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Yes
What if youth wasn't wasted on the young?
On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Ian Parker is looking for a reboot. He may be the proud owner of a trendy coffee shop in Austin called La Tazza Magica, but his love life has been MIA for years. During a trip to Denver with his best friend, Mark, Ian buys an enchanted chocolate from a mysterious candy store—then wakes up from a nap two decades younger. After the initial shock, Ian realizes a quirk of the universe has given him a second chance and, with Mark’s help, he devises a plan to start over.
With a new lease on life, Ian sets his sights on handsome architect Bartley James, a regular customer at La Tazza. He pursues Bartley as Ian’s twenty-one-year-old alter ego, Ryan, with decidedly unexpected results. Joining Ryan on his adventures are Matthew, the dreamy new barista, Jeremy, the geeky high-school math teacher, and Sam, the pizza delivery boy. Even as misunderstandings and expectations collide, Ian remains determined to right his past mistakes and find his off-ramp to happiness.
On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Ian Parker is looking for a reboot. He may be the proud owner of a trendy coffee shop in Austin called La Tazza Magica, but his love life has been MIA for years. During a trip to Denver with his best friend, Mark, Ian buys an enchanted chocolate from a mysterious candy store—then wakes up from a nap two decades younger. After the initial shock, Ian realizes a quirk of the universe has given him a second chance and, with Mark’s help, he devises a plan to start over.
With a new lease on life, Ian sets his sights on handsome architect Bartley James, a regular customer at La Tazza. He pursues Bartley as Ian’s twenty-one-year-old alter ego, Ryan, with decidedly unexpected results. Joining Ryan on his adventures are Matthew, the dreamy new barista, Jeremy, the geeky high-school math teacher, and Sam, the pizza delivery boy. Even as misunderstandings and expectations collide, Ian remains determined to right his past mistakes and find his off-ramp to happiness.
220 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2015
8 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
About the author
Brad Boney
12 books423 followersBrad Boney lives in Austin, Texas, the 7th gayest city in America. He grew up in the Midwest and went to school at NYU. He lived in Washington, DC and Houston before settling in Austin. He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls “dialogue and stage directions.” His first book was named a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He believes the greatest romantic comedy of all time is 50 First Dates. His favorite gay film of the last ten years is Strapped. And he has never met a boy band he didn’t like.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 20, 2015
The blurb lead me to believe that this book is a standalone, but that is not entirely the case.
Characters from Boney's three other books play a fairly big role in Yes.
I have read The Nothingness of Ben and The Return, but not The Eskimo Slugger, and there were moments I was confused, as Topher and Stanton's relationship had clearly progressed beyond the end of The Return.
In other words, this book is part of the Walsh brothers universe and best read as part of a series.
Quentin, Ben's younger brother, is now in college and is a regular at a coffee shop owned by Ian, a 40-year-old man who's and has given up on romance.
Even though he has a successful business, a nice home, and some good friends, Ian feels disconnected and doesn't dare ask out the younger, gorgeous Bartley, who frequents the shop.
The summary of the story is in the blurb, so I'm not going to go into more detail regarding the enchanted, THC-laced chocolate kiss called Manick Butter that Ian eats right after he makes a wish on his 40th birthday.
Boney always includes magic and a sense of the spiritual in his books. I find his plots to be creative, and his books undoubtedly make me think. This one's no different.
Ian gets his wish, but does turning back time and being allowed to make different choices guarantee happiness?
Ian has made mistakes, including one that had dire consequences. And who wouldn't want to wake up 20 years younger?
When he wakes up as a 21-year-old, Ian jumps into making wrong decisions almost immediately. He has to pretend to be his nephew Ryan in order to fool his employees and friends, but Bartley, the one person he most wants to impress, doesn't respond to Ian/Ryan's advances.
What bothered me here is that immediately upon becoming his alter ego Ryan, Ian jumps on Grindr and has a hookup at his house. He then has sex with one of his employees sans condom. They both confirm that they have tested negative and go at it. THE HELL? And this from a man who wants to be with Bartley and
There is almost no steam in this book. The couple scenes that are included involve Ian having sex with other men, NOT Bartley. Indeed, Bartley and Ian have only a couple scenes together and do no more than kiss, which is disappointing.
Boney is a strong writer and incredibly well-versed in pop culture. He loves to include random information in his books to the point that in Yes he builds in a game of Trivial Pursuit that goes on for pages. I got a kick out of that.
Ultimately, this is an uplifting story about appreciating what we DO have and making the best out of the life we made for ourselves.
We can't turn back time, but we can LIVE in each moment.
I applaud Boney for writing about two men who aren't perfect by societal standards. However, I just didn't feel the connection between the MCs and found Ian's behavior as Ryan truly troubling.
Characters from Boney's three other books play a fairly big role in Yes.
I have read The Nothingness of Ben and The Return, but not The Eskimo Slugger, and there were moments I was confused, as Topher and Stanton's relationship had clearly progressed beyond the end of The Return.
In other words, this book is part of the Walsh brothers universe and best read as part of a series.
Quentin, Ben's younger brother, is now in college and is a regular at a coffee shop owned by Ian, a 40-year-old man who's and has given up on romance.
Even though he has a successful business, a nice home, and some good friends, Ian feels disconnected and doesn't dare ask out the younger, gorgeous Bartley, who frequents the shop.
The summary of the story is in the blurb, so I'm not going to go into more detail regarding the enchanted, THC-laced chocolate kiss called Manick Butter that Ian eats right after he makes a wish on his 40th birthday.
Boney always includes magic and a sense of the spiritual in his books. I find his plots to be creative, and his books undoubtedly make me think. This one's no different.
Ian gets his wish, but does turning back time and being allowed to make different choices guarantee happiness?
Ian has made mistakes, including one that had dire consequences. And who wouldn't want to wake up 20 years younger?
When he wakes up as a 21-year-old, Ian jumps into making wrong decisions almost immediately. He has to pretend to be his nephew Ryan in order to fool his employees and friends, but Bartley, the one person he most wants to impress, doesn't respond to Ian/Ryan's advances.
What bothered me here is that immediately upon becoming his alter ego Ryan, Ian jumps on Grindr and has a hookup at his house. He then has sex with one of his employees sans condom. They both confirm that they have tested negative and go at it. THE HELL? And this from a man who wants to be with Bartley and
There is almost no steam in this book. The couple scenes that are included involve Ian having sex with other men, NOT Bartley. Indeed, Bartley and Ian have only a couple scenes together and do no more than kiss, which is disappointing.
Boney is a strong writer and incredibly well-versed in pop culture. He loves to include random information in his books to the point that in Yes he builds in a game of Trivial Pursuit that goes on for pages. I got a kick out of that.
Ultimately, this is an uplifting story about appreciating what we DO have and making the best out of the life we made for ourselves.
We can't turn back time, but we can LIVE in each moment.
I applaud Boney for writing about two men who aren't perfect by societal standards. However, I just didn't feel the connection between the MCs and found Ian's behavior as Ryan truly troubling.
March 27, 2015
Sometimes you don't realize what you've got 'til it's gone.
So this is more of a finding oneself than a romance. Sure there's love, but the real conflict is Ian accepting himself.
Kinda of a Catch 22 here. Ian has a Tom Hanks "Big" moment after making a wish. Except, like in all time altering scenarios, there's a twist. Turning forty and feeling like he's missed out on so much, wasted so much time, and made HUGE mistakes Ian makes a wish. And with a little help from some righteous Denver THC food products changes his life. So there's a paranormal element here that's not as extreme as you might imagine. I played along with it because I found Freaky Friday, Big, Shaggy Dog entertaining. The MC has musical partners going on here for those who are sensitive to that take note. Frankly, made complete sense to me in the context of the story though the involvement with one character seemed a bit rushed.
The interesting part of the story to me was would you really want to be you and do it again. Sure, the initial fun and crazy of doing it all is great, but what about when you realize the traps. Everything's changed, people treat you differently, and even though you're the same and want to keep some things constant--they're not. It all shifts like a kaleidoscope, and you have to shift too. There are gains and losses.
The ending was a bit quick in the wrap up, which was surprising since it's the hardest part and it jumps really fast to resolution. One last thing, I appreciated the HIV positive story line and the inclusion of drawbacks, balancing risk, and the discussion of the pariah status and generational difference in discourse. That was actually fascinating to hear Mark and Ian's take on things versus Matt. If you approach this as a man vs self book, then you'll be happy, but if you go into it expecting a grand romance you'll likely be disappointed.
Overall, entertaining romp that has a few serious moments and a couple epiphanies.
So this is more of a finding oneself than a romance. Sure there's love, but the real conflict is Ian accepting himself.
Kinda of a Catch 22 here. Ian has a Tom Hanks "Big" moment after making a wish. Except, like in all time altering scenarios, there's a twist. Turning forty and feeling like he's missed out on so much, wasted so much time, and made HUGE mistakes Ian makes a wish. And with a little help from some righteous Denver THC food products changes his life. So there's a paranormal element here that's not as extreme as you might imagine. I played along with it because I found Freaky Friday, Big, Shaggy Dog entertaining. The MC has musical partners going on here for those who are sensitive to that take note. Frankly, made complete sense to me in the context of the story though the involvement with one character seemed a bit rushed.
