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Finding Family #2
The Family We Make
At seventeen, Rick Albright left his home, his parents and even his old name, rather than pretend to be straight. But being on his own was hard. When his big brother Sam found him, and insisted on giving him a place to stay, he didn't resist too long. Living with Sam is better than fighting just to survive, but it's not easy to find his balance in a simple, small-town life, after his time on the streets.
Travis Brinkerhoff finally managed to come out in college, his second year anyway. It was the one bright side to losing his baseball scholarship and jock status. But without money for tuition, second year came to an abrupt end. He's back in his small Minnesota hometown, and back in the closet. Travis feels like he's trying to fit into a life he's outgrown. If he's going to survive, he has to figure out a way to be his own man, maybe even have his own man, without losing the family he loves.
When he left the Marines, Sam Albright wanted nothing more than to find his missing younger brother. Mission accomplished. Now he's got an independent, possibly traumatized, openly gay young man on his hands, a girlfriend in a war zone overseas, and parents he has to lie to in order to keep the peace. Keeping it all together won't be easy, but Sam has never backed away from a challenge.
Travis Brinkerhoff finally managed to come out in college, his second year anyway. It was the one bright side to losing his baseball scholarship and jock status. But without money for tuition, second year came to an abrupt end. He's back in his small Minnesota hometown, and back in the closet. Travis feels like he's trying to fit into a life he's outgrown. If he's going to survive, he has to figure out a way to be his own man, maybe even have his own man, without losing the family he loves.
When he left the Marines, Sam Albright wanted nothing more than to find his missing younger brother. Mission accomplished. Now he's got an independent, possibly traumatized, openly gay young man on his hands, a girlfriend in a war zone overseas, and parents he has to lie to in order to keep the peace. Keeping it all together won't be easy, but Sam has never backed away from a challenge.
452 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2014
21 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Kaje Harper
91 books2,727 followersI get asked about my name a lot. It's not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers.
I was born in Montreal but have lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.
I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – fifty years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi…) I also have a few Young Adult stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
My husband finally convinced me that after all the years of writing for fun, I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts, and teachers who speak their minds, and I had fun writing four novels and three freebie short stories in that series. I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.
I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published. A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.com/.
You can find me and my book reviews on my author page here on Goodreads - I hang out on Goodreads a lot because I moderate the Goodreads YA LGBT Books group. I also post free short YA stories on that group, more than 50 of them so far.
You can also find me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
I was born in Montreal but have lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.
I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – fifty years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi…) I also have a few Young Adult stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
My husband finally convinced me that after all the years of writing for fun, I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts, and teachers who speak their minds, and I had fun writing four novels and three freebie short stories in that series. I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.
I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published. A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.com/.
You can find me and my book reviews on my author page here on Goodreads - I hang out on Goodreads a lot because I moderate the Goodreads YA LGBT Books group. I also post free short YA stories on that group, more than 50 of them so far.
You can also find me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
August 20, 2014
When you read and review a LOT of books, the temptation is sometimes to read through the book with the eye of all the things you can say that are right and potentially wrong with the story. It's hard to remember that I read to be entertained...and reviewing with a critical eye should be secondary to that.
Kaje Harper's stories make me forget that there's this blog and a review to be written. I find myself immersed in her stories and her characters...I don't look at it as bits to be scrutinzed but as a complete picture I'm watching being filled. I'm so rarely not entertained by a Harper book. "The Family We Make" is no exception.
This is the follow up to her novella, "The Family We're Born With" (which I loved) and it picks up right where that one left off. These books are about FAMILY...so yes, they're emotional and heavy and not always pretty and yet harmwarmingly faithful...and tugged at all my heartstrings.
Book 2 is about Rick (Clint), who we briefly hear about in the first book. Rick has run away from home and is living on the streets after not being accepted by his family for being gay. He's found by his brother, Sam (who is quite frankly, this RIDICULOUSLY yummy, upstanding, amazing man...) and the two of them figure out how to keep their make-shift family together and safe. Rick meets Travis, a semi-closeted young man forced to move back home from college due to financial reasons and we get to read about their blossoming romance. There's also a myriad of other side characters that contribute important parts to the picture.
This book is part NA love story (Rick's and Travis')...but not the only part. As I mentioned, there are lots of additional characters and intertwined relationships that contribute to what makes this story so robust. And though I DO LOVE the Rick and Travis story (how adorable is Travis...urgh...love that kid!), I love the growth and progression of ALL the various relationships in the book. And I LOVED getting more of Jesse and Devon from book 1.
The book is about love, acceptance, making a LIFE worth living...and yes, FAMILY. There is some tough content and sensitive subject-matter, but what really impressed me was that these were handled head-on. The author writes with such...COURAGE...to tackle these difficult topics and there was an authenticity to that. The word "BRAVE" comes to mind when I think of how these characters face life...but not in this in-your-face way, but very subtlely...in a way that draws the reader in and makes them not want to be anywhere else but immersed in this story.
The book did feel a bit long at times and there were a couple story-points I wasn't sure needed to be included (the Dora bits didn't do much for me personally). But this didn't distract or take away from my enjoyment of the book.
It's a powerful and heartfelt read...definitely recommended!
August 29, 2014
When I first saw the length of this book, I must admit that I was a bit worried. I mean, I am too used to novels in M/M genre for being around 50k - 75k. So a novel of 150k is like a "monster book" in my opinion. Even if I read some of lengthier novels in mainstream category (I pretty much inhaled those Rick Riordan's books) but I'm not sure if this one will be offering quite enough balance between story and drama.
Well, I guess that taught me a lesson to believe in Kaje Harper.
Because guess what, - that was perfect for ME. Just MY kind of book. My first reaction when I reached "The End" ... "What do you mean there are no more chapters??! I want more updates on these people!!". To think that it was lengthier side of a novel to begin with should show you how much I LOVED this.
My biggest admiration from this story was how Kaje Harper treated her characters. While she wrote about some of the familiar issues when it came to contemporary romance: fear of coming out, family that don't accept their son sexuality, a young man who resort to being on the road and trade sexual favors to survive ... but it never became a cliché for me. And I've read thousands M/M stories already.
Kaje was thoughtful and careful, she wrote nuances of her characters. It was never simply black and white. And when she added another issue for her character, she didn't write it just for the sake of angst or drama. She also brought her characters to a journey of finding strength from within and from others. It was such joy to read. I felt like I was reading about PEOPLE, not just two-dimensional characters.
I loved everything about this... Rick, Travis, Sam, Jeff, Dora (though I cringed every time I read her name, I mean really, doesn't "Dora The Explorer" come to your mind? LOL). They have their stories to share with me and I was gladly sit there and embraced them. Almost 500 pages of them.
