Uno Reverse

by Ivy James

Seth:

I've had a crush on Kaden since the day I met him six years ago. He's everything I've ever wanted, which sounds amazing. Except that he's straight. And my best friend. And my coworker.

It's okay, though. It's just a harmless crush. It's not so bad.

Until Covid hits, and suddenly I'm facing one of the hardest decisions of my life: when what I want is finally in reach, is it worth the risk of losing it all?



Kaden:

I used to have a life before all of this. I'm not saying I was the life of the party, but I had a girlfriend. I was in a band. I trained in kickboxing.
I used to work hard. Play hard. Train hard.

Now everything is just hard. I'm not who I used to be, and maybe that's why the idea of hooking up with my best friend—as a way to keep some kind of balance and human touch in this apocalyptic mess we're living in—wasn't that far-fetched.

Or maybe I've finally lost my mind.

But Seth promised me nothing would change if we did this, and if there's one person I trust with my life, it's Seth. So, we're good.

Right?

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, Found Family

360 pages, ebook

First published July 10, 2026

About the author

Ivy James is an indie author of love stories.

Based in Northern Europe.
Lover of licorice.
Hopeless daydreamer and introvert.

Reviews

[Juliette Harden · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC

Changed my review…..

Author has potential for sure and good on her for even writing a book, BUT……

Bullying as an adult is crazyyyyy

And because I don’t like bullying, I wish I could do this….

[Megan [Jaded AF]]

This time on ABB (authors behaving badly)

Authors do NOT belong in reader spaces. This reviewer rereading the book to see if they misread something is actually so sweet. I wouldn’t have had the same reaction to an author bullying me to take my review down. I wanted to read this too but absolutely not.

https://www.threads.com/@kayetaz/post...

[Reading With April · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying this is my personal thing when reading books. It may be fine for other readers, but it's just not for me.

So I knew going into this per the blurb that Covid would at least be mentioned in this book, but I didn't know that it would be a main storyline of the book for at least half of it.

As someone who lived it, I don't want to read about it as a main storyline in my fictional book.
I read to step out of real life stuff/real world stuff and I don't want any of it in my books.

Again, this is just how I am as a reader.

So I won't be continuing this book.

[kaye taz]

author bullied an arc reviewer

[ameliabetweenrealms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an early arc for this book and Ivys writing drew me in instantly. It felt like I was there for every moment, like a fly on the wall! 👀 I laughed, I cried, I swooned and I kicked my feet giggling on multiple different occasions.. I loved this book so so much. 🥺🫶🏼

Seth is a sweet baby angel who needs to be protected at all costs, he’s a hurt boy who just needs to be shown he’s perfect the way he is 🥺

Kaden is a walking green flag, he definitely has his own hang ups but he’s an absolute sweetheart, with a heart of pure gold. 🫶🏼

Kaden is the night to Seth’s day, the dark to his light and they are utter perfection together. 🖤🤍

[Brooke Greathouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wrote like 7 pages of notes, then accidentally deleted the notes! So I’ll try to remember everything!

The pacing was just all over the place. It didn’t flow well at all. It was like the author had a lot of ideas and wrote them down but struggled to connect them. It started off so slowly. At 17% it felt like I’d been reading it for hours. Then the ending was just rushed!

There were some major inconsistencies that bothered me too! Like they are in 2021 and it’s shortly after they hooked up on Molly and the beginning of the chapter it says Now playing: Back to friends by sombr. That song didn’t come out until 2024. Then a few chapters later it said Now playing: some song by sleep token that didn’t come out until 2023. A little bit of research goes a long way! The other inconsistency was Seth’s age. When Jude was fixing to ask him out he asked Seth how old he was and Seth said 25. Then towards the end of the book when Seth’s mom told him she wanted grandchildren he said “I’m only 24 years old”. So is he 24 or 25?

The 4th act breakup if you want to call it that since they weren’t technically together didn’t make any sense! It was just added for unnecessary drama! First of all, this should have happened at 80% if you’re going to make it happen at all. That way the whole making up getting back together shit has a good 20% left to get fleshed out. But you did it at 94% making it not flesh well and the ending being rushed as fuck. And they had this fight because Seth told Kaden he was in love with him. Then Kaden freaked the fuck out and said he lied to him and that he had given him so many outs. So what does being in love with you have ANYTHING to do with having an out?? Then…THEN….when they are talking it out or whatever Kaden goes “I was scared of losing you” or I thought I was losing you or something stupid like that. So Seth literally just said he’s in love with you and you thought you were losing him from that? How? Make it make sense!

I also didn’t understand the whole Uno Reverse thing. It was never once explained on what it meant or why they say it. I’ve never played the game, so maybe I’m just the idiot! 🤷🏻‍♀️

There was so much other shit I had written down but I don’t remember it all now! I just know that the book pissed me off and I hated it!

Then come to find out the author not only bullies people who don’t like her book but has other people bully them too AFTER her MMC is bullied is fucking ridiculous! “Wahhh someone didn’t like my book” boo fucking hoo lady! You obviously got trophies for coming in last place and it shows!