The interesting part of the story to me was would you really want to be you and do it again. Sure, the initial fun and crazy of doing it all is great, but what about when you realize the traps. Everything's changed, people treat you differently, and even though you're the same and want to keep some things constant--they're not. It all shifts like a kaleidoscope, and you have to shift too. There are gains and losses.
The ending was a bit quick in the wrap up, which was surprising since it's the hardest part and it jumps really fast to resolution. One last thing, I appreciated the HIV positive story line and the inclusion of drawbacks, balancing risk, and the discussion of the pariah status and generational difference in discourse. That was actually fascinating to hear Mark and Ian's take on things versus Matt. If you approach this as a man vs self book, then you'll be happy, but if you go into it expecting a grand romance you'll likely be disappointed.
Overall, entertaining romp that has a few serious moments and a couple epiphanies.
dnf
March 25, 2015***No rating, as I did not finish this book.***
I am a fan of Boney’s work. The world of The Nothingness of Ben, The Return and The Eskimo Slugger are favorites of mine with great characters who were lovely to see pop in and out of this story. Though you can read this as a standalone, I always like the nuggets given by authors to their readers.
But… I have to admit that this was hard for me to get into, I kept picking it up and putting it down in favor of something else to read. I liked the idea of the story but this one didn’t suck me in and make me fall in love the way the authors work had done before. I couldn’t connect with Ian, not when he was 40 and not after he ate the chocolate kiss with the Manick Butter. There was something off about him and I couldn’t engage nor feel invested in him at all. I hoped that would change… sadly it didn’t.
I get that Ian has this chance, a do over, if you will and I know he is a dude so the first thing he would do is go for a hookup but the way he lamented about Bartley in the beginning, this didn’t mesh well. I didn’t connect with Ian and I surely didn’t connect with Ryan. I made it to 45%, with a lot of skimming, and decided to call it quits.
It could be my mood. It could be the overabundance of porn stars in the book that doesn’t have a porn star in it. I am not sure. It could be Ian’s health and… I won’t even go into that, I can’t get into that without getting a tad ragey. This book sadly just didn’t work for me. I honestly don’t care who Ian ends up with at all… it’s just meh for me at this point.
I am a fan of Boney’s work. The world of The Nothingness of Ben, The Return and The Eskimo Slugger are favorites of mine with great characters who were lovely to see pop in and out of this story. Though you can read this as a standalone, I always like the nuggets given by authors to their readers.
But… I have to admit that this was hard for me to get into, I kept picking it up and putting it down in favor of something else to read. I liked the idea of the story but this one didn’t suck me in and make me fall in love the way the authors work had done before. I couldn’t connect with Ian, not when he was 40 and not after he ate the chocolate kiss with the Manick Butter. There was something off about him and I couldn’t engage nor feel invested in him at all. I hoped that would change… sadly it didn’t.
I get that Ian has this chance, a do over, if you will and I know he is a dude so the first thing he would do is go for a hookup but the way he lamented about Bartley in the beginning, this didn’t mesh well. I didn’t connect with Ian and I surely didn’t connect with Ryan. I made it to 45%, with a lot of skimming, and decided to call it quits.
It could be my mood. It could be the overabundance of porn stars in the book that doesn’t have a porn star in it. I am not sure. It could be Ian’s health and… I won’t even go into that, I can’t get into that without getting a tad ragey. This book sadly just didn’t work for me. I honestly don’t care who Ian ends up with at all… it’s just meh for me at this point.
April 5, 2015
3.5 Stars
I love magic, and the fact that this book involved magic in any way was very exciting for me. I know that when I'm looking at a Boney's book I'm gonna get a creative, fun read, with a very heartwarming touch.
I guess this book is in some way a kind of spin off of the Walsh kids universe, and unless you want to be left with a constant "huh? who's this?" kinda face I would recommend you to read the other three books by this same author before getting to this one: The Nothingness of Ben, The Return and The Eskimo Slugger.
I'm kind of conflicted about this story. On one hand there were things I loved and enjoyed a lot, but then there were others that didn't really sit well with me.
We have Ian, a 39 years old man who has made some mistakes in his life, and some of those mistakes had terrible consequences. Ian owns a cafe in Austin, Texas. For his 40th birthday, his friend Mark takes him to Denver so they can celebrate Ian's birthday there (pot is part of the deal, of course). So they go to this little store and there Ian gets a chocolate that is supposed to make him so very high. The name of the chocolate is Manick Butter (the whole thing around the name of the chocolate was interesting and fun to read). He decides to eat it in his way back home (Austin), and so the magic begins.
Have you ever wondered what would you do if you could turn back time? Or what would you do if you had the chance to wake up one day being 20 years younger?. I don't know about others, but I know I have... So. Many. Times. Unfortunately having the chance to do this comes with a price. Everything changes, no matter how much you want things to follow the course they used to have before you went back to be 20, all what you have is somehow lost, and you have to start over. So, yes, you may gain many great things, but at the same time you lose too many amazing things as well (including you, the real you), so the question in the end is, is it worth it?.
When Ian wakes up after eating the magic chocolate he's 20 years younger. He has to come up with a cover up story and a new identity: Ryan.
I LOVED Ian, but I had major problems with Ryan. You see, in the beginning of the book we have Ian being completely smitten for Bartley, a hot architect that is a regular costumer at Ian's coffee shop La Tazza Magica. Ian, however is insecure, because Bartley is like 9 years younger than him and thinks that the architect is into younger men. So, when Ian wakes up being younger he thinks he hit the jackpot, and decides that this is his chance with Bartley. Things take a different road, though, and Ian really starts behaving like a 21 year old. This annoyed me because in reality he has the mind of a 40 year old man. He starts doing things that tell me nothing about the feelings he supposedly had for Bartley.
The whole idea of having a second chance is not fuck up the way you did the first one, and I don't think this happened here. .
I found the secondary characters quite likable, to be honest, however the treatment of Ryan to some of them, especially Matthew was a bit of a turn off
There is on sex page, but the scenes aren't Bartley/Ian scenes. They are Ryan/Insert-hookup scenes. This bothered me, because I was expecting something more between Bartley and Ian, since that's what the blurb says. I can't explain how I felt about the whole Ian/Bartley thing. In some way i could feel something between them. I felt that the phone calls and stuff kinda made me buy the story, but when Ian acted like Ryan all the beliefs I had went flying through the window.
In the end things work out. The writer gave the whole story a wrap up that worked very well for me and made me feel much less enraged with Ryan that I'd felt while reading. If the story had gone along the same line that went through most of the story I don't think I would have liked it, or felt good with it.
As usual, Brad Boney is great with including pop culture into his stories and making it highly enjoyable to read. In this installment we get tons of TV Shows, Movies, and some music references. I also learnt a LOT about the history of gay porn - I even have a bunch of names and films that I'm curious to look up hahaha.
All in all, this was a good book. It would have been a solid 4 Stars for me if I hadn't had so much trouble with Ryan.
I think I may have seen a couple of lines there about some of the pairings in the book that I think could make an interesting and fun plot. I have no clue whatsoever of Mr. Boney's plans. I'd love to read about Jeremy and Sam, tho.. *hint hint* *Wink wink*, and also Matthew. I would like to read about him, and I would like to see him find his happy ending.
I love magic, and the fact that this book involved magic in any way was very exciting for me. I know that when I'm looking at a Boney's book I'm gonna get a creative, fun read, with a very heartwarming touch.
I guess this book is in some way a kind of spin off of the Walsh kids universe, and unless you want to be left with a constant "huh? who's this?" kinda face I would recommend you to read the other three books by this same author before getting to this one: The Nothingness of Ben, The Return and The Eskimo Slugger.
I'm kind of conflicted about this story. On one hand there were things I loved and enjoyed a lot, but then there were others that didn't really sit well with me.
We have Ian, a 39 years old man who has made some mistakes in his life, and some of those mistakes had terrible consequences. Ian owns a cafe in Austin, Texas. For his 40th birthday, his friend Mark takes him to Denver so they can celebrate Ian's birthday there (pot is part of the deal, of course). So they go to this little store and there Ian gets a chocolate that is supposed to make him so very high. The name of the chocolate is Manick Butter (the whole thing around the name of the chocolate was interesting and fun to read). He decides to eat it in his way back home (Austin), and so the magic begins.
Have you ever wondered what would you do if you could turn back time? Or what would you do if you had the chance to wake up one day being 20 years younger?. I don't know about others, but I know I have... So. Many. Times. Unfortunately having the chance to do this comes with a price. Everything changes, no matter how much you want things to follow the course they used to have before you went back to be 20, all what you have is somehow lost, and you have to start over. So, yes, you may gain many great things, but at the same time you lose too many amazing things as well (including you, the real you), so the question in the end is, is it worth it?.
When Ian wakes up after eating the magic chocolate he's 20 years younger. He has to come up with a cover up story and a new identity: Ryan.
I LOVED Ian, but I had major problems with Ryan. You see, in the beginning of the book we have Ian being completely smitten for Bartley, a hot architect that is a regular costumer at Ian's coffee shop La Tazza Magica. Ian, however is insecure, because Bartley is like 9 years younger than him and thinks that the architect is into younger men. So, when Ian wakes up being younger he thinks he hit the jackpot, and decides that this is his chance with Bartley. Things take a different road, though, and Ian really starts behaving like a 21 year old. This annoyed me because in reality he has the mind of a 40 year old man. He starts doing things that tell me nothing about the feelings he supposedly had for Bartley.
