What do you think?
Rate this book
One Voice #2
Here Without You
One Book Two
With all of his scratched and dented heart, Nate DeMarco wants to be two places at once, but he’s been forced to make an unbearable choice. Having barely survived high school, Nate and his boyfriends, Casey Minton and Zander Zane, are ready to move forward. Casey and Zander have left home to attend Boston City College. Nate remains in New Hampshire to protect his volatile younger sister from their increasingly violent alcoholic uncle. Nate suffers with anger, resentment, and loneliness as what he wants battles against what he feels he must do.
Separated, the young men fight to stay in contact. But they are faced with separate issues. Casey copes with residual fear from having been bullied in high school. Zander obsesses over the establishment of One Voice, the gay-straight alliance at Boston City College. And Nate fights for his sister’s survival. Meanwhile, the intensity of the boys’ relationship increases, both sexually and emotionally.
Nate’s effort to live two lives leads to tragedy, which threatens to blast their relationship apart before they can adjust to the changes in their lives. They must find their way back to a united path before it's too late.
With all of his scratched and dented heart, Nate DeMarco wants to be two places at once, but he’s been forced to make an unbearable choice. Having barely survived high school, Nate and his boyfriends, Casey Minton and Zander Zane, are ready to move forward. Casey and Zander have left home to attend Boston City College. Nate remains in New Hampshire to protect his volatile younger sister from their increasingly violent alcoholic uncle. Nate suffers with anger, resentment, and loneliness as what he wants battles against what he feels he must do.
Separated, the young men fight to stay in contact. But they are faced with separate issues. Casey copes with residual fear from having been bullied in high school. Zander obsesses over the establishment of One Voice, the gay-straight alliance at Boston City College. And Nate fights for his sister’s survival. Meanwhile, the intensity of the boys’ relationship increases, both sexually and emotionally.
Nate’s effort to live two lives leads to tragedy, which threatens to blast their relationship apart before they can adjust to the changes in their lives. They must find their way back to a united path before it's too late.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2015
5 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Mia Kerick
42 books539 followersMia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—one in law school, another at a dance conservatory, a third studying at Mia’s alma mater, Boston College, and her lone son still in high school. She has published more than twenty books of LGBTQ romance when not editing National Honor Society essays, offering opinions on college and law school applications, helping to create dance bios, and reviewing English papers. Her husband of twenty-five years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about this, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships. She has a great affinity for the tortured hero in literature, and as a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with tales of tortured heroes and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to her wonderful publishing houses for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Her books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine, and have won Rainbow Awards for Best Transgender Contemporary Romance and Best YA Lesbian Fiction, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, and a Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, among other awards.
Mia Kerick is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology. Contact Mia at miakerick@gmail.com or visit at www.miakerickya.com to see what is going on in Mia’s world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 24, 2015
I must say that I found book 2 of this YA MMM story every bit as enthralling as the first book in the series. I didn't want to put it down. And I REALLY didn't want to see the book end.
In the follow-up book to "Us Three", Casey and Zander are attending college in Boston, 2 hours South of their hometown in New Hampshire. Without Nate. *sigh*
As much as Nate desperately wanted to accompany the two halves of his heart, he couldn't leave his 14 year old sister, Cindy, alone with their drunk, abusive and violent Uncle Rich, so he stays behind to protect her. So he's really missing his guys.
Right off the bat, a lot of this angsty story was very difficult to read.
Zander’ll be a kick-ass guidance counselor. Casey’ll be a top-notch doc.There are as many weekend trips to Boston to be with his guys as Nate can manage, limited by finding places for Cindy to stay while he's out of town. Someplace safe, where Uncle Rich can't get his hands on (the eternally-annoying, ever-bratty and unendingly-selfish) Cindy.
I’ll be a dumbass gas station attendant. A fuel pumper.
And just sayin’, I know them two love me. I know I love them two.
Although everything works out pretty well for a time, everything seriously goes to hell one weekend when Cindy returns home before Nate gets back from a 3-day trip to visit Casey and Zander.
** Okay, so I've held off as long as humanly possible (and those of you who read this story will *know* exactly what I'm talking about), but here's my official total spoiler "RANT ON CINDY":
Nate's guilt and insecurities are overwhelming and he feels that he doesn't deserve Casey and Zander, so he disappears entirely from their lives, which was just heartbreaking.
“Them two, not me. Them two, not me.”
The angst from that point on is palpable and your heart will break while Casey and Zander try to keep their own hearts from shattering, while trying to get Nate back and piece his broken soul together again.
I miss Cindy’s whinin’.This was *not* an easy book to read, but I really enjoyed the story of holding together a long-distance relationship that you know is just forever-and-ever right and putting in the hours to hold it together through the hard times.
Miss my guys.
Miss Casey’s soft sweetness.
Miss Zander’s I’m-so-cool swagger.
Gonna go to sleep now.
If luck is with me, I won’t wake up.
One thing that happened all throughout the story that I found completely out of character for Nate, Casey and Zander, was that when they finally began making love, after 2 years of waiting for the right time...
But all things considered, I really loved getting this next chapter in the lives of "Us Three" and pray (please, please, please) that we'll see more books in the series.
We've now seen Casey's life fell apart, then Nate's, so my guess would be a book 3 where Zander struggling would be next.
4 1/2 *awesome-angsty* stars.
February 11, 2015
Mia Kerick has written a story that is full of heartbreak, beauty, and hope. Here Without You is a continuation of Zander, Casey, and Nate's story. Zander and Casey have gone to college while Nate has stayed behind in order to make sure his younger sister is safe from their abusive uncle.
What I loved:
*Mia Kerick's writing. She's got such a poetic and melancholy way of writing, it never fails to draw me in.
*Nate, Casey, and Zander. Love them individually and together.
*Just like in book one, we got all three points of view.
*This book was pretty freakin' hot. The boys are growing up...
*The author did an outstanding job with their relationship. Showing us the difficulties of holding a long distance relationship, the work that it takes to keep a relationship together. There was never any doubt that these three loved each other.
What I didn't love:
*Cindy.
She really got on my last nerve. I tried talking to myself, making excuses for her, but in the end she still left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
Although this book was at times difficult to read, I am so glad I did. It is a true story of love. This book made me fall even more in love with these three boys- I should say men-, and I'm hoping there will be a book 3 focusing on Zander. 5 Stars ♥
August 9, 2016
I'm not sure how I'm really feeling about this. I love them boys, really do. It's a great sequel to Us Three, and if you liked that, you'll have fun with this too. But I guess you could say I felt a little stuck in the storyline here. Slow moving. Repeating. I liked it. It is enjoyable! I just didn't love it.
Oh and I really didn't appreciate Cindy's sucky behavior (T_T)
Oh and I really didn't appreciate Cindy's sucky behavior (T_T)
May 4, 2016
First things first: That Cover.
Damn. I love that cover. Isn’t that a freaking awesome picture? Just bask in the glow of that lovely sight for a few moments…
*sigh*
Ok, now that we have that done, on to the real review!
