Beau James isn't out, but he's not fooling anyone. When he's cornered by two bullies, he's rescued by none other than the broody Wade Ritter, who he's crushed on from afar. Despite their family connection, Wade has resisted all of Beau's attempts at friendship -- until now. His protective streak gives Beau an opportunity to get past Wade's prickly exterior.
Wade considers Beau to be a quasi-cousin. He's been careful to keep Beau in that box because he is too tempting to a gay boy determined to remain in the closet after his coming out went all wrong. But when Wade sees bullies harassing Beau, he offers to help. Little does he know this small crack in the walls around his heart is the opening Beau needs to move in and change Wade's life.
After years off the rails, Wade realizes there's room for recovery. If he can face hard truths about his sexuality and love himself, he might be able to love Beau too.
DJ Jamison writes a variety of queer men finding extraordinary love through M/M Romance! She is a lifelong reader and has always loved writing and editing, with a ten-year journalism career before she began publishing romance. She has books in ebook, print, and audio, as well as German, French, and Italian translations.
DJ lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, and a sadistic cat named Birdie.
This was my favorite of the series so far. It was so nice to see the young boys from the previous books grow up. It was definitely an emotional read. Wade's father committed suicide the day after he tried to come out. He's felt guilty and ashamed since then. He's kept his anger, fear, and anguish locked up inside, and his life is suffering for it. He's failing in school, and he's angry all the time. Beau is what everyone considers a boring do-gooder. He's hiding his sexuality from his family. He's getting bullied at school, and Wade comes to his aid. They pretty much greater up together, but Wade has never been very nice. Beau never realized it was because Wade was hiding his attraction. It was a poignant and realistic read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don't often read Young Adult, mostly because 'teen drama' is so long ago in my own past I find it exhausting to think about what I was like as an 18 and 19-year-old and don't really want to consider it anymore!
However, I made an exception for this one as it was connected to the Hearts & Health series which I've enjoyed and because it was about Beau and Wade.
And I have to say, I enjoyed the vast majority of it and it dealt sympathetically with some quite serious subjects and kept a realistic tone throughout.
Both Beau and Wade are believable characters, they act their ages and aren't some uber teenagers who know every thing and have shedloads of stuff and things.
Wade's fears were justified and understandable, as was his behaviour, even if it was uncomfortable to consider that level of internalized pain and Beau really was the perfect foil.
I'm looking forward to finding out more about Dr Casper in the next one and it was nice to catch up with Trent & Xavier and Paul & Zane briefly.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
This could work as a stand alone, but I suggest reading book 3 first. If you read the previous book in the series, you may remember these two. Wade was Trent’s angry “nephew”, and Beau is Xavier’s sister’s son.
These two have crushed on each other from afar, but until now, neither of them were ready. Wade, because of internalized homophobia stemming from his dad’s reaction and suicide, not to mention high school drama; high school played a part in Beau’s decision, but also family pressure and expectations.
At the beginning of the school year, Beau gets drunk at party they are both at, and draws some unwanted attention from school bullies. Wade decides to help him out, offering rides to and from school, and their friendship blossoms. Soon, they are spending a lot of time together, and it gets harder for either of them to deny the attraction and their feelings.
I loved that things were handled realistically. Wade didn’t get over his internalized homophobia overnight. In fact, with both Beau and his mother encouraging him, he starts seeing a therapist. It’s hard for them both, but I like that Beau had the maturity and patience to wait for him.
This is one of DJs best books, though it deals with harder subject matter, and the characters are some of her youngest. Due to their ages, and the fact that they are virgins, or new to m/m sex, this is a slow burn romance.
Some people might consider it YA, but they do have some sexy times, so I say it’s NA.
Recommended
*ARC provided by author
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4.75 stars rounded up because there was no way that I could round it down just because of my one personal problem with the story.
Ms. Jamison has once again delivered a wonderful story. While I am a fan who reads all of her books I think this is my favorite so far. That's really surprising to me solely because it is YA and I rarely enjoy reading YA books. My heart bled for Wade and the torment that he's lived with for so long. I don't want to give any spoilers so suffice it to say that I loved Beau and Wades story and look forward to seeing them in the future.
In regards to my one personal problem.... it really is just a personal thing to me. Anyone who knows me knows that I love heavy metal music and I can attest to the fact that it can be uplifting in its own right. I took exception to the following statement in the book and one other towards the end of the book.....
