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Connor
Getting accepted into the same post-grad university as my girlfriend seemed like a solid reason to stay together. Now that I’m in San Diego, living with Thalia’s family, all I want to do is go back to Sacramento. Back to my family, my friends, and the sport I love like crazy.
When I stumble upon a pickup soccer match on the beach, it stirs something in me. My eyes, and my camera, obsess over the dark-eyed forward with a body straight out of a fashion magazine.
Dane Calvo…tall, untamed, and unabashedly gay. He hits on me, and I reject him. Then I find out he’s Thalia’s younger brother—the one who sleeps in the bedroom next to ours. Maybe it’s a bad idea trying to be friends with a guy who is clearly into me, but I’m straight. At least, I think I am.
Dane
The only thing worse than my sister moving in is that she brought her stupid boyfriend with her. Now I’ve got both of their crap taking up valuable counter space in my bathroom, and my dad is making me eat dinner with the family.
When I discover Thalia’s boyfriend is the same drop-dead cutie who was taking stalker-pics of me at the beach, I know I can have fun with it. The problem is, he knows I’m gay and my family doesn’t. Even worse, he wants to be friends—wants to train me even—but the more time we spend together, the more I want him all to myself.
He keeps saying he’s straight, but I have my doubts. But even if he’s not, how could someone as good as Connor Whitlock ever want a train wreck like me?
SALT is a spicy sports romance that deals with themes related to identity, infidelity, mental health, and family trauma. It is the second book in the Like Teammates series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. This book is intended for readers age 18 and up.
Getting accepted into the same post-grad university as my girlfriend seemed like a solid reason to stay together. Now that I’m in San Diego, living with Thalia’s family, all I want to do is go back to Sacramento. Back to my family, my friends, and the sport I love like crazy.
When I stumble upon a pickup soccer match on the beach, it stirs something in me. My eyes, and my camera, obsess over the dark-eyed forward with a body straight out of a fashion magazine.
Dane Calvo…tall, untamed, and unabashedly gay. He hits on me, and I reject him. Then I find out he’s Thalia’s younger brother—the one who sleeps in the bedroom next to ours. Maybe it’s a bad idea trying to be friends with a guy who is clearly into me, but I’m straight. At least, I think I am.
Dane
The only thing worse than my sister moving in is that she brought her stupid boyfriend with her. Now I’ve got both of their crap taking up valuable counter space in my bathroom, and my dad is making me eat dinner with the family.
When I discover Thalia’s boyfriend is the same drop-dead cutie who was taking stalker-pics of me at the beach, I know I can have fun with it. The problem is, he knows I’m gay and my family doesn’t. Even worse, he wants to be friends—wants to train me even—but the more time we spend together, the more I want him all to myself.
He keeps saying he’s straight, but I have my doubts. But even if he’s not, how could someone as good as Connor Whitlock ever want a train wreck like me?
SALT is a spicy sports romance that deals with themes related to identity, infidelity, mental health, and family trauma. It is the second book in the Like Teammates series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. This book is intended for readers age 18 and up.
461 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
May 13, 2026
ARC REVIEW
i’m particles. skin, sweat, saliva, and nerve endings.
i really loved this book.
it was joy and love and family.
it was sexy, funny, hopeful and i could not put it down.
jonah yorke has a way of writing characters that makes them feel like they are sitting in front of you just talking to you. they are so realistic.
connor and dane
ok, so let me preface this by saying that there is cheating in this book, so if that is a trigger or not your vibe, then please don’t read the damn book, always look at TWs and look after yourselves 💙.
but HOLY FUCKING SHIT MY PRECIOUS BABIES.
connor is the sweetest boy who got hit by the freaking tornado which is dane. i enjoyed connor’s character development, i enjoyed his acceptance of who is he and his feelings for dane. sweat had the uncertainty and internalised homophobia so it was a nice change of pace for connor to be chill with his feelings 🥺
and dane. my poor, damaged, beautiful boy. i fell in love with him. without a doubt one of my favourite MMCs i’ve ever read. he was hilarious and kind and gorgeous and despite his shitty family just full of LOVE.
their relationship was gorgeous, i loved the banter, the i love yous, the activities, the not being able to stay away from eachother. it was PERFECT.
(teeny tiny side point: i would have liked to have seen more of the story beats on page, some of them were glossed over which i get because this book is over 400 pages, but i think there could have been a few more pages for more important events to be described)
thank you jonah for giving me an advanced copy, i am so grateful, this book was incredible and i’m so excited for more.
i think there’s a lot of power in not giving a fuck what anyone thinks
💙
i’m particles. skin, sweat, saliva, and nerve endings.
i really loved this book.
it was joy and love and family.
it was sexy, funny, hopeful and i could not put it down.
jonah yorke has a way of writing characters that makes them feel like they are sitting in front of you just talking to you. they are so realistic.
connor and dane
ok, so let me preface this by saying that there is cheating in this book, so if that is a trigger or not your vibe, then please don’t read the damn book, always look at TWs and look after yourselves 💙.
but HOLY FUCKING SHIT MY PRECIOUS BABIES.
connor is the sweetest boy who got hit by the freaking tornado which is dane. i enjoyed connor’s character development, i enjoyed his acceptance of who is he and his feelings for dane. sweat had the uncertainty and internalised homophobia so it was a nice change of pace for connor to be chill with his feelings 🥺
and dane. my poor, damaged, beautiful boy. i fell in love with him. without a doubt one of my favourite MMCs i’ve ever read. he was hilarious and kind and gorgeous and despite his shitty family just full of LOVE.
their relationship was gorgeous, i loved the banter, the i love yous, the activities, the not being able to stay away from eachother. it was PERFECT.
(teeny tiny side point: i would have liked to have seen more of the story beats on page, some of them were glossed over which i get because this book is over 400 pages, but i think there could have been a few more pages for more important events to be described)
thank you jonah for giving me an advanced copy, i am so grateful, this book was incredible and i’m so excited for more.
i think there’s a lot of power in not giving a fuck what anyone thinks
💙
May 22, 2026
So these cheating ass MFs go viral for doing something they shouldn't be doing in public and in order to cope with the anxiety over being found out, they......do yet another thing they shouldn't be doing in public? This is precisely the sort of nonsense lack of self control I love in my MCs.
You know what? I loved THEE FUCK out of this one. It was one of those you start and immediately know it's going to be a winner.
I love a good bi-awakening romance. Especially because Connor was wary from the start lol.
'My body buzzes with gratitude, silently thanking Dane for being a real one.
A real what, though?
A real headache.'
Loved how clear Dane was about what he was seeing. Let Connor know he saw what was happening and delighted in it, even if he'd not push the issue.
“Drink your water,” he tells me, picking up his own glass and bringing it to his lips. “Nothing more dangerous than a thirsty bisexual.”
💀
I loved how little Dane cared about Thalia's happiness. None of that Cheaters Guilt™ for him, thanks. Loved that for him. And me.
Looking at her after taking her man and hoping she's happy now, since their relationship hadn't been right for them anyway.
'And if she isn’t happier, well, that’s fine too.'
I LOVED how into each other Dane and Connor were. Just so happy and tactile whenever they were around each other. I'm surprised they were able to get away with it as long as they did. They were NOT subtle.
Sneaking out of your girlfriend's bed to sneak into her brother's bed right next door?
Laying up in bed with your girlfriend while watching the viral clip of you kissing her brother on loop? The audacity.
I'd have felt sorry for Thalia if she were a better person.
Speaking of individuals that were not better people, I'm honestly not sold on Lori. Her excuse may have held up in the earlier years, it doesn't hold up now. Could have fixed that situation so many times since.
Loved the attention to detail. The little things. Like Dane remembering to finger Connor with a different hand from the one that got the paper cut. Maybe it stood out to me because if it hadn't come up, I never would have remembered the tiny cut.
Did not appreciate this same attention to detail as far as saliva was concerned, though.
If anyone has issues with spit like I do, let me tell you this book is NOT safe.
'His lips roll, jaw shifting until he spits a massive cache of drool all over my cock.'
'It’s clear and bubbly and hot as it pools around Connor’s fist.'
So much spit. In so many scenes. Not even as a substitute for lube. Just spit for spits' sake.
They can just be sitted next to each other and one puts his face so close to other's that he can 'hear the saliva rolling around inside his mouth and the sound when he swallows'.
Just.....WHY DID I NEED TO KNOW THIS? I'M ONLY HERE FOR THE GODLESS WHORING, OMG?!
Their enthusiasm for sex had me enthusiastic for them lol. They just have so much fun with each other, you can't help rooting for them.
During a sex tape review:
“Shit, do I really get that red when we have sex?”
“That’s the color of love, Connie.”
I just loooooooove how open to love Dane was the moment someone was open to loving him. Very different man from the touchy snarky guy we meet at the start.
He'd never believe this but Dane is so damn fucking loveable. And I love Connor for loving him exactly as he deserves.
Also love the author, for seeing multiple opportunities for miscommunication and either MC doing the self-sacrifice thing or bolting out of fear, and choosing not to go that route.
Huge sucker for MCs deciding to choose each other and anyone or anything else be damned.
Most of all though? I love when a book tackles cheating and gets it right.
You know what? I loved THEE FUCK out of this one. It was one of those you start and immediately know it's going to be a winner.
I love a good bi-awakening romance. Especially because Connor was wary from the start lol.
'My body buzzes with gratitude, silently thanking Dane for being a real one.
A real what, though?
A real headache.'
Loved how clear Dane was about what he was seeing. Let Connor know he saw what was happening and delighted in it, even if he'd not push the issue.
“Drink your water,” he tells me, picking up his own glass and bringing it to his lips. “Nothing more dangerous than a thirsty bisexual.”
💀
I loved how little Dane cared about Thalia's happiness. None of that Cheaters Guilt™ for him, thanks. Loved that for him. And me.
Looking at her after taking her man and hoping she's happy now, since their relationship hadn't been right for them anyway.
'And if she isn’t happier, well, that’s fine too.'
I LOVED how into each other Dane and Connor were. Just so happy and tactile whenever they were around each other. I'm surprised they were able to get away with it as long as they did. They were NOT subtle.
Sneaking out of your girlfriend's bed to sneak into her brother's bed right next door?
Laying up in bed with your girlfriend while watching the viral clip of you kissing her brother on loop? The audacity.
I'd have felt sorry for Thalia if she were a better person.
Speaking of individuals that were not better people, I'm honestly not sold on Lori. Her excuse may have held up in the earlier years, it doesn't hold up now. Could have fixed that situation so many times since.
Loved the attention to detail. The little things. Like Dane remembering to finger Connor with a different hand from the one that got the paper cut. Maybe it stood out to me because if it hadn't come up, I never would have remembered the tiny cut.
Did not appreciate this same attention to detail as far as saliva was concerned, though.
If anyone has issues with spit like I do, let me tell you this book is NOT safe.
'His lips roll, jaw shifting until he spits a massive cache of drool all over my cock.'
'It’s clear and bubbly and hot as it pools around Connor’s fist.'
So much spit. In so many scenes. Not even as a substitute for lube. Just spit for spits' sake.