This book picks up about two years after the events that happened in Us Three (which I really suggest you read before you read this one). All three of the boys have graduated high school, and now they are on to bigger and better things. Well, Casey and Zander are, anyways. Nate is stuck at home with an abusive asshole uncle, because he needs to protect his kid sister till she can graduate in four years. So while Casey and Zander are down in Boston, being college boys, Nate is working two jobs, being slapped around by his uncle, and being generally shat on by life. It doesn’t help that he is starting to feel more and more isolated the longer his two partners are away at university. With lives going in seemingly opposite directions, can these three guys continue to be anything like the Us Three that they were in high school?
Oh, have I been waiting for this story to come out. I really loved these guys in the first book and I was in the not-so-silent majority who wanted their story to continue. You don’t get many m/m/m young adult relationships, and I couldn’t wait to see where these guys would go after they graduated from high school.
This story is told in the same fashion of Us Three, with the three-spit povs, each with a different method of narrating. Casey tells his story to us, Nate tells his story to his diary, and Zander ends up starting a blog for One Voice and using that to talk to his brother Dan. And this still might not be my favorite method of narrating stories, but like in the first book it does an awesome job of bring each of the three characters to life. Never once did I get confused as to who was narrating at the moment, and that’s an issue I have to deal with in paired relationships, let alone when you have three MCs wandering around the story.
Here Without You focuses more on Nate than the other three, since this is basically his story, like Us Three was Casey’s, but all three guys share the story. And since Nate was my favorite of the three, last time, I was glad to learn a little bit more about him. It was hard, though, reading about him and his life spiraling so out of control. And I never really understood how his sister could be such a, well, bitch. Like how could she not see that what she was doing was no better than what their uncle was doing to them? But I also get that she has issues-–even if I kinda hate her for what she did to Nate.
But all the sad in this story was counterbalanced by the good. And we finally get some full-on sexy scenes in this book, which I am very pleased by. The three of them trying to figure out the dynamics and logistics of three-way sex was pretty fun to watch.
I do have an issues with how the characters haven’t seem to’ve grown up all that much since the last book. I know it has only been a few years, but they still talk like teens in high school. It worked well in the first book, but here they seemed a bit trapped in time, and I had a harder time believing that they were now adults (at least in the legal sense). This might be because I have different expectations on New Adult books than I do for Young Adult. I get that you wouldn’t want to break character with what they were in book one, but my initial instinct when reading college age characters, is for them to sound more grown up than their high school counterparts. But, then again, I didn’t get to uni till I was 22, so maybe I have a skewed view of what freshmen sound and act like.
Also, I never really understood Zander’s single mindedness in regards to One Voice. He was a bit obsessive about it, and I wish I had gotten a better picture as to why he felt it was so absolutely imperative to him as a person. I kinda got that he wanted to create a situation where he and his two partners would be free to show their affection for each other, but was he verging on ‘if i don’t do this then the world will fall to dust around me’ crazy for a bit there. I’m glad he had Casey to talk him back to earth, because it was starting to sound a bit nuts, and was making it hard for me to really get into the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and I am psyched to hear that there is a book three in the works. I can’t help but wonder what mess Zane is going to get into. And if the cover is any better than this one, just might end up swooning!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
Damn. I love that cover. Isn’t that a freaking awesome picture? Just bask in the glow of that lovely sight for a few moments…
*sigh*
Ok, now that we have that done, on to the real review!
US THREE’S all divided up now. Casey and Zander are off to college orientation—where they oughtta be—so that ain’t no problem. And just sayin’, them two wanted me to go with ’em. They said we could get us an apartment, instead of them livin’ in the school dorms. They said I could get myself some trainin’ at the culinary arts school right near Boston City College, where them two are goin’. Said it’d be so fuckin’ great and we could study together every single night and build our future together.
And I wanted to go with ’em so fuckin’ bad I could taste it.
But I couldn’t….
Couldn’t leave my little sister.
This book picks up about two years after the events that happened in Us Three (which I really suggest you read before you read this one). All three of the boys have graduated high school, and now they are on to bigger and better things. Well, Casey and Zander are, anyways. Nate is stuck at home with an abusive asshole uncle, because he needs to protect his kid sister till she can graduate in four years. So while Casey and Zander are down in Boston, being college boys, Nate is working two jobs, being slapped around by his uncle, and being generally shat on by life. It doesn’t help that he is starting to feel more and more isolated the longer his two partners are away at university. With lives going in seemingly opposite directions, can these three guys continue to be anything like the Us Three that they were in high school?
Oh, have I been waiting for this story to come out. I really loved these guys in the first book and I was in the not-so-silent majority who wanted their story to continue. You don’t get many m/m/m young adult relationships, and I couldn’t wait to see where these guys would go after they graduated from high school.
This story is told in the same fashion of Us Three, with the three-spit povs, each with a different method of narrating. Casey tells his story to us, Nate tells his story to his diary, and Zander ends up starting a blog for One Voice and using that to talk to his brother Dan. And this still might not be my favorite method of narrating stories, but like in the first book it does an awesome job of bring each of the three characters to life. Never once did I get confused as to who was narrating at the moment, and that’s an issue I have to deal with in paired relationships, let alone when you have three MCs wandering around the story.
Here Without You focuses more on Nate than the other three, since this is basically his story, like Us Three was Casey’s, but all three guys share the story. And since Nate was my favorite of the three, last time, I was glad to learn a little bit more about him. It was hard, though, reading about him and his life spiraling so out of control. And I never really understood how his sister could be such a, well, bitch. Like how could she not see that what she was doing was no better than what their uncle was doing to them? But I also get that she has issues-–even if I kinda hate her for what she did to Nate.
But all the sad in this story was counterbalanced by the good. And we finally get some full-on sexy scenes in this book, which I am very pleased by. The three of them trying to figure out the dynamics and logistics of three-way sex was pretty fun to watch.
I do have an issues with how the characters haven’t seem to’ve grown up all that much since the last book. I know it has only been a few years, but they still talk like teens in high school. It worked well in the first book, but here they seemed a bit trapped in time, and I had a harder time believing that they were now adults (at least in the legal sense). This might be because I have different expectations on New Adult books than I do for Young Adult. I get that you wouldn’t want to break character with what they were in book one, but my initial instinct when reading college age characters, is for them to sound more grown up than their high school counterparts. But, then again, I didn’t get to uni till I was 22, so maybe I have a skewed view of what freshmen sound and act like.
Also, I never really understood Zander’s single mindedness in regards to One Voice. He was a bit obsessive about it, and I wish I had gotten a better picture as to why he felt it was so absolutely imperative to him as a person. I kinda got that he wanted to create a situation where he and his two partners would be free to show their affection for each other, but was he verging on ‘if i don’t do this then the world will fall to dust around me’ crazy for a bit there. I’m glad he had Casey to talk him back to earth, because it was starting to sound a bit nuts, and was making it hard for me to really get into the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and I am psyched to hear that there is a book three in the works. I can’t help but wonder what mess Zane is going to get into. And if the cover is any better than this one, just might end up swooning!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
February 15, 2015
The guys have finally graduated from high school and Casey and Zander are off to college, but Nate has chosen to stay behind, much to his boyfriends's dismay. Nate is torn between his commitment to his guys and his duty to protect his sister from their alcoholic and often abusive uncle. As often as Nate can find somewhere for his sister to stay, he high tails it down to the college to see his guys and their unique relationship seems to strive, in the beginning.
