Jay and Adam have been sharing a flat, and a bed, since they moved down to Adelaide after high school a couple of years ago. Neither man considers himself gay or mentions the sexual nature of their friendship to anyone else. Their arrangement doesn’t stop Jay from casually dating random women he meets through work and both men seem happy with the way things are. That is, until Adam meets April, a damsel in distress that latches herself onto Adam in a way that he doesn’t mind at all. Jay sure does, though. As Adam gets closer to April, the friendship between the two men starts to unravel and for the first time in years, Jay is facing a life without Adam. If he wants to save their friendship, he will have to offer Adam a lot more than a spot in his bed. There’s only one problem, Jay doesn’t believe in love.
Michelle Ogilvy grew up in Adelaide, Australia. In primary school, to alleviate the boredom of putting spelling list words in sentences to explain their meaning, she started weaving them all into stories. She hasn’t been able to shake this writing thing ever since.
Coming in by Michelle Ogilvy is a book about two friends trying to figure out who they are.
This is the story of Jason Porter and Adam Pearson. Best friends since childhood, actual flat mates and regular fuck buddies. But this "lovers status" is something that the world doesn't know. Out of the semi-bubble, they have built around them, they are just friends. But it's not like the sex thing is Jay's and Adam's little dirty secret. Nope. They are not really conscious of the significance of their non-discussed relationship. Or the magnitude of it. They have been together like that for years and we are not talking just about sex. They sleep together every night, with cuddling and everything. But they don't label their sexuality or relationship.
The thing is, Jay dates random women constantly and it "seems" both of them are ok with this agreement, at least until the harpy among all harpies comes into their lives. Her name is April and I hated her so much that I don't want even to talk about her. She is Adam's obnoxious girlfriend. A total bitch. I know some of MM romances has one of those, but this insufferable girl is a bit over the top.I HATED HER! And sadly, I hate Adam every time she is in the picture with him because everything seems fake, and she is evil incarnated and the main source of the angst here. Nope, nope not talking about this girl or the stupidity of my (usually) smart and sweet Adam.
For those who don't tolerate infidelity in their readings I have a Warning: There is cheating in this book. Not on page, and not between our main characters, but the fact is that they can't avoid to be together, and they have been doing it for years, even though they were in a relationship or not.
"Whatever had been between the two of them over the last few years, it wasn't healthy"
It is difficult for me to review "Coming in" in a few sentences because I perceive two completely different parts in the book, and I feel the need to explain it:
The first half was ok. The conversations are simple, not deep at all. The sex is off page and there is no explanation about how and why Jay and Adam get where they are. Too many things are took for granted. I was a bit out in this first 50%(the percentage is nearly literal). It bothered me not knowing them. I was enjoying it, but I needed to feel them, together and separately, and the story wasn't deep enough either. Angsty? Yeah. Uncomfortable? Very. But not deep. The characters were not giving me what I was wanting and needing. They didn't talk about their sexuality, about their attraction. They just seemed to need each other, and even though I liked the concept of that dependence I needed to know why, how, when...Come on guys! Talk to each other! Talk to me! Argh...
And then:
Everything changes. The plot starts taking shape and the characters start to feel and to talk about these feelings.
"I'm not gay" Adam replied. "No, you're just a hypocritical son of a bitch"
In this second half we get to know Jay and Adam deeply and, as the author deepens in them, and in their friendship, I start loving both characters (though I must say Jay was my favorite. He is a cynical jerk but I love him).
Here, at last, they show their fears and insecurities, and both have a lot of them, because they are young and a little lost. It seems that Adam and Jay have never stopped to analyze their relationship, until hateful April comes. And when they do, we could say everything changes between our guys and their bubble blows up. They seem lost and miserable outside this bubble and without each other, and they need to be clear, to be honest, to say what they really feel.
"It wasn't like Adam doesn't know the goodbye was coming. But it supposed to be him leaving, not Jay. And he hadn't realized it would hurt this much"
So, I would say this is a great friends to lovers story, I really enjoyed it. No doubt I will read the author again.
****An advanced reading copy of this book was generously provided to me via Indigo Marketing & Design****
Though I enjoyed Jay and Adam's story, this was a difficult read for me.
Jay and Adam have been best friends for about twelve years and the last two they share a flat and are secretly sleeping together. They are not actually in a relationship but they sleep together practically every night. That doesn't stop them from going out with other people as well. They have one night stands and relationships during those two years without stopping their arrangement.
The story spans about a year and a half and during that time their lives come upside down. They make desicions based on jealousy and resentment. They grow apart and they're on the verge of losing their friendship all together.
Both characters are complex and flawed. They are pretty young (20-21 years old) and they are still trying to figure out how a relationship works and what is important for them. They make mistakes and they try to fix them. They hurt the people around them and each other.
Everything started when April inserted herself in their lives and decided she wanted to stay. I don't think I have ever disliked a character this much. She was mean, self-centered and secretive. Never really saying anything of importance to Adam and constatly antagonising Jay and trying to push him aside (which she managed to do at some point). In the second half of the book we get to know more about her and her family situation and there is an explanation about her behavior but I still couldn't like her at all.
Jay's sister, Julie, was a force of nature. She was confident and didn't pull her punches. She has a strong supporter of Jay and Adam being together. She was constantly on their side and played a big part in them figuring out their issues, getting over themselves and going for what they wanted. Her relationship with Jay was a great one. They communicated perfectly and were a lot similar in character.
The first half of the book was very difficult for me to read because both Jay and Adam were with other people (either in relationships either for one night). They were getting further and further away from each other and trying to find consolation and distraction in other people. They thought they could fnd a substitute in someone else for what they were missing by not acknowlending their feeling for each other and we saw how much their friendship was suffering because of that. We saw them making one mistake after the other and making bad decisions all the time. They were stubborn and if they could put away pride and fears of rejection and talked to each other they could have skipped a whole year of heartache.
The second pact of the book had a lot less angst. They were trying to navigate a relationship they both wanted but didn't really know how to behave in it. We saw them grow and mature. Starting to make good decisions and leaving destructive behaviours in the past. We saw them figuring out their place in the world and standing up for what was important to them. We saw them trust each other and believe that they could have a future together.
Michelle Ogilvy is a new author and this is her debut novel. I liked her writting style, the editing was good and there were no typos that I noticed. Coming In is a very good, though very high-angst, book. I'd be sure to keep an eye out for her future works.
* An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher, NineStar Press, iin exchange for an honest review. *
I'm not even sure where to start with this book. It wasn't easy to read, and not because it's not well-written, but because I truly hated the dynamic of Jay and Adam's relationship. The first half of the book is spent with Jay sleeping around with other people, both male and female, and Adam entering into and being in a relationship with April. I was so frustrated with this situation that my co-bloggers had to talk me down from throwing my iPad up against a wall. I hated April instantly. I don't consider myself a violent person, but from the second she showed up on Adam and Jay's doorstep, I found myself wanting to scratch and claw her eyes out. Even with the loss she suffers later in the story and with Adam cheating on her throughout their relationship with Jay, I still couldn't bring myself to feel bad for her. Let's talk about Bradley. Why the f@@k do people feel like they have to go after someone else's significant other?? Why would you want to be with someone who is in a committed relationship with someone else? Guess what? I freaking hated Bradley as much as I hated April. He was a no good, wannabe boyfriend-stealing twat!!!!
Adam and Jay were a mess. They were very complex characters and it took forever to peel away the layers to get to know what they were truly feeling about one another. Neither wanted to admit to what they were feeling to themselves, let alone to one another. I really wasn't sure this story would end happily. It takes a long time for either of these young men to admit that what they are doing by sleeping together, is more than just getting off with a friend. They also don't trust one another and I'm not sure Jay trusted himself to remain faithful, something he's never done in a relationship before.
As much as this book frustrated me, angered me and left my stomach in knots, like a bad car accident, I couldn't look away. I couldn't close the book and walk away. I had to see what would happen next. These characters' story held me captive from the moment I picked this book up. The author wove a tale of heartbreak, loss, deception and eventually, love. Recommended, but maybe with a dose of blood pressure medicine.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement.*
No puedo darle más porque aunque lo he acabado, debo asumir que han sido tres horas perdidas, me mantengo en lo que comenté antes, podría haber contado lo mismo en 100 paginas.
4/5 - Despite being a frustrating read, I really liked this book in the end.
Okay, this book was a little difficult for me. The beginning was sloooowwwww slooow slow slow and honestly, Adam must've had his head up his ass or something because he was just being stupid. It was hard for me to connect with either of the MC's as well because most of their time was spent with other people and/or arguing with each other... and they both had their respective (good) points so I don't know. I wanted to really love both of these characters right from the beginning but they were making it pretty difficult.
And most of the book isnt' even really Jay and Adam together. This book was more about them finding each other and Ogilvy was telling the story of how they got to the relationship part, but there was a heavy focus on the pre-relationship shenanegans. I suppose the good thing to say here would be that everything was completely relavent and it actually made sense later, but it was really frustrating about 30% in not really understanding why the MC's are starting to hate each other MORE rather than getting all romantic and mushy like I kind of expected.
The one thing I will say is that this book depicted characters that were more than just scripted romance novel MC's. They were both, and Adam especially, very complex and not always logical characters, which made this book more interesting. This was my first book by Michelle Ogilvy and it probably won't be my last. I would definitely recommend this book, but just be patient with Adam (like I wasn't). Trust me, he makes up for all of it later.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the author or the publisher in any way.
Coming In is probably the most angsty, hair pulling, wanting to shout and scream at the characters, book I've read in a long while. I haven't been so pi$$ed off at two people in a very long time.
Coming In by Michelle Ogilvy 3 stars M/M Bi Romance I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Adam and Jay have been best friends for years. They moved together in order to stay close. Both are not necessarily living their dream, but they are surviving.
Adam meets April accidentally - she uses him and has a slightly strange pathology. She is a user and is not afraid to use people to get where she wants. She is struggling with her own family situation and because of that, she latches on and doesn't really let go. Is it love? I'm still not sure. I think it's more a relationship of convenience.
Adam doesn't really know how to handle the relationship with April - he also doesn't know what to do with his changing relationship with Jay. He is not happy with his current school situation - he feels like he has no life. He also has a family that doesn't really understand him nor are they very supportive.
Jay is just struggling with life in general. He has women and men in his bed, but deep in his heart, he loves Adam. When both of them struggle to find a way through the current situation, they both fumble. Jay and Adam are super young and still figuring out how to be adults.
Overall, this story had a lot packed in to it and in the end, it all smooths out, but I felt that the family situations were not really concluded well. I was left thinking what happened to the family and were they were ever able to resolve those issues.
Coming In is an interesting book with a whole lot going on from the first word. Jay and Adam are both bisexual men who have been sleeping with each other as well as with other women since they left their hometown for the big city and a more metropolitan life. However, they don’t consider their relationship anything more than friendship until the green-eyed monster of jealousy creeps in. They have a codependent, extremely unhealthy relationship with each other, and I wanted to so badly to put this book down and walk away, but I simply couldn’t.
As difficult as it was to walk through their lives, it felt almost imperative that I keep going. The storyline is rife with angst, miscommunication, and complex main characters that I wanted to strangle – repeatedly. However, their missteps and foibles are part of what makes them so appealing. Their issues with growing up and becoming adults make them more endearing.
The secondary characters are a mixed bag. The main peripheral is Adam’s girlfriend/stalker, April. She grated on me from her introduction and I absolutely loathed her. Well done, Ms. Ogilvy – it takes a lot to elicit that strong an emotion from me with a secondary character! Conniving, manipulative, dishonest and foul, she creates more problems than Jay and Adam could possibly get into on their own. This character pushes the storyline, occasionally completely taking it over, much to my dismay. It occasionally felt as if she was the main character instead of a secondary.
There are other peripheral characters, most of whom are glanced over rather than really getting into the mix, with the exception of Jay’s sister, Julia. Strong, independent, and willful to a fault, she oozed confidence and demanded the respect she certainly received.
The chemistry between the characters was there, but was very much secondary. Because they were already established as lovers at the beginning of the book, I didn’t feel the kind of pull that caused them to be in love or for them coming together.
Written in third person past tense with a dual POV, you can really get inside the heads of both characters, something I really enjoy. In the end, I’m rating this at three stars. If you are into new adult and angst, you will probably quite enjoy this book – though you’ll still detest April. Give it a try!
I voluntarily read an ARC copy of this book for Divine Magazine from NineStarPress with hopes for but no obligation to provide a review.
**Same worded review will appear on Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.**
This story just didn't work for me. I dunno but Adam *ugh was such a doormat with April what pissed me off was that she told her parents that Adam gave her that black eye and he did nothing didn't confront her with anything she was such a liar with alot of things which annoyed me quite a bit because I was waiting for Adam to man up and start asking questions but he was just too busy with putting his head in sand. Both the Mc's were in relationships or dating what ever.during most of the story .. but they still hooked up with each other which I hate I don't like cheating so that ruined it for me also Adam was a lousy friend in my opinion he knew that Jay didn't like/care for April but still he would hang out and eventually dating her an bringing her around the appartement.
I really didn't like the first half of the book. It wasn't that the writing was bad or that the characters were flat, my problem was that the characters weren't talking and were making themselves miserable. I was invested enough that they were bringing me down with them. It seemed to go on forever. Once they finally figured their shit out, it got much better. It just took them forever to get to that point.
Way too expensive. I was hoping like crazy it would deliver better. A good story, just the execution could’ve been better? Sorry, maybe it’s an “it’s not you, it’s me” thing. And the lack of EPILOGUE?