason why the relationship didn't materialize sooner but it works
🟠 Cheating - cheating on the wife, but it's not bad, actually I felt pretty good about it
🌶️ Good smut; oral, rimming, penetrative, prepping; both vers --> t/b
Alabaster Falls is the town where Jude and Romeo become best friends as kids and inseparable as time goes on. They're with each other through out elementary and high school, they have a very close friendship and Jude, who realizes he's gay soon enough and is attracted to Romeo, gets his ultimate heartbreak when they both get entangled in sexual experimentation that leads to big feelings which they don't communicate to each other.
"He smelled like rain after a drought. Like old oak trees and mystical places. Like the love of my life."
The thing about this story was that it was written solely from Jude's POV, so you get his heartbreaking journey back to Alabaster Falls after he went to college where him and Romeo completely fell apart.
Romeo's side would be beneficial to read about since a lot of times it felt he just wasn't interested enough in Jude. Later on I realized he's a very emotional, possessive guy and is completely invested in Jude. But how would you know that before? You couldn't.
Romeo was with girls too, he was bisexual, gets married to a woman when the fall out between him and Jude happens and lives in a loveless marriage for 5 years until Jude comes back to Alabaster Falls.
"“I never… I’ve never understood how they do it. You know, how everyone else acts normal around you, like… like, you’re not the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen.”
The story goes back and forth in time and gives you the rundown of everything that went on that brought Romeo and Jude to the point where they're now both around 30 years old, back at home and still not openly talking about what happened.
When they finally do, it's even more heartbreaking since the only culprit for them not being together was a jealous gay friend Jude had for a while. And that friend not getting his ass kicked was even worse!
There's cheating involved but looking at how Romeo got with his wife and the marriage he had, you won't feel bad about it. Romeo and Jude are drawn to each other like moth to a flame since they were kids and in the last chapters is when Romeo's personality shines through. And he's magnificent! He's an amazing character. I wish we'd get more of him.
That guy on the cover wasn't really what I imagined Romeo to be, he's more like
Jude is so protective and devoted to Romeo, he's all Jude can think about. He can't emotionally connect to anyone else, noone compares to Romeo, so their love story was insanely intense. The sex was fantastic too.
"A damn wall cracks and breaks open. Years of tears pour out of me. I’m inside him, in his arms, and he’s in mine, and I’m sobbing. I’m shuddering in pain and confusion and relief and the deepest, most intense pleasure I’ve ever felt. I don’t know how long we move together. I’m not completely aware of my body or even his. I’m aware of my soul though, and his. The essence of two people winding together. Over and under each other. Tighter and harder. Deeper."
After they're finally officially together is when the real fairytale starts. I'd want to read so much more about them. They seem like a fantastic couple, one of a kind. It really is a love that only happens once every while and the author did a really good job describing it.
"He’s close to me, close everywhere, hands on my chest, lips on my lips. “I do, okay?” he whispers. “I love the fuck out of you.”"
The bonus chapter is short and talks about them getting married and going to Verona, Italy on a honeymoon.
I completely recommend this book.
I'm rating it with 4.5⭐ because it was written with 1 POV while I think there should've been two, the second main character comes more to life by the end of the book and I was sorry to see that, because he's amazing and his input would've been more welcome throughout the whole story - but even so, the story is fantastic.
🟣 Childhood best friends to lovers
🟢 Small town
🟡 First times, gay/bisexual
🔵 Miscommunication but it's readable, it's the whole reason why the relationship didn't materialize sooner but it works
🟠 Cheating - cheating on the wife, but it's not bad, actually I felt pretty good about it
🌶️ Good smut; oral, rimming, penetrative, prepping; both vers --> t/b
Alabaster Falls is the town where Jude and Romeo become best friends as kids and inseparable as time goes on. They're with each other through out elementary and high school, they have a very close friendship and Jude, who realizes he's gay soon enough and is attracted to Romeo, gets his ultimate heartbreak when they both get entangled in sexual experimentation that leads to big feelings which they don't communicate to each other.
"He smelled like rain after a drought. Like old oak trees and mystical places. Like the love of my life."
The thing about this story was that it was written solely from Jude's POV, so you get his heartbreaking journey back to Alabaster Falls after he went to college where him and Romeo completely fell apart.
Romeo's side would be beneficial to read about since a lot of times it felt he just wasn't interested enough in Jude. Later on I realized he's a very emotional, possessive guy and is completely invested in Jude. But how would you know that before? You couldn't.
Romeo was with girls too, he was bisexual, gets married to a woman when the fall out between him and Jude happens and lives in a loveless marriage for 5 years until Jude comes back to Alabaster Falls.
"“I never… I’ve never understood how they do it. You know, how everyone else acts normal around you, like… like, you’re not the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen.”
The story goes back and forth in time and gives you the rundown of everything that went on that brought Romeo and Jude to the point where they're now both around 30 years old, back at home and still not openly talking about what happened.
When they finally do, it's even more heartbreaking since the only culprit for them not being together was a jealous gay friend Jude had for a while. And that friend not getting his ass kicked was even worse!
There's cheating involved but looking at how Romeo got with his wife and the marriage he had, you won't feel bad about it. Romeo and Jude are drawn to each other like moth to a flame since they were kids and in the last chapters is when Romeo's personality shines through. And he's magnificent! He's an amazing character. I wish we'd get more of him.