Casey and Zander make the decision to wait to be completely together until Nate can join them. Until then they spend their time going to class, doing homework and trying to convince Nate to join them, permanently. But Nate is starting to pull away, the separation from his two guys coupled with the abuse he suffers from his uncle, while blocking his sister from it, is taking it's toll on him mentally, and physically. Casey and Zander continue to support Nate regardless, and Nate continues to visit sporadically, but then an extended visit ends with Cindy in the hospital, and Nate truly unravels.
Nate completely shuts Casey and Zander out of his life as he spirals downward in the wake of the event, but his two guys won't give up on their third that easy. Casey and Zander already know that the relationship just doesn't work unless it's the three of them, and they set out to find their man and remind him as well.
Mia Kerick redefines the term relationship with this threesome, or throuple as Casey calls them. They just fit together perfectly, each guy bringing something different and vital to their union. Nate is the strength, Zander is the voice and Casey is the heart. But sometimes the strongest person needs to lean on others, needs someone else to hold the reigns, and that is how this throuple will survive and thrive by learning how to lean on each other. The character development within this story is sometimes awkward but the bones are strong, much like the guys, it's all very copacetic.
And how genius was it that Kerick wrote the first book YA, this book is NA and the next book is going to be Adult. So the stories literally grow in detail and sensuality as the guys and their relationship grows. Definitely a must read series, it is raw, realistic and fresh. It's a requirement to start with Us Three, the first book, or you will not understand or appreciate the throuple.
Casey and Zander make the decision to wait to be completely together until Nate can join them. Until then they spend their time going to class, doing homework and trying to convince Nate to join them, permanently. But Nate is starting to pull away, the separation from his two guys coupled with the abuse he suffers from his uncle, while blocking his sister from it, is taking it's toll on him mentally, and physically. Casey and Zander continue to support Nate regardless, and Nate continues to visit sporadically, but then an extended visit ends with Cindy in the hospital, and Nate truly unravels.
Nate completely shuts Casey and Zander out of his life as he spirals downward in the wake of the event, but his two guys won't give up on their third that easy. Casey and Zander already know that the relationship just doesn't work unless it's the three of them, and they set out to find their man and remind him as well.
Mia Kerick redefines the term relationship with this threesome, or throuple as Casey calls them. They just fit together perfectly, each guy bringing something different and vital to their union. Nate is the strength, Zander is the voice and Casey is the heart. But sometimes the strongest person needs to lean on others, needs someone else to hold the reigns, and that is how this throuple will survive and thrive by learning how to lean on each other. The character development within this story is sometimes awkward but the bones are strong, much like the guys, it's all very copacetic.
And how genius was it that Kerick wrote the first book YA, this book is NA and the next book is going to be Adult. So the stories literally grow in detail and sensuality as the guys and their relationship grows. Definitely a must read series, it is raw, realistic and fresh. It's a requirement to start with Us Three, the first book, or you will not understand or appreciate the throuple.
February 20, 2015
More like 3.5 stars, upgraded.
I wouldn't mind reading a third book set when the guys are older.
This was a nice story. But a few things I didn't like:
The biggest is that for most of the book the relationship between these guys seemed very odd to me. There's barely any relationship/interaction unless all three are together. It's weird, they are not three couples (Casey/Zane, Zane/Nate and Nate Casey) but a throuple (Casey/Zane/Nate) only. I felt that sort of arrangement was sort of unsustainable in the long term.
The other two things I didn't like are petty: Casey cries too much IMO. You can show sensitivity without bursting into tears every five minutes. The relationship between Zane and Nate is very "Bro-ish" which is OK but too many "Dude's" from Zane and awkwardness between them and it turns into cold and stiff.
Again, I like these guys. But as the relationship is fleshed out, it needs work.
I wouldn't mind reading a third book set when the guys are older.
This was a nice story. But a few things I didn't like:
The biggest is that for most of the book the relationship between these guys seemed very odd to me. There's barely any relationship/interaction unless all three are together. It's weird, they are not three couples (Casey/Zane, Zane/Nate and Nate Casey) but a throuple (Casey/Zane/Nate) only. I felt that sort of arrangement was sort of unsustainable in the long term.
The other two things I didn't like are petty: Casey cries too much IMO. You can show sensitivity without bursting into tears every five minutes. The relationship between Zane and Nate is very "Bro-ish" which is OK but too many "Dude's" from Zane and awkwardness between them and it turns into cold and stiff.
Again, I like these guys. But as the relationship is fleshed out, it needs work.
February 20, 2015
Wha?! A sequel?! Aww, yeah!
Hmm. I wanted to love this one as much as the first, if not more. And there were parts in the middle, very Nate-centric parts, that exceeded my highest desires. Nate is without a doubt my favorite character. He is just the greatest. And the hard time that he went through was so heartbreaking & I just loved him even more all through it. He's my guy. And I give the highest props to Mia because she makes this throuple work. She really does. I believe they are meant to be. I believe they wouldn't work as just two of them. And us three really, truly makes sense to me. I've really never felt this before when I read ménage. But here, it works. But I had some niggles :( and I didn't want to but I couldn't stop myself. It was very repetitive. Seemed to go round & round some times. The Cindy sitch got on my last fuckin' nerve. Casey didn't really grow out of his whininess. The ZanderZ blog thing & his voice drove me a little crazy again. And I absolutely did not like that all their "love making" was from behind. It just didn't fit for me with them. I believe that they would, especially the first times, want to be looking into each other's eyes. But these are MY issues. They may not be anyone else's. And they still did not stop me from loving this. Which I did. These guys are really special to me.
Hmm. I wanted to love this one as much as the first, if not more. And there were parts in the middle, very Nate-centric parts, that exceeded my highest desires. Nate is without a doubt my favorite character. He is just the greatest. And the hard time that he went through was so heartbreaking & I just loved him even more all through it. He's my guy. And I give the highest props to Mia because she makes this throuple work. She really does. I believe they are meant to be. I believe they wouldn't work as just two of them. And us three really, truly makes sense to me. I've really never felt this before when I read ménage. But here, it works. But I had some niggles :( and I didn't want to but I couldn't stop myself. It was very repetitive. Seemed to go round & round some times. The Cindy sitch got on my last fuckin' nerve. Casey didn't really grow out of his whininess. The ZanderZ blog thing & his voice drove me a little crazy again. And I absolutely did not like that all their "love making" was from behind. It just didn't fit for me with them. I believe that they would, especially the first times, want to be looking into each other's eyes. But these are MY issues. They may not be anyone else's. And they still did not stop me from loving this. Which I did. These guys are really special to me.
