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Sweat: An MM College Sports Romance
Tommy
I should hate Rowan Hughes. He was a bully when we were kids, and now I find out he’s messed around with my girlfriend. But how can I hate the campus soccer star when he’s everything I’ve always wanted to be?
With my reputation on the line, I can’t let Rowan get away with humiliating me in front of people I know—people we both go to school with.
When he swears he didn’t know Annalese was my girlfriend, I actually believe him. When he says I’m good enough to play beside him, I want to believe that too. But when he insists he’s not gay, all I want is to prove him wrong.
Rowan
I made one dumb decision at a party, and now Tommy Mathison thinks I’m into his girl. He couldn’t be more wrong, but it’s not because I’m gay. It’s because I’m weak. Now I’ve got a beefed-up babyface’s knuckle prints bruising the side of my face, and I can’t get him out of my head.
Tommy isn’t weak, and he may just be the missing piece my team needs to win a championship before I go pro. I don’t know why he quit soccer after high school, but getting him back on the field is easy. Keeping him close without losing control? That’s the real challenge.
SWEAT is a high-spice hurt/comfort sports romance that deals with heavy themes related to identity, mental health, grief, and coping with past trauma. This book is intended for readers age 18 and up.
I should hate Rowan Hughes. He was a bully when we were kids, and now I find out he’s messed around with my girlfriend. But how can I hate the campus soccer star when he’s everything I’ve always wanted to be?
With my reputation on the line, I can’t let Rowan get away with humiliating me in front of people I know—people we both go to school with.
When he swears he didn’t know Annalese was my girlfriend, I actually believe him. When he says I’m good enough to play beside him, I want to believe that too. But when he insists he’s not gay, all I want is to prove him wrong.
Rowan
I made one dumb decision at a party, and now Tommy Mathison thinks I’m into his girl. He couldn’t be more wrong, but it’s not because I’m gay. It’s because I’m weak. Now I’ve got a beefed-up babyface’s knuckle prints bruising the side of my face, and I can’t get him out of my head.
Tommy isn’t weak, and he may just be the missing piece my team needs to win a championship before I go pro. I don’t know why he quit soccer after high school, but getting him back on the field is easy. Keeping him close without losing control? That’s the real challenge.
SWEAT is a high-spice hurt/comfort sports romance that deals with heavy themes related to identity, mental health, grief, and coping with past trauma. This book is intended for readers age 18 and up.
461 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2025
1113 people are currently reading
4686 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 788 reviews
April 20, 2026
I like it when men cry, but not too much, and this had the perfect amount of men crying...
✨Vibes:✨
Being together in secret whilst denying their sexualities to themselves (and to eachother) whilst sucking dicks in each others cars in secret for 75% of the book and saying “no homo” afterwards… despite being totally homo for eachother.
✨In summary:✨
Sports romance without too much boring sport, TOO MANY handjobs/blowjobs/smut but an overwhelming tenderness between these two men that was so gentle that I wasn’t expecting it at all, and LOVED THEM.
I admit, I got so fucking tired of the blowjob in secret… training…. Handjob in secret… training…. blowjob in secret…. Training… handjob in secret…. ON REPEAT in the middle there, because while it’s hot af, the smut really put the brakes on the plot development and it became exhausting.
But when the plot kicked in again at the end and the trauma enters the room 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
BABY BOYS WAS TRAUMATISED AND HEALED THROUGH IT TOGETHER????? 😭
Also, I HAVE NEVER ENJOYED SO MANY PETNAMES BEFORE??? and this even has an appropriately dropped “sweetheart” and I was instantly moist.
HOWEVER,
I wish the “daddy” part was cut out.
I think I’m just at this age now that 20 year olds saying that is just fkn weird to me.
'Baby boy' was super endearing and I loved it as a taunt, and I loved it out of kindess... until it mixed with the “daddy” thing and then I wanted to bleach my eyeballs.
HAIR WASHING AND STEAMY WASHROOM STALL ROMPS ARE MY FAVOURITE MICROTROPES AND I GOT FUCKING BOTH
✨Vibes:✨
Being together in secret whilst denying their sexualities to themselves (and to eachother) whilst sucking dicks in each others cars in secret for 75% of the book and saying “no homo” afterwards… despite being totally homo for eachother.
✨In summary:✨
Sports romance without too much boring sport, TOO MANY handjobs/blowjobs/smut but an overwhelming tenderness between these two men that was so gentle that I wasn’t expecting it at all, and LOVED THEM.
I admit, I got so fucking tired of the blowjob in secret… training…. Handjob in secret… training…. blowjob in secret…. Training… handjob in secret…. ON REPEAT in the middle there, because while it’s hot af, the smut really put the brakes on the plot development and it became exhausting.
But when the plot kicked in again at the end and the trauma enters the room 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
BABY BOYS WAS TRAUMATISED AND HEALED THROUGH IT TOGETHER????? 😭
Also, I HAVE NEVER ENJOYED SO MANY PETNAMES BEFORE??? and this even has an appropriately dropped “sweetheart” and I was instantly moist.
HOWEVER,
I wish the “daddy” part was cut out.
I think I’m just at this age now that 20 year olds saying that is just fkn weird to me.
'Baby boy' was super endearing and I loved it as a taunt, and I loved it out of kindess... until it mixed with the “daddy” thing and then I wanted to bleach my eyeballs.
HAIR WASHING AND STEAMY WASHROOM STALL ROMPS ARE MY FAVOURITE MICROTROPES AND I GOT FUCKING BOTH
![Profile Image for Megan [Cottage Vibes].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1634561405i%2F25103878._UY200_CR50%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
June 30, 2025
MM Romance
Debut
DNF @ 70%
I feel like I’ve been on a long journey with this book because I wasn’t feeling it at the start and DNF’d at 12% only to pick it up again and DNF at 32% but then I obviously picked it back up 🤡🙄😂 and skimmed my way to 70%. Unfortunately this story is just not for me and I’m going to explain why. Originally I DNF’d this because I hated the choppy writing style and while it did seem to improve slightly as time went on, I think this needs a few more rounds of editing. The second time I DNF’d was because it was hard for me to feel invested in either of these characters because they both felt so similar that I kept forgetting whose POV I was in and that choppy writing style was making me cringe again as were the nicknames baby boy and gay boy. 💀Then I read reviews from arc readers like myself to try and gauge if this would improve for me and they all mentioned how lovely this story is and that there is a lot of smut so I decided to go back to it last night when my insomnia kicked in. I have now reached 70% and have no intentions of finishing this book for the reasons listed above but also I find the content in this book a bit offensive.
This is by a male author and the misogyny is just off the charts. There are some books I can look over misogynistic bs because the plot or writing wowed me but this isn’t one of them. Every female character in this book besides Rowan’s adopted mom is really unlikable. All of the women the same age as the boys are desperate, cheating whores and the internal monologues of our boys are also problematic in the way they view women. This takes place in Sacramento, California and while there are misogynistic bigoted people in my state, this feels really OTT for this area. The internalized homophobia Rowan has for himself and others is offensive to not just the LGBTQ+ community as a whole but to women as well. It’s hard to have any empathy for Rowan because this book has been mostly smut and I don’t feel connected to him as a character at all. I don’t even have an understanding to why or how Tommy fell for Rowan tbh and I actually think that Tommy can do better and that’s not how I want to feel about the MC in a romance book I’m reading. The smut scenes in this book are overkill especially when the majority of them are the same scene repeated over and over. I was just starting to learn Rowan’s back story when I DNF’d and it feels like the same story I’ve read a thousand times but even more superficial because there’s only been smut. After this last and final DNF, I feel like 150+ pages should have been taken out and this might have had a chance at keeping my interest but in its current state it’s just not readable for me and I’m not vibing with it at all.
Also, Tommy’s mom is one of the most awful characters I’ve ever read. I can’t discuss all the reasons why without major spoilers so I won’t but she’s worse than Declan’s mom in Without You and I think that says it all. IYKYK. IMO there will never be a redemption for her because I just cannot believe how horrible she is to not only her son but her daughter and grandson. Holy shit she’s the absolute worst. 💀💀💀
I received an arc from netgalley and this is my honest feedback.
Debut
DNF @ 70%
I feel like I’ve been on a long journey with this book because I wasn’t feeling it at the start and DNF’d at 12% only to pick it up again and DNF at 32% but then I obviously picked it back up 🤡🙄😂 and skimmed my way to 70%. Unfortunately this story is just not for me and I’m going to explain why. Originally I DNF’d this because I hated the choppy writing style and while it did seem to improve slightly as time went on, I think this needs a few more rounds of editing. The second time I DNF’d was because it was hard for me to feel invested in either of these characters because they both felt so similar that I kept forgetting whose POV I was in and that choppy writing style was making me cringe again as were the nicknames baby boy and gay boy. 💀Then I read reviews from arc readers like myself to try and gauge if this would improve for me and they all mentioned how lovely this story is and that there is a lot of smut so I decided to go back to it last night when my insomnia kicked in. I have now reached 70% and have no intentions of finishing this book for the reasons listed above but also I find the content in this book a bit offensive.
This is by a male author and the misogyny is just off the charts. There are some books I can look over misogynistic bs because the plot or writing wowed me but this isn’t one of them. Every female character in this book besides Rowan’s adopted mom is really unlikable. All of the women the same age as the boys are desperate, cheating whores and the internal monologues of our boys are also problematic in the way they view women. This takes place in Sacramento, California and while there are misogynistic bigoted people in my state, this feels really OTT for this area. The internalized homophobia Rowan has for himself and others is offensive to not just the LGBTQ+ community as a whole but to women as well. It’s hard to have any empathy for Rowan because this book has been mostly smut and I don’t feel connected to him as a character at all. I don’t even have an understanding to why or how Tommy fell for Rowan tbh and I actually think that Tommy can do better and that’s not how I want to feel about the MC in a romance book I’m reading. The smut scenes in this book are overkill especially when the majority of them are the same scene repeated over and over. I was just starting to learn Rowan’s back story when I DNF’d and it feels like the same story I’ve read a thousand times but even more superficial because there’s only been smut. After this last and final DNF, I feel like 150+ pages should have been taken out and this might have had a chance at keeping my interest but in its current state it’s just not readable for me and I’m not vibing with it at all.
