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Growing Pains #1
Growing Pains
With his family a mess, Will has to find love and affection wherever he can.
Pining after his best friend might be a good place to start- but Will needs all the help he can get. Finding that help at school may be more complicated than his impulses would have him believe. Will knows a bad idea when he sees it, but he's at the end of his rope, and if pursuing his math tutor outside of the classroom distracts him from obsessive calorie counting, excessive exercise, and throwing up, then it’s worth the risk. At least, it was at the start.
As Will falls deeper and deeper he can’t help but think of the danger. Is feeling good in his own skin worth endangering the man he’s falling for?
Pining after his best friend might be a good place to start- but Will needs all the help he can get. Finding that help at school may be more complicated than his impulses would have him believe. Will knows a bad idea when he sees it, but he's at the end of his rope, and if pursuing his math tutor outside of the classroom distracts him from obsessive calorie counting, excessive exercise, and throwing up, then it’s worth the risk. At least, it was at the start.
As Will falls deeper and deeper he can’t help but think of the danger. Is feeling good in his own skin worth endangering the man he’s falling for?
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2021
10 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
L. Sherleen
7 books130 followersLily Sherleen writes what she loves to read: sweet coming-of-age stories with a hint of romance--where the heroes find themselves during their journey. She currently lives on the coast of Ireland with her beloved cats who keep her company while she writes.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 6, 2024
Aptly named!
Poor Will! I cried many times during this book. I don’t normally go for angst but the writing was so good that I couldn’t tear myself away! Despite the fact that I’ve never dealt with an eating disorder or abusive family members, the author somehow made these difficult topics relatable. My heart went out to Will with everything he was going through on top of teenage crushes and first loves. I’m diving right in to the next book!
Poor Will! I cried many times during this book. I don’t normally go for angst but the writing was so good that I couldn’t tear myself away! Despite the fact that I’ve never dealt with an eating disorder or abusive family members, the author somehow made these difficult topics relatable. My heart went out to Will with everything he was going through on top of teenage crushes and first loves. I’m diving right in to the next book!
February 6, 2021
A wonderfully written book that potray's will's journey through his struggles and keeps the readers engaged till the end of the book.A book worth reading!!!
February 6, 2021
It was so beautiful to read. I was fascinated by the way the author made her characters express themselves. It was relatable and also very emotional at times.
The story didnt just focus on Wills romance life but everything that surrounds him, school, family, friends future, and it was just amazing to follow him through this journey and see what the future will hold for him and the people surrounding him.
I can't wait to read more!!
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me.
The story didnt just focus on Wills romance life but everything that surrounds him, school, family, friends future, and it was just amazing to follow him through this journey and see what the future will hold for him and the people surrounding him.
I can't wait to read more!!
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me.
February 6, 2021
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me, and I absolutely loved it! The revised version has even more character progression than the original, and I could really feel and connect with Will as he struggled. His struggles felt very real and very confusing, so good job! I love how Gabriel develops, as well. His fears are very valid and he reacted, though not exactly kindly, in the the way anyone would react. Its an amazing book that I 10/10 recommend!
February 6, 2021
I loved this book with my whole heart!
I fell in love with both the writing and the characters. I think a lot of people might relate to some of the mentioned problems in this book to the characters as well.
I definitely thought that it was an amazing book and recommend it to anyone who wants a good read, and might need something to cry to as well.
I'm very happy for L. Sherleen to finally publish one of their books and I'm very excited for the next ones as well!
I fell in love with both the writing and the characters. I think a lot of people might relate to some of the mentioned problems in this book to the characters as well.
I definitely thought that it was an amazing book and recommend it to anyone who wants a good read, and might need something to cry to as well.
I'm very happy for L. Sherleen to finally publish one of their books and I'm very excited for the next ones as well!
February 6, 2021
There’s so much I could say about my newly found love for this book. It had well-written characters and an amazing plot that keeps you entranced. I have so many high expectations for whatever new books this author comes up with in the future. I wrote this review based on an advanced reading copy that the author sent me.
February 6, 2021
I absolutely enjoyed reading the book. The main character resonated with me very much. I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me. Through the course of the book I wanted to laugh and cry and sometimes punch a wall. Can't wait for the next book!!