It is our right as a human to have an opinion. Just because people’s opinion is different from yours or hurts your feelings doesn’t give you the right to harass them! Take their constructive criticism and use to better yourself! What a boring ass world we would live in if we all had the same opinions on things.

I did not like this book. It wasn’t for me. I thought it was too long. There was way too much banter that after a while it just got annoying and started to piss me off. There was a lot of repetition. I think 200 pages at least could have been removed. I think it needed better editing.

If you truly loved this book, then sweet! I love that for you! Isn’t it great that reading is subjective?!

[Cecil_olesen · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 30%

Do you know that feeling, when you read a mm romance and it’s clear it’s written by a woman for women? This book is that feeling 🙃

Gave it 2 stars since I didn’t finish it, the writing is somewhat okay and it’s clear the author had a vision. It just didn’t work for me and I know I won’t be finishing the book. Sorry.

Very thin plot. At lot of sex scenes, but they are waaaay too short in my opinion. Everything feels “fast” and under developed which makes it difficult to connect with the story and characters. Also the dialogue was meh and borderline cringe most of the time.

I was looking forward to the whole Covid thing and was expecting it to be about the first lockdown. I honestly would have believed the story more if I was. I love bi-awakening stories but this felt unnatural, unnecessary and kind of offensive?

[Olivegreen_1988]

@14% another book about nothing. Eh..

[Kerri Rutana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was all the things I love in a best friends to lovers romance. I absolutely adored both Seth and Kaden. They both have some unsolved trauma from their pasts, that I don’t think they realize is affecting their life so much. My sweet baby Seth was bullied badly in high school. He moves away from his home town and completely changes his appearance, and how he acts. He starts to apprentice under Kaden, and they become best friends. Forward a couple years later post covid. Kaden is struggling to have things go back to normal. He had a family member who was very sick during Covid, and has some PTSD he hasn’t dealt with. They have a little fun one night, end up hooking up and the story starts from there. I loved how Ivy didn't have Kaden really dwell on hooking with a man for the first time. Of course he had inner thoughts about it, but it didn’t take away from the story. The scene with Seth breaking down to Kaden was heartbreaking. My heart hurt for him so much with what he went through. There were so many emotional moments throughout this book that made me cry. If you like your steamy scenes hot, growth, acceptance, love, romance, and healing then you don’t want to pass this book up! Thank you Ivy for allowing me to read this early! I can’t wait to see what’s in store next!

[Litafterdusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW! 🌙✨

What happens when your best friend becomes the one person you can’t stop loving… but you’re convinced they could never love you back?
Seth and Kaiden have been best friends ever since Seth started apprenticing at Kaden’s tattoo shop.
Somewhere between shared days, moments, and years of friendship, Seth falls in love.

The only problem?
He believes Kaden is straight, (We all know they never actually are. 😂😂🤭), and instead of risking the friendship, he chooses silence.(🥹)

Then the post COVID era changes everything.
reintegration into society, touch starvation and just two best friends trying to survive and help each other through the after effects of a pandemic.

Now, I really appreciated that this book layered the MMCs beyond their goofiness. Beyond tbe romance, this book is about the different ways trauma shapes us.
One MMC carries years of bullying and homophobia that taught him to make himself smaller and tougher just to survive.

The other MMC is weighed down by anxiety, trust issues, and the lingering psychological effects of COVID and isolation.
Neither of them is emotionally whole when this story begins.
They were simply trying to figure life out while unknowingly becoming each other’s safe place and falling in love.

Now, were there chapters that frustrated me?
God, yes!!! 😭😭😭😭

Moments when I literally wanted to slap some sense into both Seth and Kaden! and I really held myself back from going to rant in Ivy’s dms! 😭 But yes, they both got it together eventually. 😄

This is a story about friendship becoming love.
About healing instead of fixing.
About learning to trust.
About choosing vulnerability after years of protecting yourself.
And about finding hope after one of the loneliest periods many of us have ever lived through.

Loved this book, I definitely recommend!

[Kaycee · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 20%.

The pacing was weird to me at the start. It seemed we go from 2020-2021 and nothing really happened? The writing style was not my favorite so if I can’t connect with the book early on I know I won’t be able to finish.

[Tiff Reads and Rambles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I WAS BULLIED AFTER MY FIRST REVIEW SO I have read this book twice. When I originally finished this book, I posted a simple and what I thought tactful review of my feelings. I was then bullied for three days about my review (ironic since one MC in this book was the subject of bullying). The author reached out to a well known creator to tattletale about my review. That creator then made a Goodreads account to cuss me out (the comment has been deleted but you can still see it below). She then posted multiple stories on social media attacking me, calling me a witch and telling me the books I read suck. On top of that, the author reached out to me directly and interrogated me about MY OPINION which resulted in the author essentially telling me how I felt was my interpretation and that my interpretation was wrong. She even tried to tell me how my review should have been written. As a result, I decided to hold myself accountable by rereading the book, just to make sure my initial feelings were warranted.

