Effortless

Less than Perfect #1

by Marie Socray

Elias Richardson needs to be the best.

After skipping the second grade and maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout his school years, the next check off his list is to become class president. After that? Valedictorian. The only thing standing in his way is the one he could never seem to his insufferably perfect rival.

Javier Cortez is everything Eli envied. He’s a people magnet with natural smarts, captivating good looks, and maddening charm. Javier has had the school wrapped around his finger from the moment he waltzed through its double doors.

It being the rivals’ senior year means it is Eli’s last chance to finally beat Javier like he has been trying, and failing, to do for the past three years. However, when what started as a tense rivalry filled with jealousy and resentment begins to shift into something neither of them could have ever predicted, Eli’s calculated life takes a huge turn.

Falling for the school’s golden boy that he had sworn to hate was not part of Eli’s plan. Then again, neither was relying on the alcohol to quiet the thoughts he couldn’t outrun.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Addiction, High School, Contemporary Romance, Gay

426 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Marie Socray is the author of Effortless. Growing up she spent a lot of her time daydreaming and putting those dreams onto paper for her close friends to read. Now, she shares them with the world.

A hopeless romantic at heart, she writes emotional, character-driven romances that explore love, growth, and everything in between.

Reviews

[Brooke Greathouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just too YA for me. It had absolutely zero editing. If it was edited then they need a better editor. This was way too repetitive. It was way too “wordy”. So much shit happening that added nothing to the plot. Just a bunch of useless words on a page. It was also way too long. 300 pages should have been taken out. I just couldn’t get past how horribly written this was. There were a lot of grammatical errors as well.

This for example: “I recognized you. I graduated from there last year and recognized you.” That did not bare repeating! And there is so much of that throughout the book. It just takes away from the story because I get fixated on shit like that.

The plot picked up and got better towards the end though so I’m changing this from a 1 star to 2.5 but rounding up to 3!

[Strawbera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Effortless ARC Review
5/5
Elias and Javi <3
They are such complex characters and I love them for that.
Their rivalry starts years ago when Javi transferred to their school. They competed in everything they could just to get the rinse out of each other and to ensure the other’s attention is fully on him. And if it wasn’t – they weren’t happy. Ahhhhh, the tension!
Their academic rivalry begins to change after they are given a chance to participate in a contest as a team where they understand they don’t just work as enemies but also as a team.

Characters:
Elias is the main MC. He is a complex and complicated character. Having went through a lot in his life, he’s left scarred and it’s clear. All he wants it to prove himself to others to make them love him. But is love about proving one’s worth to have it? He thinks it is. Which makes every failure of his full of heartbreak and self-hatred. When it’s too much, he tunes it all out and that’s a problem he pretends not to exist. But everyone else see it does in fact exist. His problem made me love and hate him at times because of how realistic it is. I could relate to him very much, having experienced similar things in life and that made me feel things I didn’t expect. Marie Socray did a magnificent job in presenting the realities of this substance in life.

Javier is the other MC and my personal favorite. He’s such a ray of sunshine and exactly what Elias needed. He’s handsome, kind but very competing. A perfect rival. Especially when he did things for his favorite rival selflessly, helping and protecting him even when they were at the biggest odds. He cares so much and it’s beautiful. I was worried his ex-girlfriend (then girlfriend) would be a problem and that there was going to be cheating, but worry not! Javi’s a sweetheart. He started exploring the rising tension between him and his rival only after his relationship ended.

Together, they are perfect <3

This book has it all; funny moments, tension, heartbreak, tears, and heart-gripping romance. I got a bit sniffly about how their lives and relationship unfolded. They have understandable reasons for acting like they did, and I adored how beautifully realistic it felt. Though Elias has me anxious at times, he eventually fought over his demons and achieved the love he always deserved and I couldn’t be happier about their happy ever after! 😊

[starlvcies ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ehh okay. Honestly i didn’t feel anything for this book besides my baby Eli gosh he deserves the world & more

[Jessica Bullard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possible Spoilers ahead:


I loved this book. I got an ARC of this and it was my first. Let me start by saying that it wasn’t perfect, but it kept my attention. I loved the connection between Javier and Eli. They had that spark that wasn’t hate, even when they thought it was. I absolutely hated the way Eli’s family treated him. This was hard to swallow and made me empathize with his character so much more. I loved Javier’s family and how they all just accepted Eli from the second they met him. This story has so many ups and downs, but the ending is well worth it! I gave it 4 stars!!

