Outsiders

by October Arden

To love them both, he has to stop being afraid of himself.
After losing them both, Luke isn’t giving up. He refuses to be just another outsider—he wants to be part of the system, not just orbiting around it, and to do that he has to make himself not just useful, but indispensable. Even if Alex hates him. Especially if he does.
But as Luke pushes deeper into their world, he finds the signals are mixed. Sometimes Alex is distant, even cold, but at others he is understanding, even inviting, and Luke has no idea what to make of that. It doesn’t help that Jaime is fighting him every step of the way. But even rivals can learn to trust. Even enemies can fall in love. And in the middle is Jaime, still struggling to hold on while the two people who love him most finally see each other clearly.

A queer psychological slow-burn MM romance with enemies-to-lovers heat, mental illness recovery, and found family bonds that can’t be broken—even by trauma.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

October Arden writes emotionally raw queer stories that live somewhere between literary fiction and romance. Their work explores fluid identities, found families, co-dependent devotion, and complicated love—often through the lens of characters who are chronically ill, neurodivergent, or quietly self-destructive. These are stories for anyone who's ever felt unwanted or unseen, where even the most damaged hearts can find a home.

October loves hearing from readers, so feel free to reach out, ask questions, or suggest what you'd like to see next. You can also join the newsletter to stay in touch—and as a thank you, you'll receive a free copy of Starting with Cake, a quietly unhinged neurodivergent love story full of snack cakes, janitor uniforms, and the kind of care that sneaks up on you. Find out about new books and other extras at octoberarden.com

Reviews

[bwrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

October Arden has done it again, produced a book that invites the reader's participation in resolving psychologically complex situations to their own satisfaction, asking them to relate to characters perhaps outside their own experience, to live through them, with them, and gain profound understanding of the human psyche. Oh yes, I really liked this book; I was depressed with the characters, cried with them, yelled at them, was happy with them, and am filled with anticipation of their further life journey; I'm a bit tired now, pleasantly exhausted. This book lacks the shock value of the discovery of other forms of consciousness so ably examined in the first book, but what is offered instead is to further that understanding of systems and begs empathy from the reader, educates and elucidates, as the characters struggle toward their own acceptance and resolution. This book offers an evolving and involving plot, characters that change and grow and love, maybe not easily, but well.
- Arden recaps the first book in case someone wants to read this second book in the trilogy as a stand-alone, or to refresh our memories of how we got here. I would recommend reading the books in order, not to get lost in concepts and miss the logic (or the savage beauty). There was a big blowout in the first book, a cliff-hanger that left us all reeling; the unconventional love triangle has blown apart.
- Alex, the protector, in permitting Jaimie the physical intimacy he craved, has betrayed himself and his marriage. He is jealous of Luke's physicality, his intimacy with Jaimie. He hates Luke, but realizes it is partly his own fault. Alex feels guilt. Alex always tries to fix messes Jaimie gets into.
- Jaimie, caught in between the two men, loves Alex his headmate/husband, but craves Luke physically, and though he wasn't 'in-love' with Luke, he doesn't wish harm and realizes Luke was used without knowledge of the true situation. Jaimie has guilt. In some ways he is the weakest; pretty, ephemeral, always taken care of by the two men, but never the caretaker.
- Luke, who doesn't realize his own self-worth, is angry, betrayed, bereft and alone, having lost his only true love despite his trying to understand the impossible situation he was in. His guilt is due to his position between the headmates, loving Jaimie, antagonizing Alex to the point of violence, and still trying to be as self-effacing as possible. He is angry with himself, with his situation, and somehow thinks it is always his fault. Luke is an innocent.
- Poor Luke is depressed, despondent, blaming himself; barely functioning at work, making mistakes in work product, listless and avoidant; he is grieving for the first part of the book. Jaimie is out of the picture, only glimpsed from afar, all contact cut off and forbidden. It is Alex that reaches out, Alex the protector, the logical one, trying to understand the trauma that has befallen all of them; Alex who swallows pride and prejudice, who builds bridges.
- Both Luke and Alex are protectors, care for their loved-ones, and find a mutual truce, a recognition of similarity. They become partners in the care and spoiling of Jaimie, they find ways to work together, each giving a bit to the other. When they realize what they have built, what they have, it is a surprise to each, and both are cautious and circumspect.
- It is fun-loving jokester, seductive Jaimie, more than a pretty face, with his 'inside' knowledge of Alex and his observation and appreciation of the real Luke, not the 'substitute Alex' in physical form, that lead both men to their final discovery. Jaimie has finally grown up. They are a threesome, now, and no one better come between any of them.
-A new configuration, a new joy, happy as honeymooners, sexy and playful, they each have elements the others lack; they complete each other. What will happen next, as their careers expand and location changes, will be explored (thoroughly, I'm sure) in the final book of the trilogy. I'm holding my breath, but recovering emotionally in the meantime.

[Eve A · Rating 5 out of 5]

October Arden once again delivers a deeply emotional and psychologically rich story. Outsiders invites readers to not just observe, but to feel and share the confusion, guilt, and fragile hope of three people bound by love, pain, and self-discovery. Where the first book shocked us with its exploration of consciousness, this one chooses depth over surprise, guiding us through empathy and growth.

Alex, ever the protector, wrestles with guilt and jealousy after allowing Jaimie’s desires to break their balance. Jaimie, torn between need and love, drifts between strength and fragility. And Luke, the outsider in every sense, grieves what he lost and blames himself for everything that went wrong.

What begins as heartbreak slowly transforms into understanding. Alex and Luke—once rivals—find common ground in their care for Jaimie, and ultimately for each other. Jaimie, finally self-aware and emotionally mature, helps them see that their connection isn’t a flaw but a form of completion.

By the end, the three form something rare and whole
a partnership that defies convention but feels utterly right. Arden doesn’t just tell a love story; she maps the messy, tender evolution of forgiveness and belonging. I turned the last page both content and breathless for what’s still to come.

[S.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wasn’t sure where things were going to go in part 2. I felt so bad for Luke – out of all three of them, he was the one who was used the most and it broke my heart because not only did he accept it, he expected it. There was a part of me that wanted him to pull away from Jaime and Alex, to find himself without them, but as the story progressed, I understood him so much better.

This book concentrates more on the relationship between Luke and Alex and it was utterly fascinating. Both of them have Jaime as their focus and yet they find ways to bond and learn about each other. Alex becomes far more open to the idea that Luke loves Jaime almost as much as he does and that opens his heart in unexpected ways. I read this in one sitting (so much for a good night’s sleep!) and it was well worth the bags under my eyes today. I am truly looking forward to the final instalment and finding out where the author takes us as well as this delightfully flawed but beautiful threesome. I received an ARC from the author.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had absolutely no idea where this book would go after the cliffhanger of Headmates. How could Luke reconcile knowing about Jaime and Alex. But he proved himself to be open, loving and accepting of Jaime and Alex's individuality even as they share the same body and love each other. It's not easy for any of them, and they all go through a journey to find how they all fit together, but it's one amazing journey told in one amazing, beautiful, out there and unusual story that somehow works, and the only thing needed is for it to work. Now they've figured themselves out, I can't wait to see what happens next in this unusual and lovely world.

I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my full and unbiased opinion on this book.

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series continues to be really interesting, and I enjoyed the developing relationship in this book. I would have found it more enjoyable if Jaime had been likeable, but as it was, it was hard to understand why Luke was so into him. (Loved Alex, though.)