Something Like Rain

Something Like #9

by Jay Bell

Nice guys finish last, but that doesn’t mean they give up the fight.William Townson is a good person. He’s kind, considerate, and the last thing he ever wanted was to hurt anyone. Accidents happen though, and when they do, all that can be done is to pick up the pieces. For William, this means trying to hold together a stagnant relationship while resisting the temptation of Jason Grant, a young man with eyes just as intense as his love. Only the future can promise redemption for mistakes of the past, forcing William to choose between the Coast Guard and the needs of his heart. Can he find his way through the downpour to somewhere warm and dry?Something like Rain is the latest installment of the Something Like… series, bringing shape to another character’s life while checking in with those from previous books.Each Something Like... book follows a different LGBTQ character on their quest for love. Central to the plot is the troubled relationship between Ben and Tim, former high school sweethearts who continue to meet over the years, their chemistry changing with each encounter. Surrounding them are friends and enemies, each with their own story, resulting in an immersive universe filled with first times and second chances. While the series doesn't shy away from sex, it also focuses deeply on emotion, promising an experience that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.This book is intended for mature audiences. The recommended reading age is 18 or older.

Genres: M M Romance, LGBT, Romance, Gay, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

506 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2016

About the author

Jay Bell is a proud gay man and the award-winning author behind dozens of emotional and yet hopelessly optimistic stories. His best-selling book, Something Like Summer, spawned a series of heart-wrenching novels, a musically driven movie, and a lovingly drawn comic. When not crafting imaginary worlds, he occupies his free time with animals, art, action figures, and—most ardently—his husband Andreas. Jay is always dreaming up new stories about boys in love. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you can get the kettle boiling by visiting www.jaybellbooks.com.

Reviews

[Ryan Santle · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @48%

I am a huge fan of the Something Like Series. Everyone here on GR knew that. If you look at my reviews, I am very passionate about discussing it.

But I am at a loss for words for this book. I just can't. I don't even know where to start! I really tried to finish this. I am never a fan of skipping chapters or books. For me, it's either go through with it or stop.

It's breaking my heart that I have to stop right here since this is my favorite series, but I just can't accept the idea being presented in this book. I can't breathe in anxiety as I read the last chapter that I tolerated. My very core principles are being tugged at by this book and ugh, I just can't.... As I read pages after pages, my brows crease and I have to double-check if I have read things correctly. A BIG WTF in so many parts.

I actually wrote 2 pages of review already with only 48% done intending to narrow it down after I have read the entire book, but I'll just have to archive it for now and revisit it if I decide to pick this one again in the future. I am very familiar with how things will go anyway so picking it up again won't be a problem.

But for now, I'll beg off. I am shocked, since I am very passionate about this series but I. Just. cannot.

[Salsera1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, as usual, but I cannot fathom why Jay Bell is so fascinated with the character of William and his story. So much so, that we've now seen his story in "Spring," "Lightning," and "Rain," and apparently, a fourth book is on the way. The central characters in the series, Ben and Tim, will end up having received less focus, and they not only have more interesting stories, they are more compelling characters than William. I'm honestly tired of exploring his life, I don't even remotely find his love story with Jason worthy of three books, and I wouldn't be disappointed if the author moved on.

I think fans of the series will probably really like it - it's trademark Jay: sweet, well-written, lots of appearances from characters you know and love. But William is such an uninteresting character to me that I refused to re-read the story of him and Kelly (I sided with Kelly in "Lightning" and didn't care to learn about William's POV), didn't care to re-read about the way he fell in love with Jason, and skimmed the new stuff so I could just be done. Knowing that another book about him is on the way is taking me out of the series, and that's a shame. I always want to circle back to Ben and Tim, but if William is the path, I may need to pass.