Want to read
April 22, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/22/2021)! 🎁
December 4, 2025
This was an uncomfortable read- to me, everyone who had an argument against the relationship in the book was in the right. What is a 22 year old grown man doing with a vulnerable 17 year old other than grooming or taking advantage? I had to push to finish this as I wanted better for Will- I was invested in his healing journey and the emotions of that and his family relationships is what kept me going. I love all the other books by this author but this one left a bad taste.
February 7, 2021
I first stumbled upon "Growing Pains" on Wattpad in 2018. I liked it, and for Wattpad standards, it isn't bad. This is why when the author posted on the platform that she needed readers to post reviews for the book's launch after reading the new version, I jumped on it and volunteered.
The revised version of "Growing Pains", I'm sorry to say, was disappointing to me. Unlike the first time I read it, I found that the main characters, Will and Gabriel, lack chemistry together. I could not muster up any excitement for them and frankly, Gabriel appeared to me as rather predatory, an adult preying on a kid not even out of high school, and who is at a vulnerable junction in his life. I found their relationship more disturbing than endearing. I feel like the readers never really got to know Gabriel as a person, either.
My problems with the plot:
I was not a fan of how bland the novel was either. For a book about a tutor/student relationship, it was surprisingly boring. I don't know if this was because of the fact that I have already read the Wattpad version before, but I found myself skimming the paragraphs and on several occasions thinking about abandoning it. I wouldn't say there were no drama or stakes in the book, so perhaps it was the writing style that failed to draw me in. Will's winding monologues did not help either. I think that more editing should've been done—the writing was clumsy at times and repetitive, This is one example.
The pacing of the book was not great. The beginning part of the novel was heavily slanted towards Will's friends from school and their drama, to the point that it seemed like the story is not about Will and his teacher's relationship. That was confusing to me.
A small annoyance is the spelling mistakes in this book; there are quite a number of them even in the finalized version. In addition, there are conflicting spellings of character's names, such as Cassie/Carrie/Casie (Chapter 3), and Mrs. Gray/Grey (Chapter 2).
With that said, the reason why I liked "Growing Pains" three years ago was that I thought Will and Gabriel were cute together, and a book on Wattpad having a flesh-out storyline, little grammar mistakes, and coherent subplots is a rare gem. Yet, for a published book, my standards and expectations are higher. Combined with the tutor/student pairing, this book is just not for me.
I wish I could've given a higher rating and a more positive review, but if I did then this review would not be honest.
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me.
The revised version of "Growing Pains", I'm sorry to say, was disappointing to me. Unlike the first time I read it, I found that the main characters, Will and Gabriel, lack chemistry together. I could not muster up any excitement for them and frankly, Gabriel appeared to me as rather predatory, an adult preying on a kid not even out of high school, and who is at a vulnerable junction in his life. I found their relationship more disturbing than endearing. I feel like the readers never really got to know Gabriel as a person, either.
My problems with the plot:
I was not a fan of how bland the novel was either. For a book about a tutor/student relationship, it was surprisingly boring. I don't know if this was because of the fact that I have already read the Wattpad version before, but I found myself skimming the paragraphs and on several occasions thinking about abandoning it. I wouldn't say there were no drama or stakes in the book, so perhaps it was the writing style that failed to draw me in. Will's winding monologues did not help either. I think that more editing should've been done—the writing was clumsy at times and repetitive, This is one example.
The pacing of the book was not great. The beginning part of the novel was heavily slanted towards Will's friends from school and their drama, to the point that it seemed like the story is not about Will and his teacher's relationship. That was confusing to me.
A small annoyance is the spelling mistakes in this book; there are quite a number of them even in the finalized version. In addition, there are conflicting spellings of character's names, such as Cassie/Carrie/Casie (Chapter 3), and Mrs. Gray/Grey (Chapter 2).
With that said, the reason why I liked "Growing Pains" three years ago was that I thought Will and Gabriel were cute together, and a book on Wattpad having a flesh-out storyline, little grammar mistakes, and coherent subplots is a rare gem. Yet, for a published book, my standards and expectations are higher. Combined with the tutor/student pairing, this book is just not for me.