They can just be sitted next to each other and one puts his face so close to other's that he can 'hear the saliva rolling around inside his mouth and the sound when he swallows'.
Just.....WHY DID I NEED TO KNOW THIS? I'M ONLY HERE FOR THE GODLESS WHORING, OMG?!
Their enthusiasm for sex had me enthusiastic for them lol. They just have so much fun with each other, you can't help rooting for them.
During a sex tape review:
“Shit, do I really get that red when we have sex?”
“That’s the color of love, Connie.”
I just loooooooove how open to love Dane was the moment someone was open to loving him. Very different man from the touchy snarky guy we meet at the start.
He'd never believe this but Dane is so damn fucking loveable. And I love Connor for loving him exactly as he deserves.
Also love the author, for seeing multiple opportunities for miscommunication and either MC doing the self-sacrifice thing or bolting out of fear, and choosing not to go that route.
Huge sucker for MCs deciding to choose each other and anyone or anything else be damned.
Most of all though? I love when a book tackles cheating and gets it right.
May 19, 2026
“I sling my arms around Dane’s neck, put my mouth to his ear, and tell him I love him. Not just as friends or even best friends, but as the singular force consuming my heart and soul until nothing in the world matters more than him.”
I have no words. I loved it. Thank you. 💗
I have no words. I loved it. Thank you. 💗
May 13, 2026
˗ˏˋ ꒰ 𝟑.𝟓/𝟓 ★ ꒱ ˎˊ˗
oh boy... *starts playing Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter*
this was a nice read and i had fun for the most part, even tho i unfortunately struggled with some parts of it..🫠
let me start with the good✨🌊🧂
kinda fitting as the story also started really well & interestingly, i was very hyped & hooked! the MCs meeting was fun, really well-written, and their chemistry was palpable right away - despite the fact that one of them was *straight*.. and in a relationship.. with the other MC's sister..🙊 which unsurprisingly did lead to some scandalous events..🫣🫠 however, the MCs journey was something special, they formed a kinda unlikely but very easy friendship full of banter & support! both of them really needed the other so it was heartwarming to see their bond slowly form & become stronger, irresistibly so🔥
i loved that Connor was obsessed with Dane from the beginning, despite the fact that he was ✨straight✨, Dane lovingly kept calling him his stalker📸🖤🤭 and Dane was pining after Connor since first noticing him too, even when he wasn't aware Connor was "off limits" which didn't last long as they both soon realized they actually share a living space (with Dane's family..) but it was a nice way to establish a little "secret" bond that started before, not *just* because of their forced proximity..👀
📷 Connor was an interesting character (tbf both MCs were, haha), he was a homesick puppy, a golden retriever full of love, sweetness and acceptance. overall he seemed like a good human (a good boy👀). he did have his own character flaws however, some i unfortunately didn't click with so well.. he was very supportive overall, however sometimes i wished he grew a backbone & stood up for his beliefs & loved ones, and owned up to his actions.. i'll add that ik Connor & Dane both were still young, around 20.. so/but some of their behavior & actions felt immature.. c,:
*continues playing Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter*
⚽ Dane was a chaotic mess (i mean this mostly lovingly, kinda), a black sheep who had an awful family.. the tortured sad boy vibes were very apparent but he was still a fun character in a chaotic, messy way, and also mischievously charming! i'm glad he found his person & safe space in Connor who showed him what love truly supposed to be like. Dane deserved so much better tho, so many ppl failed him which i'm quite angry about..
now onto a bit of a rant💫🐑🕳️
despite the fact that this started so well & i got really into it at some parts, other times the story & the characters felt disconnected. i don't really know what happened. i expected another total banger like Sweat (Tommy & Rowan literally own a piece of my heart!) but Connor & Dane were.. well, messy.. and that would've have been a bad thing per se, god i love messy broken characters, that's my absolute jam, but something was lacking here.. and i did struggle with some parts.. regarding the MCs but also other characters.. there were very few likable characters in this story.. i don't think i liked anyone apart from the MCs actually.. which made it a difficult read, surprisingly.. ig it didn't help that sometimes i felt disconnected from the MCs too.. and i admit i could overlook the misogyny in the previous book, but it continued to be a theme in this book too.. which i'm definitely not a fan of..
(btw i wanna make it clear i didn't mind the cheating (even tho i didn't agree with some of the characters' actions, many things could've been avoided or done better, but oh well..), there were some very scandalously hot scenes, the secrecy & pining vibes were on-point! my issues about the misogyny wasn't (exactly/just) regarding the situation with Connor's ex gf & the cheating; more like, i'm just disappointed there weren't any positive portrayal of any female characters..)
really wish there were some badass girl energy & i also couldn't help thinking of this song/music video lol 😬🤷🏻♀️😆
i'll try finishing on a positive note; there were very limited scenes with Tommy & Rowan, basically at the very end which was kinda worth waiting for🥹 i do wish they appeared more but i understand the story worked like this. i still think Jonah Yorke's writing style is great, and i'm hopeful so i'm definitely looking forward to book 3, Honey🍯🤞💛
// i usually round up my ratings but i feel very conflicted about this story overall.. i'm keeping it like this for now but i might change my mind once i really let this story sink in, who knows.. c,: //
【 જ⁀➴ 𝓲 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓲 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻.ᐟ 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓷𝓮 (𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓬) 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ⊹˙✧ 】
➥ ᴍᴍ {ɢᴀʏ × ʙɪ-ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇɴɪɴɢ}
➥ ғɪʀsᴛ-ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ᴅᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴠ
◌ sᴘᴏʀᴛs ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
◌ sᴏᴄᴄᴇʀ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀs (ᴍᴄ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ)
◌ ғᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ)
◌ ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ
◌ ʜᴜʀᴛ/ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴛ
◌ ғᴏʀʙɪᴅᴅᴇɴ, ɪɴғɪᴅᴇʟɪᴛʏ
◌ ɢɪʀʟғʀɪᴇɴᴅ's ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ/sɪsᴛᴇʀ's ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ
◌ ᴍᴄ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʟᴇʀɢʏ (ɴᴇᴇᴅs ᴇᴘɪᴘᴇɴ)
◌ "ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴏʏ", "ᴘᴜᴘᴘʏ" (ɴᴏ ᴘᴇᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏ)
◌ ɴɪᴘᴘʟᴇ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢs
◌ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇs, ғʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ, ғʟɪᴘғᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ
➽ ᴛᴡ: ᴇxᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ & ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ʜᴏᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴀ, ɢʀɪᴇғ, ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ, ғᴀᴍɪʟɪᴀʟ ᴀʙᴜsᴇ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴍᴇsᴛɪᴄ & ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴀʙᴜsᴇ (ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ, ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ), ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ (ᴍᴄs ᴇɴɢᴀɢɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ & ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ɪɴғɪᴅᴇʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ), sᴇxᴜᴀʟ sᴄᴇɴᴀʀɪᴏs ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴄs & sᴄs, ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴍᴇɴᴛ (ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ), ᴀɴᴀᴘʜʏʟᴀᴄᴛɪᴄ sʜᴏᴄᴋ (ᴍᴄ, ᴏɴ-ᴘᴀɢᴇ), ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ sᴄᴇɴᴇ, ᴄᴀʀ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ (ɴᴏᴛ ғᴀᴛᴀʟ)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
i'm highkey hoping for some Tommy & Rowan cameos *pleasepleaseplease* 🥺🫣🧡🧡🧡
oh boy... *starts playing Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter*
this was a nice read and i had fun for the most part, even tho i unfortunately struggled with some parts of it..🫠
let me start with the good✨🌊🧂
kinda fitting as the story also started really well & interestingly, i was very hyped & hooked! the MCs meeting was fun, really well-written, and their chemistry was palpable right away - despite the fact that one of them was *straight*.. and in a relationship.. with the other MC's sister..🙊 which unsurprisingly did lead to some scandalous events..🫣🫠 however, the MCs journey was something special, they formed a kinda unlikely but very easy friendship full of banter & support! both of them really needed the other so it was heartwarming to see their bond slowly form & become stronger, irresistibly so🔥
i loved that Connor was obsessed with Dane from the beginning, despite the fact that he was ✨straight✨, Dane lovingly kept calling him his stalker📸🖤🤭 and Dane was pining after Connor since first noticing him too, even when he wasn't aware Connor was "off limits" which didn't last long as they both soon realized they actually share a living space (with Dane's family..) but it was a nice way to establish a little "secret" bond that started before, not *just* because of their forced proximity..👀
𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.
📷 Connor was an interesting character (tbf both MCs were, haha), he was a homesick puppy, a golden retriever full of love, sweetness and acceptance. overall he seemed like a good human (a good boy👀). he did have his own character flaws however, some i unfortunately didn't click with so well.. he was very supportive overall, however sometimes i wished he grew a backbone & stood up for his beliefs & loved ones, and owned up to his actions.. i'll add that ik Connor & Dane both were still young, around 20.. so/but some of their behavior & actions felt immature.. c,:
*continues playing Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter*
⚽ Dane was a chaotic mess (i mean this mostly lovingly, kinda), a black sheep who had an awful family.. the tortured sad boy vibes were very apparent but he was still a fun character in a chaotic, messy way, and also mischievously charming! i'm glad he found his person & safe space in Connor who showed him what love truly supposed to be like. Dane deserved so much better tho, so many ppl failed him which i'm quite angry about..
𝑰 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒃 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕. “𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒓,” 𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆.
“𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒐,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕.
now onto a bit of a rant💫🐑🕳️
despite the fact that this started so well & i got really into it at some parts, other times the story & the characters felt disconnected. i don't really know what happened. i expected another total banger like Sweat (Tommy & Rowan literally own a piece of my heart!) but Connor & Dane were.. well, messy.. and that would've have been a bad thing per se, god i love messy broken characters, that's my absolute jam, but something was lacking here.. and i did struggle with some parts.. regarding the MCs but also other characters.. there were very few likable characters in this story.. i don't think i liked anyone apart from the MCs actually.. which made it a difficult read, surprisingly.. ig it didn't help that sometimes i felt disconnected from the MCs too.. and i admit i could overlook the misogyny in the previous book, but it continued to be a theme in this book too.. which i'm definitely not a fan of..
