Hood River Rat

Horn River Hornets #1

by K. Webster

From USA Today bestselling author K Webster comes an MM high school bully romance called Hood River Rat!

Hood River was supposed to be the change I needed.
A fresh start.
An escape from my painful past.
Better in every way.

I’m a popular guy. Approachable. I make friends easily.
Cool car. Nice clothes. Good attitude.
Everything will be fine.

School is school.
I’ll keep my head down until graduation and try not to stick out.
College will be here before I know it.

Yet my first day proves to be anything but easy.
The Hood River Hoodlums—our school’s most notorious group of bad boys—have put a target on my back.
Their leader, Roan, hates me.
He calls me Rat.
To him and his friends, I’m a loser who doesn’t belong at their school.

I could pretend I don’t care about their hate.
If only Roan wasn’t so hot.
He’s mean, cruel, and sexy as hell.
My nemesis is impossible to ignore…and a secret part of me doesn’t want to.

Here I thought being gay was the worst of my problems.
Turns out, being gay and crushing on your enemy takes the cake.

This is a full-length high school enemies-to-lovers and new adult romance with high angst, suspense, and gutting emotion. It's book one in the Hood River Hoodlum series that will have interlinking storylines. Hood River Rat can be read as a standalone and starts off a four-book planned series that gives each Hoodlum a book. This is the only MM story. The others are MF.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, High School, Contemporary, New Adult, LGBT

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2020

About the author

K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in "Tornado Alley" with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she's not writing, she's reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.

Join K-Club for exclusive, secret forbidden books like the Forbidden Flings stories! https://reamstories.com/authorkwebster

Get social with K!
Newsletter: https://authorkwebster.myflodesk.com/...
Website: https://authorkwebster.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkwebster
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristiWebster
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2ZaWju1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkwebs...
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-web...
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/kwebster...
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorkwebster
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kwebsterwil...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-webster...

Can't find a certain book? Maybe it's too hot for Amazon! Don't worry because titles like Bad Bad Bad, This is War, Baby, The Wild, and Hale can all be found for sale on K's website in both ebook and paperback format.
Website: https://authorkwebster.com/

Reviews

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read: 04.10.2021
Look, this book is enjoyable enough and makes time pass. Is it great? No, but it has some angst, some drama and it does pull your heart strings. I wish Roan was more dominant and I wish the insta-connection didn't feel so much like insta-love. But still, I enjoyed re-read it.

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*On The Fence*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

First read review:
The book wasn't bad, it wasn't, it just wasn't good either. Something lacks. The main characters feel too close in too little time, and Roan didn't feel like a bad guy, nor did his guys - though Jordy seems kinda psycho. Hell, Roan doesn't even seem like the dominant type so I don't understand how he's the ‘leader’ of the bad boys group. I didn't get the enemies to friends theme as the switch wasn't friends per se, more like hate-lust-to-lovers.

I, in a way, felt like I couldn't quite connect with the story/characters. I can't put my fingers on what was missing in the book, but it was enough to bother me. The timeline wasn't stretched out enough to make a depth in the relationship, I guess. Or maybe it was the characters themselves. I wanted a dominant alpha, bad-boy male - hell I had expected it - and I didn't get it... Overall, I read it in one go and I did enjoy it, I just didn't love it and it was nowhere as good as the author's Wicked Lies Boys Tell book.

The Characters:
The list is long so I've put it in a spoilers tag.
→ Hollis Nathaniel ‘Rat’ English (18), graduates in four months from the start of the book.
→ Roan Hirsch (18), the leader of the Hood River Hoodlums' most notorious group of bad boys. Basketball player. Ms. Frazier is one of the few people who cares about Roan - gives him work at her home: all the jobs he does for Ms. Frazier are labor-intensive. Basically, he works his ass off in trade for her to tutor Roux two times a week. Two years ago, Ms. Frazier offered to do it for free, but Roan hate handouts. They made a bargain that he’d work to pay for it, and it’s been that way ever since. Roan's father is in prison doing life for shooting and killing three men during a bar fight and his mother, Miranda is a fucking addict. She overdosed on heroin - died - at the end of the book.
→ Dr. Garrett English, Vermont’s most revered surgeon and Hollis' father who threatened to kick him out, disown him, take away his car, trust fund, and college savings because Hollis' gay. His mother, Kelsey English (38) instead chose her son and left her husband and their twenty-year marriage. She now works as a bank teller and they live with her sister until she can get on her feet.
→ Charlotte ‘Char’ English (middle school: eighth grade) and Penny English (12), Hollis' sisters.
→ Ms. Karen Frazier, Hollis' aunt, his mother's sister and principal at Hood River.
→ Ms. Sommers, the counselor at Hood River
→ Gio Montoya, student at Hood River.
→ Terrence, Jordy Martinez, and Cal, Roan's Hoodlums ‘minions’. Jordy's a mean ass motherfucker: touch his stupid car out there and he’ll break your nose. Jordy’s brother, Juno owns a garage, where Roan sometimes work. Jordy gets 10 years in jail after killing four men - Alejandro included - to protect Roan and Roux.
→ Sidney ‘Sid’, Roan's ex. Wendy, her friend.
→ Roux (13), Roan's little sister who is in most of the same classes as Char - becomes best friends. Ms. Frazier tutors Roux.
→ Mr. Henley, a math teacher at Hood River.
→ Coach Rendell, of the basketball team.
→ Mike, one of Roan's mom’s few ex-boyfriends who's worth a damn - while he left the mom, he still kept in touch. A fireman. Frank, his co-worker, and April, a nurse and is married to Frank.
→ Alejandro, Roan's mother's current boyfriend.
→ David, Cal’s dad.
→ Miss Fields, the office secretary. She’s young—fresh out of college. Cal is positive he’s going to fuck her before the year is over.
→ Lucas, one of Hollis' teammates back home, who he dated - it’d been fun and flirty and hot. He was his first and only, sexually, and he really liked him, but he wasn’t the committed type. Since he was bi, and mostly swung toward females, it wasn’t something he wanted out there for the public knowing. Their entire relationship was a secret until he ended it not long before Hollis came out as gay.
→ Tyler Cuntingham, basketball player on Roan's team.
→ Renaldo, sells cares illegally with Jordy’s brother? One of his men, Franco runs in Alejandro's crew.
→ Carol, Roux’s social worker.
→ Captain Fitzgerald, the captain of the Hood River police department.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (New Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series (Can Be Read As A Standalone), Book One.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes, for this couple.
Favorite character? - Hollis Nathaniel ‘Rat’ English, I think.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure, her M/M books.
Would I recommend this book/series? - On the fence.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not.
Rating - 3 stars.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY REVIEW AND OTHERS: can also be found on my blog:
➽ KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

