Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Two rivals. One law internship. A whole lot of objectionable activity.

It wasn’t always this way between us.
We were best friends growing up.
Competitive? Yeah.
Ruthless? Definitely.
Neither of us liked to lose.

But the intense chemistry?
That’s new.
The hatred in his eyes?
That’s new, too.

I should let it go.
There’s too much bad blood between our families. Between us.
But I can’t.
I don’t think he can, either.

Now we’re gunning for the same internship.
If he thinks I’ll back down, he’s dead wrong.

Once upon a time, I lost everything.
I won’t let it happen again.

Go ahead. Try me.

From the author of Want Me comes the second new adult college romance in the Extracurricular Activities series. Expect drama, snark, feels, egregious misuse of private property, a guy who’s way more heteroflexible than he realized, and a semi-sorta reformed bad boy who loves to test him.

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2020

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Neve Wilder

21 books2,072 followers
Neve Wilder lives in the southern U.S., where the summers are hot and the winters are...sometimes cold. She is a mom to three rambunctious weebeasts who have joined forces in a mission to carpet the family home with toys and small items that really suck to step on at six in the morning.

She reads promiscuously, across multiple genres, but her favorite stories always contain an element of romance. Incidentally, this is also what she likes to write. Slow-burners with delicious tension? Yes. Whiplash-inducing page-turners, also yes. Down and dirty scorchers? Yes. And every flavor in between.

Neve isn't keen on being limited to one type of story or a single genre. If you enjoy slow burns and musicians, the Rhythm of Love series might be up your alley.

You'll find high heat, crackling sexual tension, and a variety of angst levels in the new adult Extracurricular Activities series that begins with Want Me.

Like smart-ass antiheroes and super steamy thrill rides? Stay tuned for the upcoming Wages of Sin series, which begins with Bad Habits.

If you need a good cry, Center of Gravity is a standalone age-gap slow burn that examines grief, enduring love, and imperfect characters doing their best (or worst, as it were) in shitty situations.

Neve fervently believes David Bowie was the sexiest musician to ever live, and she's always game to nerd out on anything from music to writing.

And finally, she believes that love conquers all. Except the heat index in July. Nothing can conquer that bastard.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
3,301 (37%)
4 stars
3,669 (41%)
3 stars
1,575 (17%)
2 stars
257 (2%)
1 star
47 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 874 reviews
Profile Image for Snjez.
1,092 reviews1,138 followers
May 1, 2021
3.5 stars

The positives:
- for the most part I was really invested in the story
- great connection between Mark and Chet
- I really liked both of them as characters

The not so positives:
- the pacing seemed off to me at times
- Mark's father, though I did like how everything was resolved in the end
- the epilogue could have been better

I think I liked the writing in book 1 more. It felt a bit uneven here. But I still enjoyed reading this story and it was hard to decide if I should round up or down.
Profile Image for Leslie.
1,197 reviews306 followers
August 5, 2020
**Now Available**


Get a fan because holy moly this book was scorching hot. 🔥

So hot that at one point I got so wrapped up reading that I forgot I was watering the flower bed outside and created a swamp in my front yard. I then had to trek through the swamp to turn off the hose. Which created a big muddy mess and later resulted in my cat and me reenacting this classic scene from Cinderella. 🤣

Worth it. SO worth it.🔥

Neve Wilder is so damn good at writing steamy scenes. They tie me up in knots and give me shivers. But the other thing about her is that she also excels at writing what she calls, and I now call, tiny tender moments. Those moments between the steam or within the steam that pull at my heartstrings and make me fall in love with her characters. It's a combination of heat and feels that give me goosebumps and make me swoon.🥰

"Try Me," is the story of Mark and Chet who were introduced in book one, Want Me. And if you haven't read, "Want Me," yet, what are you waiting for? In fact, I'm going to have to reread it AGAIN after this. What a hardship... This book could easily be read on it's own but would be even better if you read, "Want Me," first. And, again, it would be a travesty not to read that one. If you are wondering how Nate and Eric are doing from book one, they do pop up in this and are better than ever.

I will admit it took me a minute to warm up to Mark. He rubbed me the wrong way in, "Want Me." So it took time to connect with him. But I had faith in Neve and before long I was hooked and immersed in the story. Mark and Chet had a painful past with lots of misunderstandings, repressed emotions and hurt feelings. In short, they had a lot to work through.