(btw i wanna make it clear i didn't mind the cheating (even tho i didn't agree with some of the characters' actions, many things could've been avoided or done better, but oh well..), there were some very scandalously hot scenes, the secrecy & pining vibes were on-point! my issues about the misogyny wasn't (exactly/just) regarding the situation with Connor's ex gf & the cheating; more like, i'm just disappointed there weren't any positive portrayal of any female characters..)
really wish there were some badass girl energy & i also couldn't help thinking of this song/music video lol 😬🤷🏻♀️😆
i'll try finishing on a positive note; there were very limited scenes with Tommy & Rowan, basically at the very end which was kinda worth waiting for🥹 i do wish they appeared more but i understand the story worked like this. i still think Jonah Yorke's writing style is great, and i'm hopeful so i'm definitely looking forward to book 3, Honey🍯🤞💛
// i usually round up my ratings but i feel very conflicted about this story overall.. i'm keeping it like this for now but i might change my mind once i really let this story sink in, who knows.. c,: //
【 જ⁀➴ 𝓲 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓲 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻.ᐟ 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓷𝓮 (𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓬) 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ⊹˙✧ 】
➥ ᴍᴍ {ɢᴀʏ × ʙɪ-ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇɴɪɴɢ}
➥ ғɪʀsᴛ-ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ᴅᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴠ
◌ sᴘᴏʀᴛs ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
◌ sᴏᴄᴄᴇʀ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀs (ᴍᴄ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ)
◌ ғᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ)
◌ ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ
◌ ʜᴜʀᴛ/ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴛ
◌ ғᴏʀʙɪᴅᴅᴇɴ, ɪɴғɪᴅᴇʟɪᴛʏ
◌ ɢɪʀʟғʀɪᴇɴᴅ's ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ/sɪsᴛᴇʀ's ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ
◌ ᴍᴄ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʟᴇʀɢʏ (ɴᴇᴇᴅs ᴇᴘɪᴘᴇɴ)
◌ "ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴏʏ", "ᴘᴜᴘᴘʏ" (ɴᴏ ᴘᴇᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏ)
◌ ɴɪᴘᴘʟᴇ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢs
◌ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇs, ғʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ, ғʟɪᴘғᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ
➽ ᴛᴡ: ᴇxᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ & ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ʜᴏᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴀ, ɢʀɪᴇғ, ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ, ғᴀᴍɪʟɪᴀʟ ᴀʙᴜsᴇ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴍᴇsᴛɪᴄ & ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴀʙᴜsᴇ (ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ, ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ), ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ (ᴍᴄs ᴇɴɢᴀɢɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ & ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ɪɴғɪᴅᴇʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ), sᴇxᴜᴀʟ sᴄᴇɴᴀʀɪᴏs ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴄs & sᴄs, ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴍᴇɴᴛ (ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ), ᴀɴᴀᴘʜʏʟᴀᴄᴛɪᴄ sʜᴏᴄᴋ (ᴍᴄ, ᴏɴ-ᴘᴀɢᴇ), ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ sᴄᴇɴᴇ, ᴄᴀʀ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ (ɴᴏᴛ ғᴀᴛᴀʟ)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
i'm highkey hoping for some Tommy & Rowan cameos *pleasepleaseplease* 🥺🫣🧡🧡🧡
May 18, 2026
Right off the bat, this book warns for cheating and sex with others. Here's the details under the cut if you want to know exactly what all that means:
And really, it shouldn't even matter because Connor is with Thalia, not Dane. But early on it's clear these two are emotionally invested in each other, and only each other. I think Connor and Thalia try to have sex like...once or twice in the several months they're at Dane and Thalia's father's house, but both turn the other down.
With Thalia going to school to become a lawyer, she spends a lot of time away and with her lawyer school friends, and when Dane's asshole father suggests Connor help train Dane to be better at soccer, these two spend a lot of time together.
Connor starts this out thinking he's straight, and he has several instances where he might seem uncomfortable with gay people - even though he's outwardly very supportive - but I think it was really his feelings for Dane coming into play (and more broadly, men in general and being bisexual) and him not quite ready to face them when he has those thoughts. He even says a pretty nasty thing to Dane after that scene at the party with that rando, but I think he was just majorly jealous more than anything else and had no idea how to handle that.
Thalia is pretty awful from the start. She seems okay at first, and definitely when it comes to anyone but Dane, she seems like she's perfectly nice, but she is truly awful. Same with Dane's father.
Truly, I didn't mind this. Thalia's reasons for hating Dane from her limited perspective make sense to a point, but she is just nasty as fuck for pretty shitty reasons. But I appreciated that she never got better, and neither did Dane's father. Sometimes people are just nasty, awful people and never improve, and truly this showcased that there was no salvaging any type of relationship between Dane and his sister and father.
I saw misogyny accusations for this, and I have to disagree. Women can be awful, nasty people for barely a justifiable reason, just because that's who they are, and Thalia was that. I know there's a line between a woman being horrible in a dimensional, non-misogynistic way and being villainized for no real reason, but it's not like Thalia did nothing and got treated horribly. No, she was truly awful. No one gets angry at Dane's father being horrible from the start because that's just who he is.
Also the accusation that this had no positive female representation when Dane's mother was right there. No, she was nowhere near perfect - and we never get to learn exactly what Dane's father did to keep Dane from her when they were divorcing - and she fucked up big time, but she was a character who could improve and make up for what she did. And she clearly loved Dane a lot, and wanted to mend their relationship.
Thalia does, though, make it very easy to not feel bad about her being cheated on. It's never confirmed in the book, but there was a scene that heavily hinted at her cheating on Connor too, before she knew of him cheating on her. Not that it makes Connor and Dane's actions right, but that's still another thing that made it easy to not feel so bad.
It seems as soon as she and Connor got to San Diego, their relationship was already well over, but they couldn't admit it to themselves or each other.
Connor was the sweetest, most adorable puppy 😘 of a character. He's an inherently kind and sweet person, and with having such loving parents and a good life, he turned into a major sweetheart. He's so kind and understanding overall, and sees the good in Dane when Dane doesn't see it in himself.
Dane has had such a hard life, but instead of having a good family to show him love, he had no one, really. His mom, kinda, but then she abandoned him and he was left with his emotionally and mentally abusive, and occasionally physically abusive father.
As a kid, Dane was a little volatile, and the book never says it, but I think it's because of his father, and he acted out as a result, and then people didn't show him understanding or kindness in return, but further nastiness. With how Thalia seemed to get along with her dad, it seems like he treated her well and then took out all his awfulness out on Dane.
So Dane goes through it in this book, but he finds love for the first time in Connor, who is the first one to show up for him in ages, since his mother left almost 10 years prior. Underneath his pain, and his snark and sass, he's so broken and needing of love - and he has such a good heart too.
Dane and Connor were so perfect together, I just absolutely loved them. Their chemistry was SO damn good, the UST high before they finally gave into their desire for each other. They were adorable and sweet too, and I couldn't get enough of all the time Dane thought Connor was an adorable cutie, and the one or two times Connor thought the same about Dane. They were just so into each other from the start, falling in love was inevitable.
I'm really excited for the third book, although it didn't say who it will be about - I'm assuming one of the other friends in the friend group of Connor's from Sacramento. Perhaps Levi? The almost "painfully straight" one? Maybe, maybe...
Until then! I absolutely can't wait for more from this wonderful author! 🥰😍😘
My Ratings for the Like Teammates Series:
✨ Sweat: 5 stars (my review)
✨ Salt: 5 stars
✨ Honey: TBR
And really, it shouldn't even matter because Connor is with Thalia, not Dane. But early on it's clear these two are emotionally invested in each other, and only each other. I think Connor and Thalia try to have sex like...once or twice in the several months they're at Dane and Thalia's father's house, but both turn the other down.
With Thalia going to school to become a lawyer, she spends a lot of time away and with her lawyer school friends, and when Dane's asshole father suggests Connor help train Dane to be better at soccer, these two spend a lot of time together.
Connor starts this out thinking he's straight, and he has several instances where he might seem uncomfortable with gay people - even though he's outwardly very supportive - but I think it was really his feelings for Dane coming into play (and more broadly, men in general and being bisexual) and him not quite ready to face them when he has those thoughts. He even says a pretty nasty thing to Dane after that scene at the party with that rando, but I think he was just majorly jealous more than anything else and had no idea how to handle that.
Thalia is pretty awful from the start. She seems okay at first, and definitely when it comes to anyone but Dane, she seems like she's perfectly nice, but she is truly awful. Same with Dane's father.
Truly, I didn't mind this. Thalia's reasons for hating Dane from her limited perspective make sense to a point, but she is just nasty as fuck for pretty shitty reasons. But I appreciated that she never got better, and neither did Dane's father. Sometimes people are just nasty, awful people and never improve, and truly this showcased that there was no salvaging any type of relationship between Dane and his sister and father.
I saw misogyny accusations for this, and I have to disagree. Women can be awful, nasty people for barely a justifiable reason, just because that's who they are, and Thalia was that. I know there's a line between a woman being horrible in a dimensional, non-misogynistic way and being villainized for no real reason, but it's not like Thalia did nothing and got treated horribly. No, she was truly awful. No one gets angry at Dane's father being horrible from the start because that's just who he is.
Also the accusation that this had no positive female representation when Dane's mother was right there. No, she was nowhere near perfect - and we never get to learn exactly what Dane's father did to keep Dane from her when they were divorcing - and she fucked up big time, but she was a character who could improve and make up for what she did. And she clearly loved Dane a lot, and wanted to mend their relationship.
Thalia does, though, make it very easy to not feel bad about her being cheated on. It's never confirmed in the book, but there was a scene that heavily hinted at her cheating on Connor too, before she knew of him cheating on her. Not that it makes Connor and Dane's actions right, but that's still another thing that made it easy to not feel so bad.
It seems as soon as she and Connor got to San Diego, their relationship was already well over, but they couldn't admit it to themselves or each other.
Connor was the sweetest, most adorable puppy 😘 of a character. He's an inherently kind and sweet person, and with having such loving parents and a good life, he turned into a major sweetheart. He's so kind and understanding overall, and sees the good in Dane when Dane doesn't see it in himself.
Dane has had such a hard life, but instead of having a good family to show him love, he had no one, really. His mom, kinda, but then she abandoned him and he was left with his emotionally and mentally abusive, and occasionally physically abusive father.
As a kid, Dane was a little volatile, and the book never says it, but I think it's because of his father, and he acted out as a result, and then people didn't show him understanding or kindness in return, but further nastiness. With how Thalia seemed to get along with her dad, it seems like he treated her well and then took out all his awfulness out on Dane.
So Dane goes through it in this book, but he finds love for the first time in Connor, who is the first one to show up for him in ages, since his mother left almost 10 years prior. Underneath his pain, and his snark and sass, he's so broken and needing of love - and he has such a good heart too.
Dane and Connor were so perfect together, I just absolutely loved them. Their chemistry was SO damn good, the UST high before they finally gave into their desire for each other. They were adorable and sweet too, and I couldn't get enough of all the time Dane thought Connor was an adorable cutie, and the one or two times Connor thought the same about Dane. They were just so into each other from the start, falling in love was inevitable.
I'm really excited for the third book, although it didn't say who it will be about - I'm assuming one of the other friends in the friend group of Connor's from Sacramento. Perhaps Levi? The almost "painfully straight" one? Maybe, maybe...
Until then! I absolutely can't wait for more from this wonderful author! 🥰😍😘
My Ratings for the Like Teammates Series:
✨ Sweat: 5 stars (my review)
✨ Salt: 5 stars
✨ Honey: TBR
won-t-read-bc-nopes
May 7, 2026Totally bummed this one isn't for me. I loved so many things about the author's debut, Sweat (apart from a couple elements, including OP action, that ruined a lot of it for me, grr), and was hoping book 2 would be one I'd love. Greatly appreciate @patrícia's review laying out OP action/one MC getting turned on by seeing the other being intimate w someone else. It's before they start things, so if that won't bother you, this sounds just as juicy, scintillating, incendiary, and emotional as the author's debut, so hope you love it! A very scandalous premise, and I was hoping it might be fore me. Alas, don't think so. Maybe I'll get a wild hair and try it, but honestly, that scenario usually just squicks me out.
