What do you think?
Loverboy
After being hospitalized, Milo's worst-case scenario has come to life. Jasper is the first to find out what happened, and as always, he comes to pick up the pieces. It's a role he's played since they were kids: caretaker, protector, and the one person who can pull Milo back from the edge, all while putting his own wants and needs on the back burner.
As Jasper moves into his one-bedroom apartment to keep a closer eye on him, Milo tests his boundaries, leaving him struggling to hide the feelings he's never been allowed to have. Their relationship has never been normal. But now, the pressure is on, and he'll do anything to keep him safe and get back to the way things used to be—when it was just the two of them against the world.
Dark, emotional, and deeply character-driven, Loverboy is an MM romance about mental illness, toxic codependency, and the way two deeply flawed men love each other—perhaps in all of the wrong ways.
Please check the content warnings before reading.
As Jasper moves into his one-bedroom apartment to keep a closer eye on him, Milo tests his boundaries, leaving him struggling to hide the feelings he's never been allowed to have. Their relationship has never been normal. But now, the pressure is on, and he'll do anything to keep him safe and get back to the way things used to be—when it was just the two of them against the world.
Dark, emotional, and deeply character-driven, Loverboy is an MM romance about mental illness, toxic codependency, and the way two deeply flawed men love each other—perhaps in all of the wrong ways.
Please check the content warnings before reading.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2026
About the author
Emilia Rothe
1 book11 followersEmilia Rothe writes dark, queer romance for readers who want their fictional relationships a little unhinged and mildly concerning.
A Canadian author & artist, she has a soft spot for messy, deeply flawed characters who desperately need therapy but have found each other instead.
Her debut standalone novel, Loverboy, is a dark MM romance focused on toxic codependency, mental illness, and a bond deep enough to draw blood for.
When she isn't busy writing, you can find her drawing, gaming, reading, or locked in on her next project.
She lives in Alberta, Canada, and is already hard at work on her second novel.
Website ↠ https://emiliarothe.com/
Instagram ↠ https://www.instagram.com/emiliarothe...
Tiktok ↠ https://www.tiktok.com/@emiliarothewr...
DEBUT NOVEL:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
A Canadian author & artist, she has a soft spot for messy, deeply flawed characters who desperately need therapy but have found each other instead.
Her debut standalone novel, Loverboy, is a dark MM romance focused on toxic codependency, mental illness, and a bond deep enough to draw blood for.
When she isn't busy writing, you can find her drawing, gaming, reading, or locked in on her next project.
She lives in Alberta, Canada, and is already hard at work on her second novel.
Website ↠ https://emiliarothe.com/
Instagram ↠ https://www.instagram.com/emiliarothe...
Tiktok ↠ https://www.tiktok.com/@emiliarothewr...
DEBUT NOVEL:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 4, 2026
4.2 ⭐️
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
format: ebook
i spent 50% of this book hating what i was reading, and 50% obsessed and not able to put it down. 100% uncomfy and horrified. but i was into it.
i—unfortunately—relate to milo a lot. this author did a phenomenal job of portraying bpd, and especially the more unlikeable parts of it. it was like looking into a mirror which i didn’t always enjoy but still appreciated the rep. i really like that the author was able to make me root for two characters who were frankly very icky. but i really adored the toxic codependency here and it was given in spades.
i do wish the pov’s felt a bit more balanced. jasper’s depression was hinted at but not fully explored. i feel like i left the book not fully knowing or understanding him. but i did like the way he loved and cared for milo.
also, justice for my sad boy oliver. please give him a book and someone to love him back.
spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
format: ebook
i spent 50% of this book hating what i was reading, and 50% obsessed and not able to put it down. 100% uncomfy and horrified. but i was into it.
i—unfortunately—relate to milo a lot. this author did a phenomenal job of portraying bpd, and especially the more unlikeable parts of it. it was like looking into a mirror which i didn’t always enjoy but still appreciated the rep. i really like that the author was able to make me root for two characters who were frankly very icky. but i really adored the toxic codependency here and it was given in spades.
i do wish the pov’s felt a bit more balanced. jasper’s depression was hinted at but not fully explored. i feel like i left the book not fully knowing or understanding him. but i did like the way he loved and cared for milo.
also, justice for my sad boy oliver. please give him a book and someone to love him back.
July 19, 2026
Loverboy is one of the most accurately written depictions of BPD I’ve ever encountered.
It was incredibly bittersweet and raw, not shying away from the ugly truth of what being this way can feel like, especially as a 30 something year old reader who like Milo, didn’t expect to make it past 18.
It’s a very emotionally charged debut novel and instantly made this author on my list of auto-buys.
I’m so grateful to have been given an ARC of a book that I had been pining over for months, and very happy that it lived up to my expectations.
The spicy is great, but this is a plot based book that had me tearing up multiple times and highlighting a ridiculous amount of lines that put my own feelings so perfectly into words.