After my reread, I have arrived at the same conclusions. I won't get into the political correctness of the story as I am no authority on the subject matter, but I will say the author (in MY opinion) handled some subject matters in this book irresponsibly. This story is about Kaden (a straight male) and Seth (a gay male) who have been best friends for 6 years. Seth calls Kaden his person and vice versa. The story is set during the Covid era which results in the isolation of both Seth and Kaden. As you can guess, one thing leads to another and the two hook up. Before I get into the irresponsibility, I have to be honest - I have NO idea what these two like about each other. It's not even clear why they are friends, as it's never explained. There is no backstory. There are no deep conversations between the two (other than a one chapter trauma dump). There's basically a tattoo shop, random banter and 80 percent smut (for lack of a better word). I kid you not, once the two hook up, all you get in almost every chapter is hooking up in different forms, and a little cuddling. I will say, the chapter where they dance in the living room is cute, but I digress. Even worse, the title of the book is Uno Reverse, which is used throughout the book, but I have no idea why. I mean, the readers can assume what the meaning of Uno Reverse is (like ditto in Ghost), but it's never explained, so what do I know.

This book is, quite frankly, an encyclopedia of stereotypes and cringey moments.

Things that didn't sit right with me:

- Firstly, Seth, Kaden and Iggy (a female) are having a conversation where Iggy says "I was up until two fkn AM, writing an essay on gender studies, and that reminded me of how fkn stupid you men are. That you're legally considered grown-ups makes me want to laugh. Or cry. I can't even tell anymore. You can't even open a fkn door, but you're allowed to vote." As the scene goes on, Seth says to Kaden "you should probably apologize for being a man". Kaden replies to Seth by saying "You're a man, too". Seth replies, "Yeah, but I'm gay, so I'm basically an ally". This is a NO for me. You can see this however you want, but it's a baseless stereotype, in MY OPINION.

- Secondly, Kaden is a straight male which the reader is reminded of multiple times in the book. Seth was bullied in high school which traumatized him (btw, there are only glimpses of Seth's trauma throughout the entire book until a one chapter trauma dump in chapter 57). In fact, prior to chapter 57, I thought Seth was pretty full of himself (Example: "With a face like this? Babe, I don't need luck.). Kaden starts hooking up with Seth and we get nothing from Kaden's POV regarding his "awakening" (I guess that's what you can call it). But guess what....the traumatized MC outs Kaden to his other best friend, Lou, without even having a conversation about it with Kaden. So basically, a straight male ends up with his gay best friend, and the gay best friend who has been traumatized outs the straight character with no warning, no explanation. Fast forward to the end of the book and NO other characters are told of their relationship. So a straight male falls in love with his gay best friend and no one is told about it, not even the person they engage with every single day, except one character who was told when Seth took it upon himself to out Kaden. This is a NO for me. It's irresponsible. Someone coming out is a pretty big deal, and this was handled carelessly.

- Thirdly, of course the gay MC loves fashion magazines, musicals and expensive face cream (cringey stereotypes). Also, what does expensive face cream have to do with anything?

- Fourth, this quote was just tacky and I hated it so I'm leaving it here. "This cheese tastes like fart."..."Been eating a lot of farts have you?"...Female to the gay MC - "No, but I bet you have ass-eater". This is crass.

- Lastly, the F slur is mentioned 11 times. Gum is mentioned 10 times. Iggy combing her bangs is mentioned 8 times. And Seth's therapy (after a HUGE F slur filled trauma dump) is mentioned 1 time in a one sentence recap in the epilogue. There is no healing arc, there is a one sentence healing recap. Also, after the trauma dump, when Seth has his love declaration, he endures yet more abuse at the hands of Kaden which is just brushed under the rug 6 days later.

At this point, I've rambled too much. That said, I normally don't leave negative reviews about books because I appreciate authors so much. I have profound respect for their work. But some of the stuff in this book goes beyond a boring storyline, and I felt it was important to share my convictions. Also, I don't think silencing people is fair. As a reader, I have a right to share my opinion about books I read, and the harassment I experienced by sharing my opinion should not be tolerated.

[D.Talks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided with an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. These are my real sentiments about the story and everything written here is respectful, without meaning to harm anyone, but to offer my opinion as constructive criticism/compliments. Thank you, Ivy, for the opportunity!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
🔥🔥🔥 🔥🔥 / 5

Couple: Kaden and Seth.

Structure: 1st person. Present tense. Dual POV.

Ever since I started seeing the promotion for this book, I knew it was up my alley. Tattoo-professionals best-friends-to-lovers one-sided-pining-for-years possessive-guy-realizing-his-sexuality? I'll have an ocean of that, please! And the book did not disappoint!

First, I wanna start by talking about how well Ivy depicted the entire emotional situation so many people went/still go through after COVID regarding social anxiety. I thought the story was going to mostly happen during lockdown with forced-proximity. But no, it was right after life started slowly going back to a new "normal". One that left us to deal with a lifetime of sorrow and hardships in many cases. As a Psychologist who worked in a COVID-reference hospital in my city, and who had many clients in my clinic struggling exactly with that kind of fear and anxiety, I appreciate a lot how sensitive Ivy was to it. Kaden's mental health struggles and others' reactions to it were done perfectly,

I also love how she explored Seth's trauma. The way he forced himself to change because of stereotypes regarding sexuality, but even so, it never seemed like good enough for some people. His struggles were also so well depicted. The toxic masculinity in our society that made him feel like he couldn't be emotional and sensitive. The way he lost his identity and had to find himself again, mixing his old life and new one, discovering how much of each fit into his true self. It was really incredible, and I also appreciate that therapy was mentioned by the end of the book.