So it was perfect. It was a story about love and family we make and everything in between.... and I wish Kaje adds 50k words more.
So yes, I got another 5-stars read. First one since April 2014. Kaje Harper. You. Are. Awesome.
Well, I guess that taught me a lesson to believe in Kaje Harper.
Because guess what, - that was perfect for ME. Just MY kind of book. My first reaction when I reached "The End" ... "What do you mean there are no more chapters??! I want more updates on these people!!". To think that it was lengthier side of a novel to begin with should show you how much I LOVED this.
My biggest admiration from this story was how Kaje Harper treated her characters. While she wrote about some of the familiar issues when it came to contemporary romance: fear of coming out, family that don't accept their son sexuality, a young man who resort to being on the road and trade sexual favors to survive ... but it never became a cliché for me. And I've read thousands M/M stories already.
Kaje was thoughtful and careful, she wrote nuances of her characters. It was never simply black and white. And when she added another issue for her character, she didn't write it just for the sake of angst or drama. She also brought her characters to a journey of finding strength from within and from others. It was such joy to read. I felt like I was reading about PEOPLE, not just two-dimensional characters.
I loved everything about this... Rick, Travis, Sam, Jeff, Dora (though I cringed every time I read her name, I mean really, doesn't "Dora The Explorer" come to your mind? LOL). They have their stories to share with me and I was gladly sit there and embraced them. Almost 500 pages of them.
So it was perfect. It was a story about love and family we make and everything in between.... and I wish Kaje adds 50k words more.
So yes, I got another 5-stars read. First one since April 2014. Kaje Harper. You. Are. Awesome.
August 18, 2014
A five star read...I'm not surprised, it is Kaje Harper!A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.
When a request to review Kaje Harper's new book, The Family We Make, came into the clubhouse I barged all the other Unicorns out of the way to get to it first. I may have felt a little guilty, but Kaje Harper is one of my all time favourite authors, so the chance to read and review this for the blog was a privilege. This book is a self-published sequel to her free story, The Family We're Born With, and does indeed also feature the characters from that book.
I never thought I'd find another character I liked as much as Mac from Kaje's Life Lessons series (I seriously LOVE Mac), but in this book I have to admit I totally fell for Rick. He is petty much the complete opposite to Mac, yet I loved every single thing about him. He's seventeen (turns eighteen in the book), a runaway, out and proud, mouthy... and so, so, so amazing. This is a boy who is not afraid of life. He is honourable - he has his beliefs and he will stick by them, no matter what. He is incredibly loyal (okay maybe that is a Mac trait) and, despite his attitude, he has a heart of gold. Except that phrase never makes logical sense to me - he has a heart of love. Fierce, loyal love. This is a boy who has taken the crap that life has chucked his way...and acted like a seventeen year old. But then he starts to grow up. Yep, he grows up, but he doesn't forgo who he is, in order to fit into someone elses (ostensibly his parents') ideal of who he should be. I don't think I can praise Rick enough. He is hard working, but so real. Kind - if you can find it under the layered sarcasm, and witty retorts. And unapologetic about being himself. Good for you Rick, good for you.
Travis is the quiet twenty year old who is the uber-responsible oldest son, in a family full of children and money worries. The family has a younger son who is often ill and they can't afford for Travis to stay in college for the next semester. But Travis doesn't complain, he deals quietly with the pain of having to move back home - even if he does get caught underage drinking by the local law enforcement and made to do some voluntary public service work (where he meets Rick). Travis is gay, but closeted in his home town. Rick is definitely not in the closet and Travis sticks up for him when he is dealing with some bullying. Slowly, the two become friends, then more. Travis's family though will be a different matter altogether, if he ever finds the guts to tell him.
Sam, Rick's older brother and one of the MC's in the first book, features a lot, we also re-meet Jesse and Devin among others. As ever, Kaje has a super mix of characters. They are all very human, none of that black and white, good and bad stuff. The 'goodies' aren't perfect and the 'baddies' aren't pure evil. They are all real. I feel she invites you to try and understand the homophobia from the parents' point of view. Not to agree with it, or condone it, but to understand it. We also meet Dora, the love of Sam's life, and she is a wonderful character - even though her appearances are brief.
Kaje's books always manage to be dramatic without containing an overload of drama for drama's sake. Every action has a reaction, a consequence and the characters deal with them as they come up. They do not overreact in an annoying way, everything is there to back up the story, not to create it. if that makes any sense. I'm not sure I can explain properly just how much I appreciate this quality of her stories. While they are NEVER boring, they are also never melodramatic. I feel almost as if these are real people and I have so much empathy and good will for them. This book is far from easy in places, it deals with some very sad and horrible situations. But these situations are dealt with so well. As much as my heart was breaking at times, it was also holding together because I knew things would be okay. Not ideal, but okay.
I loved this story. I loved Rick and I loved Rick and Travis's love story. Oh lord, I really loved the love story. My Kaje Harper bug has bitten again, I'm going to have to try and find something I've not yet read from her yet to subdue it. Thanks Uni's for letting me have this one!
Loved this very much, review previously at
.
When a request to review Kaje Harper's new book, The Family We Make, came into the clubhouse I barged all the other Unicorns out of the way to get to it first. I may have felt a little guilty, but Kaje Harper is one of my all time favourite authors, so the chance to read and review this for the blog was a privilege. This book is a self-published sequel to her free story, The Family We're Born With, and does indeed also feature the characters from that book.
I never thought I'd find another character I liked as much as Mac from Kaje's Life Lessons series (I seriously LOVE Mac), but in this book I have to admit I totally fell for Rick. He is petty much the complete opposite to Mac, yet I loved every single thing about him. He's seventeen (turns eighteen in the book), a runaway, out and proud, mouthy... and so, so, so amazing. This is a boy who is not afraid of life. He is honourable - he has his beliefs and he will stick by them, no matter what. He is incredibly loyal (okay maybe that is a Mac trait) and, despite his attitude, he has a heart of gold. Except that phrase never makes logical sense to me - he has a heart of love. Fierce, loyal love. This is a boy who has taken the crap that life has chucked his way...and acted like a seventeen year old. But then he starts to grow up. Yep, he grows up, but he doesn't forgo who he is, in order to fit into someone elses (ostensibly his parents') ideal of who he should be. I don't think I can praise Rick enough. He is hard working, but so real. Kind - if you can find it under the layered sarcasm, and witty retorts. And unapologetic about being himself. Good for you Rick, good for you.
