Fake Friends

Never Just Friends #2

by Saxon James

ROWAN

Five years ago, I ruined the best thing I had in my life and ran.

Now, I’m finally back to make things right.

I need Circus’s forgiveness, and then maybe I can finally move on.

I’ll leave Sunbury for good this time and never look back. Maybe then I can finally live life as an out gay man—without my family ever finding out.

But earning his forgiveness isn’t as simple as I hoped it would be.

He’s going to make me fight for it.

And I don’t blame him at all.


CIRCUS

I never wanted or expected to see Rowan Harvey again.

When he shows up in Sunbury, begging for forgiveness, I’m tempted to give it to him just so he’ll disappear.

Instead, we make a deal.

I need an extra model for a swimwear shoot, and none of my friends are available or fit the brief.

I’ll forgive him, if he helps me. Then he has to leave. For good.

Because his request for anonymity during the shoot proves he’s still living in his dark closet.

I’m not going to make the same mistakes I did when I was a teenager.

I won’t let myself fall for him again.

Because after how things ended between us, he doesn’t deserve a second chance.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Second Chance, LGBT, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2020

Reviews

[Lau ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake Friends is a second-chance, fake-dating MM romance between the beautiful inside and out Circus and Rowan, who has being hidding his homosexuality all his life because his family is homophobic. It always breaks me when a main character hates himself because of his sexuality. I wanted to punch his grandfather in the face every time he made homophobic comments, and shake Rowan to get out of that toxic environment. But real life is like that. There are a lot of families, a lot of people, who are still homophobic and it makes me so angry. There are real problems in this world, but people prefer to hate other humans for who they love instead.


I can only imagine what it would be to have to hide a massive part of myself, and it makes me sad. Having to deal with all that on your own would be lonely and isolating, and maybe I still care about him. A little.


Five years ago, Rowan betrayed the man he was in love with, Circus, to prevent his family to know he was gay. After that, he ran away from home, ashamed of what he had done. Now, Rowan’s back and he needs Circus forgiveness to move on. Too bad his ex-best friend doesn’t want to even talk to him.
But when Circus needs a model for a swimwear shoot, Rowan volunteers to do it, and things start to get hot...



Even though I enjoyed the first one in the series more, Fake Friends was fun and sexy too. It was more unrealistic but, when is a fake dating romance realistic? Right. Also, I was a bit angry at Rowan because he did something really bad to Circus when they were younger -that bad that Circus could, should, have reported it. Even though Circus forgave him and I understand why, I don’t think I could. Now, I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!!

↬ Never Just Friends series:

1.Just Friends: 4.25 stars
2.Fake Friends: 3 stars
3.Getting Friendly: 4.5 stars

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio - 5 Stars
Story 4 Stars

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

|| 2.5 stars ||

I didn't like the first book in this series, and I don't very much like this second book either, although my dislike here stems from completely different reasons.
This book had a potentially interesting set-up, but manages to piss me off too many times along the way for me to still like it.

I love second-chance romance. I love it when one of the two MCs has royally fucked up, and has to beg for forgiveness. I don't, however, love it when the other MC gives in immediately and lets them completely get away with it all without any good grovelling. And unfortunately the latter was exactly what happened here: a quick, easy and undeserved forgiveness.
Rowan really did something horrible to Circus, but is forgiven in the blink of an eye, and even continues to do incredibly selfish things throughout the rest of the novel, while still never being held accountable for them by Circus. God, how that annoyed me! Circus needed to stand up for himself. Seriously.

Circus put up with way too much of Rowan's shit without getting anything in return. He was constantly helping his undeserving ass, and Rowan totally took him for granted. He did not appreciate everything Circus gave him.
He also never took into account how things affected Circus. I mean, truthfully, Circus had way more shit going on, what with his parents literally being dead and all. Yet, Rowan somehow thinks he is the sole victim in life; he only cares about his own issues. Ugh.

This brings me to my big problem with this relationship: Circus deserved better. So much better. Circus was sweet, funny and caring. And what was Rowan? A selfish, repressed dickhead. And the kicker is that I don't even think Rowan loved Circus half as much as Circus loved him. Rowan seemed more interested in being with a guy, any guy, than it being Circus specifically. So, yea.. that's NOT the big romantic love story I was hoping for.

Anyway, aside from Circus, I also really liked Leon. How Circus didn't just fall in love with him instead of Rowan will forever be one of life's mysteries to me, but whatever.. I know book 3 is about him, so the fact that I like him already gives me promising expectations for the next book (because, yes, I will for some reason continue with this series due to randomly still having faith in this author).