Milo and Jasper have secured a permanent place in my heart. 🥹😭🤍
It was incredibly bittersweet and raw, not shying away from the ugly truth of what being this way can feel like, especially as a 30 something year old reader who like Milo, didn’t expect to make it past 18.
It’s a very emotionally charged debut novel and instantly made this author on my list of auto-buys.
I’m so grateful to have been given an ARC of a book that I had been pining over for months, and very happy that it lived up to my expectations.
The spicy is great, but this is a plot based book that had me tearing up multiple times and highlighting a ridiculous amount of lines that put my own feelings so perfectly into words.
Milo and Jasper have secured a permanent place in my heart. 🥹😭🤍
September 14, 2026
Milo + Jasper
-mm forbidden romance
-adoptive brothers
-trauma bond
-obsessive love
-hurt/comfort
-blood ritual
hehehehehe 🤭🤭🤭 giddy giggling over here cause DAAAMMMMNNNNN these two were soooo codependent & obsessed with each other…but like hey! it worked for them! haha love it!!
-mm forbidden romance
-adoptive brothers
-trauma bond
-obsessive love
-hurt/comfort
-blood ritual
hehehehehe 🤭🤭🤭 giddy giggling over here cause DAAAMMMMNNNNN these two were soooo codependent & obsessed with each other…but like hey! it worked for them! haha love it!!
September 3, 2026
3.75★
This is an excellent debut, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. Milo is a fantastic representation of BPD, and I related so hard to basically everything he experienced. The author wrote his mental spirals and thought processes so well, I felt like she had reached into my own brain sometimes
I really enjoyed Milo and Jasper’s dynamic too — the toxic codependency, the possessiveness, the jealousy, and how protective and caring they are of each other in their own twisted way. I love that Milo was never too much for Jasper, and that Jasper understood Milo’s needs to intuitively, and wanted to love him in the way he deserved to be loved.
I do think the pacing could use some work, as sometimes it lagged. I also would have loved to see Milo seek some proper mental health support by the end of the story, even if mental health systems had previously failed him. While being with a caring and patient partner can make all the difference, love isn’t enough. Oftentimes, the more in love you are, the more unstable your emotions become, so I just think that would have been important to show.
I also didn’t like the way both characters treated Oliver, bc he lowkey didn’t deserve that 😪
Overall though, this was a good read and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something taboo, codependent, and with accurate BPD rep.
This is an excellent debut, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. Milo is a fantastic representation of BPD, and I related so hard to basically everything he experienced. The author wrote his mental spirals and thought processes so well, I felt like she had reached into my own brain sometimes
I really enjoyed Milo and Jasper’s dynamic too — the toxic codependency, the possessiveness, the jealousy, and how protective and caring they are of each other in their own twisted way. I love that Milo was never too much for Jasper, and that Jasper understood Milo’s needs to intuitively, and wanted to love him in the way he deserved to be loved.
I do think the pacing could use some work, as sometimes it lagged. I also would have loved to see Milo seek some proper mental health support by the end of the story, even if mental health systems had previously failed him. While being with a caring and patient partner can make all the difference, love isn’t enough. Oftentimes, the more in love you are, the more unstable your emotions become, so I just think that would have been important to show.
I also didn’t like the way both characters treated Oliver, bc he lowkey didn’t deserve that 😪
Overall though, this was a good read and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something taboo, codependent, and with accurate BPD rep.
September 9, 2026
This book absolutely broke my heart then slowly mended it.
A story of two adoptive brothers (Milo and Jasper) and there toxic and all consuming love for each other
The mental health rep in this book was absolutely superb although I would've liked to have seen more of Jaspers depression.
I had a love hate relationship with Jasper, I hated what he did with Oliver and I also hated the way he treated/spoke to Milo but I also understand why he treated him the way he did. He loved him, he wanted him and he would do anything to make him his.
I did feel a bit sorry for Oliver so would love to see him get his HEA.
Excited to see what the author does next
A story of two adoptive brothers (Milo and Jasper) and there toxic and all consuming love for each other
The mental health rep in this book was absolutely superb although I would've liked to have seen more of Jaspers depression.
I had a love hate relationship with Jasper, I hated what he did with Oliver and I also hated the way he treated/spoke to Milo but I also understand why he treated him the way he did. He loved him, he wanted him and he would do anything to make him his.
I did feel a bit sorry for Oliver so would love to see him get his HEA.
Excited to see what the author does next
September 14, 2026
Milo and Jasper. I think this book sits somewhere between a 3 and 4. There were many parts of the book I enjoyed but I needed more.
I eagerly ate up the first half the book. I liked that this was a slow burn and we got a lot of push pull between Milo and Jasper. We spent a lot of time in Milo's head, watching him spiral, obsess and make bad decisions because his mind constantly played tricks on him. We learn about how Milo turns every lover he had into the object of his obsession to the point of driving them away and this is a huge insecurity for him. Jasper on the other hand has been pining for years, watching and waiting and taking every scrap of Milo's attention he can get.