[Hanin Izzati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, to say I was disappointed knowing there's no next page is an understatement.

Where to start? I love Eli with all my heart. His background and struggles just intensify that and make him into someone you just can't help but protect. And Javi, right from the start, I know what he is... (utterly in love). Despite him being introduced negatively from Eli's perspective, he's impossible to hate and rightfully so. It's funny seeing the one-sided beef between the two and how oblivious Eli is in seeing things.

The story is engaging and the way it handle the heavy topic is commendable. Plus, the characters are so well written that you can't help but empathize and relate with them. Despite not really delving too deep into the side characters, they come to live and have their own depth. I truly love the characters that it's sad to let them go.

Anyway, definitely recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

It feels like this book was only edited by the author themself.. and it shows.

[Yeslia · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS BOOK MADE ME REALISE I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FORGIVE.

I place Emerson and Easton in the same category as Grace from God of fury….based on how much i hate them not what they did and no amount of niceness (which btw was deeply disgusting to me when it should’ve been comforting) would ever change the way i feel about the twins.

Their mom died hours after having Elias and dad died due to alcohol poisoning months after. Their aunt Macy took them in after the deaths of their parents. They were about a year old when this happened. Now fast forward to them as teenagers.

Since Elias was a child, they’d hated, bullied, isolated, ignored, done everything bad under the sun to their baby brother because they’d blamed him for their parents’ death. People in this book blame Macy for that, but that stupid notion they had should’ve ended when they were like fucking 12.

I just can’t stand when people say oh it’s because Macy had been poisoning their minds. Give me a break, your mother died after having your baby brother and you resent him for her death and go as far as blaming him and hitting him, badly, every time you’re angry and i’m supposed to think you’re driven by what? lies from your aunty? Same aunt you know hates y’all? this woman who doesn’t care about you is who you take seriously? Please im too angry for this.

This book had me so sad, the last sad book i read was Julia McColgan’s ruin my life, that book wrecked me and i did my best to avoid books like that 😭 cos all i do is fucking cry. Now while this book had tears welling up in my eyes a lot? Emerson and Easton had my emotions switch to a state of lividness in the rest of the story.

And now Elias basically downs a whole bottle of whiskey in an hour and had to be rushed to the hospital by Javier (oh Javier i will speak of this angel soon, let me finish venting) and Kailey. Elias got extremely sick, nearing his death bed and that is when fucking Emerson and Easton wanna act like they care? to top it all off they couldn’t even stay after Elias woke up and sent Javier to tell him they loved him?

Love my ass! if this is what loving someone means then we have truly lost the plot. My girl Bella spoke her mind! Goodness me, she’s the only one who truly speaks for me, shouts at the twins how I so badly wish I could. Like how can you totally ignore your brother needing a drink to help him sleep every damn night? like you watched it happen and even when you acknowledged it, it was because you were making fun of him!

Now fast forward, Elias is still in recovery, at Javier’s home, where his sister, mom and step dad took him in and treated him like family. I was so happy like finally he will get the love he so badly craved from his siblings all his life. Now the twins visit him and they tell him seeing him almost die scared them.

And like that’s all they said which set Elias off. After he spoke his mind, Emerson hugged him and I wanted to scream. They thought working jobs and slipping 20 dollar notes on the kitchen counter and buying him things sometimes while isolating and bullying him was what he wanted? Like no he just wants to be treated like your baby brother! i don’t see why that’s so fucking hard to understand.

Easton saying “I don’t know what I would have done with myself if you didn’t end up okay, Elias. I'm fucking sorry that it took you almost dying for me it to click in my head that it isn’t all your fault.”

I asked myself immediately after reading this, if this whole chapter was just about rage baiting like surely, that’s what it’s gotta be about. You hit your brother, break his nose, badly bruise his eye, direct your rage at him and he had to be at the brink of the death to get you to understand that your parents dying wasn’t his fault?

They had the nerve to later say “mom and dad wouldn’t be proud of the way we treat you” i had to laugh at this point. Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t read YA and this is supposed to appeal to teenagers and not me. Because you can’t treat your brother like that and suddenly out of nowhere, you start saying shit like this like no!

You didn’t know your parents wouldn’t be happy about abusing your little brother until now? like please! I just had to accept that this book is just pure rage bait. Everything was making me angry. Easton ruffling his Elias’ hair and being affectionate had me annoyed. It all felt so fake to me. Very fake.