Now onto their relationship. Their dynamic was so much fun to read. How much they meant to each other and saw each other even when they tried to hide themselves from the world. Seth's pining and ogling was always very entertaining haha And Kaden, the most oblivious guy to ever exist! he had one of those typical "straight-to-baby-bi" journeys in which he had lots of hot sex with his gay best friend, but still didn't think he was actually attracted to said gay best friend, hence it didn't make sense for him to be bi hahaha But it's all so innocent in his head, I wasn't even annoyed. I just often thought "Oh, honey!" LMFAO

Speaking of hot sex, OMG! This book has some of the hottest scenes I've ever read. It never gets boring, it always brings something new, each scene has a purpose and never cringe. All their actions and talking are hot as fuck. But there's also a lot of sweetness to them, especially the closer they become emotionally. I absolutely love how touchy Kaden turns out to be, showing to Seth he could be like that as well. The intensity of everything physical between them was over the charts, and boy did I hadvea good time reading it all those scenes haha

Another thing that caught my attention was how natural the dialogues felt. They rally sounded like the way we speak in our day-to-day life. No tonly the dialogues, but their actions too. I could actually picture everything vividly and clearly in my mind.

The only thing I did wish was to have more of them after they get together officially. I loved all their journey till they got there, but I usually like to see the aftermath more as well. I would love it if we had a follow-up to this story. Also to see Kaden's family trauma a bit closer, how he worked through all that. It was something that really awakened my curiosity. Those two didn't get boring for even a second, so I'd eat up another 400 pages of them 🤭

This was an AMZAZING debut! Ivy is so talented, and I cannot wait to read more from her. She's definitely in my list of "wanna read everything she writes" list haha

If you like boys being stupid, lots of pining, obliviousness, hot and sweet sex, and hurt/comfort moments, this one might definitely be for you!

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC - and unfortunately, I had to reread and change my review.

What led me back to this book was the frankly scandalous behavior of one BookTok creator, as well as behavior from the author herself that was completely out of line.

I think this is becoming more common with the wave of new, self-published authors putting books out on Amazon - some seem to walk in assuming they've written a bestseller before it's even out, and end up overstepping boundaries with reviewers who simply shared an honest opinion.

I experienced this myself. After posting my review, the author reached out to question my wording and interpretation and, when I explained what I actually meant, still felt less like a conversation and more like being told how I was allowed to feel about the book I just read. I'll admit, I also struggled with my own review at first - not because I doubted what I felt, but because I let outside pressure make me second-guess it.

And that's the thing - a review is what YOU understand and feel as a reader, not what the author or other readers tell you it's supposed to be. Which honestly reminds me of ARC clauses asking reviewers to hold back publishing anything below 4 stars until after release - like, what is the actual point of that? The entire purpose of an ARC is for the author to learn what might need fixing before the final version goes out. Silencing honest feedback until it's too late to matter defeats the whole purpose.

Uno Reverse has real potential and hits hard emotionally in places - especially the scene where Seth finally breaks down and talks about high school. That's written with genuine pain, no cheap sentimentality, and it's the strongest part of the book. The supporting cast (Iggy, Diaz, Kit) also brings real warmth and humor to the story, giving it a solid found-family feel.

The problem is some of the writing around identity doesn't match that level. One exchange suggests that simply being gay makes a man an automatic "ally" to women, which reads more like a punchline than a thought-out observation. Seth's character also leans on some pretty tired shorthand at times (metrosexual, fashion-obsessed, sensitive gay guy vs. "tough" straight guy) instead of being built on something deeper than aesthetics.

One thing worth sitting with: writing queerness authentically from outside that experience is genuinely hard. It's not that non-queer authors shouldn't write these stories - representation matters regardless of who's holding the pen - but the gap tends to show up exactly where it did here: in the shortcuts - the stereotypes, dialogue where being gay doubles as an automatic personality trait, and trauma that gets shown in vivid detail but not carried through to an equally real recovery. Interestingly, this book did have a sensitivity reader listed in the credits, which suggests the issue isn't a lack of effort - it's that sensitivity reading can catch language, but it can't always catch structure. It can flag a slur or a scene, but it can't necessarily fix a story that treats identity as texture instead of substance.

The biggest letdown is the pacing around dealing with trauma. After a genuinely heavy, drawn-out confession, the entire healing/therapy process for both characters gets wrapped up in literally two sentences in the epilogue, tossed in during a "one year later" time jump. If the author spends that much space showing the harm, the lack of proportional space showing the actual healing makes the trauma feel more like a plot device than something the story genuinely wanted to work through.

This isn't a worthless book - it has real emotional highs and a genuinely likable cast, but it's uneven, and some of the shortcuts taken around identity and processing trauma deserved more care than they got.

[paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐ - 5/5

*𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰*

⊹ | 𝙐𝙣𝙤 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 by Ivy James is a spicy, M/M friends-to-lovers romance. This story follows Kaden Merrick and Seth Avery as they navigate life during a global pandemic while also discovering love that has been in front of them all along.