October 1, 2015
*4.25 stars
I enjoyed this continuation of the One Voice series. Casey and Zander are now roommates at university, but Nate has to stay at home to take care of his sister. While the focus of Us Three was on Casey and the incessant bullying he faced in high school, the focus of Here Without You is on Nate. This is another pretty hard book to read as Nate is still being abused by his uncle, usually when he steps in to protect his younger sister. And then, the one time Nate goes away to spend extra time with Casey and Zander, his sister faces the brunt of his uncle's abuse. It's at this point that Nate falls into a downward spiral and pulls further away from his boyfriends. One of the things I like the best about both books is Nate's voice. It always seems so real to me:
"I WAKE up alone. I eat alone. I work alone. I come home alone. I sleep alone.
Sometimes I sit in my truck and listen to this song, "Here Without You" by 5 Doors Down, over and over again 'til my eyes are all friggin' misty.
Yeah, Wah, wah, wah. Poor fucking Nate."
Like book 1, this book had some tough parts to read, BUT, the boys love for each other becomes even stronger with the challenges they face. I hope there's a book 3 soon!
I enjoyed this continuation of the One Voice series. Casey and Zander are now roommates at university, but Nate has to stay at home to take care of his sister. While the focus of Us Three was on Casey and the incessant bullying he faced in high school, the focus of Here Without You is on Nate. This is another pretty hard book to read as Nate is still being abused by his uncle, usually when he steps in to protect his younger sister. And then, the one time Nate goes away to spend extra time with Casey and Zander, his sister faces the brunt of his uncle's abuse. It's at this point that Nate falls into a downward spiral and pulls further away from his boyfriends. One of the things I like the best about both books is Nate's voice. It always seems so real to me:
"I WAKE up alone. I eat alone. I work alone. I come home alone. I sleep alone.
Sometimes I sit in my truck and listen to this song, "Here Without You" by 5 Doors Down, over and over again 'til my eyes are all friggin' misty.
Yeah, Wah, wah, wah. Poor fucking Nate."
Like book 1, this book had some tough parts to read, BUT, the boys love for each other becomes even stronger with the challenges they face. I hope there's a book 3 soon!
wish-list
August 31, 2016A SEQUEL? HOLY SHIZZLEWITS!!!
When I first found out about the sequel I was like:
But when I saw the date of the release, I was like:
The Gay God has answered my prayers.
When I first found out about the sequel I was like:
But when I saw the date of the release, I was like:
The Gay God has answered my prayers.
March 4, 2015
Outstanding! I don't usually read YA but this series sucked me right in. Not all authors can pull off menages. I've read some not so good ones. For a menage to be successful, each person needs to bring something to the relationship. All three of these guys had their place. Mia Kerick was spot on.
Casey was the sweet, loveable, I-just-want-to-love-everyone type. Zander, the jock, was the fixer. He wanted to fix all of Casey's and Nate's problems. Nate, the burnout, was the rock and protector. He made Casey feel safe, secure and grounded. And Casey was the glue that held everyone together. I loved them all. I wanted to hug Casey and take him away from all the people that wanted to hurt him. I wanted to smack Zander a little for denying his feelings although he never hurt Casey's feelings and was always honest to Casey. But Nate. Nate is my hero. He fiercely protected both Casey and Zander, and selflessly sacrificed himself for the happiness of others.
Casey's parents were absolutely wonderful. All they wanted was Casey safe and happy. If that came in the form of 2 men, so be it. And I loved the acceptance they showed Zander and Nate, who both had very unhappy home lives. Dan & Abby were great too with their support of the 3 boys. I despised Nate's sister. She had no redeeming qualities for me. He constantly protected her from Uncle Rich and sacrificed his own happiness to give her that protection and did nothing except give him more trouble. Uncle Rich is the guy you love to hate. He was despicable and got what was coming to him.
This series sure did bring home for me the severe bullying that takes place in schools and what's done (or not done) about it. I liked the message here about taking action to try to make things better for everyone and the importance of zero tolerance against bullying.
Casey was the sweet, loveable, I-just-want-to-love-everyone type. Zander, the jock, was the fixer. He wanted to fix all of Casey's and Nate's problems. Nate, the burnout, was the rock and protector. He made Casey feel safe, secure and grounded. And Casey was the glue that held everyone together. I loved them all. I wanted to hug Casey and take him away from all the people that wanted to hurt him. I wanted to smack Zander a little for denying his feelings although he never hurt Casey's feelings and was always honest to Casey. But Nate. Nate is my hero. He fiercely protected both Casey and Zander, and selflessly sacrificed himself for the happiness of others.
Casey's parents were absolutely wonderful. All they wanted was Casey safe and happy. If that came in the form of 2 men, so be it. And I loved the acceptance they showed Zander and Nate, who both had very unhappy home lives. Dan & Abby were great too with their support of the 3 boys. I despised Nate's sister. She had no redeeming qualities for me. He constantly protected her from Uncle Rich and sacrificed his own happiness to give her that protection and did nothing except give him more trouble. Uncle Rich is the guy you love to hate. He was despicable and got what was coming to him.
This series sure did bring home for me the severe bullying that takes place in schools and what's done (or not done) about it. I liked the message here about taking action to try to make things better for everyone and the importance of zero tolerance against bullying.
December 1, 2015
When a quite short book took me 5 days or more to finish, it means either I'm very busy or the book is not interesting enough. Sadly, HWY fell into the second category.....
Having read Us Three and really dug it, I was so thrilled to see this sequel published. My eagerness just disappeared after first 3 chapters.
The characters did not evolve, somehow they went backwards.
- Casey: keep whining about his past, how he could not trust people and his panic attacks
- Zander: The only character with some logic left in him
- Nate: Well, well, well, Nate... How can I say this.. I actually got tired of him and his useless diary.... I really hate characters who are willing to become a victim, and Nate just did exactly that. Can't understand his nonsense fears for real, so I was just annoyed with him the whole book. Wished that Casey and Zander dump him.
One more big minus of this story is that 3/4 of it was just talking, thinking, whining, with no real emotion AT ALL. The last 1/4 was good, but it couldn't save the story from sinking.
So, as supportive as I am, I will not recommend this one and can only give it 2.5 stars. Hope Ms. Kerick will come back solid next time.
Having read Us Three and really dug it, I was so thrilled to see this sequel published. My eagerness just disappeared after first 3 chapters.
The characters did not evolve, somehow they went backwards.
- Casey: keep whining about his past, how he could not trust people and his panic attacks
- Zander: The only character with some logic left in him
- Nate: Well, well, well, Nate... How can I say this.. I actually got tired of him and his useless diary.... I really hate characters who are willing to become a victim, and Nate just did exactly that. Can't understand his nonsense fears for real, so I was just annoyed with him the whole book. Wished that Casey and Zander dump him.
One more big minus of this story is that 3/4 of it was just talking, thinking, whining, with no real emotion AT ALL. The last 1/4 was good, but it couldn't save the story from sinking.
So, as supportive as I am, I will not recommend this one and can only give it 2.5 stars. Hope Ms. Kerick will come back solid next time.