Now let’s talk about why i gave this a 3 star rating.
Javier and Elias were cute 😂 honestly it was funny how Elias was basically having a one sided beef with Javier and whole time the latter just wanted him. Javier is so sweet, he’d do literally anything for Elias and it was just really nice to read.

It was the only aspect of the book that made me happy. Javier had so much patience for him and i was really glad when his family just accepted Elias, especially Gabriella. And that scene where Javier spoke spanish to Elias and he asked the meaning will never not be funny 🤣

Javier told Elias “don’t you have an A in spanish?” and Elias said him he only studied for exams and Javier’s reply was, “use google translate” 🤣 i loved when they teased each other it was hilarious.

I would say i’m not really a YA fan and that could also be why a lot of things got on my nerves while i read this, who knows. But overall, it wasn’t bad, this only gets a 3 because of how much i loathe the twins and Macy, yeah i’m petty like that. Otherwise it would’ve been a fun palette cleanser.

Oh and i forgot to add, we love Paxton and Gabriella🤣 i got so excited every time they appeared, literally my favourite people in the book. I really loved Gabriella and Elias’ sibling-like bond, it was everything ! Also this last interaction:

“You know what I just realized?" Javier asked me as we walked.
"What?"
"If we ever have kids they're going to hate us. Their dads graduated high school at the top of their class and will probably again for college too. We’re gonna end up being insufferable know-it-all parents.”

I could not stop laughing cos this is so real 🤣

[Ariella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book as an ARC reader.

The premise of this book? Absolutely amazing.
I wanted to read this book because it seemed to tick all my boxes
- Diversity ( without it being performative and forced ) check
- LGBT ( I love reading MM romances )
- Teenage characters?
This book basically had everything I wanted and more.


My only problem is —
The writing is somewhat unbearable.
I loved what the book was talking about and I loved the characters but the way the book was written made it hard for me to immerse myself in it.
A number of scenes were longer than they needed to be and they didn’t flow together cohesively.
Speaking of length though, the book itself is too long. A book in this genre shouldn’t be almost 500 pages long without anything that really grips the readers attention.
At times it felt like I was being spoon-fed information, one sentence at a time. And that was the most frustrating thing ever to have to read.
Some moments in the book are genuinely so dumb that I had to tear my hair out occasionally.
Another problem was that at times a sentence would start and then end abruptly which made me feel like I kept running into a brick wall. Constantly.
A bunch of sentences basically made no sense whatsoever and I had to keep rereading them to understand.
The pacing was also a little bit weird at times.
In my humble opinion, this book needed a little bit more editing. And if it was edited, the author needs a new editor.

If I had to judge a book by writing alone. Then this book would be getting 2/5 stars — sadly the writing made this book very hard to enjoy —

However, I don’t just judge books by the writing but also by the story and the characters.
I loved the characters.
I fell in love with the boys as I watched them fall in love with each other.

I honestly didn’t really like Eli at the beginning of the book because he just sounded moaney and complainey the whole time, but slowly the author was able to draw me into Eli and I completely adored him by the end of the book.
I loved the friendships that were around our MMCs, they both had good solid friends and I just loved being able to read about that.
The author tackled Eli’s problem with alcohol very well — I was initially worried on how she would execute this but she did an amazing job.
I loved Javi. Just an absolute sweetheart.


- SPOILER AHEAD —

I also loved how although Eli really really wanted to be valedictorian, he doesn’t.
It shows how life doesn’t always go the way you want it to and how that’s still perfectly okay.
Also, even though Javi is the one who becomes valedictorian. The author doesn’t ignore Eli’s disappointment, she makes sure to acknowledge it on page. But she also writes it in such a way that Eli doesn’t dwell on it for too long and makes Javi feel bad, he is still able to celebrate his love even though he didn’t get what he would have wanted.

— SPOILER OVER —

In the end though.
The book was an okay book and it was somewhat enjoyable.
I ADORED the characters but I did not like the writing that much.
Because I really loved the boys and everyone else, the book is going to get a 3.5 ( officially a 3 on Goodreads because it doesn’t allow 1/2 stars and I can’t give this a 4 ).

Overall
- Great storyline
- Could do with better writing
- Amazing diversity representation
- Touched on a few tricky topics in a beautiful way

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got sent an early copy as an ARC reader after finding this book advertised on TitTok and I was pleasantly surprised it gave me "Savage Rivals by Becca Steele" vibes and I love an enemies/rivals to lovers story. Eli is a very complicated character with a poor home life situation and a lot of issues he doesn't deal with them in healthiest of ways, and Javier is the upper-class, smart, sweet, popular boy.