HOOD RIVER RAT: Is a full length high school enemies-to-lovers and new adult romance novel by K. Webster. Spoken in 'dual perspectives.

It pays to read the synopsis before you chase down a book!! 🙄This is a genre I don't normally jump on but saw the teasers shared and jumped before reading BUT seeing that this author popped my MM cherry recently it's only fitting that I realise that I'm getting thrown into another MM by her!!

Roan and his group of thugs are as mean and as ruthless as they come, they have it in for Hillos as soon as he turns up on their turf at school, and as soon as they clap eyes on him all bets are off.

Hollis has recently just come out of the closet, disowned by his father and within a blink of an eye along with his mother and sisters they move and are now living with his mother's sister who happens to be the principle in his new school.

Thinking he'll just bowl up to his new high school during his mid senior year and be liked as he was at his previous school, is as far from the truth as possible, he's caught the eyes of the hoodlums who run the school.

Every single day he's taunted by them, every single day his stomach is in knots of pain and vomiting.

One boy within this group especially catches his eye and that's Roan, his story not so pretty, he's struggling to keep his head above water and trying to look after his sister and keep her safe puts a lot of strain on him. Living with a crack whore mother, a father in prison and dealing with his mother's shithead of a boyfriend puts a lot of pressure on Roan's shoulders. The only thing he can rely on is knowing that his best mates have his back.

Roan doesn't understand what's happening to him, why is he all of a sudden not got girls on the brain but it's now occupied with one certain boy.

It's only right that since I've now popped that MM cherry twice by this author that this one like the previous one I read by her gets a 5 star rating also. Guys this was so freaking good! I read this from front to back in record time, I couldn't get enough of these characters, the storyline just pulled me in like a whore on crack. This was so much more than just a bully story. The story and characters had so much depth, real, raw, relatable, really hard to put down once started!!

[Nazanin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Rat & Rat Lover Stars

“Ten bucks, huh?”
“Yep.”
“When you lie, your cheek twitches.”
“When you’re being an asshole, your mouth moves and words come out.”
He barks out a laugh. “I hate you.”
“Now you can call me on your phone and tell me how much. Just make sure you breathe heavily into the phone. For reasons.”

When Hollis’ mother chose her son over her marriage and moved to another town, it made Hollis feels guilty. So now he’s going to a new school. He just needs to be unnoticed for the next 4 months, he will graduate, go to college, and can be the person he wants to be, the person he meant to be freely. He just should be invisible for 4 months. But alas, life is not what we expected it to be. On the first day of the school, he makes enemies for himself and makes his life a living hell…

Told in dual POV, 1st person. It’s the first installment in the "Hood River Hoodlums" series. If you don’t consider the epilogue, you can read it as a standalone. Love both MCs. They both struggling with their demons but still, they are strong when they needed each other the most. Hollis is a brat, he never lowers his head against their bulling and never takes their shit. I loved him for that. I loved Roan for his overprotectiveness. I loved how he cared for his sister. This is a new adult GFY, enemies-to-lovers story. A bit angsty and it also made me smile occasionally (mostly because of Hollis’ sass). I’m glad Ms. Webster with each book in this genre getting better and better! And there is no need to say that I love that cover! Looking forward to book 2. All in all, I had a good time reading this and hope you love it as well!

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to another episode of ‘Where the quarantine has taken my reading taste’. Today, I present you bully romance!

I guess being shoved to the wall isn’t so bad at all if your love interest does it.
No?
Maybe?
Holy shit. This was phenomenal for me.

This book is dark, gritty and unapologetically painful to read at times but still I loved it. Oh my, I was engrossed all from beginning to end. This book surprised me because I thought its going to focus soley on the bully romance but nope. The whole story is layered and nuanced. It got family dynamics in it, solid friendships, sexual awakening etc etc. Nothing in here is uneventful. The moment Hollis English stepped out of his Mustang and saw Roan Hirsch looking at him, I was like ‘yes I’m in for a wild ride.’ Quite a shame I’m won’t be checking the other books!

I just want to be shoved to the bathroom wall by Roan Hirsch after reading this. It’s always the guys named as Roan or Ronan. These names are cursed but still can’t help falling in love.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars**

[Papie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t really know what to say. This was completely crazy and made no fucking sense. I loved Hollis and Roan. Loved. So crazy hot and sweet together. The beginning was weird, with the random bullying. But it got better and I ended up loving their relationship.

But the drama. The complete mad crazy drama.
Slut shaming.
Bullying. To the point of almost murder.
Cheating husbands.
Homophobic father. Broken family.
Teenager lying to parents about health and almost dying
Drug addict mother.
Father in jail.
Mom’s boyfriend pulling a gun on teenager.
Attempted child rape. On page.
Heroic murder of the bad guys. On page. .
Lying to the police. Lying to the parents. Teenager in jail for no good reason. Lying to protect his friend when the truth could save him.

Despite the sweetness and hotness and entertainment, once the drama turned over the top horrible, I was done. I skimmed from 80% on. I will not read the rest of the series.

Still 3 ⭐️ because I was completely hooked for most of the story.

[☆ Todd]

Currently *FREE* on Amazon, 2021-05-19:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086XKN8T3

Book 1 is M/M, but the other 3 in the series are M/F.

[Rachel (LoverofTBR) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ‘Rat Lover’ 🌟

Hollis has infiltrated my life in every aspect. School. Job. My sister’s friends. Basketball. Anger swells up inside of me. I know it’s probably unfair to blame him, but I do. Fuck him for being perfect at everything.

Hood River Rat was an anticipated release of mine ever since I read part of it in the Bully Me: Class of 2020 Anthology and I was hoping with everything in me that this book wouldn’t disappoint considering how attached I had gotten to Hollis and Roan! I am so excited to share that this book blew through my expectations and left me reeling at the end in the best possible way!

“No deal. I can’t change who I am.”
“Then here, when it’s just the two of us, change for me. You said it was neutral ground. Let is be neutral.
------
I’ve never been so fully obsessed with another person like I am with Hollis. I want him to consume me.

The angst between Hollis and Roan in the first half was just off the charts and the chemistry and sweetness between them in the second half of the book was everything I was hoping for it to be and then some. Being a fanatic of enemies to lovers trope, I am in love with everything that K. Webster did to this trope in this book. My favorite part of the book, hands down, was around the middle of the book immediately after the river incident. My heart was seriously beating way faster than it should have been and I’m pretty sure I forgot to blink during that part because I didn’t want to miss any word that transpired between them!

The relationships between characters in this book were heart-touching especially the one between Roan and his sister, Roux, and another one between Hollis and his mother, Kelsey. The way that Roan constantly tries to put Roux first and how Hollis’s mother supported him just broke and warmed my heart at the same time. I also enjoyed reading about how Hood River Hoodlums care for Roan and Roux and how they are always supportive of them. Speaking of the Hoodlums, I was not expecting the pairing that was hinted at in the epilogue that set up the second book, but I can’t say that I’m disappointed. The ending was heart-wrenching, but it makes the set up for the next book that much better and the wait for the next book that much worse!

This book is a heartbreaking and heartwarming rollercoaster that you don’t want to miss out on if you like to read M/M romance. Needless to say, I will be stalking K. Webster to find info on the next book!

[lakshmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 "rat" and "rat lover" stars

this is not just a bully romance, it's much darker for those of you going in blind. i did and it hit me so hard.
there are many graphic scenes : rape attempt, over dose, child abuse, violence and eating disorder obviously bullying.

Hollis is the new guy in school and on his first day he runs into the school mean guy/misfit, Roan. he then gets on the gangs ""bad side" and is soon targeted on. BUUUTT Roan also works for Hollis' aunt, so they're forced to get along or atleast try to be civil while Roan is working.

I want him to wreck me some more.
I want him to decimate me.

Roan is the perfect example of an asshole. He was cruel and downright childish with Hollis. His home life made him project his angry at everyone at school. But soon they find refuge in each other and it was just so satisfying watching the big and tough mean boy become putty and needy with Hollis.

“I have like two really good things in my life, Hollis, and you’re one of them. Please don’t take that away from me.”

Hollis had his own problems. one being his asshole dad and the other being his eating problem that become a major plotline towards the end of the book.

But i think my favorite FAVORITE part of this was a found family aspect. The hoodlums and Hollis' family including sisters and mother and aunt and random guardians. it was just heartwarming to watch them come together. they were all so protective. Would totally recommend this if you're looking for something darker and emotional.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it.
Got nothing else to say. 🙈🙊🙉

[Mariam, · Rating 3 out of 5]

My only impression after reading this book was: Penn and Cope were better.

My fav part was Hollins tells Roan to back off the grumpiness and Roan is like 'sorry, I change for nobody' and I'm like: YES BISH!

K Webs mm romance is ADDICTING AF y'all. I don't hate this, did I like tho? Debatable. I couldn't put my phone down, I'll give you that.

I originally wanted to give it 3.5 but I'm like yeahhh, nah.

“You’re so precious,” I tease. “Defending my honor.”
“Bye, fucker.”
“Bye, hero.”
He mumbles out a “fuck you” before hanging up.
My heart skips several times.

(My bestie told me what happened to Roan and Hollins in the next book and all I have to say is: YIKES 😬😳)

INITIAL REACTION
ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[✩ Mira ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars


Ahhh, I haven't been K. Webster's biggest fan until now but this was so good!
the gays can do no wrong in my eyes, so why are we even surprised I loved this lol

Hood River Rat is all you'd want in your M/M romance - there's some tension in the beginning, undeniable chemistry, soft and damaged boys, some drama and lots of tingly feels!

The Characters
Hollis was the sweetest character! His parents got divorced because his father couldn't accept him after he came out, so he, his mother and sisters had to move away. He feels like this is all his fault and that he's ruined his loved ones' lives, and reading about his guilt made just want to give him a big hug!

He is also an absolute angel - he is bullied by the "Hoodlums" at school but he still talks to them like nothing's happened and somehow he doesn't even blame them when they mistreat him.


Roan
"The psychopath's name is Roan"
well, that's always a good start to a love story, am i right....

No, really, Roan was just sad boi™ who needed to be loved. While he was supposed to be the "bully" in this story, he never really did much bullying, although I will say him disliking Holliswas a bit out of the blue...

I liked Roan's reaction to him realising he liked guys, I thought that it was all very well handled. I also liked how dispite them being "enemies" at first (not really though), Roan was never an asshole to Hollis or toxic in any way when they started liking each other (and before that too tbh)

The Romance


ahhhhhh i loved everything about the romance! although it's not really an enemies-to-lovers, lke it kind of is, but not really

Everything was handled so maturely and Roan and Hollis were the sweetest boyfriends!

I LOVED Hollis flirting with Roan at the beginning and making the resident high school bad boy flustered! Their relationship just progressed so beautifully.

The chemistry between them was sizzling from the first moment they met, but you could see them slowly fall in love and ahhhhh i still have the butterflies. They were so supportive of each other and you could see just how much they cared for the other.
✨c o m p l e t e l y u n p r o b l e m a t i c✨

Oh and their banter was the best!

"When you lie, your cheek twitches."
"When you're being an asshole, your mouth moves and words come out."
or, alternatively, this quote in a gif format:


Hollis and Roan calling each other dude/ bro/ man even when they were in bed and stuff was the most hilarious thing to me and I loved it!

And most importantly,
There was no unnecessary break-up towards the end, just so that they can get back together in the next chapter!!!!!
What an absolute rare gem this is in a romance!

Some things I didn't like
✦The sisters, especially Roux, who is 13 but is acting and talking like an 8 year old moron, this is especially irritating knowing that all the following books will be with the sisters as love interest and I just can't bring myself to read them.....
✦Hollis's friends were completely underdeveloped and honestly unnecessary, like what did their romance bring to the story?

✦all the gang-related drama, although I'm sure it's necessary for the next books but still...
✦Again, I just found Roux super irritating aghhhhh

All in all, Hood River Rat was a great M/M romance - it didn't try to be too much, it was the right amounts of sweet and dramatic and a super quick read! I definitely recommend reading it, although I won't be continuing with the series.

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars ☆

He leans in, bringing his mouth close to my ear, brushing it barely. "Careful, rat, I might think you care."

omg this was so good!! I loved Hollis and Roan's banters and the way their romance developed. This was also a great introduction to its universe and side characters because I'm completely invested in everything about it, not just the main characters, and looking forward to the other three's stories as well. I adored Roan and Roux's sibling relationship and how he's always putting her first. 🥺 Hollis' family (minus the dad ofc) were everythingg, they were so supportive of him - especially his mom - and it was rlly cute to read about! It was basically hinted in the epilogue that Jordy and Roux might be the next couple? if so, I'm intrigued to see how that will play out cause tbh, I felt overprotective sibling vibes coming from Jordy to Roux in this book so if they're going the romantic direction, I'm curious how they will fall in love.

I'd recommend this if you're in the mood to read something that will make you feel a range of emotions (cause this book put me through it lmaoo), with a sprinkle of sweetness to the side. :)

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well wasn't this a surprise I never saw coming! I love me a good bully romance where the bullying arsehole has a reason to be an arsehole and Roan had that, with spades. I think what surprised me the most was that he wasn't afraid to show his feelings for Hollis, given he thought that he was straight.

Loved it. 4.5 stars

[Jessica 🔮 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ★

➸ genre: YA/MM Romance
➸ tropes: bully-enemies to lovers-angst-GayForYou
➸ Fist person, dual POV
➸ Standalone? #1 book in the Hood River Hoodlums Series
➸ Cliffhanger? No.
➸ HEA/HFN? Yes.
➸ Trigger: bullying, violence, abuse, attempted sexual assault
➸ Steam? High .



“Relationship, huh?” I arch a brow at him.
“You don’t even like me.”
“You’re growing on me,” he says, leaning in to steal a quick kiss.
“Like a fungus.”
“You should get a job writing inscriptions on Hallmark cards,”
I deadpan.
He snorts.
“Seems like a cool job.”


May contain minor spoilers

I read the first 14 chapters of HRR in Bully Me: Class of 2020.That evil cliffhanger killed me and I was dying to read the complete story.
I had HUGE expectations for this book and you know what they say about expectations..



I was sure this was going to be a 5 ★ read.. unfortunately I was wrong.
Probably if I hadn't been so obsessed with this book for an entire month, I would have given a higher rating.
So yes, I reserve the right to reread it and change the rating in the future.

Don’t get me wrong,
This is a great book and I ENJOYED it.

HRR is an emotional, angsty and steamy read.
It was a great start to what I am assuming will be another amazing Series by Mrs Webster.
I couldn’t put it down and I read it in one sitting.

Here's what I loved:

✰ Writing
✰ Roan and Hollis, the development of their
relationship and their chemistry.
✰ steamy scenes
✰ the Hoodlum, especially Jordy
✰ Hollis' family
✰ Roux and Roan's relationship
✰ Roan and Jordy's bromance
✰ Roux and Jordy's bond

Unfortunately it wasn’t perfect and some things bugged me.

The beginning and the middle of this story were great.
The last 15-20%? Not so much.
Miscommunication, Miscommunication, a lot of Miscommunication.
Plus, why adults and authorities in YA are always portraited like idiots ?!
Police and CPS were so clueless..sorry it was irrealistic and I didn’t buy it.
I won’t write spoilers so I will just say that I didn’t like how some things were handled, especially Hollis' disease, The Evil Mother/ her predator abusive boyfriend and Jordy's mess with the justices. I felt like there were so many running story lines ouside of the main romance plot. I get that this is a series and KW wanted to build the plot/setting for the next book but Hollis & Roan deserved a better and more complete HEA. The end was rushed and full of tragedies/Over The Top Dramas:

an illness, a homophobic father, a gang, guns, murders, assaults, an absent/addicted mother, OD, a creepy abusive mama's boyfriend, police, CPS, prison, (...)

And all of this happened in 290 pages..



So yes, too much dramas for my taste
Sometimes less is better.
On the other hand, I can’t wait to read the next book Little Hoodlum..I don't want to have to many expectation but after reading the epilogue/prologue I'm sooo excited.

⚠️ Spoiler Allert : If you don't want to know the couple of the next book you should stop reading.

🐭
🏀
🐭
🏀
🐭
🏀
🐭
🏀
🐭

JORDY ➕ ROUX

So we'll have: brother's best friend, forbidden love, tons of angst, a hot Latino-protective-a little bit psycho hero and a not-so-little-and-innocent-anymore heroine.

Me:



I loved Hollis and Roan but Jordy was the most interesting character in this book. Plus, when he and Roux were in the same scene together they totally stole the show.
I need them in my life ASAP.
In conclusion: despite some flaws I would recommend this book because

a) As always KW's writing is amazing

b) the bully trope was handled in the best way
This trope is one of the most popular trend in YA/NA romance and everyone tries to outdo everyone else with who can write the most dysfunctional and depraved relationship and “Law & Order: SVU” dynamics. Lately I've read a lot of garbage lacking YA bully and I assure you..KW did an amazing job with HRR.

c) HRR is something new and refreshing .
I'm sure there aren't many YA/bully/MM out there.
This story is certainly unique..give it a chance you may enjoy it.

[astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters) · Rating 3 out of 5]

All this time I thought I was broken inside.
That I couldn’t love properly or be interested in another person.
Truth is, I’ve been looking at the wrong sex.
Because when I look at Hollis, I crave him like nothing I’ve ever wanted before.

*nonchalantly adds this to the read pile




Despite the cringey cover and questionable premise, I kind of liked this. Sure, it was absolutely cheesy, vaguely misogynistic and packed with a huge amount of overused tropes, but I had fun and it was pretty sexy and absurdly cute in its own way.
It's clear that it's a book about boys written by a woman. I read it at the beach with my best friend who happens to be a guy who knows plenty about m/m sex, and he said the same thing, especially concerning the sex scenes.
Let's just say the whole thing felt a bit too fanfiction-y.
I also think the author should have done a bit more research on post-surgery, because it's almost impossible to be offered water (by a doctor, nonetheless) and being allowed to gulp down a whole glass of it after stomach surgery. Not to be picky, but someone might notice these kind of details, just saying.
Little quibbles aside, Hood River Rat is a cute and steamy summer read, and I appreciated the positive rep, how the MCs interacted with each other and how much they both loved their families.

[Miriam still reading! HIATUS from GR · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+++++ stars story!! fucking awesome!

Damn I wish the other books in this series were MMR!

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoooooo! I think this is the biggest surprise of 2020 for me. High school bullying isn't really my thing but this one was done well. Behind every bully is a hurt kid just lashing out at someone they think is weaker.

This story featured a high school basketball star Hollis who was one of the Hood River Hoodlums, a clique that kind of terrorized other kids to avoid dealing with their own painful home situations.
Hollis is a new kid whose parents are going through a divorce and he is looking for a new place to reinvent himself. Unfortunately for him, the town bullies notice him immediately due to their perceived notion that he is a rich kid.
Roan was such a douche to Hollis but as you got to know Roan, I felt so sorry for him and his little sister. I also felt terrible for Hollis because his relationship with his dad had been such a source or pain for him. Hollis stands his ground and slowly begins to see behind Roan's facade. Soon an attraction builds and its great because they both needed to be important to someone.

What I love about this story was the focus wasn't about the gay boys, but about family and loyalty. Sure two boys fell in love, but it was the makeshift family, who protected each other from the predators that made this story great. With that said, Roan and Hollis had chemistry for days. I was all in for this story. If you want hurt-comfort, coming of age, bully romance etc, then you want to get this book now. You won't regret it.

I will definitely read book 2.

[Corinne [hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

K Webster surprises me yet again with a MM romance that goes way beyond smut.

Tropes:
- MM romance
- high school bully romance
- grumpy/sunshine dynamic
- insta-lust

I didn't expect this book to pack such an emotional punch. I don't read a lot of MM romances but this one was definitely well written.

Hollis is a sunshine type character. After coming out to his family, his dad acts like the asshole he is and tries to essentially kick him out of the family. This backfires as Hollis's mom steps up and divorces him. Hollis, his mom and 2 younger sisters move to River Hood with his aunt Karen. First day of school is really bad for Hollis. He goes to school all dressed up and preppy and gets the "wrong" attention from the Hoodlums, a local group of 4 boys.
The most rude to him in the beginning is Roan, who bullies him pretty badly but who turns out to be just a kid in a very very bad situation.

I liked Hollis a lot. He doesn't take his bullying lying down. He pushes back but still he reaches to his bully and tries to make peace. As Roan's sister Roux befriends Hollis's sister Charlotte, they end up spending more time together and things start to happen.
Roan's life situation is bad, so bad and so realistic. I felt so sad reading about his struggles to keep himself and his sister safe in a hpusehold where the mother is a junkie and they live in an unsafe neighborhood. I appreciated that the bullying lasted for a bit until the two boys began a secret relationship.

Both characters are multi-dimensional and pretty well developed. There are a lot of things happening so the plot is far from boring or focused only on the romance part. The smut was not over the top, which I appreciated a lot too.

What I didn't like was the insta-attraction but other than that, it was an unexpected good read.

---
Trigger warnings: assault, attempted drowning, attempted rape on a minor, violence, drug abuse, murder
Safety: 3+ semi-explicit scenes but not over the top in terms of the smut
---

Hood River Hoodlums series - inter-connected standalones
- Hood River Rat (Book 1): 3.5 stars
- Little Hoodlum (Book 2): 3.25 stars
- Campfire Chaos (Book 3): 3.75 stars
- Hood River Zero (Book 4): 4.5 stars

[Laura Lovely · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Arena♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a freak show and a waste of my time

RTC

Okay, so I was so damn excited for this one when it came out a few months ago and now that I have read read it? I do not understand the hype.

The plot, characters, storyline..everything fell flat for me. It was an easy read to pass the time and complete in one sitting but other than that? blech.

The characters were both very nice but very boring. Same goes for the book, as 'nice' it was, it bored me to death. It is funny sometimes though and will make you smile, but only some scenes. The drama felt too much and too fast and the epilogue about Roux did nothing to intrigue me.

There was no depth to the story so I couldn't feel anything for either of the characters. Do I know what its like to cough up blood? No. Have I had shitty parents? No. Am I losing a sister to child services? No. Do I have any problems of not bing accepted by my own dad for who I am? No.

But thats just it! Even though I haven't been in any of those situations, the book should've made me feel like I was. But it didn't and so I hated disliked it.

Will I be reading the next book in the series? Maybe, idk
Would I recommend it? If you're bored or in a slump, then yes, otherwise no, not in a million years.

[Mug · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love that, in addition to roan being some hardass mean mf, the author can make him so sensitive and sweet and caring too🥺 he’s also fucking hilarious when he’s jealous like i DIED when he called cunningham “cuntingham” and the fact it caught on and jordy started calling him cuntingham too😂😂😂 i wanted to be more feral about hollis and roan, and i love them, don’t get me wrong, but the author took us to crazy town (which i expected) instead of focusing on their relationship (which i needed more of). if we had more time with them, i would’ve been more invested in their relationship, but i also loved the ride to crazy town sooo idk i wanna have my cake and eat it too🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

but yea soooo melodramatic lmfao like i just wanna roll my eyes but i also can’t look away…..literally like a soap opera, dramatic shit happening just bc💀💀 like what do u mean hollis’s frequent blackouts meant he needed emergency stomach surgery on the same night roan’s mom forced roux back home where alexander started harassing her so roan immediately came to take her away and got his ass beat to shit while trying to protect roux from getting raped and then jordy showed up and shot and killed 4 men and got 10 years in prison and roan couldn’t do shit about it bc he could’ve gone to prison for attempted kidnapping bc that’s what his mom claimed he was doing but then later his mom overdosed on heroin and died…….like ur playing trauma bingo or some shit rn😭🤣🤣 i can’t help but find it funny as fuck even tho it should piss me off…..bc it’s like let’s abandon everything about the first part of the book, like the relationship development, hollis’s friends, basketball, school, etc, to weave the most batshit story possible💀💀 literally should be split into two parts…..part one being ‘roan and hollis fall in love’ and part two being ‘the most insane drama possible all at once bc why tf not’😂😂😂 jordy is insane btw like the most feral fucking dude alive….he did charm me tho and i think he has addicting main character potential, like i can feel the possibilities of obsession…..but too bad it’s not mm rip😔 i still have to give this 4 stars tho bc not once was i bored….kinda like watching reality tv bc was it terrible?? mayyyybeeee, but also my eyes were glued to the page and my enjoyment was high

[Aribel Mejia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hood River Rat By K Webster

5 Rat & Rat Lover STARS ⭐️

I shouldn’t be surprised cuz its K Webster , I’m super bias towards this author like seriously so far its the only author I can call My Favorite , I love her words with all my soul and every book I read by her just make me fall in love again , again and again.

The characters were PERFECT I don’t have complains , this book was my most anticipated of the month of April and it didn’t let me down. The reason why I love this book so much It’s cuz I could felt every emotion our MC´s were feeling and the suspense factor had me on my feet , I didn’t know what was going to happened next and that make the experience a lot more Fun.

Their love was so natural , so true , so them.

SPANISH

No debería estar sorprendida porque es K Webster , no soy nada imparcial cuando se trata de esta autora , hasta ahora es la única autora a la que puedo llamar favorita , amo sus palabras con toda mi alma y cada libro que leo por ella solo me hace enamorarme mas y mas y mas.

Los personajes fueron PERFECTOS no tengo quejas , este libro era el mas anticipado por mi este mes y no me decepciono. La razón por la que amo este libro tanto es porque pude sentir cada emoción que los protagonistas estaban manifestando y el factor suspenso nunca dejo mi cuerpo , cuando pensaba que el libro iba a tomar un rumbo tomaba otro completamente diferente.

Su amor fue natural , Real , muy ELLOS.

[The Girl Murdered by Her TBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-Porcelain-Doll-Stars!!

I haven't read any lgbt novel in a while and picking up this book is one of the best decision I made in my entire bookworm life. Hollis and Roan deeply reminded me of my favorite MM couple, Andrew Joseph Minyard and Neil Josten. The angst, chaos, and hot-as-hell chemistry is extremely present in this book. I loved the story from the beginning until the end.

This is my first K Webster novel and I am so glad that I chose this book of hers because it gave me the feels.

[Rae (semi-hiatus)]

What in the audacity
I know a white author didn't write and publish this series with a BlPOC MC and think it was a good idea... And then to put a black man on the cover of a book called "Hoodlum Heat" tf 😭
Trying to excuse herself by saying Hoodlum was a play on the word Hood because that's the town where they characters are from, like what? She knew exactly what that word meant and where it came from. Racist af. I'm so shook
https://twitter.com/Thunder_reads/sta...

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 5 out of 5]

***5 Big Fat "Hoodlums!!!" stars***

#AVAILABLE NOW



"How is it a boy I barely know has stolen every part of my soul?"

Wow!!!! Just wow!!!! This book blew my mind!!!!
I finished it in one breath a couple of days ago and i still can not shake it from inside of me!!!
Honestly, i don't know why it had such an impact on me, but i'm sure that i can't get over the story soon!!!
This book was my first M/M story and Roan and Hollis were just perfectly imperfect and so right for each other...
This book made me see things differently and I love K. Webster for that reason.

"It's going to kill me.
Wanting him.
Caring for him.
Being with him.
I feel it in my bones."

Well, it's already known that I'm a sucker for bully romances and it's a fact that even though i wanted to try once a m/m book, i was much of a chicken to do it!!!
But then a teaser of this book came across and i became obsessed. I just knew that i had to read this story and my instict was right!!!
This story blew my mind and i can assure you that my heart was given freely to Roan and Hollis to live in there for the rest of my life...
I'm obsessed with their story and I'm obsessed with the Hoodlums!!! I just need more and more of these guys!!!

"Don't forget that I hate you."
"Don't forget that you hate me when you're jerking off later."
With those words, he leaves me with the hard-on he promised.

Well, Hollis is opening a new chapter on his life...
New home, new school, new town...
Hollis is gay and recently, he did it known to everyone around him.
Unfortunately, his father didn't react well in that fact and Hollis with his mother and his sisters are starting a new life away from him...
Unfortunately for him, in his new school, the Hoodlums are the big deal and from the very first moment, they are making his life difficult!!!
The worst thing of all??? Hollis is drawn toward Roan, one of them!!!

"I'll skim throught the next four months unnoticed and when I go off to college, I can be the Hollis I was meant to be. Guilt-free and gay. At Hood River, I plan to be invisible Hollis."

"It's a shame he's such an asshole. He's hot. Really hot. Distractingly so."

Roan is one of the Hoodlums. He is someone on this school and all the girls are on his feet.
But Roan had a hard life outside from school...
His only care on the world is to protect his little sister and provide for her, no matter what.
And it doesn't help the fact that the new guy, who Roan has a beef toward him, is always in front of him...
And the worst thing of all, is that is caughting himself to looking at him all the time in a weird and strange way...

"I can see right through his facade. He wants everyone to think he's as perfect on the inside as he is on the outside.
He's not and we both know it."

"I'm not going to lust over my fucking nemesis, especially when I don't even understand why I feel this way in the first place. My dick may be confused, but my mind knows exactly what's up. Hollis is a little bitch who's getting in my way."

The beauty of this book is that Roan was staight... Hollis was gay, but it didn't seem like the usual stereotype... He was athletic and strong....
I don't know why, but these two were fitting so beautifully together...
I loved how they were between them from the very first moment... I was enjoying seeing them flirt with each other, even though they couldn't realize that they were doing it!!!
And now, after reading this book, i realize that love is not about genres, but about peoples that are speaking into our souls and that's what was Hollis for Roan!!!!

"Hollis fucks with my head.
The hate I have for him feels a lot like desire.
Strangest fucking thing ever."

"Beneath all the asshole exterior is a vulnerable boy curious about the one in front of him. It gives me hope. If I can crack him, maybe he'll let me in.
Why do I want to be let in?
Because he's different. I'm drawn to him."

This book was above the romance...
It was about love in general in every form... Romantic love, parental love, friendship, love between siblings...
This story was about Hollis and Roan, but it went above them...
These two were two troubled young boys that were trying to find their footing upon this earth... And together they were stronger...
Honestly, i will carry this story inside of me for a very long time...

"I feel like he's mine. Like he could be mine. If I take the time and effort to find him."

"I'm unsure if I'm able to handle whatever this storm brewing between us is. I don't know if it'll end with fists and broken bones or kisses and broken hearts. It's too intense and cataclysmic to not end in destruction, though. If it's not hate, it's something close. Hate destroys and decimates. Whatever this is, it'll ruin too.
Ruin me.
Ruin him.
Probably ruin everyone in this room."

I loved Roan with his macho attitude but his heart of gold.
I loved Hollis with his fragile heart and his sweet ways.
These kids had too many shits to face. Both of them...
I loved that Hollis had a mother that put her kid above everything else... I loved how caring and accepting she was...
I loved the Hoodlums, even though they had a shitty attitude toward Hollis in the beginning, but toward their boy, they were so loyal.
I loved Roux and I loved Jordy whom I didn't like, but he made me cry like a baby and i can not wait for his turn!!! Hopefully with Little Hoodlum!!!

"Anger bleeds from me and defeat consumes me in the darkness.
Why is life so fucking hard?
I just want to be normal and have normalcy for Roux."

"It's what we do. We're Hoodlums. We don't let life fuck us. We get on our feet and fuck life."

What else can I say???
Honestly, i want to say too many things, but at the same time, nothing more at all...
This story spoke volumes!!!
You just have to pick up this book and start reading...
It's a big fat YES from me!!!!

"Roan has stuck his hand inside my chest and plucked my heart from its cage. It beats like crazy in his fist. He can keep it, or he can crush it. No matter what he does, it won't matter. I've given it to him, and it scares the shit out of me, because I know I'll never get it back."

"I feel like the devil who's somehow managed to capture something he's not supposed to have. Hollis is too good for me. I know this, but I don't care. I'm greedy and selfish enough to keep him anyway."

***I recieved an ARC for the exchange of an honest review***

[alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

(not Rebecca inspiring a rating reevaluation 🙈) let's go with a solid 3 for whimsical entertainment value ;)

I have no clue what I just read but that was WILD 🥴. It certainly wasn’t the high school bully-to-lovers romance I was expecting, nuh-uh.

I present “Rat” and “rat lover” 😌 (yes, their actual pet names(?) for each other)

”Relationship, huh?” I arch a brow at him. “You don’t even like me.”
“You’re growing on me,” he says, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. “Like a fungus.”
“You should get a job writing inscriptions on Hallmark cards,” I deadpan.
He snorts. “Seems like a cool job.”

The romance sure takes the cake!

As the supposed head of the Hood River Hoodlums, Roan was far more passive than I’d hoped, not that I wanted full-on physical/emotional torture scenes, but I'm sure we can all agree his "bully" persona was slightly underwhelming for the head honcho. His cronies did most of the bullying tbh. His relationship with his sister though, now that simultaneously broke and warmed my heart. You're a good guy, Roan 😢

Meanwhile, new kid on the block Hollis gives off an incredibly naïve air (decides showing up to a public school wearing business casual clothes in his purple Mustang would be a great way to fit in 😬 You'd think even a prep school kid would know the difference but uh....not this one), and yet also develops this unfounded confidence in his attempts to seduce Roan and go head-to-head with bullies. How does he manage it? 🤣

---- Ingredients for OTT wtf-ery (a.k.a. possible TWs) ----

Bullying, drug addicts, gangs, multiple instances of near death (guns, near drowning, medical emergencies, drug overdoses, etc.), five-ish real deaths, illegal gun possession, attempted rape (of a minor at that 🤮), physical abuse, an incarcerated father, an incarcerated young’un who deserved better, a homophobic & cheating trash man of a father, and the list goes on.

I swear, the second half was one catastrophe after another with zero breathing room whatsoever.

----

⚠️Semi-spoilers ahead!⚠️
.
.
.


The whole Jordy scene left me in a morose mood too. A rather dramatic & descriptive example of what young kids/adults are driven to do when the system fails them. His choice to lie shows a clear distrust of the law to work in their favor. He deserved better. *pretends the river scene didn’t happen 🙄*

The worst part was when a few pages later, a certain character no longer posed a threat due to awfully convenient circumstances that undermined his act of martyrdom to be almost all for naught (he got rid of some human scum so at least that counts for something?). I’ll just take it like the plot device it was meant to be: sending him to jail to set up a time skip for the next book 😂

OH and speaking of the next book, here's the cherry on top!! I was robbed of my beloved epilogue for an uncomfortable segue into book two’s pairing (Roan’s sister and Jordy) which I won’t be touching with a ten feet pole because from the looks of reviews, the wtf-ery delves into territories I have no desire to roam 😅


OVER AND OUT

[Carmen Reyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I try to pull my hand away, unsure if I’m able to handle whatever this storm brewing between us is. I don’t know if it’ll end with fists and broken bones or kisses and broken hearts. It’s too intense and cataclysmic to not end in destruction, though. If it’s not hate, it’s something close. Hate destroys and decimates. Whatever this is, it’ll ruin too.

I was so excited for this book. When it came out a couple months ago everyone was going crazy about how good it was. But honestly now that I’ve read it I don’t understand what the hype was about.

I don’t know if it is that I’m going through a fantasy phase and books like this don’t excite me, but this was bleh for the most part. An easy read in one sitting. No depth to the story, no character development, no sound reasoning behind the stuff that was happening... everything was just so average.

For the most part it felt like a girl wrote it trying to think like a guy. And I know that’s what usually happens in MM books but I don’t want it to FEEL that way. It doesn’t bother me usually but this felt kind of sloppy. Roan was mad about things without reason. Hollis was just boring to me. Nice? Yeah, but boring. That’s how I would describe this book.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t like the dual point of view, I like not knowing what the other persons is thinking, it gives the story some mystery and excitement. But here it wasn’t so bad, they didn’t overlap and I wasn’t reading the same thing twice.

Will I be reading the second installment in the series? We’ll see, that’s to be determined.

If you want a book that’s easy to read, will make you laugh a couple of times and that at the end you’ll never think about again, this is the book for you.

[JenMcJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really expected to love this. I... didn't. The attraction between Hollis and Roan played out weirdly and I didn't believe it until about past 1/2 way. The plotting made me roll my eyes over and over. Every single incident in this book is extreme and plays out in ways that are mostly unrealistic and set up for easy, lazy plotting regardless of whether they make sense or not. Simple things like the Aunt not mentioning that she tutors a kid and her brother (surprise! Here is your bully crush on your doorstep two days a week) to complex things like the way Jory straight up attempts to murder Hollis (and in real life would have succeeded) and everyone just brushes it off, to nonsensical things, like that nobody would have deposed both Roan and Roux after the crime or that firemen and emts, who are mandatory reporters for child neglect/abuse don't report any of the things they know.

But where I really lost all good feelings for this book is when everyone around Hollis just ignores how sick he is. They realize he's sick, hell, Roan is very aware how sick he is but nobody forces him to go to the doctor. Nobody intervenes. They just keep going. His mom knows, his boyfriend knows, his coach knows and all of them do nothing proactive. So predictively it becomes an emergency (among all the other emergencies and they all happen on the same night, of course) and nobody ever shows real remorse for not doing anything sooner.

I could tell by the tone of the book that obsessive Jory was going to be a thing for Roux. I'm on the fence about the next book.

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still am wondering why I read this book, considering I've never read a bully romance before. I never really liked the idea of a bully romance (I still don't). But I'm also confused that I actually liked this book?

K. Webster has a really interesting was of narrating a story. I enjoyed her writing. The plot was great. The characterization is bomb. Both of the main characters have interesting and unique personality. The cast of side characters is awesome too. I even liked the bully aspect of the story. The bully, Roan, wasn't a heartless person. Though he wanted everyone to think him as the bad boy, it was all an act. He's sweet, kind and loving towards the poeple he cares about. All of the characters were morally fraudulent and I liked that.


While I enjoyed the book as whole, it wasn't a new favourite or anything. Infact some parts of it annoyed me to death. It felt like the author had divided her attention in segments and then tried to distribute them equally among the characters. The main characters never received proper attention in the process. They rarely got any spotlight. They hardly spent time together or had special moments. The romance felt rushed and forced. Instant attention - I understand. But the "love" part came out of nowhere. They didn't even know each other properly, they had zero chemistry and all of a sudden they were like "I love you". Mehh..