May 3, 2015
In this book the guys are separated for the first time since they became a "throuple" - Zander and Casey go away to college, but Nate is forced to stay back at home so he can watch over his little sister Cindy. It's very hard for them to be apart, but Nate seems to have the most difficult time adjusting. On top of that, things are becoming worse at home (thanks to Cindy's bad attitude) and beatings from his uncle are becoming more frequent.
Even though Zander and Casey's relationship suffered without Nate, it was Nate who had to endure the worst. Regardless of the fact that he had 2 guys who loved him, Nate felt unworthy and pushed them away. He ended up hitting rock bottom before things got better. Thanks to Zander and Casey's unwavering love, Nate finally saw that he was genuinely cared for and was able to get his life back on track.
Even though Zander and Casey's relationship suffered without Nate, it was Nate who had to endure the worst. Regardless of the fact that he had 2 guys who loved him, Nate felt unworthy and pushed them away. He ended up hitting rock bottom before things got better. Thanks to Zander and Casey's unwavering love, Nate finally saw that he was genuinely cared for and was able to get his life back on track.
February 26, 2015
I enjoyed this story, but probably not as much as the first. I think Zander's obsession with One Voice at BCC grated on my nerves a little. Yes, it is a very important club and one close to his heart, but he got soo caught up in it that I think he neglected to really see what is happening and what is needed for his partners.
April 19, 2015
Casey and Zander have headed off to college but Nate is left behind to pick up all the pieces of his family life. They are trying to make it work but a crisis seems to blow it all up. The boys know that they really are a threesome but Casey and Zander have to figure out if it can be two. But as they work through it they decided that Nate is worth fighting for.
May 29, 2017
DNF 84% <--- I usually don't dnf so late in the book, but I just couldn't handle this crap anymore. Beware may be some spoilers ahead in my mini rant. I am truly surprised I lasted as long as I did, but the first book was ok so I kept hoping and hoping, but no. It really was just to much. Most of it was cringe worthy, and I know it's fiction, but this crap is just so far out of the realm of, well, anything. And the sex, oh god it made me squirm and NOT in a good way. Some of the worst most awkward scenes I've ever read. It also bugged the crap out of me they would only be intimate and share a bed if it was the three of them, so the two at college had to have seperate beds and no touching until the weekends the third would come up. As if!!! These are eighteen year old horny boys. If they were that concerned they could have always set up Skype for the third to watch. Just saying. I didn't find it romantic or sweet, just downright annoying. And the little sister? Yeh let's just kill that bitch off and be done with it. I know some friends have enjoyed it immensely so don't hate me, but I absolutely, under no circumstances, can recommend this.
November 28, 2016
'Here Without You' is book two in Mia Kerick's series 'One Voice', and it follows the lives of Casey, Nate, and Zander as they move from high school to new adulthood. I fell in love with these boys in the debut novel 'Us Three', and I was so excited to see where the author was going to take me. The first journey was stunningly beautiful and I could only hope to be swept away again. I was thrilled to see the author kept the same way of relating each of these men's "voices" - Nate through his diary, Zander via private blog posting, and Casey in first person. Technically all three are in first person but this way separates it and doesn't muddle the writing.
Nate, Casey, and Zander learn quickly that adulting is hard work. Casey and Zander are off at Boston City College but Nate stayed in their home town to protect his little sister from their drunk uncle. I could already see that this was going to be very rough on all of them but hardest on Nate. I knew his insecurities would jump in and have him believing the other two didn't need him. Nate is such a gentle giant but he has a way of really messing with his own self that causes him to doubt everything.
The biggest problem this throuple deals with being separated is the fact that Nate's uncle has a bad tendency of taking his rages out on Nate and beating the crap out of him. Or his little sister would stir the uncle up and when he'd go for her, Nate steps in to protect her and gets the crap beaten out of him. Casey and Zander keep trying to convince Nate that this is a dangerous situation and that he needs to find a different place for his sister to live. They are fairly certain that Nate won’t survive another four years of this.
I was disappointed that I figured out the direction the author was going to go in. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this book, because I did, but predictability can be a good thing or a bad thing, and for me, it didn't work well here. That is, of course, only my opinion. Seeing the guys struggling to make a polyamorous relationship work at their young age was enlightening and I very much liked how the author handled the drama. All in all, a very good addition to a powerful series. Thank you, Mia.
*On a funny side note: I've lived in a dorm with those tiny twin beds. I can guarantee you that those three never fit comfortably and even if they did, they would have had to tie the beds together to have any kind of intimacy. It sure made me laugh remembering my own trials!*
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
Nate, Casey, and Zander learn quickly that adulting is hard work. Casey and Zander are off at Boston City College but Nate stayed in their home town to protect his little sister from their drunk uncle. I could already see that this was going to be very rough on all of them but hardest on Nate. I knew his insecurities would jump in and have him believing the other two didn't need him. Nate is such a gentle giant but he has a way of really messing with his own self that causes him to doubt everything.
The biggest problem this throuple deals with being separated is the fact that Nate's uncle has a bad tendency of taking his rages out on Nate and beating the crap out of him. Or his little sister would stir the uncle up and when he'd go for her, Nate steps in to protect her and gets the crap beaten out of him. Casey and Zander keep trying to convince Nate that this is a dangerous situation and that he needs to find a different place for his sister to live. They are fairly certain that Nate won’t survive another four years of this.
I was disappointed that I figured out the direction the author was going to go in. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this book, because I did, but predictability can be a good thing or a bad thing, and for me, it didn't work well here. That is, of course, only my opinion. Seeing the guys struggling to make a polyamorous relationship work at their young age was enlightening and I very much liked how the author handled the drama. All in all, a very good addition to a powerful series. Thank you, Mia.
*On a funny side note: I've lived in a dorm with those tiny twin beds. I can guarantee you that those three never fit comfortably and even if they did, they would have had to tie the beds together to have any kind of intimacy. It sure made me laugh remembering my own trials!*
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
June 25, 2019
Dios qué melodrama!!!!! desde la mitad estuve sudando para terminarlo.
Una pena porque el primero se deja leer
Una pena porque el primero se deja leer
February 28, 2015
Review can be read at It's About The Book
Here Without You is the second book in the One Voice series. It can be read as a standalone but the reader would miss out on a lot of the relationship development between Casey, Nate and Zander as well as Casey’s personal history.
Here Without You brings us back into the lives of Nate, Casey and Zander approximately a year and a half after the end of the previous book. At eighteen, they have now graduated high school and Casey and Zander have gone off to attend Boston City College. Nate is still in their hometown, unable to leave his younger sister, Cindy, behind with the violent uncle they have lived with since their mother was sent to jail. After almost two years, the three boyfriends are still very much together and in love despite one of them being absent from the other two, except for the weekends Nate can find somewhere safe for Cindy to be and make the trip up to see Casey and Zander. However, the distance away from the other two and the regular abuse he endures at the hands of his uncle start to take their toll on Nate.