"The angry music he usually favored grated on him. He was tired of being angry"...."he found something upbeat and mellow."
.... Nope! Uplifting music doesn't have to be "upbeat and mellow". Heavy metal can lift my spirits much more than mellow music. It's all in the lyrics.
The first book I read by DJ Jamison was called Catching Jaime. It's a New Adult story and I loved it. I mention this because Room for Recovery reminded me of that book but it's definitely not a duplicate story. I guess I was reminded of it because Room for Recovery is about two young people coming into adulthood and trying to figure out what comes next for them.
The story starts out with a gut-wrenching Prologue and then picks up four years later. The book's blurb tells about the story much better than I ever could. Wade must come to terms with his true self if he is to move on with his life.
My heart hurt for Beau so much throughout this book. He is bullied at school and he is confused when Wade offers to be his protector. While Beau has crushed on Wade since they met, Wade has always kept his distance from Beau and not even been friendly.
Wade has messed up in school and wasn't able to graduate with his class last year. Hanging around with Beau has helped Wade want to do better and Beau begins to tutor him in the two subjects he needs to pass in order to graduate. I also hurt for Wade but I'm not giving any details because that might spoil things.
I guess I really have a soft spot for New Adult stories like this one. Trying to figure things out when you are too old to be a kid, but kind of young to be an adult, isn't easy. Even though that age was many, many years ago for me the stories still resonate and I have found I really enjoy them when the writing is good as is the case with DJ Jamison's writing. She also writes the best epilogues!
Out of all of DJ Jamison’s books, this was my absolute favourite. I honestly didn’t really read the blurb before I started the book so finding out it was a YA genre was a surprise. But a pleasant surprise because it was so well written. None of that immature conflicts and behaviours.
It wasn’t all fluff. It had some pretty heavy real world problems and angst but oddly, didn’t feel too “old” for a teenage setting. Beau is hands down my favourite character here. He was in essence a pretty simple character, some history that lent depth to his character but wasn’t overly bogged down by it. Unlike Wade who unfortunately had a world of hurt and confusion and sadness.
I love that while it had the typical teenage jealousy phases and self discovery and the normal high school problems, it was written in a way that still felt like the characters were teenagers but yet mature in a way.
Sigh... I love this series and I cannot wait for the next instalment coming end of this month!
This is the fourth book in the Hearts and Health series. This book features Beau and Wade. Beau does something at a party that pretty much guarantees everyone knows he gay. When Wade was fourteen he admitted to his father that he was gay. His father wasn't very receptive, and when he committed suicide the next day Wade was devastated and thought it was his fault. He buried his feelings deep.
Beau is being bullied, and when he is attacked, Wade comes to his rescue. Wade appoints himself Beau's protector. He's had feelings for Beau for years but knows he can't ever admit it. In his second senior year, in danger of failing again, he appoints Beau his tutor. They grow close, both knowing that what they are feeling probably doesn't have a chance to succeed but unable to ignore it. Probable heartbreak in their future.
I've enjoyed the books in this series, all the characters are well done but Beau and Wade really stand out. The sexual relationship between these men (they are over eighteen) is beautiful, sweet, and hot. If you want a book with a slow burn and memorable main and secondary characters, this is the book you want to read.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads
This one may not be my favorite but it's definitely one of the better stories...
'Room For Recovery' is the fourth book in D.J . Jamison's series 'Hearts and Health' and we've actually met both of the characters in this pairing previously.
Beau James is the nephew of Xavier James from book 2, Bedside Manner and book 3 Urgent Care and we were introduced briefly to Wade Ritter in book 3 as well. Wade was the troubled young son of Trent's friend and part of the family that Trent helped move to Ashe at the end of 'Urgent Care' and for more on that...you guessed it read the book...hey, it's a good one. It's my favorite.
I have to admit at the time that I requested this one for review I hadn't read the first 3 books yet and in a way I'm glad because I would have definitely had a much stronger sense of who these two characters were and I probably wouldn't have requested this book...why? you might wonder well, it's simple...they're young adults...not my cuppa'. But since I hadn't read those books I didn't realize how young Beau and Wade were...high school, folks...senior year but still not an age group that I tend to read about much. Surprisingly though I really enjoyed this one.
Was there drama and angst? Well, hell yeah!!! It's high school and really you show me a teenager who isn't a walking definition of drama and angst? It's how they survive and when you have a large group of them...well, let the games begin.