At some point the repetitiveness of the internal thoughts and insecurities started to wear on me. By 75-85% in I started to loose some of my interest because it felt like we weren’t getting much character growth. Also the emotional payoff of a slow burn just wasn’t hitting for me. I was expecting a more intense physical connection and more emotional intimacy than what we got. I still stuck it out since I was still invested in where the story was going.
I think where the book fell short the most for me was we needed more showing instead of telling. For example we are told Jasper has depression and darkness he hides. That was never explored or shown in any tangible way. We are told Milo is into "freaky" stuff yet aside from one unplanned, bloody spice scene and some light choking things between Milo and Jasper were pretty tame. We are also told how social Milo is and how people are drawn to him yet aside from Jasper and his friend, Oliver, I don't think he had any conversations with other people outside of a few lines of dialogue, if that. It makes it that much harder to buy into these ideas when we are repeatedly told, but not shown.
All in all this is a pretty solid start for a debut novel. I think this author has a lot of potential.
I eagerly ate up the first half the book. I liked that this was a slow burn and we got a lot of push pull between Milo and Jasper. We spent a lot of time in Milo's head, watching him spiral, obsess and make bad decisions because his mind constantly played tricks on him. We learn about how Milo turns every lover he had into the object of his obsession to the point of driving them away and this is a huge insecurity for him. Jasper on the other hand has been pining for years, watching and waiting and taking every scrap of Milo's attention he can get.
At some point the repetitiveness of the internal thoughts and insecurities started to wear on me. By 75-85% in I started to loose some of my interest because it felt like we weren’t getting much character growth. Also the emotional payoff of a slow burn just wasn’t hitting for me. I was expecting a more intense physical connection and more emotional intimacy than what we got. I still stuck it out since I was still invested in where the story was going.
I think where the book fell short the most for me was we needed more showing instead of telling. For example we are told Jasper has depression and darkness he hides. That was never explored or shown in any tangible way. We are told Milo is into "freaky" stuff yet aside from one unplanned, bloody spice scene and some light choking things between Milo and Jasper were pretty tame. We are also told how social Milo is and how people are drawn to him yet aside from Jasper and his friend, Oliver, I don't think he had any conversations with other people outside of a few lines of dialogue, if that. It makes it that much harder to buy into these ideas when we are repeatedly told, but not shown.
All in all this is a pretty solid start for a debut novel. I think this author has a lot of potential.
August 31, 2026
I didn't like it, for a thousand reasons I swear. My worst curse will forever be my inability to leave a book unfinished.
September 18, 2026
I consider myself to be a pretty fast reader, especially if the book pulls me in, so the fact that this book took me five days to slog through is incredibly telling.
More than anything, I was bored! This book had a lot going for it, but it failed to keep my attention. I would read a little chunk, and then set it down for hours before convincing myself to go back and read it. There was never a moment where I felt fully captivated or invested in this book, the characters, or the romance.
I don’t have BPD, and I’m not super well-versed into what it is or what it looks like, but from what I’ve read from other reviews, this book hits the nail on the head and is very accurate! I appreciate when a specific subject is done right, so I have no complaints about the BPD portion of the book or Milo’s characteristics pertaining to his BPD. His cycle of thinking was manic and exhausting to read about, but not in a negative way. I can only imagine what it must be like to live with your thoughts constantly running in a negative loop like that.
My problem is, we meet Milo after his *attempt* and we don’t get to know him at all beforehand. We meet Jasper and get to know their relationship after this traumatic event, and I wish we’d gotten a glimpse of them and how they are before the fact. We got a flashback of them once and it was far more interesting and telling than any of their scenes together in the present! The fact is, this book was incredibly repetitive and after 30% of it, I was extremely bored.
Jasper is attentive and a caregiver to Milo, and Milo is self-destructive and unhinged. And that’s pretty much the whole story. I felt like there was very little growth from the first page to the end page in either character. I feel like their relationship dynamic was very off balance. It didn’t feel romantic to me, because the author spent so much time making us understand that Milo craves attention and craves a relationship, that it had me guessing whether or not he actually loved Jasper, or he just loved the attention that Jasper gave him.
It was very clear from the get go that Jasper had romantic feelings for Milo, but I was never given the impression that Milo ever saw Jasper that way until they started living with each other again and Jasper doted on Milo. Milo was very possessive over Jasper and dependent on Jasper, but that didn’t translate to romantic loved me. And given Milo’s BPD, being dependent on Jasper, and wanting all of his attention on him seems normal for his BPD and for anyone that gives him enough attention. It didn’t feel especially for Jasper, which is why I struggled with their romance. And if your character has to say over 70% into the book, that perhaps he was always in love with Jasper, and he never realized it, that doesn’t say love to me. That says that it wasn’t clear enough and you as the author have to spell it out for your audience.
