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Taste: A novella inspired by the film 'Call Me By Your Name'
'Well written, easy to read and certainly unlike anything else I have read this year!' - Mark Fearn, Book Mark! (Top 500 Reviewer) ★★★★★ (five stars out of five)
'Very well written [....] excellent job' - Relax and Read Reviews ★★★★★ (five stars out of five)
'I would suggest you grab your copy now...you won't be disappointed!!' - Lawrence Evans, Admin of Call Me By Your Name UK Facebook group ★★★★★ (five stars out of five)
JJ and Donnie are two lost souls from different worlds, brought together by a film that changes their lives.18 year old JJ dreams of escaping from the North London tower block he shares with his emotionally absent mother and her abusive boyfriend. Donnie is a successful accountant in his mid-30s struggling to deal with the breakup of his marriage and his failing relationship with his 15 year old daughter. Both JJ and Donnie become entranced by the film 'Call Me By Your Name', a passionate love story featuring characters remarkably similar to themselves. Could they end up writing their own love story, or will their pasts and their futures end up tearing them apart?This powerful novella explores the passions and pitfalls of love in the modern age, as the two main characters dreamily live out their erotic fantasies before having to decide whether their destinies lie together or apart.
'Very well written [....] excellent job' - Relax and Read Reviews ★★★★★ (five stars out of five)
'I would suggest you grab your copy now...you won't be disappointed!!' - Lawrence Evans, Admin of Call Me By Your Name UK Facebook group ★★★★★ (five stars out of five)
JJ and Donnie are two lost souls from different worlds, brought together by a film that changes their lives.18 year old JJ dreams of escaping from the North London tower block he shares with his emotionally absent mother and her abusive boyfriend. Donnie is a successful accountant in his mid-30s struggling to deal with the breakup of his marriage and his failing relationship with his 15 year old daughter. Both JJ and Donnie become entranced by the film 'Call Me By Your Name', a passionate love story featuring characters remarkably similar to themselves. Could they end up writing their own love story, or will their pasts and their futures end up tearing them apart?This powerful novella explores the passions and pitfalls of love in the modern age, as the two main characters dreamily live out their erotic fantasies before having to decide whether their destinies lie together or apart.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 17, 2020
This novella is a quick read but gives you some idea as to the authors idea’s and where future books may go
Based on the film ‘ Call Me By Your Name’ which I hadn’t heard of but this didn’t matter as the storyline of the film is explained very early on.
JJ is gay, still living with his Mum and her ‘handy’ partner and Donnie is straight, recently separated and filling his life with meaningless sexual experiences ( with women )
Donnie watches the film when he sees it is going to be on TV and basically is enthralled by it and what it has to offer and via an online group discussing the film starts chatting to JJ, they meet and lets say Donnie’s life is turned upside down as he falls headlong into a relationship ( of sorts ) with JJ, much to his daughter and ex wife’s shock and amusement but then understanding as the story evolves
The novella shows how their quick to start encounter turns into something much more than they anticipated and then, well I wont spoil the ending but it took an unexpected and in a way shocking end
Now, this is a M/M fiction book and as such some of the narrative is not for the easily ‘surprised’ shall we say but leaving that part aside it is an interesting look at a totally unexpected relationship and the love but chaos it causes
Well written, easy to read and certainly unlike anything else I have read this year!
9/10
5 Stars
Based on the film ‘ Call Me By Your Name’ which I hadn’t heard of but this didn’t matter as the storyline of the film is explained very early on.
JJ is gay, still living with his Mum and her ‘handy’ partner and Donnie is straight, recently separated and filling his life with meaningless sexual experiences ( with women )
Donnie watches the film when he sees it is going to be on TV and basically is enthralled by it and what it has to offer and via an online group discussing the film starts chatting to JJ, they meet and lets say Donnie’s life is turned upside down as he falls headlong into a relationship ( of sorts ) with JJ, much to his daughter and ex wife’s shock and amusement but then understanding as the story evolves
The novella shows how their quick to start encounter turns into something much more than they anticipated and then, well I wont spoil the ending but it took an unexpected and in a way shocking end
Now, this is a M/M fiction book and as such some of the narrative is not for the easily ‘surprised’ shall we say but leaving that part aside it is an interesting look at a totally unexpected relationship and the love but chaos it causes
Well written, easy to read and certainly unlike anything else I have read this year!
9/10
5 Stars
September 11, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.75 stars
The story blew me away, and the MCs were unique and sympathetic. I was able to feel their pain as their lives spiral downward, and their almost giddiness once they meet and begin to fall for each other. The writing is almost poetic, and I was sucked into the story right away. Even though it’s not a particularly long book, I read it from beginning to end in one fell swoop. I couldn’t make myself leave JJ and Donnie behind, even if it was to just sleep for a few hours.