From the beginning, I could tell the "rivalry" and "hatred" was one sided and Eli was just a little blind to it but once things got moving i was very happy with the growing relationship. The book itself wasn't my favourite read of the year, but it was still very enjoyable, and I honestly couldn't put it down. There wasn't a lot of spice, and I was very happy with that and don't get me wrong I'm a spice girlie, but this didn't need all of that. The only true negative was that I felt the book ended abruptly. If there had been just an epilogue, at least it would have been so good. Overall, the book was written well. The storyline, characters, and relationship were good, and I would definitely recommend this book 😁

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right at the start of the book, I was hooked and absolutely obsessed with both main MCs, but especially with Eli. I’m always a bit hesitant with books that have any theme of substance use, as someone who struggled with addiction I often find that their struggles aren’t very realistic and very stereotypical. However this author did an amazing job tackling it and I found myself relating so much to Eli and his internal struggles.

The slow burn in this book was one of the best I’ve read in a long time, and the relationship building was so gradual that I found their relationship realistic and I was genuinely cheering for them the entire book.

Marie Socray did such a good job of writing complex familiar relationships, mental health and healing. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves a good rivals to lovers with hurt/comfort themes.

[Lauras.libraryyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read

This was my first book by the author, can’t wait to read more.

As much as I try to stay away from books set in high school, there was something about this that really drew me in.

Quick, easy and emotional. I couldn’t put it down from the beginning. Javier was a downright cutie. Loved everything about him and who he is and his family.

This book had it all - love, attraction, pain, bullying, bickering and a lot of sarcasm. So cute!

(There were way too many spelling/word errors though. I wish I could say I just kept reading but it did slow me down quite a few times as it was distracting.)

[Valmae_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review - Effortless by Marie Socray

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

This book was amazing! I originally thought it would be hard for me to read because I’m not good with slow burn but it had me hooked from the start! I loved it 🥰

I loved Eli! He was such a vulnerable character and my heart ached for him. He just wanted to prove himself to his siblings and they ignored it. I hated his aunt and siblings for what they did to him. I could feel him hurting through the page 🥺

Javier was such a good character and definitely what Eli needed! I love that he helped and protected Eli! It was so sweet! 🥹 The way he always liked Eli and then falls deeply in love with him was everything!

Eli’s friends deserve a mention because they cared for Eli and were there for him! As well as, Javier’s mum, who took Eli in as soon as Javier brought him home for the first time!

The author wrote a remarkable story which kept me engaged the whole time. They wrote a difficult topic and problem brilliantly and it added so much to the book! The author’s writing is fantastic! So the fact that this is the author’s debut novel is truly incredible!

Shoutouts:
- Javier liking mint choc chip ice cream! I love this ice cream so seeing him like it made me happy!
- Also, Kailey because she said Vampires were hot! I couldn’t agree more! (Klaus Mikaelson and Elijah Mikaelson 🤭)

I love books where you read it and by the end of it the title makes sense… this book does exactly that with the title ‘Effortless’.
And I love the way it’s done 🤗

I recommend this book to everyone and I hope people read it and love it! 🫶🏼

[Teigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You wanna know what else is effortless?" he challenged. I swallowed. "What?" "My feelings for you."
^ Page 288.

The entire theme of this book is that Eli is an alcoholic but because all the characters are 17/18 they don't help him until the last few chapters because he ends up in hospital.

"I'm fine.” "You clearly aren’t." “It’s none of your concern.” “I’m making it my concern.”
^ Page 72.

There's barely any povs from Javier - like 80% of it is in Eli's pov.
The only reason for Eli becoming an underage alcoholic is because his family doesn't love him.
His mother died a few hours after giving birth to him so his twin siblings (who are 1 year older than him) blame him for their parents being dead.

Had potential but this was so boring. The rivals/enemies to lovers wasn't even rivaling that much. Javier beat Eli in a couple tests, Eli cries gets drunk, they start dating immediately.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

who allowed this to be published in this form??

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE a good rival to lovers story, so I couldn't resist picking this book up. And when we finally get Javi's POV and we see how down bad he is for Eli after all these years??? We love to see it 🙌 Javi and all his family were my favorite characters, especially the way they took in Eli and treated him like family. I also love that even though there were mentions of this story taking place in a small town in Texas and that some people would obviously be homophobic, that wasn't a huge part of the plot. We get enough of that in real life so it's refreshing to see everyone in their friend group and Javi's family accept that without any issues.