Travis is the quiet twenty year old who is the uber-responsible oldest son, in a family full of children and money worries. The family has a younger son who is often ill and they can't afford for Travis to stay in college for the next semester. But Travis doesn't complain, he deals quietly with the pain of having to move back home - even if he does get caught underage drinking by the local law enforcement and made to do some voluntary public service work (where he meets Rick). Travis is gay, but closeted in his home town. Rick is definitely not in the closet and Travis sticks up for him when he is dealing with some bullying. Slowly, the two become friends, then more. Travis's family though will be a different matter altogether, if he ever finds the guts to tell him.
Sam, Rick's older brother and one of the MC's in the first book, features a lot, we also re-meet Jesse and Devin among others. As ever, Kaje has a super mix of characters. They are all very human, none of that black and white, good and bad stuff. The 'goodies' aren't perfect and the 'baddies' aren't pure evil. They are all real. I feel she invites you to try and understand the homophobia from the parents' point of view. Not to agree with it, or condone it, but to understand it. We also meet Dora, the love of Sam's life, and she is a wonderful character - even though her appearances are brief.
Kaje's books always manage to be dramatic without containing an overload of drama for drama's sake. Every action has a reaction, a consequence and the characters deal with them as they come up. They do not overreact in an annoying way, everything is there to back up the story, not to create it. if that makes any sense. I'm not sure I can explain properly just how much I appreciate this quality of her stories. While they are NEVER boring, they are also never melodramatic. I feel almost as if these are real people and I have so much empathy and good will for them. This book is far from easy in places, it deals with some very sad and horrible situations. But these situations are dealt with so well. As much as my heart was breaking at times, it was also holding together because I knew things would be okay. Not ideal, but okay.
I loved this story. I loved Rick and I loved Rick and Travis's love story. Oh lord, I really loved the love story. My Kaje Harper bug has bitten again, I'm going to have to try and find something I've not yet read from her yet to subdue it. Thanks Uni's for letting me have this one!
Loved this very much, review previously at
.
December 22, 2021
4.5 rounded up. This book was GREAT and unusual when it comes to M/M romance which was a nice change. We have a large cast and three POVs (as hinted at in the blurb) : Sam a 30 year old army vet who is straight, his 17-18 year old gay brother (through adoption) Rick and Travis a 20 year old closeted guy. Those three are at crossroads in their lives and need changes. Sam has just left the army but his girlfriend is still deployed and he does not have a job. Rick ran away from home 8 months prior, has lived on the streets and dropped out of high school (you really need to read the free novella The Family We're Born With to get how Rick and Sam reconnect and get to know other secondary characters). Rick is a very difficult character to like but he grew on me because he grew up in the book (thank goodness for that). Travis is home for Christmas break and his parents can't pay for him to go back to college so he has to drop out and get back in the closet (he was out in college, kind of). They all need a new path. I won't spoil it further because going in blind is better IMHO (which I didn't and regretted). This really is slice of life story in the sense that we follow those three characters over 3-4 months as they create a found family together with the support of Jeff, Devin, Jesse and others. They have homophobia and homophobic family members to contend with, you have open hostility but also more low-key, run of the mill homophobia and that nuance was nice to see. Nothing felt preachy or OTT, they talk things through, support each other when needed and everyone reacts to events realistically, even the people I wanted to slap in the face. Now my niggles: I wanted more of Sam and Dora's relationship, I get this is M/M and that may displease some readers but I personally wanted more and even sex scenes (that we don't get). Because it is slice of life, we don't get an epilogue, so several important questions remain unanswered. The book did not feel unfinished but again I wanted a bit more. I mean, give me another book with those people because I could see that, and would read it. Pretty please Kaje Harper. I now need something more fluffy, it's a very hopeful story but the characters are put through the ringer.
August 18, 2014
4.5 stars
A well rounded story with wonderful MCs. I especially liked big brother Sam and his being in love with Dora. I enjoyed reading a long book, as there aren't very many in the M/M genre. Nevertheless, this one was full of developments, enough for two books, easily. At some point I found it rather too much, both the happy stuff and the heavy stuff. And it just didn't stop. Well, in the end there was a very nice HEA wrapping everything up.
A well rounded story with wonderful MCs. I especially liked big brother Sam and his being in love with Dora. I enjoyed reading a long book, as there aren't very many in the M/M genre. Nevertheless, this one was full of developments, enough for two books, easily. At some point I found it rather too much, both the happy stuff and the heavy stuff. And it just didn't stop. Well, in the end there was a very nice HEA wrapping everything up.
September 6, 2014
This was...real. This isn't all about sunshine and rainbows. This is about love. Love of family. Love of friends. Love of your significant others. This was heartbreaking and beautiful. My heart ached for these boys, but when it was all said and done? There was love and hope. This was truly a family that was made. Sometimes those are the best.
May 4, 2016
I probably should wait to write this. I’ve only finished the book like five minutes ago and normally I at least sleep on my review so that I have time to find the right words. But I think I might lose something if I let this one go for any length of time. I think this one might just need to be whatever is banging around in my head right now.
I just want to warn you guys that there is going to be a section of this review that is going to be heavy on the spoilers. I advise you to avoid it, if you have not read this book yet. Not knowing what is going to happen is a big part of this book, and I kinda want you to enjoy all the anticipation–and, yes, the pain–as the characters experience it. It is part of what makes this book so damn good. So, avoid reading my spoilers, because I honestly want to talk about what happens in this book–I kinda have to–but I don’t want to ruin the story for you.
Oh…and another thing…I would advise that you read The Family We're Born With, the 1st book in the series, before you read this one. It is only like 50 pages long (and free), but it will help set you up for this book. You might be able to read this book without it, but I wouldn’t.
Now, to the ((extremely) long-ass) review…
Escaping the hell of the streets should have been a good thing for Rick. And it was. He now has his brother back, and he has food, and clean clothes, and a lot of things he would have probably sold his ass to have only a few weeks ago. Rick has a lot to be thankful for…but some part of him is still that angry kid who left home because he couldn’t be both ‘son’ and ‘gay’ at the same time. Some part of him can’t trust that this isn’t just a dream that he is going to wake up from–-or even worse, that it is reality. Because Rick Albright has lived in the real world, and it’s not so pretty.
Travis was this close to having what he always wanted. A chance to be out, a chance to be free. But then he got cut from the baseball team, lost his scholarship, and had to return back to Minnesota-–and a small, cramped closet. He loves his family, and they love him…but he doesn’t know if that is enough. If it will be enough when he tells them that he is gay. Will twenty years of love and support still exist after he asks them to chose him over their church?
Sam has faced a lot in his life. War, near-death experiences, coming home to find that his kid brother has taken off for parts unknown. So Sam has faced a lot, and he has been strong thru it all. He got home, he survived, and he even found his brother-–a little worse for wear, but alive. Sam knows how to be strong. But he doesn’t have a clue how to handle a 17 year old kid who have lived almost the last year on the streets. Or who is gay. Or who is now falling in love. But he’ll stick it out, because that is what he does. Because that is how he loves.