'Never Just Friends' series:
1. Just Friends - 2.0 stars
2. Fake Friends - 2.5 stars
3. Getting Friendly - 2.5 stars

b>Novella:
3.5. Friends with Benefits - 3.0 stars

Other Saxon James books:
‘CU Hockey’ series - var. ratings
‘Frat Wars’ series - var. ratings
Making Him Mine - 2.0 stars
‘Puckboys’ series - var. ratings
The Dating Disaster - 3.5 stars

[ML · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dual POV
Circus & Rowan

Let me first say I loved book 1 but book 2 was a train wreck...

When animosity turns to love. This book was tough to read. I’m not even sure why I even finished it tbh.

I did not like either MC. Circus with his social media was a bit of a narcissist and Rowan with his backstory made him very unlikeable. As the story rolls along, you realize that Rowan is filled with so much self-hate it’s tragic really.

A few plot holes... Rowan is given all this money for doing some modeling BUT he still lives with his toxic family... made no sense to me. Also, he has a college degree, but he’s flipping burgers at his family’s diner. Sure.
Also, you have to suspend disbelief that no one in their small town follows Circus on IG. Uh huh.
Additional plot holes... Like why is Circus even an IG influencer. What started it all??Did I miss the explanation somewhere?!? How did his parents die? Circus also has a place to display his art? What art is that?!? Never explained. How were all these plot holes missed?? It says there were beta readers... hmmmm.

I was emotionally disconnected from these characters. They just seemed very phony.

Also, if you are going to write American characters, you should not use non-American phrases OR say Los Angeles people have an accent. That’s just very odd.

There also should have been a trigger warning about gay slurs and conversion therapy.

They do get an HEA of sorts but it left you shaking your head.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fake Friends is an enemies-to-lovers, second-chances story.

I'm big on groveling when someone fucks up as completely as Rowan did and was satisfied with his profuse and sincere apology. I can absolutely understand why it took a while for Circus to come around though.

I liked the social media aspect, especially #him, and how Rowan's internalized homophobia wasn't brushed aside.

I also loved how supportive the MCs were of each other's dreams. Despite Rowan's personal struggles and Circus's deep loneliness, this story didn't feel overly angsty and ended with a definite HEA.

The one thing that really bugged me is that Rowan's family is Catholic. At one point, they ask the priest to speak with Rowan, and the priest is referred to as "Jules's dad." What? Roman Catholic priests are supposed to be celibate. They don't marry or have children (at least not in plain sight).

The author really failed to do her research on that one. I know that's a minor thing, but it seriously pulled me out of the story.

[alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.5] Perhaps my expectations were too high since I absolutely *adored* the first book, but it took so long for me to warm up to these two, and even then… not so much. I could sympathize with Circus’s social media addiction and his craving for positive attention online to cope with his loneliness, and with Rowan’s visceral fear of others, in particular his family, finding out that he’s gay and the intense aversion/shame accompanied by panic attacks that he’d feel toward himself for liking guys (absolutely heartbreaking seeing instances of religion being used to justify and promote homophobia), but that’s about it.

There was a sliver of personal growth involved with the MCs realizing what’s truly important to them and what they want in the future, but I couldn’t help but feel like many important details relating to their backstories were left out, which rendered it difficult for me to understand where exactly they’re coming from. And apart from their individual plights, I had little motivation to care for the MCs as a couple. Of course I’m glad Circus and Rowan found their HEA together doing what’s best for them, but the execution of the story itself was off for me personally 😔

[JonathanSamuelReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Been listening to this on my commute to work the last couple of weeks and I’m sorry it’s soooo boring imo 🤷‍♂️ DNF 56%

Also if a man ever put their hands on me, BITCH you will never get my forgiveness! Circus was such a doormat 🥱

Where’s all the groveling? HELLL I might circle back to this series later but yeah 🥱

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ken W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!

I hated Rowan’s family but I loved everything else about this! Circus and Rowan were perfect together! The end felt a little rushed but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

[Gustaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sure I wouldn't like this book. If you have followed me for a while you know I'm anything but a fan of closeted main characters in my mm romances. Even less a fan of books that are using religion as the way of keeping the guy in the closet. And even less when the closeted guy is having all kinds of internalized homophobia. This book had every single thing of those. So I waited and waited to read this even though I loved the first book in the series and couldn't wait to read some of the other characters stories. Turns out I shouldn't have. I actually liked this a lot. I even liked Rowan. So kudos to Saxon James for writing a book containing everything I don't want in a book and making me like it.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circus and Rowan have a history. They used to be best friends before Rowan left town. Five years later, Rowan’s back, but he did something before he left, and now Circus hates his guts. But he also needs someone to model with him for a photoshoot, and Rowan’s his only option. So they make a deal. If Rowan does the shoot, Circus will forgive him. And since Rowan’s only in town to get Circus’s forgiveness, he’ll leave right after the shoot is done. This is a well-written book. It has many sweet and romantic moments between Circus and Rowan, and some funny ones. I thought the pace was good, and I liked the story. And what I loved the most was that the author didn’t go for any of the easy conflicts, though there were opportunities for her to do so.