Okay, who is cutting onions? Because I am tearing up 🥹. I have been excitedly waiting to read this book since I was accepted onto the official ARC team back in April. Now, when I say I was not disappointed, I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.

Before we get into the juicy parts of my review, let me start off by saying a huge thank you to the author, Ivy James. I am so honored to have had the opportunity to be an ARC reader, and I am so stoked to see this book on my bookshelf soon!!

Kaden Merrick is a 26-year-old tattoo artist struggling with abandonment and trust issues. Everything in his life seemed to be smooth sailing. He loved his job at Bold Tattoo, he has an amazing girlfriend, and he couldn't have asked for a better best friend than Seth. Then COVID hit, and the world Kaden remembers isn't the same anymore. After spending months in isolation and then dealing with a breakup, Kaden is craving human contact. After turning to his best friend with a proposition, things soon get complicated when the line between love and friendship begin to blur.

Seth Avery is a 24-year-old tattoo artist who carries deep-rooted trauma from severe bullying he faced during high school. He has also been hiding his feelings for his straight best friend for the past six years. Kaden is not just his best friend, but he is also his coworker and mentor at Bold Tattoo. Seth knows Kaden will never feel the same way he does, but that doesn't stop his feelings from growing. When COVID hits and Kaden later comes to him with a proposition, Seth finds himself unable to deny himself the one thing he has always wanted: Kaden Merrick.

Y'all want to hear something? This is literally the first book I have read where COVID was an active part of the storyline. Let me be frank with y'all for a minute: I was a bit skeptical. But hey, that is coming from someone (me) who lost a family member during that period of time. While COVID was part of the storyline, it wasn't so overwhelming that I felt like it took away from the story itself, and I loved that. I actually thought the whole concept was pretty hilarious, in my opinion.

Kaden and Seth were cute, intense, and hot asf. Their spicy scenes seriously had me giggling and babbling to myself. Now, Kaden and Seth have a little spot in my heart alongside the hundreds of other characters I absolutely adore. While they had their messy moments here and there, I was still kicking, screaming, and eating up every little crumb. Seth's past, his trauma, and then his breakdown with Kaden had me putting the book down for a breather. My heart broke to pieces for the boy who hid underneath the mask Seth wore.

Overall, if you are looking for a cute but emotional M/M romance, then I definitely recommend adding 𝘜𝘯𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 to your TBR and checking it out when it releases. I am so sad to move on from the hurricane that is Seth and Kaden, but I can't wait for future works by Ivy!


— 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒚 𝑷.𝑹.

[Britt DS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found out about this book one day after ARC sign-ups closed and immediately added it to my TBR. And let me tell you, it was worth the wait.

Even though there were a couple of things that could’ve been better in my opinion, the story grabbed me by the throat from the very beginning and didn’t let go.
I loved the banter, even if it was a little cringe sometimes.
Seth and Kaden are so adorable together I was literally kicking my feet and squealing (like, out loud).

I think Seth’s internal monologue is done really well, where he struggles with both his feelings for his best friend and the trauma from his past. I seriously just wanted to jump into the pages and give him a hug.
Kaden’s backstory on the other hand could’ve been developed a bit more. We know he has trust issues and we roughly know where they come from, but it still felt somewhat vague to me. What I missed most in Kaden’s POVs was more of a struggle with his sexuality. He believed he was straight for nearly thirty years, but aside from some mild panic after their first two “encounters 😏”, he adapts pretty quickly to the fact that he really enjoys making out and having sex with his very male best friend. On top of that, considering how affectionate he becomes toward Seth throughout the story, it started feeling like they were already boyfriends without the label instead of them just hooking up.
Lastly I felt like the conflict at the end was a bit forced. I can see what the author intended (where the reaction came from) and I do get it and I get the hurt the character was feeling, but it still felt slightly out of character to me based on everything we’d seen from him up until that point.

There were a few typos and grammatical errors, but nothing major.
Some of the chapters felt a bit random (more filler than plot), but in the end every interaction between characters made you learn more about them.

To end on a positive note, Jesus Christ the spice in this book had me sweating.
There was quite a bit of spice, but the plot literally revolves around two friends hooking up so it never felt excessive. There was a great balance between on-page smut and closed door, where the chapter started right after or ended right before the intimacy.

In summary: nothing is perfect, but this book was damn close. Despite the list above with things I might have liked differently, the story overall was addictive, heartwarming and emotional - and enjoyable enough to almost make me forget about that list. At times it felt like the boys were reaching into my chest and squeezing my heart.
I laughed, I cried, I squealed, I “awww”ed, and I flew through the book in less than 48 hours.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what an absolutely ADORABLE pair Kaden and Seth are!!

These two have my whole heart and I am so happy for their HEA!

I really like that the time period in this is around Covid and it's something that so many people relate to and brought back memories of a crazy time in our lives.
I resonated with Kaden in a way, his worries about it all - i could totally see myself in him. And i really felt for him when he was struggling, and I am so proud of him for finding the strength to get through it all. No matter how long.

