Librarian's Note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B07S8J4DPP
Ryan Miller knows how to handle life when things go wrong, but what about when things go right?
He hasn’t quite figured that out yet.
Ryan has a bright future ahead of him and a great boyfriend in the present. Luke Chambers is the total package, a blonde, green-eyed baseball player who is incredibly fun to tease. Life seems almost perfect. What comes next? A break up.
See, there might be a tiny problem. Their families don’t approve of the happiness this nerd and jock found together. With summer approaching and bringing new changes, a fake break up might provide the opportunity Ryan and Luke need to escape disapproving parental figures and enjoy their relationship.
This all sounds perfectly logical in Ryan’s head.
What could possibly go wrong?
Ryan and Luke are about to find out.
One Little Problem is a silly and sweet young adult novel that features romance, gay characters, snark, and hand holding. This is the third book in a series, but the novel can also be read on its own.
F.N. Manning writes the One More Thing and Ward Magic series while living in a small town on the North Carolina coast and not going to the beach enough. The author loves complex characters and cancelled TV shows. F.N. makes the world gayer by writing one M/M romance novel at a time.
This is not a stand-alone and I didn't read the other books of the series. They don't interest me but the blurb of this one was intriguing. I thought it was the right occasion to discover the style of this author.
Wrong decision.
I don't know if the author wanted this book to be funny but it didn't make me laugh at all. In fact, I didn't understand much of the stuff. The number of chapters is very restricted (10) and we got here really long chapters and when I say "long" I don't mean "development", I just mean "ramblings" and "unnecessary drama". I am tempted to say that this book doesn't have a "soul", it doesn't feel much like reading a book as the friendly narration irritated me throughout the paragraphs. When I read a book, I want some fantasy, I want to feel that I am traveling and seeing new grounds.. but with this book, I just feel like listnening to some gossip. The literary soul is absent and I don't know how to explain it. This is the risk with very long chapters, there is a risk for an unbalance from a chapter to another. I don't know what to say anymore, I just feel unimpressed by the lack of originality and the dull, interminable dialogues.
A say about the cover: It's not horrible. Actually it's way better than the majority of the covers that are made but there is "one little problem" with the title and the font. It's unaesthetic. A cover should be sophisticated or minimalistic, this one is neither. It won't lower the rating but there is no need for it not to lower it, the rating will be low anyway. I don't give good ratings to books that aren't stand-alones. Laziness doesn't pay with me.
A very good totally gay nerd/clutz and bi baseball star story that went on just a tad too long. The beginning was great; plot was solid and sweet, characters were well developed and the problems Ryan (the geek) and Luke (baseball star) were about to face were clearly laid out. The mid-section of the book seemed, for this reader, to be a little drawn out for the sake of over explaining the boy's struggles with friends and family. And the conclusion seemed rushed. I would have loved to read more about the remaining time Ryan and Luke had together prior to Ryan leaving for Chicago. All that being said, I will state that I liked this book, despite it not being perfect (What book really ever is?).
Additionally, I found enough editing errors to vex me slightly, but because they were spread out, they provided minimal distraction.
I will move back now and read the first book of this series. (I know... not the normal way to read a series, but I overlooked the fact that I was reading the third book first. Duh!)
So much humour, crazy antics, struggling thoughts and lots of randomness. All rolled into one amazing package!
Luke and Ryan are believable characters whom I grew attached to very quickly in the first book "One Little Word". My fascination grew in "One Little Lie" and even more in this third book.
It's great that this book had communication difficulties between characters, and shows the inner-turmoil process of trying to communicate. Progress is slowly made as it grew as the book progressed. It's like, the progress in communication flowed at the same rate as Luke and Ryan trying to figure out their newest hurdle. And the communication issues wasn't just between these two, but also with their parents.
No relationship is smooth sailing for any couple, especially when you factor in those around you: family, friends, school, community, etc. This series is showing that perfectly, and how differently each character handles the thought of possibly becoming outcasts if it became known that something changed in their lives. Each character eventually comes to their own conclusion and roll with their decision... some more bumpy than others.
Onwards to book 4 in the series, to see how Luke and Ryan tackle their biggest hurdle yet.
This YA tale picks up where One Little Lie left off. I absolutely love these MCs, but especially Ryan. His wit and sarcasm and rambling internal thought monologues keep me giggling throughout the novels. Both characters are quirky and somewhat flawed, facing realistic family drama. Manning really effectively represents youth without talking down to or about them.
The banter between Ryan and his Dad is also fun. Although it doesn’t represent my parental experience, I can appreciate the awkward/easy relationship they share.
The one thing that doesn’t read true to me is the fact that in two books, the couple doesn’t appear to have gone beyond kissing. While I’ve known youth where that would be reasonable, it’s usually a result of religious or other moral choices. Since neither of those options have been explored, it appears that these two guys attend the unicorn high school with no peer pressure and also are the two males of their age on the planet that have 100% control of their hormones. Nonetheless, the story is cute, romantic and fun enough that I’m looking forward to further exploits of Luke and Ryan.
Three words that can seriously change a relationship. Three others of course that can cause change are I hate you. Fake dating, real dating, fake dating again, this time Luke and a gal. What’s left, oh fake breaking up and real breaking up. These series of books so far are about the strangest relationship I have ever seen. Fun read. If you don’t like the middle, you’ll at least like the end. Don’t skip ahead, just read along.
young adult with themes of self discovery, internalized homophobia (and overcoming it!) and a great cast of supporting characters as well as our two protagonists. Luke and Ryan start in very different places but with time, humor and a fair dose of teenage struggling, learn that being together is the most important thing
Im really falling in love with the characters and have had my bf comment numerous times on my 'cheesy grin' at the dynamic they have in the book it reflects a lot on my relationship and i love them starting next book when i wake.
Humorous, with theme of getting parents on board with being in a relationship. Faking the breaking might not be the smartest but its a step on the way to having the integrity to be who you are. On that level there's something to chew over in this episode of the saga.
2.5 stars - took off half a star because Ryan's character became quite annoying for most of the read. I did like explorations of the tense relationship between Ryan and his single-parent father.