I wish I could've given a higher rating and a more positive review, but if I did then this review would not be honest.
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me.
February 18, 2021
As part of my personal February Lovey-Achy Romance TBR and to celebrate love in all its shape and form...I decided to pick up Growing Pains by L. Sherleen. It is the first book in Sherleen LGBT contemporary romance series, and it is a coming-of-age novel that completely destroyed my emotions...and I think I'm all the better for it.
Sherleen's book deal with several heavy topics that is not uncommon to find in high school. High school is hard, and growing up is a life experience. This story is about seventeen-year-old Will Simmons and him just trying to stay glued together while dealing with the drama in his life. Enters Gabriel O'Conner, his after-school math tutor - the only guy he can be honest with about himself. This about love, family, and friendship. Will's journey is a life lesson about having the courage to accept and love yourself first before someone else.
There were several compelling characters that I have become very fond of; each of them has been such a delightful surprise - each a champion for Will. It is hard not to describe them all without giving too many details away. All I can say is this: they are unexpected characters that embraced every part of Will without judgment.
The pace at which the narrative build-up was perfect and the relationship development between Will and Gabriel is forbidden; equal part frustrating and perfection. I did find some grammar and punctuation mistakes, but not so much that it would distract me from the story. There were times I felt my hatred and utter outrage boiling over for what Will is dealing with at home. Sherleen made me feel like I wanted to dive inside the book and hug him or take him away.
Overall, this is a story that is a must-read. It will teach you so much more about the definition of love...for yourself and others.
Content advisory: Innuendo, language (no f-words), and implied sex.
Sherleen's book deal with several heavy topics that is not uncommon to find in high school. High school is hard, and growing up is a life experience. This story is about seventeen-year-old Will Simmons and him just trying to stay glued together while dealing with the drama in his life. Enters Gabriel O'Conner, his after-school math tutor - the only guy he can be honest with about himself. This about love, family, and friendship. Will's journey is a life lesson about having the courage to accept and love yourself first before someone else.
There were several compelling characters that I have become very fond of; each of them has been such a delightful surprise - each a champion for Will. It is hard not to describe them all without giving too many details away. All I can say is this: they are unexpected characters that embraced every part of Will without judgment.
The pace at which the narrative build-up was perfect and the relationship development between Will and Gabriel is forbidden; equal part frustrating and perfection. I did find some grammar and punctuation mistakes, but not so much that it would distract me from the story. There were times I felt my hatred and utter outrage boiling over for what Will is dealing with at home. Sherleen made me feel like I wanted to dive inside the book and hug him or take him away.
Overall, this is a story that is a must-read. It will teach you so much more about the definition of love...for yourself and others.
Content advisory: Innuendo, language (no f-words), and implied sex.
February 11, 2021
“Growing Pains” is one of the first stories that I stumbled upon on Wattpad.
Even though I already read it twice online, reading it again as part of the advance reading team made me really excited.
I didn’t find the book as being boring. All the chapters have their fair share of drama. Some chapters were short; some chapters were long enough to make the conflict clear enough.
For me, this book is mostly about love, especially about self love and love for the ones around you. Read this book if you’re gay. Read this book if you have problems in your family. Read this book if you have problems figuring yourself. Read this book anyway, it’s worth reading.
On the other side, though, I think that some characters need more time in the book and some matters need a little bit more attention .
Also, the constant change of Will’s relationship statuses with some characters was kind of disturbing and confusing.
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me and, in conclusion, “Growing Pains” is amazing to read, a funny and a lovely story, but most important, a book worth reading because Will’s journey is a lecture for us all.
Even though I already read it twice online, reading it again as part of the advance reading team made me really excited.
I didn’t find the book as being boring. All the chapters have their fair share of drama. Some chapters were short; some chapters were long enough to make the conflict clear enough.
For me, this book is mostly about love, especially about self love and love for the ones around you. Read this book if you’re gay. Read this book if you have problems in your family. Read this book if you have problems figuring yourself. Read this book anyway, it’s worth reading.
On the other side, though, I think that some characters need more time in the book and some matters need a little bit more attention .
Also, the constant change of Will’s relationship statuses with some characters was kind of disturbing and confusing.