The story was well paced and the attention to detail was remarkable. I could see Donnie’s living room, or JJ’s smile, or even Donnie’s daughter Leah’s clothing. Everything ran through my head like a movie.
Read Kenna’s review in its entirety here.
4.75 stars
The story blew me away, and the MCs were unique and sympathetic. I was able to feel their pain as their lives spiral downward, and their almost giddiness once they meet and begin to fall for each other. The writing is almost poetic, and I was sucked into the story right away. Even though it’s not a particularly long book, I read it from beginning to end in one fell swoop. I couldn’t make myself leave JJ and Donnie behind, even if it was to just sleep for a few hours.
The story was well paced and the attention to detail was remarkable. I could see Donnie’s living room, or JJ’s smile, or even Donnie’s daughter Leah’s clothing. Everything ran through my head like a movie.
Read Kenna’s review in its entirety here.
July 27, 2020
"Taste" centers around two people brought together by the movie "Call Me By Your Name" and through the movie and their subsequent friendship, their lives are changed for the better. JJ is a very mature 18 year-old and Donnie is 36 years old and going through a handful of life-changes. They picture themselves as Elio and Oliver, at least briefly. It's been several years since I read CMBYN, but if memory serves, this book is written in a similar style. Which is to say, it is narration-heavy. There's a sweetness to JJ and Donnie's relationship that I really liked.
November 29, 2021
3.5 stars. 3.5 stars. Donnie is 36 years, living apart from his wife, their marriage wasn’t working anymore.
Alone at home watching tv Donny runs into the movie Call Me By Your Name and he is enthralled and aroused by what he sees, he thought of himself as straight, but now…
At 18 years JJ is under the spell of the movie Call Me By Your Name. He wants to live his life like that movie.
Donnie contacts JJ on a forum about CMBYN and they start talking and talking.
JJ has a hard time at home where his mother’s recent boyfriend puts his hands on him without his consent.
Donnie offers JJ his spare bedroom and JJ accepts to come to Donnie, but not to his spare bedroom *wink wink*
It gets pretty awkward when two sides of Donnie’s lives collide.
A super sweet, short fling with a huge impact. A lot of fuss was going on actually. I would have loved some more telling about both guys here. It was a lot about other things, like family drama. To be honest, I scrolled here and there through the pages.
Overall a nicely written, bittersweet, story, captivating, interesting, not completely my thing, still, nice to read.
Read and reviewed for LoveBytes - LGBTQ bookreviews
Alone at home watching tv Donny runs into the movie Call Me By Your Name and he is enthralled and aroused by what he sees, he thought of himself as straight, but now…
At 18 years JJ is under the spell of the movie Call Me By Your Name. He wants to live his life like that movie.
Donnie contacts JJ on a forum about CMBYN and they start talking and talking.
JJ has a hard time at home where his mother’s recent boyfriend puts his hands on him without his consent.
Donnie offers JJ his spare bedroom and JJ accepts to come to Donnie, but not to his spare bedroom *wink wink*
It gets pretty awkward when two sides of Donnie’s lives collide.
A super sweet, short fling with a huge impact. A lot of fuss was going on actually. I would have loved some more telling about both guys here. It was a lot about other things, like family drama. To be honest, I scrolled here and there through the pages.
Overall a nicely written, bittersweet, story, captivating, interesting, not completely my thing, still, nice to read.
Read and reviewed for LoveBytes - LGBTQ bookreviews
February 26, 2022
The pathos and beauty of Elio and Oliver from the movie, Call Me By Your Name, has affected these men like no other. They found it meaningful, heart gripping and emotional.
Donnie, 36, divorced, thick dark hair,
stubble, green eyes, has a 15 yr. old daughter, and is unsatisfied with his life.
JJ, 18, with wavy blonde hair, earrings,
pierced lip, blue eyes, found the movie life changing, and he wants a different path.
Donnie decides to message folks and see if anyone else has the strong feelings for the characters, as he has felt. JJ responds. They meet, and it's like a switch turns on inside Donnie, who has new desires.
It's first time M/M sexual anything for Donnie, and they get along well.
The plot thickens and a lie sets in motion mistrust, and strange reactions form Donnie's daughter.
Donnie is spiraling down emotionally, and can't get a grip, with his job loss, and then the library, he lashes out at JJ, blaming him.
Meanwhile, JJ is just being himself, open and fun, but his home life is bad, with the stepdad attacking him, and then he decides to go to school in Italy where he's been accepted.