I did have some concerns though...

Easton and Emmerson's characters. I know not all siblings get along, but these twins were unnecessarily cruel towards Eli. I understand part of that was on Macy having told them that Eli is the reason why their mom passed, but as teenagers now, surely they can better understand what happened? I think there was even a scene where one of the twins called Eli ungrateful because he was wearing shoes they had bought for him. But, like, providing clothes and food for your younger sibling because of a neglectful parent/guardian is literally the bare minimum. They ignored his drinking habits for YEARS (again, they shared a room) to the point where he now has an addiction, prioritized smoking over picking up Eli from school, beat him up and then they have the audacity to hug him at the end of the book and say how scared they were when a certain incident took place. I'm sorry WHAT???

How did Eli apparently NOT know how to cook ramen when Javi was sick but literally in the first few pages it was mentioned from Eli's POV that fast food was better than ramen noodles for the fifth night in a row? 🤔 And, my guy, instructions are on the package soooo what are we doing here?

If my partner ever told me that they were actually interested in my sibling, not me, and they were thinking of my sibling while we were having s*x I would be in jail and not responsible for my actions. That is a diabolical thing to say to someone and expect not to get beat tf up.

Lastly, can they really discharge you the same day of an alcohol overdose, especially for a teenager in active addiction? I've had alcohol withdrawal patients and they need super close monitoring for at least a few days because it is so dangerous, and there's lots of meds that can be given to make the process safer. I'm not expecting books to be medically accurate, but I was slightly confused that they just left Eli to do his own thing at home without any medical guidance.

[Neria · Rating 2 out of 5]

God this book was ass.
I like the main ideas. It’s just like there were so many errors in the writing.
For example, at the beginning of the story, it said he had instant Ramen for four days straight and close to 70%. He failed to make Ramen five separate times because he’s “never done it before.”
There was also one time where they were having conversation it just didn’t make sense.
“Where are we going?”
“Because”
“Because why?”
Like what is that, brotha?
Then the writing was just bad. It made a statement and then immediately said why.
“ he had a bad day because he didn’t sleep so good the night before.”
“he was stressed because XYZ.”
It was just not good.

Additionally, every single thing was: can not minted of can’t. Had not instead for hadn’t. Would not instead of wouldn’t.
I don’t get why, it was so annoying to read.


I also wanna just mention that every single character other than those two in this book were supporting characters. They showed up when someone needed something from them and disappeared as soon as they didn’t. They were always right place right time and it was so annoying. Nobody else in this book had a life that didn’t surround Javier and Elias.

TLDR; don’t read this book. The writing is ass. The plot could be considered decent.

[Kanan Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Effortless" by Marie socray is a valuable follow-up to his earlier work, "Essentialism," and provides a refreshing perspective on achieving goals and making progress in life. Many find it an enjoyable read, appreciating its practical tips and actionable advice for simplifying things that seem hard. The book is described as a good reminder of tools and tricks for dealing with stress and making tasks simpler. Reviewers also highlight its empowering guide to achieving goals without sacrificing health, sanity, or relationships.
However, some reviewers feel the ideas in the book are not groundbreaking and have been covered in more detail in other works. Some found certain chapters to be a bit dragged on and preferred the conciseness of other authors. Ultimately, the book is recommended for those who enjoyed "Essentialism" and anyone feeling overwhelmed by the demands of modern life.

[Lo Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay the start of this book was really hard to read and could've been so much shorter.

It was as if the writer didn't know how to properly introduce characters or how to move things along to the plot points they actually put effort into so it rambled on unnecessarily. Not to mention the god-awful amount of words that really did not need to be in this book. The wording and grammar did get on my nerves and there were scenes that should have been done differently so they didnt sound so ridiculous.

!However! Despite all that I read on in hope and found I couldn't put this book down for the life of me and it got much easier to read so I don't think this book is bad, i did enjoy it. The plot itself and the heartbreaking character of Eli made the story so enticing. Just couldve done with more editing and possibly rewriting as well, especially in the beginning.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book it was so good. The relationship
that devoples between Eli and Javier is just so good and well done.

I love Javier and how sweet, attentive and supportive of Eli even before they enter a relationship. He is what everyone should have in their life and his family is so nice and kind. That's an amazing family right there. I do wish we saw more of Javier's family and more interactions.

Eli's story is just so heartbreaking and all you want to do is give him a hug. I'm so glad he finally let in Javier and his family.