The whole idea of having a second chance is not fuck up the way you did the first one, and I don't think this happened here. .
I found the secondary characters quite likable, to be honest, however the treatment of Ryan to some of them, especially Matthew was a bit of a turn off
There is on sex page, but the scenes aren't Bartley/Ian scenes. They are Ryan/Insert-hookup scenes. This bothered me, because I was expecting something more between Bartley and Ian, since that's what the blurb says. I can't explain how I felt about the whole Ian/Bartley thing. In some way i could feel something between them. I felt that the phone calls and stuff kinda made me buy the story, but when Ian acted like Ryan all the beliefs I had went flying through the window.
In the end things work out. The writer gave the whole story a wrap up that worked very well for me and made me feel much less enraged with Ryan that I'd felt while reading. If the story had gone along the same line that went through most of the story I don't think I would have liked it, or felt good with it.
As usual, Brad Boney is great with including pop culture into his stories and making it highly enjoyable to read. In this installment we get tons of TV Shows, Movies, and some music references. I also learnt a LOT about the history of gay porn - I even have a bunch of names and films that I'm curious to look up hahaha.
All in all, this was a good book. It would have been a solid 4 Stars for me if I hadn't had so much trouble with Ryan.
I think I may have seen a couple of lines there about some of the pairings in the book that I think could make an interesting and fun plot. I have no clue whatsoever of Mr. Boney's plans. I'd love to read about Jeremy and Sam, tho.. *hint hint* *Wink wink*, and also Matthew. I would like to read about him, and I would like to see him find his happy ending.
November 30, 2016
I typically love Brad Boney. Like a lot. Two of his other three books have been 5 stars for me. This one gave me mixed feelings. Parts of it I just loved. There is something about the author's storytelling style that I really enjoy. I love how his characters always smoke pot in at least one scene (sshh....don't judge me). I love how his characters always have a topic they discuss within the story (music and baseball in past books). This one was gay porn and m/m TV shows from other countries. (Can I just tell you how many hours of Googling I did while reading this book?) I loved the whole concept behind this story. Regretting the choices one made in life and getting a "do-over". Who hasn't wished for that at some point? I also loved that we got to see the guys from previous stories and I swooned a little every scene that included Stanton and Topher. Lastly I love his pop culture reference in his books. Tons of them in this book made me laugh out loud. My favorite I think..... "Think about prison at your age. Have you ever see Turned Out? Or Oz? Sure, I know it looks hot when it's Chris Meloni, but this isn't fiction young man."
So I loved all this. Where did it go wrong for me? Our MC Ian. I didn't like him. I did at first but when he went back to a younger age he lost me. I thought he was selfish and I thought the whole point for the do-over was to learn from your previous mistakes. It didn't seem to me that he did that at all. He had a single mindedness in pursuing Bartley that didn't really make a lot of sense to me as they had never actually gone on a date or had serious moments together and I thought Ian's treatment of Matthew was just horrible. Yes he was in the body of a 20-something year old but his mind was still 40. I felt he should have had more respect for a young man who he knew cared for him AND was his employee. Nothing about the relationships between Ian, Matthew and/or Bartley felt real to me. I didn't feel any of their connections.
I also had a really big personal issue with one of the events in the story. (I'm going on a mini rant here so be prepared if you look under the spoiler tag)
So I took the parts that I loved that were 5 stars for me and then averaged my dislike of Ian which was a 2 star. Kind of rolled it all around in my head, decided I still love Brad Boney a lot, and gave the book a 3.5 stars.
So I loved all this. Where did it go wrong for me? Our MC Ian. I didn't like him. I did at first but when he went back to a younger age he lost me. I thought he was selfish and I thought the whole point for the do-over was to learn from your previous mistakes. It didn't seem to me that he did that at all. He had a single mindedness in pursuing Bartley that didn't really make a lot of sense to me as they had never actually gone on a date or had serious moments together and I thought Ian's treatment of Matthew was just horrible. Yes he was in the body of a 20-something year old but his mind was still 40. I felt he should have had more respect for a young man who he knew cared for him AND was his employee. Nothing about the relationships between Ian, Matthew and/or Bartley felt real to me. I didn't feel any of their connections.
I also had a really big personal issue with one of the events in the story. (I'm going on a mini rant here so be prepared if you look under the spoiler tag)
So I took the parts that I loved that were 5 stars for me and then averaged my dislike of Ian which was a 2 star. Kind of rolled it all around in my head, decided I still love Brad Boney a lot, and gave the book a 3.5 stars.
March 16, 2015
Ian Parker lives a comfortable life, he is a successful business owner, has great friends and is liked by pretty much everyone he meets. A mistake he made a decade ago changed his life irrevocably and Ian lives with that everyday, but with his fortieth birthday approaching he's feeling a little nostalgic. On the plane back home after a trip to Denver, Ian has a chocolate kiss that promises to be magical, then wakes up twenty years younger. Once he convinces his best friend Mark that he is, in fact, Ian and stops Mark from having him arrested, or committed, they set a plan in motion for Ian to have a do-over.
You know how we always say, "If I knew then what I know now." well, Ian is about to learn the truth of that statement. Ian becomes Ryan, Ian's nephew, to explain the resemblance and comfortably inserts himself into Ian's life, and he is just as friendly and liked as his uncle. Ryan is thoroughly enjoying all the attention his younger, fitter body affords him. From pizza delivery boys to grindr hookups, the barista at the coffee shop and the elusive architect that Ian had his eye on before he ate a jacked up chocolate kiss and woke up twenty years younger. Ryan has always been under the impression that Ian was gone for good, that this second chance at life would be the rest of it for him. But as he gets to know Matthew and Bartley he becomes more aware of himself and what it is he truly wants in life. He comes to realize that his second chance at life could cost him his chance at true love.
This book is full of twists and turns, mostly with the Ian/Ryan character and what he wants, but doesn't really want, but does want. Yes, it is a little bit confusing at times, but then Boney's books are always full of this type of story line. I absolutely loved the moral of this story though, the grass is not always greener you know. Ian lives with HIV, he is very responsible and conscience about it, but of course he wonders what his life would be like had he not made that mistake. When given the opportunity of a life free of the disease, would he make different choices, you'd like to to think so. What if the right choice is back where you started?
Full of strong secondary characters that help keep the story going, and there are a lot of familiar faces from the Nothingness of Ben world. So I really enjoyed the chance to catch up with Quenten, Topher and Stanton, see how the Walsh boys are doing and how marriage is working out for Topher and Stanton. This is a story rich with dialogue and full of musical, TV and movie pop culture references. There are conversations about the guys favorite gay porn stars as well, which was quite hysterical. Overall this was a fun read for me all about appreciating what you have and living life to its fullest. A different kind of love story for sure, but I quite enjoyed the ride.
You know how we always say, "If I knew then what I know now." well, Ian is about to learn the truth of that statement. Ian becomes Ryan, Ian's nephew, to explain the resemblance and comfortably inserts himself into Ian's life, and he is just as friendly and liked as his uncle. Ryan is thoroughly enjoying all the attention his younger, fitter body affords him. From pizza delivery boys to grindr hookups, the barista at the coffee shop and the elusive architect that Ian had his eye on before he ate a jacked up chocolate kiss and woke up twenty years younger. Ryan has always been under the impression that Ian was gone for good, that this second chance at life would be the rest of it for him. But as he gets to know Matthew and Bartley he becomes more aware of himself and what it is he truly wants in life. He comes to realize that his second chance at life could cost him his chance at true love.
This book is full of twists and turns, mostly with the Ian/Ryan character and what he wants, but doesn't really want, but does want. Yes, it is a little bit confusing at times, but then Boney's books are always full of this type of story line. I absolutely loved the moral of this story though, the grass is not always greener you know. Ian lives with HIV, he is very responsible and conscience about it, but of course he wonders what his life would be like had he not made that mistake. When given the opportunity of a life free of the disease, would he make different choices, you'd like to to think so. What if the right choice is back where you started?
Full of strong secondary characters that help keep the story going, and there are a lot of familiar faces from the Nothingness of Ben world. So I really enjoyed the chance to catch up with Quenten, Topher and Stanton, see how the Walsh boys are doing and how marriage is working out for Topher and Stanton. This is a story rich with dialogue and full of musical, TV and movie pop culture references. There are conversations about the guys favorite gay porn stars as well, which was quite hysterical. Overall this was a fun read for me all about appreciating what you have and living life to its fullest. A different kind of love story for sure, but I quite enjoyed the ride.
March 12, 2015
I have grown to love Brad Boney. I know in the past I've been hesitant to start his other books because I didn't know how much heartache I would be dealing with. I haven't been let down yet. I absolutely adore
it's one of my favorite books ever and to see them pop up all over his books makes me warm inside. I love that he is able to build this magical world, his writing is always whimsical. I like that he deals with real life topics on top of the romance aspect.