Nate has always suffered with low self-esteem, but over the last year Zander and Casey had shown him that he was important to them and he had settled into being a valued and equal member of their relationship. The increasing conflict caused at home by Cindy’s constant attempts to rile their already volatile Uncle Rick meant Nate was even more often at the receiving end of Rick’s fists as he attempted to deflect Rick’s anger away from Cindy and on to himself. As a result, Nate becomes more and more distant as he withdraws into himself.
At college, both Casey and Zander are missing Nate and desperately want him to join them permanently in Boston. Zander has created One Voice, a GSA club, like he had done at their former high school. It is slowly gaining membership and Zander is determined to make it a success as bullying has become a cause close to his heart. When a weekend visit has Zander guilting Nate into staying for an extra day, it ends with serious repercussions for his sister causing Nate to sever all contact as he proceeds to spiral down into a deep well of guilt and depression. Casey and Zander are left not knowing if their relationship can possibly survive. If Nate can ever be brought back to them. Whatever happens, the one thing they are both sure of, if it isn’t the three of them, it’s nothing more than friendship.
Us Three, the first in the One Voice series, was written for a YA audience, which suited the story and the characters, as the boys were then sixteen/seventeen and in their junior year of high school. This book is NA, but I found the tone of it to be pretty much the same as the first and the overall writing style more in keeping with a YA. Their dialogue was a bit over the top and didn’t always come across as very realistic for eighteen year old men. However, the author does do a great job making each of the three MCs voices individual. Told by alternating views – Nate’s diary, Zander’s blog and Casey’s narrative, it was always easy to know exactly who’s head you’re in. The guys were very sweet together and you can easily see how they work well as a threesome, although they did come across a little co-dependant at times. One thing the author did without doubt, was make me care about the MCs, as individuals and as a “throuple”, as Casey calls their relationship.
Us Three was mostly told with the focus on Casey. In Here Without You, the focus shifts to Nate. My heart absolutely broke for the situation Nate was in at home, torn between the need to be with his guys and the need to protect his fourteen year old sister. I know Cindy had a horrible home life, but the way she treated Nate was despicable. It made it incredibly difficult to like or find any sympathy for her. Casey’s parents were gorgeous which, given Nate’s, and even Zander’s, family situations, was a good balance. There were a few little plot holes and convenient turnarounds, but overall I enjoyed this book and, by the end, I really had become invested in Nate, Casey and Zander. Perhaps even more than I had realised until the point that Nate was left so broken and their relationship seemingly in tatters. The three of them already had their individual trials in life to try and overcome and then such a major one for their relationship together to withstand, it was hard to not feel their despair with the break-up, their hope that they could come back together and their complete love for each other. Like the first book, there are some wonderful, positive messages interwoven into the narrative about hope for the future, healthy and loving relationships, and communication.
Here Without You is the second book in the One Voice series. It can be read as a standalone but the reader would miss out on a lot of the relationship development between Casey, Nate and Zander as well as Casey’s personal history.
Here Without You brings us back into the lives of Nate, Casey and Zander approximately a year and a half after the end of the previous book. At eighteen, they have now graduated high school and Casey and Zander have gone off to attend Boston City College. Nate is still in their hometown, unable to leave his younger sister, Cindy, behind with the violent uncle they have lived with since their mother was sent to jail. After almost two years, the three boyfriends are still very much together and in love despite one of them being absent from the other two, except for the weekends Nate can find somewhere safe for Cindy to be and make the trip up to see Casey and Zander. However, the distance away from the other two and the regular abuse he endures at the hands of his uncle start to take their toll on Nate.
Nate has always suffered with low self-esteem, but over the last year Zander and Casey had shown him that he was important to them and he had settled into being a valued and equal member of their relationship. The increasing conflict caused at home by Cindy’s constant attempts to rile their already volatile Uncle Rick meant Nate was even more often at the receiving end of Rick’s fists as he attempted to deflect Rick’s anger away from Cindy and on to himself. As a result, Nate becomes more and more distant as he withdraws into himself.
At college, both Casey and Zander are missing Nate and desperately want him to join them permanently in Boston. Zander has created One Voice, a GSA club, like he had done at their former high school. It is slowly gaining membership and Zander is determined to make it a success as bullying has become a cause close to his heart. When a weekend visit has Zander guilting Nate into staying for an extra day, it ends with serious repercussions for his sister causing Nate to sever all contact as he proceeds to spiral down into a deep well of guilt and depression. Casey and Zander are left not knowing if their relationship can possibly survive. If Nate can ever be brought back to them. Whatever happens, the one thing they are both sure of, if it isn’t the three of them, it’s nothing more than friendship.
Us Three, the first in the One Voice series, was written for a YA audience, which suited the story and the characters, as the boys were then sixteen/seventeen and in their junior year of high school. This book is NA, but I found the tone of it to be pretty much the same as the first and the overall writing style more in keeping with a YA. Their dialogue was a bit over the top and didn’t always come across as very realistic for eighteen year old men. However, the author does do a great job making each of the three MCs voices individual. Told by alternating views – Nate’s diary, Zander’s blog and Casey’s narrative, it was always easy to know exactly who’s head you’re in. The guys were very sweet together and you can easily see how they work well as a threesome, although they did come across a little co-dependant at times. One thing the author did without doubt, was make me care about the MCs, as individuals and as a “throuple”, as Casey calls their relationship.
Us Three was mostly told with the focus on Casey. In Here Without You, the focus shifts to Nate. My heart absolutely broke for the situation Nate was in at home, torn between the need to be with his guys and the need to protect his fourteen year old sister. I know Cindy had a horrible home life, but the way she treated Nate was despicable. It made it incredibly difficult to like or find any sympathy for her. Casey’s parents were gorgeous which, given Nate’s, and even Zander’s, family situations, was a good balance. There were a few little plot holes and convenient turnarounds, but overall I enjoyed this book and, by the end, I really had become invested in Nate, Casey and Zander. Perhaps even more than I had realised until the point that Nate was left so broken and their relationship seemingly in tatters. The three of them already had their individual trials in life to try and overcome and then such a major one for their relationship together to withstand, it was hard to not feel their despair with the break-up, their hope that they could come back together and their complete love for each other. Like the first book, there are some wonderful, positive messages interwoven into the narrative about hope for the future, healthy and loving relationships, and communication.
February 16, 2015
Original Blog Post: Blog Tour, eARC Review, Excerpt & #Giveaway: Here Without You (Sequel to Us Three) by Mia Kerick
Here Without You opens at the point in the lives of Nate, Casey and Zander where the three should be together but are not. Nate decides to stay home and protect his little sister from their evil and drunken uncle who is supposedly in charge of her. Knowing their uncle would most likely kill his little sister after she keeps egging him on, Nate has really no choice. So Casey and Zander go to college while Nate stays and is a Gas Transfer Agent: gas boy in lay man terminology.
Zander and casey try to work it out but they miss their Nate and at first they reach out using Skype and all other multimedia possible and really, it starts to work out but not. Things are not stable and the three are not feeling the togetherness as a throuple they are meant to be. Then the waste hits the proverbial fan and all goes to h.e.l.l. The three are no longer the three as they are meant to be. Will they survive the separation and angst that goes with it? Will there still be an Us Three?