But what a journey it was. Friends to not quite lovers to enemies to lovers to friends to lovers and all things in between. It was sweet and fun and oh so sexy. If you need me, I'll be twiddling my thumbs waiting for Jesse's book.

**ARC provided by GRR in exchange for an honest review.**
Profile Image for Pauline.
509 reviews296 followers
September 10, 2025
WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THIS SERIES OMGG IM DYING ITS SO HOOOOT AND GOOOOOD!!!!

This was such an awesome childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-LOVERS (yes, in big fat caps) story ❤️‍🔥

And it was completely different from the first book. Not only was it built like a proper novel and had dual POV, but it also had MUCH more plot, much more build up, deeper characters, higher stakes, more angst, less sex but MOUNTAINS of tension that could burn the whole damn world down. And when those two started fucking ohohoooo… babes, it’s the best smut ever (next to Nate and Eric in book 1 ofc), I’m not even lying 😳

Because, again, THEIR SEXUAL CHEMISTRY WAS OFF THE FUCKING CHARTS like, how do you do that Neve Wilder?! HOW????? The prologue alone?? The filing room scene?? That club scene??? The library scene????? 🥵🥵🥵

Their animosity and banter and insults as well as their deep connection and obsession and gentleness was SO INTENSE AND SO GOOD 😩
And don’t EVEN get me started on their big fat fucking LOVE for each other. Man, it hurt and healed me in equal measures.

Them not being able to be together had a really strong reason too, which made the stakes high, the pining unbearable, and the feelings all-consuming. It had a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and it made their love feel even more tangible and raw - because they chose each other despite everything, fuck the rest of the world. I LOVED THAT.

Another highlight for me was their relationships with their fathers. They weren’t black and white at all - there was nuance: contempt, love, and everything in between. Watching Mark and Chet navigate that was really special.

Oh god, I feel like I cheated on Eric and Nate by loving this so hard but Chet and Mark are right there at the top with them for me??

Is every book in the series so good?! 😳❤️‍🔥🥵

4,5⭐️
Profile Image for haletostilinski.
1,595 reviews723 followers
May 5, 2024
I loved this. Absolutely loved it.

This second installment focuses on Mark, Nate's roommate from the previous book. He grew up as friends with Chet, but when Chet's father left the company that Mark's father worked at (or well, the company they made together), there became bad blood between the two fathers and they both were told to stay away, although Mark's father said it more explicitly. And they listened, especially Mark. So for all of high school basically, they stopped being friends, and only really talked to each other on the basketball court.

But when Chet's father gets indicted and then sent to prison for basically stealing many people's money, their family name is blackened, they lose all their money and possessions, essentially, and Chet gets a lot of the brunt of what his father did, as if he's the same as his father just because he's his son.

During the summer before college, everything becomes too much for Chet and he visits Mark's house at night, and they end up fooling around, but Chet is gone by the next morning and when they see each other at the college in the fall, they don't say anything to each other.

So they essentially go about 3 years again without really talking to each other or seeing each other. They actually go a year and a half not seeing or talking at all, the last time being when their friend, Cam, overdosed and Mark blamed Chet, because Chet had been dealing pot. But Chet didn't do it, but Mark wrongly thought he did for a long time.

When they see each other at a party again, a party for Nate and Eric at their new place, they're kinda like enemies, and they end up getting in a fight. But there is definitely something there, that something that has never really gone away since that night in Mark's bedroom.

And when they have to spend so much time in close proximity to each other as partners at an internship at a law firm, well it doesn't take long before they give into the chemistry, the attraction that exists between them.

Only, there's a problem. Mark's father, who still doesn't approve of Chet, just because of who his father is, and so they try to keep it secret.

I absolutely loved these two together. And Neve Wilder is *such* a good writer, both the romance and the sexy times, and she didn't disappoint in this one. These two might not be doing it everywhere like Nate and Eric did, but they are hot and sooo sexy together. The first night they go all the way, they basically go at it like rabbits in Chet's room, all over Chet's room, and edge each other and it's freaking hot AF.

But the romance is wonderful too, and these two truly love each other, and we see it and feel it, and I love love loved the epilogue which is a very solid HEA for these two and I was left with the warm and fuzzies and a big smile on my face.