Nothing gets settled as they part....
On to book two... the writing is exceptional.
========
Donnie, 36, divorced, thick dark hair,
stubble, green eyes, has a 15 yr. old daughter, and is unsatisfied with his life.
JJ, 18, with wavy blonde hair, earrings,
pierced lip, blue eyes, found the movie life changing, and he wants a different path.
Donnie decides to message folks and see if anyone else has the strong feelings for the characters, as he has felt. JJ responds. They meet, and it's like a switch turns on inside Donnie, who has new desires.
It's first time M/M sexual anything for Donnie, and they get along well.
The plot thickens and a lie sets in motion mistrust, and strange reactions form Donnie's daughter.
Donnie is spiraling down emotionally, and can't get a grip, with his job loss, and then the library, he lashes out at JJ, blaming him.
Meanwhile, JJ is just being himself, open and fun, but his home life is bad, with the stepdad attacking him, and then he decides to go to school in Italy where he's been accepted.
Nothing gets settled as they part....
On to book two... the writing is exceptional.
========
August 16, 2020
I'm a little conflicted about this one.
This book was a bit different from most that I read and I'm not quite sure how to express how I felt about it. It's a pretty short book to read and I'm not at all sorry that I spent part of my evening reading it. The story, to me, was a little titillating in places and at the same time kind of broke my heart.
One kind of lost older man and one younger man in a bad situation find common ground in a movie. (I haven't watched the movie but I don't think you need to have in order to enjoy this book.) These two men come together in a once in a lifetime romance and experience something wonderful. The older man manages to reconnect with his daughter – something his relationship with the younger man actually triggered and helped – and that was a good part of the story.
There really is more that I'd like to say but I'm afraid it would be too much of a spoiler. I will say that I liked the author's writing style. The words flowed nicely for me and I thought the pacing of the story was very good. If Christian Williams decides to try his hand at writing more MM romance/fiction, I'd be very willing to read another book by him.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
This book was a bit different from most that I read and I'm not quite sure how to express how I felt about it. It's a pretty short book to read and I'm not at all sorry that I spent part of my evening reading it. The story, to me, was a little titillating in places and at the same time kind of broke my heart.
One kind of lost older man and one younger man in a bad situation find common ground in a movie. (I haven't watched the movie but I don't think you need to have in order to enjoy this book.) These two men come together in a once in a lifetime romance and experience something wonderful. The older man manages to reconnect with his daughter – something his relationship with the younger man actually triggered and helped – and that was a good part of the story.
There really is more that I'd like to say but I'm afraid it would be too much of a spoiler. I will say that I liked the author's writing style. The words flowed nicely for me and I thought the pacing of the story was very good. If Christian Williams decides to try his hand at writing more MM romance/fiction, I'd be very willing to read another book by him.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
August 21, 2020
I was recommended this novella by a dear friend of mine. I have to say that it's not my usual kind of read but the blurb intrigued me enough to download a copy and I ended up devouring it in half an hour.
For a debut novella this was very well written. The author did an excellent job in describing and bringing to life the two main characters of this story. I liked the general plot of the story, how from two perfect strangers living lives that couldn't be any more different, these two characters were drawn to each other, each man driven by his own individual circumstances, needs and passions. Be advised that there are a couple of steaming hot scenes which made me understand the author's choice of title for the book. :-D
All in all, I enjoyed being part of Donnie and JJ's world for some time and I'm now looking forward to see what this new budding author will have in store for his readers in the future.
For a debut novella this was very well written. The author did an excellent job in describing and bringing to life the two main characters of this story. I liked the general plot of the story, how from two perfect strangers living lives that couldn't be any more different, these two characters were drawn to each other, each man driven by his own individual circumstances, needs and passions. Be advised that there are a couple of steaming hot scenes which made me understand the author's choice of title for the book. :-D
All in all, I enjoyed being part of Donnie and JJ's world for some time and I'm now looking forward to see what this new budding author will have in store for his readers in the future.
August 17, 2020
This novella has been inspired by the film 'Call Me By Your Name.'
I really liked the concept of this novella. Even though it was short, it portrayed well the depth of emotions between the characters.
This was a sweet short story revolving around a teenaged boy JJ who wants an escape from his present life, and a middle aged accountant who who is struggling between his failed marriage and his strained relationship with his daughter.
I liked the author's writing style. The characters were real, relatable and well fleshed out.
This was a short, sweet age gap romance. If you liked 'Call Me By Your Name', you will love these characters who were brought together by the very film!
“𝑴𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑱𝑱, 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆…𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌. 𝑩𝒖𝒕…𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑯𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆. 𝑴𝑬𝑨𝑵𝑺 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.”
I really liked the concept of this novella. Even though it was short, it portrayed well the depth of emotions between the characters.
This was a sweet short story revolving around a teenaged boy JJ who wants an escape from his present life, and a middle aged accountant who who is struggling between his failed marriage and his strained relationship with his daughter.
I liked the author's writing style. The characters were real, relatable and well fleshed out.
This was a short, sweet age gap romance. If you liked 'Call Me By Your Name', you will love these characters who were brought together by the very film!
“𝑴𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑱𝑱, 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆…𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌. 𝑩𝒖𝒕…𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑯𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆. 𝑴𝑬𝑨𝑵𝑺 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.”
August 21, 2020
The story is centered around a movie called “Call Me by Your Name” JJ is an 18-year-old who still living at home with his mum and her partner. Donnie is straight, recently separated. Donnie, after watching the movie goes online to a group discussing the film. He starts chatting with JJ. He ends up offering him a room, as roommates only. They end up in a relationship of sorts. I wish the author would have went into more detail about the main characters, but I really liked the sweetness of the two. Good read. I am voluntarily leaving a review form an ARC that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.
August 13, 2020
I found 'Taste' very different from most books, it definitely didn't follow any of the standard formats, and for this reason I enjoyed it. The story-line was believable, not full of rainbows and unicorns, but real.
The story is full of different emotions. It is an age-gap story and both main characters seem to find who they need at the time they need them, although they may not know that at the time.
I need to watch the movie now.
The story is full of different emotions. It is an age-gap story and both main characters seem to find who they need at the time they need them, although they may not know that at the time.
I need to watch the movie now.
September 10, 2021
I think I might have enjoyed this book a little more if I'd ever actually watched Call Me by Your Name, but its also not really required to understand the book. Which is a good thing because I've not watched Call Me By Your Name. Even without that base, the book is really good - even if a lot at the beginning does overly focus on talking about the movie and my mind kind of just glazed over making it a bit of a longer read for me despite the short length of the novel.
Taste is the story of 36 year old Donnie - a seemingly heterosexual man who recently got out of his marriage after cheating on his wife - and 18 year old JJ - a teenager who lives in a bad situation with his mom, her boyfriend, and his brother Aron. They meet online when Donnie messages him about a several year old post that JJ made about Call Me By Your Name, a movie Donnie has just discovered while watching on TV. They bond and when things go south at home for JJ, Donnie offers him a place to stay.
Which of course quickly turns to more.
I don't think this is really a love story as much as a story of two men who come together at a vulnerable time of their life and have a passionate affair that changes both of them. It is not a happily ever after in this book - but there is a sequel so don't discount the book because of it.
I will say one thing. Christian Williams' prose in this book is amongst some of the most beautiful I have ever read. Her prose sucked me into this story, made me care about the characters, and made me feel like I was in London with the characters - watching as their worlds fell apart around them and they tried to use one another as a central beam to keep the sky from completely falling down.
Even if you haven't read Call Me By Your Name, you can still really get into this book. Just beware - the first 20% or so is a love letter to the movie but once you get into the meat of the story, it pulls you in and makes you want to stay.
Taste is the story of 36 year old Donnie - a seemingly heterosexual man who recently got out of his marriage after cheating on his wife - and 18 year old JJ - a teenager who lives in a bad situation with his mom, her boyfriend, and his brother Aron. They meet online when Donnie messages him about a several year old post that JJ made about Call Me By Your Name, a movie Donnie has just discovered while watching on TV. They bond and when things go south at home for JJ, Donnie offers him a place to stay.
Which of course quickly turns to more.
I don't think this is really a love story as much as a story of two men who come together at a vulnerable time of their life and have a passionate affair that changes both of them. It is not a happily ever after in this book - but there is a sequel so don't discount the book because of it.
I will say one thing. Christian Williams' prose in this book is amongst some of the most beautiful I have ever read. Her prose sucked me into this story, made me care about the characters, and made me feel like I was in London with the characters - watching as their worlds fell apart around them and they tried to use one another as a central beam to keep the sky from completely falling down.
Even if you haven't read Call Me By Your Name, you can still really get into this book. Just beware - the first 20% or so is a love letter to the movie but once you get into the meat of the story, it pulls you in and makes you want to stay.
August 10, 2020
Having never seen the movie I went into this read sort of blind and I am a little unsure how I feel! I have given it 3 stars as I liked the concept, the characters I could see how they grew even in this quick read novella but the way it was written didn't really appeal to me at all, I couldn't quite get into the flow of the book. Howver I would definitely like to read more by this author
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews