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Roads #1
Slide
Don’t look back. Don’t you ever look back…
Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.
Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.
Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.
Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.
Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.
Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2013
159 people are currently reading
3783 people want to read
About the author
Garrett Leigh
94 books2,400 followersShe/Her
Bonus Material available for all books on Garrett's Patreon account. Includes short stories from Misfits, Slide, Strays, What Remains, Dream, and much more. Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/garrettleigh
Facebook Fan Group, Garrett's Den... https://www.facebook.com/groups/garre...
Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British romance author and artist. Her debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and she is a 4 time LAMBDA finalist.
In 2017, she won the EPIC award in contemporary romance with her military novel, Between Ghosts, and the contemporary romance category in the Bisexual Book Awards with her novel What Remains.
Garrett is also an award winning cover designer, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com
Bonus Material available for all books on Garrett's Patreon account. Includes short stories from Misfits, Slide, Strays, What Remains, Dream, and much more. Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/garrettleigh
Facebook Fan Group, Garrett's Den... https://www.facebook.com/groups/garre...
Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British romance author and artist. Her debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and she is a 4 time LAMBDA finalist.
In 2017, she won the EPIC award in contemporary romance with her military novel, Between Ghosts, and the contemporary romance category in the Bisexual Book Awards with her novel What Remains.
Garrett is also an award winning cover designer, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews
May 2, 2019
I take full responsibility for this. I didn't really read the blurb. I saw a slew of my friends have loved it and pounced when the request came through.
My mistake.
I usually avoid books that center around mental illness but the catch-22 is I love damaged characters triumphing over hardship and finding happiness against all odds. Sometimes I take a chance and it works out fantastic like with Lucky or Rat Park but other times I end up here, feeling badly for not being more circumspect.
Slide started to sour early on for me mostly because I couldn't connect with either Pete or Ash. What's more, I didn't like either one of them and-the final nail in coffin-I don't think they're good for each other.
Slide covers about two years with them beginning as roommates introduced by Ash's BFF, Ellie, who I loathed from the moment she opened her fat-shaming mouth. There's not one woman portrayed in this book that I could identify with. They're all one-dimensional cliches of the catty best friend, the vapid ex-girlfriend/hookup, the hipster girl everyone loves to hate just not to her face, the pretentious WASP-y elitist and the feeble-minded but lovable mother.
This boilerplate misogyny I could maybe (big maybe) overlook in a strictly gay romance but both Pete and Ash are allegedly bisexual and have had girlfriends in the past. Though why they wasted their time on women they clearly believed were inferior nitwits is beyond me.
Not to dissect them to death but I actually don't think either one of them has a wealth of insight into themselves which made for a truly dysfunctional relationship that was difficult to read and brought me little enjoyment. I appreciate that they've both suffered in their lives, and even empathize with their trials and tribulations to an extent, but suffering doesn't give one carte blanche to treat others with such insouciance. Suffering nor mental illness excuses judgmental and obdurate behaviors either such as Pete's treatment of David, who seemingly has Ash's best interests at heart.
So... because he's wealthy and not the sort of physician that Pete finds honorable that makes him untrustworthy and contemptible? That's a bitter pill to swallow considering it's coming from a fractious malcontent like Pete who had earlier referred to someone on the verge of jumping to his death as a 'crazie' and was "pissed" that he had to wait for him to either decide to commit suicide or the police to talk him off the ledge.
Even sometimes the way they treat each other went all over me. Why must they call each other 'fucker' and 'asshole' and the like constantly? It seemed like some sort of halfhearted attempt at 'dark' characterizations but missed the mark and hit contrived instead. I'm not even going to touch their non-existent communication skills. But what I found particularly abhorrent was how Pete somehow made Ash's history of abuse about him.
How he couldn't handle it.
How he couldn't deal.
Which brings me to the abuse and mental illness. Trigger warnings for mentions of past sexual abuse, neglect, drug usage, homelessness and physical abuse. I'm not going to go full on psychology 101 here. Everyone presents and deals with trauma in their own way. There's no template but there are criteria that need to be met and those criteria are more than just words on a page, more than reading the DSM. That being said, there seemed to be some dramatic license taken with Ash's symptomology.
Regardless, I give kudos to authors who tackle abuse and its long-term ramifications and am glad that Ash seeking some professional help was finally broached. After two years but better late than never. Now perhaps he will begin to encourage Pete to seek some help of his own.
I'm not going to proceed further since obviously this didn't work for me. Maybe it improves and I'm depriving myself. I don't know; however, the vast majority of the reviews for this book and series are favorable, so I would encourage anyone interested to read them also.
A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
My mistake.
I usually avoid books that center around mental illness but the catch-22 is I love damaged characters triumphing over hardship and finding happiness against all odds. Sometimes I take a chance and it works out fantastic like with Lucky or Rat Park but other times I end up here, feeling badly for not being more circumspect.
Slide started to sour early on for me mostly because I couldn't connect with either Pete or Ash. What's more, I didn't like either one of them and-the final nail in coffin-I don't think they're good for each other.
Slide covers about two years with them beginning as roommates introduced by Ash's BFF, Ellie, who I loathed from the moment she opened her fat-shaming mouth. There's not one woman portrayed in this book that I could identify with. They're all one-dimensional cliches of the catty best friend, the vapid ex-girlfriend/hookup, the hipster girl everyone loves to hate just not to her face, the pretentious WASP-y elitist and the feeble-minded but lovable mother.
This boilerplate misogyny I could maybe (big maybe) overlook in a strictly gay romance but both Pete and Ash are allegedly bisexual and have had girlfriends in the past. Though why they wasted their time on women they clearly believed were inferior nitwits is beyond me.
Not to dissect them to death but I actually don't think either one of them has a wealth of insight into themselves which made for a truly dysfunctional relationship that was difficult to read and brought me little enjoyment. I appreciate that they've both suffered in their lives, and even empathize with their trials and tribulations to an extent, but suffering doesn't give one carte blanche to treat others with such insouciance. Suffering nor mental illness excuses judgmental and obdurate behaviors either such as Pete's treatment of David, who seemingly has Ash's best interests at heart.
I was torn. David was a plastic surgeon. In my eyes, that barely made him human, but he was still a doctor, and regardless of anything else, Ash was still really sick.
The office was plush with its leather couch and expensive artwork, tucked away in the surgical wing of an exclusive, private hospital. It was how the other half of the medical profession lived-plastic surgeons hidden away from the masses. What was I doing here? What the fuck did David know about people? I knew for a fact that David wasn't reconstructing burn victims or patching up war vets. Nah, it was all about vanity. Meg's weird-looking nose was his own fucking work.
So... because he's wealthy and not the sort of physician that Pete finds honorable that makes him untrustworthy and contemptible? That's a bitter pill to swallow considering it's coming from a fractious malcontent like Pete who had earlier referred to someone on the verge of jumping to his death as a 'crazie' and was "pissed" that he had to wait for him to either decide to commit suicide or the police to talk him off the ledge.
Even sometimes the way they treat each other went all over me. Why must they call each other 'fucker' and 'asshole' and the like constantly? It seemed like some sort of halfhearted attempt at 'dark' characterizations but missed the mark and hit contrived instead. I'm not even going to touch their non-existent communication skills. But what I found particularly abhorrent was how Pete somehow made Ash's history of abuse about him.
How he couldn't handle it.
How he couldn't deal.
Which brings me to the abuse and mental illness. Trigger warnings for mentions of past sexual abuse, neglect, drug usage, homelessness and physical abuse. I'm not going to go full on psychology 101 here. Everyone presents and deals with trauma in their own way. There's no template but there are criteria that need to be met and those criteria are more than just words on a page, more than reading the DSM. That being said, there seemed to be some dramatic license taken with Ash's symptomology.
Regardless, I give kudos to authors who tackle abuse and its long-term ramifications and am glad that Ash seeking some professional help was finally broached. After two years but better late than never. Now perhaps he will begin to encourage Pete to seek some help of his own.
I'm not going to proceed further since obviously this didn't work for me. Maybe it improves and I'm depriving myself. I don't know; however, the vast majority of the reviews for this book and series are favorable, so I would encourage anyone interested to read them also.
A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
August 20, 2017
4.5 Stars.
October 16, 2013
**4.5 STARS**
When I was organising my reading list for October, I spotted this book by Garrett Leigh, she is a new author and I loved the cover and the synopsis drew me in straight away, everything about it screamed READ THIS BOOK! And Oh. Boy. Am I glad I did! This is a fabulous book, an excellent read and what a pleasure it is to find a new author… I couldn’t put it down until it was finished, I loved every moment of my journey with Ash and Pete.
Ash had been living on the streets from the age of 15 surviving by drawing comic book and pavement art, losing himself in his passion and seeking oblivion through alcohol and drugs had been the only things to sustain him, a life he was rescued from by the only person who had actually cared about him his whole life… Ellie. She encouraged him to move into a shelter and then complete a tattoo artist apprenticeship before dragging his arse from Philadelphia to Chicago when she moved back home… and it is this point that the story really begins, Ash’s life prior to his life in Chicago is drip fed in parts, which I won’t go into, but it all becomes clear at the end of the book.
When I started reading this book, I was hit immediately by Ash’s voice, there was such a haunted feeling to it, an apathy, as though he was there but not really, kind of dazed and distanced from the tale he was telling, a complete contrast to the optimism of Pete. Garret Leigh’s characterisation of these two characters was excellent and you can’t help but fall in love with these two men, Ash is a boy so badly damaged he doesn’t know how to love, so lost that every day is a struggle and a new experience but Pete envelopes him with loving care and kindness, patiently giving him the room to grow. Their love is soul deep and they are both overwhelmed by an emotion that neither had experienced before… and Garrett Leigh conveyed that perfectly. But it’s not all sadness there is also a camaraderie and and sense of fun that builds as their relationship does that left me smiling and laughing at just how far our boy had come.
I didn’t let go of him, and he didn’t move, but after a long moment, he finally sighed. “There’s something about you that makes me forget anything else exists.”
Ash had survived living on the streets but he was finding it hard to adjust to life, five years of being oblivious to what we all take for grated now meant that everyday was a learning curve in a world he is unfamiliar with, not having had the life experiences that enable us to function as “normal” human beings, and at the same time trying to deal with his insecurities, with no feeling of self worth. So moving into an apartment and dealing with a room mate is a daunting task… even more so when sleep evades him through nightmares, panic attacks and feelings of claustrophobia.
Pete is a paramedic and works long hours which is both physically and mentally exhausting and despite hardly being home, it doesn’t take him long to realise Ash is troubled, not surprising really as Ash, not used to living with someone and seeing himself as a freak, tiptoes around the apartment and a life that for him is an everyday challenge. But somehow Pete see’s his vulnerability, he has an empathy for Ash he doesn’t truly understand but wants nothing more than to comfort him. The connection between them is subtle, yet profound and all of a sudden you are slammed in the chest by just how much Pete’s intuitive understanding of Ash impacts, there were no powerful displays of emotion, or an endless torture of sexual tension it was just a natural progression and the chemistry between them was undeniable, Pete brought a serenity to Ash that was powerful in itself… and I just cried and my heart swelled with how much love and emotion there was between these two characters.
For a moment, I forgot everything I’d ever done before, as if he was the first man I’d ever touched. Pete was so strong, but as I moved down his body with my fingers and tongue, I was more aware than ever that he was just a man, like me, and he was as fragile as I was.
Living with Ash wasn’t easy and his behaviour a significant indicator there was more to his past than he was letting on. I wanted Pete to push him on it, to ask the difficult questions, but knowing Pete’s phobia’s and fears, the one aspect of his job that gave him nightmares I can understand why he let it slide. That reason and their long working hours and Pete’s unsociable working hours had them seeing less of each other, falling into complacency and lost in his own crazy madness at work, with circumstances conspiring against them, Pete took his eye of the ball for a moment and missed the triggers that had sent Ash spiralling out of control… and he handled it badly, which did piss me off!
We get a glimpse of Ash’s terror… not the details but it is intimated enough to understand his fears and anxieties. It’s not a raw and gritty tale that rips your heart out, Garrett Leigh’s style is much more subtle she still manages to convey all the heartache in such a way that you are lulled into a false sense of security and before you know it your chest is aching and your heart bleeding at what a young life has endured and filled with hope at the love that helps heal him and gives him hope for a future.
Without going into detail for fear of spoiling the story, I would personally have liked the end elaborated more, it was tidied up nicely in an epilogue so I was satisfied but there was so much substance to the main part of the book and I would have liked to have seen how the end impacted and pushed the boundaries of their relationship. There are some great secondary characters, namely Ellie the tenacious red head, Ash’s best friend and saviour and Maggie, Pete’s Mother… I loved them!
I am incredibly excited about this author and I can’t wait for the next book in the series, I have some unanswered questions and things not addressed that I am hoping we will see in book two… can’t wait!!!
When I was organising my reading list for October, I spotted this book by Garrett Leigh, she is a new author and I loved the cover and the synopsis drew me in straight away, everything about it screamed READ THIS BOOK! And Oh. Boy. Am I glad I did! This is a fabulous book, an excellent read and what a pleasure it is to find a new author… I couldn’t put it down until it was finished, I loved every moment of my journey with Ash and Pete.
Ash had been living on the streets from the age of 15 surviving by drawing comic book and pavement art, losing himself in his passion and seeking oblivion through alcohol and drugs had been the only things to sustain him, a life he was rescued from by the only person who had actually cared about him his whole life… Ellie. She encouraged him to move into a shelter and then complete a tattoo artist apprenticeship before dragging his arse from Philadelphia to Chicago when she moved back home… and it is this point that the story really begins, Ash’s life prior to his life in Chicago is drip fed in parts, which I won’t go into, but it all becomes clear at the end of the book.