Beau's got his life together...mostly and he's tried since he first met Wade to be friends with him but Wade's not having any of it. He's a young man who's been off the rails for a while now and he's so deep in the closet that if he can find a door I'm pretty sure it's the one to Narnia.
However, Wade's attraction to Beau seems to be getting stronger than the reasons that he's kept himself buried in the closet for so long and with Wade's surrogate uncle, Trent living with Xavier who happens to be Beau's uncle. Wade can only avoid coming into contact with Beau for so long and when he sees Beau getting bullied his protective instincts kick into high gear and he becomes determined to keep Beau safe even if it means that he has to crack the closet door open and take a peek to see what's out there.
I enjoyed this story a whole lot more than I expected to once I realized the age of these two, but I decided that in all fairness I needed to read the story and base my rating on everything and not just the age of two characters even if they were the MCs and I'm definitely glad that I did.
While there was a lot of angst and drama as I said before this is an age where that's more the norm than the exception. As well though there were things going on that definitely added authenticity to this story and made for an even more enjoyable reading experience in my opinion.
As has been the case all along with this series we're also introduced to the characters for the next story in the series...or at least one of them because we met the other one earlier in the series. So I'm definitely looking forward to what's next in D.J. Jamison's Hearts and Health series and while this book was more of a YA or NA story it fit in beautifully with the series and I'm really glad that I didn't miss out on the reading experience.
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An ARC of 'Surprise Delivery' was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first in the series, but I absolutely loved Wade and Beau's relationship. Wade, who understandably hid his feelings for Beau over the years, reconnected with Beau when he helped him out of a potentially dangerous situation and assigned himself his protector. As they get to know each other, Wade realized how much he'd pulled back from life after his father's death and felt truly alive for the first time since then, and it happened whenever he was with Beau. Their relationship is rocky due to secrets and developing feelings that they can't show in public, but the ending left me smiling and I didn't want their story to end. It's a lovely book that I highly recommend!!
This dragged and had a feel of ya/na which is not necessarily a bad thing, but: - The very unsympathetic mother (Twyla) - The back and forth, back and forth, back and forth from Wade - The bullying and - The somber feel and mood of the story Had me checking the clock more than once. There was nothing major to put my finger on, it just didn't excite me.
Una vera sorpresa. Lo volevo leggere da un po', ma mi fermava sempre qualcosa, non mi aspettavo di leggere effettivamente ciò che ho letto. Pensavo sarebbe stata una lettura più mmh non so neanche io, forse più superficiale, più comedy. Invece ho trovato una lettura piena di bei messaggi, profonda, intensa, da lacrimuccia. Ho amato tutto, ma davvero tutto. Ho capito che lo avrei amato all'ultima frase del prologo, che mi ha ribaltato lo stomaco.
Si parla di diverse tematiche, una più forte dell'altra. Ma la cosa più bella è che si cerca sempre di trovare una soluzione, di migliorare e di affrontare. C'è il bullismo e questo ha delle conseguenze che non ho mai ritrovato in altri libri (ovviamente non dico, è spoiler). C'è la scoperta di sé, l'accettazione. C'è l'amicizia. C'è il rapporto con i genitori, c'è la rabbia, la tristezza. C'è l'elaborazione del lutto che porta Wade a diventare un'altra persona. E tutto gira proprio attorno a questo, a lui e ai suoi sentimenti.
Mi ha spezzato il cuore vedere il cambiamento di Wade da ragazzino a ragazzo, anche se in effetti il ragazzino non lo conosciamo. Ma lo si intuisce perché Wade sa che non è reale la persona che mostra a tutti, ci sono dei mostri grossi dentro di lui, c'è tanto dolore e tanta fatica. C'è tanto senso di colpa. E quando vede in Beau una luce, anche se ha tentato di tenerlo lontano per quattro anni, ecco che il lettore non può che sostenerlo e tifare per lui, credere in lui. Wade sarà uno str0nz0, ma... no, non lo è! Non lo è proprio! È un ragazzo che soffre, e che grazie a Beau capisce che può fidarsi di qualcuno, che può essere quel se stesso che ha sempre tenuto sotterrato. Lo capisce ma non lo accetta. Ed è il suo percorso di accettazione che mi ha fatto scendere una lacrimuccia. Si parla di terapia, si affronta con una maturità assurda. Wade è maturo nella sua immaturità. Ed è così reale e sensibile e palpabile... Davvero, è stato bellissimo.