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read on 28th Nov/25

I'm definitely bumping down the rating to 3.75⭐ and I'll also round it down. I was quite bored and the book is too long.

🔵 Best friends to lovers
🟢 Age gap 23/24
🟣 Social media, influencer
🟡 Painfully in the closet
🔵 Gay/pan
🟠 Small town, but surprisingly accepting
🌶️ Some good descriptive sex scenes; first times; kissing, oral, frotting, penetrative; t/vers, but only t/b here

This time around the story didn't convince me as much, it has too many things left unfinished and I thought Circus was just too desperate for love and affection and decided to forgive and forget too soon.

That being said, I really liked Rowan, his character should've been a little more fleshed out and his story better told. I think there's a deeper trauma there in terms of suppressing his sexuality and listening to all the bullshit his family was laying on him year after year after year and he's definitely not getting over it with a new boyfriend in a matter of weeks.

His family is very unaccepting while in the epilogue it's a rainbow flag extravaganza, like, what happened in between?
Rowan's gym isn't set up yet.
His home life with Circus isn't talked about.
What's with the influencer side gig?

So many questions, not enough answers.

It's a good story of a guy coming out and really trying to accept himself, but it didn't have the depth I wanted.

The relationship could've been more developed too. Rowan and Circus quickly went to just loving each other and I kind of wanted them to really intensely experience their first times, like keep that animosity going for a little bit.

It was hot for a little while, could be better, but what I really want is to get to the next book that holds my favorite couple in this series.

____________________________________


Original review on 20th Sept/22

Rating : 4.25⭐

This was sexy, amazing and hot.

Circus always came across as this emo, weird guy in the first book, but here you really get to see who he is and he’s actually such a cool, special character. He lives alone in his big house, feeling pretty isolated since his parents died and he’s quite a successful influencer on top of it all.

Then there’s Rowan, who's his childhood best friend and his first crush. They were best friends and hooked up after graduating highschool and ended their friendship when Rowan punched Circus when they got caught. After that, Rowan went off to college and completely cut contact.
When he finally came back after 5 years, he rekindled his friendship with Circus, acknowledging his sexuality and his feelings for Circus, but terrified of losing his family.

Circus wanted nothing to do with Rowan at first, they did some social media shots together and kept it professional, but knowing how strict and religious Rowan’s family was and how much internal stuff Rowan was working through, they ended up spending more time together and slowly reconnected.

Rowan was brave facing his family and coming out and Circus supported him every step of the way. It was them choosing each other over what other people thought should happen.

Their story was beautiful. I liked it.

[Athira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good former friends to lovers with a bit of fake relationship. Rowan and Circus have so much emotional baggage and they couldn't be more different but somehow they fit together perfectly. Beautifully flawed characters that will totally make you root for them.

I loved how Circus was so understanding with Rowan's internalized homophobia. There's was a lot of self hate and homophobia from his family that it broke my heart. But there's nothing more beautiful than when they finally learn to love themselves.

The secondary characters are well rounded and I really liked their circle of friends. Royce and Tanner's book is on my TBR and I'm looking forward to reading their story. Written in dual POV, this is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone.

If you like second chance romance and fake relationship with a bit friends with benefits, then definitely check this out!

TW: Homophobia (rooted in religion), Internalized Homophobia, Mentions of Conversion Therapy, Social Media Addiction

*ARC provided by the author via Gay Romance Review Tours in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[raccoon reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Themes/tropes:
Second chance love
Small town love
Fake dating
Social influencer
Religious Trauma


High on sweetness
Low on angst
Medium spice
Audiobook quality was a 10

There are minor spoilers below so read at your own risk.

I didn’t think I would fall in love with Circus, because he didn’t catch my interest in the first book… but by the time the anniversary of his parents death comes around in the book?!? I was like “be still my aching heart” ❤️‍🩹😔 and I was in love with his character.

And Rowan?! Look, if you’ve lived though the pain and trauma of a religious family that hates queer people like their souls depend on it… then this book might need a trigger warning if you haven’t worked through that shit yet. I’m so glad I get the opportunity to raise child in this world who from his very first breath knows that we will love him no matter where his heart takes him, or to whom.

This book does a great job of handling the issue of religious trauma and the difficulty of coming out, which I appreciate. There’s no unnecessary drama because their interpersonal relationships have enough.

One thing Saxon is good at is giving you a romance that doesn’t have a huge 3rd quart break up (which I hate). Her pacing of relationship development is perfection. And can I just say- I get that books want to be pc but I’ve read too many books lately where both parties get drunk and there’s one responsible one who’s like “no we absolutely can’t fool around” and I’m like, two consenting adults who get drunk and have sex is nothing if not realistic. So I was so glad that when they both get drunk neither of them tried to be chivalrous. They just went for it 😂💙

If you love lgbtq romance I highly recommend the audio. One character is pan, the other gay. And the world around them is shaping up to be very diverse as well.

[Lily Loves 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice surprise! I have been struggling with getting into a book for days and this looked good so I decided to give the sample a try. I wasn’t sure at first if it would keep my attention but it did! I really enjoyed the friends to enemies back to friends and then lovers storyline.

Saxon James is a new author for me and I am happy I took a chance on this. It’s a bit longer than I think it needed to be and I couldn’t stand Rowan’s homophobic family. I wish he had more of a backbone but I also could understand the predicament he was in. I really liked Circus, even though I hate that name! I hope we get Leon’s story because he intrigued me. I will check out the first book in this series too.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

M/M Romance
Series (can stand alone)
Format: digital -KU

So… I am really not sure how to rate this. I have a lot of feelings about this and I’m not sure I’m able to express them well. I didn’t like this couple, or at least not together. They were toxic. Circus needed grief counseling and to find an emotionally stable person capable of giving him the love and care and family he craves and deserves. And Rowan literally could offer none of that. Rowan is broken. And his family is one of the main reasons I can’t be part of organized religions. That ingrained fear and self-loathing… I spent a lot of this book viscerally angry. And so very sad. It’s not that I don’t think they could have been a couple eventually… but I don’t think either of them were really ready. Especially Rowan. And I think it’s only going to hurt Circus again. And that’s just not fair. I get that they love each other and I believed that they did. But this relationship felt… wrong and unhealthy. I would have rather seen an ending where they separated and worked on themselves individually, before coming back to each other as their healthiest, most whole selves, so they could be stable. Because I just don’t believe this can be a hea. And that makes me sad. But I did feel very strongly throughout this book. I don’t think any of it was terribly positive, but any book that can make me feel that much deserves a positive rating, I think.

Tags: (may contain spoilers)
m/m, lgbtq, pansexual character, explicit content, enemies to lovers, fake dating, friends to enemies to lovers, betrayal, abandonment issues, homophobia, internalized homophobia, coming out, first times, influencers, social media, modeling, religious ideology, Catholicism, alcohol use, unhealthy coping mechanisms, unhealthy relationships, toxic relationship

Trigger Warnings:
conversion therapy mentioned, unsupportive family, bullying by family, religion used as a reason to hate, self-hatred, suicidal thoughts, getting drunk, drunken sex, death of parents, grief, religion used as a reason to be homophobic, disowning family for being gay, assault

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

This was far more enjoyable than the first one, which was still good for the fluff that it was.

I really loved the characters of Circus and Rowan. I loved their chemistry, the plot that brought them back together, how they fell in love, etc. I love reading about characters with piercings and tattoos.

I personally hate religion. It’s oppressive to women and LGBTQ. I prefer it to be minor or left out of books altogether. The mention of it here is not overloaded, but a strict religious upbringing controls every decision and thought Rowan has. It hurt me to read about his upbringing and struggles. His family’s beliefs hurt me. I don’t understand how anyone can move on from that. And yet again, I’m brought back to the thought that if someone’s family sucks so much, why are you still in contact with them? Regardless, how this played out in the end was actually decently realistic.

Circus was something else though. He was compassionate, empathetic, understanding, patient, and loving with Rowan and I was therefore in love with him. I did appreciate how the author made it clear that Circus’ addiction to social media and the goals wrapped in it were actually quite unhealthy.

[Airy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart ached for both of the MCs. I love Saxon James´ writing and I really enjoyed this book.

[369Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️
I wanted a good, chill, “slice of life” feeling romance, and this book definitely filled that craving!
Five years ago, Rowan completely ruined his connection with Circus, and fled town. Now he’s back, and determined to help Circus with his influencer job. Can Circus forgive him for what he’s done?

This book has:
-second chance
-small ish town contemporary romance
-influencer x restaurant worker
-complicated pasta
-reluctant working together

This book is paced well, and exactly what I expect from Saxon! A unique premise with characters that are multi dimensional. This book does deal with homophobia quite often as a main theme, so do be warned about that.

Personally, I think Rowan needed to grovel a lot more; but still enjoyed the story!

[Edga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite book from this author. I really struggled to finish the story. I didn’t really warm to either MC. I just couldn't see them together as a couple. Rowan came across as weak and kind of clueless. He let his family walk all over him. Circus is also damaged and is so narcissistic, everything is about him.

I really wanted to like this book, but it obviously didn't work for me. Won't put me off reading future books by this lady though.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sooooo gooood! Fake Friends held all the trademarks of Saxon James' usual sharp wit and humor, a wonderfully paced story, and adorable characters you just want to both hug and lovingly smack some sense into in equal measure. This story began like a sweet, fun read, but it quickly became so much more than that.

Circus was an attention seeking social influencer living a life of luxury. Rowan was the former-friend-turned-bully who returned to town after disappearing for five years. But only a couple chapters in, I realized there was so much more to these two than met the eye. A heartbreak that never truly healed, a lifetime of living a lie, gnawing guilt, and fears of abandonment were just the tip of the iceberg of the issues these two carried. My heart broke for both of these lovable men. Once the layers were pealed back and their walls came down, the friendship and the bond they reestablished gave me all the feels.

The social media aspect of this was entertaining and so relevant with the world's current obsession with internet celebrity couples. But the darker side of that coin is rarely addressed, so I liked how it was an integral part of Circus' evolution here. The feelings of inadequacy, depression, anxiety, and loneliness from addiction are all very real for people looking for constant external validation. I loved the story's message. Also, the steam between Circus and Rowan was piping hot. This was a great read and I can't wait for more from this series!

[Toni K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tries to tackle two very hard subjects and fails badly at both. Plot is important, people. You cannot deal with internalized homophobia and social - media addiction on an inflatable pink flamingo in your back yard, if you get my meaning. Sooo, small town, and only one person knows where Circus lives?! He was 17 when his parents died and he didn't get into foster care, just inherited money and started building his dream house?! Rowan got a college degree, could not get a job and came home, ok. Has no money to have a place of his own, works for his parents... Don't they pay him something? Still, knowing he will be beholden to his parents for all eternity, has money for a psychologist (good) and full - sleeve tattoos (this shit is expensive)? And this is just the beginning of the hole - ridden disaster of a plot. I should have known better after the first book, but c'mon!!!

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: internalised homophobia, homophobic family, talk of conversion therapy

Rep: pansexual MC, gay MC, Italian American MC

Ex-best friends to lovers and a second chance romance.
Rowan and Circus went to school together and were inseparable until a horrible incident happened and Rowan fled their little town.
Five years later Rowan comes back and wants closure.

I liked this story, but it wasn’t at all the fluffy romance I was expecting.
Rowan is gay, but growing up with a catholic and very homophobic family he has a lot of internalised homophobia.
His own feelings towards men freak him out and scare him a lot. He’s been suppressing this part of himself for 24 years now, thinking he can never come out or his family will abandon him.
This book is mainly about him overcoming this and coming to terms with his own sexuality, learning to be okay with it.

For me personally their romance started a little too quickly after what happened in their past and how many years they spend apart. They start flirting and touching very early on and this didn’t fit for me.
Also him being okay with taking sexy pictures together for the internet for a huge sum of money when he can’t even masturbate without freaking out seemed pretty unrealistic to me honestly.
All in all they were cute together though and I liked their LA adventure.
I don’t really know how to feel about their first time together. They were both extremely drunk and I don’t know how to feel about that.
All in all it has a happy ending, but for me the whole parents thing was a little too rushed too.

This was an okay book for me, if it’s a plot you like to read about I think that it’s worth a try though!

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

didn't enjoy it as much as the first but it was still cute

[Rozanna's fantasy romance & smut corner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even want to spend time explaining why this was so toxic. i finished this book, but I'll stop the serie here.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid enemies-to-lovers story. Except they weren't exactly enemies -- more friends-to-ghosted-to-terrified to be outed-to-lovers? (Does that seem a little excessively wordy? Why yes, it does.) But great characters, some serious heart-strings pulled on both sides, and wonderful friends around them. So overall, great job, and I'm reading more in the series for sure!

[Jooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Lucky this story had a happy ending, because I really felt sad for these two main characters. They both lost or had to loose so much.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story between the two MCs is pretty sweet, but this was tough to read. One of the MCs has a very religiously conservative, homophobic family and the things they say--and the things he thinks about himself in the beginning--are sad and gross.

[Kath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️