When I started reading this book, I was hit immediately by Ash’s voice, there was such a haunted feeling to it, an apathy, as though he was there but not really, kind of dazed and distanced from the tale he was telling, a complete contrast to the optimism of Pete. Garret Leigh’s characterisation of these two characters was excellent and you can’t help but fall in love with these two men, Ash is a boy so badly damaged he doesn’t know how to love, so lost that every day is a struggle and a new experience but Pete envelopes him with loving care and kindness, patiently giving him the room to grow. Their love is soul deep and they are both overwhelmed by an emotion that neither had experienced before… and Garrett Leigh conveyed that perfectly. But it’s not all sadness there is also a camaraderie and and sense of fun that builds as their relationship does that left me smiling and laughing at just how far our boy had come.
I didn’t let go of him, and he didn’t move, but after a long moment, he finally sighed. “There’s something about you that makes me forget anything else exists.”
Ash had survived living on the streets but he was finding it hard to adjust to life, five years of being oblivious to what we all take for grated now meant that everyday was a learning curve in a world he is unfamiliar with, not having had the life experiences that enable us to function as “normal” human beings, and at the same time trying to deal with his insecurities, with no feeling of self worth. So moving into an apartment and dealing with a room mate is a daunting task… even more so when sleep evades him through nightmares, panic attacks and feelings of claustrophobia.
Pete is a paramedic and works long hours which is both physically and mentally exhausting and despite hardly being home, it doesn’t take him long to realise Ash is troubled, not surprising really as Ash, not used to living with someone and seeing himself as a freak, tiptoes around the apartment and a life that for him is an everyday challenge. But somehow Pete see’s his vulnerability, he has an empathy for Ash he doesn’t truly understand but wants nothing more than to comfort him. The connection between them is subtle, yet profound and all of a sudden you are slammed in the chest by just how much Pete’s intuitive understanding of Ash impacts, there were no powerful displays of emotion, or an endless torture of sexual tension it was just a natural progression and the chemistry between them was undeniable, Pete brought a serenity to Ash that was powerful in itself… and I just cried and my heart swelled with how much love and emotion there was between these two characters.
For a moment, I forgot everything I’d ever done before, as if he was the first man I’d ever touched. Pete was so strong, but as I moved down his body with my fingers and tongue, I was more aware than ever that he was just a man, like me, and he was as fragile as I was.
Living with Ash wasn’t easy and his behaviour a significant indicator there was more to his past than he was letting on. I wanted Pete to push him on it, to ask the difficult questions, but knowing Pete’s phobia’s and fears, the one aspect of his job that gave him nightmares I can understand why he let it slide. That reason and their long working hours and Pete’s unsociable working hours had them seeing less of each other, falling into complacency and lost in his own crazy madness at work, with circumstances conspiring against them, Pete took his eye of the ball for a moment and missed the triggers that had sent Ash spiralling out of control… and he handled it badly, which did piss me off!
We get a glimpse of Ash’s terror… not the details but it is intimated enough to understand his fears and anxieties. It’s not a raw and gritty tale that rips your heart out, Garrett Leigh’s style is much more subtle she still manages to convey all the heartache in such a way that you are lulled into a false sense of security and before you know it your chest is aching and your heart bleeding at what a young life has endured and filled with hope at the love that helps heal him and gives him hope for a future.
Without going into detail for fear of spoiling the story, I would personally have liked the end elaborated more, it was tidied up nicely in an epilogue so I was satisfied but there was so much substance to the main part of the book and I would have liked to have seen how the end impacted and pushed the boundaries of their relationship. There are some great secondary characters, namely Ellie the tenacious red head, Ash’s best friend and saviour and Maggie, Pete’s Mother… I loved them!
I am incredibly excited about this author and I can’t wait for the next book in the series, I have some unanswered questions and things not addressed that I am hoping we will see in book two… can’t wait!!!
August 16, 2017
****4.5 Stars****
Well, I was not expecting that.
I haven’t read many stories from this author but the few I’ve read were as real as life gets.
Her characters are unique. They have flaws. They have weaknesses. She shows their fragility and I love that. They are perfect in their imperfection.
This one was some heavy shit though.
Mental illness is a tough subject and if it’s well written, there is no way you cannot feel its heaviness. There is no way we cannot feel emotionally affected and touched by the character’s issues. And GL does that with me. She lures me into the story like a moth in the light.
I lost count of how many times I wanted to hug Ash to make him feel safe and whisper some sweet comfort words to make him feel better. I wish I could take his pain away. She is that good.
I'm going with a 4.5 rate only because of the coincidences. I’m not a reader who appreciates that. I could have done without However, this is more a register than any other thing. It was definitely not enough reason to bring this down and that's why I'll round up to 5.
Loved both Ash and Pete to bits!!
Ash actually has my heart.
Available on KU
Well, I was not expecting that.
I haven’t read many stories from this author but the few I’ve read were as real as life gets.
Her characters are unique. They have flaws. They have weaknesses. She shows their fragility and I love that. They are perfect in their imperfection.
This one was some heavy shit though.
Mental illness is a tough subject and if it’s well written, there is no way you cannot feel its heaviness. There is no way we cannot feel emotionally affected and touched by the character’s issues. And GL does that with me. She lures me into the story like a moth in the light.
I lost count of how many times I wanted to hug Ash to make him feel safe and whisper some sweet comfort words to make him feel better. I wish I could take his pain away. She is that good.
I'm going with a 4.5 rate only because of the coincidences. I’m not a reader who appreciates that. I could have done without However, this is more a register than any other thing. It was definitely not enough reason to bring this down and that's why I'll round up to 5.
Loved both Ash and Pete to bits!!
Ash actually has my heart.
Available on KU
January 20, 2019
Audio - 1 star. Ended up returning and reading instead
Story - 4.25 stars
I enjoyed the story but didn't like the way it was broken up and told. Loved Pete and Ash. I hope more is revealed of Ash's past in the next book.
Story - 4.25 stars
I enjoyed the story but didn't like the way it was broken up and told. Loved Pete and Ash. I hope more is revealed of Ash's past in the next book.
May 21, 2014
3.5 stars
The writing is quite lovely, and the characters are well-drawn. The chemistry between Ash and Pete was great.
Side note: I loved Pete's job. He's a paramedic. I loved how he was sleep deprived, short tempered after night shifts, and sometimes went to such unbelievably shitty jobs that they stuck in his head for days or weeks. Because sometimes you're coasting along in life, and then the sheer realisation of how fucked up people can be to one another hits you right there in the guts...
I think though, that I was let down a little by the plot. There seemed to be some big coincidences at play here, that really didn't ring all that true.
But guess what? I read this after a night shift, so I was not feeling terribly forgiving.
Like I said though, the writing is wonderful, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series (if there is one!) .
Which I hope there is, and I hope it is about Joe. I couldn't quite figure out where he fitted in, but I liked him. :)
The writing is quite lovely, and the characters are well-drawn. The chemistry between Ash and Pete was great.
Side note: I loved Pete's job. He's a paramedic. I loved how he was sleep deprived, short tempered after night shifts, and sometimes went to such unbelievably shitty jobs that they stuck in his head for days or weeks. Because sometimes you're coasting along in life, and then the sheer realisation of how fucked up people can be to one another hits you right there in the guts...
I think though, that I was let down a little by the plot. There seemed to be some big coincidences at play here, that really didn't ring all that true.
But guess what? I read this after a night shift, so I was not feeling terribly forgiving.
Like I said though, the writing is wonderful, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series (if there is one!) .
Which I hope there is, and I hope it is about Joe. I couldn't quite figure out where he fitted in, but I liked him. :)
December 9, 2019
I’m so annoyed. I can’t even find 2 stars in a book that, without exception, my like-minded friends have loved (update: there do seem to be a few exceptions 😉). I fucking HATE when that happens. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!
I’m going to try my very best to rant without spoilers.
First of all, I feel like I read three different books within these 274 pages. To begin with, we had Part 1, which was the first 40% (from Ash’s POV). That part was decent — aside from the misogynistic language and fat shaming, grrrrr. I liked Ash a lot and was intrigued to learn more about his story and past. His and Pete’s nascent relationship was touching and meaningful for them both. And yes, hot.
Part 2 switched to Pete's POV, and that next 30% bored me to tears. Subjects well covered during this part: Sleep (and lack thereof), work (and overwork), drinking (and overdrinking), sex (which had diminishing returns with each additional scene), showering (and not in the fun way), moodiness, how hot each other was (and how that can apparently overcome any mood). Trickled among all this, the occasional mention of Ash’s dark past. Lest we forget.
Then somewhere around 70%, we start getting into the meat, which was really good for a minute. I figured the payoff had arrived. Stuff started happening. Apparently I have to be more careful what I wish for in the future, because most of what happened PISSED ME OFF.
Side note: I love being challenged with the dark elements of life in the books I read. I am endlessly fascinated with psychology, the human spirit and its resilience, how we manage our pain, etc etc. One of my top ten books this year ended in a suicide ffs. I don’t shy away from mental health struggles in books or in real life.
But... I have no interest in reading about such darkness as a ploy, something designed just to endear a character or story to the reader, rather than to explore the subject matter with respect. I need the author to know what they’re writing about and to write it well, or I end up writing a rage review.
The last 30% of this book made me stabby. This is the part that I can’t dive deep into without spoilers, but I’ll just say that the psychological elements were butchered. Ash’s mental health issues were approached extremely unhealthily, unrealistically, and irresponsibly. I’m not saying that the whole thing had to be shown perfectly, but suggesting that . That’s just one example among many, but that particular one made my brain boil and I had to set the book down for hours.
On top of all this, throw in ridiculous coincidences and significant plot holes. The latter hopefully gets resolved in the rest of the series, but it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll find out.
To my friends that recommended this one to me, I’m sorry and I hope you don’t hate me. 😬 I realized while reading this that Slide was one of Leigh’s first published books, so I plan to try at least one more, since writing usually improves with experience. And she has a new one coming out soon that seems to have great early reviews, so maybe that one will be the one to go for.
I’m going to try my very best to rant without spoilers.
First of all, I feel like I read three different books within these 274 pages. To begin with, we had Part 1, which was the first 40% (from Ash’s POV). That part was decent — aside from the misogynistic language and fat shaming, grrrrr. I liked Ash a lot and was intrigued to learn more about his story and past. His and Pete’s nascent relationship was touching and meaningful for them both. And yes, hot.
Part 2 switched to Pete's POV, and that next 30% bored me to tears. Subjects well covered during this part: Sleep (and lack thereof), work (and overwork), drinking (and overdrinking), sex (which had diminishing returns with each additional scene), showering (and not in the fun way), moodiness, how hot each other was (and how that can apparently overcome any mood). Trickled among all this, the occasional mention of Ash’s dark past. Lest we forget.
Then somewhere around 70%, we start getting into the meat, which was really good for a minute. I figured the payoff had arrived. Stuff started happening. Apparently I have to be more careful what I wish for in the future, because most of what happened PISSED ME OFF.
Side note: I love being challenged with the dark elements of life in the books I read. I am endlessly fascinated with psychology, the human spirit and its resilience, how we manage our pain, etc etc. One of my top ten books this year ended in a suicide ffs. I don’t shy away from mental health struggles in books or in real life.
But... I have no interest in reading about such darkness as a ploy, something designed just to endear a character or story to the reader, rather than to explore the subject matter with respect. I need the author to know what they’re writing about and to write it well, or I end up writing a rage review.
The last 30% of this book made me stabby. This is the part that I can’t dive deep into without spoilers, but I’ll just say that the psychological elements were butchered. Ash’s mental health issues were approached extremely unhealthily, unrealistically, and irresponsibly. I’m not saying that the whole thing had to be shown perfectly, but suggesting that . That’s just one example among many, but that particular one made my brain boil and I had to set the book down for hours.
On top of all this, throw in ridiculous coincidences and significant plot holes. The latter hopefully gets resolved in the rest of the series, but it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll find out.
To my friends that recommended this one to me, I’m sorry and I hope you don’t hate me. 😬 I realized while reading this that Slide was one of Leigh’s first published books, so I plan to try at least one more, since writing usually improves with experience. And she has a new one coming out soon that seems to have great early reviews, so maybe that one will be the one to go for.
July 17, 2018
***4.5 Stars***
This is probably my most eloquent review ever...
Me = wrecked and drained, but happy! I ❤️ it!
This is probably my most eloquent review ever...
Me = wrecked and drained, but happy! I ❤️ it!
October 19, 2013
Too. Much. Feeling.
Will string together sentences when I am able to be coherent again . . . .
Can't promise coherent, but here I go . . .
It would really be easiest to just say “See Isaac’s review”. This book wore me out in the best way. I couldn’t put it down and when I did I didn’t want to pick it back up. I mean, I did, but when you know the heartbreak is coming and it’s coming at you hard, you really need to be prepped.
I think what got to me most about this one was that while it did have extreme hurt for Ash and some brutal realities for he and Pete to deal with, the daily messes, the ones that can and do happen to any of us were so real, they can hit home for everyone.
So, for the easy love notes about this story. Ash is one of the best damaged MC’s I’ve ever read about. His painful past is revealed slowly so I imagined all manner of awful things that happened to him. He’s a beautiful artist who has no clue about his appeal. Then there’s THE PROLOGUE, seriously the prologue – 10 stars for it alone.
These guys were connected, like completely connected to each other. The sex in this one is amazing and not just the physical descriptions. But I could really see how they came together, when they, well, came together. It was way more than just a physical act for the both of them.
What kicked me in the gut, besides the obviously beautifully broken artist, was the subtle build up. There were times when I was reading that I got impatient. I wanted to know everything about Ash, I wanted the story to move along, what happened to him?? Let’s get to the fixing! But, once I got to Pete’s POV the slow build up made sense and really worked to get the point across, sometimes we really can be blind to what it happening in our own home and to the ones we love the most. As a reader, I was basically as in the dark about Ash and his problems as Pete. So, while a few times while reading I got impatient, once I got to Pete’s POV and everything came apart, I could appreciate what Pete was going through, we were clueless and lost together.
I know a lot of people lost the love for Pete when the shit hit the fan. I get that. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel serious empathy for what he was going through too. Throughout the book, he talked about how he couldn’t mix his personal life and professional one. If his colleagues knew he was gay he would lose his career as he knew it. His whole life had been about being cagey about his sexuality and even though he and Ash were deeply in love, it was obvious, they really didn’t talk about it and they weren’t at all open in public. Pete’s a paramedic in a big city, he sees awful things on a daily basis. It had also become his way to lock those horrible things away, he didn’t share with anyone what he dealt with. The problem with locking things away is that they don’t really go away. So, Pete is overworked, he is constantly behind on his sleep and he is honestly way over his head with Ash’s illness. I also had to keep in mind his age, early to mid 20’s, given all of that, I was upset and frustrated at their situation, but I couldn’t hold a grudge against Pete. He was never malicious, just overwhelmed. As much as they loved each other, given Ash’s illness, they were a recipe for disaster.
Pete: “I was a stubborn asshole when I was in a funk, and in turn, Ash was like a ghost. Not a good combination when things were strained.”
Really, we’ve all been there and you all know I’m only talking about the verbal sniping and the snapping comebacks. I would call BS on anyone who said they hadn’t, at one point or another, been overworked, overtired and entirely too stressed, gone home to their loved ones and been a total asshole. It’s an unfortunate and unfair outlet. We’ve all been on both sides of that situation and relationships have come completely unraveled when the rare outburst becomes a habit.
Neither of these guys had a family life to speak of growing up with any kind of a family unit to learn from. They knew, ideally, what they wanted and they did create a little bubble of domestic bliss to live in. It was their “normal”. They were happy. But, they didn’t talk about what they needed to talk about, and as long as stresses were at a minimum, they were getting by. Life doesn’t work that way though and Ash simply couldn’t and Pete didn’t know how to talk through the hard stuff. It really was heartbreaking. With their schedules, they sometimes didn’t even see each other, only in passing and usually one of them was catching some much needed sleep.
Pete: “I’d only seen him asleep in bed, or glued to his sketchbook and dishing out monosyllabic grunts to any effort I made to communicate. After a while, it had become easier just to let him have his way. I was too tired and pissed off to argue with him.”
That really summed it up as they got closer to the blow up.
I can’t really say much about how all the “bad” ended up going down without being completely spoilery and you really do need to read it to appreciate it all. One thing that I thought was really well done, and again subtle, was the two secondary characters that made both Ash and Pete uncomfortable and left them with a feeling of distrust. Joe (for Pete) and Ellie’s dad (for both). Neither do anything to earn those feelings through the story, but the feelings are still there. It makes complete sense to me at the end.
In the end, the secondary characters were the support system that allowed these boys to come out on the other side. The ending seemed a little rushed. A lot was wrapped up in a short period of time given the slow build up, but enough questions were answered to leave me satisfied and hopeful for them. I can also see where there is room for more in this series.
I believe Isaac said it best with “Angst, tattoos, sex, hurt, comfort. Great.”
Will string together sentences when I am able to be coherent again . . . .
Can't promise coherent, but here I go . . .
It would really be easiest to just say “See Isaac’s review”. This book wore me out in the best way. I couldn’t put it down and when I did I didn’t want to pick it back up. I mean, I did, but when you know the heartbreak is coming and it’s coming at you hard, you really need to be prepped.
I think what got to me most about this one was that while it did have extreme hurt for Ash and some brutal realities for he and Pete to deal with, the daily messes, the ones that can and do happen to any of us were so real, they can hit home for everyone.
So, for the easy love notes about this story. Ash is one of the best damaged MC’s I’ve ever read about. His painful past is revealed slowly so I imagined all manner of awful things that happened to him. He’s a beautiful artist who has no clue about his appeal. Then there’s THE PROLOGUE, seriously the prologue – 10 stars for it alone.
These guys were connected, like completely connected to each other. The sex in this one is amazing and not just the physical descriptions. But I could really see how they came together, when they, well, came together. It was way more than just a physical act for the both of them.
What kicked me in the gut, besides the obviously beautifully broken artist, was the subtle build up. There were times when I was reading that I got impatient. I wanted to know everything about Ash, I wanted the story to move along, what happened to him?? Let’s get to the fixing! But, once I got to Pete’s POV the slow build up made sense and really worked to get the point across, sometimes we really can be blind to what it happening in our own home and to the ones we love the most. As a reader, I was basically as in the dark about Ash and his problems as Pete. So, while a few times while reading I got impatient, once I got to Pete’s POV and everything came apart, I could appreciate what Pete was going through, we were clueless and lost together.
I know a lot of people lost the love for Pete when the shit hit the fan. I get that. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel serious empathy for what he was going through too. Throughout the book, he talked about how he couldn’t mix his personal life and professional one. If his colleagues knew he was gay he would lose his career as he knew it. His whole life had been about being cagey about his sexuality and even though he and Ash were deeply in love, it was obvious, they really didn’t talk about it and they weren’t at all open in public. Pete’s a paramedic in a big city, he sees awful things on a daily basis. It had also become his way to lock those horrible things away, he didn’t share with anyone what he dealt with. The problem with locking things away is that they don’t really go away. So, Pete is overworked, he is constantly behind on his sleep and he is honestly way over his head with Ash’s illness. I also had to keep in mind his age, early to mid 20’s, given all of that, I was upset and frustrated at their situation, but I couldn’t hold a grudge against Pete. He was never malicious, just overwhelmed. As much as they loved each other, given Ash’s illness, they were a recipe for disaster.
Pete: “I was a stubborn asshole when I was in a funk, and in turn, Ash was like a ghost. Not a good combination when things were strained.”
Really, we’ve all been there and you all know I’m only talking about the verbal sniping and the snapping comebacks. I would call BS on anyone who said they hadn’t, at one point or another, been overworked, overtired and entirely too stressed, gone home to their loved ones and been a total asshole. It’s an unfortunate and unfair outlet. We’ve all been on both sides of that situation and relationships have come completely unraveled when the rare outburst becomes a habit.
Neither of these guys had a family life to speak of growing up with any kind of a family unit to learn from. They knew, ideally, what they wanted and they did create a little bubble of domestic bliss to live in. It was their “normal”. They were happy. But, they didn’t talk about what they needed to talk about, and as long as stresses were at a minimum, they were getting by. Life doesn’t work that way though and Ash simply couldn’t and Pete didn’t know how to talk through the hard stuff. It really was heartbreaking. With their schedules, they sometimes didn’t even see each other, only in passing and usually one of them was catching some much needed sleep.
Pete: “I’d only seen him asleep in bed, or glued to his sketchbook and dishing out monosyllabic grunts to any effort I made to communicate. After a while, it had become easier just to let him have his way. I was too tired and pissed off to argue with him.”
That really summed it up as they got closer to the blow up.
I can’t really say much about how all the “bad” ended up going down without being completely spoilery and you really do need to read it to appreciate it all. One thing that I thought was really well done, and again subtle, was the two secondary characters that made both Ash and Pete uncomfortable and left them with a feeling of distrust. Joe (for Pete) and Ellie’s dad (for both). Neither do anything to earn those feelings through the story, but the feelings are still there. It makes complete sense to me at the end.
In the end, the secondary characters were the support system that allowed these boys to come out on the other side. The ending seemed a little rushed. A lot was wrapped up in a short period of time given the slow build up, but enough questions were answered to leave me satisfied and hopeful for them. I can also see where there is room for more in this series.
I believe Isaac said it best with “Angst, tattoos, sex, hurt, comfort. Great.”
July 16, 2015
***This is not a series, this is a single novel divided in two volumes.***
Last night I dreamt of Ash and Pietro...
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world... It's hard to get by just upon a smile...
I hate reviewing books I love. I hate it, because I don't find the words. Not even in my own language. I hate using the terms "perfect", "awesome" or "wowable". I'm glad I can't say this book is perfect because it's not, although I can't deny it's awesome and wowable. I just hate saying those words, because they are cliched as hell and that's unfair for this book. What can I tell instead? The plot? There is no plot here. And that's fine for me, really. I just lived in them, breathed with them, fucked with them.
Let's do that.
There is no epic scenario here. But I love epic, and this book felt epic in all its mundane existence. The MCs are normal people, and have normal problems, and not as normal troubles. But nothing is told, nothing. Everything is shown. And that's more than enough for me.
I'd like to compare it with that saying: Cold hands, warm heart. It's usually used in the literal form, when you find someone with cold hands, you say it. But the meaning is that someone who is quiet and cold in the outside then is very passionate in the inside. I think it suits the MCs perfectly, above all Ash, who is distant and apathetic but in the end he's tender and devoted to Pete. Pete is more like the "protector", and he seems the strong one, the one who pushes them both forward. I also take that saying as something literal, because I can't shake that feeling, the feeling of a warm bubble in the cold winter in Chicago. Everything felt achingly tactile. It felt warm, but warm inside. I will always carry with me the sensation of warm bedding, warm touches and warm breath. I will always carry with me the cold nights, the endless exhaustion and the everlasting cuddling. I will always carry with me the long silences and the short smiles.
Oh, and that crazy big bed... Made me smile. Too big for one person alone.
It wasn't insta-love. I'm lying. It was insta-love for ME, but not for them. For them there were no phases, it was all so smooth, it just slid into its place without me being aware of it. I felt like a sponge, I absorbed everything from them, nothing was a waste. One scene, the first feelz, I was captive. If only life was as simple as that! But that's jumping the gun, there is nothing simple here, but the feeling is so deceiving I almost believed it.
The atmosphere is depressing and sad, but not in a bad way, but in an under-the-spell way. It's like walking in a fog, it enveloping you, you inhaling it, you exhaling it. I felt wrapped in sadness and the humid air stuck to me like a second skin. But the skin felt good and right and meant to be there. I didn't want to slough it, and I am not ready to shed it yet.
It's gloomy and nostalgic, like the feeling those romantic authors form the 19th century must have had when they wrote those poems with graves and cliffs and storms, but without those graves and cliffs and storms actually existing. We have an urban jungle, the L and the lighted nights. Chicago. When I read a book it can be set anywhere in the world, in a city in the USA, in Australia, in Europe... wherever the author chooses. But I will always forget it, because that love story could have been developed anywhere else, as in the end the background is not that important. But that doesn't happen here. If some years from now I find a Trivial question asking me where Ash and Pete fell in love, I would immediately answer "Chicago" without any kind of doubt. Chicago is the third character here, it's a city that felt alive, moving at the same time as Ash and Pete did. It's not easy to achieve that, to be able to portray it with words only and be that memorable and that inspiring. No long and boring descriptions about it, but it's transpired in every action and detail and character. This story has a strong sense of place, turning the cold outline of the skyscrapers into something romantic and dreamy.
The tortured heroes remain the same as in those poems, proper Garrett Leigh TM. This book oozes high quality angst but it exudes high quality comfort and high quality healing, too. I can't erase the sensation it's not a story about a relationship, but a story about loving someone, and about your life being loving that someone. There is a difference, it a subtle one. We follow one of them at a time, and we see them first as flatmates, then as friends, and finally as lovers. Their understanding is complete, it felt like a perfect simbiosis, as it leaves nothing untouched. They walk on every square of the board but not as enemies, but hand by hand. But this new and shining thing takes them both by surprise and as they have to play it by ear, mistakes are made, and consequences are triggered. And not necessarily good ones.
I mentioned before this book is not perfect. It's like when you see a pretty face on a photo and you think that person is angelical. But if you concentrate very hard, you find out the little details are not that beautiful, but as a whole it's harmonic and captivating. But you don't stop to concentrate that hard, you only want to look that photo forever, because it transports you to another place and you don't want to shatter the illusion.
Last night I dreamt of Ash and Pietro...
"For the first time in my life, home was where my heart was, and I'd left my heart in Chicago."
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world... It's hard to get by just upon a smile...
I hate reviewing books I love. I hate it, because I don't find the words. Not even in my own language. I hate using the terms "perfect", "awesome" or "wowable". I'm glad I can't say this book is perfect because it's not, although I can't deny it's awesome and wowable. I just hate saying those words, because they are cliched as hell and that's unfair for this book. What can I tell instead? The plot? There is no plot here. And that's fine for me, really. I just lived in them, breathed with them, fucked with them.
I love you, fucker.
Let's do that.
There is no epic scenario here. But I love epic, and this book felt epic in all its mundane existence. The MCs are normal people, and have normal problems, and not as normal troubles. But nothing is told, nothing. Everything is shown. And that's more than enough for me.
I'd like to compare it with that saying: Cold hands, warm heart. It's usually used in the literal form, when you find someone with cold hands, you say it. But the meaning is that someone who is quiet and cold in the outside then is very passionate in the inside. I think it suits the MCs perfectly, above all Ash, who is distant and apathetic but in the end he's tender and devoted to Pete. Pete is more like the "protector", and he seems the strong one, the one who pushes them both forward. I also take that saying as something literal, because I can't shake that feeling, the feeling of a warm bubble in the cold winter in Chicago. Everything felt achingly tactile. It felt warm, but warm inside. I will always carry with me the sensation of warm bedding, warm touches and warm breath. I will always carry with me the cold nights, the endless exhaustion and the everlasting cuddling. I will always carry with me the long silences and the short smiles.
Oh, and that crazy big bed... Made me smile. Too big for one person alone.
It wasn't insta-love. I'm lying. It was insta-love for ME, but not for them. For them there were no phases, it was all so smooth, it just slid into its place without me being aware of it. I felt like a sponge, I absorbed everything from them, nothing was a waste. One scene, the first feelz, I was captive. If only life was as simple as that! But that's jumping the gun, there is nothing simple here, but the feeling is so deceiving I almost believed it.
The atmosphere is depressing and sad, but not in a bad way, but in an under-the-spell way. It's like walking in a fog, it enveloping you, you inhaling it, you exhaling it. I felt wrapped in sadness and the humid air stuck to me like a second skin. But the skin felt good and right and meant to be there. I didn't want to slough it, and I am not ready to shed it yet.
It's gloomy and nostalgic, like the feeling those romantic authors form the 19th century must have had when they wrote those poems with graves and cliffs and storms, but without those graves and cliffs and storms actually existing. We have an urban jungle, the L and the lighted nights. Chicago. When I read a book it can be set anywhere in the world, in a city in the USA, in Australia, in Europe... wherever the author chooses. But I will always forget it, because that love story could have been developed anywhere else, as in the end the background is not that important. But that doesn't happen here. If some years from now I find a Trivial question asking me where Ash and Pete fell in love, I would immediately answer "Chicago" without any kind of doubt. Chicago is the third character here, it's a city that felt alive, moving at the same time as Ash and Pete did. It's not easy to achieve that, to be able to portray it with words only and be that memorable and that inspiring. No long and boring descriptions about it, but it's transpired in every action and detail and character. This story has a strong sense of place, turning the cold outline of the skyscrapers into something romantic and dreamy.
The tortured heroes remain the same as in those poems, proper Garrett Leigh TM. This book oozes high quality angst but it exudes high quality comfort and high quality healing, too. I can't erase the sensation it's not a story about a relationship, but a story about loving someone, and about your life being loving that someone. There is a difference, it a subtle one. We follow one of them at a time, and we see them first as flatmates, then as friends, and finally as lovers. Their understanding is complete, it felt like a perfect simbiosis, as it leaves nothing untouched. They walk on every square of the board but not as enemies, but hand by hand. But this new and shining thing takes them both by surprise and as they have to play it by ear, mistakes are made, and consequences are triggered. And not necessarily good ones.
I mentioned before this book is not perfect. It's like when you see a pretty face on a photo and you think that person is angelical. But if you concentrate very hard, you find out the little details are not that beautiful, but as a whole it's harmonic and captivating. But you don't stop to concentrate that hard, you only want to look that photo forever, because it transports you to another place and you don't want to shatter the illusion.
September 24, 2019
3 Stars
Although I appreciated the serious nature of this story and the heaviness of the issues the characters are burdened by within, I regrettably found myself unable to connect with either MC in any substantial way, as hard as I tried.
I found myself reacting in frustration rather than sympathy a lot of the time, particularly in regards to the utter lack of communication frustratingly displayed time and again by the MCs, Ash and Pete — which I believe could only be blamed on their personal issues to such a degree before it seemed a tad ridiculous.
I think it came down to behaviour and choices. I simply didn’t get why Ash or Pete did a lot of the things they did.
Ash suffered with some serious emotional issues from his past, which was clear as day to the reader even before the experiences themselves were revealed, so I feel I understood/accepted/felt for him and his troubled and distant nature to a larger degree, particularly as the story went on.
But Pete was a whole other story for me. Pete said some weird shit and made some strange choices throughout this story — choices that didn’t quite make sense to me as a compassionate, proactive, fairly intelligent human being. As a paramedic, I found him, at times, extremely unsympathetic towards the people around him (both in terms of the patients he talked about and some of the people he crossed paths with in his life). Add to that, the way he responded — or perhaps it’s more apt to say the way he “failed to respond” — to what happened to Ash in the last leg of the story, simply left me flabbergasted!
There were also a lot of coincidences in this story — coincidences that made no sense because of the life altering nature of them. Hell, there were even pivotal reveals that didn’t hit home simply because my immediate reaction was more like, “what!? As if!” rather than, “oh, wow! What a twist!” I guess for me, all that background stuff, when it came together, seemed a bit too contrived, which was a damn shame because it had the potential to really be emotionally affecting if executed differently.
Well, now that I’m writing out this rambling stream-of-consciousness-type review, I see that my experience with this story was perhaps more negative than I initially realised, which was not my intention at all, I swear. It’s probably important to note that this is a story that’s more loved by my friends than not, so I guess I just fall among the minority in this particular case.
I will close by saying that, although I didn’t love this one, I continue to be impressed by Leigh’s writing quality and with how she doesn’t shy away from creating the angst, clearly preferring to write flawed and messy characters (and their relationships) over the more idealistic hearts and flowers stuff the genre is largely populated by. So, points for true grit!
Although I appreciated the serious nature of this story and the heaviness of the issues the characters are burdened by within, I regrettably found myself unable to connect with either MC in any substantial way, as hard as I tried.
I found myself reacting in frustration rather than sympathy a lot of the time, particularly in regards to the utter lack of communication frustratingly displayed time and again by the MCs, Ash and Pete — which I believe could only be blamed on their personal issues to such a degree before it seemed a tad ridiculous.
I think it came down to behaviour and choices. I simply didn’t get why Ash or Pete did a lot of the things they did.
Ash suffered with some serious emotional issues from his past, which was clear as day to the reader even before the experiences themselves were revealed, so I feel I understood/accepted/felt for him and his troubled and distant nature to a larger degree, particularly as the story went on.
But Pete was a whole other story for me. Pete said some weird shit and made some strange choices throughout this story — choices that didn’t quite make sense to me as a compassionate, proactive, fairly intelligent human being. As a paramedic, I found him, at times, extremely unsympathetic towards the people around him (both in terms of the patients he talked about and some of the people he crossed paths with in his life). Add to that, the way he responded — or perhaps it’s more apt to say the way he “failed to respond” — to what happened to Ash in the last leg of the story, simply left me flabbergasted!
There were also a lot of coincidences in this story — coincidences that made no sense because of the life altering nature of them. Hell, there were even pivotal reveals that didn’t hit home simply because my immediate reaction was more like, “what!? As if!” rather than, “oh, wow! What a twist!” I guess for me, all that background stuff, when it came together, seemed a bit too contrived, which was a damn shame because it had the potential to really be emotionally affecting if executed differently.
Well, now that I’m writing out this rambling stream-of-consciousness-type review, I see that my experience with this story was perhaps more negative than I initially realised, which was not my intention at all, I swear. It’s probably important to note that this is a story that’s more loved by my friends than not, so I guess I just fall among the minority in this particular case.
I will close by saying that, although I didn’t love this one, I continue to be impressed by Leigh’s writing quality and with how she doesn’t shy away from creating the angst, clearly preferring to write flawed and messy characters (and their relationships) over the more idealistic hearts and flowers stuff the genre is largely populated by. So, points for true grit!
November 20, 2020
In full disclosure, I’ve never met a Garrett Leigh book I didn’t like. Actually, most I love with my whole heart. So it’s not a grand surprise that Ash and Pete swept me away with their powerful story. This story will grab you and seize you, whether or not you wish to be held, the choice is no longer yours. One of the essential elements in Leigh’s stories is her ability to pen with rare authenticity. The emotions are raw and paralyzing. Her characters idiosyncrasies singe into my brain. I see them, I feel them, and they consume me. Barely a few chapters in and I was grateful this was the beginning of a series, for I knew I wouldn’t want to let them go. Its only been days since I discovered them but I have no doubt I will never forget them. Slide is a stunning story about two souls desperate for the peace and security of a future together. Can their love help free them from a haunting past? Or will they have to face their demons once more?
What's to like: I’m only a stone’s throw from Chicago and I enjoyed Leigh taking us there. It’s a city I know better than any other big city and it was presented well. Granted there was a time or two I wanted to shout, “ohh, your Brit is showing” but nevertheless, I found myself smiling. I also have tremendous respect for our first responders and thought Pete’s profession was portrayed with nail-biting accuracy. Then we have Ash and his artistic brilliance. *happy sigh* I was instantly charmed, quickly hooked, and utterly captivated when they came together. They begin with trepidation but it’s clear from the very start they are perfectly suited for one another. I might as well take this to the next level…
What's to love: So much. I absolutely adored both Ash and Pete. They are quite different but compliment each other beautifully. Pete is a people person. He may not freely admit it, but he is driven with a need to care for and help people. He is stubborn, loyal, and could give grumpy cat a run for his money, but he’s a natural caretaker. Ash is most definitely not a people person. He has mastered his invisible man routine and sticks to bare minimum human contact. Before you form any harsh judgment, he has valid grounds. For some reason, despite his best intentions, Ash can’t hide from Pete. Pete not only sees him but he sees into him. He slips into a place no one has ever been before. The core of his heart. And he proves there is such a thing as unconditional love. Pete loves Ash without expectations or limitations. Ash leans on Pete and feeds off of his confidence and conviction that he deserves to be happy. He may be a work in progress but all showpieces start at the same place, the beginning. By no means is this creation the only part of this story. Between the stellar cast, both primary and secondary, their stirring story and the glorious writing…I was done for. It was as if they collided with my heart and a permanent mark remains.
Beware of: The triggers here are plentiful; history of sexual abuse, drug abuse, and homeless youth. And a ruthless battle of mental illness. Ash has tried to move forward but he keeps…sliding back. He is forced to accept and confront the force that has him shackled and it’s darker than he ever imagined. He can’t do it alone and fears he won’t find his way back. But for the first time in his life, he has someone who shows him the fortitude of boundless love.
This book is for: If you are in the mood for a powerful and potent story that is sure to knock you down but will lift you to places you’ve only dreamed of…Slide is everything you need.
Book UNfunk
What's to like: I’m only a stone’s throw from Chicago and I enjoyed Leigh taking us there. It’s a city I know better than any other big city and it was presented well. Granted there was a time or two I wanted to shout, “ohh, your Brit is showing” but nevertheless, I found myself smiling. I also have tremendous respect for our first responders and thought Pete’s profession was portrayed with nail-biting accuracy. Then we have Ash and his artistic brilliance. *happy sigh* I was instantly charmed, quickly hooked, and utterly captivated when they came together. They begin with trepidation but it’s clear from the very start they are perfectly suited for one another. I might as well take this to the next level…
What's to love: So much. I absolutely adored both Ash and Pete. They are quite different but compliment each other beautifully. Pete is a people person. He may not freely admit it, but he is driven with a need to care for and help people. He is stubborn, loyal, and could give grumpy cat a run for his money, but he’s a natural caretaker. Ash is most definitely not a people person. He has mastered his invisible man routine and sticks to bare minimum human contact. Before you form any harsh judgment, he has valid grounds. For some reason, despite his best intentions, Ash can’t hide from Pete. Pete not only sees him but he sees into him. He slips into a place no one has ever been before. The core of his heart. And he proves there is such a thing as unconditional love. Pete loves Ash without expectations or limitations. Ash leans on Pete and feeds off of his confidence and conviction that he deserves to be happy. He may be a work in progress but all showpieces start at the same place, the beginning. By no means is this creation the only part of this story. Between the stellar cast, both primary and secondary, their stirring story and the glorious writing…I was done for. It was as if they collided with my heart and a permanent mark remains.
Beware of: The triggers here are plentiful; history of sexual abuse, drug abuse, and homeless youth. And a ruthless battle of mental illness. Ash has tried to move forward but he keeps…sliding back. He is forced to accept and confront the force that has him shackled and it’s darker than he ever imagined. He can’t do it alone and fears he won’t find his way back. But for the first time in his life, he has someone who shows him the fortitude of boundless love.
This book is for: If you are in the mood for a powerful and potent story that is sure to knock you down but will lift you to places you’ve only dreamed of…Slide is everything you need.
Book UNfunk
April 13, 2018
dnf at 42% with a minor skim through.
This book is AWFUL I really don't get how it has so many positive reviews or why so few people comment on the weirdness within. This is the second and will be the last book by this author I try.
In the last book I tried, it was casually put across that Vegans are nutcases, 'if even human'. In this book it's plastic surgeons that 'aren't human in my eyes' I'm pretty sure anyone who has faced reconstructive surgery will have a different opinion on that.
Beyond that the main characters are both bisexual - although they don't like that term, 'it's like a disease', which... Both make derogatory remarks about women. I understood bisexual to mean attraction to both, here they're very derisive of all women, in fact I started to think the author herself hates women. Women are repeatedly; easy, predictable, boring, grasping, all the same, their boobs are 'ok' but they can fake orgasms which is just too complex to deal with. One is a greasy fat-arse, another an entitled train-wreck. Pete's mother gave a nice speech about loving who you will - then it emerges she called his ex 'whore' (in Italian) her only crime (as far as I read) being her gender. There's also Megan, Ellie's sister who has clear problems, but is simply dismissed as being a bitch.
Then we have the situation that doesn't quite make sense. Ellie - ever present best friend and saviour, despite being female, though she is annoyingly like a tornado - is rich and has a near apartment, yet vulnerable ex-homeless Ash has to room with Pete. Ellie has a room-mate already, the fat greasy unpleasant girl, despite the being rich enough for her parents to consider buying another place outright. Also this is a very similar plot to Soul to Keep ex-druggie whose been to rehab somewhere else at the expense of a rich friend, now latching on to a big strong man and only able to sleep when they share a bed, this some time before sex starts and very little connection beyond glossed over issues and sex.
Ash has a lot of issues, he's visibly got problems; nightmares, refusal to sleep, panic attacks, blanking for spaces of time. Pete is a paramedic - even giving him an allowance for being off duty and sleep deprived I don't get how he could ignore so many signals. Too often the answer to any disclosure seems to be sex. In fact when everything signals some form of abuse, the real focus is the rarity and wonder of Ash bottoming.
Part Two of the book brings a pov change and time-skip, it made a lot seem worse to me.
Leigh can write, it's the only reason I didn't dnf after the very first misogynistic statement. But the content and prioritising in her books bothers me. Will not be reading another.
(pretty sure this was a promo-purchase, found it lurking on my kindle; where it is no more)
This book is AWFUL I really don't get how it has so many positive reviews or why so few people comment on the weirdness within. This is the second and will be the last book by this author I try.
In the last book I tried, it was casually put across that Vegans are nutcases, 'if even human'. In this book it's plastic surgeons that 'aren't human in my eyes' I'm pretty sure anyone who has faced reconstructive surgery will have a different opinion on that.
Beyond that the main characters are both bisexual - although they don't like that term, 'it's like a disease', which... Both make derogatory remarks about women. I understood bisexual to mean attraction to both, here they're very derisive of all women, in fact I started to think the author herself hates women. Women are repeatedly; easy, predictable, boring, grasping, all the same, their boobs are 'ok' but they can fake orgasms which is just too complex to deal with. One is a greasy fat-arse, another an entitled train-wreck. Pete's mother gave a nice speech about loving who you will - then it emerges she called his ex 'whore' (in Italian) her only crime (as far as I read) being her gender. There's also Megan, Ellie's sister who has clear problems, but is simply dismissed as being a bitch.
Then we have the situation that doesn't quite make sense. Ellie - ever present best friend and saviour, despite being female, though she is annoyingly like a tornado - is rich and has a near apartment, yet vulnerable ex-homeless Ash has to room with Pete. Ellie has a room-mate already, the fat greasy unpleasant girl, despite the being rich enough for her parents to consider buying another place outright. Also this is a very similar plot to Soul to Keep ex-druggie whose been to rehab somewhere else at the expense of a rich friend, now latching on to a big strong man and only able to sleep when they share a bed, this some time before sex starts and very little connection beyond glossed over issues and sex.
Ash has a lot of issues, he's visibly got problems; nightmares, refusal to sleep, panic attacks, blanking for spaces of time. Pete is a paramedic - even giving him an allowance for being off duty and sleep deprived I don't get how he could ignore so many signals. Too often the answer to any disclosure seems to be sex. In fact when everything signals some form of abuse, the real focus is the rarity and wonder of Ash bottoming.
Part Two of the book brings a pov change and time-skip, it made a lot seem worse to me.
Leigh can write, it's the only reason I didn't dnf after the very first misogynistic statement. But the content and prioritising in her books bothers me. Will not be reading another.
(pretty sure this was a promo-purchase, found it lurking on my kindle; where it is no more)
July 17, 2018
There are some books that you just can’t put down and I got totally immersed in this one.
It felt like I was swimming and then suddenly, a big wave came and I just couldn’t, didn’t want to fight it…I just let it carry me without thinking anymore.
It resonated, it was sometimes a bit overwhelming and depressing, but also made me hopeful that it can be worth keeping going on even if reasons to do so seem non-existent.
Tons of feels for me in this first part of Pete and Ash’s story : already on book #2.
It felt like I was swimming and then suddenly, a big wave came and I just couldn’t, didn’t want to fight it…I just let it carry me without thinking anymore.
It resonated, it was sometimes a bit overwhelming and depressing, but also made me hopeful that it can be worth keeping going on even if reasons to do so seem non-existent.
Tons of feels for me in this first part of Pete and Ash’s story : already on book #2.
October 17, 2018
Oh boy. So…the other night I was attempting to read a book but I was really antsy. I put that book away and starting scrolling through my Nook for something else. I can’t tell you when or why I bought Slide but I decided to open it up and take a peek. That peek turned into me reading the prologue and being blown away. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? I literally said that out loud. Got out of bed and paced the landing outside my bedroom door so I didn’t wake my husband. It hit me that hard and had me buzzed with crazy anticipation. I wanted to keep reading to find out more but I forced myself to go to bed and ended up laying awake for two hours thinking about that prologue and when I finally dozed off I dreamt of paper tattooed covered walls. I woke up thinking of Pete and Ash. I thought about them as I got my boys ready for school and me for work. They had consumed me, again, just from the prologue. I got to work and instead of doing what I had planned, I opened my Nook and openly read at my desk so lost in this story that I did nothing but read all day. I have no shame and though I now have mini piles on my desk it was worth it.
This story, it was beyond amazing. I know I am a reader who likes to throw out stars for books like they are party favors but if a book moves me, if it makes me feel the emotions as deeply as the characters I have no problem doing that. I read to feel and this story of Ash and Pete made me feel. Oh boy did it ever.
I loved the way this was told. We get both MC’s POV’s from different times, separate years in their relationship and though it normally would be a tough sell for me to read a story this way the author pulls it of seamlessly. It’s not the only thing she does either. I could totally go fangirl crazy over the writing of this but I won’t, just know that it is brilliantly and gorgeously told that I would want you to find out for yourself. Find out how deeply this story will resonate and filter through every pore of you as you read it and how it will stay with you long after you are done.
The story begins with Pete as he comes home from a bad day at work. We meet Ash as he waits in bed for Pete and then *whistles*…this prologue was amazing. I can’t say that enough and yet it’s all I want to say. It’s simply brilliant in how quickly you feel these men as they connect. It’s not just the physical on the page, you feel them. You understand the emotions as they go through them. I felt them and knew this would be a book that would kill me and what a wonderful death it would be.
Pete, we meet you first. You crept into my soul with those first few pages and you stayed there. Though I was ready to hear from you with the turn of the page we got Ash. Oh we got Ash and we got you and we get your story from the beginning. What a great way to learn about the two of you. I fell hard for you both when my usual game is to choose an MC I like the best but how could I possibly choose between you two?
So, I started writing this review 5hrs ago. Honestly I did. I started to go over my notes, my highlights and decided I wanted to read the Prologue one more time and I didn’t stop reading. I am at 30% of the book right now and you want to know a secret? That is not something I ever do. Since I started reading the way I used to when I was younger again, in about the last 2.5 yrs I have not read a single book twice. It’s not what I do. I read parts of it yes but to pick up a book I finished less than 12hrs ago and start to read it again. That’s not me but this book is that good that I couldn’t stop.
I am not going to keep babbling along with this review. I can’t, it’s almost impossible to say what I want to say without telling the story all over again. I loved Ash, my heart broke for him and I cheered him on along with everything he was trying to do. I hurt with him; I felt his anxiety, his claustrophobia, his confusion and his pain. I ached for him so much throughout this story.
And then there is Pete. A friend who held my hand through this let me know there are people out there who didn’t like him. In a very small corner of my brain can understand that (and then I can’t and want to hurt someone) but this is where I stand with Pete and all that happened in part two: I felt for Pete, I so felt for him. When things happen the way they happen in this story, you don't think straight. Love is never rational, and when it's this passionate you walk a fine line with everything that happens. These two have so much passion and they are so wrapped up in that they let the little things, the details they should have noticed slide away from them. It's an easy thing to do and they are so young and still so new in their relationship. Neither of them wants to lose the other and so much time apart led to the situation. I could never blame Pete. Never. I felt for both of them and you know how it's eating Pete literally alive and just tearing his heart out to have that happen. Pete is this caretaker, this natural caretaker and all he has wanted to do was take care of Ash. It was clear that what he did hurt him and he felt the guilt immensely. Ugh.
These boys, they are so young. They really are. So young and they have both had hard lives; they are used to doing what they need to do to survive and communication is not where it should be. There were a few times I yelled at my Nook “Would you just talk to him, fucker!” (I LOVE that endearment, yes it was endearing and made me smile each time, it is my favorite word after all) and wanted them to be okay. Oh I just wanted so much for them. They were gorgeous together and I can honestly say I have never seen a pairing fit this way. Sure, they are other stories out there but these two, the way they understood each other, the way they worked, it just worked.
Didn’t I say I wasn’t going to babble anymore? Sorry I keep going. Oh and it’s now another 5hrs later than before and I have read the book for a second time fully. I need to move on to Rare and I will, but I am having a hard time not dragging that bar back to page one and meeting these boys once again. I could do it. Just to read their connection again, to read those intimate moments that are so intense and yet not overly graphic because that is not what you need with Ash and Pete. Ugh. Okay, I will stop.
Slide is a story that if you can’t tell, I loved. From the first page to the last page I was entranced with it. It’s one of those stories where you want to know everything about everything and keep reading when you shouldn’t be so you can find out every secret and know what will happened. Yet at the same time, it’s so beautiful that you never want it to end.
This story, it was beyond amazing. I know I am a reader who likes to throw out stars for books like they are party favors but if a book moves me, if it makes me feel the emotions as deeply as the characters I have no problem doing that. I read to feel and this story of Ash and Pete made me feel. Oh boy did it ever.
I loved the way this was told. We get both MC’s POV’s from different times, separate years in their relationship and though it normally would be a tough sell for me to read a story this way the author pulls it of seamlessly. It’s not the only thing she does either. I could totally go fangirl crazy over the writing of this but I won’t, just know that it is brilliantly and gorgeously told that I would want you to find out for yourself. Find out how deeply this story will resonate and filter through every pore of you as you read it and how it will stay with you long after you are done.
The story begins with Pete as he comes home from a bad day at work. We meet Ash as he waits in bed for Pete and then *whistles*…this prologue was amazing. I can’t say that enough and yet it’s all I want to say. It’s simply brilliant in how quickly you feel these men as they connect. It’s not just the physical on the page, you feel them. You understand the emotions as they go through them. I felt them and knew this would be a book that would kill me and what a wonderful death it would be.
He changed everything about me. He was like an addiction, an all consuming habit of the best kind. I wanted him in every way possible, whenever and wherever I could have him.
Pete, we meet you first. You crept into my soul with those first few pages and you stayed there. Though I was ready to hear from you with the turn of the page we got Ash. Oh we got Ash and we got you and we get your story from the beginning. What a great way to learn about the two of you. I fell hard for you both when my usual game is to choose an MC I like the best but how could I possibly choose between you two?
So, I started writing this review 5hrs ago. Honestly I did. I started to go over my notes, my highlights and decided I wanted to read the Prologue one more time and I didn’t stop reading. I am at 30% of the book right now and you want to know a secret? That is not something I ever do. Since I started reading the way I used to when I was younger again, in about the last 2.5 yrs I have not read a single book twice. It’s not what I do. I read parts of it yes but to pick up a book I finished less than 12hrs ago and start to read it again. That’s not me but this book is that good that I couldn’t stop.
In a world where I seemed to be ruled by shit I didn’t understand, the rare moments I spent with Pete were the only respite I knew.
I am not going to keep babbling along with this review. I can’t, it’s almost impossible to say what I want to say without telling the story all over again. I loved Ash, my heart broke for him and I cheered him on along with everything he was trying to do. I hurt with him; I felt his anxiety, his claustrophobia, his confusion and his pain. I ached for him so much throughout this story.
My memory of how incredible he was when he really let go had clearly faded, because this blew my mind. I’d only ever felt that way for him. Fucker made me forget my own name.
And then there is Pete. A friend who held my hand through this let me know there are people out there who didn’t like him. In a very small corner of my brain can understand that (and then I can’t and want to hurt someone) but this is where I stand with Pete and all that happened in part two: I felt for Pete, I so felt for him. When things happen the way they happen in this story, you don't think straight. Love is never rational, and when it's this passionate you walk a fine line with everything that happens. These two have so much passion and they are so wrapped up in that they let the little things, the details they should have noticed slide away from them. It's an easy thing to do and they are so young and still so new in their relationship. Neither of them wants to lose the other and so much time apart led to the situation. I could never blame Pete. Never. I felt for both of them and you know how it's eating Pete literally alive and just tearing his heart out to have that happen. Pete is this caretaker, this natural caretaker and all he has wanted to do was take care of Ash. It was clear that what he did hurt him and he felt the guilt immensely. Ugh.
Somehow, I’d gone from being connected to him in the most intimate way possible to feeling he was more detached form me than he’d been for a long time.
These boys, they are so young. They really are. So young and they have both had hard lives; they are used to doing what they need to do to survive and communication is not where it should be. There were a few times I yelled at my Nook “Would you just talk to him, fucker!” (I LOVE that endearment, yes it was endearing and made me smile each time, it is my favorite word after all) and wanted them to be okay. Oh I just wanted so much for them. They were gorgeous together and I can honestly say I have never seen a pairing fit this way. Sure, they are other stories out there but these two, the way they understood each other, the way they worked, it just worked.
Didn’t I say I wasn’t going to babble anymore? Sorry I keep going. Oh and it’s now another 5hrs later than before and I have read the book for a second time fully. I need to move on to Rare and I will, but I am having a hard time not dragging that bar back to page one and meeting these boys once again. I could do it. Just to read their connection again, to read those intimate moments that are so intense and yet not overly graphic because that is not what you need with Ash and Pete. Ugh. Okay, I will stop.