Beau è un patato dolce. Premuroso, cordiale, sensibile. Lui ci crede, ci crede fino alla fine. Lui viene fatto passare come quello che ha bisogno di sostegno, ma è lui il palo a cui sorreggersi. Lui sa chi è e sa cosa vuole, solo che deve trovare il coraggio di ottenerlo. E quando se lo ritrova tra le mani non se lo fa scappare. È un peperino con la faccia da angelo. L'ho adorato, ciccino lui.
Quanto mi ha fatto penare lo slow burn! Ma poi mi ha ripagato di tutta l'attesa. Insieme sono stupendi. C'è complicità e comprensione reciproca, parlano e si completano, si aiutano. Io commossa.
E poi c'è una gamma fantastica di personaggi di contorno. Non mi ispiravano gli altri libri di questa serie, non sembrano il mio genere, ma dopo aver letto questo libro e aver conosciuto alcuni pg, cavolo! Ho voglia di leggere anche tutti gli altri! Mi sa che li comprerò °^° salutiamo il mio portafoglio.
L'unica cosa che non mi è piaciuta è la madre di Beau, un pessimo personaggio, bleah. Menzione d'onore invece a Shane! Avrei voluto tante scene ancora con lui, fa morire dal ridere ma è anche un amico fantastico.
Comunque, è stato un percorso sofferto ma anche dolce. Sono contenta di averlo letto proprio adesso, sono dei personaggi che mi porterò addosso per un po'.
Edit: mi sono dimenticata di scrivere che ho trovato dei palesi errori di pov, ovvero, se siamo nel pov di Wade, non è possibile che si chiami da solo "l'amico, il giovane" ecc... Per scropolo sono andata a controllare dall'anteprima se fosse così anche in inglese. E no. Non lo è. C'è sempre il nome di Wade o Beau a seconda del portatore di pov. Mi dispiace quindi che ci sia stata questa libertà errata di traduzione che poi non è stata sistemata con un giro di correzione. Motivo per cui non abbasso il voto, ma che confonde parecchio il lettore e rovina lo stile dell'autore.
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
What a great book & one I'd call a New Adult rather than a Young Adult with having two main character still in school but towards their graduation, being over 18. Wade and Beau are great character who have both their own, unique problems.
Wade is a side-character we know from a former book in the series, Urgent Care, as well as Beau. The reader is aware of the problems Wade has but doesn't see the whole impact, and when it comes to Beau Wade is more than infaturated, although being gay is something he tries to surpress due his disastrous coming out. Beau is picking his interest and he can't help himself being closer to Beau, first as a protector later because he starts getting feelings for him, in fact acknowledging finally.
I loved the way how Beau and Wade created a relationship out of the friendship based on their family connections. Beau and Wade are two different characters yet they complete each other perfectly. Where Wade has to deal with his grief but also guilt, Beau is having his own problems with having a constantly nagging mother, who's setting him under pressure with explicit expectations, as well as his search for a fitting job after his graduation. He find this in the hospital he's working as a volunteer and where he learns how to deal with life, death and what it means to care for other people.
I was really thrilled by this maturity of the book, of Beau and Wade, but of course the two are young men, starting their independent life after their school, trying to find their place in the world. Both have a very realistic way of dealing with different problems and I was thrilled from the first to the last page. In fact the book is full of different topics; we have the topics being out and coming out to the family and friends, talk of suicide, trying to overcome grief & guilt was well as homophobia and violence against one of the main character but also family troubles and high, almost suffocating expectations.
I really recommend this book but although it can be read as a standalone I'd advise to read at least Urgent Care too, to know more about Beau and Wade, although they are just side characters and for getting the relationship between Trent, Beau's father's best friend and close family friend and Xavier, Wade's uncle. 5 out of 5 stars. I'm really excited to read book 5 in the series, Surprise Delivery (out March 22nd) with two doctors we have shortly met in this & previously books. :)
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 4 in the Hearts and Health series, but you don't need to have read the others first, they are all stand alones.
I don't usually much care for younger main characters; end of high school, beginning of college age; probably because I'm far older than that, but while I KNEW Beau and Wade were that age, it never really sunk in, you know?? I KNEW they were 18 and 19, but they did not SEEM that age.
Wade and Beau have crushed on each other for as long as they can remember, but Wade's coming out led to disastrous consequences, and he doesn't want to admit that he's gay, not to himself, nor to anyone else. Beau, while not fully OUT, certainly aware of what and who he wants. When Beau is attacked, Wade goes all protective and the two get to really know each other.
I can't quite file this book on the warm and fuzzies shelf, like Bedside Manner, because Wade carries a lot of guilt about one thing and another BUT it is a fantastic read. Watching Wade and Beau getting to know each other properly, after being around each other for years, watching Wade deal with his demons, and watching them both fall, and fall far is excellent reading.
Wade pops up in Urgent Care, he is Trent's nephew and Wade is ANGRY at everything and everyone. We get just WHY he is so angry here and its painful reading, listening to Wade deal internally with everything, it really is.
An excellent addition to this series, and it introduces us to Dr Casper Rollins, who has his story next. I look forward to reading it.
5 not quite warm and fuzzie stars, but very nearly.
I loved the first 3 books in the Hearts and Health Series, and Room for Recovery was such an amazing addition. We first met Wade and Beau in the last book, Urgent Care. Beau is Xavier's nephew and Wade is Trent's nephew- but not by blood. To get the back story of what happened with Wade and his Father was really emotional. This story deals with some tough emotional themes, but worth every tear that I shed while reading it. I devoured this book. The story line had me hooked. The emotion and thought put into the writing was amazing. You can tell Author D.J. Jamison put her heart into this story. Its beautiful and powerful. I also loved the camo appearances of past characters in the series. (Zane & Paul, and Xavier & Trent)
I defiantly recommend to all that love a good emotional M/M read. Its more Young Adult then the other books in the series but still a must read! Am so glad I found this series, and am so excited to see what comes out next in Book 5 with Dr. Rollins.
Really enjoy this book. I don't read many book with 18/19 yo but this one is well written. The characters are true to themselves and their ages. They don't act ridiculously young but they aren't all grow up either. This book was sweet and touching.
Un très bon tome 4 avec des personnages bien construits qui m'ont procuré beaucoup d'émotions. L'évolution de la relation ente Wade et Beau a été un réel plaisir à suivre et j'ai vraiment aimé leurs amis. Encore une belle romance pour cette série, il me tarde de lire le prochain tome.
Room for Recovery is book 4 in the Hearts & Health series and while it can technically be read as a standalone, the rest of the series is really good, so I suggest reading it, too. Also, this book deals with suicide and gay bashing, so if those are triggers for you, just tread with care.
Wade is firmly in the closet after his first and only try at coming out at fifteen went horribly wrong. Now, at 19, he's finding it difficult to cope with being closeted and trying to make it work with girls, lashing out at almost everyone that crosses his path. However, when some bullies start harassing his quasi-cousin Beau, he appoints himself Beau's protector, what he didn't count on was that being so close to the boy who he'd been crushing on for the last few years, would send his feelings in a tailspin.
Beau has been attracted to Wade from the moment he met him and while he's not exactly out, it's not like it's that much of a secret that he's gay. Being close to Wade and tutoring him is both heaven and hell, especially since he thinks Wade is straight.
After Beau is attacked, Wade is unable to stay away from Beau any longer and while Beau is willing to wait until Wade is ready to come out, Wade still has to work through the issues that his coming out to his father caused.
My heart broke for Wade I don't know how many times. He went through so many things and had to bury his sexuality after his father's reaction to him coming out. He was such an angry, hurt boy and I was glad he found the strength he needed to get past that both for himself and Beau. Beau was a lovely character, sweet and patient and caring. I loved that he was so willing to give Wade all the time he needed, despite what Beau wanted. They had fantastic chemistry and it was amazing to see the progression from almost-cousins to friends to boyfriends. Even if this was more of a YA romance, there were still some steamy scenes between Beau and Wade.
I loved catching up with Xavier and Trent, and I adored Beau and Wade's best friends and Wade's mom and Beau's grandma. I can't say I loved Beau's mother or their sisters, Beau's mother was so bitter, Wade's sister was so whiny and Maggie was a b*tch outing Wade like she did and that made me so angry. I didn't see the point of them having sisters if the two girls were going to be so annoying.
Other than that, this was an excellent read. I got completely wrapped in Beau and Wade's story and just couldn't put it down until I was done with it and still, I think it will take some time until I can fully move on from them. Highly recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Nous sommes donc dans la continuité des personnages du tome précédent, qu'il est plus sympa d'avoir lu pour mieux situer tout ce petit monde, l'action se déroulant environ 3 ans après la fin de l'opus précédent.
D'abord Wade, le "neveu de cœur" de Trent, venu vivre avec sa mère et sa petite sœur à Ashe, la petite ville où se déroule la saga. Wade l'écorché vif, en souffrance depuis le suicide de son père, à la fois solitaire et très populaire au lycée, surtout auprès de la gent féminine.
Et puis Beau, le neveu de Xavier, bon élève, désespérément amoureux de Wade, son "cousin", mais pas forcément prêt à faire son coming-out, même si avec un oncle gay il se doute que ça devrait passer crème.
Une soirée d'ados, une vidéo où Beau, un peu torché, laisse échapper une parole somme toute amusante, et voilà le jeune homme pris pour cible de deux caricatures de lycéens sportifs/décérébrés/homophobes. Et quand les deux imbéciles réussissent à le coincer, c'est Wade qui passait par là par hasard qui va le sauver... et lui proposer de lui servir de chauffeur, une façon de le "protéger". Les deux garçons vont commencer à s'apprivoiser, à se rapprocher, à se faire confiance, à se confier... et ce faisant, Beau va réussir à fissurer les murs que Wade a construit autour de lui...
Wade vit avec un poids qui l'étouffe depuis le suicide de son père, il vraiment touchant quand il commence à s'ouvrir à Beau, quand il commence à avoir envie de s'en sortir, envie d'être celui que Beau mérite.
Quand à Beau, vraiment, c'est un cœur sur pattes, totalement dévoué aux autres, droit dans ses bottes, courageux, sincère, totalement amoureux de Wade.
Une série qui va pour moi en s'améliorant, peut-être du aussi aux personnages centraux de chaque tome, plus ou moins attendrissants.
Et là, on est dans le choupinet tout plein, même si l'auteur aborde des thèmes difficiles. Dommage que la suite ne soit pas traduite, ce tome étant sorti en VF en 2021. Après, au vu du résumé, j'ai la sensation qu'on retombait dans le schéma des 3 premiers, alors que cet opus apportait un souffle de fraicheur avec les deux jeunes hommes.
Je lirai avec plaisir une autre série de l'auteur, qui est dans ma palette, histoire de voir ce que donne la plume dans un domaine autre que médical.
This book was full of dramas! If you need relaxing book with no angst, this book isn't for you! And this isn't for me either.
Wade's life is fucked up. Coming out to his father, his father flat out refuse that his son is gay and the next day, his father commit suicide. Mulailah Wade hidup sebagai seorang gay man in the closet. Membohongi diri sendiri dan orang lain dengan pacaran dengan perempuan dan making out dengan mereka. Sekarang dia sedang berpacaran dengan perempuan bernama Anna, tapi mereka ga pernah having sex karena Wade selalu menolak dan merasa sangat bersalah terhadap Anna karena Anna berbeda dengan 2 mantannya dulu. Wade sudah tidak mau membohongi Anna lagi so dia memutuskan untuk mengakhiri hubungan mereka. Akhirnya Beau dan Wade menjalin hubungan dan Wade coming out kepada keluarga dan teman-terdekat saja.
Wade minta rehat sejenak dari Beau karena dia akan memulai terapi mencoba menata hidupnya kembali dan dia merasa perlu ada jarak tetapi pada saat sesi terapi berlangsung, Wade sadar kalau dia tidak mau membuat Beau menunggu sampai hidupnya kembali normal baru menjalin hubungan dengan Beau. Pacaran lagi lah mereka tapi Wade masih di dalam closet, belum siap coming out ke teman sekolahnya. Hingga pada suatu acara kelulusan sekolah mereka, Beau playing a stupid game di mana Beau kalah dan harus menerima sloppy kiss dari temannya yang bernama Miles yang punya perasaan khusus ke Beau dan disaksikan pula oleh Wade. Ya karena Wade masih di dalam closet, dia ga bisa melakukan apa-apa tapi akhirnya dia sadar dan melerai Beau dan Miles lalu Wade mencium Beau di depan teman-teman sekolahnya sehingga mereka semua tahu bahwa Wade adalah gay dan berpacaran dengan Beau.
Yang jadi korban di sini adalah Beau, meskipun Wade juga bisa dibilang sebagai korban dari perlakuan ayahnya tapi itu karena pilihan Wade sendiri sedangkan Beau tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa dengan punya perasaan bertepuk sebelah tangan terhadap Wade dan harus menyaksikan Wade dengan Anna bermesraan, hal yg umum dilakukan oleh dua orang yang berpacaran, dibully karena dia gay dan pada saat akhirnya mereka bisa bersama tp Wade tetap di closet. Ga kebayang bagaimana menderitanya Beau.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wade Rifter’s life changed the day his dad committed suicide. The young and bright teenager turned into a surly one, with a lot of problems and the hell of an attitude. Four years later, Wade is living in a different place, still trying to find his footing. Young and sweet Beau James seems to be a good influence on him. If only Wade could overcome the secret feelings he harbours towards him… Room for Recovery is an intense coming out novel. The two main characters, Wade and Beau, are endearing, both in their own way. Wade is a troubled young man of nineteen, who’s been trying to suppress his sexuality since his dad’s suicide. He blames himself, and that gives rise to a lot of issues like self-loathing and anger. He’s known Beau for some years, and has always felt attracted to him, a reaction he tries to squash by behaving like an ass to the younger boy. Beau, on the other hand, is a brilliant student with a kind heart. He is not out, but he somehow cannot hide his real nature, so everybody assumes his homosexuality. A truce between the two boys starts when Wade steps in to save Beau from a bullying situation, and it slowly develops into a friendship and something more. But Wade’s emotional baggage threatens to destroy what could be a beautiful love story… So this is story is an emotional roller-coaster, as teenage years are, full of ups and downs. I really enjoyed the way Wade and Beau complement each other, and the fact that they discover their sexuality together, even though they come from very different situations. The characters surrounding them are supportive, their families becoming the perfect background for their romance. I loved the fact that, though their reactions were different, they immediately granted them the support they needed. Young adults, first love, intense feelings, a bit of anguish, and finally coming out and finding your place in the world… All these mix perfectly here to make this an utterly enjoyable story. Undoubtedly worth reading I received and ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Dopo più di un anno di attesa, finalmente ho potuto leggere la storia di Beau e Wade. Ero davvero di curiosa di vedere le interazioni tra questi due giovani uomini, e devo dire di aver amato ogni riga.
Beau e Wade sono rispettivamente il nipote di Xavier e il figlio del migliore amico di Trent, i protagonisti del romanzo precedente. Dopo il trasferimento a seguito della morte del padre, Wade è sempre stato scorbutico e scostante con tutti, ma soprattutto con Beau, perché il suo quasi cugino gli inspira sentimenti e desideri che ha provato a reprimere da quando il suo primo coming out con il padre non è andato come pensava.
Il miglior amico di suo papà, Trent , aveva sposato lo zio di Beau, rendendo il giovane una specie di cugino. Il tipo di cugino che avrebbe voluto baciare, per dirla tutta, se gli fossero piaciute quel tipo di cose con i ragazzi. Cose che Wade però non faceva.
Ma quando Beau viene aggredito a scuola, qualcosa scatta in Wade.
Beau ha sempre avuto una cotta per il suo quasi cugino, ma ha anche sempre pensato che il ragazzo fosse etero. Ma dopo che i due iniziano a conoscersi meglio, nasce un’amicizia che, pian piano, si trasformerà in altro pur con le mille paure di Wade. Riuscirà Beau a convincere Wade ad accettare la sua sessualità e a lasciarsi amare? O le mille paure del ragazzo distruggeranno tutto?
Sono giunta al quarto volume di questa serie che mi lascia sempre con un gran sorriso sulle labbra.
Stavolta tocca a due giovani liceali che si preparano la strada per compiere quei passi che li porteranno nel mondo degli adulti.
Beau e Wade non possono essere più diversi di così, il primo solare, esuberante, anche se non palesa il suo essere gay, il secondo taciturno, rabbioso e scostante.
Eppure già dal loro primo incontro qualcosa è scattato, riescono ad andare avanti per i primi tre anni, poi tutto si capovolge.
Beau ha bisogno di essere protetto, con la sua esuberanza ha pestato i piedi ai soliti bulli, che in ogni ambito non mancano mai, che la Jamison mette in evidenza pur mantenendo un sottofondo soft.
Ecco allora spuntare Wade, che affianca Beau come fosse un angelo vendicatore, da qui tutto cambia e tutto ritorna a galla. Wade non può più nascondere ciò che realmente prova per Beau e Beau è meraviglioso a supportarlo con i suoi tempi.
Il finale può sembrare scontato, ma io dietro tutto questo ho visto il dolore di un giovane diciottenne che, per cause non dipendenti da lui, ha dovuto lavorare su sé stesso per accettarsi e dall’altra parte un altro giovane che con la sua presenza, la sua dolcezza è stato capace di essere la solida spalla su cui appoggiarsi.
Una storia che si legge velocemente e che lascia un senso di pace assoluta giunta alla parola fine.
Il quarto volume di questa ottima serie ci parla di due ragazzi delle superiori, uno young adult, non sempre nelle mie corde, tuttavia, la serie fino a questo punto mi era piaciuta molto. Mi sono quindi avvicinata alla lettura con qualche perplessità che è stata rapidamente spazzata via. La storia di Beau e Wade mi è piaciuta, ho apprezzato il messaggio che l’autrice ci ha voluto trasmettere per mezzo di Beau, cioè la lotta contro l’omofobia, il coraggio di non essere solo una vittima ma di affrontare i propri persecutori e denunciarli. E anche la perseveranza nel volersi battere per il proprio amore. Anche con Wade il messaggio è forte, il bisogno di riuscire a trovare qualcuno con cui parlare davvero, qualcuno che ci “veda” non solo per quello che mostriamo ma anche per quello che siamo dentro e soprattutto il coraggio di ammettere di stare percorrendo un cammino sbagliato e voler fare di tutto per trovare quello giusto. Altri quattro volumi di questa serie ci aspettano e spero che vengano tradotti al più presto. Consiglio il libro e anche la lettura dei precedenti per meglio apprezzare l’intero arco narrativo.
Firstly, the author recommended this book at the end of their Marital Bliss series (actually…the end of “Faking a Groom” which is the last book…so, same diff). But I’m glad I started reading the entire series from the beginning. Otherwise, I couldn’t have cultivated a vested interest in the boy who delighted in his uncle and surrogate father’s love story, and the boy whose heart was far too heavy for his young mind and body. While reading Book 3, I hoped that those two would each find happy endings, but thought that they were too young to be part of this series. But the author managed the age progression and their stories beautifully.
Secondly, the author handled the transition from Αdult Contemporary to Young Adult quite well. Too often, authors try so hard to recapture the innocence and idealism of first crushes that the reader (at least THIS reader) walks away wondering how much time they spend complaining that “these daggum kids” can’t drive because they’re making videos for “MyFace” and “The TicTac” instead of actually remembering what it felt like to BE in HS (this is usually most evident in movies and TV shows).
This was such an emotional book. Coming to terms with his sexuality was so hard for Wade. His internal demons always won the battle. Beau was much simpler, even though he faced torment to the point of being beaten in a sexual hate crime. Wade and Beau's journey was not a happy one, but Wade was lucky to have Beau. Beau brought out the good in him. When things finally came to the surface, as explosive as it was, Wade was so lucky to have such a loving family. Ireally didn't like Maggie and hated Twyla. She is wasn't very supportive of Beau, but then she wasn't great with Xavier. She reflects her poor decisions on everyone and everything. Her bitterness is hard to read all the time. She doesn't even try to be a better person. Thankfully Gran stepped in to call her on issues. Was glad in the end that Wade dealt with his internal issues even though he still struggled with things, he didn't let it come between them. Hope to hear more about them as side characters in future books.
I'm kind of a sucker for the high school romance and the coming out trope. High school is such a brutal time for teens - growing up and facing the future - and when you add in the stress of figuring out your sexuality ... it's even harder. Peer pressure and parental expectations can all be overwhelming and I think what I love about books like these is that they show the strength of their teenage characters, and the foundation that real love can be. I've read a couple of books by DJ Jamison but this is definitely my favorite so far. I really felt the struggle that the main characters go through and was so happy that they got their HEA. Although both characters were 18 when the story took place, they didn't actually have sex until after graduation - which kind of felt real and nice. I very much enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!
I absolutely adore this author. She just has a way with telling a story that pulls your heart and soul all over the place. Let me just say that if you haven’t read this series yet please start with Heart Trouble first. That way you meet everyone and understand , but you don’t have to.
Wade and Beau.....I’m going to try to keep this spoiler free. Their story was just heartbreakingly beautiful. Wade hasn’t had it easy. He’s trying to figure out who he is and who he wants to be. Beau hasn’t had it easy either. Between kids at school and family he’s a little scared to be who he wants to be.
Let me just say these two have a lot to over come. It was such a beautiful, sweet saddening story. And I hope we get to hear more about everyone!