Her review is terrific and enthusiastic though, so if you want to see it, here it is:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A few reviews mention the one MC's girlfriend being a horror, and that makes me wonder if the misogynistic/negative depiction of women that was so prevalent in Sweat might continue here though. I don't see mentions of strong women characters, just 2-D bitches or weak women. Hmmm. Well, read for the MCs.
Her review is terrific and enthusiastic though, so if you want to see it, here it is:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A few reviews mention the one MC's girlfriend being a horror, and that makes me wonder if the misogynistic/negative depiction of women that was so prevalent in Sweat might continue here though. I don't see mentions of strong women characters, just 2-D bitches or weak women. Hmmm. Well, read for the MCs.
May 29, 2026
dnf
nothing more painful than a 5 ⭐️ material book flopping hard in the second half and i just had salmonella so i KNOW pain.
if you love spit and aren’t a hater bitch like me— this might just be your thing! and if my favorite thing about this was the younger mmc calling the slightly older mmc “puppy” that is between me and god. it (like everything else) turned cringe in the second half but you can’t take any form of “pup” + mm away from me.
nothing more painful than a 5 ⭐️ material book flopping hard in the second half and i just had salmonella so i KNOW pain.
if you love spit and aren’t a hater bitch like me— this might just be your thing! and if my favorite thing about this was the younger mmc calling the slightly older mmc “puppy” that is between me and god. it (like everything else) turned cringe in the second half but you can’t take any form of “pup” + mm away from me.
May 26, 2026
2.75🌟
The first 45% of this was perfecttttt. I loved it so much. However, after that ~45% mark, it went downhill. I felt like we started to move through things very quickly and the story kind of started to feel like it was going all over the place. There was a crazy amount of loose ends by the time I finished, which was frustrating to me for so many reasons. There were also just issues here and there that stuck out to me more and I think my ability to let them slide lessened the further I got.
honestly, I could probably rate this lower than I have, but because I enjoyed the first half so much, I’m not going to (for now.) [edit: I lowered it by .25]
I want to start out by saying that a notable difference in this from Sweat was that there was SIGNIFICANTLY LESS spice in this. Like a drastic difference in the number of spicy scenes, not spice level. Sweat was probably one of the spiciest books I’ve ever read. [In Sweat] The spice started very early on in the story and happened veryyyy frequently. And although they didn’t actualllly have penetrative sex until wayyyy later in the story, the spice was very consistent. It surprised me that Salt had so much less spice because coming off of Sweat, I think naturally, I just expected there to be just as much. I’m glad there wasn’t though because it made way more sense for both dynamics! Connor was in a relationship for a significant portion of the book and the tension build up needed to happen. And Sweat being extremely spicy just worked with the relationship dynamic of that couple.
Also, in Sweat, I could TELL it was written by a man (not a critique, just an observation) (I mention this already in my review for it so go read that bc I don’t feel like explaining it again.) But Salt didn’t read the same in this aspect which also was a surprise to me. The vibe of the characters were also just different so honestly maybe that’s why idk.
I loved that this was set in San Diego because the beachside location was a nice switch up from Sweat.
I loved Dane & Connor’s meet-cute. It really showcased both of their personalities and it was fun way to introduce their first scene together into the story.
The tension between these two was soooo good!!! That first scene at the party and right after…… omg girl I was so gagged 😫 literally so hot.
I don’t want to sit here and just compare Sweat & Salt but it’s hard not to.
Sweat was by nooo means a perfect book, and although I did go into it with fairly low expectations, any issues that it did have, didn’t bother me much at all. Sure there were some things that maybe needed more a deeper dive on, it could’ve probably gone with less smut, etc. BUT rowan and tommy and other aspects of the story were just special to me in a way I didn’t expect. The issues in it just kind of took a backseat. I didn’t give a fuck bc I loved Tommy & Rowan so much lol. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with Salt.
With this one, the first half was so perfect and the second half being scattered and rushed was so upsetting to me. I definitely went in with a little higher of expectations for this one because I did really enjoy Sweat, so I’m sure that played a role in this as well. I’m mostly disappointed since this was literally 5 stars for me in the first half 😭☹️
⇢ Thalia
God, she was absolutely insufferable. The way she treated dane, the way she spoke about him and to him….. I was in shock. Like what the actual fuck was wrong with this girl? She was so mean and just downright nasty. It felt a little absurd at points, mostly because I was like there is no way Connor dated this girl for 2 whole years before this and this behavior never came out…. Dane literally stayed out of everyone’s way and they were still HORRIBLE to him. He let it roll off his back as best he could, but jesus….
⇢ And his dad…. Just don’t even get me started bruh. There were wayyy too many loose ends with him in this story. Dane brushes over some very concerning things very quickly in his inner-monologue about things that happened with his dad while he was young and it was NEVER touched on. Not to mention, his dad was horrible in every way imaginable! There wasn’t one time that he was even halfway decent. We got no explanation as to what reallyyy went down with him and Dane’s mom or anything about the current state of all that. It was just all left up in the air? Literally so strange.
⇢ Lori (Dane’s mom)
The mom thing was crazy because you’re telling me she just took Thalia and went to live with another man and even though she was incredibly heartbroken over Thalia’s dad taking Dane, still, over the next 10 years or so she wasn’t trying her damndest to see Dane or contact him again????? Nawww that’s crazy!!!! She basically just gave up on him and left him to her ex-husband. like what the hell ???? I was glad that Dane called her out while they spoke over coffee!
At one point he tells her, “you don’t get to choose me now, after all this time. You don’t get to have me. I’m not yours. You don’t even know who the fuck I am.”
!!!!!
because her trying now??? When she didn’t even recognize him upon seeing him?? When all this time she wasn’t even trying to do whatever she could to fight to have him back in her life? Girl that’s ur CHILDDDDD. Naw i’m pissed 😭
I truly thought that there was gonna be a real reason why she hadn’t been in contact with Dane all these years. Something like her being forbade to see him/contact him LEGALLY. But the fact that there was nothing stopping her, especially now that he’s an adult…. Wild lol. And again, there were loose ends with all of this as well.
⇢ the main issue
I think a huge part of the problem with the second half of the story was that too many plot points were introduced (a lot of them being unnecessary) and there wasn’t enough time to focus enough on all of them so we ended up with loose end after loose end after loose end… Jonah should’ve picked 1-2 and then dove into those. Towards the end I said multiple times “what is going on rn?” lol. I’d say like majority of the plot points, big or small, were not fully addressed and some were never even addressed at all. There definitely was a lack of focus/direction and it ended up feeling too chaotic.
Overall, I have to say that I’m pretty disappointed. Sweat definitely takes the cake for me out of the two. It sucks since this started out SO good, but I was pretty frustrated with that last half of the book. The number of loose ends, the entire family situation, etc… it was all just very rushed.
Regardless of all this, I am still really looking forward to the next book in this series and anything that Jonah writes in the future🤍
Guess I’m still in my MM slump. I mean atp, it’s starting to just be a general reading slump 😔
The first 45% of this was perfecttttt. I loved it so much. However, after that ~45% mark, it went downhill. I felt like we started to move through things very quickly and the story kind of started to feel like it was going all over the place. There was a crazy amount of loose ends by the time I finished, which was frustrating to me for so many reasons. There were also just issues here and there that stuck out to me more and I think my ability to let them slide lessened the further I got.
honestly, I could probably rate this lower than I have, but because I enjoyed the first half so much, I’m not going to (for now.) [edit: I lowered it by .25]
I want to start out by saying that a notable difference in this from Sweat was that there was SIGNIFICANTLY LESS spice in this. Like a drastic difference in the number of spicy scenes, not spice level. Sweat was probably one of the spiciest books I’ve ever read. [In Sweat] The spice started very early on in the story and happened veryyyy frequently. And although they didn’t actualllly have penetrative sex until wayyyy later in the story, the spice was very consistent. It surprised me that Salt had so much less spice because coming off of Sweat, I think naturally, I just expected there to be just as much. I’m glad there wasn’t though because it made way more sense for both dynamics! Connor was in a relationship for a significant portion of the book and the tension build up needed to happen. And Sweat being extremely spicy just worked with the relationship dynamic of that couple.
Also, in Sweat, I could TELL it was written by a man (not a critique, just an observation) (I mention this already in my review for it so go read that bc I don’t feel like explaining it again.) But Salt didn’t read the same in this aspect which also was a surprise to me. The vibe of the characters were also just different so honestly maybe that’s why idk.
I loved that this was set in San Diego because the beachside location was a nice switch up from Sweat.
I loved Dane & Connor’s meet-cute. It really showcased both of their personalities and it was fun way to introduce their first scene together into the story.
The tension between these two was soooo good!!! That first scene at the party and right after…… omg girl I was so gagged 😫 literally so hot.
I don’t want to sit here and just compare Sweat & Salt but it’s hard not to.
Sweat was by nooo means a perfect book, and although I did go into it with fairly low expectations, any issues that it did have, didn’t bother me much at all. Sure there were some things that maybe needed more a deeper dive on, it could’ve probably gone with less smut, etc. BUT rowan and tommy and other aspects of the story were just special to me in a way I didn’t expect. The issues in it just kind of took a backseat. I didn’t give a fuck bc I loved Tommy & Rowan so much lol. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with Salt.
With this one, the first half was so perfect and the second half being scattered and rushed was so upsetting to me. I definitely went in with a little higher of expectations for this one because I did really enjoy Sweat, so I’m sure that played a role in this as well. I’m mostly disappointed since this was literally 5 stars for me in the first half 😭☹️
⇢ Thalia
God, she was absolutely insufferable. The way she treated dane, the way she spoke about him and to him….. I was in shock. Like what the actual fuck was wrong with this girl? She was so mean and just downright nasty. It felt a little absurd at points, mostly because I was like there is no way Connor dated this girl for 2 whole years before this and this behavior never came out…. Dane literally stayed out of everyone’s way and they were still HORRIBLE to him. He let it roll off his back as best he could, but jesus….
⇢ And his dad…. Just don’t even get me started bruh. There were wayyy too many loose ends with him in this story. Dane brushes over some very concerning things very quickly in his inner-monologue about things that happened with his dad while he was young and it was NEVER touched on. Not to mention, his dad was horrible in every way imaginable! There wasn’t one time that he was even halfway decent. We got no explanation as to what reallyyy went down with him and Dane’s mom or anything about the current state of all that. It was just all left up in the air? Literally so strange.
⇢ Lori (Dane’s mom)
The mom thing was crazy because you’re telling me she just took Thalia and went to live with another man and even though she was incredibly heartbroken over Thalia’s dad taking Dane, still, over the next 10 years or so she wasn’t trying her damndest to see Dane or contact him again????? Nawww that’s crazy!!!! She basically just gave up on him and left him to her ex-husband. like what the hell ???? I was glad that Dane called her out while they spoke over coffee!
At one point he tells her, “you don’t get to choose me now, after all this time. You don’t get to have me. I’m not yours. You don’t even know who the fuck I am.”