Seth - be still my beating heart!
I adore him so much! He has such a big heart and has been through so much! When he finally let it all out my heart broke for him. He honestly deserves every bit of happiness and I am so, so glad he got everything he deserved and more. He is such a bloody good guy and deserves to be his authentic self!

This book left my heart happy and I had a huge smile on my face reading the epilogue.

The end of the ski trip nearly did me in! But Ivy healed my heart and didn't make me wait either...thank god!

That mirror scene - sweet jesus!
Beautiful and absolutely HOT at the same time!

When Kaden starts singing the lyrics to Seths favourite movie - MY HEART COULDN'T COPE!

Loved this book so much and I am so in love with these boys!

📚

Seth and Kaden both work together in a tattoo shop. What started as Seth being Kadens apprentice soon turned into them being the best of friends.

Covid then hits, Kaden and his girlfriend split and the world is in a weird place. The shop closes and the world goes into lockdown.

Kaden's super stressed and suffers with the anxiety of Covid and its repercussions, and Seth's normal back rubs soon start making Kaden feel something more...clearly touch starved from lockdown...
So what does he do, he comes up with a proposition for his best friend - why not get each other off to help with the stress 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nothing like helping your best friend out right?
The rules are pretty simple, nothing comes between their friendship, if one of them becomes uncomfortable they stop, and they must be completely honest with each other.

The only problem is, Seth has been in love with his best friend for years.... nothing could go wrong...right?

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, a lot of drama around this author that I hadn't seen. Anyway, I read the book and I'm not an influencer, so my reviews are honest because I just don't care.

The story was pretty good. It sucked me in, and I was rooting for them to get their stuff together. Friends to lovers is my favorite, so maybe a little biased there. Not a ton of angst, but a lot of one-sided pining that was sad. The relationship development was actually really, really good. I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the shift from friends with benefits to lovers, wondering how it was going to play out. So that hooked me. Seth's story also hooked me... I liked seeing him open up to Kaden.

The conflict at the end was... excessive. Unnecessary. I didn't really see it coming and didn't really understand why it did. I mean, I know why the author did it from a technical perspective, but I thought it was kind of forced.

My only other thing is the writing. It felt super... jerky? The scenes were super short and really all over the place. Some didn't seem to really fit. It bothered me a lot more in the first half of the book, whether that's because it got better as the book went on or I just got too invested in the story to care later, I don't know. When pivotal moments happened, there was no build-up within the scene itself. Remember the scene in AoT when they're on the wall and he's all "I'm the armored titan..." all casually and you're like "Wait, what!? What did he just say!?! Where did that come from!?" That's what a lot of big moments felt like (but in a less intentional way). Just out of nowhere. I also still have no idea what "Uno reverse" means.

Uh, regardless, I liked it. It was a good book. Not sure if this is the author's debut, but if it is, I think she's going to write some really great stuff. I'd read more from her, for sure.

[Amanda Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great debut novel!

From the very beginning, it was Seth and Kaden's friendship that completely pulled me into this story. They felt inseparable, always looking out for each other and wanting the other to be happy and safe. Their bond was so genuine that I found myself rooting for them long before the romance even began.

This is a beautiful best friends-to-lovers story filled with years of pining, emotional growth, and plenty of hurt/comfort. Watching their friendship slowly evolve into something more was good but I wish there was more insight into their deeper connection.

Both characters were dealing with very real struggles. Kaden's health anxiety and fear of germs following COVID felt authentic and relatable, while Seth's experiences with trying to change himself to fit other people's expectations genuinely broke my heart. Seth was probably my favourite character—I just wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him. His journey toward accepting himself was emotional and beautifully handled.

One of my favourite aspects of the story was how Kaden and Seth became each other's safe place. Neither of them was perfect, but together they helped each other heal, grow, and see themselves differently.

I did feel like a lot happened in the final part of the book, and I would have loved a little more time spent on the resolution and epilogue. Even so, it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed their journey.

✨ Best friends to lovers
✨ Years of pining
✨ Friends with benefits
✨ Bi awakening
✨ Hurt/comfort
✨ Tattoo artists
✨ Mental health representation

A heartfelt, emotional romance with lovable characters, meaningful representation, and a friendship that made the love story feel completely earned.

[Susan (Purplegalaxyreads94) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I want to thank Ivy James for the gifted eARC copy of Uno Reverse to read and provide my honest, spoiler free review.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Thoughts:
Uno Reverse was such a wonderful debut novel! I was so excited for this book so you can bet I was happy to be an arc reader for this story.

Seth and Kaden’s story was such an interesting one. Their friendship was the thing that pulled me in to who they were. The amount of time they spent with each other, the way they cared for each other and just wanted each other to be happy and safe already had me cheering for them. They both felt like such relatable characters and I loved getting to know them.

Kaden and Seth both suffered from different things but they both felt so real. This book also dealt with COVID and the anxiety that it left behind which is what Kaden suffered from. His worries and the way he lived his life after the lockdowns lifted truly was what I’ve seen a lot of in the world. Seth also struggled with stereotypes that are included in sexuality. The need to change who you are is so strong in this society, especially because everyone just wants to feel like they can belong and be accepted. I loved that Kaden and Seth were both flawed but stronger together.