I don’t want to be told that Milo has always had feelings for Jasper, and he never realized it, I want to read about it. I want to feel that for myself. There could’ve been a lot of moments that the author sprinkled in that Milo has always unconsciously held feelings for Jasper, and I simply got none of that in the book. It felt really jarring for Milo to suddenly start having feelings for Jasper when it felt like it was never even hinted that before. You can be obsessed with someone, and love their attention on you, and dependent on them, having romantic feelings for them. And that’s what I got from Milo the entire time.
There were some cute moments between them and I liked the banter that we got, and I especially liked that even though Jasper was a caretaker toward Milo, he still gave him shit. I do find it exhausting reading romance books, where one character is traumatized, and the other character’s whole personality is being loving and caring toward them and not having any other sort of dynamic. So I did find it refreshing that Jasper still gave Milo shit while also taking care of him.
I also liked the toxic obsession and codependency aspect of this book too. I’ll always eat that trope up, so that side of their dynamic didn’t bother me. I suppose I wish we had just gotten more of it. Not to compare books, but I did think of Dirty Love (my beloved) when I was reading this book, because it’s very similar in the sense of a toxic, codependent romance between brothers. I do wish that we had gotten the same level of unhinged toxicness that we got from that book into this book because I think it would’ve fit really well here.
I also wish that we had gotten more information about them in general. I think Jasper mentioned that their dad was kind of a piece of shit but still married to their mom? But we never meet him, and we really know nothing about him or their relationship with him. We kind of know how Milo got adopted into the family, but there wasn’t a lot of information and I was curious to know more. I wish we had gotten more of their dynamic with Blane and what his relationship was like with the two brothers.
I felt like so many things were glossed over just for the sake of us getting the same thing in every chapter. It felt like every chapter of this book was Milo having spiraling thoughts, and Jasper being obsessed with Milo. The story felt almost Baron when there was so much to dive into and I think that’s why I have such a disconnect with this book. I feel like I couldn’t connect with either character, I felt like the romance was very one-sided, and there was a lot of things that were told, but I couldn’t really feel them for myself.
The one character that I actually really enjoyed, was Oliver and he caught the shit end of the stick in this book. I understand, toxic romance and codependency, so I’m not mad that Jasper and Milo treated him so shitty, because that makes sense for their characters because they don’t give a shit about anyone but each other in themselves. But I feel like the author could’ve thrown all a bone. I hope that eventually she writes a book about Oliver so he can get someone to love because I felt really bad. Though, Oliver was actively cheating on his girlfriend and was with her when he had feelings for Milo, so I guess he’s not really an angel either 😅
Anyway, I wish this book hit harder for me than it did. I don’t wanna say that I hated it, because I didn’t hate it and I was interested enough to finish it, I just wish it held my attention more. I wish I could’ve felt the romance and liked it a lot more than I ended up liking.
More than anything, I was bored! This book had a lot going for it, but it failed to keep my attention. I would read a little chunk, and then set it down for hours before convincing myself to go back and read it. There was never a moment where I felt fully captivated or invested in this book, the characters, or the romance.
I don’t have BPD, and I’m not super well-versed into what it is or what it looks like, but from what I’ve read from other reviews, this book hits the nail on the head and is very accurate! I appreciate when a specific subject is done right, so I have no complaints about the BPD portion of the book or Milo’s characteristics pertaining to his BPD. His cycle of thinking was manic and exhausting to read about, but not in a negative way. I can only imagine what it must be like to live with your thoughts constantly running in a negative loop like that.
My problem is, we meet Milo after his *attempt* and we don’t get to know him at all beforehand. We meet Jasper and get to know their relationship after this traumatic event, and I wish we’d gotten a glimpse of them and how they are before the fact. We got a flashback of them once and it was far more interesting and telling than any of their scenes together in the present! The fact is, this book was incredibly repetitive and after 30% of it, I was extremely bored.
Jasper is attentive and a caregiver to Milo, and Milo is self-destructive and unhinged. And that’s pretty much the whole story. I felt like there was very little growth from the first page to the end page in either character. I feel like their relationship dynamic was very off balance. It didn’t feel romantic to me, because the author spent so much time making us understand that Milo craves attention and craves a relationship, that it had me guessing whether or not he actually loved Jasper, or he just loved the attention that Jasper gave him.
It was very clear from the get go that Jasper had romantic feelings for Milo, but I was never given the impression that Milo ever saw Jasper that way until they started living with each other again and Jasper doted on Milo. Milo was very possessive over Jasper and dependent on Jasper, but that didn’t translate to romantic loved me. And given Milo’s BPD, being dependent on Jasper, and wanting all of his attention on him seems normal for his BPD and for anyone that gives him enough attention. It didn’t feel especially for Jasper, which is why I struggled with their romance. And if your character has to say over 70% into the book, that perhaps he was always in love with Jasper, and he never realized it, that doesn’t say love to me. That says that it wasn’t clear enough and you as the author have to spell it out for your audience.