!!!!!
because her trying now??? When she didn’t even recognize him upon seeing him?? When all this time she wasn’t even trying to do whatever she could to fight to have him back in her life? Girl that’s ur CHILDDDDD. Naw i’m pissed 😭
I truly thought that there was gonna be a real reason why she hadn’t been in contact with Dane all these years. Something like her being forbade to see him/contact him LEGALLY. But the fact that there was nothing stopping her, especially now that he’s an adult…. Wild lol. And again, there were loose ends with all of this as well.
⇢ the main issue
I think a huge part of the problem with the second half of the story was that too many plot points were introduced (a lot of them being unnecessary) and there wasn’t enough time to focus enough on all of them so we ended up with loose end after loose end after loose end… Jonah should’ve picked 1-2 and then dove into those. Towards the end I said multiple times “what is going on rn?” lol. I’d say like majority of the plot points, big or small, were not fully addressed and some were never even addressed at all. There definitely was a lack of focus/direction and it ended up feeling too chaotic.
Overall, I have to say that I’m pretty disappointed. Sweat definitely takes the cake for me out of the two. It sucks since this started out SO good, but I was pretty frustrated with that last half of the book. The number of loose ends, the entire family situation, etc… it was all just very rushed.
Regardless of all this, I am still really looking forward to the next book in this series and anything that Jonah writes in the future🤍
Guess I’m still in my MM slump. I mean atp, it’s starting to just be a general reading slump 😔
May 18, 2026
I liked Jonah Yorke’s first book, Sweat, quite a bit. In fact, I remember enjoying it enough that I was excited for this one, despite the fact that apparently a year later I remember almost nothing about Sweat except that I liked it.
Salt started out as a solid 3-star read in my head. I was interested enough, liked some of the buildup between Dane and Connor, and appreciated that Jonah was trying to write characters who felt more like actual humans than Romance Novel Ken dolls. But the last 20% dragged badly and by the end I was checking how much was left, which is never a good sign. Once Dane and Connor’s relationship was established, the story lost momentum fast. This book desperately needed a tighter edit.
I have mixed feelings about the realism throughout. On one hand, I appreciated things like Connor not having some impossible romance body. He’s fit, but no carved abs, no pelvic V, smaller dick…you know, an actual person. Dane is a mediocre player on a mediocre soccer team who keeps underperforming. Again: realistic! But I am also a hypocrite who reads romance for escapism and apparently wants my MCs to subsist entirely on vibes while maintaining Greek god physiques. Goldilocks problem: too unrealistic? Annoying. Too realistic? Also annoying.
Same with Dane being squeamish about cleanliness before oral/rimming. That is very realistic. And somehow less sexy for it.
One thing that drove me nuts: these men are never able to hook up in actual privacy. There is always a family member nearby, always the possibility of being overheard. Maybe this doesn’t bother other people but for me it injects the sex scenes with pure anxiety. I’m not clutching my pearls, I’m mentally yelling, “Someone’s parent is absolutely hearing this through the drywall.”
I did like “puppy” as an endearment, though. There’s something faintly humiliating and D/s-adjacent about it that works for me.
The EDM festival section felt weird and disjointed, like it wandered in from another book. Did anyone else notice that or was I the only one who felt like maybe I smoked weed and forgot before reading that part?
But the biggest issue for me, and the reason this ultimately landed at 2 stars instead of 3, is Dane’s family backstory. What in The Parent Trap was that arrangement where one parent takes one child and the other parent takes the other and then the mom effectively disappears and never reconnects? Even after he’s an adult? The entire emotional framework of the story rests on this and I found it wildly implausible.
And speaking of unresolved grievances: why was Thalia never exposed as the absolute menace she was? She was awful for seemingly no reason, it was heavily hinted at that she cheated on Connor, and then…nothing? Authors need to understand that readers like closure. Wrap the shit up; that woman needs her comeuppance.
Also, the suburban Sacramento details were almost too effective. Jarred Ragu, ground turkey, Kraft Parmesan in front of the TV, chili dogs as a normal dinner. I firmly had on my Italian-American resting did-someone-step-in-dogshit face. Not gonna lie, I found myself missing Joss’s cooking from Artie’s house of Hell.
Then there’s Dane’s mom, supposedly trying to make amends at the cafe but trying to connect by recounting embarrassing stories about him being a pain in the ass as a kid. Ma’am, read the room.
Also: am I losing my mind or can someone explain what happened with Dane and his mom in the parking lot after the cafe scene? I reread it twice and still couldn’t picture it. Did they bump heads? Was there some physical altercation? It read much more violently than the aftermath suggested. One of several moments where my dream of becoming a beta reader surfaced purely so I could leave a comment bubble saying: WTF just happened here??
Overall, I liked the buildup between Dane and Connor more than the relationship itself. Once they got together, the chemistry flattened out and the story never recovered. There are pieces here I appreciated, but as a whole it felt overlong, oddly paced, and emotionally unsatisfying.
Salt started out as a solid 3-star read in my head. I was interested enough, liked some of the buildup between Dane and Connor, and appreciated that Jonah was trying to write characters who felt more like actual humans than Romance Novel Ken dolls. But the last 20% dragged badly and by the end I was checking how much was left, which is never a good sign. Once Dane and Connor’s relationship was established, the story lost momentum fast. This book desperately needed a tighter edit.
I have mixed feelings about the realism throughout. On one hand, I appreciated things like Connor not having some impossible romance body. He’s fit, but no carved abs, no pelvic V, smaller dick…you know, an actual person. Dane is a mediocre player on a mediocre soccer team who keeps underperforming. Again: realistic! But I am also a hypocrite who reads romance for escapism and apparently wants my MCs to subsist entirely on vibes while maintaining Greek god physiques. Goldilocks problem: too unrealistic? Annoying. Too realistic? Also annoying.
Same with Dane being squeamish about cleanliness before oral/rimming. That is very realistic. And somehow less sexy for it.
One thing that drove me nuts: these men are never able to hook up in actual privacy. There is always a family member nearby, always the possibility of being overheard. Maybe this doesn’t bother other people but for me it injects the sex scenes with pure anxiety. I’m not clutching my pearls, I’m mentally yelling, “Someone’s parent is absolutely hearing this through the drywall.”
I did like “puppy” as an endearment, though. There’s something faintly humiliating and D/s-adjacent about it that works for me.
The EDM festival section felt weird and disjointed, like it wandered in from another book. Did anyone else notice that or was I the only one who felt like maybe I smoked weed and forgot before reading that part?
But the biggest issue for me, and the reason this ultimately landed at 2 stars instead of 3, is Dane’s family backstory. What in The Parent Trap was that arrangement where one parent takes one child and the other parent takes the other and then the mom effectively disappears and never reconnects? Even after he’s an adult? The entire emotional framework of the story rests on this and I found it wildly implausible.
And speaking of unresolved grievances: why was Thalia never exposed as the absolute menace she was? She was awful for seemingly no reason, it was heavily hinted at that she cheated on Connor, and then…nothing? Authors need to understand that readers like closure. Wrap the shit up; that woman needs her comeuppance.
Also, the suburban Sacramento details were almost too effective. Jarred Ragu, ground turkey, Kraft Parmesan in front of the TV, chili dogs as a normal dinner. I firmly had on my Italian-American resting did-someone-step-in-dogshit face. Not gonna lie, I found myself missing Joss’s cooking from Artie’s house of Hell.
Then there’s Dane’s mom, supposedly trying to make amends at the cafe but trying to connect by recounting embarrassing stories about him being a pain in the ass as a kid. Ma’am, read the room.
Also: am I losing my mind or can someone explain what happened with Dane and his mom in the parking lot after the cafe scene? I reread it twice and still couldn’t picture it. Did they bump heads? Was there some physical altercation? It read much more violently than the aftermath suggested. One of several moments where my dream of becoming a beta reader surfaced purely so I could leave a comment bubble saying: WTF just happened here??
Overall, I liked the buildup between Dane and Connor more than the relationship itself. Once they got together, the chemistry flattened out and the story never recovered. There are pieces here I appreciated, but as a whole it felt overlong, oddly paced, and emotionally unsatisfying.
May 14, 2026
Connor and Dane sure do like spit.. Why is this book not called Spit? Missed opportunity, if you ask me 😌
I've started this review many times because I don't know how to feel about this book or what to say. Rating is somewhere between 3-4⭐️ Part of the time I was blushing, laughing, and having a good time. The rest of the time, I was just kind of confused what to feel and trying to keep up.
So, the first 30-40%—so good. The way they met and immediately took notice of each other, the forbidden aspect, the tension and the flirting at the beginning, the scene at the party... damn. And the friendship they built—loved it.
But then.. somehow I got disconnected from the story and the characters. I feel like the vibe shifted and I wasn't that invested anymore. I think the transition from that initial tension and flirting to a relationship didn't quite hit the mark for me.
And this whole drama surrounding Dane's family left me confused. Thalia was a total bitch (why didn't anyone say anything about her behavior? It was absolutely despicable), I still don't get why his mom abandoned him (and they never really sorted out their issues??) and what is wrong with Artie? (honestly, I don't even want to know -what a waste of space that man). Was the drama a bit overdone..? Maybe. Unresolved? Definitely.
I thought this would be focused more on Dane’s trauma, but the way it was handled remained on the surface-level. And overall this was a bit jumbled—the plot points, the events, and all the characters.
But like I stated, there were a lot of good things here too—these two were so freaking cute and hot. I loved how Dane talked about Connor, especially in his inner monologue, and how Connor offered Dane that safe place he needed all this time. And Dane calling Connor puppy, cutie pie, and let's not forget good boy 🤭
The book also made me laugh out loud few times.
”Connor is a cherub of a man, angel wings hidden beneath his Under Armour t-shirts and stardust in his blue irises.” 😂🩵🪽
So yeah, some of the writing I absolutely loved but there were things I did not like, too. I was really looking forward to this and I loved Sweat, but overall, sadly Salt (Spit) didn't work for me as well as I'd hoped. I think I will read this again to see if I get a better overall feel of it but these are my thoughts at the moment.
What's great about this author's books is that he writes the characters' behavior and dialogue in a way that feels realistic for MMCs of this age (20 and 23).
⚽️📸
”It’s okay,” I tell him softly. “Stay with me.”
The way Connor quivers like a leaf unnerves me, but he doesn’t leave. He stays right where he is, soothing my worries in the way he holds my gaze and licks his lips. He makes my heart race in the way he plucks open the button of his jeans and drags down the zipper.
”Good boy.”
”I’m sorry things are difficult for you now. I’m sorry I had to go and complicate your life so much. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.”
”You don’t make things difficult. You’re the best thing about this place. I would be so fucking lonely without you.”
I've started this review many times because I don't know how to feel about this book or what to say. Rating is somewhere between 3-4⭐️ Part of the time I was blushing, laughing, and having a good time. The rest of the time, I was just kind of confused what to feel and trying to keep up.
So, the first 30-40%—so good. The way they met and immediately took notice of each other, the forbidden aspect, the tension and the flirting at the beginning, the scene at the party... damn. And the friendship they built—loved it.
But then.. somehow I got disconnected from the story and the characters. I feel like the vibe shifted and I wasn't that invested anymore. I think the transition from that initial tension and flirting to a relationship didn't quite hit the mark for me.
And this whole drama surrounding Dane's family left me confused. Thalia was a total bitch (why didn't anyone say anything about her behavior? It was absolutely despicable), I still don't get why his mom abandoned him (and they never really sorted out their issues??) and what is wrong with Artie? (honestly, I don't even want to know -what a waste of space that man). Was the drama a bit overdone..? Maybe. Unresolved? Definitely.
I thought this would be focused more on Dane’s trauma, but the way it was handled remained on the surface-level. And overall this was a bit jumbled—the plot points, the events, and all the characters.
But like I stated, there were a lot of good things here too—these two were so freaking cute and hot. I loved how Dane talked about Connor, especially in his inner monologue, and how Connor offered Dane that safe place he needed all this time. And Dane calling Connor puppy, cutie pie, and let's not forget good boy 🤭
The book also made me laugh out loud few times.
”Connor is a cherub of a man, angel wings hidden beneath his Under Armour t-shirts and stardust in his blue irises.” 😂🩵🪽
So yeah, some of the writing I absolutely loved but there were things I did not like, too. I was really looking forward to this and I loved Sweat, but overall, sadly Salt (Spit) didn't work for me as well as I'd hoped. I think I will read this again to see if I get a better overall feel of it but these are my thoughts at the moment.
What's great about this author's books is that he writes the characters' behavior and dialogue in a way that feels realistic for MMCs of this age (20 and 23).
⚽️📸
”It’s okay,” I tell him softly. “Stay with me.”
The way Connor quivers like a leaf unnerves me, but he doesn’t leave. He stays right where he is, soothing my worries in the way he holds my gaze and licks his lips. He makes my heart race in the way he plucks open the button of his jeans and drags down the zipper.
”Good boy.”
”I’m sorry things are difficult for you now. I’m sorry I had to go and complicate your life so much. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.”
”You don’t make things difficult. You’re the best thing about this place. I would be so fucking lonely without you.”
May 15, 2026
Somehow I loved this part a few times more than the first one 💙
It felt deeper, there were (almost) no unnecessary self-denials and the connection between Dane and Connor felt instant and powerful, growing with time.
I loved it so much how Dane actually respected Connor. He didn’t push him for anything he wasn’t ready for, he was so patient with him while fully acknowledging his own feelings. It felt so human 💔
For some time I was thinking that it’s closer to 4 🌟, but then this book - unexpectedly - made me cry. And then it did that two more times. And it was not even because of some dramatic intended twists. It’s been a day already, and I am still thinking about this:
“Why did you even have me? Tell me the truth. Artie didn’t want me. Thalia didn’t want me. Why did you have me?”
Tears gloss her eyes when she answers, “Because I thought it would make me happy.”
“But it didn’t?”
“No, it didn’t.”
She scoops my head up with a hand on my cheek.
“But that’s not your fault. After I had you, I loved you so much more than I cared about being happy.”
This is so raw. And it’s exactly what I’ve been feeling for the past 10 years since having my son. And it’s the first time a romance book has literally smacked me in the face with that feeling.
That said, I didn’t understand the whole drama with mother leaving. Zero solid reasons honestly. I also hated Thalia, I understand that her character was probably intentionally made that way, but still!!
Overall I loved it. Appreciated the fact they actually spoke to each other and weren’t making any martyr-ish moves. Honestly looking forward to Honey now 💙
I loved it so much how Dane actually respected Connor. He didn’t push him for anything he wasn’t ready for, he was so patient with him while fully acknowledging his own feelings. It felt so human 💔
For some time I was thinking that it’s closer to 4 🌟, but then this book - unexpectedly - made me cry. And then it did that two more times. And it was not even because of some dramatic intended twists. It’s been a day already, and I am still thinking about this:
“Why did you even have me? Tell me the truth. Artie didn’t want me. Thalia didn’t want me. Why did you have me?”
Tears gloss her eyes when she answers, “Because I thought it would make me happy.”
“But it didn’t?”
“No, it didn’t.”
She scoops my head up with a hand on my cheek.
“But that’s not your fault. After I had you, I loved you so much more than I cared about being happy.”
This is so raw. And it’s exactly what I’ve been feeling for the past 10 years since having my son. And it’s the first time a romance book has literally smacked me in the face with that feeling.
That said, I didn’t understand the whole drama with mother leaving. Zero solid reasons honestly. I also hated Thalia, I understand that her character was probably intentionally made that way, but still!!
Overall I loved it. Appreciated the fact they actually spoke to each other and weren’t making any martyr-ish moves. Honestly looking forward to Honey now 💙
May 19, 2026
One of my tops reads of the year, easily. I really didn’t think this could beat Sweat, but somehow it was even better. Dane and Connor are my babies and I will forever be obsessed with them.
May 12, 2026
This author has a great talent for creating impactful characters and heart wrenching romantic plot lines. It doesn’t hurt that this book is equal parts emotional and hot, so hot.
I really liked both Connor and Dane. Dane though, the absolute gut wrenching wrong that’s been done to him, the unfairness, his frustration, I could feel it all, fantastically written. I also really liked how Connors bi awakening was handled, it’s a journey for him and it’s made wonderfully apparent. When Connor moves with his girlfriend to her father’s house in San Diego to love with her all sorts of warning signs were going off in my head - they seemed to have no connection or basis to do this, Connor would be completely dependent on her father’s charity and Thalia has all the power. His isolation once he gets there is literally jumping off the pages. It’s heartbreaking.
Dane is perfect for Connor and Connor is perfect for Dane. They need each other.
One of the things that I personally didn’t vibe with are the supporting characters- other than Lori they are very unidimensional as they interact with the main storyline - good or bad. And then stemming from that I think for me a lot felt unresolved or even if a future resolution is there for a Dane I couldn’t see how the chapters closed. While logistical and Career chapters has a resolution , his father, his sister, Lori, Her Family, going back deeper into what played out all those years ago, how he deals with that now it’s all left to be assumed and that made me feel a little adrift.
Having said that, this author’s writing pulls you in and I would love to keep reading his work.
I really liked both Connor and Dane. Dane though, the absolute gut wrenching wrong that’s been done to him, the unfairness, his frustration, I could feel it all, fantastically written. I also really liked how Connors bi awakening was handled, it’s a journey for him and it’s made wonderfully apparent. When Connor moves with his girlfriend to her father’s house in San Diego to love with her all sorts of warning signs were going off in my head - they seemed to have no connection or basis to do this, Connor would be completely dependent on her father’s charity and Thalia has all the power. His isolation once he gets there is literally jumping off the pages. It’s heartbreaking.
Dane is perfect for Connor and Connor is perfect for Dane. They need each other.
One of the things that I personally didn’t vibe with are the supporting characters- other than Lori they are very unidimensional as they interact with the main storyline - good or bad. And then stemming from that I think for me a lot felt unresolved or even if a future resolution is there for a Dane I couldn’t see how the chapters closed. While logistical and Career chapters has a resolution , his father, his sister, Lori, Her Family, going back deeper into what played out all those years ago, how he deals with that now it’s all left to be assumed and that made me feel a little adrift.
Having said that, this author’s writing pulls you in and I would love to keep reading his work.
May 18, 2026
First off—this was hella long. I’m a damn fast reader, and those percentages went by s-l-o-w-l-y amidst all the craziness. However, this totally worked for how complicated the emotional dynamics of Salt were. Connor and Dane were…in a bit of a pickle for most of the book. Nothing came easily. Where Dane was mostly at peace with his sexuality, Connor was a mess. Where Connor had a peaceful, loving home life, Dane’s was a shitshow. Where Connor’s middle class family gave limited financial support freely, Dane’s rich family only gave with barbed wire strings attached. Their chemistry was fabulous, and I loved Connor finding himself adrift suddenly in queer cultures as he hits art school. Margot was awesome, and I think there was more room for some fleshing out of secondary characters, but given the intensity of the dynamic between Connor and Dane, it made sense that the story was pretty focused on them.
The emotional abuse and scapegoating Dane received from his father and sister was painful and especially resonated with me as a parent of an ADHD kid. As I’ve raised my kid, the amount of growth required of me as person to meet her where she’s at has been…a lot. The tantrums, lashing out and impulsive behavior that we’ve learned to support her through has been a lot, and I’ve often thought of those kids whose parents don’t recognize the need to find help for themselves and their kiddo an instead label them as “a bad kid” or “problem child”. This is never named explicitly, but from the meltdowns that he still had as an adult as he hits moments of sensory and emotional overwhelm paint a compelling case for some sort or neurodivergence. That he felt his mother left due to him and not his asshole father is going to need some sort of professional sorting out—family therapy with Lori is my recommendation for any real reconciliation.
Anyway, I’m still loving this series, and appreciate the well done angst. I didn’t read the Honey teaser as I don’t want to think about the wait, but I’m looking forward to it when it lands.
The emotional abuse and scapegoating Dane received from his father and sister was painful and especially resonated with me as a parent of an ADHD kid. As I’ve raised my kid, the amount of growth required of me as person to meet her where she’s at has been…a lot. The tantrums, lashing out and impulsive behavior that we’ve learned to support her through has been a lot, and I’ve often thought of those kids whose parents don’t recognize the need to find help for themselves and their kiddo an instead label them as “a bad kid” or “problem child”. This is never named explicitly, but from the meltdowns that he still had as an adult as he hits moments of sensory and emotional overwhelm paint a compelling case for some sort or neurodivergence. That he felt his mother left due to him and not his asshole father is going to need some sort of professional sorting out—family therapy with Lori is my recommendation for any real reconciliation.
Anyway, I’m still loving this series, and appreciate the well done angst. I didn’t read the Honey teaser as I don’t want to think about the wait, but I’m looking forward to it when it lands.
May 13, 2026
This had a lot of great moments! I think overall it made me pretty uncomfortable how everything was handled and dealt with though and reading the last 30-40% kind of made my skin crawl
Some of the stuff that happened to Dane was always heavily implied but then there was a random toss in comment at the end that just never went anywhere and everyone in the house was just like … okay?
The one lady snatching her kid up everytime he was near was super random and didn’t feel necessary like we get it they think he’s evil I promise there is enough hatred in the household plz can I get a break
I also thought there would be a moment where we found out Thalia was also cheating on Connor .. unless I missed a reveal of that but like she was right? Anywho
Any scene with Danes mom I could not read with full focus I genuinely had to skim because what do you MEAN
Connor’s switch to when they started doing stuff was SO immediate that I was like wait had they done this before what is going on right now we are MOVING
I would’ve really liked to see Connor become a bit more social and independent like yeah he made a friend in Margot but with his character background I wish there were even more moments like that with others
Some of the stuff that happened to Dane was always heavily implied but then there was a random toss in comment at the end that just never went anywhere and everyone in the house was just like … okay?
The one lady snatching her kid up everytime he was near was super random and didn’t feel necessary like we get it they think he’s evil I promise there is enough hatred in the household plz can I get a break
I also thought there would be a moment where we found out Thalia was also cheating on Connor .. unless I missed a reveal of that but like she was right? Anywho
Any scene with Danes mom I could not read with full focus I genuinely had to skim because what do you MEAN
Connor’s switch to when they started doing stuff was SO immediate that I was like wait had they done this before what is going on right now we are MOVING
I would’ve really liked to see Connor become a bit more social and independent like yeah he made a friend in Margot but with his character background I wish there were even more moments like that with others
May 22, 2026
I wanted to like this more than I did and I wish I could rate it higher but I just couldn’t stand anyone but Connor and Dane and unfortunately a lot of this book has secondary characters in every scene. Dane and Connor were cute and I liked their constant support of each other but their happiness wasn’t enough to save the book for me.
Thalia is awful, Dane’s mom is awful, Dane’s dad is horrible, Dane’s mom’s family is shit, Dane’s step mom is almost good but barely.
I don’t understand why the author tried to allude to Dane’s mom’s step kid being worried Dane was being a creep with her baby, that was really strange.
Dane’s mom was written to be pretty terrible and without much remorse for her history with her son. He’s supposed to forgive and move on while being accosted constantly by his sister and being repeatedly dismissed by his mom. It was kind of ridiculous.
Thalia is just disgusting. The way she talks about Dane before the cheating happens is psychotic. Hoping he struggles, being glad their dad is attacking Dane, excusing everything that happens to Dane as being something he deserves, it became exhausting to read.
Dane’s dad is an abusive asshole and I’m glad the author didn’t try to redeem him at all.
A lot of mm authors write women in their books to be absolute menaces, this author is no different. Frankly the author sounds incredibly misogynistic and I worry about his thoughts on women if everyone in the story was written pretty shitty. Even Connor’s mom and his friend weren’t treated that well.
I don’t think I’ll continue with this series or read another by this author, I don’t enjoy mm books by authors that are so forceful in their hatred of the women they write.
Thalia is awful, Dane’s mom is awful, Dane’s dad is horrible, Dane’s mom’s family is shit, Dane’s step mom is almost good but barely.
I don’t understand why the author tried to allude to Dane’s mom’s step kid being worried Dane was being a creep with her baby, that was really strange.
Dane’s mom was written to be pretty terrible and without much remorse for her history with her son. He’s supposed to forgive and move on while being accosted constantly by his sister and being repeatedly dismissed by his mom. It was kind of ridiculous.
Thalia is just disgusting. The way she talks about Dane before the cheating happens is psychotic. Hoping he struggles, being glad their dad is attacking Dane, excusing everything that happens to Dane as being something he deserves, it became exhausting to read.
Dane’s dad is an abusive asshole and I’m glad the author didn’t try to redeem him at all.
A lot of mm authors write women in their books to be absolute menaces, this author is no different. Frankly the author sounds incredibly misogynistic and I worry about his thoughts on women if everyone in the story was written pretty shitty. Even Connor’s mom and his friend weren’t treated that well.
I don’t think I’ll continue with this series or read another by this author, I don’t enjoy mm books by authors that are so forceful in their hatred of the women they write.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2026
So good
This was so good
Way more hurty than the first book
My heart ached for Dane. His sister and dad are actually the worst humans ever.
Connor was the sweetest ever
Him and Dane just fit
I'm so glad Dane got a proper hea after everything
Great book
Looking forward to the next book
This was so good
Way more hurty than the first book
My heart ached for Dane. His sister and dad are actually the worst humans ever.
Connor was the sweetest ever
Him and Dane just fit
I'm so glad Dane got a proper hea after everything
Great book
Looking forward to the next book
April 13, 2026
oh i devoured this. i’m absolutely obsessed with connor and dane, there’s something about a forbidden romance that’s just going to do it for me every time and this was done to PERFECTION 😍
the yearning and pining was so freaking good, i felt feral. their chemistry was jumping off of the pages and i wanted everything for these two
connor and dane are EVERYTHING to me 😩
the yearning and pining was so freaking good, i felt feral. their chemistry was jumping off of the pages and i wanted everything for these two
connor and dane are EVERYTHING to me 😩
May 22, 2026
I am O B S E S S E D with Dane and Connor. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I LIKE SALT EVEN MORE THAN SWEAT!???!!?! Tommy and Rowan were EVERYTHING I have ever wanted…. Then Dane and Connor step in like “hold my mother fuckin beer, dogg”. These characters were so complex and beautiful and intense and OH SO vulnerable. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page (except to wipe the tears away, obviously). I mean, it’s not a Jonah Yorke book unless you cry a few times, right?
Dane. My sweet, fragile, chaotic little baby tornado Dane. His story ripped my heart clean out of my chest. The emotional and physical abuse he endured was traumatic and gut wrenching. (And, in my opinion, he was way too forgiving when it came to his mother). I JUST NEED SOMEONE TO LOVE HIM FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN. - Insert Connor - I have major heart eyes for Connor. Watching him discover and accept his true self and seeing him fall in love with Dane was the highlight of my entire fucking year. I don’t think there have ever been two characters that have deserved each other more. The found family that they both get with the soccer team (Rowan and Tommmmyyyyy ❤️) was so beautiful. And the real family Dane FINALLY gets with Connor and his parents was so deserving and a long time coming. Huge shoutout to mama and papa Whitlock!!
This is the kind of love story that sucks you in from page one. It’s raw, complicated, sexy as hell and so beautifully written. I could have easily read another 300 pages. I didn’t want it to end.
*Not gonna lie, I’m kinda hoping Randy is super duper gay and he gets a book soon too.
Kinda loved him.*
Dane. My sweet, fragile, chaotic little baby tornado Dane. His story ripped my heart clean out of my chest. The emotional and physical abuse he endured was traumatic and gut wrenching. (And, in my opinion, he was way too forgiving when it came to his mother). I JUST NEED SOMEONE TO LOVE HIM FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN. - Insert Connor - I have major heart eyes for Connor. Watching him discover and accept his true self and seeing him fall in love with Dane was the highlight of my entire fucking year. I don’t think there have ever been two characters that have deserved each other more. The found family that they both get with the soccer team (Rowan and Tommmmyyyyy ❤️) was so beautiful. And the real family Dane FINALLY gets with Connor and his parents was so deserving and a long time coming. Huge shoutout to mama and papa Whitlock!!
This is the kind of love story that sucks you in from page one. It’s raw, complicated, sexy as hell and so beautifully written. I could have easily read another 300 pages. I didn’t want it to end.
*Not gonna lie, I’m kinda hoping Randy is super duper gay and he gets a book soon too.
Kinda loved him.*
May 15, 2026
3.5 stars, rounded. Much more enjoyable than the first book for me. This was taboo, kind of annoying, but relatively entertaining. Connor was sweet and much more wholesome than Dane was…personality-wise, at least. Behavior-wise? Well, they were both pretty selfish and made bad choices 😀 and Connor definitely angered me with how he handled some situations…
May 16, 2026
Unfortunately, this book was missing the magic of book one for me. I really enjoyed the start, but it felt like the tension snapped and the feelings came way too early.
The recklessness was also really annoying. Like bro, your girlfriend is right next door?!? 🤔 I don’t mind the cheating trope but there was ZERO caution here and it was stressful.
Curious about book 3.. Liam maybe?
The recklessness was also really annoying. Like bro, your girlfriend is right next door?!? 🤔 I don’t mind the cheating trope but there was ZERO caution here and it was stressful.
Curious about book 3.. Liam maybe?
May 19, 2026
DNF @ 77%
Don’t fucking piss me off
Don’t fucking piss me off
May 14, 2026
⚽️
🌊
📸
ARC Review - Salt by @jonahyorkeauthor
Word of warning... this book has cheating, if that's not your thing, this is not your book.
After loving Sweat, I was ridiculously excited for this book! Tommy and Rowan have been living rent free in my head, and now Connor and Dane have taken up residence too!
Connor moves to San Diego with his longtime girlfriend, Thalia, for grad school. While wandering the beach, he stumbles across a pickup soccer game and immediately notices one very attractive player. Connor snaps a photo, and the guy catches him. After the game the guy finds Connor and starts flirting, hard. Flattered, Connor shuts it down quickly with the "Oh, I'm straight" line.
Unfortunately for Connor, that same guy shows up at family dinner later that night and he is introduced as Dane, Thalia’s brother.
And wow does it get messy from here... Connor ends up training Dane in soccer. The two go from reluctant friends, to more. But that makes Connor spiral, and he tries very hard not to think about the fact that he’s definitely into Dane. But the chemistry between them is undeniable. When Connor finally gives into the inevitable, everything implodes.
Watching these two work through so many obstacles together, change old habits, see worth in themselves and choose each other was really incredible. And this is where I think Jonah Yorke excels. The way he writes his stories, the way he develops the characters, it makes you fall so hard for these fictional people!! (When you get to about 55% you will see what I mean. 🥹)
And if the audiobook for Salt will be anything like Sweat, I already know I’m going to be obsessed all over again. The audiobook for Salt will be narrated by Daniel Lewis and Tom Taylorson and comes out October 6th.
Salt by Jonah Yorke released May 12th. Check it out!! You do not want to miss this!!
Started: May 8th, 2026
Finished: May 9th, 2026
Format: Kindle
🌊
📸
ARC Review - Salt by @jonahyorkeauthor
Word of warning... this book has cheating, if that's not your thing, this is not your book.
After loving Sweat, I was ridiculously excited for this book! Tommy and Rowan have been living rent free in my head, and now Connor and Dane have taken up residence too!
Connor moves to San Diego with his longtime girlfriend, Thalia, for grad school. While wandering the beach, he stumbles across a pickup soccer game and immediately notices one very attractive player. Connor snaps a photo, and the guy catches him. After the game the guy finds Connor and starts flirting, hard. Flattered, Connor shuts it down quickly with the "Oh, I'm straight" line.
Unfortunately for Connor, that same guy shows up at family dinner later that night and he is introduced as Dane, Thalia’s brother.
And wow does it get messy from here... Connor ends up training Dane in soccer. The two go from reluctant friends, to more. But that makes Connor spiral, and he tries very hard not to think about the fact that he’s definitely into Dane. But the chemistry between them is undeniable. When Connor finally gives into the inevitable, everything implodes.
Watching these two work through so many obstacles together, change old habits, see worth in themselves and choose each other was really incredible. And this is where I think Jonah Yorke excels. The way he writes his stories, the way he develops the characters, it makes you fall so hard for these fictional people!! (When you get to about 55% you will see what I mean. 🥹)
And if the audiobook for Salt will be anything like Sweat, I already know I’m going to be obsessed all over again. The audiobook for Salt will be narrated by Daniel Lewis and Tom Taylorson and comes out October 6th.
Salt by Jonah Yorke released May 12th. Check it out!! You do not want to miss this!!
Started: May 8th, 2026
Finished: May 9th, 2026
Format: Kindle
May 27, 2026
4.6⭐️ 5🌶️
This book taught me to go into more books blind!! I had this on my TBR after reading Sweat, and I got caught up reading the reviews. After a couple mentioned that the characters went bland in the middle of the book I took it off my list!!!! Thank god the TikTok gods put me on a video that convinced me to add it back, because this book was FUN!
I docked .40 of a star (lol) because there were some things that just really slapped me sideways out of nowhere BUT they didn’t derail the whole book for me. Most of that .40 docking is due to the “my sweaty junk” line alone. HELP‼️ there truly are so many things I don’t need to know as a reader. That is one of them.