This was so beautiful to read, there is no other way to describe it. Written in diary form from the different points of views of the three young men, we readers get a full disclosure from their different view points. This makes it unusual for instead of confusing the reader, I found myself getting the full information and blast of emotions as experienced by the three. Add into the mix the blog that Zander runs for One Voice, it serves as a diary but its really more in a way because it reports the deeds they go through together and separately. Unusual but totally made for a gratifying need.
The secondary cast of characters were all so well written they did not come out as two dimensional. A fairly common occurence when dealing with such characters. Here, they were are as clear and as whole as could be so that made the reading even more fun and intriguing.
Over all, this read much faster than the first installment which made the read enjoyable and light. This is no mean feat, in my opinion, for the subject matter here hurt more in ways different from the first book.
Another great book from an awesome author.
Here Without You opens at the point in the lives of Nate, Casey and Zander where the three should be together but are not. Nate decides to stay home and protect his little sister from their evil and drunken uncle who is supposedly in charge of her. Knowing their uncle would most likely kill his little sister after she keeps egging him on, Nate has really no choice. So Casey and Zander go to college while Nate stays and is a Gas Transfer Agent: gas boy in lay man terminology.
Zander and casey try to work it out but they miss their Nate and at first they reach out using Skype and all other multimedia possible and really, it starts to work out but not. Things are not stable and the three are not feeling the togetherness as a throuple they are meant to be. Then the waste hits the proverbial fan and all goes to h.e.l.l. The three are no longer the three as they are meant to be. Will they survive the separation and angst that goes with it? Will there still be an Us Three?
This was so beautiful to read, there is no other way to describe it. Written in diary form from the different points of views of the three young men, we readers get a full disclosure from their different view points. This makes it unusual for instead of confusing the reader, I found myself getting the full information and blast of emotions as experienced by the three. Add into the mix the blog that Zander runs for One Voice, it serves as a diary but its really more in a way because it reports the deeds they go through together and separately. Unusual but totally made for a gratifying need.
The secondary cast of characters were all so well written they did not come out as two dimensional. A fairly common occurence when dealing with such characters. Here, they were are as clear and as whole as could be so that made the reading even more fun and intriguing.
Over all, this read much faster than the first installment which made the read enjoyable and light. This is no mean feat, in my opinion, for the subject matter here hurt more in ways different from the first book.
Another great book from an awesome author.
February 21, 2015
So you have to have read book one for this to mean much to you.
In book one our three MCs have faced bullies and won! Now they are 18 and off to college… well Casey and Zander are. Nate has stayed at home to take care of his [bitchy] sister Cindy and keep her safe from his [evil] uncle.
If anything, book one was Casey’s story and this is Nate’s.
Casey and Zander are in school and there are a few hurdles: Casey is still really nervous in crowds, especially around girls/women. Zander wants One Voice to make it big, right NOW, but has to organize his priorities straight or lose what’s really important.
Nate, however, is facing depression, loneliness and hopelessness and most of it all on his own.
Cindy just won’t let up. She pushes and pushes and pushes and the results are an abusive uncle who takes it all out on Nate.
When Nate tries to take time for himself it’s harder to go back each time. He feels pulled in several directions and has no one to turn to for unbiased support.
Finally, things come to a head and Cindy ends up hurt. Nate spirals out of control and the boys think things have actually come to a heart-breaking end.
Luckily their love is stronger than that and they manage to pull Nate back from the brink and keep their “throuple” (a threesome couple) alive.
**
Wow. Book one was hard to read and this one is harder? The emotions are deeper and even more difficult because there is the more “adult” side to their lives.
I absolutely loved the way Mia Kerick handled their growing relationship intimacy. It was, again, suitable to the age (maybe now we’d call it Young Adult) and still felt really authentic and yet very touching.
It was so hard to read Nate’s part in this. He was suffering so much and felt so alone. When he finally gives in and lets the boys back in to his life it’s so beautiful.
I loved Zander’s family and Casey’s family absolutely rocked!
I think there is a book three in the works and I hope it’s Zander’s turn to take the lead.
I can’t wait for the next installment, but this felt very satisfying on its own.
All in all 5 of 5 hearts.
In book one our three MCs have faced bullies and won! Now they are 18 and off to college… well Casey and Zander are. Nate has stayed at home to take care of his [bitchy] sister Cindy and keep her safe from his [evil] uncle.
If anything, book one was Casey’s story and this is Nate’s.
Casey and Zander are in school and there are a few hurdles: Casey is still really nervous in crowds, especially around girls/women. Zander wants One Voice to make it big, right NOW, but has to organize his priorities straight or lose what’s really important.
Nate, however, is facing depression, loneliness and hopelessness and most of it all on his own.
Cindy just won’t let up. She pushes and pushes and pushes and the results are an abusive uncle who takes it all out on Nate.
When Nate tries to take time for himself it’s harder to go back each time. He feels pulled in several directions and has no one to turn to for unbiased support.
Finally, things come to a head and Cindy ends up hurt. Nate spirals out of control and the boys think things have actually come to a heart-breaking end.
Luckily their love is stronger than that and they manage to pull Nate back from the brink and keep their “throuple” (a threesome couple) alive.
**
Wow. Book one was hard to read and this one is harder? The emotions are deeper and even more difficult because there is the more “adult” side to their lives.
I absolutely loved the way Mia Kerick handled their growing relationship intimacy. It was, again, suitable to the age (maybe now we’d call it Young Adult) and still felt really authentic and yet very touching.
It was so hard to read Nate’s part in this. He was suffering so much and felt so alone. When he finally gives in and lets the boys back in to his life it’s so beautiful.
I loved Zander’s family and Casey’s family absolutely rocked!
I think there is a book three in the works and I hope it’s Zander’s turn to take the lead.
I can’t wait for the next installment, but this felt very satisfying on its own.
All in all 5 of 5 hearts.
February 27, 2015
I don't normally read a lot of menage because if not done right, it feels to me like one of the guys is being left out or kicked to the side. But Nate, Casey and Zander really worked for me. Starting off as best friends and gradually becoming lovers, it was clear that they loved each other deeply and didn't feel complete unless all 3 were together. I'm not sure how realistic it is in a menage relationship for there to be no intimacy unless all 3 are present, so it seemed a little odd that Casey and Zander would feel like they were just friends when Nate wasn't there, especially since they still loved each other. But I guess it simply didn't feel right to be intimate without Nate. And I actually respected that. They didn't want to leave him out.