I don’t want to be told that Milo has always had feelings for Jasper, and he never realized it, I want to read about it. I want to feel that for myself. There could’ve been a lot of moments that the author sprinkled in that Milo has always unconsciously held feelings for Jasper, and I simply got none of that in the book. It felt really jarring for Milo to suddenly start having feelings for Jasper when it felt like it was never even hinted that before. You can be obsessed with someone, and love their attention on you, and dependent on them, having romantic feelings for them. And that’s what I got from Milo the entire time.
There were some cute moments between them and I liked the banter that we got, and I especially liked that even though Jasper was a caretaker toward Milo, he still gave him shit. I do find it exhausting reading romance books, where one character is traumatized, and the other character’s whole personality is being loving and caring toward them and not having any other sort of dynamic. So I did find it refreshing that Jasper still gave Milo shit while also taking care of him.
I also liked the toxic obsession and codependency aspect of this book too. I’ll always eat that trope up, so that side of their dynamic didn’t bother me. I suppose I wish we had just gotten more of it. Not to compare books, but I did think of Dirty Love (my beloved) when I was reading this book, because it’s very similar in the sense of a toxic, codependent romance between brothers. I do wish that we had gotten the same level of unhinged toxicness that we got from that book into this book because I think it would’ve fit really well here.
I also wish that we had gotten more information about them in general. I think Jasper mentioned that their dad was kind of a piece of shit but still married to their mom? But we never meet him, and we really know nothing about him or their relationship with him. We kind of know how Milo got adopted into the family, but there wasn’t a lot of information and I was curious to know more. I wish we had gotten more of their dynamic with Blane and what his relationship was like with the two brothers.
I felt like so many things were glossed over just for the sake of us getting the same thing in every chapter. It felt like every chapter of this book was Milo having spiraling thoughts, and Jasper being obsessed with Milo. The story felt almost Baron when there was so much to dive into and I think that’s why I have such a disconnect with this book. I feel like I couldn’t connect with either character, I felt like the romance was very one-sided, and there was a lot of things that were told, but I couldn’t really feel them for myself.
The one character that I actually really enjoyed, was Oliver and he caught the shit end of the stick in this book. I understand, toxic romance and codependency, so I’m not mad that Jasper and Milo treated him so shitty, because that makes sense for their characters because they don’t give a shit about anyone but each other in themselves. But I feel like the author could’ve thrown all a bone. I hope that eventually she writes a book about Oliver so he can get someone to love because I felt really bad. Though, Oliver was actively cheating on his girlfriend and was with her when he had feelings for Milo, so I guess he’s not really an angel either 😅
Anyway, I wish this book hit harder for me than it did. I don’t wanna say that I hated it, because I didn’t hate it and I was interested enough to finish it, I just wish it held my attention more. I wish I could’ve felt the romance and liked it a lot more than I ended up liking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2026
I believe Loverboy is the author’s debut, and WOW did this book blow me away! I’m very much in love with the writing style. Like, I would re-read this book for the writing style alone. Just saying.
When it comes to the relationship between Milo and Jasper, their multilayered, interwoven, blood-soaked love had my heart in a chokehold the whole book. Their banter is raw, dark and super cute. And BABY could I use a Jasper in my life!!
I read this book while going through a depressive episode and the boundlessness of Milo and Jasper’s love was healing to read.
I really enjoyed their story and would definitely recommend!
[MM, standalone, first-person, dual POV, adoptive brothers to lovers, hurt/comfort, slow burn, mental health representation, 2.5 🌶️(I do think most readers will have this at a 3), 4.4⭐️
When it comes to the relationship between Milo and Jasper, their multilayered, interwoven, blood-soaked love had my heart in a chokehold the whole book. Their banter is raw, dark and super cute. And BABY could I use a Jasper in my life!!
I read this book while going through a depressive episode and the boundlessness of Milo and Jasper’s love was healing to read.
I really enjoyed their story and would definitely recommend!
[MM, standalone, first-person, dual POV, adoptive brothers to lovers, hurt/comfort, slow burn, mental health representation, 2.5 🌶️(I do think most readers will have this at a 3), 4.4⭐️
September 10, 2026
This was a pretty damn good debut! Love the way the story unfolded, the characters, their relationship as brothers as well as lovers.
I don‘t know nothing about BPD or other mental health issues for that matter. So all I can ever say is if the representation feels authentic to me and the authors writing did in ever single way.
I did think this was more of a spicy read since taboo books tend to be that way. And there was spice, some at least, good one also. 🌶️🌶️ But this book was actually way more plot driven and I was here for it.
For me personally it was a slow burn (though they always wanted each other) and I loved it because I usually get bored if they jump each other right from the start. So this definitely was a different kind of taboo book in a absolutely positive way.
Jasper and Milo are perfect for each other and I think everyone needs someone like Jasper, someone who gets you, wants and loves you just the way you are, with every quirk. 🖤
The only thing that gutted me was the way both of them treated Oliver. Damn, this man did nothing wrong (besides cheating on his gf, which I may overlook because I usually don‘t say no to a cheating trope so I‘m not gonna act hypocritical here). Anyway I know he‘s a good guy and come on they were BEST FRIENDS! I really need justice for this boy, meaning I‘d love his own book, his own love story and happy ending. Please? 🥹
I don‘t know nothing about BPD or other mental health issues for that matter. So all I can ever say is if the representation feels authentic to me and the authors writing did in ever single way.
I did think this was more of a spicy read since taboo books tend to be that way. And there was spice, some at least, good one also. 🌶️🌶️ But this book was actually way more plot driven and I was here for it.
For me personally it was a slow burn (though they always wanted each other) and I loved it because I usually get bored if they jump each other right from the start. So this definitely was a different kind of taboo book in a absolutely positive way.
Jasper and Milo are perfect for each other and I think everyone needs someone like Jasper, someone who gets you, wants and loves you just the way you are, with every quirk. 🖤
The only thing that gutted me was the way both of them treated Oliver. Damn, this man did nothing wrong (besides cheating on his gf, which I may overlook because I usually don‘t say no to a cheating trope so I‘m not gonna act hypocritical here). Anyway I know he‘s a good guy and come on they were BEST FRIENDS! I really need justice for this boy, meaning I‘d love his own book, his own love story and happy ending. Please? 🥹
September 22, 2026
This book was exhausting as the reader. Milo’s internal monologue was excruciating because we can all relate to our brains playing tricks on us, but on this level?! A quote from Jasper that explains it perfectly: “I could only imagine how exhausted he must have been, jumping from one conclusion to the next, convincing himself that it was true.” These characters are perfect for each other but I can’t say it’s healthy 🤷🏻♀️
My rating is low not because of writing style or the authors portrayal of mental illness—because despite it making me uncomfy I think it was well written—I just didn’t get any enjoyment out of reading this. Also I really don’t like blood play like this 🙅🏻♀️ ⚠️ 🩸
My rating is low not because of writing style or the authors portrayal of mental illness—because despite it making me uncomfy I think it was well written—I just didn’t get any enjoyment out of reading this. Also I really don’t like blood play like this 🙅🏻♀️ ⚠️ 🩸
September 12, 2026
Did someone say toxic, co dependent, red flags with a side of taboo because they’re adoptive brothers? This MM romance features some characters that are dealing with some heavy stuff and they’re not always going to be likeable but you can’t help but cheer for them regardless. It’s got some dark themes so ⚠️check your TWS⚠️ before proceeding.
Milo’s only plan was to end it all after the end of his relationship sends him spiraling. But after a failed attempt at ending his life, his brother Jasper ends up moving in to keep a closer eye on him. All Milo really wants is to be the centre of someone’s universe, but their close proximity leaves Jasper fighting back the feelings he’s not allowed to have. Every day spent in their cramped apartment proves that to be more difficult than he could’ve anticipated.
Milo’s only plan was to end it all after the end of his relationship sends him spiraling. But after a failed attempt at ending his life, his brother Jasper ends up moving in to keep a closer eye on him. All Milo really wants is to be the centre of someone’s universe, but their close proximity leaves Jasper fighting back the feelings he’s not allowed to have. Every day spent in their cramped apartment proves that to be more difficult than he could’ve anticipated.
September 13, 2026
Well, I both loved and hated this book.. so that's a sign of a very good read, right?!
The mental health in this book was a lot, and wow did it make me sympathise with Milo so much. His internal struggles and battles with his own mind and life around him were so hard to read at times, but Jasper.. wow, was Jasper there for him.
Rightly or wrongly, their relationship was what I absolutely love in a book. Possession, spice, banter.. it had everything, in spades!
All in all I really enjoyed this book, even the hard parts.
“Because I’d die for you,” he said it so simply. “I’d die with you if you asked. I’d dig a grave deep enough for the two of us and climb inside, if that meant always being with you.”
The mental health in this book was a lot, and wow did it make me sympathise with Milo so much. His internal struggles and battles with his own mind and life around him were so hard to read at times, but Jasper.. wow, was Jasper there for him.
Rightly or wrongly, their relationship was what I absolutely love in a book. Possession, spice, banter.. it had everything, in spades!
All in all I really enjoyed this book, even the hard parts.
“Because I’d die for you,” he said it so simply. “I’d die with you if you asked. I’d dig a grave deep enough for the two of us and climb inside, if that meant always being with you.”
Read
September 4, 2026“i don’t want to fix you, i want to love you.”
bpd rep, toxic codependency, and adoptive brothers? thank you for the delicious meal 🙏🏼
bpd rep, toxic codependency, and adoptive brothers? thank you for the delicious meal 🙏🏼
September 11, 2026
Reading Milo and Jasper’s story felt less like reading a fictional story and more like looking into a mirror of a chaotic, overactive mind. Seeing that level of raw, messy vulnerability represented so accurately, it was almost too intense. The childhood blood ritual and their deeply taboo, obsessive bond kept me hooked. I physically couldn't put it down because I was so desperate to see if they would find peace.
The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because, the toxic codependency got a bit exhausting by the end. 😴
The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because, the toxic codependency got a bit exhausting by the end. 😴
September 20, 2026
Very neutral about this, I didn’t really feel any kind of strong emotion while reading. The writing style was fine and the book wasn’t bad. I just felt nothing while reading it.
September 7, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loverboy was my very first beta read, and also my first time reading an MM taboo romance! 👀🔥 It was definitely a different reading experience for me, but one I enjoyed.
This book is spicy, dark, emotional, and definitely dives into some heavy and complicated territory. The relationship and characters won’t be for everyone, so I highly recommend checking the trigger/content warnings before going in.
Overall, I thought it was a good book and I’m really glad I got to experience it as my first beta read. If you’re into dark, taboo, character-driven MM romance, this one might be worth checking out!
Loverboy was my very first beta read, and also my first time reading an MM taboo romance! 👀🔥 It was definitely a different reading experience for me, but one I enjoyed.
This book is spicy, dark, emotional, and definitely dives into some heavy and complicated territory. The relationship and characters won’t be for everyone, so I highly recommend checking the trigger/content warnings before going in.
Overall, I thought it was a good book and I’m really glad I got to experience it as my first beta read. If you’re into dark, taboo, character-driven MM romance, this one might be worth checking out!
September 9, 2026
4⭐️
1.5🌶️
This is a really great debut novel. It’s well written and the it’s a very realistic representation of Borderline Personality Disorder. The relationship between the ‘brothers’ is co-dependent and toxic. This is low spice but high sexual tension. You definitely need to check your triggers if you have any.
MM Dark Forbidden Romance
Adoptive Brothers
Co-Dependency
Possessive MMCs
Blood used as Lube
Mental Health Rep
1.5🌶️
This is a really great debut novel. It’s well written and the it’s a very realistic representation of Borderline Personality Disorder. The relationship between the ‘brothers’ is co-dependent and toxic. This is low spice but high sexual tension. You definitely need to check your triggers if you have any.
MM Dark Forbidden Romance
Adoptive Brothers
Co-Dependency
Possessive MMCs
Blood used as Lube
Mental Health Rep
September 8, 2026
unlike any other.
This book is unlike any I've read it before, although it's hard to define why.
There's no monster in the shadows, no great enemy to defeat and yet I couldn't put it down. There's something about Loverboy that feels relatable on a personal level. The mental health struggles are real and I understand them in a way that doesn't feel fictional.
They're people like us.
This book is unlike any I've read it before, although it's hard to define why.
There's no monster in the shadows, no great enemy to defeat and yet I couldn't put it down. There's something about Loverboy that feels relatable on a personal level. The mental health struggles are real and I understand them in a way that doesn't feel fictional.
They're people like us.
September 8, 2026
5♾️⭐️
“Because I’d die for you. I’d die with you if you asked.I’d dig a grave deep enough for the two of us and climb inside, if that meant always being with you”
Milo & Jasper just wow. I was at work looking for the shift to end so I can go read😂 I love everything about it the slow burn, the red flags🚩oopsies😂 for a debut novel this was just woww🔝
“Because I’d die for you. I’d die with you if you asked.I’d dig a grave deep enough for the two of us and climb inside, if that meant always being with you”
Milo & Jasper just wow. I was at work looking for the shift to end so I can go read😂 I love everything about it the slow burn, the red flags🚩oopsies😂 for a debut novel this was just woww🔝
September 5, 2026
Loved the way the author handled Milo’s mental health and the way Jasper saw the person underneath of it and fell in love anyways. Sometimes all a person needs is somebody who won’t give up on them. 💙
August 28, 2026
Love for Loverboy
Loverboy is a story of real struggle many Canadians experience but never speak about.
Abandoned and neglected by the mental health system in our country. It is a reality of suffering, self doubt and isolation with a shining beacon of hope.
Love isn't always easy and it's not always pretty. But love can be the one shred of light that helps keep you tethered to this life, and the hope that tomorrow can be just a little bit better.
You won't find a tidy resolution in this ending. Just a real, resolute determination to take every day, one day at a time.
A true representation of what it means to continue pushing through this turbulence of life.
With love and compliments for Emilia Rothe.
Loverboy is a story of real struggle many Canadians experience but never speak about.
Abandoned and neglected by the mental health system in our country. It is a reality of suffering, self doubt and isolation with a shining beacon of hope.
Love isn't always easy and it's not always pretty. But love can be the one shred of light that helps keep you tethered to this life, and the hope that tomorrow can be just a little bit better.
You won't find a tidy resolution in this ending. Just a real, resolute determination to take every day, one day at a time.
A true representation of what it means to continue pushing through this turbulence of life.
With love and compliments for Emilia Rothe.
September 1, 2026
This has been the most accurate representation of borderline personality disorder I have ever witnessed in my entire life. The thoughts Milo had were the exact same ones I’ve had and I’ve never felt so close to a character. The way Jasper reassured Milo and never lost his patience really warmed something in my soul. I hope one day to have someone love me the way Jasper Loves Milo.
August 31, 2026
Okay I have many thoughts. As someone with BPD and someone who has attempted *you know what*, I love this for Milo. But as someone who is self aware, Jasper seems very eager to enable Milo’s mental illness. BPD is irrational, it can make you a toxic person if you let it. And it very much seems like Jasper WANTS Milo to be toxic.
In one of their conversations, Milo mentions how he didn’t want his ex girlfriend to have ANY friends other than him, and Jasper freely welcomes that. That is not a healthy relationship, and glorifying that is troubling to me. I’m all for unrealistic, OTT behavior in my romance books, but when you’re trying to highlight a real mental illness that real people have and struggle with, you have to be very careful with it.
In one of their conversations, Milo mentions how he didn’t want his ex girlfriend to have ANY friends other than him, and Jasper freely welcomes that. That is not a healthy relationship, and glorifying that is troubling to me. I’m all for unrealistic, OTT behavior in my romance books, but when you’re trying to highlight a real mental illness that real people have and struggle with, you have to be very careful with it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Let me just start off by saying I absolutely adored this book and definitely became one of my top reads this year. I had the honor of being able to beta read this for a up-and-coming author. This book follows Milo who has BPD and Jasper who is always there to pick up the pieces and put Milo back together, I absolutely love these two and how well they fit together.
It does have some heavy topics so always always check the trigger warnings. This book has all the feelings, I cried and laughed and even got mad and wanted to cross my kindle across the room 😂😂😂
Releases August 28th and it a must ad to your tbr
It does have some heavy topics so always always check the trigger warnings. This book has all the feelings, I cried and laughed and even got mad and wanted to cross my kindle across the room 😂😂😂
Releases August 28th and it a must ad to your tbr
September 8, 2026
I adore this book. As someone with BPD there are so many moments where I see myself in Milo, for better or worse. The way this book handles the often overused or misrepresented view of mental health is so refreshing. It really captures the raw feeling behind it and doesn't just use it as a cheap selling point like I have seen far too often. It's so well written and I loved reading it,I actually read the whole thing in one long sitting while listening to a playlist of songs meeting the vibe. I hope the author knows how much I loved this book. I hope to see a lot more of them in the future.
September 14, 2026
Fuck this is so good. 😭 These two are so fucking BROKE and I love them for it.
And HE IS SO FUCKING NEEDY. Like… he’s reading… "aren’t I more important? I want to be held and kissed" NOW. Sir. 🤣🤣🤣
“I want to kiss him then punch him then kiss him again.”
YES. EXACTLY.
“I want to be soft with you.”
“I don’t like that.”
I laughed so fucking hard I woke up my husband. 🤣🤣🤣
Anyway. 5 stars. No thoughts. Just these two disasters and me giggling like an idiot.
And HE IS SO FUCKING NEEDY. Like… he’s reading… "aren’t I more important? I want to be held and kissed" NOW. Sir. 🤣🤣🤣
“I want to kiss him then punch him then kiss him again.”
YES. EXACTLY.
“I want to be soft with you.”
“I don’t like that.”
I laughed so fucking hard I woke up my husband. 🤣🤣🤣
Anyway. 5 stars. No thoughts. Just these two disasters and me giggling like an idiot.
Read
August 31, 2026I am choosing not to give this a rating.
I did not like this. Milo was completely insufferable. I did read the triggers, but maybe I didn't fully understand? I fully admit that I am not educated enough to judge the BPD representation and I don't know that I have read it enough that judge.
This just was not for me.
I did not like this. Milo was completely insufferable. I did read the triggers, but maybe I didn't fully understand? I fully admit that I am not educated enough to judge the BPD representation and I don't know that I have read it enough that judge.
This just was not for me.
September 20, 2026
Very well executed portrayal of mental health issues and the repetition of self loathing. Milo was a mess and he wavered between trying and wanting to give up. Very honest. It was toxic and fucked up, and I loved their relationship. Their banter. I did want more detail of how much of a mess Jasper was though.
Overall, a great book.
Overall, a great book.
September 8, 2026
I liked this but this was exhausting. The author did a phenomenal job of representing BPD but it was almost overwhelming to a point and not something I personally care to read. 50ish percent absolutely killed and crushed me. I love, possessive and codependent characters and I understand why Oliver was treated the way he was- because they were so obsessed with one another that everyone else was disregarded, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to read. Didn’t hate, didn’t love. 3 stars!
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