Also, Tommy’s mom is one of the most awful characters I’ve ever read. I can’t discuss all the reasons why without major spoilers so I won’t but she’s worse than Declan’s mom in Without You and I think that says it all. IYKYK. IMO there will never be a redemption for her because I just cannot believe how horrible she is to not only her son but her daughter and grandson. Holy shit she’s the absolute worst. 💀💀💀
I received an arc from netgalley and this is my honest feedback.
June 16, 2025
Horn-dogs with sad puppy eyes, as the author puts it, is the perfect summary of Tommy and Rowan.
Two boys; so lost, so sad, so in need of love and affection. So absolutely right for each other.
The chemistry between them was earth shattering. So much heat, so much angst, so much tenderness. Obsession. Clinginess. Vulnerability. Hurt/comfort. Filthy, delicious steam. All laced with the softest moments that made me choke up repeatedly 🥹
Some of my absolute favorite things:
🧡 Tommy calling Rowan beautiful for the first time
🧡 Them crying in front of each other (and not running from it)
🧡 The baby boy moments (which I’m usually not into, but it so worked here)
🧡 The unwavering certainty they have about each other; that rare, all-encompassing kind of love where there’s no doubt, no plan B. Just them. It was such a powerful thing to read.
Two things though:
First:
there is some OM action in the beginning of this book (random BJ), after they first get intimate. For some reason it didn’t bother me at all (and I can be quite iffy in that regard!), but I’m sure it will others, so here’s your heads up!
Second:
I really wished the author would have added a specific tw into the list at the beginning of the book (cancer, chemo, death of family member) because this is literally my one no-go while reading. So wow, did that smack me in the face when I got to it in the first 4% of the book. BUT I messaged the ever lovely Sandy (♥️) and she could reassure me to the extent, that I was quite confident I could deal and/or skip/skim, and thankfully I was right. In this instance the author opening up plot lines and then not giving them much page time worked absolutely in my favour!
Still, I think it would be fair to the reader to put that up front because it was still an important plot line and triggering, at least to me.
I still enjoyed Tommy’s and Rowan’s story IMMENSELY and I could not stop thinking about them, which - in my book - is the biggest compliment.
I’m sure this won’t be for everyone. The internalised homophobia was a lot, the way women were portrayed was… a choice, the steam level might be too much for some. But I can’t help myself and love it despite all that, because Tommy and Row were that good together.
I’m really excited for book 2 of the series, the blurb sounds fire ❤️🔥
Can’t decide on a rating, it’s somewhere between 3,5 and 4 ⭐️ but as it’s this authors DEBUT I’ll round up!
Thanks to GRR for the chance to read and review this arc, this is my honest opinion!
Two boys; so lost, so sad, so in need of love and affection. So absolutely right for each other.
The chemistry between them was earth shattering. So much heat, so much angst, so much tenderness. Obsession. Clinginess. Vulnerability. Hurt/comfort. Filthy, delicious steam. All laced with the softest moments that made me choke up repeatedly 🥹
Some of my absolute favorite things:
🧡 Tommy calling Rowan beautiful for the first time
🧡 Them crying in front of each other (and not running from it)
🧡 The baby boy moments (which I’m usually not into, but it so worked here)
🧡 The unwavering certainty they have about each other; that rare, all-encompassing kind of love where there’s no doubt, no plan B. Just them. It was such a powerful thing to read.
Two things though:
First:
there is some OM action in the beginning of this book (random BJ), after they first get intimate. For some reason it didn’t bother me at all (and I can be quite iffy in that regard!), but I’m sure it will others, so here’s your heads up!
Second:
I really wished the author would have added a specific tw into the list at the beginning of the book (cancer, chemo, death of family member) because this is literally my one no-go while reading. So wow, did that smack me in the face when I got to it in the first 4% of the book. BUT I messaged the ever lovely Sandy (♥️) and she could reassure me to the extent, that I was quite confident I could deal and/or skip/skim, and thankfully I was right. In this instance the author opening up plot lines and then not giving them much page time worked absolutely in my favour!
Still, I think it would be fair to the reader to put that up front because it was still an important plot line and triggering, at least to me.
I still enjoyed Tommy’s and Rowan’s story IMMENSELY and I could not stop thinking about them, which - in my book - is the biggest compliment.
I’m sure this won’t be for everyone. The internalised homophobia was a lot, the way women were portrayed was… a choice, the steam level might be too much for some. But I can’t help myself and love it despite all that, because Tommy and Row were that good together.
“I only wanna kiss you.” His lips fold tight together. He doesn’t say anything else, but he turns his head and finally looks at me. The sight of him makes me want to pull him to my chest and never let go. Screw a relationship, screw a five-year plan, screw gay or straight or bi, or whatever. All I want is one more moment with Rowan Hughes. Moment after moment after moment.
His hand touches my face, tracing my brow, my cheekbone, and the slope of my nose. “You gonna be okay?”
“I dunno,” I answer honestly. “Don’t think I’ve been okay for a long time. But right now, I feel okay. With you.”
“I think you’re the first person in my life to make me feel like I’m lucky.”
“You’re lovable, Row,” he tells me. “You’re generous, supportive, protective, and beautiful. That’s all you. I’ve never met anyone as special as you. What happened to you…what those people did…that’s not who you are, and that’s not why you’re gay. You’re gay because you’re supposed to be loved by a man, and I’m gonna be that man. I’m gonna love you. I’m gonna take care of you whenever you need it, and I’m gonna help you get through this. Anytime you’re feeling any type of way about what happened, I’m gonna be here for you.”
I’m really excited for book 2 of the series, the blurb sounds fire ❤️🔥
Can’t decide on a rating, it’s somewhere between 3,5 and 4 ⭐️ but as it’s this authors DEBUT I’ll round up!
Thanks to GRR for the chance to read and review this arc, this is my honest opinion!
July 1, 2025
For a debut book, I really enjoyed this story and the writing style, although there could have been some heavier editing to remove some repetitive events - this is a really long book!!
The chemistry between Tommy and Rowan was so good, and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. It was difficult to read all of the internal homophobia because it made me sad for Rowan, and for anyone who goes through that.
There were some events that felt like they could have been removed completely because they didn't particularly add to the plot, and instead slowed the pacing down. The androgynous customer, the party girl, and the birth mum just felt like they weren't relevant to the plot?
I also got a little confused with the terminology around 'soccer'. I'm English, football is the big deal here, and in my family there's just no escaping it, so it was really noticeable to me when things didn't match up to what I know. I don't know if American soccer is different but there is no position called point guard, and the person fouled in the penalty box isn't necessarily the person who takes the penalty - they have designated players for that who train extra specifically for penalty taking. Some things were just not true to my knowledge but again, I don't know if America do things differently!
I'm definitely curious about the next book though!!
*****
I received an ARC of this book from Book Sirens, and this is my honest review
The chemistry between Tommy and Rowan was so good, and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. It was difficult to read all of the internal homophobia because it made me sad for Rowan, and for anyone who goes through that.
There were some events that felt like they could have been removed completely because they didn't particularly add to the plot, and instead slowed the pacing down. The androgynous customer, the party girl, and the birth mum just felt like they weren't relevant to the plot?
I also got a little confused with the terminology around 'soccer'. I'm English, football is the big deal here, and in my family there's just no escaping it, so it was really noticeable to me when things didn't match up to what I know. I don't know if American soccer is different but there is no position called point guard, and the person fouled in the penalty box isn't necessarily the person who takes the penalty - they have designated players for that who train extra specifically for penalty taking. Some things were just not true to my knowledge but again, I don't know if America do things differently!
I'm definitely curious about the next book though!!
*****
I received an ARC of this book from Book Sirens, and this is my honest review
Did Not Finish
July 12, 2025I am choosing to dnf @16% as it has come to my attention that, after the boys begin being intimate with each other several times, one of them receives a bj from a Grindr hookup. This MC does not tell MC2 that is has happened and has effectively taken away one of their "firsts" together without MC2's knowledge.
And just what the actual fuck, dude, why would you write this into the story? For what reason? I read the bj scene and a couple Tommy/Rowan scenes that come before, and I honestly don't understand the need nor placement of this park bj. Sometimes OW/OM scenes make sense in the plot but this one makes me nauseated.
Not safe for me, and there are too many books out there, so for that reason I'm out 🤗
And just what the actual fuck, dude, why would you write this into the story? For what reason? I read the bj scene and a couple Tommy/Rowan scenes that come before, and I honestly don't understand the need nor placement of this park bj. Sometimes OW/OM scenes make sense in the plot but this one makes me nauseated.
Not safe for me, and there are too many books out there, so for that reason I'm out 🤗
January 27, 2026
6 ⭐️
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
format: ebook
perfection. per-FUCKING-fection. if i could scrub this from my brain just so i could immediately reread, i would.
rowan and tommy are my perfect babies and this story was everything. i laughed, i sobbed, i could not. put. this. down. lowkey bummed i’ve read this book in january because it’ll be a hard act to follow for the rest of the year.
and you best believe i am sat here for all future jonah yorke books.
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
format: ebook
perfection. per-FUCKING-fection. if i could scrub this from my brain just so i could immediately reread, i would.
rowan and tommy are my perfect babies and this story was everything. i laughed, i sobbed, i could not. put. this. down. lowkey bummed i’ve read this book in january because it’ll be a hard act to follow for the rest of the year.
and you best believe i am sat here for all future jonah yorke books.
Want to Read
April 18, 2026Once you start reading angsty mm books, it is impossible to stop🤧
(adding this to force myself to read it soon)
(adding this to force myself to read it soon)
April 14, 2026
because people don't chase life, tommy. they chase happiness
(sorry for being so inactive recently, been struggling with a load of health stuff, however, going on holiday on saturday and believe me i will be reading a lot)
oh boyyy,
i actually really enjoyed this book. it has so much depth and heart to it and the characters were so fleshed out. i loved that it wasn't an angsty enemies-lovers and actually the enemies part was really minimal, so it didn't feel like the main point of the book.
this was just a genuinely good story about two good people who fall in love and happen to play football (i'm british, i refuse to call it soccer). it's a coming of age tale, of two boys coming to terms with their sexuality in a world that has convinced them they are wrong to feel as they do. the football didn't feel much of a main story beat, just more of a side character in their relationship, a tool to keep the story going (so honestly, because of that i don't really care that some of the football terminology and descriptions were off lmao).
rowan and tommy care about eachother so much, their relationship bleeds into everything they do, everything they say to eachother, the need, the love, the passion these two have, i adored. it was a really beautiful relationship. nothing scared them away and their love for eachother was what got them both through some really difficult times.