[Leandro · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, I need to congratulate Jay Bell for making me love this series, otherwise I would have never read a book as annoying as this one.
Second of all, I. Hate. William. This sucks, because I genuinely like Jason, but William is the worst character of the series in my opinion, and reading this book tested every string of my nerves and my determination. I basically never dnf a book, but this book made me seriously reconsider it.
Three quarters of it was roughly repeated story with little to no addition to the other versions of it.
When the story FINALLY started showing new things, it was just more of William being William, which means that he was most of the time trying to do the right thing the wrong way. This gets on my nerves more than people who do evil from the beginning because at least they are being honest. To me, people who are like William end up doing more harm than people who intentionally try to do it.
I just hope I never have to put up with too much of him again in future books (or with anyone similar in real life), I've had enough of him for a lifetime.

[Mark Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The simple fact that I’m reviewing the pre-release Patreon edition of Rain no doubt dilutes my objectivity. I’m an unabashed fan of Jay Bell’s work in general and the Something Like series in particular.

If you happen to share my passion, know that Rain makes a satisfying addition. It touches and expands upon the ongoing plots, reacquaints us with beloved characters, and introduces several outright surprises. Really, why are you wasting time with reviews? Just go buy the book and start enjoying.

However if you’re new to the Something Like universe, do yourself a favor and resist diving in here. As much as I love Rain, I strongly believe you’ll enjoy your journey more by starting with the delightful first and soon-to-be-motion-picture Something Like Summer. You can thank me later.

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entry in the series follows along with the events that transpire between William, Jason and Kelly, all from William's perspective. I'm really excited that I won't have to read about how fucking terrible Kelly is again from anyone else's perspective...lol
I love William. He's one of my favorite of the boys. I'm eager to see where everything ends up.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: This book was provided to me through Hearts on Fire Reviews in exchange for an impartial review.

I have to admit that partway through section one of this book, I had to put it down and I let it sit for months before picking it back up. I nearly put it away as a DNF, but decided to give it another try when Something Like Hail was released. I’m so glad I did because this is what happened when I picked it back up: I began to be interested in William’s life, and I began to like the story, and then I began to love it, and then I realized that the reason I didn’t like it sooner was that I did not allow myself to appreciate the character of William as he was written. And he was written realistically—with all his teenage hormones raging out of control, his anger at his family issues, including his father’s abandonment, and his anger at Kelly who seemed spiteful and needy and emotionally stifling. And then his petty, nasty, and dangerous fight with Kelly in the car that led to their accident.

Afterwards, his character went through a period of depression and disenchantment with his life, including his time with Kelly, but he was committed, albeit foolishly, to sticking with Kelly through all his ups and downs, including Kelly’s now emotionally needy and smothering love-hate for William. It wasn’t until meeting Jason Grant at the LGBTQ youth center meeting that William started to change, and it was then I realized I had been witnessing a teenager struggling with major adult life-changing situations all on his own, without a strong family support system. No wonder he was always making terrible decisions. So I apologize for halting this story when I did but my eyes were finally opened, and I kept them open the rest of the way through the book.

Mind you—I didn’t necessarily like William for quite a while, but I could see where he was coming from, and my heart broke for him as I witnessed his dedication to becoming the best rescue swimmer the Coast Guard had ever known, and yet struggling with the decision to even join since it would mean leaving Jason behind. And then the years apart when he thought he was being selfless by letting Jason go, his own foray into the waters of being an out gay man after DADT, and ultimately his return to Austin.

This story should be read in sequence with others in the series as there are so many overlapping characters, including one or two from past stories that the author cleverly (and surprisingly!) wove into this one. But most of all because of Ben and Tim, who are so very much in love, so sweet and smart together, so much fun, and such good examples of maturity and rock-solid commitment. Ben and Tim make Jason’s life safe and secure, and a major portion of that rubs off on William. Knowing a couple as solid as they are, and their backstory of all they’ve been through, gave Jason and William a prime example of a goal for their own future.

I won’t say how this ends, just that there is a really special event at the end of this book that shouldn’t be missed by any lover of this series, and that there is a HFN for William and his heart’s desire. We also get a measure of closure for Kelly, another pleasant surprise for William, and a nice wrap for most the characters we’ve come to love.