In this book we meet Ian, forty year old coffee shop owner of La Tazza Magica, who's in a slump and has a major man crush on Bartley James. Right off the back I fall in love with the characters. Ian and his best friend Mark travel to Denver for some debauchery and it's hilarious. I won't give away what happens. Enter one Ryan Parker who I really liked except for him making one of the dumbest mistakes in his life! I was so mad at him, did you not learn anything from your uncle Ian. I'm so happy Mark said something because I was thinking he couldn't be that careless. Of course Boney paints this magical time with an abundance of gay porn history I knew nothing about but I definitely Google some things and can I say Hello Al Parker. All in all I like how everything ended up, my only thing was the ending with Matthew. I didn't think it was fair to him how it ended seeing as his feelings for Ryan. I didn't believe that he would just accept what Ryan said. I loved the Walsh clan, Stanton & Topher, Marvin and the Dime Box grew all making a presence in this book. I am certain that Brad Boney just gave my friends a new game night game it was totally fun with that scene as well as that amazing shout out to Teen Wolf!
it's one of my favorite books ever and to see them pop up all over his books makes me warm inside. I love that he is able to build this magical world, his writing is always whimsical. I like that he deals with real life topics on top of the romance aspect. In this book we meet Ian, forty year old coffee shop owner of La Tazza Magica, who's in a slump and has a major man crush on Bartley James. Right off the back I fall in love with the characters. Ian and his best friend Mark travel to Denver for some debauchery and it's hilarious. I won't give away what happens. Enter one Ryan Parker who I really liked except for him making one of the dumbest mistakes in his life! I was so mad at him, did you not learn anything from your uncle Ian. I'm so happy Mark said something because I was thinking he couldn't be that careless. Of course Boney paints this magical time with an abundance of gay porn history I knew nothing about but I definitely Google some things and can I say Hello Al Parker. All in all I like how everything ended up, my only thing was the ending with Matthew. I didn't think it was fair to him how it ended seeing as his feelings for Ryan. I didn't believe that he would just accept what Ryan said. I loved the Walsh clan, Stanton & Topher, Marvin and the Dime Box grew all making a presence in this book. I am certain that Brad Boney just gave my friends a new game night game it was totally fun with that scene as well as that amazing shout out to Teen Wolf!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2015
I actually finished this book Friday, but didn't have to write the review until today.
I was going through the March 2015 M/M release list and came across this book. I loved the premise: Like the movie Big but in reverse, and gay, as one of the characters says at one point. The preview was also really engaging, and so I decided to give it a try.
I really wish I'd (re) read my review of The Nothingness of Ben before I'd said "yes" to Yes, though.
This book is a giant disappointment and mess of unfulfilled potential, even worse than the aforementioned book.
It starts off interestingly enough: Ian is about to turn 40, successful owner of a bustling coffee shop near the University of Texas campus in Austin called La Tazza Majica (the magic mug), but he's unhappy. He's , has no romantic prospects, has a huge crush on a man named Bartley who he's convinced is way out of his league, and is seriously depressed. He feels like he wasted the best years of his life, and so, alone in his apartment, he makes a wish on a cupcake that he could go back and do it all again.
He then goes to Colorado with his best friend Mark to celebrate the first 4/20 festival, and they end up stopping by a cannibus candy store. In addition to the selection of gumballs and brownies and other THC-laced sweets, the store also has featured a special, single, $100 kiss made with "Manick Butter," apparently made by a woman who is known for making one-of-a-kind creations that will "find" the right buyers. Figuring he has nothing to lose, Ian takes the plunge. However, he ends up forgetting about the special chocolate until they're about to head back home, and not wanting to risk getting arrested, he eats the special treat before boarding the plane.
He ends up falling asleep, and when he wakes up right before they land, he finds he's 20 years younger. His best friend doesn't recognize him, but Ian is finally able to convince him by the usual "things only Ian would know" routine. Even more amazing, it looks like the clock has truly been turned back--Manick Butter is apparently an anagram for "Turn Back Time"-- Ian really did get his birthday wish: a second chance and a new start.
Of course, Ian has to figure out a cover story, so he and Mark decide he's going to be Ian's nephew Ryan, who's come to take over the coffee shop while Ian is in Arizona taking care of his mom, who suddenly got sick. So Ian has to balance the "double" life of being Ryan and still being himself, and wondering if he'll maybe "lose" Ian along the way.
Sounds amazing, right? And for the first 1/3 or so, it really is. But then it starts to fall apart.
The first major problem with the book is the author is clearly even more confused than Ian/Ryan is about who the love interest is. As Ian, Bartley is the love interest, but he's not interested in Ryan, so Matthew (who is a 20-something working at the cafe) quickly emerges as Ryan's love interest. The book could have done a really interesting job of creating a viable conflict between Ian and a developing (via phone) relationship with Bartley and Ryan and a relationship with Matthew, but that doesn't really happen. Instead, the book focuses largely on Matthew and Ryan, which actually has some lovely moments, but doesn't end up panning out in the end, leaving me confused as a reader. Why did we spend so much time with Matthew if he'd not the love interest, and so little with Bartley, if he is? The whole time we're led to believe that Bartley is kind of a jerk, and we never really get much time to change our minds about him because we just don't get enough time with him.
The other problem the book has is pacing. While I appreciate that the author tried to step away from his dramatic roots and give us more exposition and scene setting--the setting of the coffee shop really came alive, for example--it's painful how much we get the same information repeated over and over with different characters without anything new being revealed. For instance, something will happen to Ian, so we'll see that. Then we'll see him talk to Matthew about it, then we'll see him talk to Mark about it, and then sometimes even see a fourth discussion of the same events. This happens more than once in the book and is extremely tedious. I could forgive that, but then about halfway through the book when the reader is beginning to realize the author is confused as to who is the love interest, we get this excessively long and unnecessary scene in which Matthew, Ryan, and Mark have an academic discussion of gay porn. I didn't count the number of pages, but it felt like 25. It went on forever, and it contributed absolutely NOTHING to the book, especially since Matthew is not the ultimate love interest. I skipped ahead during this part and debated making this book a DNF more than once as this scene went on and on and on without anything happening.
Later, Matthew and Ryan hookup and we see Ryan (Ian) making the same mistakes he made in the past. Instead of using a condom when they have sex, he doesn't, because Matthew is "hurt" that Ryan doesn't trust that he's "clean." After the huge deal that is made about all of that earlier in the book, that felt strange to me. I'm not saying it's not unheard of for people to get caught up in the moment, especially young people, but that whole scene left a bad taste in my mouth, and the fall out from it was even worse. Matthew becomes enormously clingy after, which seems out of character, but then the next minute, he's totally cool with Ryan jetting off to Thailand or wherever when Ian comes back to himself.
Confused yet? You should be. (Don't even get me started on the seemingly inconsistent use of "Ian" versus "Ryan" in the narration, either.)
To make things worse, there's this whole date thing at a concert that Matt and Ryan go to that makes no sense except to apparently A) insert all these extraneous characters from other books by this author and B) to add some more mysticism. The fact that the relationship with Matthew goes no where made plowing through those horrible moments so frustrating in hindsight on top of everything else. This book is sold as a standalone, but especially during the concert scene apparently every character from every book this author has sever written suddenly appears and even though I'd read one of his books I got lost in the swell of characters because everything is written like you're supposed to know who everyone is. It's enormously confusing and at this point didn't really feel like it was worth the effort to slog through.
Oh, and let's not forget the Jeopardy trivia tournament thing where we see EVERY SINGLE question and answer!
Ultimately, as you've probably figured out, Ian realizes that while it was fun to be Ryan for awhile, he wants to be with his one true love Brently. . And speaking of which, what was with the whole thing with Ryan wanting to be a carpenter? Yeah, that never amounted to anything either... (Ryan decides he wants to take some carpentry classes, and at one point he goes to a party with Brently to meet someone who teaches them, but then I guess when he goes back to being Ian he forgets he wanted to learn?)
So anyway Ian decides he wants to be Ian again so he finds a way to reverse the spell, and he confesses everything to Brently or whatever his name is (although he had to tell a couple other people first so that he'd believe him) and then he
So, ultimately, he never actually used his second chance for anything other than to have sex a couple times and have some really boring conversations about the history of gay porn and what it says about sex off camera.
Anyway, the point is the concept was great, and it started off great, but the execution was terrible. I definitely can't recommend this book, unfortunately.
I was going through the March 2015 M/M release list and came across this book. I loved the premise: Like the movie Big but in reverse, and gay, as one of the characters says at one point. The preview was also really engaging, and so I decided to give it a try.
I really wish I'd (re) read my review of The Nothingness of Ben before I'd said "yes" to Yes, though.
This book is a giant disappointment and mess of unfulfilled potential, even worse than the aforementioned book.
It starts off interestingly enough: Ian is about to turn 40, successful owner of a bustling coffee shop near the University of Texas campus in Austin called La Tazza Majica (the magic mug), but he's unhappy. He's , has no romantic prospects, has a huge crush on a man named Bartley who he's convinced is way out of his league, and is seriously depressed. He feels like he wasted the best years of his life, and so, alone in his apartment, he makes a wish on a cupcake that he could go back and do it all again.
He then goes to Colorado with his best friend Mark to celebrate the first 4/20 festival, and they end up stopping by a cannibus candy store. In addition to the selection of gumballs and brownies and other THC-laced sweets, the store also has featured a special, single, $100 kiss made with "Manick Butter," apparently made by a woman who is known for making one-of-a-kind creations that will "find" the right buyers. Figuring he has nothing to lose, Ian takes the plunge. However, he ends up forgetting about the special chocolate until they're about to head back home, and not wanting to risk getting arrested, he eats the special treat before boarding the plane.