I would definitely recommend this book. The rivals to lovers was done so good I think. I also loved the drama in this book.

[Revu.nest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will always be close to my heart. Loved the way how Javier always took care of Eli, he was always there for him never once let go of him even when things got so difficult where i think anyone would have given up. Their bond was so much more than just love. Literally cried every time when i read all the painful things Eli had to suffer, people who were supposed to love him never did the way he deserved. All in all this book was like an emotional roller coaster it had its ups and downs but loved how stronger and beautiful both the characters became each chapter by chapter. Highly recommend to all the MM lovers… you will absolutely love it!🫶🏻💗

[Wwitch32 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a sweet slow burn romance with some very strong side characters then this is the book for you. The mc’s friends and families alone could produce several more books if the author chooses to follow them and I would definitely sign up to read them. I read this book in one sitting as I simply couldn’t put it down. To be honest it’s one of those books that when you have finished you start daydreaming about what the characters would be doing now. That’s how good it is ! Make sure you read this - you won’t regret it

[noa A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler!
I went into this book hoping for something light and romantic, but in reality, the main character, Eli, is dealing with alcoholism, neglect, and abuse.
I can’t say I liked him as a character—he was pretty exhausting—but I did understand his struggles and distress.
As for the relationship? It felt less romantic and more therapeutic, which to me seemed unfair to the partner, who constantly had to act as the responsible adult and take care of everything. On the romantic side, I was disappointed.
That said, it was still an enjoyable read—the author knows how to write. ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars)

[Devin Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to recieve an ARC of this book! The enemies to lovers premise really got me, especially in an academic setting. I was so impressed by the story and character development. Eli was a flawed but loveable character and it makes perfect sense how he and Javi operate. The family dynamics and friend dynamics for both MCs really helped drive the story. As a fan of found family, I was happy to see a great story evolve for everyone. This book was great, and I wouldn’t be sad to see more!

[dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Effortless ARC Review.

I liked this book because it didn’t have much spicy scenes. They’re so adorable together. However what I did not like about it was this book was tagged as rivalry/hate to lovers trope but the rivalry was only one sided in Eli’s part. He said they’ve been hating each other for yearS but Javier said that he didn’t even hate him so where’s the hate there?

Also, I really had a hard time to continue reading this one because Eli complained so much.

Also, there are so many repetitive scenes in this book. I hope in future Marie will lessen it in her new upcoming book/s. Looking forward to your future works!

[Jordyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book dealt with a lot of emotional trauma and addiction I love that Eli had Ricky Javi was such an amazing and caring boyfriend but I’m glad Eli had a friend who had stuck by him sense childhood. The book had a great storyline but there were quite a few proofreading errors that made me have to stop and reread sentences it didn’t bother me but I know some people care about that and feel it takes away from the reading experience so fair warning 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Lelian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ngl I never write reviews but this felt necessary.
This book had SO MUCH potential! The idea was amazing, the plot could’ve been better, overall it could’ve been incredible. The problem was with the execution, from literal grammatical errors to repeated and unnecessary explanations in the book. This book was 200 pages more than it should’ve been, it was borderline hell to read and felt never ending. It was also too childish/YA, which made it worse for me.

[KayCee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elias and Javi; enemies, rivals, and secretly into each other? Once Javi starts to understand Eli's situation more you realize how one sided the rivalry really is. Was it ever a rivalry? Was Eli just mean to Javi because of how his family is to him? The book discussed alcoholism and how it effects not just the drinker, but those around him. HEA, little spice, huge rivalry, great read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sign me up for a rivals to lovers trope. While I felt like there wasn’t so much rivalry from Javier’s side and more from Eli’s side since he was quite an insecure person. Tbh Eli pmo at times where he repeated the same thing again and again. All praise to Javier for being such a nice human being. Overall this wasn’t a spicy read. But it kept me hooked nonetheless.

4⭐️

[Binta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I strongly believe that javi deserved more chapters in his pov like I get it that the book is mostly surrounded around Eli but there are chapters where his pov was necessary after Eli but then again I ain't a writer so wat would I know and WHY???could Eli not beat javi at least once in his life like he should have been valedictorian but anyways I love them sooo much they are cut together 🥰🥰😭😭

[Temisan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart was really with Eli fr , the fact that he was so self aware but didn’t realize on time he was an addict was sad , I love the friend group and Justin you can never make me like you idc,
Javi was really a ray of sunshine I wish we have more POV’s of him even though this was mainly Eli story🥹