Two MASSIVE thumbs up from me. I HIGLY recommend this! <333
Profile Image for Cadiva.
4,169 reviews464 followers
March 20, 2021
A much different narrative tone for this romance

Neve Wilder managed to do two brilliant things in this book, rehabilitate a character who the reader had previously been given a certain impression of and do so without turning anyone else into a villain.

It became pretty obvious fairly early on that Chet wasn't anything like the bad boy he appeared in Want Me. Instead, I found myself rooting for him every step of the way as he pulled himself back from the wreckage his father's dealings had caused.

Mark was a bit more of an effort, not the vacuous frat guy or the spoilt rich kid, but someone hanging on to ideas formed during a moment of trauma.

That they were incandescently hot together should be a given, considering the author, but the emotional connection was so much stronger than I'd expected it would be from the off.

I loved every bit of it.
Profile Image for Lisazj1.
2,072 reviews197 followers
March 23, 2021
4.5 stars. Damn, Neve Wilder has done it again. I loved this one just as much as Want Me. 😍 And I’m not gonna lie, though I absolutely did pick it up expecting the meltingly hot sex *holy hell-fire 🔥*, once again I got so much more emotion than I was anticipating. In addition Mark and Chet are tremendously appealing characters, and there was actually a bit more story, which I enjoyed. I loved it! 🥰
Profile Image for Megan [Jaded AF].
1,097 reviews508 followers
February 27, 2022
Reread 2/24/22- I dont know why I had this at 4 stars so I’m adding another because it’s very rare I want to go back and reread something out of the blue. If I saw someone reading it that would make sense but the other day these characters popped into my head out of nowhere and I NEEDED to read this again. I couldn’t get them off my mind. This book made me cry the first time I read it and again this time and that’s a real feat since I knew what was going to happen going in. The enemies to lovers dynamic is so good when done right and the fact these two were best friends to enemies to lovers made it even better. Loved these two 💗



Enemies To Lovers

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this because Mark annoyed me in book 1 and I absolutely hate the name Chet. In fact one of the books I read recently had the line “Tray is a douchey name, kind of like Chet or Brad” and I agreed LOL 😂 Despite my reservations, this was a great enemies to lovers read. From reading book 1, it’s known how much Mark hates Chet but I always felt like there was some other reason besides the one given as he just seemed hung up on him. To my delight there was so much more to their relationship and I loved it. The prologue begins in the past during key moments of both their lives and from there it stays in the present. They know exactly how to press each other’s buttons, exactly how to fire each other up and are so competitive that the tension between them is thick until one finally gives in.

The next book in this series is about Jesse and he cracked me up in this. This book had a lot of humor but it did make me teary eyed at one point because these boys love each other and it seemed like it was a hopeless situation. Tugged at my heartstrings. While these two were not as kinky as Nate & Eric from the first book, these two still set my kindle on fire. And there’s a bonus scene to download at the end. Yum. 😋
Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].
805 reviews1,710 followers
December 20, 2024
5 stars

i'm sobbing, this was perfection at its finest. enemies to lovers, sexual tension, romantic development, emotional connection; this had everything i wanted in my romance. absolutely loved chet and mark - as individuals, but also as a couple. ♡ also, the
Profile Image for Optimist ♰King's Wench♰.
1,844 reviews3,981 followers
July 5, 2021
Enemies to lovers is my kryptonite and Try Me did not disappoint in the hating or the insanely hot boom booming.

Wilder really developed this relationship with a backstory and a criminal amount of UST. Chet and Mark could light up a stadium is all I'm saying.



Chet and Mark are enemies so their backstory is long and storied which made this installment more intense rather than the lighthearted sexy shenanigans that banged all my buttons in Want Me. My attention waned from time to time but by and large I was invested in the story and in them as a couple.

The epilogue is superb as well as very satisfying.

Since this author seems to have my number on speed dial on to Show Me. Because size difference + size queen.



EEP!
Profile Image for Papie.
930 reviews192 followers
April 13, 2021
Sweet and sexy, with a side of family drama.
Childhood best friends to enemies to lovers.
College/frat/office romance.
I really enjoyed this!

I adored Chet. I don't remember much about book 1 except for sex all over the place, so I didn't have any expectations about the characters. Chet was funny, snarky, abrasive, and overall amazing.
I had a harder time liking Mark in the beginning. I felt like he was an asshole to Chet for no reason, and wouldn't admit he was wrong. I did warm up to him and really liked him too.

I felt the pacing was off in the beginning, especially with so much of the story seemingly revolving around Cam, who wasn't even there. I found myself wishing for more meaningless sex, or some recollection of sex. I even wished they would have had that threesome with Cam, to give me something scorching hot and keep me more engaged. 😘But once it picked up, I loved it.

The family drama was frustrating, but I knew what I was getting into. I'm happy with the way they dealt with it, and with how it all resolved.

Overall a very fun sexy read! Can't wait to read the next one!
❤️❤️❤️
Profile Image for Florence ..
1,087 reviews311 followers
November 3, 2020
4.5 finding your way stars

I smiled like a fool, my steps light on the warm asphalt. Lighter than they’d been in years. I had my best friend back, and I’d gained the love of my life, too.

Mark and Chet were childhood best friends, but it all ended when Chet’s dad was sent to prison for stealing money from a bunch of people, including Mark’s dad. They stoped being friends after that, they talked a little over the years but mostly, they were ennemies.

I loved this tale of those guys discovering what they want to do with their lives, their place in the world but mostly, their place in each other’s life.

I loved how this started as them being ennemies and really laid down their history and then they start being interns at the same law firm and they have to work together on a project. I loved seing their relationship evolve, from ennemies, to a tentative truce, to them having sex, a lot of really hot sex, to them finally falling into a friendship and then falling in love. I loved how the stories that already linked them was really well shown. We were told about them growing up and their stories during that time a lot and I loved it, I loved seeing all the steps that brought them to falling in love.

This one really hurt, that was a part towards the ending where it even got me crying. But it was so beautiful at the same time. There wasn’t any fabricated angst, just real angst that came from their live story and I loved how they acted about it, how they knew that they wanted to be with each other and fought with everything they have to get it. There is no relationship angst here. These two had great communication, they talked so much about what they want and they made decisions together.

I loved loved these two together. They are made for each other and I loved how much they were ready to fight to get what they want.

P.S. the sex is also really hot here, I loved it. It’s always a good day when there is a sizzling public sex scene in a book.
Profile Image for Gabi.
708 reviews112 followers
August 11, 2020
I was promised less sex (true) and more story than in Want Me (debatable).  It started out good, there IS a story but it stalled early on and nothing much happened after that. In the end it just petered out without any more excitement. I wouldn't even say it was hot. :/

I also didn't see much of the rivalry the blurb speaks of. There is banter yes, but it's not nearly as enjoyable as in the author's other books.And it was said it's not a serial but it might as well be for how some chapters cut off abruptly and the next to start in a different setting.

I do however continue to love the writing in general, the word choices and phrases. Though I wish the word arousal would be forgotten forever and ever. *annoyed*I didn't expect another Want Me, but this was a letdown.
Profile Image for Mariam,.
685 reviews541 followers
August 4, 2022
I finished this book and a whole day later, I still don't know what to say other than, wow was this long.

These characters drove me crazy, exasperated me and almost made me howl, yet they're so precious and soft to me. I love this book and the character but damn, I just can't help the 3 stars.

What a journey this whole book is.

Three years, seventeen days, and thirteen hours. That was how long it had taken me to truly start over. And as I opened the car door, and Mark moved his arm to peer up at me with those deep sea-blues, I couldn’t help but think that despite the pain, it’d all been worth it.



initial reactions: This book made me bald. (and maybe a few giggles and smiles in between.
Profile Image for Elisa Glendenning.
568 reviews46 followers
January 16, 2021
4.5 Thigh Clenching Stars

I have loved everything I’ve read by Neve Wilder but this exceeded my expectations. The only reason I’m not rounding up is because it took me awhile to connect with the story. It didn’t take me long though before I was hooked. This was enemies to lovers done well. The chemistry/steam between Mark and Chet was scorching. Hot with a lot more plot but also an incredibly sweet romance with a lovely epilogue ❤️
Profile Image for BearMi.
302 reviews131 followers
February 4, 2024
Actual rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / 5
Spice rating 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 / 5

Was it amazing and exceptional? No. Did the name Chet grow on me after annoying me to no end at first? Also no. I just pretended his name was Jake.

But was it so very sweet? Yes!

This book is about Chet(aka Jake) and Mark. They are childhood friends. There are some dad issues involved. The boys have a falling out, and the story is about them finding their way back to each other. And they do. And it's 🔥🔥.

This is a nice (quality) palate cleanser, and exactly what I needed in between all of the unhinged stuff I am reading. I will definitely be reading the next instalment soon.

✌️
Profile Image for Ariana  (mostly offline).
1,721 reviews113 followers
September 22, 2020
I really loved most of this book.

The love/hate vibes between Chet and Mark are intense, and the pull and push between them is fabulously done. The chemistry here rockets sky-high, and their “I want you so much, but I can’t, shouldn’t, never will,” is completely captivating. Neve Wilder’s an expert at writing powerful, explosive sex scenes , and that’s what we get here, too. But, unlike in book 1, there is a lot more plot to this.

I genuinely cared about both guys and their struggles to carve out a future for themselves, personally and professionally. However, at two thirds I started feeling a bit disconnected from them and their story.
Part of that is due to RL which kept interrupting my reading flow so often, I had to reread a couple of chapters. But, to me, the plot also seems to plod along a little bit at that point.

Still, I was very happy how things ended, even if I remained a tad unconvinced about it all.

No doubt, this is an enjoyable read so despite my misgivings I'm happy to give it a solid 4 stars.

Profile Image for Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers.
1,183 reviews447 followers
April 9, 2021
I'm really glad I remembered this author, checked my review for the first book and got her other stuff (yay KU!)

However, while I liked this book and like this author's raw, real, intense style, where men are men (and talk like men), I didn't like this one as much as book 1. Mainly bc I felt like the character of Mark changed in a strange way vs what we got in the beginning. He went from manly, athletic, frat boy with a smooth talker manner and soft core to just... SOFT period. Almost "feminine" which I dislike in my MM books (why I don't like reading MM with "twinks")

I was hoping for equal MAN on MAN between these 2 and that was what I got in the beginning, but as it went on, can't put my finger on it, but went into almost more of a man-less manly dynamic.

But overall, I continue to like this author and will keep reading her books!
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,418 reviews207 followers
June 5, 2022
I wish I would have reviewed these right after reading them...life was busy and now here I am trying to catch up and thinking, 💭 this series was HOT. 🔥
But it was more than that.
It was sweet and silly and entertaining.
I don't read a ton of NA but this entire crew of college boys discovering themselves while falling in love was enjoyable. Yep, they were like a bunch of firecrackers. A banging good time and everyone was oohing and ahhhing by the end. 😏
🧨🧨🧨🧨
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,083 reviews115 followers
March 4, 2024
I like that this had more story than book 1 but I felt more emotionally connected to the characters in book 1 and at times the pacing in this had me glancing at the % and wondering if I should continue. It picked up though in the middle and although I never loved Mark I did like Chet and their Romeo-Juliet style relationship became more engaging as the stakes grew. I skimmed the ending but overall did like it as a light and easy in-betweener.
Profile Image for Denise.
853 reviews161 followers
May 13, 2024
3 Stars

A fine read with nothing inherently wrong with it, but something just felt off to me.

This isn't Want Me 2.0, so just know that going in. Chet and Mark were childhood friends who lost touch due to family drama and reconnected in college, navigating an enemies to lovers relationship while interning at the same law firm. I struggled to feel the same level of chemistry between Chet and Mark as I did with Eric and Nate, who exuded it in waves. The pacing was a bit off IMO and I found myself skimming. There's a bit of angst as they have to deal with Mark's overbearing father, but it's a relatively easy read. I found the steam lacking for the most part, and would not compare it to the scorching hotness of Nate and Eric. Although this sadly wasn't everything I had hoped for, there are definitely possibilities for future books with side characters that I'm totally interested in!

Standalone - Other books within series:
Book 1: Want Me → 4 Stars
Book 2: Try Me → 3 Stars
Book 3: Show Me → 3.5 Stars
Book 4: Teach Me → 4 Stars
Profile Image for patrícia.
819 reviews227 followers
July 13, 2025
I’m always afraid to reread — what if the feeling changes?
But not this one!

Chet and Mark were even better the second time around.
Filthy, sexy, sweet, full of drama — a friends-to-haters-to-lovers rollercoaster! 🥵🫠
And I adored all the cameos 😍

Want Me always has a horny place in my heart, but this one is my favorite ❤️
Profile Image for Jenn.
439 reviews233 followers
April 15, 2021
This book is a lot of things, but yet, it's one of the most natural and beautiful books out there. It's a story of two former friends who receive a second chance. Second chance stories aren't new in real life or books, but in fiction, it has to make sense why they came back together, and I need to believe that there's a reason that they fell in love in the first place; that this connection is tangible even when apart. Where I've had issues in other second chance romance novels is that the characters when apart aren't necessarily growing separately as individuals, and when they get back together, I don't always understand how they're still in love. What Neve does so well is even the scenes with a slight sense of embellishment still appear completely real because the characters' motivations feel genuine and their reactions are natural.

Chet and Mark are childhood friends coming from a pretty privileged wrapped-in-a-bow life. Except it's not - pretty, at least. When they are in high school, Chet loses the life he's grown up with and accustomed to, and he loses trust in family friends and even Mark. Amid a flurry of emotions, Mark would always represent Chet's former life, everything he'd lost, and for Chet's own mental well-being, he had to lose Mark for a time being. Not only does he cut off Mark, but Chet cuts off a piece of himself, and it changes him.

Several years later while both are in college, their lives are intertwined again through mutual friends and an internship. This isn't simply a story of seeing each other a bit later, and all of the hurts are quickly wiped away with some simple words. Chet is protective of his father and family, and without spoiling anything, he takes integrity seriously. When a mutual "friend" of theirs had problems with addiction, Mark blamed Chet. This is beyond a simple grievance, but a pain deep in his core. Mark may not understand fully why Chet has to cut him out, but he should know him better than that. So, yeah, it's a lot to unpack.

Characters whether main or secondary have nuance with flaws and depending on the moment you may empathize or not. Whether actions are good or bad, you can feel the author is actively not judging her characters because there is no martyr in these stories.

But you become immersed in this world where in the beginning you understand this really tender and innocent dynamic they had with each other, how young love feels so deeply intense and finite, and when it's broken and cracked, it's only a tenuous moment before it could all shatter.

But it doesn't shatter. It cracks, but slowly it starts to seal. There's anger and hurt, there's shyness and the new, there's lust and endearment over ties and short, purple shorts, there's that warm center of blooming love.

Moments in a diner of showing kindness to a mother, a glance in the library where you realize that someone you once trusted and adored is back to showing you his vulnerability, and crawling into windows because no matter what, you will always leave it open for you.

This book is hot - fans of Neve will recognize her ability to snap her fingers and start a smut fire. It's witchcraft and spells of lust and orgasms are aplenty. But this is not Want Me or even Show Me. This is not necessarily shiny and new; while there is newness and exploration, this is deeper in many ways from the beginning. This is "what could have been" and "we can't know, but let's make it right." It's romantic.

Nate and Eric are in here, and their moments are glorious. Simply perfection. Jesse and Sam, Cam, and the ever-mysterious Ansel. Perfect book is perfect.
Profile Image for Laurie .
2,007 reviews822 followers
October 21, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Both of these characters were great. Loved them. But the story felt a little long and the pacing was a bit off at times. Lawyer stuff also makes my eyes bleed so there’s that 😬
Profile Image for Bee.
154 reviews433 followers
January 27, 2021
3.75 stars

Ahhh, the ANGST! I enjoyed this so much. The main characters were both so lovable and the chemistry was off the charts. Some of the scenes were a bit unnecessarily long, but other than that, it was a great read.

Because the truth was, nothing else felt as good as Mark Farrow. I wasn’t sure anything else ever could.
Profile Image for Becky .
249 reviews406 followers
September 21, 2020
Mark (“straight” but is actually bi)
Chet (bissexual)


Too many mentions of Chet sex life and too many about Mark’s.

“So, early sophomore year, he (Chet) was hooking up with one of my drama friends, Marin, and every time we hung out together, Marin would fill me in on all the shit they did together. He loved talking about it. How he’d pound the hell out of Chet and how much Chet fucking wanted it, how much he loved sucking Chet’s dick. It was torture.”

My biggest problem with their romance is Cam. He was Mark roommate, they kissed once when they were both drunk but he wasn’t a big deal to mark. Then a few weeks after that, Cam called Mark to pick him up from a club, he was high on ecstatic with Chet, it was obvious they had a thing going on. Mark was jealous and he and Chet looked at each other at one point and they both felt something but then Mark dropped them at Chet’s place. Cam invited Mark to a threesome, he pretended he didn’t understand and left. Cam starting shutting Mark off and one month later Cam overdosed. Cam and Chet stoped messing around because Cam was acting strange but they were still hanging out together until the night he overdosed because after that Cam left.
Chet had feelings for him and Mark cared too much about him imo, her mother noticed and so did his other house mate.

The club night:

Chet
“Cam cracking up next to me in the backseat of Mark’s car after he’d picked us up from a club we’d been partying at. How, for one brief second, our gazes had connected in the rearview mirror and it set off a shower of sparks in my chest. Mark had felt it, too, I was certain.”

Mark
“Cam had rested his head against Chet’s shoulder, how Chet had lifted a hand to stroke briefly over his temple. I hadn’t been able to stop watching him. For a split second, I’d wished it had been me. Maybe longer than a split second.”

Chet taking about Cam to Mark:
“I liked him,” I finished lamely. “You did?” “Yeah, I did.” Cam had been an arctic blast of fresh air for my cynical ass. Funny and sweet—not usually my thing. I hadn’t meant to catch feelings. He’d been the one to say we were just fooling around, and I’d been all fucking for it at the time. But he’d grown on me.

Cam talking to Mark:
“Yeah, he was there that night. We’d been kinda hooking up. Casual, whatever. That was…probably evident to you based on that night when I was hanging all over him in the backseat of your car.” Chet’s eyes on me, Cam’s head on his shoulder. My knuckles tight on the steering wheel.

“Chet was…umm. I liked him. A lot.” Cam’s gaze cut sharply away. “You too, actually. That’s part of what got me all messed up. Which is totally not your fault. Or Chet’s,” he was quick to add.

“He (Chet) told me the whole story, you know. Everything. About his dad. About the night he came over to your house when his dad was arrested. What happened.” My mouth fell open. “He did?” The sliver of betrayal I felt over that revelation, of all things, was completely illogical, but I felt it anyway. I’d never told anyone else, and the more I was around Chet, the more I realized it wasn’t solely because I didn’t want anyone to find out. Something about that night had always felt like just ours. Cam nodded.

-//-

I hated the fact that Mark was only ever with girls, he didn’t need to act straight, he could have been with other guys even if he wasn’t out yet. Chet was super experienced, this pissed me off. The whole shit that went on with Chet and Cam was awful, I hated that they fucked and Chet actually had feelings for the guy. Mark parents didn’t judge him for his sexuality so cmon give the guy a few more dicks.

Chet
“I love you, too. Knew it that night at Kacey’s party. Knew it that night in your bedroom. Knew it that night in your car with Cam—God, did I know it then. I couldn’t stop looking at you. I—”
That knowledge didn’t stop him from fucking Cam knowing he was acquainted with Mark and cmon even declaring their love for each other Cam’s name pops out.

To be fair the Cam shit happened one and a half year before their romance truly started and they stoped talking about him at 60% when he showed up himself for the first and only time.

I feel like Mark was more into Chet than Chet was into him and he is my favorite even being the ‘straight’ one, I always like my favorites to be the one with more experience or at least things to be equal.

Chet is better than Mark at basketball and at their internship and I was mad about that too because even though later we learn that Mark’s true vocation is something different.
Profile Image for Ana  Nimity.
1,356 reviews66 followers
April 30, 2024
I was fortunate enough to get an early advance copy of this second book in the Extracurricular Activities world, and don't tell anyone but I ended up calling in the next day because I was up all night finishing it.
Previously, in Want Me, Nate's friend and frat brother Mark and Eric's friend Chet clashed, ending the book with a fist fight. Try Me introduces their backstory and takes them forward. Most of the cast of Want Me make appearances, but not so much that they overshadow Mark and Chet's friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story.

This book isn't the subtly sweet bisexual awakening that Want Me is, and that's fine with me because I read that book already (three or four times, but who's counting?). Instead, expect to be edged until you want to explode, because that's exactly what these two guys do. Every intimate encounter is colored by their shared history, two complex characters whose paths cross repeatedly, with each intersection ratcheting up the tension until they snap, and I loved every grudge-filled, erotic moment of it.

I'm about to read it again!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 874 reviews