Slide is a story that if you can’t tell, I loved. From the first page to the last page I was entranced with it. It’s one of those stories where you want to know everything about everything and keep reading when you shouldn’t be so you can find out every secret and know what will happened. Yet at the same time, it’s so beautiful that you never want it to end.
March 4, 2016
5 stars! <3
Intense, heartbreaking and full of hope!
I finished this book about a week ago and I was trying to formulate a review ever since. However, I'm unable to transform into word what this book made me feel. It's a rollercoster ride full of mixed emotions and I felt incredibly connected to the main characters.
A beautiful piece of work, Garrett Leigh!
I can only recommend this story to all m/m romance readers that aren't afraid to take an angsty ride. It's so worth it and I can't wait to continue the series!
No words were spoken. Even if I had the balls to ask, I knew he wouldn't tell me what he'd dreamed about. He never did. Instead he wrapped his arms around himself and hid his face in the crook of my shoulder. I wanted to cry. I felt like he could climb inside me and he still wouldn't be close enough for me to make him feel better.
Intense, heartbreaking and full of hope!
I finished this book about a week ago and I was trying to formulate a review ever since. However, I'm unable to transform into word what this book made me feel. It's a rollercoster ride full of mixed emotions and I felt incredibly connected to the main characters.
A beautiful piece of work, Garrett Leigh!
I can only recommend this story to all m/m romance readers that aren't afraid to take an angsty ride. It's so worth it and I can't wait to continue the series!
No words were spoken. Even if I had the balls to ask, I knew he wouldn't tell me what he'd dreamed about. He never did. Instead he wrapped his arms around himself and hid his face in the crook of my shoulder. I wanted to cry. I felt like he could climb inside me and he still wouldn't be close enough for me to make him feel better.
October 21, 2013
3.5 stars.
Crap! I wanted this to be a glowing 5 star review soooo much because lots of my friends have loved this book and been moved to the point of speechlessness by it. The thing is I can actually see why it has blown away so many people but I can also see why there are odd ones that haven't been quite as enamoured and unfortunately I'm in that camp.
Its hard to do a review without giving out major spoilers why this didn't fully work for me so be warned if you do want to read the book without having your judgement coloured then PLEASE don't read my spoiler tags because I don't want to put anyone off reading this. If you've already read it then feel free to peek and agree or disagree but these are MY opinions and mine alone. Okay here goes:
I'll start with what I did enjoy. The prologue was brilliant and it grabbed me the moment I started to read and the writing is classy and stylish. I loved the part when Ash and Pete were still only flat mates and the underlying attraction was simmering between them but you can tell from the word go that Ash is a psychologically damaged character and that there's so much more to his past than meets the eye. Pete is good looking, kind, caring and you can see why being around him Ash feels safer than he's ever felt and in a strange way Ash becomes a sort of comfort blanket for Pete, whose stressful and draining job as a paramedic also distresses him at times so you can see why these guys gravitate towards each other. As characters I liked them both and despite the niggles, that never changed even though Pete's actions really did anger me towards the end. Love scenes are good too.
I definitely leaned more towards Ash because he's one of those poor broken souls who can't fail to bring out your protective side. I wanted them to get together and I wanted to see the relationship work and don't get me wrong I knew it wasn't going to be an easy journey, so I was expecting a high angst quota and a lot of emotional turmoil. The supporting characters are pretty likeable too especially Pete's Mom and I liked Ellie, although a couple of them did have me wondering what their role in the story really was? Perhaps in the next book of the series that will be made more clear, so that's not really a niggle.
Onto the non spoilerish moaney things
Unfortunately once they finally gave into the attraction and became a couple something changed and I'm still not a hundred percent certain what but mid stretch in the story I started to feel like I was wading through a muddy patch. I pushed through because I knew things were going to get more intense but at times the mind wandered and I found myself putting the book down to do other things and that took its toll on my emotional attachment to the story on a whole. As heartbreaking as Ash's predicament was, by the time the book finally kicked into high gear ( from approx 70% onwards ) I'd already become more than a little detached and my normal reactions didn't emerge. It's gut wrenching and the emotion is palpable so I expected buckets of tears but I was dry eyed right the way through... And that's not me!
Coming up.... The big spoiler tag!!!
Okay this really does contain some major spoilers so don't peek if you've not read it and don't blame me if you cave. You've been warned!! Plus its long so apologies for rambling!
This is a really well written story with the potential to blow your socks off if you're a lover of angst and drama, my socks did have moments when I had to pull them back up because they where on the verge but ultimately at the end they where still on!
Big thanks and (((hugs ))) to my girls Gina and Tina for another great Buddy Read <3
Crap! I wanted this to be a glowing 5 star review soooo much because lots of my friends have loved this book and been moved to the point of speechlessness by it. The thing is I can actually see why it has blown away so many people but I can also see why there are odd ones that haven't been quite as enamoured and unfortunately I'm in that camp.
Its hard to do a review without giving out major spoilers why this didn't fully work for me so be warned if you do want to read the book without having your judgement coloured then PLEASE don't read my spoiler tags because I don't want to put anyone off reading this. If you've already read it then feel free to peek and agree or disagree but these are MY opinions and mine alone. Okay here goes:
I'll start with what I did enjoy. The prologue was brilliant and it grabbed me the moment I started to read and the writing is classy and stylish. I loved the part when Ash and Pete were still only flat mates and the underlying attraction was simmering between them but you can tell from the word go that Ash is a psychologically damaged character and that there's so much more to his past than meets the eye. Pete is good looking, kind, caring and you can see why being around him Ash feels safer than he's ever felt and in a strange way Ash becomes a sort of comfort blanket for Pete, whose stressful and draining job as a paramedic also distresses him at times so you can see why these guys gravitate towards each other. As characters I liked them both and despite the niggles, that never changed even though Pete's actions really did anger me towards the end. Love scenes are good too.
I definitely leaned more towards Ash because he's one of those poor broken souls who can't fail to bring out your protective side. I wanted them to get together and I wanted to see the relationship work and don't get me wrong I knew it wasn't going to be an easy journey, so I was expecting a high angst quota and a lot of emotional turmoil. The supporting characters are pretty likeable too especially Pete's Mom and I liked Ellie, although a couple of them did have me wondering what their role in the story really was? Perhaps in the next book of the series that will be made more clear, so that's not really a niggle.
Onto the non spoilerish moaney things
Unfortunately once they finally gave into the attraction and became a couple something changed and I'm still not a hundred percent certain what but mid stretch in the story I started to feel like I was wading through a muddy patch. I pushed through because I knew things were going to get more intense but at times the mind wandered and I found myself putting the book down to do other things and that took its toll on my emotional attachment to the story on a whole. As heartbreaking as Ash's predicament was, by the time the book finally kicked into high gear ( from approx 70% onwards ) I'd already become more than a little detached and my normal reactions didn't emerge. It's gut wrenching and the emotion is palpable so I expected buckets of tears but I was dry eyed right the way through... And that's not me!
Coming up.... The big spoiler tag!!!
Okay this really does contain some major spoilers so don't peek if you've not read it and don't blame me if you cave. You've been warned!! Plus its long so apologies for rambling!
This is a really well written story with the potential to blow your socks off if you're a lover of angst and drama, my socks did have moments when I had to pull them back up because they where on the verge but ultimately at the end they where still on!
Big thanks and (((hugs ))) to my girls Gina and Tina for another great Buddy Read <3
October 20, 2015
Oh yay, another book written by a female author with internalized sexism and misogyny in it!
Pete and Ash, the two protagonists, are such POS who judge women, even while having sex with them. Here are some choice quotes:
There's even one point where Pete refers to Ellie's sister as "her bitch of a sister."
Oh and this part:
Like...are you fucking serious? And even with the bullshit of what Pete's saying aside, what about rape? Plenty of people, men and women both, orgasm while they're being raped. And, there are also plenty of people in consensual and loving relationships who don't orgasm. And you're going to hold some shit like this against women? Man, fuck you.
And, honestly, I don't know if this internalized misogyny and sexism angers me or saddens me more. It's disgusting that women write these things about those of their own gender! And, by and large, it's women saying this about other women, not men.
It's hilarious to me that at one point, Ash is thinking that Pete isn't the "judgmental kind of guy." Except...he totally is? He and Ash, both! They say and think these nasty things about women. Ash and Ellie even get into fat-shaming, with Ellie referring to her roommate, Angela, who is also a diabetic, as a "pimply blimp" and a "greasy fatass." When Pete meets Angela near the end, while he's treating her, instead of recalling anything else about her, he just remembers her as "plump and slightly crazy" and "fat and slightly nuts."
At what point was I supposed to have come to like any of these assholes? Am I supposed to come to love slut-shaming, fat-shaming, sexist assholes? With Ash, I couldn't even find myself feeling bad for his issues because I kept getting stuck on how much of an asshole he was. And, no, just because he has anxiety and other issues, it doesn't make it okay or give him a pass on his asshole behaviour. Your traumatic childhood is no excuse for being a fucking asshole.
There's even a point where Pete says this about Ellie's dad, David:
Excuse me...but what? First of all, it's none of your damn business what surgeries people decide to undergo. Why does it make him "barely human" for doing these surgeries? And besides, going to my second point, there's more to plastic surgery than cosmetic! There's more to being a plastic surgeon than implants, tucks, lifts and botox! There's this amazing little field called "reconstructive surgery," buddy. Ya know...helping patients with burns and what not. Oh, and patients that have had cancers and other tumour-related surgeries...things like mastectomies!
Fuck off, you judgmental asshole.
It also didn't feel like to me that this author did a whole lot of research or was just lazy. She has Ash being completely clueless about the real world. He didn't come off innocently or naively clueless, he just came off as an idiot. He attend high-school for a bit, which means he has at least completed the eighth grade. He lived with a foster family for six months and was in a group home and the foster system until he was fifteen. Then, he was in rehab and later lived with rich-kid Ellie for a while.
So...how in the hell is he sitting there having only "heard of" stomach flu and wondering things like "I mean, what did that make normal flu? Head flu? Throat flu?" How has he never heard of Advil? How does he not know how to use a computer? How did he live with a rich kid, who obviously has access to technology, and not learn how to use a computer or have even heard of Wikipedia? How the fuck did he live with a bunch of hormonal teenagers in a group home in the 21st century...and not even know condoms existed until he was living on the streets? Sorry, but I call bullshit. That makes absolutely zero sense.
The author kept trying to use the excuse that he was homeless and that's why he doesn't know anything. EXCEPT, he wasn't homeless until fifteen! Before that, he had plenty of interactions and brushes with these things. By making Ash clueless, she just made him seem stupid. How does a child of the 21st century get through to eighth grade and not be able to operate and use a computer? How does he live in a group home with teenagers and not know condoms exist? How does he live with a wealthy person with access to technology and the internet and not know Wikipedia exists? And besides, even without these aspects of his past, homelessness doesn't mean the person is going to end up in a little vacuum-sealed bubble and not know jack about technology or civilization!
The author obviously was either lazy or just didn't do her research because it's ridiculous. There were other instances of this, too. She confused Romani with Romanian. She even has a child missing and calls it a "red alert." When a child goes missing, it's called an AMBER alert and it's usually issued pretty quickly after the abduction. This kind of stuff is basic research. Google is your friend, people!
Besides not liking Ash and Pete separately, I didn't like their relationship either. Pete completely mothers Ash, and Ash is completely dependant on Pete. This is a very imbalanced and unhealthy relationship. I tried to feel bad for Ash, but I just couldn't. How do you carry a year and a half long relationship with someone and still remain secretive and not trusting? He has nightmares and doesn't share them with Pete. He starts going off the deep-end and doesn't share it with Pete. He tells Pete nothing about the whys behind his quirks and fears.
It's Pete that keeps making all these adjustments in their relationship, not Ash. I don't get why Pete was made to feel guilty so many times. There's a point where things between Ash and Pete get a little frosty, and Pete takes the blame for having "blamed him" and "rejected him." So, instead of Ash being the first to approach and apologize, it ends up being Pete. Just like always. AND, Ash rejects him time and again! He's so uncommunicative and never shares his thoughts or feelings, making things pretty impossible for Pete.
When Ash does spiral, Pete feels guilty for having missed signs, that he should've seen the relapse coming. Sorry, but that's BS. Pete is the one that's made concessions for Ash since day one, even before they got into a relationship. He's the first one to apologize and approach Ash, to try and talk to him, to do all this shit...it's not Pete's fault that Ash doesn't talk to him! It's not Pete's fault that Ash doesn't trust him. It's bullshit that he should have to shoulder any blame for it. It's not Pete's fault for not noticing Ash's downward spiral. He has a life and job of his own! It's not Pete's fault that his partner avoids him, not trusting him even though they've been living together for two years, a year and a half of which they've been in a committed relationship. It's bull that Pete should be forced to shoulder any blame. I understood his mounting frustration with Ash completely! Sorry, but Pete's not some damn mind reader that he can decipher that's going on in the ever-reticent Ash's mind.
This book was seriously such a chore to read. So much of it is dedicated to how both of them are either waking up or going to sleep and then either going to work or just vegging in front of the TV. The entire book consists of daily rundowns, scenes opening and closing with them either awaking to going to sleep. Then a few days will pass and this, this and this happens. A week later, a few more things happen. A couple of weeks later, even more things have happened. It's just this over and over and over again for a good two-thirds of the novel! So much unnecessary filler.
And then the book suddenly has a major conflict, it reaches its climax and there's a resolution. It just all happens so quickly, one thing happening after another. It felt as though the author had reached her quota of filler and wanted to wrap things up quickly. And, honestly...that ending? Too many coincidences!
Pete and Ash, the two protagonists, are such POS who judge women, even while having sex with them. Here are some choice quotes:
• I rolled my eyes. It was ironic, really. Life was hard, really hard sometimes, but hooking up with chicks was easy… safe, almost. Only problem was, they were predictable: predictable and boring. I knew the woman’s next move almost before she’d decided to make it.
• Pete laughed, tossed the bag aside, and leaned back on the couch. “Women are all the same.”
• I peered over Joe’s shoulder at the girl who stood next to the brunette. She didn’t look that hot to me, all cleavage and makeup. She was the kind of girl who gave you a nasty surprise in the morning, and I said so.
There's even one point where Pete refers to Ellie's sister as "her bitch of a sister."
Oh and this part:
And a man couldn’t fake an orgasm—with a chick you could never be sure if she was really into it, and that gave me a complex I didn’t need.
Like...are you fucking serious? And even with the bullshit of what Pete's saying aside, what about rape? Plenty of people, men and women both, orgasm while they're being raped. And, there are also plenty of people in consensual and loving relationships who don't orgasm. And you're going to hold some shit like this against women? Man, fuck you.
And, honestly, I don't know if this internalized misogyny and sexism angers me or saddens me more. It's disgusting that women write these things about those of their own gender! And, by and large, it's women saying this about other women, not men.
It's hilarious to me that at one point, Ash is thinking that Pete isn't the "judgmental kind of guy." Except...he totally is? He and Ash, both! They say and think these nasty things about women. Ash and Ellie even get into fat-shaming, with Ellie referring to her roommate, Angela, who is also a diabetic, as a "pimply blimp" and a "greasy fatass." When Pete meets Angela near the end, while he's treating her, instead of recalling anything else about her, he just remembers her as "plump and slightly crazy" and "fat and slightly nuts."
At what point was I supposed to have come to like any of these assholes? Am I supposed to come to love slut-shaming, fat-shaming, sexist assholes? With Ash, I couldn't even find myself feeling bad for his issues because I kept getting stuck on how much of an asshole he was. And, no, just because he has anxiety and other issues, it doesn't make it okay or give him a pass on his asshole behaviour. Your traumatic childhood is no excuse for being a fucking asshole.
There's even a point where Pete says this about Ellie's dad, David:
David was a plastic surgeon. In my eyes, that barely made him human
Excuse me...but what? First of all, it's none of your damn business what surgeries people decide to undergo. Why does it make him "barely human" for doing these surgeries? And besides, going to my second point, there's more to plastic surgery than cosmetic! There's more to being a plastic surgeon than implants, tucks, lifts and botox! There's this amazing little field called "reconstructive surgery," buddy. Ya know...helping patients with burns and what not. Oh, and patients that have had cancers and other tumour-related surgeries...things like mastectomies!
Fuck off, you judgmental asshole.
It also didn't feel like to me that this author did a whole lot of research or was just lazy. She has Ash being completely clueless about the real world. He didn't come off innocently or naively clueless, he just came off as an idiot. He attend high-school for a bit, which means he has at least completed the eighth grade. He lived with a foster family for six months and was in a group home and the foster system until he was fifteen. Then, he was in rehab and later lived with rich-kid Ellie for a while.
So...how in the hell is he sitting there having only "heard of" stomach flu and wondering things like "I mean, what did that make normal flu? Head flu? Throat flu?" How has he never heard of Advil? How does he not know how to use a computer? How did he live with a rich kid, who obviously has access to technology, and not learn how to use a computer or have even heard of Wikipedia? How the fuck did he live with a bunch of hormonal teenagers in a group home in the 21st century...and not even know condoms existed until he was living on the streets? Sorry, but I call bullshit. That makes absolutely zero sense.
The author kept trying to use the excuse that he was homeless and that's why he doesn't know anything. EXCEPT, he wasn't homeless until fifteen! Before that, he had plenty of interactions and brushes with these things. By making Ash clueless, she just made him seem stupid. How does a child of the 21st century get through to eighth grade and not be able to operate and use a computer? How does he live in a group home with teenagers and not know condoms exist? How does he live with a wealthy person with access to technology and the internet and not know Wikipedia exists? And besides, even without these aspects of his past, homelessness doesn't mean the person is going to end up in a little vacuum-sealed bubble and not know jack about technology or civilization!
The author obviously was either lazy or just didn't do her research because it's ridiculous. There were other instances of this, too. She confused Romani with Romanian. She even has a child missing and calls it a "red alert." When a child goes missing, it's called an AMBER alert and it's usually issued pretty quickly after the abduction. This kind of stuff is basic research. Google is your friend, people!
Besides not liking Ash and Pete separately, I didn't like their relationship either. Pete completely mothers Ash, and Ash is completely dependant on Pete. This is a very imbalanced and unhealthy relationship. I tried to feel bad for Ash, but I just couldn't. How do you carry a year and a half long relationship with someone and still remain secretive and not trusting? He has nightmares and doesn't share them with Pete. He starts going off the deep-end and doesn't share it with Pete. He tells Pete nothing about the whys behind his quirks and fears.
It's Pete that keeps making all these adjustments in their relationship, not Ash. I don't get why Pete was made to feel guilty so many times. There's a point where things between Ash and Pete get a little frosty, and Pete takes the blame for having "blamed him" and "rejected him." So, instead of Ash being the first to approach and apologize, it ends up being Pete. Just like always. AND, Ash rejects him time and again! He's so uncommunicative and never shares his thoughts or feelings, making things pretty impossible for Pete.
When Ash does spiral, Pete feels guilty for having missed signs, that he should've seen the relapse coming. Sorry, but that's BS. Pete is the one that's made concessions for Ash since day one, even before they got into a relationship. He's the first one to apologize and approach Ash, to try and talk to him, to do all this shit...it's not Pete's fault that Ash doesn't talk to him! It's not Pete's fault that Ash doesn't trust him. It's bullshit that he should have to shoulder any blame for it. It's not Pete's fault for not noticing Ash's downward spiral. He has a life and job of his own! It's not Pete's fault that his partner avoids him, not trusting him even though they've been living together for two years, a year and a half of which they've been in a committed relationship. It's bull that Pete should be forced to shoulder any blame. I understood his mounting frustration with Ash completely! Sorry, but Pete's not some damn mind reader that he can decipher that's going on in the ever-reticent Ash's mind.
This book was seriously such a chore to read. So much of it is dedicated to how both of them are either waking up or going to sleep and then either going to work or just vegging in front of the TV. The entire book consists of daily rundowns, scenes opening and closing with them either awaking to going to sleep. Then a few days will pass and this, this and this happens. A week later, a few more things happen. A couple of weeks later, even more things have happened. It's just this over and over and over again for a good two-thirds of the novel! So much unnecessary filler.
And then the book suddenly has a major conflict, it reaches its climax and there's a resolution. It just all happens so quickly, one thing happening after another. It felt as though the author had reached her quota of filler and wanted to wrap things up quickly. And, honestly...that ending? Too many coincidences!
October 22, 2017
Oh. My.
Floored.
This is a "someone hand me an oxygen mask" book.
I totally fell for Pete and Ash
Both so brilliantly real and flawed.
I loved Mick and Ellie.
Friends as you can only wish for.
I revelled in the angst.
(who needs finger nails anyway?)
I was glued to it from page 1.
Garrett Leigh is one hell of a story teller.
I was left emotionally totally exhausted which, admittedly, is book heaven for me.
And yet, it is obvious that Ash has a long long way to go. As does Pete, in fact.
Saying that, ... running off to get book 2.
Highly recommended!
Floored.
This is a "someone hand me an oxygen mask" book.
I totally fell for Pete and Ash
Both so brilliantly real and flawed.
I loved Mick and Ellie.
Friends as you can only wish for.
I revelled in the angst.
(who needs finger nails anyway?)
I was glued to it from page 1.
Garrett Leigh is one hell of a story teller.
I was left emotionally totally exhausted which, admittedly, is book heaven for me.
And yet, it is obvious that Ash has a long long way to go. As does Pete, in fact.
Saying that, ... running off to get book 2.
Highly recommended!
October 15, 2013
I have no idea how to rate or review this, but for now I'll go with 3.5 stars.
Did I love parts? Yes.
Did I hate parts? Yes.
Did I find it confusing? Yes.
Did it have a plot that I found interesting? Yes.
Likes:
*The prologue hooked me right from the start. There was something soft, familiar and relaxing about those opening moments that I fell in love with the characters & the story I was about to read.
*Even though there were flashbacks, I felt they made sense, were straight-forward and I liked that the past was strictly from Ash’s perspective & the present from Pete’s.
*I liked the side characters, despite them not feeling fully realized (more on that later).
*The professions of both characters felt developed, and added to the characters dimensions and personalities. Their jobs weren’t just something they did, but demonstrated Ash’s art, hidden thoughts, passion, and escape. Pete as an EMT showed his caring, thoughtfulness, and patience. The day to day actions at work weren’t boring, the situations moved the plot, and peeled back layers on Pete & Ash’s relationship bit by bit.
*I believed in their connection as a couple. I felt every lustful urging, as well as the moments were they were slow and connecting differently. The moments where they connected such as at the diner looking at Pete’s tattoo were lovely.
Dislikes:
*This is both a like and dislike I guess. I don’t mind long books, in fact, I prefer them sometimes, but I don’t like it when they feel long. This seemed to take me AGES to read, and it’s less than 300 pages.
>I’ll say this is also a like, however, because the reader needs to feel how the characters are slipping. They need to feel how mental illness isn’t often a quick back and forth, but something that can happen day by day right in front of their loved ones, without either realizing how they missed the signs or how bad it’s progressed.
*These two, actually most of the characters, but specifically Pete & Ash, didn’t act consistent. Sometimes they sounded like 14 year olds, others mid-30s, and on the rare occasion their actual age.
Speaking of which, I get that Ash had been not educated in the traditional way, but I just couldn’t buy some of his cluelessness behavior. He’d been around Ellie and her family for years and on the better path, as well. You mean to tell me he’d NEVER heard of a Tylenol? Ever?
*What is UP with Joe? I got a shipper vibe between him & Charlie at times, but it was all meandering and confusing. His last scenes and mention in the book befuddled me because it seemed to come out of Ash’s thought process at random. Is there going to be a sequel with him or something? If not, why is this all this there?
*I HATED, HATED, HATED Pete’s reaction to Ash after returning home to find him on the couch. I just can’t. The blaming, self-righteousness, bratty behavior made me want to junk punch him. When in the hell did it become Ash’s responsibility to jump when Pete said to? Who kicks someone because they didn’t hear their phone? When it’s their mother’s own fault, who blames their boyfriend who was unaware? OMG just go jump in an active volcano, dude.
After that…I don’t know. I couldn’t get back on Pete’s side. It was just one ridiculous thought or action after the other. None of it made sense and I just found it depressing. It also started veering towards over-the-top territory for me, and I wished it had stayed a bit simpler.
**************************************************************
But I thought the ‘sliding’ of Ash (and Pete) was realistic; I believe they will work out, and I guess overall I enjoyed this.
Did I love parts? Yes.
Did I hate parts? Yes.
Did I find it confusing? Yes.
Did it have a plot that I found interesting? Yes.
Likes:
*The prologue hooked me right from the start. There was something soft, familiar and relaxing about those opening moments that I fell in love with the characters & the story I was about to read.
*Even though there were flashbacks, I felt they made sense, were straight-forward and I liked that the past was strictly from Ash’s perspective & the present from Pete’s.
*I liked the side characters, despite them not feeling fully realized (more on that later).
*The professions of both characters felt developed, and added to the characters dimensions and personalities. Their jobs weren’t just something they did, but demonstrated Ash’s art, hidden thoughts, passion, and escape. Pete as an EMT showed his caring, thoughtfulness, and patience. The day to day actions at work weren’t boring, the situations moved the plot, and peeled back layers on Pete & Ash’s relationship bit by bit.
*I believed in their connection as a couple. I felt every lustful urging, as well as the moments were they were slow and connecting differently. The moments where they connected such as at the diner looking at Pete’s tattoo were lovely.
Dislikes:
*This is both a like and dislike I guess. I don’t mind long books, in fact, I prefer them sometimes, but I don’t like it when they feel long. This seemed to take me AGES to read, and it’s less than 300 pages.
>I’ll say this is also a like, however, because the reader needs to feel how the characters are slipping. They need to feel how mental illness isn’t often a quick back and forth, but something that can happen day by day right in front of their loved ones, without either realizing how they missed the signs or how bad it’s progressed.
*These two, actually most of the characters, but specifically Pete & Ash, didn’t act consistent. Sometimes they sounded like 14 year olds, others mid-30s, and on the rare occasion their actual age.
Speaking of which, I get that Ash had been not educated in the traditional way, but I just couldn’t buy some of his cluelessness behavior. He’d been around Ellie and her family for years and on the better path, as well. You mean to tell me he’d NEVER heard of a Tylenol? Ever?
*What is UP with Joe? I got a shipper vibe between him & Charlie at times, but it was all meandering and confusing. His last scenes and mention in the book befuddled me because it seemed to come out of Ash’s thought process at random. Is there going to be a sequel with him or something? If not, why is this all this there?
*I HATED, HATED, HATED Pete’s reaction to Ash after returning home to find him on the couch. I just can’t. The blaming, self-righteousness, bratty behavior made me want to junk punch him. When in the hell did it become Ash’s responsibility to jump when Pete said to? Who kicks someone because they didn’t hear their phone? When it’s their mother’s own fault, who blames their boyfriend who was unaware? OMG just go jump in an active volcano, dude.
After that…I don’t know. I couldn’t get back on Pete’s side. It was just one ridiculous thought or action after the other. None of it made sense and I just found it depressing. It also started veering towards over-the-top territory for me, and I wished it had stayed a bit simpler.
**************************************************************
But I thought the ‘sliding’ of Ash (and Pete) was realistic; I believe they will work out, and I guess overall I enjoyed this.
December 29, 2014
For me Slide lacked depth and substance. It’s written in dual PoV and both the voices of Ash and Pete were unconvincing.
I don’t think I have ever read a book where two main characters in their early 20s are so exhausted and sleep deprived all the time. There’s so much sleeping and dozing on page that I’m not sure if I was more bored or annoyed.
The first 70% of the book rotate around a big bed - it’s basically two men going to sleep, waking up and going to work at different times of day and night. Some sex in between, but no talking. Because Pete is stubborn and Ash doesn’t know what to say. And this goes on for almost 2 years.
"When we connected, talking was the last thing on my mind."
And by connected Pete means fucking. It’s mentioned many times how hot they are for each other, but, frankly, I didn’t feel any other connection between these two except for attraction. I wished they at least attempted to have a normal conversation instead of smirking so often. (seriously, what’s with all the smirking?)
Ash has been abused in the past, and I suppose this was the story of his healing, but he just kind of drifted through this book. While I got to see more of him in the first half of the book, Pete’s PoV in the second half didn’t reveal much of Ash and his story was lost between sleep and drunken nights.
Pete, who is a paramedic, is oblivious to what’s happening during most of the book while Ash is getting sicker . It was very weird when Pete turned from someone who was grinning all the time and trying to help Ash in the beginning to a grumpy man who could only think of his work. And sleep. I mean, Ash was spacing out a lot and his attention span was extremely short but he was getting worse every day and Pete brushed it off easily thinking Ash was just more tired than usual, really?
Around the 70% mark Pete eventually realized what’s going on and things started to move faster, the emotions became more intense and I was finally able to feel a deeper connection between Ash and Pete. But I have pretty much lost interest at that point.
So many scenes were just fillers – all the meetings with Pete’s mom, with Ash’s friends, with Pete’s ex – didn’t learn anything about the characters and didn’t contribute to the plot.
Also, a lot of weird:
Women are easy
"I rolled my eyes. It was ironic, really. Life was hard, really hard sometimes, but hooking up with chicks was easy… safe, almost. Only problem was, they were predictable: predictable and boring. I knew the woman’s next move almost before she’d decided to make it."
Um, OK.
Pete’s view on bisexuality and why having sex with a man is better than having sex with a woman
"A woman’s breasts were a wonderful thing, but they had nothing on the chiseled planes of Ash’s chest. And a man couldn’t fake an orgasm—with a chick you could never be sure if she was really into it, and that gave me a complex I didn’t need."
No comment.
Random weird
"David was a plastic surgeon. In my eyes, that barely made him human, but he was still a doctor."
…
I’m sorry I don’t have anything positive to say about this book. The prologue was the only part that I liked, the rest was hard work to finish.
May 2, 2019
4.5 stars
February 28, 2019
Trigger warnings:
February 2019 audio book review
OMG I loved this audio!!!
I highly recommend this story and the audio (even though the audio had some tech/sound problems). This story just reaches right in and grabs your heart and squeezes until you think you won't be able to breath again. So much angst but it is necessary for these characters. Ash is depressed in a big way and is dealing with a past he can't remember.
If you haven't read Garrett Leigh before this is a perfect introduction. This is one of the books that made me a fan.
5 stars
October 2016 ebook review.
Ugh, I am such a mess right now. Ash is the perfect character with realistic flaws and fears. The ending wasn't what I expected, nor did the plot go the way I thought it would in any way. So much emotion, so much angst, so many friends! Ash inspires people to want to help him and love him and take care of him. And Pete is the perfect counter to Ash's darkness. Pete starts off with a very fun personality and quick to joke and smile. That does change when the drama picks up, but Pete is perfect for Ash. Neither is complete without the other. They often say they feel the pull for the other in their chest and feel compelled to see the other. It's very lovely. Can't wait to read the rest of the books.
February 2019 audio book review
OMG I loved this audio!!!
I highly recommend this story and the audio (even though the audio had some tech/sound problems). This story just reaches right in and grabs your heart and squeezes until you think you won't be able to breath again. So much angst but it is necessary for these characters. Ash is depressed in a big way and is dealing with a past he can't remember.
If you haven't read Garrett Leigh before this is a perfect introduction. This is one of the books that made me a fan.
5 stars
October 2016 ebook review.
Ugh, I am such a mess right now. Ash is the perfect character with realistic flaws and fears. The ending wasn't what I expected, nor did the plot go the way I thought it would in any way. So much emotion, so much angst, so many friends! Ash inspires people to want to help him and love him and take care of him. And Pete is the perfect counter to Ash's darkness. Pete starts off with a very fun personality and quick to joke and smile. That does change when the drama picks up, but Pete is perfect for Ash. Neither is complete without the other. They often say they feel the pull for the other in their chest and feel compelled to see the other. It's very lovely. Can't wait to read the rest of the books.
October 15, 2013
Drawings scattered all around a flat as little pieces of Pete’s beloved, a rush of love, warmth, a welcoming body, comfort, heat, playful sex until we sense that something is amiss and that ugliness is lurking behind; great chemistry made of focus on the other, tenderness and patience that make it better and good again.
“Slide’s opening scene is quite simply great, introducing in a few sentences an established couple, a hint at a damaging past on the streets, a hurt/comfort dynamic and an understanding without words that seems enviable, but could also be the couple’s downfall.
My buttons were humming with delight and I went happily with the flow until this passage where we’re still learning about Ash’s absent father and dead teenaged drugged mother:
“You couldn’t miss something you’d never had”
Review up at
“Slide’s opening scene is quite simply great, introducing in a few sentences an established couple, a hint at a damaging past on the streets, a hurt/comfort dynamic and an understanding without words that seems enviable, but could also be the couple’s downfall.
My buttons were humming with delight and I went happily with the flow until this passage where we’re still learning about Ash’s absent father and dead teenaged drugged mother:
“You couldn’t miss something you’d never had”
Review up at
October 22, 2013
Ash, a skilled tattoo artist, has a troubled past. After living on the streets for years, neglect and abuse have taken their toll. Ash is so badly damaged he doesn’t even know how to love. He is so lost that every day is a struggle. Sometimes it seems the deep bond with his lover Pete is the only balm for his tortured soul.
Pete is a paramedic and works horror shifts what is both physically and mentally exhausting. It doesn’t take him long to realize how broken Ash is. When they manage to be home together he is the warmth, the love and the strength Ash craves.
On the one hand Pete envelopes Ash with loving care and kindness, patiently giving him the room to grow. On the other hand he is overworked, constantly short of sleep and way over his head with Ash’s mental state.
Slide is one of those book you will either love or hate. The characterization of Ash with all his flaws blew me away. He's wonderful written, and reading about his past is heartbreaking. His bond to Pete is deep and true, and the depth of that bond kept me hooked from the start.
With Pete the author created a character that lack of action at some point of the story is frustrating as hell. But when he finally manages to sort out his issues and stops acting out of pure assumptions the reader gets to know a man who's worth the love of Ash. Especially when his inner monologue kicks in and he begins to see the damage his overthinking and actions (or lack of) have caused.
Anyway, it took me a while but I began to care for Pete, too - even when I sometimes felt the urge to push his head under water. Over and over again.:) I love when characters tempt me to smash my kindle against the nearest wall, but Pete did push my boundaries, oh, how he did.
And that's what I desire while reading a book. I want to love the characters, I want to yell at them, I want to see their flaws and the big mistakes they make and I want to sigh when they finally realize what they did wrong and smile when they get their HEA.
It took me good nights sleep to fully realize that Garrett Leigh was able to give me exactly what I wanted. I had some niggles with the middle part, though. The pace felt a little slow and I was relieved when the tempo increased again.
Overall Slide is an excellent story with amazing supporting characters. Ash's friends are wonderful and I loved Pete's mum Maggie and his fellow paramedic Mick. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Thanks to Gina & Macky for another great buddy read. :)
September 15, 2014
This has been sitting on my currently-reading shelf for a month because I've been waiting to write a long, inspired review.
Fuck that shit.
I really like this book.
For some reason, for many reasons, I like books about depressed people. That sounds like I enjoy torturing people in my free time - and don't get me wrong, I do enjoy that, especially if I'm related to them - but it's not that. I just love reading about people, not necessarily overcoming, but working on making their lives just a little bit better. Accepting that they're worthy of love even when they're not perfect. Will never be perfect or what's perceived as "normal."
Fuck normal.
The one problem I had with the book is when Pete misunderstands what Ash is going through and . I fucking hated Pete at that moment. I wanted to shake the shit out of my Kindle. However (*long sigh*) his actions and feelings were realistic. When you're close to people, especially when you're the very closest to a person, it is so easy to miss what everyone else can see. Your love is a blinder. You can't see the forest for the trees. And other cliched but true sayings. So I didn't think it was bad writing on Leigh's part - quite the opposite, it's excellent writing. I just wanted Pete to WAKE THE FUCK UP.
Seriously, dude.
By the way, I completely missed this book until I read a short story by Garrett Leigh in Grand Adventures. It is told from the perspective of Ash's friend Joe. It's a really beautiful story.
4.25 stars with the belief that this series will only get better.
March 13, 2016
The feelings....
At the beginning I feel things were happening so fast, the chapters are short but have weeks in it, I have to read a couple before I get used but them just damn.
Pete it's a paramedic, his life with work is pretty busy so he didn't have a lot of friends and his only family is his mother.
Ash is a tattoo artist, he had a really trouble past and he is so shy is so cute. His best friend and only person who cared about him and his life help him to get through son hard stuff and later she find him a apartment with a roommate (Pete).
Months goes by before Pete and Ash has their first real conversation and after that things change a lot for both of them.
Since the start I have an uneasy feeling about Ash, the way he is, the way he speak, the way he does everything is really clear that is something wrong about him and I pass the whole book with the need to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be ok but yeah I can't do that.
Everything start so well but with Pete so busy he doesn't realized that something wrong is happening and by the time he does is pretty late. I love it the way that everything is resolved, the whole book feel so real and I really really like it.
At the beginning I feel things were happening so fast, the chapters are short but have weeks in it, I have to read a couple before I get used but them just damn.
Pete it's a paramedic, his life with work is pretty busy so he didn't have a lot of friends and his only family is his mother.
Ash is a tattoo artist, he had a really trouble past and he is so shy is so cute. His best friend and only person who cared about him and his life help him to get through son hard stuff and later she find him a apartment with a roommate (Pete).
Months goes by before Pete and Ash has their first real conversation and after that things change a lot for both of them.
Since the start I have an uneasy feeling about Ash, the way he is, the way he speak, the way he does everything is really clear that is something wrong about him and I pass the whole book with the need to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be ok but yeah I can't do that.
Everything start so well but with Pete so busy he doesn't realized that something wrong is happening and by the time he does is pretty late. I love it the way that everything is resolved, the whole book feel so real and I really really like it.
September 11, 2014
This was a frustrating read. There's lots of filler here, a lot of scenes that seemed pointless, that didn't advance the plot but were included just to show the passage of time and to prolong the eventual reveal of Ash's past trauma. I never like books where a momentary lack of communication between the MCs leads to a "big misunderstanding" and that's what this entire book is. Ash is weird and moody and uncommunicative and Pete doesn't want to push him so he lets it go, right up to the moment where Pete gets angry and jumps to a conclusion that (finally!) puts the climax of the book in motion. This felt like angst for angst's sake, a lot of empty sturm und drang.
August 29, 2017
This one seems to average out at around 4 stars judging on previous reviews, and I agree with that. 4.25 from me with a big
, a very promising start to a new series.There were lots of things I liked in this story....the fact that the author's British for one, woohoo!! I loved Ash as a character, and yes, Mrs Weepy had the tissues out on several occasions for him and what he'd gone through
AND what he'd yet to discover about his past. I could have kissed Pete sometimes 
and then throttled him at others
...he was very protective of Ash most of the time, but even I knew something dreadful had happened when a certain newspaper was brought home, and Pete just couldn't see it 
!! As usual, I'm not giving much of the story away, but I did find it lagged a little in the middle and it was a little hard to believe that , Ash's friends were wonderful, so supportive, and I loved Pete's mum Maggie to bits, and his fellow paramedic Mick!! I'll definitely be following the rest of the series, in fact 'Marked' is next up on the kindle.
December 12, 2013
JHC I loved this book. Fucking loved it. Angst, angst, angst. I loved Ash & Pete. I loved how the author dealt with the passage of time - I swore I could 'see' things progressing between them.
Trying not to give spoilers - I think what I loved most were that the revelations weren't convenient or a plot device - it was like, it didn't matter what the reasons were for Ash's behavior because what mattered was, they still needed to be dealt with. And that's the key to the whole book - doesn't matter what happened, it matters how you move forward and who's there to catch you / help you.
Seriously, LOVED. Have her other book (Bullet) on my Kindle now. :)
Trying not to give spoilers - I think what I loved most were that the revelations weren't convenient or a plot device - it was like, it didn't matter what the reasons were for Ash's behavior because what mattered was, they still needed to be dealt with. And that's the key to the whole book - doesn't matter what happened, it matters how you move forward and who's there to catch you / help you.
Seriously, LOVED. Have her other book (Bullet) on my Kindle now. :)
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