Nate's separation from Casey and Zander when they were off at college was often heartbreaking and don't get me started on the violent abuse he suffered from his bastard Uncle Rich. You could feel how lonely and sad Nate was without his guys, not to mention his depression and self-esteem issues. But the first half of the story was a little slow for me because it felt repetitive. They were miserable being separated, a visit was arranged, they had sex and then went back to being miserable apart again. Rinse and repeat. But then the drama with Nate's sister Cindy happened and the angst kicked back up. There were so many times I wanted to shove my boot up Cindy's ass for her behavior (I feel a little bad for saying that because I am a mom and should be more understanding of her feelings, but she really irritated me so just shut it). I thought Dan and Abby, Claire and Anna and Casey's parents were great though. In the end, everyone was in a good place but a few things were not quite resolved, so I can't wait for Zander's book. :)
Nate's separation from Casey and Zander when they were off at college was often heartbreaking and don't get me started on the violent abuse he suffered from his bastard Uncle Rich. You could feel how lonely and sad Nate was without his guys, not to mention his depression and self-esteem issues. But the first half of the story was a little slow for me because it felt repetitive. They were miserable being separated, a visit was arranged, they had sex and then went back to being miserable apart again. Rinse and repeat. But then the drama with Nate's sister Cindy happened and the angst kicked back up. There were so many times I wanted to shove my boot up Cindy's ass for her behavior (I feel a little bad for saying that because I am a mom and should be more understanding of her feelings, but she really irritated me so just shut it). I thought Dan and Abby, Claire and Anna and Casey's parents were great though. In the end, everyone was in a good place but a few things were not quite resolved, so I can't wait for Zander's book. :)
July 13, 2015
What I really like about this series is how Mia Kerick was able to successfully give life and authenticity to each of the 3 MCs. It's as if 3 separate authors were responsible for each of the POVs. But the contrast worked well when it came to how the story turned out. It did not become muddled and instead, each POV complemented one another. The writing is cohesive and brilliantly done. While the angst level has been turned down several notches in the second installment in comparison to the first one -- Us Three -- which I appreciated; the conflict in the second book did not really affect me in such a way that I was moved in the end. Also, in terms of maturity seeing as the book has been set post high school graduation, for me only Zander showed promise. I saw fire every time the POV has been shifted back to his. And I'm not just talking about his goal for One Voice. It's just different (but in a good way) in comparison to the Zander narrating in the first book.
February 17, 2015
Here Without You picks up the story of Nate, Casey, and Zander. Casey and Zander have gone to Boston to college, but Nate had to stay behind in new Hampshire to protect his sister Cindy.
I love how the story grew with the three boys now young adults. They are three very different men and fit together so well. It is a beautiful story showing that not all gay boys( young men) are only after sex, that unconventional relationships can be about nurturing each other's needs not just sex and basically life general isn't about sex it's about learning, loving and growing.
The story is written in three views, Casey's in real life, Zander in a blog form and Nate in a diary. I love how different each young man is and I especially love Nate. His story is the saddest and this one really focus on his trials and tribulations as he is left behind while the other two of the relationship go off to college and he stays behind working two jobs. It is also a very well- done story of long distance relationships as well of all the rest. I can't wait for the third book!
I love how the story grew with the three boys now young adults. They are three very different men and fit together so well. It is a beautiful story showing that not all gay boys( young men) are only after sex, that unconventional relationships can be about nurturing each other's needs not just sex and basically life general isn't about sex it's about learning, loving and growing.
The story is written in three views, Casey's in real life, Zander in a blog form and Nate in a diary. I love how different each young man is and I especially love Nate. His story is the saddest and this one really focus on his trials and tribulations as he is left behind while the other two of the relationship go off to college and he stays behind working two jobs. It is also a very well- done story of long distance relationships as well of all the rest. I can't wait for the third book!
March 25, 2015
Original review on Molly Lolly
Four stars!
I enjoyed the second book in this series. It was more physical intimacy heavy than the first book since it’s not a YA novel. I liked that the event Casey’s junior year got better closure in this book. The punishment and Casey’s growth from it were more obvious. I liked how the relationship between Zander, Casey, and Nate grew and changed as they all dealt with new issues. I felt there wasn’t enough growing in a handful of cases in the book. But I also have to remind myself they’re all still teenagers, even if they’re out of high school. I think my favorite part is at the end where Nate is talking about talking to the One Voice group. Showed how far he came in such a short time. I’m eager to learn how Cindy and Nate reconnect after what happened and how the throuple continues to grow as they get older.
Four stars!
I enjoyed the second book in this series. It was more physical intimacy heavy than the first book since it’s not a YA novel. I liked that the event Casey’s junior year got better closure in this book. The punishment and Casey’s growth from it were more obvious. I liked how the relationship between Zander, Casey, and Nate grew and changed as they all dealt with new issues. I felt there wasn’t enough growing in a handful of cases in the book. But I also have to remind myself they’re all still teenagers, even if they’re out of high school. I think my favorite part is at the end where Nate is talking about talking to the One Voice group. Showed how far he came in such a short time. I’m eager to learn how Cindy and Nate reconnect after what happened and how the throuple continues to grow as they get older.
may-come-back-to-or-not
April 7, 2015I was so excited and very much looking forward to this continuation of Us Three, one of my favorites from last year, but I'm just not feeling it. I've tried. Repeatedly. I've made it to 66% but I'm going to put it aside for now. The one thing I just can't get past is
Maybe one day I'll be ready to finish this but for now I think it's best to shelve it.
Maybe one day I'll be ready to finish this but for now I think it's best to shelve it.
June 8, 2015
We Aren't Complete Without Him
The emotional turmoil is ratcheted up in the lives of Casey, Nate and Zander. None of them do well with separation, though Nate definitely fares the worst.
His sister's treatment of him is heart-wrenching and all 4 of them will need years to heal the wounds caused by Uncle Ritchie.
The Wilton's and Aunt Terrie, along with their new friends through One Voice, show all of us that love and support should be unconditional.
The emotional turmoil is ratcheted up in the lives of Casey, Nate and Zander. None of them do well with separation, though Nate definitely fares the worst.
His sister's treatment of him is heart-wrenching and all 4 of them will need years to heal the wounds caused by Uncle Ritchie.
The Wilton's and Aunt Terrie, along with their new friends through One Voice, show all of us that love and support should be unconditional.
June 7, 2015
3.5
Better than the first, but I still didn't like casey
LOVED Nate.
I wish the format was the more traditional POV-switching because a lot still got left out in transition and it came off more telling than showing. The story itself was sap central but I'm glad the angst and the drama darkened up the lovefest a little.
Better than the first, but I still didn't like casey
LOVED Nate.
I wish the format was the more traditional POV-switching because a lot still got left out in transition and it came off more telling than showing. The story itself was sap central but I'm glad the angst and the drama darkened up the lovefest a little.
March 17, 2015
I liked Us Three better, but I still give this one 5 stars. Kerick gets inside these characters and shows the world through their eyes. I just adore these three guys. She will make you fall in love with them even before they fall for each other.
February 16, 2015
What can I say other than I absolutely love these three. In Us Three, Casey stole my heart. In Here Without You, Nate stole it away from Casey. By the end I just wanted those boys to be snuggled up tight together. I hope there are more books in their series!
April 10, 2015
Childish, unrealistic and with, quite honestly, ultimately unlikable characters...
I do realize that probably I'm not the target audience for this book but still I expected something more from the second part of the One Voice series.
I do realize that probably I'm not the target audience for this book but still I expected something more from the second part of the One Voice series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews