Escape Velocity

by Jake Grenier

Gravity isn't the only force pulling them together.

Mason Fanning solves physics equations in his sleep—but figuring out Callum Brown might be the hardest problem of all.

Mason didn’t come to Montgomery University to chase a byline. He came to learn quarks, formulas, and dreams of becoming a physicist. But with two award-winning writers for parents breathing down his neck, he reluctantly joins The Goldberg, Montgomery’s paper to get them off his back. His first assignment? Cover the Montgomery’s football team. Worse? The star quarterback is Callum Brown—his childhood best friend who cut him off years ago without an explanation.

Callum Brown wins games. That’s all anyone expects from him—and all he allows himself to want.

Callum lives and breathes football. It’s his ticket out, his identity, his everything. He’s done the work, gotten the scholarship to Montgomery, but it still never feels like it’s enough. As he tries to get drafted, seeing Mason again brings back memories he’s tried hard to forget—and feelings he never really dealt with. The boy he pushed away is now a man with a sharp tongue and a habit of showing up when Callum least expects it.

As fate keeps throwing them together, unresolved history rises to the surface. If they want to move forward—on or off the field—Mason and Callum will have to face the truth about what tore them apart and what’s still pulling them back together.

Escape Velocity is a spice-free, heartfelt, slow-burn MM college football romance about two former best friends learning to rebuild trust, defy family expectations, and find the courage to love each other again.

Genres: M M Romance, Sports, Romance, Fiction

344 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2025

Reviews

[Jade Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off I am grateful that Jake allowed me to be an arc reader for his book.

I actually have only read a handful of gay romances and none of them have been a sports romance. So this was a nice switch up.

Honestly while I do not care for the narrator writing style. This book is super relatable for anyone who have disapproving parents of their life choices. Doesn't matter if it's because they are gay or they want to take a different career path than their parents mapped out for them. It's relatable.

I love that he set it in College setting where a lot of people are trying to fumble their way through and decide what they want out of life while also still trying to manage some expectations that the parents have for them.

Jake congrats on your book! I hope you are proud of your work and continue to write!

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an ARC and so happy I took a chance on reading about Mason and Callum. Best friends, unrequited crush driven apart by controlling parents and dreams that they thought they could never have, this book has that and so much more. Jake brings these characters to life and being able to feel the emotions, good and bad, that Mason and Callum go through is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Breaking through expectations can be the toughest thing you ever have to go through, but with Mason by his side Callum can finally face his biggest fear and regret and finally get what he thought he could never have....Mason.

[A🦄🌻🌙 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[The_heaven_of_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

J'ai pas l'habitude de lire des YA mais j'ai passé un bon moment de lecture.

Il y avait parfois quelques incohérences, mais cela n'a pas perturbé ma lecture.

[Naito Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape Velocity by Jake Grenier is one of those rare MM sports romances that manages to feel both emotionally intense and beautifully restrained. What immediately stood out to me was that this story doesn’t rely on bed scenes to show intimacy — and honestly, that’s one of its strongest points. Collum and Mason’s relationship unfolds through trust, reconnection, and quiet vulnerability, proving that romance can be deeply moving without physicality.

I loved how their story went beyond the romance — it’s also about family expectations, identity, and the difficult work of rebuilding what was once broken. Collum, the star quarterback, and Mason, the physics major with a writer’s heart, are both shaped by toxic parenting and unspoken longing. The way they learn to communicate again after years of silence is tender and very believable.

This book is heartfelt, slow-paced in the best way, and full of emotional depth. It’s not just a sports romance — it’s a story about healing, growth, and finding courage to reconnect. Highly recommend for readers who want quiet but powerful love stories without explicit scenes.

[Jasmine Stoudt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up hate-reading this. The description pulled me in, but it really feels like a middle schooler on Wattpad wrote this book. It was a beautiful smash of Iron Flame arguments, ie. “I hope he [Mason] forgives me”/“I don’t know if I can forgive him [Callum] for what he did to me in MIDDLE (maybe even high) SCHOOL,” with some Romeo and Juliet feels (both families hate each other and the children are barred from seeing one another).

Spoiler, Mason was called a dweeb for being a fucking dweeb. He is the whiniest MC I have ever read.

The writing felt like someone said on Twitter before that authors are writing for their audiences as if they’re stupid. I swear every sentence started with Callum or Mason and when it could have been replaced with a “he” or something else, it wasn’t. Their names had to have been typed a million times. And it wasn’t like all of the problems in the book were so surface level and the solutions were even wilder. Callum’s dad being arrested that day for being abusive!? Insane. Mason wanting Callum to defy his father when he’s been hit for less than that? Mind-boggling

Three stars was being generous because there were moments that had me giggling but those were far and few.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and heart tugging MM romance book. Well worth a read. It's appreciated that the book is spice-free. In a genre flooded with spice, it's nice to be able to focus on the relationship of people outside the bedroom.

I would have liked to see some more chapters from Callum's perspective. There were some glaring gaps where we didn't get to see them. The book is mostly focused on Mason's pov, which works out well, but seeing Callum's thought process and interaction with other characters more would have been nice.

The main criticism I'd make is the confrontation with Mr. Brown at the end felt purposefully rushed and censored. An abusive farther run aways in the middle of the woods at the first sign of being called out and gets arrested that night? Given all the build up and the trauma that Callum suffered, it was a bit too "wave a magic wand and the main problem suddenly disappears". I understand not wanting to write violence/threats into the story. However given every thing we've told about the characters it felt like a censored happy ending, not what would have actually happened.

[Jessie Coughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape Velocity - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I devoured this book in one sitting literally could not stop reading! Mason and Callum completely stole my heart. Their story is messy, emotional, and so beautifully written that I felt every bit of their pain and longing. The childhood-best-friends-to-strangers-to-lovers dynamic had me in shambles the tension, the hurt, the slow rebuild of trust… absolute perfection.
Mason is such a relatable character smart, sarcastic, and just trying to figure out where he fits in. And Callum… ugh, my poor boy. The weight he carries, the pressure from his father, and his struggle to be true to himself broke me. Watching these two find their way back to each other was so worth it. Their love felt real, raw, and honest. I’m still thinking about them hours after finishing. This book hit all my favorite tropes emotional, heartfelt, and a little bit heartbreaking in the best way. I need more from this world immediately! 🥹💞

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the storyline for this.

The characters were cute, side characters were done greatly and the story itself was great!

Few things that I didn’t enjoy about it were that the characters had little development. And little interaction. Sometimes it just didn’t flow. That could have been the second person narrative or how it was focused primarily on one main character. Again this is just my opinion & others may see it differently.

Also some sentences just didn’t make sense. Some words missing or in the wrong order.

And the was a lot of back and forth at the start that wasn’t relevant it would have been nice to see how their relationship played out in more detail before the end which felt a little rushed.

But overall despite the little nuances that only really impact me, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: I received this as an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[J. Falen Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape Velocity is a nerd/jock, friends-to-lovers, second chance, MM college romance. I received an ARC of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved Mason from the beginning of this book and couldn't help but sympathize with everything he endured with his parents and Callum. As the majority of this book is from Mason's perspective, my love for Callum grew more gradually as details about his family and the motivation behind his actions were revealed. My heart ached for both men, and I rooted for their HEA as I binge-read this book. Their story left me with a few unanswered questions, but the conclusion was mostly satisfying. So glad I took a chance on this one. This was my first time reading Jake Grenier's work, but it will not be the last!

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to discovering a new gay author, so wished I liked this more, but then I'm probably not the intended audience. This is definitely a YA novel even though it's set at university.

Although no longer living at home, the protagonists are still dealing with high school parental controls and have yet to assert their independence. Parents play a huge role in the plot that takes forever to reach its inevitable conclusion. No surprises.

For readers aged 14-16.

There are so few young gay authors writing in the romance genre swamped by women writing MM for a female audience, I hope he keeps at it. A better editor would help.

2.5 rounded up

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape Velocity is about Mason and Callum, they were childhood best friends, and now both of them are studying same school. Mason is lying to his parents about his major, so he needs to go writing to the school paper and the only available job is in a sport section. And Callum is playing football, so Mason needs to go to the games and write about Callum.

I liked the story and the characters.

----------------------------------------------
I received a copy of this book, and this is my honest review

[erm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look I almost really liked this, and while I understand he has a lot to work through and had a terrible upbringing, I unfortunately still think Callum is very toxic. He so clearly needs to do lots of healing before being with someone, and specifically Mason. Telling him he’s just had a long day and to basically get over himself and that he’s all he has left ?? Manipulation idc

The party scene and him explaining why he was flirting with the girl too oh my goodness no that was so stupid

I still had some fun moments reading this but don’t think the characters were for me

[SammyJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I read it in the space of an afternoon I just couldn't put it down.

The relationship between the 2 MMC's was complicated but so beautiful to see it develop. My heart broke for both Mason and Callum, having to hide who they were and for Callum having to endure a father like he has. Love is love and theirs is beautiful.

I can not recommend this book enough.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[K-Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

The relationship that developed between Mason and Callum was built on insecurities. I really felt for what both of them were going through. They were tough on each other at first as their walls were up, but as they got closer it was wonderful to see them both grow personally as well as together. Family pressure is a real thing that is very hard to overcome. The way their plans for the future grew to include each other was everything.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callum and Mason were childhood BF's, grew apart and competitive and now Mason, the brainiac won't speak to Callum the QB in college because Callum ghosted him in high school. Both came to realize they care for each other too much. It's young adults in turmoil, afraid from parental pressure, secretly needing each other. A totally slow burn story with lots of angst, very little steam but lots of feelings. I received a copy of this through BookSirens and this is my voluntary opinion.

[Dimitra Kiotsiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a hard time connecting with the characters. Too much drama for no reason. Too much effort to create a story line so the reader can sympathise with the characters and their stories and yet is fruitless.
About half way through I lost interest. I just finished to see if there was a chance of retribution for the time I spent.
But it was a decent ending. From one star that was my first choice it changed to two.

[Tyler Welton-stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really needed editing as there were a lot of grammar mistakes. The storyline just wasn’t strong enough to have me engaged. I wasn’t rooting for Mason and Callum because, even when they finally get together their relationship just felt flat and dull.


The highlight of the book was Mason’s mother learning about Callum’s abusive dad. This was frankly really hard to finish because I was so bored. Very little happened, the romance was bland.

[ash ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

kindle: 3⭐️ cute, sweet coming-of-age story. I loved the premise and overall story. I do think the content warning at the beginning could've been a bit more clear - it didn't bother me but I can imagine it definitely would bother others. The writing/language pulled me out a few times but I can also see how others might really like the style.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason, first year in college finally away from the push & pulls of living in a small town, or so he thinks. Callum, football star, in his second year of college, is also from Mason's town & his ex best friend. Thinking Callum deserted him in high school to be with all the popular kids in school. Mason refuses to speak to him all is well until he joins the school paper & only available placement is sports news. This drags Mason & Callum back into each others lives. Secrets Revealed, low to medium angst. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Oreeee🌹 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read but it started getting dragged out a lil. Mason pissed me off a few times. There’s no way he expected Cal to stand up to his abuser just because yall are dating now. You can be disappointed but know that it’s not Cal’s fault. Girl bye

[nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’d say 2.8 stars, rounded up to 3.
it’s a cute little YA novel.
probably ages 14-16ish.
i did enjoy it as a quick feel good read, but there are parts that are predictable. it was a little cheesy, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

first half the book was much better than second half. pace of the first half was much better but second halfed felt rushed. i liked mason but callum still felt a little bit rough. their love and sensuality didnt felt really strong.

[Amanda Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape Velocity is a friends to strangers to lovers, opposites attract, nerd/jock read about Callum and Mason. I just adored this book and the characters.

[Cheyenne Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is wild but it's so good. I love the character and the plot is great. Super fun and cute read..

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Giovanni Peratello · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real boost of hope and positive energy, I devoured it in no time and really appreciated it!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[itgetsdrk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure there are wattpad books that are written better than this.

[Azer · Rating 1 out of 5]

DISGUSTINGLY HORRIBLE

[Roy Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute and fun book that really hooked me! I would have loved to see more from Callum's perspective, but overall such a fun and lighthearted book to warm you up during winter.