He ends up falling asleep, and when he wakes up right before they land, he finds he's 20 years younger. His best friend doesn't recognize him, but Ian is finally able to convince him by the usual "things only Ian would know" routine. Even more amazing, it looks like the clock has truly been turned back--Manick Butter is apparently an anagram for "Turn Back Time"-- Ian really did get his birthday wish: a second chance and a new start.
Of course, Ian has to figure out a cover story, so he and Mark decide he's going to be Ian's nephew Ryan, who's come to take over the coffee shop while Ian is in Arizona taking care of his mom, who suddenly got sick. So Ian has to balance the "double" life of being Ryan and still being himself, and wondering if he'll maybe "lose" Ian along the way.
Sounds amazing, right? And for the first 1/3 or so, it really is. But then it starts to fall apart.
The first major problem with the book is the author is clearly even more confused than Ian/Ryan is about who the love interest is. As Ian, Bartley is the love interest, but he's not interested in Ryan, so Matthew (who is a 20-something working at the cafe) quickly emerges as Ryan's love interest. The book could have done a really interesting job of creating a viable conflict between Ian and a developing (via phone) relationship with Bartley and Ryan and a relationship with Matthew, but that doesn't really happen. Instead, the book focuses largely on Matthew and Ryan, which actually has some lovely moments, but doesn't end up panning out in the end, leaving me confused as a reader. Why did we spend so much time with Matthew if he'd not the love interest, and so little with Bartley, if he is? The whole time we're led to believe that Bartley is kind of a jerk, and we never really get much time to change our minds about him because we just don't get enough time with him.
The other problem the book has is pacing. While I appreciate that the author tried to step away from his dramatic roots and give us more exposition and scene setting--the setting of the coffee shop really came alive, for example--it's painful how much we get the same information repeated over and over with different characters without anything new being revealed. For instance, something will happen to Ian, so we'll see that. Then we'll see him talk to Matthew about it, then we'll see him talk to Mark about it, and then sometimes even see a fourth discussion of the same events. This happens more than once in the book and is extremely tedious. I could forgive that, but then about halfway through the book when the reader is beginning to realize the author is confused as to who is the love interest, we get this excessively long and unnecessary scene in which Matthew, Ryan, and Mark have an academic discussion of gay porn. I didn't count the number of pages, but it felt like 25. It went on forever, and it contributed absolutely NOTHING to the book, especially since Matthew is not the ultimate love interest. I skipped ahead during this part and debated making this book a DNF more than once as this scene went on and on and on without anything happening.
Later, Matthew and Ryan hookup and we see Ryan (Ian) making the same mistakes he made in the past. Instead of using a condom when they have sex, he doesn't, because Matthew is "hurt" that Ryan doesn't trust that he's "clean." After the huge deal that is made about all of that earlier in the book, that felt strange to me. I'm not saying it's not unheard of for people to get caught up in the moment, especially young people, but that whole scene left a bad taste in my mouth, and the fall out from it was even worse. Matthew becomes enormously clingy after, which seems out of character, but then the next minute, he's totally cool with Ryan jetting off to Thailand or wherever when Ian comes back to himself.
Confused yet? You should be. (Don't even get me started on the seemingly inconsistent use of "Ian" versus "Ryan" in the narration, either.)
To make things worse, there's this whole date thing at a concert that Matt and Ryan go to that makes no sense except to apparently A) insert all these extraneous characters from other books by this author and B) to add some more mysticism. The fact that the relationship with Matthew goes no where made plowing through those horrible moments so frustrating in hindsight on top of everything else. This book is sold as a standalone, but especially during the concert scene apparently every character from every book this author has sever written suddenly appears and even though I'd read one of his books I got lost in the swell of characters because everything is written like you're supposed to know who everyone is. It's enormously confusing and at this point didn't really feel like it was worth the effort to slog through.
Oh, and let's not forget the Jeopardy trivia tournament thing where we see EVERY SINGLE question and answer!
Ultimately, as you've probably figured out, Ian realizes that while it was fun to be Ryan for awhile, he wants to be with his one true love Brently. . And speaking of which, what was with the whole thing with Ryan wanting to be a carpenter? Yeah, that never amounted to anything either... (Ryan decides he wants to take some carpentry classes, and at one point he goes to a party with Brently to meet someone who teaches them, but then I guess when he goes back to being Ian he forgets he wanted to learn?)
So anyway Ian decides he wants to be Ian again so he finds a way to reverse the spell, and he confesses everything to Brently or whatever his name is (although he had to tell a couple other people first so that he'd believe him) and then he
So, ultimately, he never actually used his second chance for anything other than to have sex a couple times and have some really boring conversations about the history of gay porn and what it says about sex off camera.
Anyway, the point is the concept was great, and it started off great, but the execution was terrible. I definitely can't recommend this book, unfortunately.
June 3, 2017
This book is a lot about regret. The story is engaging and the concept intersting. I like the writing style as well but as a romance it didn't work very well for me.
I need more couple time than this book provided.
However, it is an good read with endearing characters.
I need more couple time than this book provided.
However, it is an good read with endearing characters.
June 8, 2015
"Everyday for the rest of my life, it'll remind me there's only one way forward. I'm done being angry. I'm done feeling regrets and living on the sidelines. From now on, if life is a question, then this is the answer."
During a trip to Denver with his bestfriend, Mark, Ian Parker buys an enchanted chocolate from a candy store and wakes up two decades younger. Feeling like he was gifted by the universe a second chance to right past mistakes, he poses as his nephew Ryan who then tried to pursue Bartley James, a regular customer at his La Tazza Magica cafe. Things though, didn't go as planned as his Ryan persona's expectations didn't really bode well with the reality of things. Only what exactly is real and what is not?
You are forty, you have your own business and are successful enough but you are not happy - you are still searching for that one thing and still feel that past mistakes are holding you back in reaching that.
What if you've got a chance for a do-over? Ian was given that chance and as per Brad Boney’s tradition – magical realism was heavily used here. Yes will introduce you to the characters from the author’s past efforts entitled The Nothingness of Ben and The Return (you can include The Eskimo Slugger even). I’m certain that it is to be enjoyed more if you’ve read the first three books because these familiar characters were heavily featured here but I don’t think it’ll be much of a major problem if you just want to read this one regardless of the authors’ other books. What I can tell you is that, this is an intelligent book. The characters are decidedly relatable and the story was easy.
The whole Try 17 vibe was glaring at me onset of the story and the excessive information dump about porn stars was rather informative and I really do liked that part for some reason. It was like the pop culture lessons back in The Return.
Although there is one part which kind of irk me but I thought was intentional – the car sex scene between Ryan and Matthew – I was like, cmon’ man, do over right? Ever heard of protection? Obviously, that was a ploy to get a rise out of the readers. I know I took the bait.
In the scope of things, I think avid fans of Boney (like moi) will really get a kick out of this. I know I enjoyed this immensely and thought the author's writing style is one of a kind in this genre. He’s just always on point and the voices of his characters (especially Ian) really speak to you.
Can I also mention how happy I am to hear from Topher and the guys? Ugh. So. Very. Special. And the preamble on Sam and Jeremy’s story. I couldn’t wait!
Yes may not be the strongest amongst Brad Boney’s novels but it is a solid effort deserving of a five star-ratings like its first three predecessor.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
During a trip to Denver with his bestfriend, Mark, Ian Parker buys an enchanted chocolate from a candy store and wakes up two decades younger. Feeling like he was gifted by the universe a second chance to right past mistakes, he poses as his nephew Ryan who then tried to pursue Bartley James, a regular customer at his La Tazza Magica cafe. Things though, didn't go as planned as his Ryan persona's expectations didn't really bode well with the reality of things. Only what exactly is real and what is not?
You are forty, you have your own business and are successful enough but you are not happy - you are still searching for that one thing and still feel that past mistakes are holding you back in reaching that.
What if you've got a chance for a do-over? Ian was given that chance and as per Brad Boney’s tradition – magical realism was heavily used here. Yes will introduce you to the characters from the author’s past efforts entitled The Nothingness of Ben and The Return (you can include The Eskimo Slugger even). I’m certain that it is to be enjoyed more if you’ve read the first three books because these familiar characters were heavily featured here but I don’t think it’ll be much of a major problem if you just want to read this one regardless of the authors’ other books. What I can tell you is that, this is an intelligent book. The characters are decidedly relatable and the story was easy.
The whole Try 17 vibe was glaring at me onset of the story and the excessive information dump about porn stars was rather informative and I really do liked that part for some reason. It was like the pop culture lessons back in The Return.
Although there is one part which kind of irk me but I thought was intentional – the car sex scene between Ryan and Matthew – I was like, cmon’ man, do over right? Ever heard of protection? Obviously, that was a ploy to get a rise out of the readers. I know I took the bait.
In the scope of things, I think avid fans of Boney (like moi) will really get a kick out of this. I know I enjoyed this immensely and thought the author's writing style is one of a kind in this genre. He’s just always on point and the voices of his characters (especially Ian) really speak to you.
Can I also mention how happy I am to hear from Topher and the guys? Ugh. So. Very. Special. And the preamble on Sam and Jeremy’s story. I couldn’t wait!