I thought this book was actually better than Sweat imo, so I’m really happy I read it. It COULD potentially have had a harder edit, but I’m going to cut myself off from complaining.
Vibes:
- MAJOR cheating, all the time, constantly. If you don’t like cheating, don’t read (not between the 2 MMCs)
- girlfriends BROTHER‼️‼️‼️ hello
- bi awakening
- awful parents
- soccer
- pineapple allergy
This book taught me to go into more books blind!! I had this on my TBR after reading Sweat, and I got caught up reading the reviews. After a couple mentioned that the characters went bland in the middle of the book I took it off my list!!!! Thank god the TikTok gods put me on a video that convinced me to add it back, because this book was FUN!
I docked .40 of a star (lol) because there were some things that just really slapped me sideways out of nowhere BUT they didn’t derail the whole book for me. Most of that .40 docking is due to the “my sweaty junk” line alone. HELP‼️ there truly are so many things I don’t need to know as a reader. That is one of them.
I thought this book was actually better than Sweat imo, so I’m really happy I read it. It COULD potentially have had a harder edit, but I’m going to cut myself off from complaining.
Vibes:
- MAJOR cheating, all the time, constantly. If you don’t like cheating, don’t read (not between the 2 MMCs)
- girlfriends BROTHER‼️‼️‼️ hello
- bi awakening
- awful parents
- soccer
- pineapple allergy
May 24, 2026
i love these boys so much 🫶🏻😭
May 14, 2026
The story between Dane and Connor I give 5 stars Everytime they were amazing and the story just of them was great.
While I loved the development of their relationship the only thing that would've been better is a scene where Dane finally breaks down and tells Connor everything His mom leaving what his dad was like his box of unsent letters etc...
The book as a whole I give 3.5/3.75.
The story felt unfinished because so much of Danes trauma was built around his family his mom leaving his sister and dad being horrible to him. Then throughout the story noone checks Thalias BS about her brother not even Connor. When the time comes and Dane meets back with his mother her story as to why she left I get because that happens but why she stopped fighting why she never reached out was weak and made absolutely no sense, and why does Thalia(his sister) think so poorly of him if she lived with her mom and her mom claims to have loved him and never wanted to leave him.... Why did the mom never put Thalia in her place. Then when he does go to family dinner meets the step dada kids, Thalia is there, stepdad is there all of which treat him like a parriah and still Mom says nothing to anyone, doesnt tell Thalia to stop when Martin seemingly gets frustrated with Dane because he wants to leave because everyone is treating him poorly Matin shucks it off like he's being unreasonable... The story ended well for our couple but feels unfinished as a whole story.
While I loved the development of their relationship the only thing that would've been better is a scene where Dane finally breaks down and tells Connor everything His mom leaving what his dad was like his box of unsent letters etc...
The book as a whole I give 3.5/3.75.
The story felt unfinished because so much of Danes trauma was built around his family his mom leaving his sister and dad being horrible to him. Then throughout the story noone checks Thalias BS about her brother not even Connor. When the time comes and Dane meets back with his mother her story as to why she left I get because that happens but why she stopped fighting why she never reached out was weak and made absolutely no sense, and why does Thalia(his sister) think so poorly of him if she lived with her mom and her mom claims to have loved him and never wanted to leave him.... Why did the mom never put Thalia in her place. Then when he does go to family dinner meets the step dada kids, Thalia is there, stepdad is there all of which treat him like a parriah and still Mom says nothing to anyone, doesnt tell Thalia to stop when Martin seemingly gets frustrated with Dane because he wants to leave because everyone is treating him poorly Matin shucks it off like he's being unreasonable... The story ended well for our couple but feels unfinished as a whole story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2026
6⭐️. This was beautiful in and out. If someone told me I’d fall in love with another couple in this series aside from Rowan and Tommy, I’ll side-eye them. But Dane and Connor where just so so easy to love.
Dane deserves the world and Connor deserves to be love the way Dane loves him and Dane Deserves someone to choose him the way Connor chose him.
Dane’s family deserves hell. Thalia was a piece of work, an entitled brat and that and why couldn’t their mom actually tell her the truth?
Anyway, I don’t care about Thalia and she deserves what happened. Glad that my babies got their happy endings and Dane got a chance to have his mom in his life again.
Dane deserves the world and Connor deserves to be love the way Dane loves him and Dane Deserves someone to choose him the way Connor chose him.
Dane’s family deserves hell. Thalia was a piece of work, an entitled brat and that and why couldn’t their mom actually tell her the truth?
Anyway, I don’t care about Thalia and she deserves what happened. Glad that my babies got their happy endings and Dane got a chance to have his mom in his life again.
May 18, 2026
Such a dissapointment. I dont know what happened. I loved Sweat. I read it many, many times.
This is so... not it. The writing style feels different. It doesnt hit the spot. It feels forced. The characters dont come alive like Tommy and Rowan. They are bland.
The steam is hot but sth feels off sometimes ans there are some weird shortcuts (ommited important s..x scenes that we hear about later).
Dane seems annoying. Connor is sweet but at the same time how can such a sweet guy cheat etc?
The family storylines are illogical and annoying - I skimmed most of them.
Also - repeated storylines show lack of creativity- just like in Swet, we have a football guy who trains a guy he has a crush on, one guy is sweet, the other is traumatized by messed up family etc.
Overall a huge missed opportunity for a good story. I dont know if the writer had some writers block or sth. Seems like it was written by someone else.
I hope the third book will be better.
This is so... not it. The writing style feels different. It doesnt hit the spot. It feels forced. The characters dont come alive like Tommy and Rowan. They are bland.
The steam is hot but sth feels off sometimes ans there are some weird shortcuts (ommited important s..x scenes that we hear about later).
Dane seems annoying. Connor is sweet but at the same time how can such a sweet guy cheat etc?
The family storylines are illogical and annoying - I skimmed most of them.
Also - repeated storylines show lack of creativity- just like in Swet, we have a football guy who trains a guy he has a crush on, one guy is sweet, the other is traumatized by messed up family etc.
Overall a huge missed opportunity for a good story. I dont know if the writer had some writers block or sth. Seems like it was written by someone else.
I hope the third book will be better.
Did Not Finish
May 20, 2026dnf @22%
This isn't bad or anything. I'm just really not in the mood. It's taken me days to read 22% and I'm like so disinterested. I'll probably try this again in the future.
This isn't bad or anything. I'm just really not in the mood. It's taken me days to read 22% and I'm like so disinterested. I'll probably try this again in the future.
May 14, 2026
Jonah Yorke, the author you are.
5 blooming stars.
I actually did not like sweat at all, so I was very surprised that I loved this book as much as I did. Because cheating is the main theme/issue that undercuts the book, it’s safe to say that neither Dane nor Connor are presented from the beginning as being innocent. So I’ll analyse their characters with that in mind. Connor is kind, and his integrity shines throughout the whole of the book. He stands up for Dane from the beginning, and not because he liked him; he didn’t know he did yet, but because he was heartbroken from the mistreatment that Dane endured. The intentionally natural pull between the two of them made the book so enjoyable to read. Dane, my sweet, annoying, Dane, is beautifully composed. He’s the byproduct of a dysfunctional relationship, and he’s the description of what the absence of love from childhood turned him into. Scared to commit. Scared to love fully.
Their relationship dynamic was satisfying to read. I love love. I love physical expressions of love. And with Connor and Dane, I could see this. They were not shy of making this love apparent. Of course, physicality in excess is not something I enjoy, but Yorke was able to balance a dynamic of vulnerability and passion.
I found Lori an especially interesting character to read. I can’t bring myself to hate her; she is the figure in a lot of people’s families. It is the traditional ideology of a mother, that they must stay in a relationship that she suffers in because of her children. And Dane’s reaction is why a lot of mothers choose to endure in abusive relationships. I could understand both sides: A mother that had no choice, and a son who lost his pillar. But I believe that Lori leaving was an option she should’ve made, and at the same time, I don’t find Dane’s reaction to this disproportionate.
Thalia is purposefully made to be unlikeable, which I was not sure I agreed with. It felt like I was basically forced to hate her. I believe that making her relatable would have added another layer of nuance to the story. But, she was used as a clear device to push the reader to like Dane and Connor together more. This does not mean I didn’t hate her, just noted that it was a deliberate decision.
My only issue with the book was Dane’s reaction to being found out. It was extremely childish of him, and I cringed reading his response. Dane, who pursued Connor before and after finding out that he was his sister’s boyfriend, who knew of his family’s cruelty and thus their subsequent reaction to being found out, was upset that Connor had told the truth. Sorry, Dane? He caused it, pulled Connor towards him with every notion of how the consequences of doing so would affect him. His anger at Connor was unjustified and genuinely jarring to read. So really, this should be 4 stars, but I’m feeling generous.
But I loved this book, flaws and all, so I’ll keep it at 5 stars. 🥹
5 blooming stars.
I actually did not like sweat at all, so I was very surprised that I loved this book as much as I did. Because cheating is the main theme/issue that undercuts the book, it’s safe to say that neither Dane nor Connor are presented from the beginning as being innocent. So I’ll analyse their characters with that in mind. Connor is kind, and his integrity shines throughout the whole of the book. He stands up for Dane from the beginning, and not because he liked him; he didn’t know he did yet, but because he was heartbroken from the mistreatment that Dane endured. The intentionally natural pull between the two of them made the book so enjoyable to read. Dane, my sweet, annoying, Dane, is beautifully composed. He’s the byproduct of a dysfunctional relationship, and he’s the description of what the absence of love from childhood turned him into. Scared to commit. Scared to love fully.
Their relationship dynamic was satisfying to read. I love love. I love physical expressions of love. And with Connor and Dane, I could see this. They were not shy of making this love apparent. Of course, physicality in excess is not something I enjoy, but Yorke was able to balance a dynamic of vulnerability and passion.
I found Lori an especially interesting character to read. I can’t bring myself to hate her; she is the figure in a lot of people’s families. It is the traditional ideology of a mother, that they must stay in a relationship that she suffers in because of her children. And Dane’s reaction is why a lot of mothers choose to endure in abusive relationships. I could understand both sides: A mother that had no choice, and a son who lost his pillar. But I believe that Lori leaving was an option she should’ve made, and at the same time, I don’t find Dane’s reaction to this disproportionate.
Thalia is purposefully made to be unlikeable, which I was not sure I agreed with. It felt like I was basically forced to hate her. I believe that making her relatable would have added another layer of nuance to the story. But, she was used as a clear device to push the reader to like Dane and Connor together more. This does not mean I didn’t hate her, just noted that it was a deliberate decision.
My only issue with the book was Dane’s reaction to being found out. It was extremely childish of him, and I cringed reading his response. Dane, who pursued Connor before and after finding out that he was his sister’s boyfriend, who knew of his family’s cruelty and thus their subsequent reaction to being found out, was upset that Connor had told the truth. Sorry, Dane? He caused it, pulled Connor towards him with every notion of how the consequences of doing so would affect him. His anger at Connor was unjustified and genuinely jarring to read. So really, this should be 4 stars, but I’m feeling generous.
But I loved this book, flaws and all, so I’ll keep it at 5 stars. 🥹
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