That guy on the cover wasn't really what I imagined Romeo to be, he's more like
Jude is so protective and devoted to Romeo, he's all Jude can think about. He can't emotionally connect to anyone else, noone compares to Romeo, so their love story was insanely intense. The sex was fantastic too.
"A damn wall cracks and breaks open. Years of tears pour out of me. I’m inside him, in his arms, and he’s in mine, and I’m sobbing. I’m shuddering in pain and confusion and relief and the deepest, most intense pleasure I’ve ever felt. I don’t know how long we move together. I’m not completely aware of my body or even his. I’m aware of my soul though, and his. The essence of two people winding together. Over and under each other. Tighter and harder. Deeper."
After they're finally officially together is when the real fairytale starts. I'd want to read so much more about them. They seem like a fantastic couple, one of a kind. It really is a love that only happens once every while and the author did a really good job describing it.
"He’s close to me, close everywhere, hands on my chest, lips on my lips. “I do, okay?” he whispers. “I love the fuck out of you.”"
The bonus chapter is short and talks about them getting married and going to Verona, Italy on a honeymoon.
I completely recommend this book.
September 11, 2024
Alexa, play Rewrite the stars
4.75 stars- Wow this book was heartbreaking, beautiful but very heartbreaking. I loved that even though it made cry it also made me laugh so my feelings were evened out.
One trope that I loathe with all my heart is miscommunication and unfortunately this story has major lack of communication hence why I couldn’t give it a perfect rating.
Do I still recommend? Heck yeah!
But be warned you’ll want to pull your hair out several times
4.75 stars- Wow this book was heartbreaking, beautiful but very heartbreaking. I loved that even though it made cry it also made me laugh so my feelings were evened out.
One trope that I loathe with all my heart is miscommunication and unfortunately this story has major lack of communication hence why I couldn’t give it a perfect rating.
Do I still recommend? Heck yeah!
But be warned you’ll want to pull your hair out several times
August 17, 2024
You know when you start a book and right away you can tell it going to be special, that’s how I felt as soon as I started this one. It hooked me from the very first and I literally couldn’t put it down. I loved Jude and Romeo and this story is going to stick with me forever.
August 29, 2024
AIEEEEEEEEE! The angst of Unrequited and Unbreak Me is back! Hurt Comfort. Childhood besties estranged. Angst. Sweetness. Flashbacks. Single POV so we aren’t quite sure where everyone is at. A hard-won HEA
The drama the struggle the obsessive neeeeeed.
But such sweet childhood memories of growing up together, I was SO invested.
It had that touch of clever fun writing I love but way pared back because it’s not comedic romance, it’s BIG SAD.
Sexual tension, angst, and past sweetness that’s gone now, just a perfect balance that had me bouncing between “Awww” and “Ahhhhh!” and “Ahh yeahhh” and “Wahhhhh” (crying sounds).
Absolutely loved it. Had to read it in one sitting, could not sleep until I did. No question that I will be rereading this and I have been recommending it like all get out to people. It’s SO GOOD.
I got an ARC copy and am leaving this very enthusiastic honest review of my choosing. Go read it!!!
A couple spoiler-free quotes I highlighted:
“It was a rare, full constellation. A smile I knew well. A smile he kept just for me. A smile for when he was at home and we were alone. For when he led and I followed. I smiled back when I saw it. I couldn’t help it. I loved that smile. At that point in my life, smiling back when Romeo smiled at me was the most normal thing in the world. It was involuntary, a reflex more than a conscious decision.”
“I didn’t know people could cry like that. Till it hurt. Till it hollowed you out and made you sick. Till everything burned and you didn’t think you’d ever be able to stop.”
“I can’t be around him, that’s for damn fucking sure.
I… found myself the honored guest at a meal that was so drenched in sexual tension it was a battle to swallow my food. I just chewed and chewed. Kept chewing and trying to wash my food down with wine while simultaneously trying not to look directly at Romeo.
And every time I slipped up, every damn time, his eyes were on me. A searing blue gaze that stripped me naked.”
The drama the struggle the obsessive neeeeeed.
But such sweet childhood memories of growing up together, I was SO invested.
It had that touch of clever fun writing I love but way pared back because it’s not comedic romance, it’s BIG SAD.
Sexual tension, angst, and past sweetness that’s gone now, just a perfect balance that had me bouncing between “Awww” and “Ahhhhh!” and “Ahh yeahhh” and “Wahhhhh” (crying sounds).
Absolutely loved it. Had to read it in one sitting, could not sleep until I did. No question that I will be rereading this and I have been recommending it like all get out to people. It’s SO GOOD.
I got an ARC copy and am leaving this very enthusiastic honest review of my choosing. Go read it!!!
A couple spoiler-free quotes I highlighted:
“It was a rare, full constellation. A smile I knew well. A smile he kept just for me. A smile for when he was at home and we were alone. For when he led and I followed. I smiled back when I saw it. I couldn’t help it. I loved that smile. At that point in my life, smiling back when Romeo smiled at me was the most normal thing in the world. It was involuntary, a reflex more than a conscious decision.”
“I didn’t know people could cry like that. Till it hurt. Till it hollowed you out and made you sick. Till everything burned and you didn’t think you’d ever be able to stop.”
“I can’t be around him, that’s for damn fucking sure.
I… found myself the honored guest at a meal that was so drenched in sexual tension it was a battle to swallow my food. I just chewed and chewed. Kept chewing and trying to wash my food down with wine while simultaneously trying not to look directly at Romeo.
And every time I slipped up, every damn time, his eyes were on me. A searing blue gaze that stripped me naked.”
September 7, 2024
This was hitting all the right spots for me. Hurt/comfort, pining, childhood best friends to lovers?!?! 😩
This was captivating, messy, sweet and infuriating. This is told through Jude’s POV only and there were times I was ready to burn the world down because WHAT IS ROMEO THINKING?!?! In the end, we get our answers and hear what Romeo was thinking over the years at critical moments.
You can feel the love Romeo and Jude have for each other. They are the best of friends. They get each other like no-one else does. They feel a part of each others’ families (oh how I loved their families). Jude is always ready to protect his Romeo from the world. Then they start to physically experiment with each other (slowly in steps) and you can feel how their relationship shifts. They still love each other fiercely but there is an added layer of hesitance when sexual and romantic feelings get involved.
Fair warning there is a lot of miscommunication/no communication here. But I kind of got it? When you are so entangled with your best friend and doubting their feelings back. And each of you are trying to play it cool - intentions and actions get blurred. Not to mention they were teenagers - dumb teenage boys. It was messy but it was their story.
This was not a perfect book and I maybe would have liked some things to be different but at the end of the day I was absolutely hooked. I was rooting for them and I felt their pain and angst. And I felt their love. Neither could move on because how can you when you meet your soulmate at seven years old?
"Is your window open?"
"Always"
This was captivating, messy, sweet and infuriating. This is told through Jude’s POV only and there were times I was ready to burn the world down because WHAT IS ROMEO THINKING?!?! In the end, we get our answers and hear what Romeo was thinking over the years at critical moments.
You can feel the love Romeo and Jude have for each other. They are the best of friends. They get each other like no-one else does. They feel a part of each others’ families (oh how I loved their families). Jude is always ready to protect his Romeo from the world. Then they start to physically experiment with each other (slowly in steps) and you can feel how their relationship shifts. They still love each other fiercely but there is an added layer of hesitance when sexual and romantic feelings get involved.
Fair warning there is a lot of miscommunication/no communication here. But I kind of got it? When you are so entangled with your best friend and doubting their feelings back. And each of you are trying to play it cool - intentions and actions get blurred. Not to mention they were teenagers - dumb teenage boys. It was messy but it was their story.
This was not a perfect book and I maybe would have liked some things to be different but at the end of the day I was absolutely hooked. I was rooting for them and I felt their pain and angst. And I felt their love. Neither could move on because how can you when you meet your soulmate at seven years old?
"Is your window open?"
"Always"
October 3, 2024
Don’t be fooled…I am mad about the 5*
The writing was beautiful, the pacing, the “then” and the “now” was done to perfection. It was all so poetic and the words were flowing!
I loved Jude and I loved how it was told from his POV. We get his version of events. It goes to show how there’s always two sides of a story.
Jude was so full of unconditional love. He was put on this earth to love Romeo…and boyyy did he love him! I spent a good amount of this book tearing up because of the palpable emotions!
Now onto why I’m angry rating…
YOU WANT TO TELL ME THAT THESE TWO YE OLDE NINCOMPOOPS WASTED 5 YEARS OF NOT BEING TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THAT FOPDOODLE?
Those gents shouldst has’t hadst some senseth smack’d into them😌
The writing was beautiful, the pacing, the “then” and the “now” was done to perfection. It was all so poetic and the words were flowing!
I loved Jude and I loved how it was told from his POV. We get his version of events. It goes to show how there’s always two sides of a story.
Jude was so full of unconditional love. He was put on this earth to love Romeo…and boyyy did he love him! I spent a good amount of this book tearing up because of the palpable emotions!
Now onto why I’m angry rating…
YOU WANT TO TELL ME THAT THESE TWO YE OLDE NINCOMPOOPS WASTED 5 YEARS OF NOT BEING TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THAT FOPDOODLE?
Those gents shouldst has’t hadst some senseth smack’d into them😌
September 12, 2024
4.25✨
Aah! the angst. the pining. the MUSHINESS.
I loved this. And I loved them!!!
"Is your window open?"
"Always"
🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟
However, I was almost (just almost) petty enough to shave off half a star, because, and I can't stress this enough! I HATE reading tik-tok slang in books. There weren't a ton of them. But still, just stop.
Aah! the angst. the pining. the MUSHINESS.
I loved this. And I loved them!!!
"Is your window open?"
"Always"
🪟🪟🪟🪟🪟
However, I was almost (just almost) petty enough to shave off half a star, because, and I can't stress this enough! I HATE reading tik-tok slang in books. There weren't a ton of them. But still, just stop.
September 2, 2024
This felt like two different books to me tbh.
On the one hand you had a beautiful best friends to lovers, coming of age, secretly pining for more story full of whimsy and beautiful prose. The inspiration from Shakespeare was clear but not too much. Only getting one perspective meant that we were just as much in the dark about Romeo’s feelings as Jude was and when everything fell apart it HURT.