The exploration between these two was great and I loved how they both were kind to one another and how they evolved the more time they spent together. I had a lot of fun seeing them grow and bond more together as they confided in one another. Overall this was a fantastic debut and I can’t wait for other readers to have a chance to read this story for themselves.

[Donna Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a precious best friends to lovers book. Kaden and Seth were absolutely attached at the hip and it was easy to see how close they were as friends and how Seth was secretly pining for Kaden.

Seeing their friends with benefits relationship slowly develop into more was everything and even though Seth trusted Kaden as a friend he was so nervous about letting Kaden get too close to him out of fear of getting hurt and I just wanted to hug him.

I related to both of these characters a lot. And I loved them both A LOT but I grew especially attached to Seth. That is my sunshine baby. He deserves to be protected at all costs. I absolutely ADORED him and related to him the most.

What Seth dealt with in his younger years is something I went through as well and my heart broke for him. It made me so sad that Seth couldn’t be himself and forced himself to change because of that. I’m so happy that Kaden helped him see that his true self is beautiful. That scene in the mirror at the cabin had me SOBBING.

Kadens fear of germs when COVID hit is also something I went through and this was so realistic on how it is to be a germaphobe and have health anxiety. Kadens trust issues followed him for most of the book but Seth was his safe place and I’m so happy that they were both able to help each other with their struggles. It broke my heart the way that Kaden realized that he did love Seth back but their coming back together scene was SO worth it.

The ending was so precious. Where it all started 🥹

[Migla M · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review

I'm so glad that I got the chance to arc read this book!!!!!!

I loved everything about it. The sweetness of mc's friendship that beautifully blossomed into something more. Though they started as friends, that would be at each other beck and call, through certain circumstances made them into people, who were very into each other, even if it was scary and hard;) While reading about them what caught my eye was their subconscious want to be near each other, touch, hear or see the other person. And even though some traumas played into this behaviour they still gravitated towards each other naturally.

Seth and Kaden's chemistry was strong right from the first pages. The teasing, banter and that sunshiney warm feeling could be felt when they interracted with one another. I loved that they both became each others safe space, home and their person that they could turn to, whenever thing went really bad and hard. Both of them would do anything for one another, hold and dry the tears, k1ll all their demons.

The way how reality shone through every word made me believe everything that was happening, feeling every emotion and even made me really teary eyed! During that scene somehow the screen turned really blurry... Some themes that were portrayed here were relevant and sad and hard to overcome and live in and through them. They really impact the people, their mindsets, behaviour and the way how they see themselves, but trough books and stories like these we can learn to not shut down but embrace them and ourselves and learn how to fight for the better.

[Alissa Tietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from the author.

ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE!!!
FIVE STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've been patiently waiting for the chance to read Uno Reverse, and the second I woke up to find the ARC in my email, I literally squealed out loud! I immediately downloaded it and jumped right in... even though I was supposed to be getting ready for work. 🫣

This book was everything I knew it would be and so much more. I was hooked from the very first page.

Kade and Seth are everything you could want in a friends-to-lovers romance.

Seth — oh, my boy. 🥺❤️ After enduring bullying and carrying the weight of past trauma, all he really needs is someone to show him just how beautifully worthy and lovable he is. I related to him in so many ways, especially his tendency to hide hurt behind humor.

Kade is everything you'd want in a best friend: supportive, loyal, and loving. But he's struggling too, navigating fears brought on by COVID, along with social anxiety and germ-related anxieties.

These two made me laugh, cry, swoon, and squeal. I absolutely fell in love with them.

And can we talk about the soundtrack the author put together...chef's kiss 💋. Been listening on repeat for days!! I love when a book has a playlist for it ❤️!

Ivy James, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with Kade and Seth. ❤️ You absolutely killed it, and I can't wait to see what you create next!

[MM Bookwrecked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC, Ivy!

4.5 ⭐️
I can't believe this was a debut! What an incredible story. Kaden is a green flag all around although a bit oblivious in his own feelings haha but such a good character. I could so relate to his fears around COVID too - it was refreshing to read a story like this and quite unique as well. And Seth my baby, what a heartwrenching backstory. I'm so glad Kaden made him accept himself for the perfect man he is. I felt for him throughout with his pining, OMG the yearning was making me want to give him a huge hug. They are perfect together and I'm over the moon they figured everything out and could have their HEA. Oh also the spice was chef's kiss. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I would have liked to get more of their time together as boyfriends + their coworkers, friends (shout out to Lou for being an amazing friend to Seth!) and families finding out. Maybe a future novella hint hint?

- Best friends to lovers done amazingly well
- No real OP drama - Kaden has a girlfriend at first but no on page intimacy and Seth got asked out by a client but he turned him down. Seth also had a thing with his neighbour but very brief and prior to anything between Kaden and him
- Short breakup towards the end (only 6 days)

[Jordan House · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got an arc of this book and was really looking forward to it, maybe it was overhyped in my own head because of the promotion that’s been done around it and a lot of people giving it 5/6 star reviews on TikTok. I will say that this book is a good friends to lovers romance.