Yes may not be the strongest amongst Brad Boney’s novels but it is a solid effort deserving of a five star-ratings like its first three predecessor.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
March 20, 2015
Yes! Can. Not. Wait. Brad Boney is my hero. He's got a prefect 5 star rating going on from me. I'm beyond excited for something new!
3/19/15 Whatever Brad Boney is selling, I'm buying. His books are truly "magical." His writing is so spot on. His characters are the most intriguing, involved characters I've ever read. I feel like I know them all. They are a part of me. I am their friend. I am one of the group. I just need to find a way into La Tazza to meet & scheme with them!
Now, this isn't quite the epic love story of Mr Boney's previous works. Yet. I think it will be somewhere down the line. Just the setup did not lend itself to the two MCs having a lot of time together in the story. I can understand where that might let some people down. But this one was about the journey. Getting to that point in life where it is ok to say YES! I absolutely loved this journey! And I can't wait for the next one! I love these characters & the magical feel of all of these books. Bring on the next one!
Also, even though this is a new story arc with new characters who are lovely, it is so much more enjoyable if you've read Brad Boney's previous works. The characters cross-over & the magic is so much sweeter with the back story!
3/19/15 Whatever Brad Boney is selling, I'm buying. His books are truly "magical." His writing is so spot on. His characters are the most intriguing, involved characters I've ever read. I feel like I know them all. They are a part of me. I am their friend. I am one of the group. I just need to find a way into La Tazza to meet & scheme with them!
Now, this isn't quite the epic love story of Mr Boney's previous works. Yet. I think it will be somewhere down the line. Just the setup did not lend itself to the two MCs having a lot of time together in the story. I can understand where that might let some people down. But this one was about the journey. Getting to that point in life where it is ok to say YES! I absolutely loved this journey! And I can't wait for the next one! I love these characters & the magical feel of all of these books. Bring on the next one!
Also, even though this is a new story arc with new characters who are lovely, it is so much more enjoyable if you've read Brad Boney's previous works. The characters cross-over & the magic is so much sweeter with the back story!
September 18, 2015
I liked the idea behind the story, I liked how he brought the people together and I was really relieved about the way he did the ending because I’m not sure I would have ended up liking Ian very much should the whole thing not have played out the way it did. Of course it was great getting a little bit of the “old” characters again. Ben, Q, Topher...not gonna complain about that.
I think that things went way to “fast” at the point where Bartley really came into play after everything was revealed, and therefore I the whole thing ( meaning the relationship aspect between the two of them) just fell flat for me. It wasn’t “believable” and I couldn’t get into their relationship or what was hinted to be at all.
Still a entertaining read but I think he should have made it a couple of chapters longer and spend more time on the actual thing between Ian and Bartley. It felt as if everything was left hanging.
I think that things went way to “fast” at the point where Bartley really came into play after everything was revealed, and therefore I the whole thing ( meaning the relationship aspect between the two of them) just fell flat for me. It wasn’t “believable” and I couldn’t get into their relationship or what was hinted to be at all.
Still a entertaining read but I think he should have made it a couple of chapters longer and spend more time on the actual thing between Ian and Bartley. It felt as if everything was left hanging.
September 13, 2016
If you could, would you turn back the hands of time and right wrongs you feel you did in the past. Ian is given that opportunity, but he didn't weight the consequences of his action. How would the journey back impact his current life, he learns quickly.
Again another top notch story in this series. Complex characters, complex life lines, just like real life. If I could, I would give it a million stars. If you are looking for nothing but sex, you are knocking on the wrong door, but if you want a book filled with glorious words about life and love, go. no. further.
Don't be like me, read them in order. They can stand alone, but why would you want to not read them all? Every one is a magical trip.
Again another top notch story in this series. Complex characters, complex life lines, just like real life. If I could, I would give it a million stars. If you are looking for nothing but sex, you are knocking on the wrong door, but if you want a book filled with glorious words about life and love, go. no. further.
Don't be like me, read them in order. They can stand alone, but why would you want to not read them all? Every one is a magical trip.
March 4, 2015
Brad Boney’s talent is immense. What I wouldn’t give to spend an evening at La Tazza Magica – the fictional coffee shop in his new release, YES – with him. If you haven’t read any of his books yet – or, ALL of his books, for that matter – you need to start immediately. The stories are all unique, but they all share a certain magical quality that I’m convinced only he can achieve.
SEE MY FULL REVIEW at: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...
SEE MY FULL REVIEW at: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...
March 10, 2016
I just love Brad Boney's universe. I have read all the books and they all involve a bit of magic and other/alternate lives and it's so cool. He is big on trivia and fun facts as well. This book had a heavy discussion on the history of gay porn as well as a game of Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy style. I really enjoyed it and hope to read more in this universe in the future.
June 23, 2021
How come I let this one pass when I was reading Brad Booney’s other books? How come you guys never told me about it? I freaking loved it!
The other three books by Booney that I’ve listened to are three of my favorites and Tho they are beautiful love stories I freaking BAWLED listening to them, so this one came with a surprise because I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud while listening to it. It’s seriously funny.
I love how all Booney’s books have elements of pop culture, and trivia about music and this one was gay porn. Characters discuss it at length and mention lots of guys I know (and follow on Twitter). Not to mention we get to see the guys from the other books: the Walsh family, Toffer, Stanton. I missed them so there’s that plus.
Booney’s books also always have an element of the supernatural and this one is the guys eats a “magical” chocolate and wakes up 20 years younger. He has to come up with a whole story of being his nephew and that’s how the book starts. Ian becomes Ryan and Ryan has a chance of a do over and he wants to do everything different this time.
But life being life, things start to go wrong since the very beginning. I’m not gonna spoiler anyone but damn Ryan…he made a succession of bad decisions that made me realize no matter how old and wise we think we are, we are still going to be dumb. It was kinda refreshing to know that. 😁
There were a couple of things that didn’t agree with me, specially the ending…I mean, I waited the whole book, Brad Booney. But all in all, another hit for me. The book is light and funny and everything I wasn’t expecting but loved anyway.
The other three books by Booney that I’ve listened to are three of my favorites and Tho they are beautiful love stories I freaking BAWLED listening to them, so this one came with a surprise because I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud while listening to it. It’s seriously funny.
I love how all Booney’s books have elements of pop culture, and trivia about music and this one was gay porn. Characters discuss it at length and mention lots of guys I know (and follow on Twitter). Not to mention we get to see the guys from the other books: the Walsh family, Toffer, Stanton. I missed them so there’s that plus.
Booney’s books also always have an element of the supernatural and this one is the guys eats a “magical” chocolate and wakes up 20 years younger. He has to come up with a whole story of being his nephew and that’s how the book starts. Ian becomes Ryan and Ryan has a chance of a do over and he wants to do everything different this time.
But life being life, things start to go wrong since the very beginning. I’m not gonna spoiler anyone but damn Ryan…he made a succession of bad decisions that made me realize no matter how old and wise we think we are, we are still going to be dumb. It was kinda refreshing to know that. 😁
There were a couple of things that didn’t agree with me, specially the ending…I mean, I waited the whole book, Brad Booney. But all in all, another hit for me. The book is light and funny and everything I wasn’t expecting but loved anyway.
June 20, 2015
You have to hand it to Brad Boney: he takes a premise that seems rather well-worn, at least in terms of popular films—the idea of someone suddenly becoming much younger or older than they really are—and then proceeds to have his characters discuss every single variation of the trope in those very films. Boney knew we were going to roll our eyes at the central plot point of his enjoyable—and surprisingly touching—novel. So he heads off our cynicism, and in doing so completely hoodwinks us into buying into the magical goofiness of his tale.
Well done.
I surely remember what my life was when I turned forty. Although there was only the slightest anxiety about getting older, there were plenty of other things on my mind. But forty in much of gayworld is terrifyingly old—even if it’s proclaimed as the new thirty in straightworld. Ian Parker, however, has regrets, and they seem to weigh heavily on him as his fortieth birthday arrives. As the story unfolds we can see that these regrets are justified, to a point. We can also see that Ian might be underestimating just how good his life is--indeed how good he is himself. Why is it only our regrets that loom large when we hit a milestone in our lives?
Boney fills Mark’s pleasant, successful world in Austin, Texas, with likable people, from the new college-boy barista Matthew, to his longtime friend Mark, and the handsome thirty-year-old architect Bartley, the object of his dreams. Each of these people perceives Ian differently, and their varying relationships with him form the emotional nucleus of the storyline.
The book is engaging from the start, and as the plot complications between to twist and turn, I was drawn more fully into Ian’s dilemma. We can acknowledge that people make stupid choices in their lives, but we can also sympathize with them, because in other’s errors we see our own mistakes and doubts.
My only real stylistic complaint about this book was Boney’s somewhat flat writing style. Then I read in the author’s notes at the back: “He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls ‘dialogue and stage directions.’”
There you are.
Well done.
I surely remember what my life was when I turned forty. Although there was only the slightest anxiety about getting older, there were plenty of other things on my mind. But forty in much of gayworld is terrifyingly old—even if it’s proclaimed as the new thirty in straightworld. Ian Parker, however, has regrets, and they seem to weigh heavily on him as his fortieth birthday arrives. As the story unfolds we can see that these regrets are justified, to a point. We can also see that Ian might be underestimating just how good his life is--indeed how good he is himself. Why is it only our regrets that loom large when we hit a milestone in our lives?