But to find out that the misunderstanding wasn’t even between the MCs but a side character and an MC and that at no point did these best friends ever have an honest conversation about their feelings or this misunderstanding was baffling!!! I also didn’t really connect with Romeo and didn’t feel like he was ever as invested in their hookups/relationship as Jude was. This may have just been because we didn’t get Romeo’s perspective but idk. I couldn’t understand Romeo’s motivation in marrying a woman he didn’t love and all of this together made the ending feel unsatisfying.
Jesse is a favourite author of mine so I’ll definitely pick up future books from her but this was a miss for me.
ARC review - this is my honest opinion.
On the one hand you had a beautiful best friends to lovers, coming of age, secretly pining for more story full of whimsy and beautiful prose. The inspiration from Shakespeare was clear but not too much. Only getting one perspective meant that we were just as much in the dark about Romeo’s feelings as Jude was and when everything fell apart it HURT.
But to find out that the misunderstanding wasn’t even between the MCs but a side character and an MC and that at no point did these best friends ever have an honest conversation about their feelings or this misunderstanding was baffling!!! I also didn’t really connect with Romeo and didn’t feel like he was ever as invested in their hookups/relationship as Jude was. This may have just been because we didn’t get Romeo’s perspective but idk. I couldn’t understand Romeo’s motivation in marrying a woman he didn’t love and all of this together made the ending feel unsatisfying.
Jesse is a favourite author of mine so I’ll definitely pick up future books from her but this was a miss for me.
ARC review - this is my honest opinion.
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November 30, 2024
4.25⭐️
These fuckers were giving me grey hair I swear😭😭 Very beautiful and heart shattering romance. The only thing I wish was better communication. So many things could have been avoided, but I get why the author did it.
These fuckers were giving me grey hair I swear😭😭 Very beautiful and heart shattering romance. The only thing I wish was better communication. So many things could have been avoided, but I get why the author did it.
September 1, 2024
🌹I hath taken an eArc from the auth'r and this is mine own honest opinion!🌹
A Jesse story inspired by and with quotes from William Shakespeare's masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet? and in which Chapter titles are quotations from book? GODDAM YES!
Omg I feel emotionally drained… I suffered through this… I was so angry, so frustrated, I doubted everything and everyone! I hated them but… now “I Love Thee Thou Doth”.
I love a book like this, that tests us, that leaves us furious, irritated, wanting to kill everyone, without understanding anything about what is happening or why... Thinking that I'm going to kill Jesse because it won't make sense. .. And why the hell just one POV? This will not leave me satisfied and with closure... The miscommunication and pinning reaches the stratosphere... you really want to rub their faces in together and say: he likes you and he likes you, go be happy! At some point i wrote in my notes:
I HOPE THERE’S A HUGE AND PAINFUL JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS REJECTING!
But then... Inner peace, total satisfaction and physical punishment for ever doubting her... Shame on me... Here is my official apology for having doubted …
And I have some problems, but I don't even want to know. Things could have been easier, less painful and faster, but what is the fun of that? And there's something there that left me dissatisfied, someone who deserved a message, or a call, or a punch in the teeth in anger… And... I prefer the temporary cover to permanent cover... much more indeed!
I'm a sucker for Jesse's books and whether it's light, funny or distressing, she writes in such a beautiful and captivating way that it always melts me! And Romeo and Jude, joined my crowded heart forever!
Wow Jesse you never seize to amaze me🖤🥹
A Jesse story inspired by and with quotes from William Shakespeare's masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet? and in which Chapter titles are quotations from book? GODDAM YES!
Omg I feel emotionally drained… I suffered through this… I was so angry, so frustrated, I doubted everything and everyone! I hated them but… now “I Love Thee Thou Doth”.
I love a book like this, that tests us, that leaves us furious, irritated, wanting to kill everyone, without understanding anything about what is happening or why... Thinking that I'm going to kill Jesse because it won't make sense. .. And why the hell just one POV? This will not leave me satisfied and with closure... The miscommunication and pinning reaches the stratosphere... you really want to rub their faces in together and say: he likes you and he likes you, go be happy! At some point i wrote in my notes:
I HOPE THERE’S A HUGE AND PAINFUL JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS REJECTING!
But then... Inner peace, total satisfaction and physical punishment for ever doubting her... Shame on me... Here is my official apology for having doubted …
And I have some problems, but I don't even want to know. Things could have been easier, less painful and faster, but what is the fun of that? And there's something there that left me dissatisfied, someone who deserved a message, or a call, or a punch in the teeth in anger… And... I prefer the temporary cover to permanent cover... much more indeed!
I'm a sucker for Jesse's books and whether it's light, funny or distressing, she writes in such a beautiful and captivating way that it always melts me! And Romeo and Jude, joined my crowded heart forever!
Wow Jesse you never seize to amaze me🖤🥹
September 1, 2024
⭐︎
4.5 stars rounded up
⭐︎
One of the best by this author.
Even with, yes, major miscommunication/no communication between our main characters, Jude and Romeo. And the lack of dual POV. It all makes sense once Romeo talks at the end, but until then, all we get are Jude's interpretations and so it truly does seem like Romeo doesn't love him in a romantic way for a long while.
But truly, if they had both just communicated at ALL, none of this would have happened. Which, yeah, annoys me to a degree that I have to take .5 stars off. No matter how much I understand it, how much I understand these idiot boys, turned men, doesn't make it any less annoying.
Like it all could have been solved if they'd just told each other they loved the other. Or if Romeo had asked Jude about what said. The fact that ruined it all for them pisses me off. And did he face any consequences? Noooo. And we'll never know why the fuck he did what he did. Like what was his angle? Did he really just . Oooh, it makes my blood boil.
BUT...as much as that played a part, in the end these two ruined their relationship themselves.
But you understand how each boy fucked up. All the times they both didn't speak up when they should have. And also how their relationship is so precious, and neither probably wanted to ruin it if the other didn't feel the same way, and so they let things spiral, for too long. And then one wrong stacked on top of another wrong until they hurt each other too much to fix it - for 5 years, at least.
When Jude, who has been gone in the city for 5 years, comes back to their small hometown to help with renovations to his childhood home that his parents still own - even if they airbnb it nowadays - everything gets turned on its head once again between these two. Only now for the better instead of for the worse.
There is cheating, but it's between these two, not on each other. So of course I have cheating tagged, but also no-cheating for them never cheating on each other.
Because Romeo is married, through most of this, and when they start something, they absolutely cheat. It doesn't go on long - maybe 3 or so days, in the grand scheme of things - but they have sex a few times in that span. Some pretty hot, passionate, off the chains sex at that.
One doesn't feel too bad for Romeo's wife, as it's clear throughout this how shitty of a wife she is, and honestly how bad of a husband is to her too. I mean, he married her for all the wrong reasons and is still madly in love with Jude, so...he was never gonna be a good husband. But also on her own, she seems to barely like him. They even talked about separating in the past, too, so there wasn't much there to break.
So much of this was so so good. Their chemistry was so well done, and this book also took its time to build up their friendship, for us to understand why they became best friends, and then fell in love. They've known each other since they were 7, and were attached at the hip for like 15 years before their breaking, so that's a lot of time and relationship to get across to us readers, and I think it was done really well. The 'then' portions showed us the build up of friendship and love and then how it broke as the 'now' showed how they came to repair what was broken. It was well done.
I do wish, a teeny bit, when Romeo said his whole side of things, that Jude had explained more in depth all that he was going through during that time. Maybe the author felt we didn't need it since we read it all through his POV, but Romeo didn't know all this, so I would have liked to seen it explained to Romeo. Jude does clear up misconceptions and explains his love fully, but still. How he interpreted things were completely off base so much of the time, but Romeo understanding where Jude was coming from would have helped. Maybe when it says afterward they had conversations in bed about unserious and serious things, Jude's side of things was included in the serious things, idk.
It's not too big a deal, but still, a small niggle.
Aside from that and just general annoyance at such miscommunication/lack of communication, I loved this and couldn't get enough of it.
And once these two work out their shit, their HEA is absolutely wonderful. Their happiness is tangible and I couldn't stop the huge grin on my face as i read the last part of the book. They're so in love and it shows.
Definitely thumbs up from me, I highly recommend this. And this was definitely one of this author's best works.
Onto the next! 🥰
One of the best by this author.
Even with, yes, major miscommunication/no communication between our main characters, Jude and Romeo. And the lack of dual POV. It all makes sense once Romeo talks at the end, but until then, all we get are Jude's interpretations and so it truly does seem like Romeo doesn't love him in a romantic way for a long while.
But truly, if they had both just communicated at ALL, none of this would have happened. Which, yeah, annoys me to a degree that I have to take .5 stars off. No matter how much I understand it, how much I understand these idiot boys, turned men, doesn't make it any less annoying.
Like it all could have been solved if they'd just told each other they loved the other. Or if Romeo had asked Jude about what said. The fact that ruined it all for them pisses me off. And did he face any consequences? Noooo. And we'll never know why the fuck he did what he did. Like what was his angle? Did he really just . Oooh, it makes my blood boil.
BUT...as much as that played a part, in the end these two ruined their relationship themselves.
But you understand how each boy fucked up. All the times they both didn't speak up when they should have. And also how their relationship is so precious, and neither probably wanted to ruin it if the other didn't feel the same way, and so they let things spiral, for too long. And then one wrong stacked on top of another wrong until they hurt each other too much to fix it - for 5 years, at least.
When Jude, who has been gone in the city for 5 years, comes back to their small hometown to help with renovations to his childhood home that his parents still own - even if they airbnb it nowadays - everything gets turned on its head once again between these two. Only now for the better instead of for the worse.
There is cheating, but it's between these two, not on each other. So of course I have cheating tagged, but also no-cheating for them never cheating on each other.
Because Romeo is married, through most of this, and when they start something, they absolutely cheat. It doesn't go on long - maybe 3 or so days, in the grand scheme of things - but they have sex a few times in that span. Some pretty hot, passionate, off the chains sex at that.
One doesn't feel too bad for Romeo's wife, as it's clear throughout this how shitty of a wife she is, and honestly how bad of a husband is to her too. I mean, he married her for all the wrong reasons and is still madly in love with Jude, so...he was never gonna be a good husband. But also on her own, she seems to barely like him. They even talked about separating in the past, too, so there wasn't much there to break.
So much of this was so so good. Their chemistry was so well done, and this book also took its time to build up their friendship, for us to understand why they became best friends, and then fell in love. They've known each other since they were 7, and were attached at the hip for like 15 years before their breaking, so that's a lot of time and relationship to get across to us readers, and I think it was done really well. The 'then' portions showed us the build up of friendship and love and then how it broke as the 'now' showed how they came to repair what was broken. It was well done.
I do wish, a teeny bit, when Romeo said his whole side of things, that Jude had explained more in depth all that he was going through during that time. Maybe the author felt we didn't need it since we read it all through his POV, but Romeo didn't know all this, so I would have liked to seen it explained to Romeo. Jude does clear up misconceptions and explains his love fully, but still. How he interpreted things were completely off base so much of the time, but Romeo understanding where Jude was coming from would have helped. Maybe when it says afterward they had conversations in bed about unserious and serious things, Jude's side of things was included in the serious things, idk.
It's not too big a deal, but still, a small niggle.
Aside from that and just general annoyance at such miscommunication/lack of communication, I loved this and couldn't get enough of it.
And once these two work out their shit, their HEA is absolutely wonderful. Their happiness is tangible and I couldn't stop the huge grin on my face as i read the last part of the book. They're so in love and it shows.
Definitely thumbs up from me, I highly recommend this. And this was definitely one of this author's best works.
Onto the next! 🥰
August 30, 2024
1.5 stars, rounded. You’ve gotta be kidding me…I didn’t even realize this book was releasing, but since I’ve enjoyed some of this author’s work, I decided to give this a chance. The blurb was interesting, and I knew I’d get a buttload of angst. The only good thing about this story is the arrows it shot at my heart during some parts, and I liked the agony. Other than that, this was a mess. Not only was it 1 POV, but the perspective we were stuck with (Jude’s) was so annoying. I was yelling at him to stand tf up countless times, and don’t even get me started on Romeo. He had zero redeeming qualities imo. He was just bland and his whole whining about not having a kiss, not having sex, not having whatever tf felt lowkey manipulative in a way. It was like he knew Jude would offer to experiment with him (after that initial kiss). This was also full of miscommunication, and not even the type that’s semi-entertaining to read. This was just horrible because we only saw Jude’s view on it. And when Romeo finally told his side at the end, it left me with an “okay…?” expression. Like bruh, that’s it? You’re telling me they were best friends and couldn’t communicate their feelings? Then for Romeo to marry Selby just because he was told to…? That’s so pathetic. Anyways, I’m done ranting 😭🍅
PS: this book cover is so bad.
PS: this book cover is so bad.
November 28, 2024
Pre-read:
I haven't had luck with his author before but the premise of this is INTERESTING so let's gove it a try.
Also .. with a 4.5 rating I have high hopes.
Review:
This was surprisingly better than what I had previously read by the author.
The writing was lovely and smooth.
The emotions in the book were on point. I loved how we saw the profression of their relationship from friends to lovers and then how it all fell apart.
I enjoyed most of the book. The only thing I felt it lacked was how the ending seemed to rush along with us not really experiencing them being together as lovers at all.
I also wasn't a fan of how fast Romeo cheated or how.... *thrilled* he was? He seemed to have no guilt whatsoever and that bugged me.
Other than that it was a very good read.
I haven't had luck with his author before but the premise of this is INTERESTING so let's gove it a try.
Also .. with a 4.5 rating I have high hopes.
Review:
This was surprisingly better than what I had previously read by the author.
The writing was lovely and smooth.
The emotions in the book were on point. I loved how we saw the profression of their relationship from friends to lovers and then how it all fell apart.
I enjoyed most of the book. The only thing I felt it lacked was how the ending seemed to rush along with us not really experiencing them being together as lovers at all.
I also wasn't a fan of how fast Romeo cheated or how.... *thrilled* he was? He seemed to have no guilt whatsoever and that bugged me.
Other than that it was a very good read.
Read
August 24, 2024I'm just gonna ramble behind this spoiler cut and leave my thoughts here. I love this author's books that I have read, but I'm sorry to say that this one did not fully work for me. Please don't click the spoiler cut unless you want to read clear spoilers from the book.
I received an arc to read and review and my thoughts are my own.
I received an arc to read and review and my thoughts are my own.
November 6, 2025
This story caused a terrible pain in my chest, my heart, my feelings — everything. I had to focus on my breathing.
To be fair, I went into this already knowing it had all the things that usually make me lose my patience:
A. Pining.😫
B. Flashbacks.😤
C. Single POV.😡
The holy trinity of everything that drives me up the wall. But it’s Jesse H. Reine — so I told myself, “She’s never let me down. What’s the worst that could happen?” Well. Everything.
Romeo and Jude meet as kids. They grow up together, become inseparable. All is good. They explore many firsts together — it goes like , “I’ve never been kissed, I gotta kiss someone,” so Jude becomes his first kiss. Then, “No one’s ever touched my dick,” and of course, Jude becomes the first for that too. They’re each other’s everything, discovering and growing and just being. And then, of course, things go wrong.
So yeah, I was losing my shit. Going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I could’ve pulled my hair out strand by strand. The past, the present, the pain — oh my god, the pain. I was not expecting this much angst. And it’s that kind of angst that makes you want to throw the e reader but also keep reading because you need to know how it ends.
These tow idiots !!!— everything could have been avoided. ALL of it. But no. Of course there had to be a massive miscommunication and an asshole in between stirring drama.
Thank God it has a HEA. Otherwise, I would’ve lost my shit.
And it was grippy. It was interesting. I wanted to know where it was going, page after page after page — and these two just fucked each other up so badly. Romeo — still the major idiot — like, why did you have to go and marry? Why??
Was it logical? No. It’s completely illogical. That’s why I hate flashbacks and pining — because at the end, there’s always one grand revelation that the entire mess was caused by miscommunication.
But anyway — rant over.
You must be thinking, with all this frustration, why did I still give it five stars? And I would tell you why, if only I knew why myself 🤷🏻♀️
Seriously, this woman can write. She’s become one of those authors I can trust blindly — no matter the trope, the vibe, the chaos — she’ll make it work. If she’s going for funny, she’ll make you laugh. If she’s going for painful, she’ll make you cry. If she’s going for romance and heat, she’ll deliver.
And she delivered.
To be fair, I went into this already knowing it had all the things that usually make me lose my patience:
A. Pining.😫
B. Flashbacks.😤
C. Single POV.😡
The holy trinity of everything that drives me up the wall. But it’s Jesse H. Reine — so I told myself, “She’s never let me down. What’s the worst that could happen?” Well. Everything.
Romeo and Jude meet as kids. They grow up together, become inseparable. All is good. They explore many firsts together — it goes like , “I’ve never been kissed, I gotta kiss someone,” so Jude becomes his first kiss. Then, “No one’s ever touched my dick,” and of course, Jude becomes the first for that too. They’re each other’s everything, discovering and growing and just being. And then, of course, things go wrong.
So yeah, I was losing my shit. Going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I could’ve pulled my hair out strand by strand. The past, the present, the pain — oh my god, the pain. I was not expecting this much angst. And it’s that kind of angst that makes you want to throw the e reader but also keep reading because you need to know how it ends.
These tow idiots !!!— everything could have been avoided. ALL of it. But no. Of course there had to be a massive miscommunication and an asshole in between stirring drama.
Thank God it has a HEA. Otherwise, I would’ve lost my shit.
And it was grippy. It was interesting. I wanted to know where it was going, page after page after page — and these two just fucked each other up so badly. Romeo — still the major idiot — like, why did you have to go and marry? Why??
Was it logical? No. It’s completely illogical. That’s why I hate flashbacks and pining — because at the end, there’s always one grand revelation that the entire mess was caused by miscommunication.
But anyway — rant over.
You must be thinking, with all this frustration, why did I still give it five stars? And I would tell you why, if only I knew why myself 🤷🏻♀️
Seriously, this woman can write. She’s become one of those authors I can trust blindly — no matter the trope, the vibe, the chaos — she’ll make it work. If she’s going for funny, she’ll make you laugh. If she’s going for painful, she’ll make you cry. If she’s going for romance and heat, she’ll deliver.
And she delivered.
August 23, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
𝐈𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧?
𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.
Back in his hometown to oversee renovations on his family home, Jude comes face to face with the only man he’s ever loved and hated—Romeo, his former best friend, lover, and his whole entire world.
As if seeing Romeo after how things ended between them five years ago wasn’t devastating enough, he’s with his beautiful wife who has no idea about their past and their falling out.
Despite all the hurt and anger, he and Romeo are like magnets and incapable of being apart no matter the heartache it’s bound to cause.
Lord have mercy, Jude and Romeo’s story put me through the wringer!!! I don’t think I would have survived if this was dual POV, cause lord knows I barely made it out with just Jude’s.
He is the King of unrequited love, and seeing him paint a picture of how things fell apart between him and Romeo using glimpses of their past damn near killed me, especially a certain chapter around the 70% mark.
I cried, a lot, but it was so worth it.
- second chance
- childhood friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- codependency
- miscommunication
- cheating, but not between MCs
𝐈𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧?
𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.
Back in his hometown to oversee renovations on his family home, Jude comes face to face with the only man he’s ever loved and hated—Romeo, his former best friend, lover, and his whole entire world.
As if seeing Romeo after how things ended between them five years ago wasn’t devastating enough, he’s with his beautiful wife who has no idea about their past and their falling out.
Despite all the hurt and anger, he and Romeo are like magnets and incapable of being apart no matter the heartache it’s bound to cause.
Lord have mercy, Jude and Romeo’s story put me through the wringer!!! I don’t think I would have survived if this was dual POV, cause lord knows I barely made it out with just Jude’s.
He is the King of unrequited love, and seeing him paint a picture of how things fell apart between him and Romeo using glimpses of their past damn near killed me, especially a certain chapter around the 70% mark.
I cried, a lot, but it was so worth it.
- second chance
- childhood friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- codependency
- miscommunication
- cheating, but not between MCs
September 15, 2024
warning : cheating on spouse.
I have thoughts. For one, I didn’t like the way Romeo handled the whole cheating situation. His wife wasn’t the best person obviously but it still doesn’t warrant his enthusiasm? It’s not the right word but that’s how I felt when reading his actions. excitement. Thrill.
I also didn’t particularly like the book after they got together. It was boring, bland. I hoped to read more of them adjusting to getting back together and back in each other’s lives but the cheating happened so seamlessly, there was no angst or tension. I’m upset , it’s childhood friends to lovers😭 I wanted to love it. It definitely had its moments in the beginning but it went downhill quickly.
I have thoughts. For one, I didn’t like the way Romeo handled the whole cheating situation. His wife wasn’t the best person obviously but it still doesn’t warrant his enthusiasm? It’s not the right word but that’s how I felt when reading his actions. excitement. Thrill.
I also didn’t particularly like the book after they got together. It was boring, bland. I hoped to read more of them adjusting to getting back together and back in each other’s lives but the cheating happened so seamlessly, there was no angst or tension. I’m upset , it’s childhood friends to lovers😭 I wanted to love it. It definitely had its moments in the beginning but it went downhill quickly.
December 19, 2024
This was such a heartbreaking story and I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely loved it.
December 24, 2025
3.5 stars ⭐️
The story is cheesy and has almost no angst. I love Jude and Romeo together, and I usually enjoy childhood friends-to-lovers romances, though I personally prefer them with more anger and emotional tension. I can’t really complain too much, but some moments felt ridiculous, especially when he considered marrying a woman instead of expressing his feelings for the person he’d shared almost his entire childhood with.
I also didn’t enjoy reading about Romeo cheating on his wife, even if he wasn’t happy in that marriage. On top of that, I didn’t like how Jude didn’t stand up for him and often came across as hopeless.
That said, some parts were really cute, like when Romeo keeps tabs on Jude through a social media account, and how protective they were of each other, especially Jude.
All in all, I did enjoy reading this book. It kept me engaged until the very end, and for that, I’m grateful.
The story is cheesy and has almost no angst. I love Jude and Romeo together, and I usually enjoy childhood friends-to-lovers romances, though I personally prefer them with more anger and emotional tension. I can’t really complain too much, but some moments felt ridiculous, especially when he considered marrying a woman instead of expressing his feelings for the person he’d shared almost his entire childhood with.
I also didn’t enjoy reading about Romeo cheating on his wife, even if he wasn’t happy in that marriage. On top of that, I didn’t like how Jude didn’t stand up for him and often came across as hopeless.
That said, some parts were really cute, like when Romeo keeps tabs on Jude through a social media account, and how protective they were of each other, especially Jude.
All in all, I did enjoy reading this book. It kept me engaged until the very end, and for that, I’m grateful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2025
Loved them but i don't even know their last name😭 and Benji caused all this mess and got no smoke for it?! He's about to get it from me. RTC!!!
December 31, 2024
4.5 stars - close to perfection!!!!
This book was so, so, so good.
The FEELINGS were beyond anything I could have anticipated. The emotions, the pining, the overwhelming love pouring off the pages—absolutely floored me. I was completely swept away.
Honestly, this is one of the best MM novels I’ve read this year, and I truly believe it’s the author’s finest work yet.
What stood out the most was the exceptional writing. I rarely find myself so enamored with prose, but Romeo Falling was an absolute delight for the eyes, the brain, and the heart. ♡ It was a deeply emotional and satisfying read that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
This book was so, so, so good.
The FEELINGS were beyond anything I could have anticipated. The emotions, the pining, the overwhelming love pouring off the pages—absolutely floored me. I was completely swept away.
Honestly, this is one of the best MM novels I’ve read this year, and I truly believe it’s the author’s finest work yet.
What stood out the most was the exceptional writing. I rarely find myself so enamored with prose, but Romeo Falling was an absolute delight for the eyes, the brain, and the heart. ♡ It was a deeply emotional and satisfying read that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
September 2, 2024
"I didn’t realize it then, but that day in the pool was the first time he carved his name into my heart. He did it deeply. Deep enough to leave a fine, silvery thread of scar tissue. I didn’t mind or complain. Not at all. Hell, I cracked my own sternum and held my ribcage wide open, giving him the time and access he needed to cut as deeply as he wanted. I didn’t wince. I didn’t flinch or pull away. I stood still. I was such a dumbass. I looked on and smiled as he did it."
Honestly, I don't have enough good things to say about the heart-wrenchingly angsty and totally divine standalone Romeo Falling by the fabulous Jesse H. Reign.
Romeo Falling is an MM, best friends-to lovers-to enemies-to lovers romance, with some achingly beautiful moments between our MCs Romeo and Jude, all the steamy first times, so much pining and alllll the angst. The writing is just perfect and the single POV keeps you wondering until the end.
What To Expect:
❣️MM romance
❣️small town
❣️co-dependency
❣️childhood best friends to lovers to enemies to....
❣️all the firsts
❣️spicy but with love
❣️soulmates
❣️cheating (not between MCs)
❣️miscommunication
❣️single POV
❣️hard won HEA
"That was it. That was the moment I thought would set the course for the rest of my life. Even now, I could swear it was real. I could swear as I lay there beneath him, I saw Romeo falling."
One of my favourite reads this year, one of those that stays with you.
All the stars!
Honestly, I don't have enough good things to say about the heart-wrenchingly angsty and totally divine standalone Romeo Falling by the fabulous Jesse H. Reign.
Romeo Falling is an MM, best friends-to lovers-to enemies-to lovers romance, with some achingly beautiful moments between our MCs Romeo and Jude, all the steamy first times, so much pining and alllll the angst. The writing is just perfect and the single POV keeps you wondering until the end.
What To Expect:
❣️MM romance
❣️small town
❣️co-dependency
❣️childhood best friends to lovers to enemies to....
❣️all the firsts
❣️spicy but with love
❣️soulmates
❣️cheating (not between MCs)
❣️miscommunication
❣️single POV
❣️hard won HEA
"That was it. That was the moment I thought would set the course for the rest of my life. Even now, I could swear it was real. I could swear as I lay there beneath him, I saw Romeo falling."
One of my favourite reads this year, one of those that stays with you.
All the stars!
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