This isn’t the life any of these three guys expected. But then again, who expects buttfucking-cold Minnesota to be where everything finally starts to come together? Or where everything starts to fall apart. But this is where they are, for better or for worse, and they’ll just have to make it stick-–because this is the life they have been given, and this is the family they’ll have to make.
I don’t think I have the words to properly describe how much I love this book. Which seeing as I am having to write a review of it, is rather inconvenient. This book…this book just is pretty damn near perfect. At least for me. The writing is so very damn good, and I lost count of how many times I lost track of the time or (oh fucking hell, I did it again…*runs off to rescue kettle from the stove*) how many times I forgot I had water boiling away in my kettle for tea. This book sucked me in and stuck on me, like a rather inconvenient stain, when I tried to walk away. Even when I had to put it down to get some other reading done, this story, these guys, still had a hold on me. That doesn’t happen nearly enough. Which is probably a good thing, really, since I don’t have the money to keep replacing my tea kettle.
There is so much I love about this book, that it is kinda hard to figure out what to say here-–what needs to said, what needs to left out…I just don’t know. So I am going to ramble at you guys for a bit. Mostly because I can.
A lot of stuff has gone down in my family, as of late. My sister decided to come out as trans, and to say that it has upset a large portion of my ultra-conservative, extremely religious, family, would be a bit of an understatement. The thing is, they were so very kind about the way they went about hurting her. So polite, so nice. And it about damn well killed me, and I wasn’t even the one they were attacking. So yeah, when Travis’ family found out that he was gay, and they were so polite about it, so damn quiet-–no shouting, no recriminations or damnations to hell-–just silent judgment, I got why it hurt. Because it hurts when your family chooses an idea over you. When they make you feel bad for them having to make a choice, when you never wanted to even ask them to–-because you were always afraid of who’d they’d end up choosing.
It can hurt just as badly as them telling you that you no longer even exist for them. That they hate you. Because it is all the same, in a way. You have no idea how much I despise the phrase ‘hate the sin, but love the sinner.’ Because that is what they make you. You are nothing more than a thing, a ‘sinner.’ Not brother, or sister, or daughter, son, husband, wife, or friend. You become the embodiment of everything they hate, and no other part of you matters. So while Travis’ parents didn’t throw him out, didn’t yell, didn’t strike him or call him slurs, they hurt him all the same. And yet, you want to hope that it is better than all that. That the lack of hate in their voice means that there is hope. That given enough time they will see the truth.
There is so much hope in this book. About as much as there is hurt. A fine balance between pain and healing, between past and future. I don’t want to say that there’s a lot of angst in this book, because it doesn’t feel like agnst. It feels like life-–good, heartbreaking life. And that you can cry but still want to push on, to know that even hope tinged with sadness is a good enough reason to keep going, makes this a great book. Because this book may know how to hurt you, but it also knows how to hold you together.
I think the title of this book is perfect. The Family We Make. As I have grown up, it has become pretty obvious that sometimes it is the family we make, and not the family made for us, that is what matters in the end. I would not give up my mother, or my sisters and brother for anything in the world. They are a part of me, so deeply that I don’t know if I could live without them. But part of that is knowing that they will never ask me to be anything but what I am. They will tease me, and push me, and force me face some hard facts about my life–-but I know down in my soul that they are it for me. They are family, out of blood and tears and threats of blackmail. And this family that these guys cobble together, out of lovers, friends, and random pieces of their kin, is probably stronger because it took so long to make it. No one is perfect, and they certainly all have their weaknesses, but they hold each other up in the way that families do. In the way they need.
These characters have flaws, all of them. Rick is abrasive and bull-headed, Travis is a bit too self-sacrificing, and Sam isn’t always perfectly supportive of everything Rick does in regards to his appearance or sexuality. But because of their flaws, you know that they are real. Well, as real as fictional characters can get. No one is perfect here, no one is just there to educate the viewership on the ‘right way’ to act or react to any given situation. They are flawed, and learning to live in a world and a life that is just as flawed. And so am I. So we are a good fit.
This book wowed me is so many different ways. It made the hard choices, it took the path less taken. It showed us a world that is not all glitz and glamour, but is also damn well worth living. It made me cry. And laugh. Then cry again. I don’t have the words so say how much I loved this book (despite what the length of this review might say otherwise), but I know that it touched me in a way so few books do. Maybe it was because so much of it resonated for me, in my life at this moment, but I genuinely think that it is just one of the great books in this genre.
And that is all I have to say about that.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I just want to warn you guys that there is going to be a section of this review that is going to be heavy on the spoilers. I advise you to avoid it, if you have not read this book yet. Not knowing what is going to happen is a big part of this book, and I kinda want you to enjoy all the anticipation–and, yes, the pain–as the characters experience it. It is part of what makes this book so damn good. So, avoid reading my spoilers, because I honestly want to talk about what happens in this book–I kinda have to–but I don’t want to ruin the story for you.
Oh…and another thing…I would advise that you read The Family We're Born With, the 1st book in the series, before you read this one. It is only like 50 pages long (and free), but it will help set you up for this book. You might be able to read this book without it, but I wouldn’t.
Now, to the ((extremely) long-ass) review…
Escaping the hell of the streets should have been a good thing for Rick. And it was. He now has his brother back, and he has food, and clean clothes, and a lot of things he would have probably sold his ass to have only a few weeks ago. Rick has a lot to be thankful for…but some part of him is still that angry kid who left home because he couldn’t be both ‘son’ and ‘gay’ at the same time. Some part of him can’t trust that this isn’t just a dream that he is going to wake up from–-or even worse, that it is reality. Because Rick Albright has lived in the real world, and it’s not so pretty.
Travis was this close to having what he always wanted. A chance to be out, a chance to be free. But then he got cut from the baseball team, lost his scholarship, and had to return back to Minnesota-–and a small, cramped closet. He loves his family, and they love him…but he doesn’t know if that is enough. If it will be enough when he tells them that he is gay. Will twenty years of love and support still exist after he asks them to chose him over their church?
Sam has faced a lot in his life. War, near-death experiences, coming home to find that his kid brother has taken off for parts unknown. So Sam has faced a lot, and he has been strong thru it all. He got home, he survived, and he even found his brother-–a little worse for wear, but alive. Sam knows how to be strong. But he doesn’t have a clue how to handle a 17 year old kid who have lived almost the last year on the streets. Or who is gay. Or who is now falling in love. But he’ll stick it out, because that is what he does. Because that is how he loves.
This isn’t the life any of these three guys expected. But then again, who expects buttfucking-cold Minnesota to be where everything finally starts to come together? Or where everything starts to fall apart. But this is where they are, for better or for worse, and they’ll just have to make it stick-–because this is the life they have been given, and this is the family they’ll have to make.
I don’t think I have the words to properly describe how much I love this book. Which seeing as I am having to write a review of it, is rather inconvenient. This book…this book just is pretty damn near perfect. At least for me. The writing is so very damn good, and I lost count of how many times I lost track of the time or (oh fucking hell, I did it again…*runs off to rescue kettle from the stove*) how many times I forgot I had water boiling away in my kettle for tea. This book sucked me in and stuck on me, like a rather inconvenient stain, when I tried to walk away. Even when I had to put it down to get some other reading done, this story, these guys, still had a hold on me. That doesn’t happen nearly enough. Which is probably a good thing, really, since I don’t have the money to keep replacing my tea kettle.
There is so much I love about this book, that it is kinda hard to figure out what to say here-–what needs to said, what needs to left out…I just don’t know. So I am going to ramble at you guys for a bit. Mostly because I can.
A lot of stuff has gone down in my family, as of late. My sister decided to come out as trans, and to say that it has upset a large portion of my ultra-conservative, extremely religious, family, would be a bit of an understatement. The thing is, they were so very kind about the way they went about hurting her. So polite, so nice. And it about damn well killed me, and I wasn’t even the one they were attacking. So yeah, when Travis’ family found out that he was gay, and they were so polite about it, so damn quiet-–no shouting, no recriminations or damnations to hell-–just silent judgment, I got why it hurt. Because it hurts when your family chooses an idea over you. When they make you feel bad for them having to make a choice, when you never wanted to even ask them to–-because you were always afraid of who’d they’d end up choosing.
It can hurt just as badly as them telling you that you no longer even exist for them. That they hate you. Because it is all the same, in a way. You have no idea how much I despise the phrase ‘hate the sin, but love the sinner.’ Because that is what they make you. You are nothing more than a thing, a ‘sinner.’ Not brother, or sister, or daughter, son, husband, wife, or friend. You become the embodiment of everything they hate, and no other part of you matters. So while Travis’ parents didn’t throw him out, didn’t yell, didn’t strike him or call him slurs, they hurt him all the same. And yet, you want to hope that it is better than all that. That the lack of hate in their voice means that there is hope. That given enough time they will see the truth.
There is so much hope in this book. About as much as there is hurt. A fine balance between pain and healing, between past and future. I don’t want to say that there’s a lot of angst in this book, because it doesn’t feel like agnst. It feels like life-–good, heartbreaking life. And that you can cry but still want to push on, to know that even hope tinged with sadness is a good enough reason to keep going, makes this a great book. Because this book may know how to hurt you, but it also knows how to hold you together.
I think the title of this book is perfect. The Family We Make. As I have grown up, it has become pretty obvious that sometimes it is the family we make, and not the family made for us, that is what matters in the end. I would not give up my mother, or my sisters and brother for anything in the world. They are a part of me, so deeply that I don’t know if I could live without them. But part of that is knowing that they will never ask me to be anything but what I am. They will tease me, and push me, and force me face some hard facts about my life–-but I know down in my soul that they are it for me. They are family, out of blood and tears and threats of blackmail. And this family that these guys cobble together, out of lovers, friends, and random pieces of their kin, is probably stronger because it took so long to make it. No one is perfect, and they certainly all have their weaknesses, but they hold each other up in the way that families do. In the way they need.
These characters have flaws, all of them. Rick is abrasive and bull-headed, Travis is a bit too self-sacrificing, and Sam isn’t always perfectly supportive of everything Rick does in regards to his appearance or sexuality. But because of their flaws, you know that they are real. Well, as real as fictional characters can get. No one is perfect here, no one is just there to educate the viewership on the ‘right way’ to act or react to any given situation. They are flawed, and learning to live in a world and a life that is just as flawed. And so am I. So we are a good fit.
This book wowed me is so many different ways. It made the hard choices, it took the path less taken. It showed us a world that is not all glitz and glamour, but is also damn well worth living. It made me cry. And laugh. Then cry again. I don’t have the words so say how much I loved this book (despite what the length of this review might say otherwise), but I know that it touched me in a way so few books do. Maybe it was because so much of it resonated for me, in my life at this moment, but I genuinely think that it is just one of the great books in this genre.
And that is all I have to say about that.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
June 15, 2021
One of my favorite reads of 2021 so far.
September 16, 2014
This is a tricky one for me to rate.
While there was nothing bad about this book, and there were certainly plenty of emotional moments, plus a slight twist on the expected, I found myself rather often wishing I was at the end already. It just seemed to drag in places for me.
Travis was absolutely brilliant, I loved him to pieces. Rick on the other hand annoyed me quite often. I was all ready to be totally on his side from the little we saw in book one, but after getting to know him he turned out to be rather whinny and spoilt. Wanting everything his way and damn the rest attitude really did not appeal to me.
Sam was as perfect as before, I really rather enjoyed his own little romance.
While there were times I was certainly hooked on the story, especially the times with Travis facing his parents, there were just too many other times I found my mind wandering and checking the page count to see how much longer I had to go that stopped me from really enjoying this one, so I'm gonna go with a 3 star.
While there was nothing bad about this book, and there were certainly plenty of emotional moments, plus a slight twist on the expected, I found myself rather often wishing I was at the end already. It just seemed to drag in places for me.
Travis was absolutely brilliant, I loved him to pieces. Rick on the other hand annoyed me quite often. I was all ready to be totally on his side from the little we saw in book one, but after getting to know him he turned out to be rather whinny and spoilt. Wanting everything his way and damn the rest attitude really did not appeal to me.
Sam was as perfect as before, I really rather enjoyed his own little romance.
While there were times I was certainly hooked on the story, especially the times with Travis facing his parents, there were just too many other times I found my mind wandering and checking the page count to see how much longer I had to go that stopped me from really enjoying this one, so I'm gonna go with a 3 star.
August 18, 2014
I did not want this to end.
Just sayin'
Loved this so much.
Just sayin'
Loved this so much.
May 6, 2016
I loved and hated and loved this book. There's really no words I can say that will do this story justice. The characters were complex and flawed and nuanced and so bloody human. I didn't love them (other than Sam and Jeff) from a "this man is just so endearing" romance hero way. The main characters are not endearing, they are sometimes annoying and so frustrating with their actions. Rick in particular was tough sometimes because he was written very well as a 17 year old with all that entails. And yet Rick and Travis were just every man it seemed in what they dealt with. And I loved them for their humanity.
September 1, 2014
I liked this a lot. It is long, that is true. But there are many wonderful fully fleshed out characters and plots that you are busy and entertained reading them. So you are never bored.
October 24, 2016
I was looking for something really good and when I saw this on my Kindle I went for it. I was a bit apprehensive because it's a very long book by my standards, over 6600 Kindle locations. I went back and read my review for The Family We're Born With which was only a 2 star read.
I didn't like Rick at all. When a book loses me it's really hard for it to find me again. I read faithfully up to 16%. I didn't understand the family dynamics. I take it that Gayle was Sam's biological mother but why did she give him up? It appears that Sam and Rick are biological brothers so do they have the same father? I wanted to understand why Gayle gave up Sam in the first place. Maybe that was lost on me because I practically skipped to the end after 16%.
The one thing that I could appreciate . . .
I didn't like Rick at all. When a book loses me it's really hard for it to find me again. I read faithfully up to 16%. I didn't understand the family dynamics. I take it that Gayle was Sam's biological mother but why did she give him up? It appears that Sam and Rick are biological brothers so do they have the same father? I wanted to understand why Gayle gave up Sam in the first place. Maybe that was lost on me because I practically skipped to the end after 16%.
The one thing that I could appreciate . . .
November 24, 2020
Re-read 11/23-24/20: Still soooo good, and now I can say that as someone who's lived through two MN winters. I had forgotten about a few essential things since the first time I read this, including why Dora is leaving the Army and what is going on with both Travis and his family situation. All three of these things made me tear up while reading, which I consider a sign of a fantastic story. I hope I can be as supportive of the people in my life as Jeff is, every day, without fanfare or fuss.
Beautiful complex family in so many forms! Sam is such a good guy -- I think we all need a brother like him, no matter what other family we have. Rick and Travis...these are fantastic guys, and they both deserve every good thing. I think Jeff is not going to be lonely in that big house ever again, with all these wonderful new family members living there. This series is definitely going onto my "read in case of editor despair" shelf!
Beautiful complex family in so many forms! Sam is such a good guy -- I think we all need a brother like him, no matter what other family we have. Rick and Travis...these are fantastic guys, and they both deserve every good thing. I think Jeff is not going to be lonely in that big house ever again, with all these wonderful new family members living there. This series is definitely going onto my "read in case of editor despair" shelf!
November 19, 2014
3.75 stars
I really enjoyed book 1. Jesse & Devin was honestly a cute couple. I wish their book was longer, but *crossing fingers* that they'll get book 3 dedicated to them.
Wow, this book but me through the ringer big time. I really enjoyed Sam in this book, he stepped up tremendously. I liked Travis alot and felt bad that he has to go through this illness, but it's nowhere like it was in the 80's that's for sure.
My biggest issue was Rick, I'm sorry he might be young, but he didn't seem grateful enough for me at times, or respect Travis's wishes at times. I got over things pretty quickly. I do respect Kaje for not writing the stereotypical stories. I can say that.
I really enjoyed book 1. Jesse & Devin was honestly a cute couple. I wish their book was longer, but *crossing fingers* that they'll get book 3 dedicated to them.
Wow, this book but me through the ringer big time. I really enjoyed Sam in this book, he stepped up tremendously. I liked Travis alot and felt bad that he has to go through this illness, but it's nowhere like it was in the 80's that's for sure.
My biggest issue was Rick, I'm sorry he might be young, but he didn't seem grateful enough for me at times, or respect Travis's wishes at times. I got over things pretty quickly. I do respect Kaje for not writing the stereotypical stories. I can say that.
December 5, 2022
This is a reread. It is an excellent book. I wish she'd write more about these great characters.
December 16, 2014
This book is on my list of the top five favorite M/M romances I've read in 2014.
Of the M/M romance stories I've read recently this has been one of the most memorable. The persistence of the story in my memory is so strong while so many other M/M stories no longer stand out in my mind, The Family We Make stays on my mind. Let's start out right away by saying our MCs Rick and Travis get their Happily Ever After. An HAE is mandatory for me.
I'm still freezing from the winter the people in this book endured. Rick and Travis may not have figured out everything about life yet but they sure figured out the most important part is to have a loving, supportive partner by your side. Anything else they can handle although they handled it a whole lot better with a family created from those who love and support them most: landlord whose who's as loving as a favorite uncle and a big brother who's as loving as loving as a brother and father and best friend all in one. Add one more to the family. Add the strong, wise and loving soldier in Afghanistan as she heads home. She is the big brother's romance. She's terrific and they both earned a HEA too.
With the rough times these these young men endured they needed the warm hearts of a fine 'family'. These are the primary characters that drove the story for me and had me turning pages so eagerly. I looked at the number of pages before writing this and thought, really? I enjoyed Kaje Harper's "The Family We Make" so much I never realized it was such a big book. And there was no padding. There was nothing to take out except the snow and subzero temperatures because that Minnesota winter still makes me want to sit under a pile of blankets.
Of the M/M romance stories I've read recently this has been one of the most memorable. The persistence of the story in my memory is so strong while so many other M/M stories no longer stand out in my mind, The Family We Make stays on my mind. Let's start out right away by saying our MCs Rick and Travis get their Happily Ever After. An HAE is mandatory for me.
I'm still freezing from the winter the people in this book endured. Rick and Travis may not have figured out everything about life yet but they sure figured out the most important part is to have a loving, supportive partner by your side. Anything else they can handle although they handled it a whole lot better with a family created from those who love and support them most: landlord whose who's as loving as a favorite uncle and a big brother who's as loving as loving as a brother and father and best friend all in one. Add one more to the family. Add the strong, wise and loving soldier in Afghanistan as she heads home. She is the big brother's romance. She's terrific and they both earned a HEA too.
With the rough times these these young men endured they needed the warm hearts of a fine 'family'. These are the primary characters that drove the story for me and had me turning pages so eagerly. I looked at the number of pages before writing this and thought, really? I enjoyed Kaje Harper's "The Family We Make" so much I never realized it was such a big book. And there was no padding. There was nothing to take out except the snow and subzero temperatures because that Minnesota winter still makes me want to sit under a pile of blankets.
September 7, 2014
It's no surprise that I really liked this. Again Kaje Harper manages to write a book full of drama, heartbreak, love and hope and everything feels so real. Rick and Travis are a great pair. Travis is struggling with being home and closeted again after having spent time at college finally coming out to his friends. Rick has spent 8 months on the street and did what he needed to survive. With Sam out of the Marines and Rick now safe with him, Sam is willing to do anything he can to keep his brother safe. As the relationship between Rick and Travis grows, they face some heartbreaking obstacles, some of which will affect them for the rest of their lives. At the end though, the story is about love and hope and making a family with those who will accept you, faults and all.
As always, the writing is straightforward and heartfelt with well drawn secondary characters that play important parts in the story and the ending left me wanting more.
As always, the writing is straightforward and heartfelt with well drawn secondary characters that play important parts in the story and the ending left me wanting more.
August 17, 2014
loved loved loved
August 15, 2014
Happy Release Day!!! eARC Review: The Family We Make (Finding Family #2) by Kaje Harper
This book opens to where The Family We're Born With closed. The usual suspects introduced in the first book are here, and all the better for it. When Sam Albright finally finds his younger brother, Clint, he has all thoughts of how to set things right between his adoptive parents and their natural son. But thoughts and plans do not necessarily follow the path and instead, can divert into a totally different road, to some place more challenging.
Clint, now Rick, was an out and proud gay but this was not a 'behavior' his parents wanted. At sixteen, he runs away from home thinking he could get a better life away from their judging eyes and minds. Then again, life had other plans and instead of going the straight and narrow path, Rick encounters one that diverges into so many directions he never even dreamed to go. Now Sam is here. He had been through hell and Sam finding him and never giving up on him, may just be the answer and sure guide that he needs.
New to this story is Travis. A promising young man, he loses his scholarship in college and eventually, had to quit school because of the lack of funds. Something that is getting more and more common these days. To top it off, his having to move back to his parents' house meant he had to conform to his family's and community's norms like going back deep into the closet. His parents' financial and spiritual woes are piling up, he cannot afford to make them worry more. Once more, life gets in the way, throwing him into a path he was not willing to face and dealing with it may not be an action he could willingly do.
When Travis and Rick fall in love, they had one person they knew who would back them up, no matter what: Sam.
This was such a beautiful read, especially as the first book opened all the right doors to pave the way for this one. True, that first book may have not prepared me, specifically, for how life turned the tables on these young men, but it definitely was enough. The strength these men gain from loving and supporting each other is a strength learned and earned. Together they can face what unexpected and unwanted surprises life will throw their way. They are, after all, a family created by need.
Three men's lives here are converging around their families. Some are not so willing, some are not so open, and some are just very accepting. What these three young men have to do is live their lives where it takes them, and in the process, make their own family, because "Real family doesn’t let go when it gets a little ugly."
Beautiful read! Just Beautiful.
This book opens to where The Family We're Born With closed. The usual suspects introduced in the first book are here, and all the better for it. When Sam Albright finally finds his younger brother, Clint, he has all thoughts of how to set things right between his adoptive parents and their natural son. But thoughts and plans do not necessarily follow the path and instead, can divert into a totally different road, to some place more challenging.
Clint, now Rick, was an out and proud gay but this was not a 'behavior' his parents wanted. At sixteen, he runs away from home thinking he could get a better life away from their judging eyes and minds. Then again, life had other plans and instead of going the straight and narrow path, Rick encounters one that diverges into so many directions he never even dreamed to go. Now Sam is here. He had been through hell and Sam finding him and never giving up on him, may just be the answer and sure guide that he needs.
New to this story is Travis. A promising young man, he loses his scholarship in college and eventually, had to quit school because of the lack of funds. Something that is getting more and more common these days. To top it off, his having to move back to his parents' house meant he had to conform to his family's and community's norms like going back deep into the closet. His parents' financial and spiritual woes are piling up, he cannot afford to make them worry more. Once more, life gets in the way, throwing him into a path he was not willing to face and dealing with it may not be an action he could willingly do.
When Travis and Rick fall in love, they had one person they knew who would back them up, no matter what: Sam.
This was such a beautiful read, especially as the first book opened all the right doors to pave the way for this one. True, that first book may have not prepared me, specifically, for how life turned the tables on these young men, but it definitely was enough. The strength these men gain from loving and supporting each other is a strength learned and earned. Together they can face what unexpected and unwanted surprises life will throw their way. They are, after all, a family created by need.
Three men's lives here are converging around their families. Some are not so willing, some are not so open, and some are just very accepting. What these three young men have to do is live their lives where it takes them, and in the process, make their own family, because "Real family doesn’t let go when it gets a little ugly."
Beautiful read! Just Beautiful.
April 28, 2016
The sequel to The Family We’re Born With, this one is a full-length novel and follows Sam Albright’s search for his brother Clint. Clint is now calling himself Rick and when Sam finally finds him, it’s the support of his birth mom and new brother, Jesse, which gives him strength to deal with the outspoken, rebellious young man he locates.
Staying in Minnesota, Sam takes on a job with a local heavy equipment mechanic while awaiting the discharge of his Army girlfriend, Dora. He finds a home with Jeff who also welcomes Rick into his home, and when Rick finds someone with whom he can be himself, the young man, Travis, finds himself drawn into the circle of the family Rick and Sam are making.
This is a long and complex story, as the author builds the characters and the family they are making, slowly but surely. It’s a pleasure to read along as Rick and Travis grow to love each other, and Sam realizes how much he’s hoping Dora feels about him the way he feels about her. Visits with Jesse and his partner, Darren, as well as with the rest of the Calhoun family enrich the experience. Add to that, Jeff, the nice older guy who welcomes all these potential misfits, who now aren’t misfits at all, and you have a beautiful story.
Recommend to all who enjoy a new adult MM romance and those who enjoy friends as family stories.
Staying in Minnesota, Sam takes on a job with a local heavy equipment mechanic while awaiting the discharge of his Army girlfriend, Dora. He finds a home with Jeff who also welcomes Rick into his home, and when Rick finds someone with whom he can be himself, the young man, Travis, finds himself drawn into the circle of the family Rick and Sam are making.
This is a long and complex story, as the author builds the characters and the family they are making, slowly but surely. It’s a pleasure to read along as Rick and Travis grow to love each other, and Sam realizes how much he’s hoping Dora feels about him the way he feels about her. Visits with Jesse and his partner, Darren, as well as with the rest of the Calhoun family enrich the experience. Add to that, Jeff, the nice older guy who welcomes all these potential misfits, who now aren’t misfits at all, and you have a beautiful story.
Recommend to all who enjoy a new adult MM romance and those who enjoy friends as family stories.
April 25, 2015
Kaje is a terrific writer, and always creates compelling characters. Though I have to admit in this case I loved her Sam (older brother of one of the main characters) and his girlfriend Dora best. Maybe I'm just showing my age, and younger readers will enjoy the younger characters more...?
Another reason I love Kaje's writing is her dry sense of humour, which is a nice match for my own. For example, Travis volunteers to help local businessman Jeff with his accounts and taxes, adding, "I was studying math and accounting in school, before I dropped out."
"You were?" Jeff paused to stare at him. "And yet you seem pretty sane."
LOL! That sort of thing just cracks me up, especially as I'm personally on Travis's side of that exchange.
Later we have Travis wondering whether he could convince his boyfriend Rick to attend church with him 'in a non-ironic way'. Love it. :-)
This is good lengthy novel that you can really get your teeth into. It's certainly worth reading the (free) prequel first. Kaje doesn't avoid the harsher side of life for young gay men, including confrontations with unsupportive family and the possible results of unsafe sex. This isn't an 'easy' romance to read, and some may find it a tad challenging. But I loved it, and I loved how the theme of 'the family we make' played out - a theme I care about very much.
Recommended.
Another reason I love Kaje's writing is her dry sense of humour, which is a nice match for my own. For example, Travis volunteers to help local businessman Jeff with his accounts and taxes, adding, "I was studying math and accounting in school, before I dropped out."
"You were?" Jeff paused to stare at him. "And yet you seem pretty sane."
LOL! That sort of thing just cracks me up, especially as I'm personally on Travis's side of that exchange.
Later we have Travis wondering whether he could convince his boyfriend Rick to attend church with him 'in a non-ironic way'. Love it. :-)
This is good lengthy novel that you can really get your teeth into. It's certainly worth reading the (free) prequel first. Kaje doesn't avoid the harsher side of life for young gay men, including confrontations with unsupportive family and the possible results of unsafe sex. This isn't an 'easy' romance to read, and some may find it a tad challenging. But I loved it, and I loved how the theme of 'the family we make' played out - a theme I care about very much.
Recommended.
July 25, 2019
This one started a little slow but fear not. There will be plenty of punches to your heart before the end. It picks up where The Family We're Born With ends, with Sam going to pick up his brother Rick from a life on the streets. Rick's initial adjustment is pretty brutal. He's angry and lashes out, which is understandable.
We're also introduced to Travis, who's home from college after losing a baseball scholarship and is facing a potential health scare. He and Rick are facing many of the same problems. They eventually meet and form a friendship that quickly turns into something more. A little too quick, I think, in light of Rick's various mental health and trust issues, which could have been explored a little more than it was before the romance took over the main plot. It's a minor quibble only.
Everything else here is perfection. There are no easy answers for these characters and many challenges, and not everything is solved by the end, but there are also family and friends and hope aplenty. Looking forward to the next in this series.
We're also introduced to Travis, who's home from college after losing a baseball scholarship and is facing a potential health scare. He and Rick are facing many of the same problems. They eventually meet and form a friendship that quickly turns into something more. A little too quick, I think, in light of Rick's various mental health and trust issues, which could have been explored a little more than it was before the romance took over the main plot. It's a minor quibble only.
Everything else here is perfection. There are no easy answers for these characters and many challenges, and not everything is solved by the end, but there are also family and friends and hope aplenty. Looking forward to the next in this series.
October 3, 2014
3.5
Если судить объективно, то герои этой книги самые правдоподобные, самые реалистичные из тех, что мне встречались.
Подростки ведут себя как и положено подросткам - порывисто, эмоционально, беспечно, постоянно думая о сексе и будучи максималистами. Взрослые в меру своих обычных сил пытаются успевать за их взрослением, независимостью, стремительными изменениями в жизни.
Возможно, это и помешало мне проникнуться историей Рика и Трэвиса. Или что-то еще, чему я не смогла подобрать слов. Кроме того, на фоне незрелого поведения Рика я не смогла поверить в его "любовь до гроба".
Отмечу, что тему ВИЧ, СПИД и гепатита С я очень не люблю. Я прекрасно осознаю, что это современная реальность, с которой геи не редко сталкиваются. Но несмотря на возможность жить с этими болезнями долгие годы, все-таки ощущается некоторая обреченность в истории таких людей.
И что уж говорить, линия Сэма и Доры, набросанная легкими штрихами, тронула меня больше чем история основной пары.
Если судить объективно, то герои этой книги самые правдоподобные, самые реалистичные из тех, что мне встречались.
Подростки ведут себя как и положено подросткам - порывисто, эмоционально, беспечно, постоянно думая о сексе и будучи максималистами. Взрослые в меру своих обычных сил пытаются успевать за их взрослением, независимостью, стремительными изменениями в жизни.
Возможно, это и помешало мне проникнуться историей Рика и Трэвиса. Или что-то еще, чему я не смогла подобрать слов. Кроме того, на фоне незрелого поведения Рика я не смогла поверить в его "любовь до гроба".
Отмечу, что тему ВИЧ, СПИД и гепатита С я очень не люблю. Я прекрасно осознаю, что это современная реальность, с которой геи не редко сталкиваются. Но несмотря на возможность жить с этими болезнями долгие годы, все-таки ощущается некоторая обреченность в истории таких людей.
И что уж говорить, линия Сэма и Доры, набросанная легкими штрихами, тронула меня больше чем история основной пары.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2016
Wonderfully warm, honest, and mature, as all of Kaje Harper's stories are. If you want a story that will go down easily, move along. If you want a story that is real -- about families that abandon their gay kids and pretend that those kids really abandoned them; about the conflicts that arise when families must choose between a lifetime of belief and the love they still have for their gay child; about the process of making family from the raw materials of loyalty and trust; about life-altering events that shake you to the roots -- then this book is for you. Even though it's part of a series, and it's interesting to read the first book, it isn't strictly necessary to do so in order to follow along.
August 29, 2014
Kaje Harper is such a skilled and mature writer. She is so good at plotting, pacing, using multiple points of view, and creating distinct voices for multiple characters that I can just dive in and read with complete confidence that I won't be jarred out of the story by some inconsistency or wrong note. This is a beautiful story.
August 31, 2014
Ugh! I was totally unprepared for the mascara-runniness of this book.
Coming of age, coming out and coming undone. A complete review to come later when I'm not so overwhelmed by the 'everythingness' of what I've just read.
Coming of age, coming out and coming undone. A complete review to come later when I'm not so overwhelmed by the 'everythingness' of what I've just read.
August 18, 2014
You know when you've finished a book and want to know what happens after the last page? That's me. I was drowning in feels.
I think I'm in love with Sam and Dora. I know?!
I think I'm in love with Sam and Dora. I know?!
November 15, 2014
Kaje Harper - do I need to say more? She still has to write a book I wouldn't be sucked in.
January 24, 2020
There were elements about this I really liked. As always Kaje has created really wonderful characters with a broad depth of emotion and understanding. I really loved how the relationship developed between Rick and Travis. Rick's been through a lot and really does know what he wants and is determined to fight for it. While he's still figuring out his career life and what he wants to be working towards, he knows who he is and what works for him. I liked how the edges of his relationship with his brother Sam softened as the story went along as well.
I struggled a bit with the last quarter or so of the story. I knew it was coming, but I still didn't love it. I liked how it worked out I just didn't love the .
I struggled a bit with the last quarter or so of the story. I knew it was coming, but I still didn't love it. I liked how it worked out I just didn't love the .
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