Boney fills Mark’s pleasant, successful world in Austin, Texas, with likable people, from the new college-boy barista Matthew, to his longtime friend Mark, and the handsome thirty-year-old architect Bartley, the object of his dreams. Each of these people perceives Ian differently, and their varying relationships with him form the emotional nucleus of the storyline.
The book is engaging from the start, and as the plot complications between to twist and turn, I was drawn more fully into Ian’s dilemma. We can acknowledge that people make stupid choices in their lives, but we can also sympathize with them, because in other’s errors we see our own mistakes and doubts.
My only real stylistic complaint about this book was Boney’s somewhat flat writing style. Then I read in the author’s notes at the back: “He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls ‘dialogue and stage directions.’”
There you are.
June 4, 2017
I love Brad Boney's books. They always have such a deep meaning in them. What would you do if you were suddenly given the chance to be 21 again? Ian is given that chance after eating a magical pot-laced kiss on his 40th birthday. He wakes up a 21 year old version of himself in the present day and steps into his life as his nephew, running his coffee shop, hooking up with a couple of random guys, and flirting with the one guy he has been crushing on but was too afraid to approach before.
The story did get a little crazy at times, but I loved it. I especially loved that everything didn't fall simply into place and how this story ended up being interwoven with The Nothingness of Ben and The Return. The secondary characters were great and I'd love more stories about Matthew, Jeremy, and Sam.
The story did get a little crazy at times, but I loved it. I especially loved that everything didn't fall simply into place and how this story ended up being interwoven with The Nothingness of Ben and The Return. The secondary characters were great and I'd love more stories about Matthew, Jeremy, and Sam.
March 11, 2016
This book is a finalist in the Gay Romance section of the 2016 LAMBDA literary awards, which is why I’m disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. I really thought it would be much better. I guess it wasn’t my cup of tea. There were many things I didn’t like – the drug taking, the unsafe sex practices, the overly pages-long discussion of gay porn (for a college project(!?)), the pop-culture references which will date and be meaningless to future readers (in particular the references to gay couples on European TV shows), the music concert which ended up with Ryan and Matthew going back to the star’s house and which featured twin musicians named Robin and Maurice (puh-lease!) , then finally, the actual denouement .
I did like the original premise, and sometimes the writing was good, which was why I kept reading, to see how things would turn out. The ending was disappointing, though. 1.5 stars, with an extra .5 because I didn’t just abandon it.
I did like the original premise, and sometimes the writing was good, which was why I kept reading, to see how things would turn out. The ending was disappointing, though. 1.5 stars, with an extra .5 because I didn’t just abandon it.
June 11, 2015
Hmmmmmm I should’ve known this wasn’t for me when the opening line is flushing a toilet…
The details were laid on a bit thick; I didn’t really care to know what board games stocked the shelves, or hear everyone’s full order down to the cream. Was it really necessary to explain that bloddy is a British term that he picked up from a show –one that he watches 23min a day 5 days a week– that stars this crazy actor who’s from Finland (where they are constantly sorting things), and that you can find said show on youtube, not BBC America, and—
Well, you get the idea.
I just can’t see the relevance..? I stuck it out figuring I should at least wait for the plot, but then they went on yet another actor ramble a few pages later and I’m just too impatient to endure going there again.
Also the main character and I lacked chemistry, so this is a DFN. Clearly a mismatch. It seems unnecessary to keep picking at the small things, so it’s for the best.
The details were laid on a bit thick; I didn’t really care to know what board games stocked the shelves, or hear everyone’s full order down to the cream. Was it really necessary to explain that bloddy is a British term that he picked up from a show –one that he watches 23min a day 5 days a week– that stars this crazy actor who’s from Finland (where they are constantly sorting things), and that you can find said show on youtube, not BBC America, and—
Well, you get the idea.
I just can’t see the relevance..? I stuck it out figuring I should at least wait for the plot, but then they went on yet another actor ramble a few pages later and I’m just too impatient to endure going there again.
Also the main character and I lacked chemistry, so this is a DFN. Clearly a mismatch. It seems unnecessary to keep picking at the small things, so it’s for the best.
February 25, 2017
4.5 Stars
This just hit all the right buttons for me today. I loved the tiny details like the Alice B. Toklas Brownies and that Ian watches the EU gay soaps (I too love Ollie/Christian from Verbotene Liebe)! I adored the premise, period. (Who hasn't had one of those wishes?) And I thought Brad did an amazing job keeping it just this side of hokey (again).
Does it have some issues? Sure, but I can't be assed-out to pick them apart because the rest of it completely overshadowed those details. I will grouse that I'm not sure why this isn't grouped with the other books of The Austin Trilogy because it totally should be. It's also set in Austin and major characters from at least 2 of those books play pretty significant roles in this novel. (I haven't read the 3rd one to know if those MCs are here as well.) *shrug* I guess The Austin Quadrilogy is a bit more difficult to pronounce!
This just hit all the right buttons for me today. I loved the tiny details like the Alice B. Toklas Brownies and that Ian watches the EU gay soaps (I too love Ollie/Christian from Verbotene Liebe)! I adored the premise, period. (Who hasn't had one of those wishes?) And I thought Brad did an amazing job keeping it just this side of hokey (again).
Does it have some issues? Sure, but I can't be assed-out to pick them apart because the rest of it completely overshadowed those details. I will grouse that I'm not sure why this isn't grouped with the other books of The Austin Trilogy because it totally should be. It's also set in Austin and major characters from at least 2 of those books play pretty significant roles in this novel. (I haven't read the 3rd one to know if those MCs are here as well.) *shrug* I guess The Austin Quadrilogy is a bit more difficult to pronounce!
January 27, 2019
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It had a great twist at the end that really pulled everything together. There were a couple parts of it that I found to be very slow. Back in 2015 I read Brad Boney’s The Nothingness of Ben and it remains one of my very favorite books I’ve ever read. I suggest reading that book, plus The Return prior to reading Yes. It will help you enjoy certain parts of this book so much more.
March 29, 2015
Perhaps really 3.75 Stars...rounded up to 4.
Not sure why I seem to always have a very hard time "getting into" Mr Boney's books. Odd..because by the end of the story, I love them. But it just seems to take me 1/2 the book before I am hooked. But, that's my personal opinion. I also love that even though each of his books can be read as a stand alone...they are all connected somehow.
Not sure why I seem to always have a very hard time "getting into" Mr Boney's books. Odd..because by the end of the story, I love them. But it just seems to take me 1/2 the book before I am hooked. But, that's my personal opinion. I also love that even though each of his books can be read as a stand alone...they are all connected somehow.
December 16, 2015
YES by Brad Boney: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwid... 2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
September 20, 2017
Mr Boney creates a unique story line in YES, executes it superbly, and it works! The story line is that the MC, a 40-yr old owner of a popular Austin 'magical' coffee shop, dabbles in magic himself when he eats a chocolate kiss and turns his age back 20 years. In addition, by tying adroitly tying YES to his earlier works, we get to see some of our favorite characters again.
Perhaps unique in the gay genre, YES borders on having moral to its story, which I applaud. YES seems to be the classical 'boy wants boy' story line, but as the reader nears the end of this seemingly light and enjoyable read, one begins to wonder if in fact this story has more depth that initially perceived. To support that contention, the title 'YES' seems odd till the end of the story, which is when the meaning of the title is revealed. In addition, Boney has a an updated and fresh approach on lives effected by HIV, and I applaud him for taking that important and courageous step: it is long overdue.
While I understand why many authors self-publish, those who do not typically benefit from strong editorial reviews, which, theoretically, should at least improve the grammar and flow of a story. So it is with this novel. YES is grammatically sound, and the story flows smoothly. The end result is that the book is easy to read, and the reader does not ask 'what?' thru-out the her/his reading of the novel.
In sum, this latest installment about our friends in Austin is a strong 5 stars with Boney's characteristic 3-dimensional MCs, extensive and very strong supporting cast, and a story line which encourages the reader to keep turning the pages to see how the fascinating plot ends.
Perhaps unique in the gay genre, YES borders on having moral to its story, which I applaud. YES seems to be the classical 'boy wants boy' story line, but as the reader nears the end of this seemingly light and enjoyable read, one begins to wonder if in fact this story has more depth that initially perceived. To support that contention, the title 'YES' seems odd till the end of the story, which is when the meaning of the title is revealed. In addition, Boney has a an updated and fresh approach on lives effected by HIV, and I applaud him for taking that important and courageous step: it is long overdue.
While I understand why many authors self-publish, those who do not typically benefit from strong editorial reviews, which, theoretically, should at least improve the grammar and flow of a story. So it is with this novel. YES is grammatically sound, and the story flows smoothly. The end result is that the book is easy to read, and the reader does not ask 'what?' thru-out the her/his reading of the novel.
In sum, this latest installment about our friends in Austin is a strong 5 stars with Boney's characteristic 3-dimensional MCs, extensive and very strong supporting cast, and a story line which encourages the reader to keep turning the pages to see how the fascinating plot ends.
March 8, 2020
This one just didn't work for me. Ian is a 40 year old man who eats a brownie and wakes up in his 20 something year old body. You would think that he woke up as a twenty something year old with no memories of his 40 year old self by some of the dumb decisions he makes. As his 40 year old self he has HIV but the very first thing he does is have a hookup. He then has sex (without condoms) with another guy. It just doesn't connect that he is crazy about Bartley and yet doesn't give that a passing thought while having hookups. There are a lot of secondary characters and I felt like I was missing something which after finding out that these characters are in some of his other books that made sense. The romance was almost an after thought - in fact Ian has more sex scenes with other people than he does Bartley.
November 7, 2019
I enjoy Brad Boney’s writing. The world of the Walsh brothers and their connections is something special. But I don’t think Boney can match the magic of The Return.
The main character in this book was, frankly, a jerk. I really didn’t like him. I especially didn’t like the way he treated Matthew. I would love to read a book about Matthew, though! I felt like he was the best, most interesting new character in this book. Ian/Ryan’s decision to have bareback sex was ridiculous.
I also didn’t feel like this was a romance and overall was disappointed.
The main character in this book was, frankly, a jerk. I really didn’t like him. I especially didn’t like the way he treated Matthew. I would love to read a book about Matthew, though! I felt like he was the best, most interesting new character in this book. Ian/Ryan’s decision to have bareback sex was ridiculous.
I also didn’t feel like this was a romance and overall was disappointed.
July 18, 2018
Lovely addition to the Austin stories! Please read at least The Nothingness of Been and The Return before reading Yes -- even though Ian isn't in those other books (I'm pretty sure he isn't...), there is enough Walsh and Topher/Stanton stuff here to lose some story impact if you're not aware of the world in the background. Brad Boney has an amazing way with plot-twists -- I can't wait to see where he'll go next!
November 12, 2015
Ian Parker + Bartley James
Set in Austin
REVIEW @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it!
The glow from the flame threw shadows around the kitchen as he sang “Happy Birthday” to himself. Then he closed his eyes and blew out the candle. Since no one could hear him, Ian didn’t see any harm in saying it out loud.
“I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”
Ian is the forty years old owner of “La Tazza Magica”, an European style cafè, a place for writes, students and players to come. Ian is a lonely man, apart from his coffee shop, he has very few people in his life, Mark is one of them. Ian is going to Denver with his friend to celebrate his fortieth birthday. During his time in Denver, he buys a chocolate kiss called Manick Butter (with pot in it) and eats it on the plane coming back to Austin. He takes a nap and when he wakes up he looks twenty years younger. After the initial shock, he and Mark will work on planning a new identity to Ian. So Ian becomes Ryan and he will use this second chance to remedy all the mistakes he made in his previous life and maybe to have a real chance at dating Bartley, one of his customers and biggest crush.
Yes by Brad Boney is one of that books that leave me thinking about them for long time, especially cause I’m still not sure if I liked it or not. Brad Boney is an author I really appreciate. He’s really good with words and his stories are always so interesting. The writing is enchanting. I couldn’t put the book down till the end. And it happens to me every time I read a book by Brad Boney, I’m glad to have read it.
Of course this book is a standalone, but I’m wondering why all Boney’s books (and I’m thinking about The Return, The Eskimo Slugger and The Nothingness Of Ben) aren’t part of a series, since the MCs of each story can be found in all these books, maybe it could be simple for the readers. Of course having read the other books first helped, but I honestly don’t think you’ll miss something in this book if you haven’t.
There are some recurrent elements in Boney’s books. First of all there are a lot of movies, songs, television characters mentions, sometimes I didn’t get them being Italian but I enjoyed them. In The Return we got a lot of discussions about songs and singers, while in Yes we had a really great discussion on the story of the porn and its actors. And I’m mentioning just one dialogue.
Then, what I loved in all of his books is the great second characters cast, we always get a lot of people, a lot of background, a lot of details. In Yes we meet Quentin, the smarter brother of Ben (The Nothingness Of Ben) and all the Walsh clan too. We meet Topher and the wonderful people of The Return. Most of all, we know Mark, who supports and accepts the change in Ian with not so much fussing. A friend that helps you no matter what, even in crazy and magical times. In fact, in Boney’s books there’s always a paranormal (or magical) aspect that brings the MCs together.
Yea has a mysterious aurea as in The Return, even if not in the same way but it missed the emotional parts of The Return and the chemistry of The Nothingness Of Ben. Yes is a light reading, an easy and pleasurable one. There are some funny moments too, like this scene:
“This is the test I was talking about. Read a couple of sentences.”
“Why?”
“I saw it on Teen Wolf. Stiles said you can’t read when you’re dreaming. We need to eliminate the possibility that this is a hallucination.”
“So that’s your first move? You’re taking a cue from an MTV show about werewolves? What happened to a logical explanation?”
My problem, if it can be called problem, was that I couldn’t like Ian as Ryan, he did some really nasty and insane things in my opinion, he definitely didn’t learn from his past mistakes. Ian wakes up in a younger body but he is still Ian inside, so why does he behave as a teen? I couldn’t go past a couple of things:
Let’s talk a little about the ending. Briefly it was an unexpected disappointment. The story resolved in the simplest way you can think of. Okay it’s a book, okay believing in a couple of things not everybody believes in, but it felt short to me, just too simplistic. Boney took me to other levels in the past. In Yes at the end it was almost as nothing had ever happened and it’s not a good feeling when you’re done with a book and you don’t know what to do about it. I’m still thinking I missed something.
So if you read the previous books by Brad Boney, you’ll know what to expect. Yes is a well written, funny and smart book. You will meet and know more about the characters you loved in them. I am really sorry to say that this one wasn’t so great as the others.
Cover art by Alex Saskalidis This cover is something different and very welcomed. Well done.
Set in Austin
REVIEW @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it!
The glow from the flame threw shadows around the kitchen as he sang “Happy Birthday” to himself. Then he closed his eyes and blew out the candle. Since no one could hear him, Ian didn’t see any harm in saying it out loud.
“I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”
Ian is the forty years old owner of “La Tazza Magica”, an European style cafè, a place for writes, students and players to come. Ian is a lonely man, apart from his coffee shop, he has very few people in his life, Mark is one of them. Ian is going to Denver with his friend to celebrate his fortieth birthday. During his time in Denver, he buys a chocolate kiss called Manick Butter (with pot in it) and eats it on the plane coming back to Austin. He takes a nap and when he wakes up he looks twenty years younger. After the initial shock, he and Mark will work on planning a new identity to Ian. So Ian becomes Ryan and he will use this second chance to remedy all the mistakes he made in his previous life and maybe to have a real chance at dating Bartley, one of his customers and biggest crush.
Yes by Brad Boney is one of that books that leave me thinking about them for long time, especially cause I’m still not sure if I liked it or not. Brad Boney is an author I really appreciate. He’s really good with words and his stories are always so interesting. The writing is enchanting. I couldn’t put the book down till the end. And it happens to me every time I read a book by Brad Boney, I’m glad to have read it.
Of course this book is a standalone, but I’m wondering why all Boney’s books (and I’m thinking about The Return, The Eskimo Slugger and The Nothingness Of Ben) aren’t part of a series, since the MCs of each story can be found in all these books, maybe it could be simple for the readers. Of course having read the other books first helped, but I honestly don’t think you’ll miss something in this book if you haven’t.
There are some recurrent elements in Boney’s books. First of all there are a lot of movies, songs, television characters mentions, sometimes I didn’t get them being Italian but I enjoyed them. In The Return we got a lot of discussions about songs and singers, while in Yes we had a really great discussion on the story of the porn and its actors. And I’m mentioning just one dialogue.
Then, what I loved in all of his books is the great second characters cast, we always get a lot of people, a lot of background, a lot of details. In Yes we meet Quentin, the smarter brother of Ben (The Nothingness Of Ben) and all the Walsh clan too. We meet Topher and the wonderful people of The Return. Most of all, we know Mark, who supports and accepts the change in Ian with not so much fussing. A friend that helps you no matter what, even in crazy and magical times. In fact, in Boney’s books there’s always a paranormal (or magical) aspect that brings the MCs together.
Yea has a mysterious aurea as in The Return, even if not in the same way but it missed the emotional parts of The Return and the chemistry of The Nothingness Of Ben. Yes is a light reading, an easy and pleasurable one. There are some funny moments too, like this scene:
“This is the test I was talking about. Read a couple of sentences.”
“Why?”
“I saw it on Teen Wolf. Stiles said you can’t read when you’re dreaming. We need to eliminate the possibility that this is a hallucination.”
“So that’s your first move? You’re taking a cue from an MTV show about werewolves? What happened to a logical explanation?”
My problem, if it can be called problem, was that I couldn’t like Ian as Ryan, he did some really nasty and insane things in my opinion, he definitely didn’t learn from his past mistakes. Ian wakes up in a younger body but he is still Ian inside, so why does he behave as a teen? I couldn’t go past a couple of things:
Let’s talk a little about the ending. Briefly it was an unexpected disappointment. The story resolved in the simplest way you can think of. Okay it’s a book, okay believing in a couple of things not everybody believes in, but it felt short to me, just too simplistic. Boney took me to other levels in the past. In Yes at the end it was almost as nothing had ever happened and it’s not a good feeling when you’re done with a book and you don’t know what to do about it. I’m still thinking I missed something.
So if you read the previous books by Brad Boney, you’ll know what to expect. Yes is a well written, funny and smart book. You will meet and know more about the characters you loved in them. I am really sorry to say that this one wasn’t so great as the others.
Cover art by Alex Saskalidis This cover is something different and very welcomed. Well done.
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