HOWEVER, my gosh, this book was far too long. it took me longer than normal to get through it and i am a quick reader. i have read longer books in less time. it just felt too saturated and not in a good way, there was repetition and some unnecessary elements. the prologues were drawn out and it made the ending just feel a bit too much like a chore.
i also have some minor issues with some of the terminology in the book, like i know it wasn't said with hatred or with disgust, but the way rowan called tommy 'gay boy' made my toes curl... hmm but maybe that's a me thing, i know it has been traditionally used as a mock/insult, so maybe this is them reclaiming the term...
anyway, i liked it. it was nice and although there was trauma, and internalised homophobia, i loved that the two MMCs got through all of this together and didn't push away from one another.
3.75 ⭐⭐⭐ (rounded up to 4 because i am KIND)
(sorry for being so inactive recently, been struggling with a load of health stuff, however, going on holiday on saturday and believe me i will be reading a lot)
oh boyyy,
i actually really enjoyed this book. it has so much depth and heart to it and the characters were so fleshed out. i loved that it wasn't an angsty enemies-lovers and actually the enemies part was really minimal, so it didn't feel like the main point of the book.
this was just a genuinely good story about two good people who fall in love and happen to play football (i'm british, i refuse to call it soccer). it's a coming of age tale, of two boys coming to terms with their sexuality in a world that has convinced them they are wrong to feel as they do. the football didn't feel much of a main story beat, just more of a side character in their relationship, a tool to keep the story going (so honestly, because of that i don't really care that some of the football terminology and descriptions were off lmao).
rowan and tommy care about eachother so much, their relationship bleeds into everything they do, everything they say to eachother, the need, the love, the passion these two have, i adored. it was a really beautiful relationship. nothing scared them away and their love for eachother was what got them both through some really difficult times.
HOWEVER, my gosh, this book was far too long. it took me longer than normal to get through it and i am a quick reader. i have read longer books in less time. it just felt too saturated and not in a good way, there was repetition and some unnecessary elements. the prologues were drawn out and it made the ending just feel a bit too much like a chore.
i also have some minor issues with some of the terminology in the book, like i know it wasn't said with hatred or with disgust, but the way rowan called tommy 'gay boy' made my toes curl... hmm but maybe that's a me thing, i know it has been traditionally used as a mock/insult, so maybe this is them reclaiming the term...
anyway, i liked it. it was nice and although there was trauma, and internalised homophobia, i loved that the two MMCs got through all of this together and didn't push away from one another.
3.75 ⭐⭐⭐ (rounded up to 4 because i am KIND)
August 24, 2025
Ok but I do love a sexy sad book. Give me angst, longing, spice, and beautiful writing, and I’m done for.
THE PREMISE: when he punches the soccer player he used to hero worship when he was younger, and ends up being trained by him to make the team, where they both pretend to be straight and unbothered as he calls him “baby boy” as a taunt.
TROPES & VIBES:
- Wrath meets The Foxhole Court
- Hurt x comfort
- Slice of life about healing and embracing happiness and who you are
- Kind of read like a long fic [affectionate]
- “Baby boy”
- Amazing debut. They were both so lovely I could scream
- Was a touch too long, and had my two no-go triggers (I didn’t realise), and I still adored it.
4.5⭐️ 4🌶️
THE PREMISE: when he punches the soccer player he used to hero worship when he was younger, and ends up being trained by him to make the team, where they both pretend to be straight and unbothered as he calls him “baby boy” as a taunt.
TROPES & VIBES:
- Wrath meets The Foxhole Court
- Hurt x comfort
- Slice of life about healing and embracing happiness and who you are
- Kind of read like a long fic [affectionate]
- “Baby boy”
- Amazing debut. They were both so lovely I could scream
- Was a touch too long, and had my two no-go triggers (I didn’t realise), and I still adored it.
4.5⭐️ 4🌶️
April 19, 2026
• m/m • college soccer • hurt/comfort • dual pov •
Ok I loved this. I combo read via audio and ebook. Solid audio performances by both narrators. Definitely recommend the audiobook.
• Rowan & Tommy •
Tommy - 20yo soft hearted, ex soccer player. He’s having a difficult time. His sister has cancer and so he is helping to take care of her and his 6yo nephew, while they are living with their loving but rigid and narrow minded mother. He has a troubled relationship with a long term girlfriend. Tommy has known he might be more than a little into guys ever since he was called a homophobic slur when he was 12, but he has tried to not give it all much thought.
Rowan - 22yo college soccer team captain. Rowan refuses to give his sexuality any thought other than being ‘not gay’. He is a bit of a mystery, aloof, a broken soul. His sole focus in life is soccer, and going pro. Idolised by Tommy when they were younger, Rowan was an untouchable soccer star but was cruel the times they interacted.
A confrontation between the two turns into an impromptu soccer match and Rowan ends up convincing Tommy to train with him and try out for their college team. They spend a lot of time together, becoming almost friends.
A slowish burn where they first become something like friends and a hidden attraction ultimately forges into a deep emotional connection. They both have a gradual journey to self discovery, self acceptance and love. These boys had such tenderness towards each other… they treated each other so gently but fiercely protected each other. I loved it, so touching.
The way Rowan accepted Tommy despite his own difficulty accepting himself, and the way Tommy quietly supported Rowan with unpressured time and space to come into his own was done especially well. It was all very angsty and very believable.
When Tommy starts calling Rowan ‘Row’ my heart turned into a mushy pile of heart shaped goop 🥹🥹 And I just loved the way the ‘baby boy’ and ’gay boy’ banter turned into the softest terms of endearment. Gah 🥹🫠
Xia’s character deserves a special mention, the way she and Matt unobtrusively supported Rowan. Perfection 👌
I’m often picky with stories told in the first person but this was written quite well. It was a little long with some parts a bit repetitive, but overall a solid story of self acceptance, comfort in gestures of love, and finding your person.
This made me cry… I’m sure the author tried to destroy me with the lead up to that bath scene 😭
4.5 ⭐️
3-4?🌶️
Ok I loved this. I combo read via audio and ebook. Solid audio performances by both narrators. Definitely recommend the audiobook.
• Rowan & Tommy •
Tommy - 20yo soft hearted, ex soccer player. He’s having a difficult time. His sister has cancer and so he is helping to take care of her and his 6yo nephew, while they are living with their loving but rigid and narrow minded mother. He has a troubled relationship with a long term girlfriend. Tommy has known he might be more than a little into guys ever since he was called a homophobic slur when he was 12, but he has tried to not give it all much thought.
Rowan - 22yo college soccer team captain. Rowan refuses to give his sexuality any thought other than being ‘not gay’. He is a bit of a mystery, aloof, a broken soul. His sole focus in life is soccer, and going pro. Idolised by Tommy when they were younger, Rowan was an untouchable soccer star but was cruel the times they interacted.
The only person I can’t accept is myself
A confrontation between the two turns into an impromptu soccer match and Rowan ends up convincing Tommy to train with him and try out for their college team. They spend a lot of time together, becoming almost friends.
A slowish burn where they first become something like friends and a hidden attraction ultimately forges into a deep emotional connection. They both have a gradual journey to self discovery, self acceptance and love. These boys had such tenderness towards each other… they treated each other so gently but fiercely protected each other. I loved it, so touching.
“I got you”
The way Rowan accepted Tommy despite his own difficulty accepting himself, and the way Tommy quietly supported Rowan with unpressured time and space to come into his own was done especially well. It was all very angsty and very believable.
When Tommy starts calling Rowan ‘Row’ my heart turned into a mushy pile of heart shaped goop 🥹🥹 And I just loved the way the ‘baby boy’ and ’gay boy’ banter turned into the softest terms of endearment. Gah 🥹🫠
Xia’s character deserves a special mention, the way she and Matt unobtrusively supported Rowan. Perfection 👌
I’m often picky with stories told in the first person but this was written quite well. It was a little long with some parts a bit repetitive, but overall a solid story of self acceptance, comfort in gestures of love, and finding your person.
You’re gay because you’re supposed to be loved by a man, and I’m gonna be that man.
This made me cry… I’m sure the author tried to destroy me with the lead up to that bath scene 😭
4.5 ⭐️
3-4?🌶️
April 24, 2026
Sweat (Like Teammates, #1) by Jonah Yorke
MC: Tommy & Rowan 4.5⭐
Tropes & tags
⚽College romance🔥 Soccer Hotties⚽ Hurt/Comfort🔥 Gay Awakening⚽ Tortured Hero🔥 Insta-lust⚽ "daddy"/"baby boy"🔥 Horn dogs with sad puppy eyes⚽Mutual Pining
And finally, a sport I can relate to and understand without Google help!!!! In Portugal, soccer is called football (futebol), and it's the king sport over here. And what a big ass review... I need some good editing :D
Anyway… About my new babies……….
It’s a college sports romance centered on Tommy and Rowan, two soccer players with a messy history. They knew each other as teens → not a great history (homophobia + resentment). Present day → Tommy’s girlfriend cheats… with Rowan. That confrontation turns into: rivalry → teammates → something much more complicated. From there, it’s a mix of sexual tension, emotional damage, and slow emotional unraveling as they’re forced into each other’s orbit.
For some reason, I got it into my head that this book was all roughness and aggressiveness, but oh my sweet gay boys, how wrong I was. This is soooo sweet, swoon-worthy, adorable at first, like two missing puzzle pieces that just complete each other kind of book.
Tommy thinks so badly of himself that he would accept a cheating girlfriend over having none at all. His daydreams about Rowan are so hot—poor baby.
In logic, there's nothing forbidden about this relationship except their own obstacles, but I have to say that reading this tension, the hiding, and then going for it all is so goddamn hot it burns… The kisses, every time they touch each other, look at each other, and the dirty talk? Instant combustion. Imagine all that pent-up tension of never accepting or acting on who you are finally coming out to play? And CUM they do 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
There’s a lot of smut, yes—pure hotness overload—but at the same time, it does not feel repetitive. It feels intimate, and it evolves along with their connection. It feels necessary, it feels ground-shaking, it feels right. Loved their dynamic, even if that daddy/boy came out of nowhere—it was just freaking HOT!!!!
And the pet names? ADORE. THEM. ALL. ALL THE BABY, BABY BOY, BABY FACE, BABY GAY, DADDY, GOOD BOY. Licking my fingers—loved it.
Both characters have vulnerabilities and setbacks. I melted watching Tommy break down all the walls Rowan built around himself. His internalised homophobia was debilitating, his denial crippling, but he tried so hard for Tommy—and he did it! So proud of you, babies.
But what really got to me, what really made me love this book, was all the caring moments, the devotion, the worship, the love they share. This book has the sweetest moments two horndogs can have.
Matt and Xia—people like them make me keep my faith in humanity!
Do I fully understand why they can't accept it right away or have to hide that they are gay? No. It doesn't make total sense to me, but do I judge? Did I go through something similar? No. Every individual is different, and every reality is their own. I’m here to read about their lives—I adore them, seeing all that lurks beneath, all that family- and self-induced homophobia. I see you, babies!
While I tried not to get overwhelmed by the bigotry, it's there, and it sucks 🙁
I also wish for a more detailed note about the abuse and Erica's illness—these are hard topics and might be triggering for some readers.
In the end, my heart was full. Their love and future are undeniable. What a bumpy road this was—abuse, trauma, monster parents, homophobia, and everything that comes with it—but it ends on such a positive note. Maybe a bit unrealistic in some areas, wrapped up too easily in others, but overall I was drunk on true love.
⚠️Author Content Warnings
Please be aware, this book deals with challenging topics such as internal and external homophobia, including use of the f-slur by queer characters as an expression of internal struggle. Additionally, expect mature discussions that include but are not limited to grief, depression, suicidal ideation, and past childhood trauma. Please prioritize your mental health while reading.
This book is intended for readers age 18 and up. All depicted sexual scenarios are between consenting adults. Related content warnings include but are not limited to:
A sex act between a protagonist and someone other than his eventual romantic partner (no cheating, no love triangle).
Unprotected sex.
Affectionate teasing/name-calling.
Power exchange.
❣️Book Safety & Content
Other Person Drama: Yes (one bj and a kiss with other persons, insignificant and both serve the purpose imo)
Third-Act Breakup: No
Role Dynamics: Versatile one switch on page. Their dynamic will be more Strict roles with switching from time to time.
POV: 1st person dual
Format: Series (a book for each couple)
Ending: HEA
Angst Level: Medium
Spice Level: High heat
Communication: Some miscommunication
Pining: Mutual
MC: Tommy & Rowan 4.5⭐
“It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?” he says. “I can feel it now, though. The dawn.”
“You’re gay because you’re supposed to be loved by a man.”
Tropes & tags
⚽College romance🔥 Soccer Hotties⚽ Hurt/Comfort🔥 Gay Awakening⚽ Tortured Hero🔥 Insta-lust⚽ "daddy"/"baby boy"🔥 Horn dogs with sad puppy eyes⚽Mutual Pining
And finally, a sport I can relate to and understand without Google help!!!! In Portugal, soccer is called football (futebol), and it's the king sport over here. And what a big ass review... I need some good editing :D
Anyway… About my new babies……….
It’s a college sports romance centered on Tommy and Rowan, two soccer players with a messy history. They knew each other as teens → not a great history (homophobia + resentment). Present day → Tommy’s girlfriend cheats… with Rowan. That confrontation turns into: rivalry → teammates → something much more complicated. From there, it’s a mix of sexual tension, emotional damage, and slow emotional unraveling as they’re forced into each other’s orbit.
For some reason, I got it into my head that this book was all roughness and aggressiveness, but oh my sweet gay boys, how wrong I was. This is soooo sweet, swoon-worthy, adorable at first, like two missing puzzle pieces that just complete each other kind of book.
Tommy thinks so badly of himself that he would accept a cheating girlfriend over having none at all. His daydreams about Rowan are so hot—poor baby.
In logic, there's nothing forbidden about this relationship except their own obstacles, but I have to say that reading this tension, the hiding, and then going for it all is so goddamn hot it burns… The kisses, every time they touch each other, look at each other, and the dirty talk? Instant combustion. Imagine all that pent-up tension of never accepting or acting on who you are finally coming out to play? And CUM they do 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
There’s a lot of smut, yes—pure hotness overload—but at the same time, it does not feel repetitive. It feels intimate, and it evolves along with their connection. It feels necessary, it feels ground-shaking, it feels right. Loved their dynamic, even if that daddy/boy came out of nowhere—it was just freaking HOT!!!!
And the pet names? ADORE. THEM. ALL. ALL THE BABY, BABY BOY, BABY FACE, BABY GAY, DADDY, GOOD BOY. Licking my fingers—loved it.
Both characters have vulnerabilities and setbacks. I melted watching Tommy break down all the walls Rowan built around himself. His internalised homophobia was debilitating, his denial crippling, but he tried so hard for Tommy—and he did it! So proud of you, babies.
But what really got to me, what really made me love this book, was all the caring moments, the devotion, the worship, the love they share. This book has the sweetest moments two horndogs can have.
Matt and Xia—people like them make me keep my faith in humanity!
Do I fully understand why they can't accept it right away or have to hide that they are gay? No. It doesn't make total sense to me, but do I judge? Did I go through something similar? No. Every individual is different, and every reality is their own. I’m here to read about their lives—I adore them, seeing all that lurks beneath, all that family- and self-induced homophobia. I see you, babies!
While I tried not to get overwhelmed by the bigotry, it's there, and it sucks 🙁
I also wish for a more detailed note about the abuse and Erica's illness—these are hard topics and might be triggering for some readers.
In the end, my heart was full. Their love and future are undeniable. What a bumpy road this was—abuse, trauma, monster parents, homophobia, and everything that comes with it—but it ends on such a positive note. Maybe a bit unrealistic in some areas, wrapped up too easily in others, but overall I was drunk on true love.
“Imagine,” I murmur, “doing that every night for the rest of our lives.”
A dazed chuckle rocks Rowan’s chest as he tightens his arms around me, picking his leg up over my hip again. “Fucking gay boy,” he rasps.
“One-hundred percent.” Not even one percentage point of doubt left over.”
⚠️Author Content Warnings
Please be aware, this book deals with challenging topics such as internal and external homophobia, including use of the f-slur by queer characters as an expression of internal struggle. Additionally, expect mature discussions that include but are not limited to grief, depression, suicidal ideation, and past childhood trauma. Please prioritize your mental health while reading.
This book is intended for readers age 18 and up. All depicted sexual scenarios are between consenting adults. Related content warnings include but are not limited to:
A sex act between a protagonist and someone other than his eventual romantic partner (no cheating, no love triangle).
Unprotected sex.
Affectionate teasing/name-calling.
Power exchange.
❣️Book Safety & Content
Other Person Drama: Yes (one bj and a kiss with other persons, insignificant and both serve the purpose imo)
Third-Act Breakup: No
Role Dynamics: Versatile one switch on page. Their dynamic will be more Strict roles with switching from time to time.
POV: 1st person dual
Format: Series (a book for each couple)
Ending: HEA
Angst Level: Medium
Spice Level: High heat
Communication: Some miscommunication
Pining: Mutual
Did Not Finish
August 17, 2025DNF @ 1%. I’ve seen enough.
September 1, 2025
Wow. Just wow.
RTC 🩷
RTC 🩷
April 11, 2026
Tommy and Rowan embark on quite an unexpected journey in this story. I love their affection for one another and their willingness to provide unwavering support and guidance during their most emotional moments. Tommy and Rowan demonstrate significant emotional growth and depth, making for a compelling story overall.
I truly enjoyed this story. At times, it was tough to see these characters, especially Tommy, struggling so much, but having Rowan constantly supporting and helping him through his pain was such a relief. Overall, I couldn't get enough of these two and wholeheartedly supported and enjoyed their hard-won HEA.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
I truly enjoyed this story. At times, it was tough to see these characters, especially Tommy, struggling so much, but having Rowan constantly supporting and helping him through his pain was such a relief. Overall, I couldn't get enough of these two and wholeheartedly supported and enjoyed their hard-won HEA.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
June 26, 2025
⭐️ 5 stars ⭐️
🎧𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 — 𝙰𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝, 𝚂𝚘 𝙲𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎, 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝙼𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗🎧
// Swear it's platonic with your hands on my waist
Don't care what we call it 'cause I'm not thinking straight
Tonight or forever I'll take you any which way //
TROPES:
❤️🔥Animosity to lovers
❤️🔥Coming out
❤️🔥Soccer players
❤️🔥Black cat vs golden retriever
There are only so many times one can pop an ‘accidental’ boner for his teammate and still think he’s straight.
Cute hurt boys falling in love. Forever my favorite type of story.
Sweat had me feeling all my emotions, a super sexy but equally romantic and loving romance.
The tension between Tommy and Rowan was sooo good, the brojobs becoming secret hookups, the kissing turning into loving, and then everything. I loved seeing them heal their past wounds, learning what love is meant to feel like.
And the spice was plain HOT. A fitting title, ‘cause it’s hot as fuck where I live and that’s not the only reason I’m melting over here.
First times, backseat blowies, exploring hands, Rowan’s hot dirty talk — I need an ice bath.
All the sweaty smut aside, their relationship was also very sweet and you can see from the start that they care about each other.
They found their person, and I’m a romantic, so my heart is all fuzzy and warm now.
I absolutely can’t wait for more installments of this series, ‘cause up next we got ‘girlfriend’s brother’ and that sounds very very enticing.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Homophobia
- Use of the f slur
- Grief/
- Depression
- Suicidal ideation and discussion of past suicide attempts
- Past childhood trauma
- Mentions of past child abuse (not graphic)
- Mentions of foster care
- Mentions of past bullying
- Mostly top/bottom (one switch scene)
- Cheating (not between MCs)
-
- Frotting
- Rimming
- 69
- Snowballing
- Light edging
- Semi-public sex
- Light daddy kink
🎧𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 — 𝙰𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝, 𝚂𝚘 𝙲𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎, 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝙼𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗🎧
// Swear it's platonic with your hands on my waist
Don't care what we call it 'cause I'm not thinking straight
Tonight or forever I'll take you any which way //
“Relax,” he murmurs, then runs the tip of his tongue along his lips.
“It doesn’t have to be gay.”
TROPES:
❤️🔥Animosity to lovers
❤️🔥Coming out
❤️🔥Soccer players
❤️🔥Black cat vs golden retriever
There are only so many times one can pop an ‘accidental’ boner for his teammate and still think he’s straight.
Cute hurt boys falling in love. Forever my favorite type of story.
Sweat had me feeling all my emotions, a super sexy but equally romantic and loving romance.
If I only had the courage to stretch my finger out, I’d be touching him right now instead of just thinking about touching him. I want to savasana on top of him.
The tension between Tommy and Rowan was sooo good, the brojobs becoming secret hookups, the kissing turning into loving, and then everything. I loved seeing them heal their past wounds, learning what love is meant to feel like.
“I’m close,” he huffs.
“You gonna come for me, baby boy?”
“Fuck”
And the spice was plain HOT. A fitting title, ‘cause it’s hot as fuck where I live and that’s not the only reason I’m melting over here.
First times, backseat blowies, exploring hands, Rowan’s hot dirty talk — I need an ice bath.
“It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?” he says. “I can feel it now, though. The dawn.”
All the sweaty smut aside, their relationship was also very sweet and you can see from the start that they care about each other.
They found their person, and I’m a romantic, so my heart is all fuzzy and warm now.
I absolutely can’t wait for more installments of this series, ‘cause up next we got ‘girlfriend’s brother’ and that sounds very very enticing.
“Can we be happy now?”
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Homophobia
- Use of the f slur
- Grief/
- Depression
- Suicidal ideation and discussion of past suicide attempts
- Past childhood trauma
- Mentions of past child abuse (not graphic)
- Mentions of foster care
- Mentions of past bullying
- Mostly top/bottom (one switch scene)
- Cheating (not between MCs)
-
- Frotting
- Rimming
- 69
- Snowballing
- Light edging
- Semi-public sex
- Light daddy kink
December 16, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Somehow, while I’m breaking down all over him, he makes me feel whole.
Tropes:
✨MM
✨Soccer players
✨He trains him and enjoys a bit too much
✨Black cat x Golden retriever
✨Submissive top x Power Bottom
✨Daddy kink (no age play)
✨Animosity to lovers
✨Coming out (lots of internalized homophobia)
✨Sneaking around
✨Virgin MMC
✨Hurt/Comfort
✨Found Family
⚠️Please READ the TWs before diving into this book. + I'm warning you, there's a useless scene of one MMC sleeping with someone else before they start dating. If you usually stay away from books with scenes like that, rest assured that it's at the beginning, short, and isn't really important or mentioned again. ⚠️
My review:
“It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?” he says. “I can feel it now, though. The dawn.”
I ate this UP. The tension between Tommy and Rowan was unreal. Watching those secret hookups slowly turn into something softer and deeper had me glued to the pages. What starts as stolen moments and heat grows into real care, real love, and honestly some really beautiful healing. Seeing them unlearn their past hurts together was my favorite part. There's A LOT of internalized homophobia, from both of them at first, and those parts and thoughts were extremely well-written. I 100% can relate to some of those thoughts or fears and I'm surprised how well this was written considering that Sweat was the author's debut work. I usually always feel like the whole internalized homophobia thing is only written to add "reasons" for one character or the other to run away or deny the attraction in the name of angsts, but it was much deeper than that in this book which I appreciate greatly. I also loved the way they both dealt with it in opposite ways, all while giving each other space and time to grow and let go of their fears/trauma.
Tommy is an absolute sweetheart, and Rowan is rough around the edges in that way where you just know there’s a lot hiding underneath. The way Rowan softens only around Tommy, how protective he gets of his baby boy, how far he’s willing to go for him… I loved that dynamic so much. And once the story starts peeling back Rowan’s past, his behavior finally starts to make sense. You really do have to be patient with him and sometimes, you have to forgive him for hurting Tommy. I feel like Rowan was the character who perhaps deserved a bit more focus from the author... but I'll explain why later. He's an absolute sweetheart nonetheless, and he grows into such a good and confident gay dude, I'm proud of him.
Their dynamic worked ridiculously well, both emotionally and in the bedroom. Sweet but confident Tommy, guarded but needy Rowan, and the way those roles flipped and blended felt natural and hot. The book is definitely long, but I didn’t mind because it gave their relationship room to breathe and for the character-growth to happen. (ALSO ... who doesn't LOVE a bulky submissive top being a total whiny and shy baby for his power bottom?)
Is she hot, though? I don’t even know, but she looked like the sort of woman that a guy like me would find hot, if I weren’t so fucking gay.
That said, a couple of plot choices near the end threw me off. Rowan’s reaction to being outed didn’t fully line up with how scared and in denial he’d been up until then, and the family trauma reveal felt a bit abrupt. It didn’t ruin the story for me, but it did make the climax feel a little messy.
“I’m close,” he huffs.
“You gonna come for me, baby boy?”
“Fuck”
I also am still unsure of the reason the author wrote that scene at the beginning, where one MC gets a blowjob from someone else. It didn't add anything to the story, no character-growth or any big realization. It happens, does nothing, and then it's not talked about again. I do feel like this book was a tad long, as I said previously, and that's typically the type of scene we could have lived without.
I'm also a bit disappointed we didn't dig a bit more into the reason Rowan is so into that whole Daddy Kink. Given his past and everything he went through.... It's definitely a coping thing for him, and I would have liked for the focus to switch on that, especially towards the end.
I love doing gay shit with Rowan more than I ever liked having straight sex.
Still, this was angsty, raw, emotional, and impossible to put down. I was fully invested in these two and rooting for them hard. The ending was really satisfying, and overall, this was such a good time. Highly recommend if you like slow-burn tension, healing arcs, and couples who grow together! (and soccer, of course)
A fucking sadist in the body of an obscenely buff sixty - year - old. Man looks like an aging gay porn star, like he should be bottoming for hung twinks in his office between practices.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Somehow, while I’m breaking down all over him, he makes me feel whole.
Tropes:
✨MM
✨Soccer players
✨He trains him and enjoys a bit too much
✨Black cat x Golden retriever
✨Submissive top x Power Bottom
✨Daddy kink (no age play)
✨Animosity to lovers
✨Coming out (lots of internalized homophobia)
✨Sneaking around
✨Virgin MMC
✨Hurt/Comfort
✨Found Family
⚠️Please READ the TWs before diving into this book. + I'm warning you, there's a useless scene of one MMC sleeping with someone else before they start dating. If you usually stay away from books with scenes like that, rest assured that it's at the beginning, short, and isn't really important or mentioned again. ⚠️
My review:
“It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?” he says. “I can feel it now, though. The dawn.”
I ate this UP. The tension between Tommy and Rowan was unreal. Watching those secret hookups slowly turn into something softer and deeper had me glued to the pages. What starts as stolen moments and heat grows into real care, real love, and honestly some really beautiful healing. Seeing them unlearn their past hurts together was my favorite part. There's A LOT of internalized homophobia, from both of them at first, and those parts and thoughts were extremely well-written. I 100% can relate to some of those thoughts or fears and I'm surprised how well this was written considering that Sweat was the author's debut work. I usually always feel like the whole internalized homophobia thing is only written to add "reasons" for one character or the other to run away or deny the attraction in the name of angsts, but it was much deeper than that in this book which I appreciate greatly. I also loved the way they both dealt with it in opposite ways, all while giving each other space and time to grow and let go of their fears/trauma.
Tommy is an absolute sweetheart, and Rowan is rough around the edges in that way where you just know there’s a lot hiding underneath. The way Rowan softens only around Tommy, how protective he gets of his baby boy, how far he’s willing to go for him… I loved that dynamic so much. And once the story starts peeling back Rowan’s past, his behavior finally starts to make sense. You really do have to be patient with him and sometimes, you have to forgive him for hurting Tommy. I feel like Rowan was the character who perhaps deserved a bit more focus from the author... but I'll explain why later. He's an absolute sweetheart nonetheless, and he grows into such a good and confident gay dude, I'm proud of him.
Their dynamic worked ridiculously well, both emotionally and in the bedroom. Sweet but confident Tommy, guarded but needy Rowan, and the way those roles flipped and blended felt natural and hot. The book is definitely long, but I didn’t mind because it gave their relationship room to breathe and for the character-growth to happen. (ALSO ... who doesn't LOVE a bulky submissive top being a total whiny and shy baby for his power bottom?)
Is she hot, though? I don’t even know, but she looked like the sort of woman that a guy like me would find hot, if I weren’t so fucking gay.
That said, a couple of plot choices near the end threw me off. Rowan’s reaction to being outed didn’t fully line up with how scared and in denial he’d been up until then, and the family trauma reveal felt a bit abrupt. It didn’t ruin the story for me, but it did make the climax feel a little messy.
“I’m close,” he huffs.
“You gonna come for me, baby boy?”
“Fuck”
I also am still unsure of the reason the author wrote that scene at the beginning, where one MC gets a blowjob from someone else. It didn't add anything to the story, no character-growth or any big realization. It happens, does nothing, and then it's not talked about again. I do feel like this book was a tad long, as I said previously, and that's typically the type of scene we could have lived without.
I'm also a bit disappointed we didn't dig a bit more into the reason Rowan is so into that whole Daddy Kink. Given his past and everything he went through.... It's definitely a coping thing for him, and I would have liked for the focus to switch on that, especially towards the end.
I love doing gay shit with Rowan more than I ever liked having straight sex.
Still, this was angsty, raw, emotional, and impossible to put down. I was fully invested in these two and rooting for them hard. The ending was really satisfying, and overall, this was such a good time. Highly recommend if you like slow-burn tension, healing arcs, and couples who grow together! (and soccer, of course)
A fucking sadist in the body of an obscenely buff sixty - year - old. Man looks like an aging gay porn star, like he should be bottoming for hung twinks in his office between practices.
April 26, 2026
The chemistry & tension between Tommy & Rowan was sooo good. Tommy is so bashful & a cutie and I love him. I loved seeing him break down Rowan’s walls & the way their relationship progressed. The character development for both of them was really strong. Both of them coming to terms with their sexuality was such an emotional journey (more for Rowan maybe) but I loved how supportive they were of each other through everything. They just felt so raw & real and I loved when Rowan finally believes he’s deserving of Tommy’s love for him. Also, Rowan planning to commit to San Jose so they could be near Tommy’s family and doing all this research for them was so sweet I was cryin a lil 😭
There was sooo much internalized homophobia in here & I feel like it was hard to read, it just hurt my heart & so did Rowan’s trauma from when he was a kid 😢 yes I did hate the scene with Rowan getting a blowjob from some random guy who is also married 🫠 I feel like that was super weird with the way he insisted he wouldn’t have fooled around with Tommy’s girlfriend if he knew she wasn’t single. but anywayyy, that was really the only thing I didn’t like. Overall, I still loved this & I’m looking forward to the next book!
Fav parts:
Usually, I’m pretty good at dodging peer pressure, but this is Rowan we’re talking about. If he ever jumps off a cliff, I’ll find it just so I can jump after him. Maybe that should embarrass me. It does embarrass me, but it’s still true.
“It’s not just about soccer for me. Even when we first started training together, it wasn’t. I think it’s always been about him for me.”
“I love you,” he murmurs against my hair before kissing my head. For the first time in my life, it’s easy to tell someone, “I love you too,” because it’s Tommy. And Tommy really is special.
“You’re my dream, Rowan,” he murmurs. “It’s always been you, and I will never give up on you. Ever. Not for anything.”
There was sooo much internalized homophobia in here & I feel like it was hard to read, it just hurt my heart & so did Rowan’s trauma from when he was a kid 😢 yes I did hate the scene with Rowan getting a blowjob from some random guy who is also married 🫠 I feel like that was super weird with the way he insisted he wouldn’t have fooled around with Tommy’s girlfriend if he knew she wasn’t single. but anywayyy, that was really the only thing I didn’t like. Overall, I still loved this & I’m looking forward to the next book!
Fav parts:
Usually, I’m pretty good at dodging peer pressure, but this is Rowan we’re talking about. If he ever jumps off a cliff, I’ll find it just so I can jump after him. Maybe that should embarrass me. It does embarrass me, but it’s still true.
“It’s not just about soccer for me. Even when we first started training together, it wasn’t. I think it’s always been about him for me.”
“I love you,” he murmurs against my hair before kissing my head. For the first time in my life, it’s easy to tell someone, “I love you too,” because it’s Tommy. And Tommy really is special.
“You’re my dream, Rowan,” he murmurs. “It’s always been you, and I will never give up on you. Ever. Not for anything.”
May 8, 2026
4.25🌟
“You’re my dream, Rowan,” he murmurs. “It’s always been you, and I will never give up on you. Ever. Not for anything.”
The way these two softened for each other… oh, I just loved it 😭 Especially Rowan with Tommy🥺🥹 He was so unexpectedly tender with him. They were soooo fucking cute. And those last few chapters 😭
I loved them both sooooo much. Tommy was such a sweet baby boy (😉) and Rowan was so so so precious. He’s a bit of a conundrum in a lot of ways. I loved him, but I had my times of frustration with him. He has a lot of internalized homophobia and shame. I think this, as well as the external homophobia, could potentially be a trigger for a lot of people out there, so just be aware that it exists within this story. Rowan is severely traumatized and his walls are sky high. Because of his tumultuous childhood, he doesn’t understand love or even knows how to receive it. His belief that he’s unworthy of love really impacted how he trusted those closest to him, like Matt & Xia who took him in, and Tommy. It took him so long to let go and just let people love him, but with Tommy, he was able to start moving towards that.
They became so brave together and idk I just really believed in them as a couple and I thought that was really special.
Both of them were utterly INSATIABLE 😂 The spice in this was soooooooo hot like girllll omfg 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ It starts early in the story and there was A LOTTTTT of it. This very well may be the spiciest book I’ve ever read🤣 I definitely prefer less spicy scenes over more, but I don’t really care thatttt much either way. It can sometimes negatively affect my reading experience - depending on how I feel about the characters and the chemistry they have together, as well as my expectations of the spice level going in. Now would I have preferred less spicy scenes in this? Yeah. Did I think it weighed down the story? Tbh, I considered it at different points, but I honestly was just kind of whatever about it. Objectively, yeah, sure, there definitely did notttt need to be this many spicy scenes. I think it will lose a lot of readers for this along the way, but hey, it is what it is😂
SO, I want to be clear, if a heavy amount of spice does typically have a negative impact on your enjoyment of a book, I would definitely skip this one. It is EXTREMELY spice heavy and I am NOT exaggerating lol.
That being said!!!!!…. They don’t actually have sex until after the 75% mark!!! So that was an unexpected surprise.
Things that typically would bother me, didn’t bother me or at least not as much as they usually do.
My one sort of complaint is that I can tell this is written by a man 😂 The language in the inner-monologues of both MCs & the dialogue in general is a little more crude and casual than I’m used to since I typically read books written by women. But I thought the blunt tone definitely felt authentic to “internal male humor.”
This was another thing that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I did notice it, but it didn’t get to the point where it started to negatively impact how I felt about the book or characters.
There isn’t a flowery prose and I don’t think the author went in with the female gaze in mind (which is totally fine!!). That’s just me stating an observation. To be honest, it felt authentic to what it probably is like inside a typical male’s head/perspective. I know most of us are used to a prose that focuses heavily on emotions and has a very romantic tone. So I think if you’re someone like me who notices prose immediately in books, this might stick out to you.
It it feels partially intentional bc it’s obvious Rowan avoids vulnerability and deflects with humor & teasing when Tommy says something more vulnerable to him about about a situation regarding Rowan. So yeah, the more casual approach to the prose isn’t useless. For a while both of the MCs tease, deflect, and joke around their feelings rather than stating them outright. The emotional tension between them sits right underneath their conversations. And it only continues to grow as you get farther along in the story.
Again, objectively, I can still understand why people wouldn’t like this and I can also understand why people would love this! Guess you gotta decide where you fall 🤣 I’m happy to say that I fell towards LOVING it 🥰
What a fantastic debut for this author! I read the blurb for Salt (book 2) and it sounds SOOO good. I’m so excited for it to release in May!!
“‘No.’ I rake my fingers through his hair to push it off his forehead. ‘You’re different. You’re mine. I’ve never really had anyone before.’”
“Feet taking me where my heart guides them, I end up in the courtyard, draping my arms around Rowan’s waist and burying my face in his shoulder. If I weren’t forty pounds heavier than him, I might try clinging to his body like a koala.”
“‘You were patient with me when you didn’t have to be,’ I say. ‘That’s what I’m thankful for today. You.’”
“Truth is, I’ll let Tommy do anything to me. He can have all of me whenever he wants it.”
“‘It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?’ he says. ‘I can feel it now, though. The dawn.’”
“Tommy speaks against my head, his lips grazing my scalp with each word. ‘You’re mine. Hear me? You’re mine, and you always will be. I will always love you, Row.’”
“Rowan’s hand dips between us, palm grazing over my clothed erection. ‘It’s not my fault you taste so fucking good, baby boy.’” 🫦🫦🫦🤭
“You’re my dream, Rowan,” he murmurs. “It’s always been you, and I will never give up on you. Ever. Not for anything.”
The way these two softened for each other… oh, I just loved it 😭 Especially Rowan with Tommy🥺🥹 He was so unexpectedly tender with him. They were soooo fucking cute. And those last few chapters 😭
I loved them both sooooo much. Tommy was such a sweet baby boy (😉) and Rowan was so so so precious. He’s a bit of a conundrum in a lot of ways. I loved him, but I had my times of frustration with him. He has a lot of internalized homophobia and shame. I think this, as well as the external homophobia, could potentially be a trigger for a lot of people out there, so just be aware that it exists within this story. Rowan is severely traumatized and his walls are sky high. Because of his tumultuous childhood, he doesn’t understand love or even knows how to receive it. His belief that he’s unworthy of love really impacted how he trusted those closest to him, like Matt & Xia who took him in, and Tommy. It took him so long to let go and just let people love him, but with Tommy, he was able to start moving towards that.
They became so brave together and idk I just really believed in them as a couple and I thought that was really special.
Both of them were utterly INSATIABLE 😂 The spice in this was soooooooo hot like girllll omfg 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ It starts early in the story and there was A LOTTTTT of it. This very well may be the spiciest book I’ve ever read🤣 I definitely prefer less spicy scenes over more, but I don’t really care thatttt much either way. It can sometimes negatively affect my reading experience - depending on how I feel about the characters and the chemistry they have together, as well as my expectations of the spice level going in. Now would I have preferred less spicy scenes in this? Yeah. Did I think it weighed down the story? Tbh, I considered it at different points, but I honestly was just kind of whatever about it. Objectively, yeah, sure, there definitely did notttt need to be this many spicy scenes. I think it will lose a lot of readers for this along the way, but hey, it is what it is😂
SO, I want to be clear, if a heavy amount of spice does typically have a negative impact on your enjoyment of a book, I would definitely skip this one. It is EXTREMELY spice heavy and I am NOT exaggerating lol.
That being said!!!!!…. They don’t actually have sex until after the 75% mark!!! So that was an unexpected surprise.
Things that typically would bother me, didn’t bother me or at least not as much as they usually do.
My one sort of complaint is that I can tell this is written by a man 😂 The language in the inner-monologues of both MCs & the dialogue in general is a little more crude and casual than I’m used to since I typically read books written by women. But I thought the blunt tone definitely felt authentic to “internal male humor.”
This was another thing that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I did notice it, but it didn’t get to the point where it started to negatively impact how I felt about the book or characters.
There isn’t a flowery prose and I don’t think the author went in with the female gaze in mind (which is totally fine!!). That’s just me stating an observation. To be honest, it felt authentic to what it probably is like inside a typical male’s head/perspective. I know most of us are used to a prose that focuses heavily on emotions and has a very romantic tone. So I think if you’re someone like me who notices prose immediately in books, this might stick out to you.
It it feels partially intentional bc it’s obvious Rowan avoids vulnerability and deflects with humor & teasing when Tommy says something more vulnerable to him about about a situation regarding Rowan. So yeah, the more casual approach to the prose isn’t useless. For a while both of the MCs tease, deflect, and joke around their feelings rather than stating them outright. The emotional tension between them sits right underneath their conversations. And it only continues to grow as you get farther along in the story.