I definitely recommend this book as a necessary step in the series, with the caveat that readers be aware that for much of this story, William is not a lovable character, and he makes some mighty stupid mistakes, but he also recognizes his weaknesses, learns from his mistakes, and grows in maturity and strength of character as the story progresses.

[li (stupid canadian wolf bird fanatic) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel I might get hanged for this but I can't stand William. The premise is him being a good guy, too sweet, wanting the best for everyone but he isn't? He is an absolute asshole, one of those guys that whine over why people are so mean to them when truly they treat others like crap. He should be in jail for the car "accident" and no Coast Guard should have him in it since he clearly has severe mental issues he doesn't seek therapy for. He cheats. He lies. He cares nothing about others. I love Jay Bell and his books but I honestly skipped parts in this one because William makes me sick. What he did to Kelly, the gala, what he did to Jason and the whole plot with Lily is just.... yikes. I would be happy if I never had to read about him again or at least SOMEONE CALLING HIM OUT MORE. People do messed up shit but all the people so far gets "punished" for it or it is clear they messed up - William is still treated like a golden boy. No thanks. When re-reading the series I will skip this because I keep getting more and more annoyed the more I read about William.

[Nastassia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was mostly boring so the length of the book was far too long for me, I almost dnfed. I didn’t really enjoy any specific character so my level of investment in the story wasn’t all that high but I read on because I was curious about how the book would end. The whole plot reminded me of a soap opera to be honest, so I skimmed a good few times.

I like this author so I was surprised that I had a problem getting into this book. I was annoyed with the plot and some of the actions characters as I read, some things seem so unnecessary and some of the characters so unpleasant for most of their character growth/development.
Although it didn’t end in tragedy, my usual satisfaction was absent and only a “finally I finished the book” feeling was left.

So basically for me it’s an okay read that almost became a dnf, I wish I’d had a better experience but it happens.

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tired. I tried really hard. But I've never like William and I don't want to read a book about him. And I feel like I'm not getting anything new from this one unlike Winter, Autumn, Lighting, and Thunder. So bored even though I got half way through.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we are, the 7th book in the Something Like... series (the 8th if you count Something Like Stories Vol. 1), and this time, we get to revisit some of our favorite characters through William's eyes. While I felt the book was nearly as engaging as Jay Bell's previous outings in this series, and while I did get choked up at several points, there were two things that caused me to knock off a star after giving all the other Something Like... books five of them.

1. Jay spent way too much time rehashing William's time with Kelly. Yes, it was important to character development to see the situation from William's perspective, and it was a defining relationship in William's immediate post-coming-out period. However, we, the readers, didn't need nearly 250 pages about William and Kelly when we had already read so much about them in Something Like Spring and Something Like Lightning.

2. I've never really connected with William as a character. I think part of it is that he frustrates me by making the same mistakes over and over, thinking that this will be different and what he's doing will turn out to be the right thing, even though it never has been in the past. And while William rationalizes a lot of his actions as being sweet or well-meaning, in essence, they're incredibly self-serving. Time and time again, he thinks he knows what's best for others without asking them and forges ahead with actions that have serious consequences for both him and other people in his life. No one is a saint, and all of us do things to protect our own self-interest, but William repeatedly tries to cloak that in some notion of nobility and then doesn't understand why others get hurt.

In short, most of the other characters' flaws (especially Ben and Tim's) have ended up adding to the narrative arc of the series. With William, the reader is left with a sense of hair-pulling frustration that never really goes away.

All of that sounds rather negative, but rest assured that this book didn't "let me down" or "ruin the series" for me. It simply wasn't up to par compared with its companion books, and I'm still eagerly looking forward to where Jay takes the series next.

[Iuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before starting, I'd read a very hard critique on the book, something like "OMG I HATED IT EVERYTHING WAS SO WRONG!!!!111!!". So I was worried.

I love Willian. He's one of my book boyfriends since Spring. And Jay has this thing of changing how you feel about a character. I hated Tim when I first read Summer. Then I understood and respected him after Winter. I loved Jace since he first came into picture, but I was a bit "meh, he's just too perfect" after Autumn. I hated Kelly on Spring. And on Lighting. Also on Thunder. Still hate him now. =D Reading through the first half of Rain was hard because I still can't stand Kelly.

But Willian... Well, I didn't want to change how I felt about him, because he was GOOD. And nice. The world is always so short on nice people, that I wanted him to stay like that. And after reading Rain, I'm pleased to say he's still the nicest man ever written, thank you.

But, of course, as everything in Jay Bell's world, it comes with a price and he changed for me. Because now I feel that all his niceness comes from a very selfish place. Like he wanted to be the nicest one not because of the other person's good, but because of how that made him feel about himself. It felt like that when he left Jason to follow his dream of being a Coastie. Then again when he pushed Jason away, it felt like he'd done so because he didn't want to feel like he was keeping Jason from being happy. And again when he came back, because he missed Jason. Now that's how Willian'll be for me... A nice and selfish young man. Thank you for ruining this unhealty pretend relationship I had, Mr. Bell.

No spoilers here, but it kinda changes by the last two chapters or so. Jason was the "selfish" one and Willian was willing to give up his dream so they could be together. That's how Jay's books are. The characters are really human and full of flaws. And now I'm more into Jason than I was in Spring... He's more of an honest good man for me than I thought at first.

I now just hope Jay doesn't give Caesar the next book. He's horrible. I wanna hate him in peace. I'm trying to pretend that part of the book never happened.

[Jeffrey Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay once wrote that happy couples are boring couples and he's probably right. Still, one of the things I was most looking forward to with Something Like Rain was getting to spend more time with Ben and Tim. Ben was noticeably absent from Lightning and Thunder. He is the heart of the whole series and I was looking forward to seeing him through William's eyes. I wasn't disappointed. William's fetish for all things Ben and Tim kept me smiling through the last third of the book. But wait, this is William and Jason's story, so let's back up.

Rain is the retelling of the Jason, William and Kelly triangle through William's eyes. Jason's story left me firmly on team Jilliam (WillJa?) and nothing in Kelly's version changed my mind. In fact, one of the most surprising things about William's story is how much more sympathetic Kelly comes across. As much as it pains me to admit it, I found myself liking the guy. Another surprising thing was how difficult it was for me to read about William being with other people. I actually had to speed-read through those parts, because I felt disloyal to Jason--even though the Adam and Steve sex scene was a real scorcher.

I'm amazed that on the third telling of the tale Jay keeps finding ways to surprise, frustrate and delight readers. [I've grown to love the moments of frustration, because they always lead to these epic, emotional moments where all is forgiven.] If you've read the rest of the series then you have probably already added this one to your to do list. Do yourself a favor and move it to the top of that list. If you skipped Lightning and Thunder, because you are put off by Kelly, you'll be glad to know you can pick right up with Rain without being confused. If you haven't read any of the books then book yourself on a cruise and take all eight of them with you. I promise you will be in very good company, even if you never leave your room.

For the rest of us who are totally up to date on the boys from Austin, we are anxiously waiting to see where Jay takes us next.

[Jye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, this book whilst it was written just as well was boring as hell. I could not get into William as a character, he just seemed dull and a total snoozefest. I didn't go too much on him back in Spring, but as he was not the main character it wasn't too bad.

William is set up to be a good guy, in a series with people complete with flaws I believe William was meant to be considered the best of them. Sadly this wasn't the case. He was just as bad as young (and oldish) Tim. I did not think there would be a character that I found worse then Tim. But apparently I could. That stated I have to say, outside of his relationships with his friends and family William was an excellent character, I could have read about his time in the Coast Guard for hours.

In his mind, William was all about being honest, and faithful and a good partner. But he rarely actually succeeded at this. I found that he was actually the complete opposite of everything he believed in. Unlike all the other characters I found that he didn't evolve throughout the course of the book, he was basically the same guy throughout its entirety.

Also his thing for Ben and Tim was a bit creepy. But geeze, that scene with Steve was probably the best one in this entire series so far

Don't get me wrong, it was still an excellent book. But I would probably skip half of it when it came to my next read through the series.

[Regis · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite book of the series. As well documented, I can't stand Kelly. That he is a prominent figure in the first half of the book does nothing to increase my enjoyment. Next problem, Jason. While I understand his issues, by the end of the book, he comes off as a selfish, petulant child. If I were William, I would have said sayonara long ago. My last, and probably biggest complaint? William sleeping with Lily. Why is this crutch leaned on so often in the M/M genre? Am so tired of characters questioning their sexuality as a plot device. It's sickening. There are definitely more organic ways to throw a baby in the mix. All that aside, William's sweet, giant heart, and adorable nature rescue this tale from complete pointlessness.

[JN · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Something Like series, but this one was a bit frustrating for me. When I found out William was getting his own book, I was really excited to learn about his four years in the Coast Guard. Instead, over 50% of the book rehashed the William-Kelly-Jason love triangle that we'd already read about in Spring and Lightning and only a couple dozen pages discussed William's time in the Coast Guard. Once we got to the Coast Guard portion of the story, it picked up and I enjoyed his story more from that point on. Overall, I felt like this was the weakest in the series.

[Anna Solomonov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Something Like Rain and I wanted to give it 4.5 stars.
The others books in this series were amazing and this one isn't an exception but I didn't like the whole Lily-is-getting-pregnant thing I believe that the book would be better without it.
But still its an amazing book and I can't wait for the next one!

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading an early release copy of this book, since I'm a Patreon supporter. I just love whenever I get to revisit this beautiful world that Jay Bell has built, with characters that I have a such an emotional connection to. I want everyone to find their happy places! William's story was one I was definitely looking forward to and it didn't disappoint.

[BookDragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is everyone complaining about William?! There are far less likable characters in this series and I enjoy him quite a bit. Granted this book/storyline was a bit of a stretch at times but I still really enjoyed it.

[nana · Rating 1 out of 5]

quem aguenta o william meu deus

[VVivacious · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems like I have been reading this book forever, even though it's only been three days, I guess that's just how much of an emotional roller coaster it's been.

Since I read this series somewhat out of order, this is the very last book in this series for me, I have read everything published before and since and can I just say, that this book really felt like a punishment for reading this series out of order because of that ending. Oh My God! I am definitely going to have to re-read some parts of Stories, Volume Two to give myself some peace because that ending was just too much.

I always knew this was William's story but considering I had never been as invested in him as a character before, it was easy to just keep putting it off, so imagine my surprise when I start to read this book and am taken completely by surprise by how awesome it is. Hands down, this is one of my most favourite books in the series and that was so unexpected that it completely blindsided me.

I want to talk about this book so much but I doubt I can do so without spoiling stuff. Even talking about events that we already learnt about in Spring and Lightning feel spoiler-y because this book single-handedly made me re-experience everything I thought I knew all over again.

I feel like that is the real charm of this series, that even though all the books in this series can be read on their own, reading them one after the other, brings in that element of having your perspective shift in a very tangible manner, like you can almost feel the gears in your brain turning to accommodate all the new information you are being given with all that you previously knew, to get a whole new picture which is truly a surreal experience that I have only ever experienced with this series.

This book is written from William's perspective and focuses on the second love triangle of this series which is Kelly, William and Jason. What was the most unexpected and wonderful thing about this book is that it picks up before William and Kelly get together. This was so astounding because it was only as I was reading about them getting together that I realised that Lightning is mostly focused on their relationship after the accident and therefore all of what I was reading still felt very much like uncharted territory. I didn't think I remembered anything about how William and Kelly got together and even worse was getting to see Kelly with so many dreams in his eyes, because it made the accident that many times worse. I somehow didn't expect to be hit with as many feels as I was because I completely wasn't prepared for Kelly. Kelly was an immense part of this book and William's life, their relationship takes up the entire first half of this book and I just wasn't prepared for everything this particular relationship entailed because it was intense.

In fact, I cried so much during the first half of the book that the second half was a joy to read in contrast even though this book is truly torturous, there are so many ups and downs and they don't stop till the very last page, so be forewarned there is a lot happening in this book.

This book really made me love Kelly, William and Jason. In fact I realised that I love Kelly a whole lot more than I realised, I mean Tim has some real competition this time around. But, I feel like I must mention the wonders this book does for Jason, Spring really doesn't help his character, but just understanding everything he goes through in his life and during the course of the events in this book, made me really love him.

This book has been an unexpected joy, it has been simply amazing and so emotional. I was absolutely unprepared for this book and it totally shows, because this book wrecked me!

[Arvin Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay , I love the series but I really had to push myself to finish this book.

Will just frustrated the hell out of me and he comes across a little spoilt and manipulative. I wish I liked him more. Also the first half of the book was really repetitive, we’ve heard this story from Kelly, Jason and William. I felt like it didn’t need to be retold in the first 2/3 of the book. The last 1/3 got interesting and touched on much more interesting themes … like a lot of themes that could have been explored further, almost like Jay had a tonne of ideas at the end of the book and tried to shove it all in the last 4 chapters.

Also the ending , just like … frustrated me , so much I had to pull over my car as I’m listening to this on a long drive , write this review so I can relieve some steam from how annoyed I am on the ending.

Would probably rate it 3 stars , but I’m a fan of the series so I gave it a friendly 4. I wish this was a continuance of hail but ehhhhh .

[⚓Dan⚓ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it but would love to throttle Jason. What a weenie head.

[Nina Bilinszki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start with this book. Because we’ve already read the books of Jason and Kelly, it feels like I’ve known more than 80 % of this book. Everything up to the point where William went to the coast guard was already shown in one of the previous books. Which made this more than boring. Compared to the fact that I still can’t stand the “young Kelly”, I skipped a lot of those parts.

Then William finally went to the Coast Guard, something I’ve been looking forward to, but his four years there only got about 30 pages (from a book with almost 500), before he was back home again and we came to the part where he re-connected with Jason, which, again, we already knew from Jason’s book.

The ending started out interesting enough with Ben and Tim’s wedding, before the book totally crashed against a wall (at least for me). After all that melee with William and Jason, you let it end like that? It was more than frustrating.

I’ve always loved the previous “Something like…” books. Yes, there were always parts that we’ve known from previous books and there were always parts (or people) that I didn’t agree with, but this was the first time that I couldn’t even get into the book. And I really wanted to like this book. I just couldn’t though.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never disliked anything written by Jay. So, needless to say, I loved this book too.

I really enjoyed learning William's story. He's always been one of my favorite characters. But let me just say - he has the MOST dramatic, unpredictable, and startling life of any of the Something Like... characters so far.

Every time there was something good in his life - there was a hiccup.
Every time something COULD have happened to him - it did.
William must have the patience of a Saint because it felt like too much for one person to handle.

I'm not sure if I like the ending?
It was left - unresolved?
Unlike the rest of the books in this series.
I just want for William to be happy and I just want to KNOW that he gets what he deserves.

I still definitely recommend the book (and the series). But know - this one seemed much different from the others.

***UPDATE***
After reading the alternate ending for Patreon supporters, I'm MUCH more confident giving this book the 5 stars that it deserves! If you haven't already, DEFINITELY contribute to Jay's Patreon campaign so you can read how this SHOULD have ended! :)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another five star read by Jay Bell! We have met William Townson before in several other books, but Something Like Rain lets us see events through William's eyes. It is interesting to experience his take on his family, his relationships, his guilt, and his desire to get into the coast guard and save lives. It is an emotional journey that allows fans to get to know William better, while allowing us to visit some favorite characters from previous books. As always, the characters are so lifelike and realistic, you're sure you actually know these people.