It actually fell a little flat for me, I thought it was too long to be honest because most of the plot was spice 🥴 I mean I love smut and spice but I was getting bored with the repetition honestly. I didn’t enjoy the third act breakup at 94% which then meant the last little bit of the book had to tie everything up? They had to resolve all their problems and both sort out their issues in therapy but it was all summed up in one sentence 😬

I also thought the Covid thing and Kaden’s anxiety over it all was going to be the main storyline but it just kind of disappeared half way through?

I won’t be reading anymore of this authors work due to the bullying and harassment of arc readers if any slight negative comments were made. I appreciate that it’s a debut novel but I can only be honest about my experience and opinion. I would’ve recommended it as a lovely best friends to lovers romance with a lot of smut but now I’m not sure I would.

[Kayleigh insta: mmbooksl_t · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
3.5🌶️
REVIEW: Seth works with his best friend Kaden at Bold Tattoo Studio. He has an enormous crush on Kaden, who is straight. Kaden is in a band, goes to the gym, goes out for drinks and has a girlfriend- and then Covid hits. Kaden begins to retreat into himself terrified of getting ill. While the world around him is coming back to life he is shrinking away. He leaves the band, barely leaves the house and splits with his girlfriend. Horny and high, Seth and Kaden kiss and Seth sucks him off which sends Kaden into a spiral. They have just gotten back to normal and it happens again. Twice isn’t gay though is it? Kaden suggests they contine to hook up to get him through him a dry spell, unaware that Seth is desperately in love with him. Kaden gives Seth multiple opportunities to back out of the arrangement and go back to being friends but Seth continues to lie to Kaden and himself. This isn’t going to end well.

I loved this book!! The covid setting was really interesting and how it affected Kaden was a really interesting element. The book was spicy, so sweet and rips your heart out at the end. I really really enjoyed it.

[Jine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was phenomenal as soon as the arc email hit I was on it I’ve been waiting so long for this!
Seth is gay and his been in love with this best friend Kaden for so long! They both are tattoo artists and Seth blatantly flirts with Kaden but he always laughs it off! So when Covid hits and Kaden is touch starved he takes Seth’s offer of helping him out sexually! This was so spicy and steamy and funny like I laughed SO much but it also had its emotional moments
We got to see the aftermath of Seth being bullied in high school because he was too feminine and liked to dress differently and when he had that break down scene it was awful! We also got to see Kaden’s anxiety about COVID and how he’s dealing with the world opening back up!
Kaden’s awakening was something to see he slowly but surely he realized his feelings but whew when they had their argument on the last day of skiing scared me so much!!
I loved their friendship and relationship you could see that Seth was in love with everything Kaden did but Kaden came around and the way he called him beautiful and baby! Are you kidding me!!
Also the invitation was chefs kiss!!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Best Friends to lovers
•Years of pining
•Tattoo artists
•Hurt/comfort
•Bi-awakening
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for this debut book! I loved Kaden and Seth from the beginning! They had such a sweet bond and friendship. I loved their back and forth banter, they had me laughing multiple times.
Kaden I related to a ton, with the book being set during COVID times I felt his anxiety and struggles with everything that was happening at the time. He's a precious little angel and I love him.
Seth made me want to give him a hug. Sweet broken boy who just needed to loved for who he is and not the guy he hid away.
I loved the book as a whole but I did feel like some of the beginning chapters were so short I would think "what was the point of that?" Or wanting a little more. And then the ending felt a bit rushed. I personally love a bit more story after the I love you declarations but that's also just a personal preference.
Overall I enjoyed this read and can't believe it's a debut! Can't wait to see what else Ivy James gives us in the future 💜

[Candice Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc Review
4.5 ⭐️

When I first saw the teasers on socials I was already hooked. The book did not disappoint! It is a great debut!
Seth and Kayden are adorable together. Oblivious but adorable.
I love how they acknowledge they are each others person, do everything together, turn their Covid fling into a forever thing. Seth has been in crushing on his straight best friend for years, Kayden has never been attracted to a man before, then one night he looks at his best friend Seth and that’s it, a switch flipped.
Seth struggles with himself. Has trauma and when what happened to him comes to light you feel for him, and Kayden’s reaction had green flag written all over it.
Kayden know he is ridiculously attracted to Seth, that he is his favorite person, his person, he loves the things that make Seth Seth.
Watching these 2 stumble through their relationship was a fun ride.
Can’t wait to see what Ivy James comes up with next.

[Raven Samonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Thanks to Ivy for picking me to be an ARC reader.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so cute and I’m not gon lie , I dropped a little thug tear there at the end. I absolutely love the banter between Seth and Kaden. I stayed giggling to myself with some of the stuff Seth was saying . My heart did break for him when he finally told Kaden everything. I love Kaden. I felt like their relationship developed organically if that makes sense. And I’m not sure if anybody clocked it but the fact that Kadens mom was a black woman was tea af lol.

The only thing that kinda thru me off was how instead of certain words being spelled flat off they were written in a way that I felt like I was having a stroke trying to pronounce lol . Like there are . Instead she wrote it there’re . It was throwing me off . It is take me out the story ?? Maybe for 1 sec but not enough to have me crashing out. All in all I loved this book and I can’t wait to add the physical to my bookshelf.