Again, objectively, I can still understand why people wouldn’t like this and I can also understand why people would love this! Guess you gotta decide where you fall 🤣 I’m happy to say that I fell towards LOVING it 🥰
What a fantastic debut for this author! I read the blurb for Salt (book 2) and it sounds SOOO good. I’m so excited for it to release in May!!
“‘No.’ I rake my fingers through his hair to push it off his forehead. ‘You’re different. You’re mine. I’ve never really had anyone before.’”
“Feet taking me where my heart guides them, I end up in the courtyard, draping my arms around Rowan’s waist and burying my face in his shoulder. If I weren’t forty pounds heavier than him, I might try clinging to his body like a koala.”
“‘You were patient with me when you didn’t have to be,’ I say. ‘That’s what I’m thankful for today. You.’”
“Truth is, I’ll let Tommy do anything to me. He can have all of me whenever he wants it.”
“‘It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?’ he says. ‘I can feel it now, though. The dawn.’”
“Tommy speaks against my head, his lips grazing my scalp with each word. ‘You’re mine. Hear me? You’re mine, and you always will be. I will always love you, Row.’”
“Rowan’s hand dips between us, palm grazing over my clothed erection. ‘It’s not my fault you taste so fucking good, baby boy.’” 🫦🫦🫦🤭
July 15, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ and this was a debut, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
This book was angsty and beautifully raw. The writing style and storytelling was just so smooth that it made it impossible to put down.
You know it’s good when it’s a long ass book and you’re sad it’s over.
Just want to hug these sad boys. Soul mate energy for real.
Some of the internalized homophobia was really hard to read. Though after finishing the book, it makes sense for the characters and their journeys.
Check triggers, we’ve got some big heavy topics in this one.
This book was angsty and beautifully raw. The writing style and storytelling was just so smooth that it made it impossible to put down.
You know it’s good when it’s a long ass book and you’re sad it’s over.
Just want to hug these sad boys. Soul mate energy for real.
Some of the internalized homophobia was really hard to read. Though after finishing the book, it makes sense for the characters and their journeys.
Check triggers, we’ve got some big heavy topics in this one.
May 8, 2026
"I take time studying his face, memorizing it, because moments like these are fleeting, and time with people we love is never as long as we want it to be. I want it to be forever."
I had been looking forward to this, and it didnt disappoint. For me, it was amazing and I love a push and pull relationship that slaps me in the face and makes me emotionally invested and thats what I got here. Love love loved it!
I had been looking forward to this, and it didnt disappoint. For me, it was amazing and I love a push and pull relationship that slaps me in the face and makes me emotionally invested and thats what I got here. Love love loved it!
April 13, 2026
4 stars ⭐️
The story is so sweet yet very hard to read. I know it’s a bit longer than I’d like, and the author could’ve easily cut 200 pages, but I still love being able to witness all those raw, special moments between them.
I like both Tommy and Rowan equally. They both grew up around a lot of homophobia, Rowan even more than Tommy. What I love most is how they eventually overcame their fear of being gay and fell in love, supporting each other through every hardship.
I understand why some readers might find it hard to read because of the internalized homophobia, but I really appreciate how both of them especially Rowan worked through it and became someone truly valuable for Tommy. Their relationship is so sweet, and the endearing nicknames Rowan uses for Tommy are just adorable.
The story is so sweet yet very hard to read. I know it’s a bit longer than I’d like, and the author could’ve easily cut 200 pages, but I still love being able to witness all those raw, special moments between them.
I like both Tommy and Rowan equally. They both grew up around a lot of homophobia, Rowan even more than Tommy. What I love most is how they eventually overcame their fear of being gay and fell in love, supporting each other through every hardship.
I understand why some readers might find it hard to read because of the internalized homophobia, but I really appreciate how both of them especially Rowan worked through it and became someone truly valuable for Tommy. Their relationship is so sweet, and the endearing nicknames Rowan uses for Tommy are just adorable.
August 1, 2025
Goddamn it… believe me when I say I really tried to give this book a chance, even making excuses to say I read the TW’s I knew that the term “fag” or “faggot” were going to be used but omg it was in every chapter AND AS SOMEONE WHO WAS CONSTANTLY CALLED THAT I WAS TRIGGERED 😭😭😭
i only read 31% of it so i can’t imagine how many times it actually shows up. ALSO, the nail in the coffin for my dnf was this line
“There’s a rumor going around among the girls that he’s gay, but i just think he’s autistic or something”
respectfully, im out lol.
i only read 31% of it so i can’t imagine how many times it actually shows up. ALSO, the nail in the coffin for my dnf was this line
“There’s a rumor going around among the girls that he’s gay, but i just think he’s autistic or something”
respectfully, im out lol.
July 24, 2025
This new author's debut novel is absolutely wonderful.
Tommy is a sweet guy who is a totally gay, but is kinda in the closet at the start of this. Not as much as Rowan, who is also totally gay, but has his own trauma that prevents him from admitting it for a long while, even when he and Tommy start to do things together.
The book warns for this in the beginning, but I thought I'd go into more detail if anyone is curious to know exactly what happens. It warns that one MC is with another other than the other MC but there is no sharing or cheating of the sort. Here is more on that below the cut: .
Of course, there's what starts off their love story - Tommy has a girlfriend at the start of this story, and she hooks up with Rowan (we don't see it, really, just Rowan describing the underwhelming event) and that is what makes Tommy seek him out, of course.
Tommy breaks up with her right after this, too, of course, so aside from under the cut and his ex-girlfriend, there's no one else for them in the story, especially when their relationship really starts to take off.
That out of the way, getting into the rest, I loved this. Tommy was so sweet and Rowan was more hard/rough around the edges, but he loosened up around Tommy so much and was so sweet with him. His fierce protectiveness of his 'baby boy' was wonderful too, I loved how much he was ready to throw down for his baby.
This was long, and perhaps it took me a bit to get through, but I didn't feel like penalizing the rating of this for that, because I was still enjoying this, it was just a long story.
But I loved that we got to know these two so well and got to learn so much about that. We don't learn about Rowan much at first and I was like 'okay why is he like this? Why did he call Tommy the F word?' and the story slowly unravels his past, his story, and what he's been through and it all starts to make sense.
Be patient with Rowan's story as Tommy is with Rowan himself, it all starts to make sense as the story goes along and more and more is revealed.
I love how great their dynamic was too. Tommy was the sweet one, the more submissive one in the bedroom as well, but he was the top almost exclusively, and it totally worked for them. Rowan was more of a power bottom than anything. We do get them trying it the other way once, but they come to the conclusion that they prefer their usual positions. Seems the other way around would be a once in a awhile type thing.
It just worked and I loved that. Usually I'd be bemoaning how it should be the other way around, because honestly sometimes the authors don't put in the work to make the sexual positions feel right or earned. But it just felt right for it with these two from the beginning, as well as them maintaining their more dominant and submissive roles even though Tommy was the top and Rowan the bottom.
Before I forget, Trigger Warning for: So just keep that in mind while reading this as well.
But while this is certainly angsty and these two both go through SO much, they eventually make it out the other side with a happy ending, and it's so wonderful.
Seeing these two get their happy ending from where they start is beautiful.
And I can't wait for Connor's story next...falling for your girlfriend's brother? Oh I hope like hell it's juicy and dramatic AF. This is an exciting new author that I can't wait for more from. This was an excellent introductory novel.
Can't wait for the next one - until then! 😍
Tommy is a sweet guy who is a totally gay, but is kinda in the closet at the start of this. Not as much as Rowan, who is also totally gay, but has his own trauma that prevents him from admitting it for a long while, even when he and Tommy start to do things together.
The book warns for this in the beginning, but I thought I'd go into more detail if anyone is curious to know exactly what happens. It warns that one MC is with another other than the other MC but there is no sharing or cheating of the sort. Here is more on that below the cut: .
Of course, there's what starts off their love story - Tommy has a girlfriend at the start of this story, and she hooks up with Rowan (we don't see it, really, just Rowan describing the underwhelming event) and that is what makes Tommy seek him out, of course.
Tommy breaks up with her right after this, too, of course, so aside from under the cut and his ex-girlfriend, there's no one else for them in the story, especially when their relationship really starts to take off.
That out of the way, getting into the rest, I loved this. Tommy was so sweet and Rowan was more hard/rough around the edges, but he loosened up around Tommy so much and was so sweet with him. His fierce protectiveness of his 'baby boy' was wonderful too, I loved how much he was ready to throw down for his baby.
This was long, and perhaps it took me a bit to get through, but I didn't feel like penalizing the rating of this for that, because I was still enjoying this, it was just a long story.
But I loved that we got to know these two so well and got to learn so much about that. We don't learn about Rowan much at first and I was like 'okay why is he like this? Why did he call Tommy the F word?' and the story slowly unravels his past, his story, and what he's been through and it all starts to make sense.
Be patient with Rowan's story as Tommy is with Rowan himself, it all starts to make sense as the story goes along and more and more is revealed.
I love how great their dynamic was too. Tommy was the sweet one, the more submissive one in the bedroom as well, but he was the top almost exclusively, and it totally worked for them. Rowan was more of a power bottom than anything. We do get them trying it the other way once, but they come to the conclusion that they prefer their usual positions. Seems the other way around would be a once in a awhile type thing.
It just worked and I loved that. Usually I'd be bemoaning how it should be the other way around, because honestly sometimes the authors don't put in the work to make the sexual positions feel right or earned. But it just felt right for it with these two from the beginning, as well as them maintaining their more dominant and submissive roles even though Tommy was the top and Rowan the bottom.
Before I forget, Trigger Warning for: So just keep that in mind while reading this as well.
But while this is certainly angsty and these two both go through SO much, they eventually make it out the other side with a happy ending, and it's so wonderful.
Seeing these two get their happy ending from where they start is beautiful.
And I can't wait for Connor's story next...falling for your girlfriend's brother? Oh I hope like hell it's juicy and dramatic AF. This is an exciting new author that I can't wait for more from. This was an excellent introductory novel.
Can't wait for the next one - until then! 😍
Read
April 8, 2026I don’t feel like I can rate Sweat properly yet because I was half asleep for the last third of (my fault, not the book’s) it but I really liked what I processed. It’s definitely going to fall between 4 and 5 stars when I get around to rereading it. It reminded me a teeny bit of The Foxhole Court, but I liked the way Sweat dealt with the common themes a lot better (TFC sometimes felt like trauma porn to me, and this never did). These boys will likely live my heart for a good long time. Can’t wait to pick up the next book of this series in May.
February 21, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Reluctant friends to lovers
Hurt/Comfort
Sports romance (athlete/athlete)
“I’m not gay” then does gay stuff 😅
Lots of spice
Growth and acceptance of their sexuality
First times virgin mmc
I loved the texting!!
Wow there was a lot of spice in this book! lol
Also the first 20 percent I was thinking to myself “I’ve never met characters where they are BOTH in denial of their sexuality” lol like they jerked each other off in the car and masked it cuz it wasn’t gay-gay. Which I know some people have had those thoughts and it’s refreshing for this author to write his truth and write that perspective.
I loved this book. Their tension was so strong!!
Tommy was such a sweetie pie and would do anything the MMC asked him to do!
Rowan was more guarded but was also on a leash with Tommy. If Tommy wanted him to do something, he would pout, but eventually give in.
I would love to read more from this author!
Reluctant friends to lovers
Hurt/Comfort
Sports romance (athlete/athlete)
“I’m not gay” then does gay stuff 😅
Lots of spice
Growth and acceptance of their sexuality
First times virgin mmc
I loved the texting!!
Wow there was a lot of spice in this book! lol
Also the first 20 percent I was thinking to myself “I’ve never met characters where they are BOTH in denial of their sexuality” lol like they jerked each other off in the car and masked it cuz it wasn’t gay-gay. Which I know some people have had those thoughts and it’s refreshing for this author to write his truth and write that perspective.
I loved this book. Their tension was so strong!!
Tommy was such a sweetie pie and would do anything the MMC asked him to do!
Rowan was more guarded but was also on a leash with Tommy. If Tommy wanted him to do something, he would pout, but eventually give in.
I would love to read more from this author!
December 15, 2025
I loved the beginning of this book. I loved the angst. I loved Rowan and Tommy. Their families. The side characters. The setting. The sweetness between them. The pain and the healing.
I love NA romances and this was a good one.
What I didn’t love?
Daddy and baby boy. Sometimes it works but here it just weirded me out.
So many sex scenes. Like so so many. The book could have been 100 pages shorter.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
I love NA romances and this was a good one.
What I didn’t love?
Daddy and baby boy. Sometimes it works but here it just weirded me out.
So many sex scenes. Like so so many. The book could have been 100 pages shorter.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2026
3 ⭐️
⚽️ Teammates/College Students
🥅 Soccer Players
⚽️ Secret Relationship
🥅 “Enemies” to Friends to Boyfriends
⚽️ Found Family
🖤 No third-act breakup
🩶 Vers
🤍 OM drama (one scene after characters start a physical relationship, but before they’re official)
Sweat:
This easily could have been a 5 star read! Easily! It has so many parts that I LOVE! BUT! What ruins it? The rampant misogyny, homophobia, stereotypes, and loads of typos. The crazy thing is… these topics didn’t add anything to the story!
The good:
I loved the tension and the banter. Even though the physical relationship started early in the book, I genuinely believed these boys were becoming best friends! I felt they were age appropriate (e.g. Rowan talking crap about his coach when in actuality, he seemed like a good coach).
The neutral:
The OM drama didn’t bother me because they were officially together and it was part of the TWs, but it served no real purpose in my opinion. Mostly because it was never brought up/addressed. It also didn’t feel accurate to Rowan’s character after we found out he was saving his first time for someone he loved.
The bad
The misogyny: God, it was so awful and unnecessary. That’s saying a lot coming from me because I genuinely love a story with an evil bitch ex-girlfriend. I do not mind in the slightest reading about a woman as the villain to a male-male love story. So I was here for Lese being terrible. I loved to hate her character. But there was no reason for literally EVERY OTHER WOMAN (except Xiamara) to be awful. There is no way that all the female characters are so obviously throwing themselves at these men over and over again to the point where they offer threesomes after one guy says no. That’s that not realistic and only serves to make them look bad. It doesn’t help the plot! There was no reason to make Eve terrible to the point of saying “bye h*mo” because she was turned down. The author could have just as easily written their conversation to have a polite end. Also, the internal monologue for both of these men and how they think of women and speak about women is gross. I can’t speak to the accuracy of that because I’m not a college boy, but it felt unnecessary to speak about women that way.
The homophobia/Sterotypes: I get that internalized homophobia is a huge part of this story and both boys are coming to terms with their sexuality, but it is 2025 and we are past bullshit like “Is this proof I’m not actually gay? That I can’t stand 80s pop karaoke and none of the dudes here turn me on?” And “Being gay would explain how sensitive I’ve always been.” And “As Lady Gaga sang, I was born this way. Shit, I really am gay” We can do better than this.
There are also some character traits that didn’t feel consistent. Example: Early on Rowan thinks that Tommy doesn’t have a reason to be depressed. Later he shared how he’s been suicidal and even attempted suicide, so you would think he knows that depression doesn’t always have a reason.
Random thoughts:
Why is a grown man using the phrase smooch and tummy so often? Why did we use the words cummy and scrotum during sex scenes? Scrotum was used 9 times!
Poor Paul was so wronged! We’re led to think Tommy’s sister is a decent person and we’re sad because she’s dying of cancer and then we find out she lied to the whole family (including her son) about her baby daddy abandoning him! I thought, maybe she’s protecting him… but no! She’s just being a crappy Mom by not telling the father he had a kid and giving them the chance to be in each other’s lives. But she’s perfectly fine seeing him out to tell him about his son now that she’s dying and needs somewhere for Mav to go. So this poor man finds out he has a 7 year old and will randomly have to take him full time in 6 months or so and he can’t even be mad at his baby Mama because she’s dying. I get that we need somewhere for Mav to end the story since he can’t stay with his grandma or uncle but this made me so angry. JUSTICE FOR PAUL!!!
The worst quote award goes to… 🥁
“Men can’t be sluts, Becky,” Levi chortles, ducking under the pool table just in the nick of time. “That’s called being men!”
Lastly, I don’t mind a typo or two because we’re all human. This book has at least eight which is pushing it for me.
⚽️ Teammates/College Students
🥅 Soccer Players
⚽️ Secret Relationship
🥅 “Enemies” to Friends to Boyfriends
⚽️ Found Family
🖤 No third-act breakup
🩶 Vers
🤍 OM drama (one scene after characters start a physical relationship, but before they’re official)
Sweat:
This easily could have been a 5 star read! Easily! It has so many parts that I LOVE! BUT! What ruins it? The rampant misogyny, homophobia, stereotypes, and loads of typos. The crazy thing is… these topics didn’t add anything to the story!
The good:
I loved the tension and the banter. Even though the physical relationship started early in the book, I genuinely believed these boys were becoming best friends! I felt they were age appropriate (e.g. Rowan talking crap about his coach when in actuality, he seemed like a good coach).
The neutral:
The OM drama didn’t bother me because they were officially together and it was part of the TWs, but it served no real purpose in my opinion. Mostly because it was never brought up/addressed. It also didn’t feel accurate to Rowan’s character after we found out he was saving his first time for someone he loved.
The bad
The misogyny: God, it was so awful and unnecessary. That’s saying a lot coming from me because I genuinely love a story with an evil bitch ex-girlfriend. I do not mind in the slightest reading about a woman as the villain to a male-male love story. So I was here for Lese being terrible. I loved to hate her character. But there was no reason for literally EVERY OTHER WOMAN (except Xiamara) to be awful. There is no way that all the female characters are so obviously throwing themselves at these men over and over again to the point where they offer threesomes after one guy says no. That’s that not realistic and only serves to make them look bad. It doesn’t help the plot! There was no reason to make Eve terrible to the point of saying “bye h*mo” because she was turned down. The author could have just as easily written their conversation to have a polite end. Also, the internal monologue for both of these men and how they think of women and speak about women is gross. I can’t speak to the accuracy of that because I’m not a college boy, but it felt unnecessary to speak about women that way.
The homophobia/Sterotypes: I get that internalized homophobia is a huge part of this story and both boys are coming to terms with their sexuality, but it is 2025 and we are past bullshit like “Is this proof I’m not actually gay? That I can’t stand 80s pop karaoke and none of the dudes here turn me on?” And “Being gay would explain how sensitive I’ve always been.” And “As Lady Gaga sang, I was born this way. Shit, I really am gay” We can do better than this.
There are also some character traits that didn’t feel consistent. Example: Early on Rowan thinks that Tommy doesn’t have a reason to be depressed. Later he shared how he’s been suicidal and even attempted suicide, so you would think he knows that depression doesn’t always have a reason.
Random thoughts:
Why is a grown man using the phrase smooch and tummy so often? Why did we use the words cummy and scrotum during sex scenes? Scrotum was used 9 times!
Poor Paul was so wronged! We’re led to think Tommy’s sister is a decent person and we’re sad because she’s dying of cancer and then we find out she lied to the whole family (including her son) about her baby daddy abandoning him! I thought, maybe she’s protecting him… but no! She’s just being a crappy Mom by not telling the father he had a kid and giving them the chance to be in each other’s lives. But she’s perfectly fine seeing him out to tell him about his son now that she’s dying and needs somewhere for Mav to go. So this poor man finds out he has a 7 year old and will randomly have to take him full time in 6 months or so and he can’t even be mad at his baby Mama because she’s dying. I get that we need somewhere for Mav to end the story since he can’t stay with his grandma or uncle but this made me so angry. JUSTICE FOR PAUL!!!
The worst quote award goes to… 🥁
“Men can’t be sluts, Becky,” Levi chortles, ducking under the pool table just in the nick of time. “That’s called being men!”
Lastly, I don’t mind a typo or two because we’re all human. This book has at least eight which is pushing it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2026
A heartfelt story of first experiences, self-discovery, and two boys learning to accept themselves while embracing the love they deserve.
August 2, 2025
3 stars. Solid debut, but man did I wanna tear my hair out at how frustrating this book was.
April 24, 2026
DNF
Yeah no, this isn't working for me. The writing isn't good imo, and I'm honestly bored.
Life's too short to read meh books.
Yeah no, this isn't working for me. The writing isn't good imo, and I'm honestly bored.
Life's too short to read meh books.
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