Every fan of the Something Like series should read this book, and everyone who enjoys great writing with well developed characters should read the series. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jay Bell, you kill me. I look so bad ugly I cry, and I am always crying during your books. You should be forced to look at my face while I read your books.

I love Jason and William. Like others, I would have left out part of the Kelly story, but once we got into the Jason/William storyline I was hooked. AND the last third of the book . . .an emotional rollercoaster, which I loved. There better be more to the story of these two, because I am NOT finished with them.

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you fear that your future won't be bright, you fear that you won't achieve what you have planned to. You must fight hard to get what you really want, and you must have hope, because life, after putting you through tough challenges, will pay you back.
I lost hope. But, eventually, I found new energies to go on. Thanks Jay Bell for another heartwarming book. This series has meant a lot for me :)

[Zak · Rating 5 out of 5]

William lesson on love is that sometimes being with someone doesn't always work out and being in a relationship is about being there because you want to, not because you have to. Also another lesson is love requires compromise and sacrifice in order to bloom into something amazing.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, so good. William is much more than what meets the eye

[Jeffrey G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the best of the "Something Like" series. It is told in Bell's typical matter-of-fact narrative style. What elevates this book is that it includes several moments that hit the emotions pretty hard, which is unusual for this author. Any author can make you tear up at the sad moments, but what elevates Bell as an author is that he can also touch your heart with happy moments and scenes of pure joy. One such moment in this book occurs when William first has sex with Kelly. The two boys lie together in the afterglow and experience a moment of pure love, tenderness, and total contentment. Gay characters don't often get this kind of treatment in fiction, so this book is to be enjoyed all the more. Another beautiful moment is the long wedding scene towards the end of the book. Bell shows his versatility when he masterfully writes an exciting action sequence where William rescues a man at sea. It is a relatively short scene, but the clarity with which Bell sets the scene and describes the action is cinematic and it shows that this author could write pure action or thrillers if he chose to. I really enjoyed that scene because it was something Bell has never given us in any of his previous books. The military and paramedic stuff in the book really comes off as authentic and is very well done. It doesn't read like the author did his research and is now writing a book report for the reader to grade; it is a good story with the research providing an interesting setting or background. Other authors could really learn from this.

Now. Long stretches of this book are dry and almost boring. This uneven quality is also typical of this author. I rate this book highly among the others in this series because its high points are higher, not because the general quality level is higher. It is boring to read the same story from other books, just told from a different viewpoint. I always let a long period of time go between reading these books so that I forget a lot of what happened. It's a long book; some sections are very high-interest and others seem to be written in an almost desultory fashion. So a mixed bag.

I notice in other reviews that some readers really can't get past their dislike of William. On one hand, I can understand that because William really did something awful. But at the same time, I think several other POV characters are worse human beings than William, such as Kelly and Tim for starters. I admire the way Bell gives us a portrait of a human being who makes bad decisions and does things he should be (and is) ashamed of. William is a complicated characters, simultaneously admirable and despicable. I followed along with the author and I accepted the character as he was. This is not quite a redemption story. It is more like a story of learning to live with our mistakes and our faults, and also giving grace to others. In Bell's world, nothing is unforgiveable, and in most instances, characters who wrong one another learn to look past it and move on with their lives. Kelly and William are a complicated example of this dynamic. I think some readers really have trouble with this, but it is fundamental to the way Bell sees the world because it is the sort of thing that happens in every one of his books; but the story of Kelly's injury and loss is certainly the most extreme example of this. But Ben and Tim's own story is not dissimilar. If you can accept one, you should be able to accept the other.

Bell is a consistent and reliable author. I admire what he has accomplished for himself as an author. It is probably clear from this review that he is hardly a favorite author of mine, but I do enjoy reading his books. I have not come across any other author who does what he does with love stories depicted on a time scale that stretches to years and decades. Good book, recommended with the proviso that this is the type of series that really has to be read in order and it probably would diminish the experience to read this one without having already read the preceding books.