I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the author sent me and, in conclusion, “Growing Pains” is amazing to read, a funny and a lovely story, but most important, a book worth reading because Will’s journey is a lecture for us all.
March 26, 2021
This book broke my heart so many times, all for Will's turmoil and circumstances.
The one that is well liked but who finds it impossible because he doesn't like himself. Who makes mistakes and find that his friends isn't the ones he thought they were.
First impressions are deceiving, this book showed that clearly, a situation I thought was one way seen from Will's perspective took a 180 and I was all for it.
It brought me to tears so many times, it isn't about a big love story, it's about Will and Gabriel comes second to that, along with who ever else have fallen for him. Before everything else, I think friendship is the focus, because I envied Will his, which was far larger in scale than he thought.
The one that is well liked but who finds it impossible because he doesn't like himself. Who makes mistakes and find that his friends isn't the ones he thought they were.
First impressions are deceiving, this book showed that clearly, a situation I thought was one way seen from Will's perspective took a 180 and I was all for it.
It brought me to tears so many times, it isn't about a big love story, it's about Will and Gabriel comes second to that, along with who ever else have fallen for him. Before everything else, I think friendship is the focus, because I envied Will his, which was far larger in scale than he thought.
February 10, 2021
A very enjoyable read.
From the minute I picked it up, I was interested by Will's journey. The author wrote the characters in a way that you could truly be connected with, whether it was love or hate. The book perfectly shows Will's inner thoughts at times that added to the dialogue and that really helped to show you Will's personality and traits. This book is what introduced me to reading novels online, and it set very high expectations for me. It's timeless, no matter how many times you re read it.
I wrote this review based on an advanced reading copy that the author sent me.
From the minute I picked it up, I was interested by Will's journey. The author wrote the characters in a way that you could truly be connected with, whether it was love or hate. The book perfectly shows Will's inner thoughts at times that added to the dialogue and that really helped to show you Will's personality and traits. This book is what introduced me to reading novels online, and it set very high expectations for me. It's timeless, no matter how many times you re read it.
I wrote this review based on an advanced reading copy that the author sent me.
May 27, 2021
I really loved this book. It was kinda hard for me to read because although I’ve never done what Will did to keep his appearance, I’ve thought about it a lot. I couldn’t stop reading though, it is a really good LGBTQ+ book with a romance I wish I had.
One thing though: I really want a follow up on the story, but I didn’t find anything about it, the last page of the book talks about a book II. Will it happen? I need to know what happens next, I need to know if Will’s going to be fully happy in the future.
One thing though: I really want a follow up on the story, but I didn’t find anything about it, the last page of the book talks about a book II. Will it happen? I need to know what happens next, I need to know if Will’s going to be fully happy in the future.
March 27, 2021
An emotionally dysfunctional family, the hardest moments of that teenage year when a struggling child becomes a struggling youth, coming to terms with their own place in their own life, and the difficulties of overcoming things far beyond the feelings of inadequacy - all superbly depicted in an aching story that can only be read with tissues on hand for leaking eyes.
Heartwrenching, perfect.
Heartwrenching, perfect.
March 1, 2021
I love this book, it’s one of my favourites. A gay forbidden romance with drama throughout the story. Sign me up. But when a novel touches on real issues, it makes it more personal and real.
So this book had everything that I need in a novel to pull me in and fall in love.
Such a talented author
So this book had everything that I need in a novel to pull me in and fall in love.
Such a talented author
March 11, 2021
This book had me gripped from the start with all the high drama from the offset! The drama was non stop and made for a very exciting read. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in romance, high drama, and/or coming of age stories.
August 6, 2024
Tough subject
I haven't read many books that tackled several different tough subjects all rolled into one neat storyline. Well one neat storyline that will span three books. So I'm getting excited for more. I was pleased with what I read and look forward to more.
I haven't read many books that tackled several different tough subjects all rolled into one neat storyline. Well one neat storyline that will span three books. So I'm getting excited for more. I was pleased with what I read and look forward to more.
January 18, 2023
This book hurt my soul
Read
April 8, 2025DNF early on because it’s not a romance
January 14, 2023
This was one of the best books I've read all year. I just love Will so much and I loved how completely accurate all the teenage feelings and drama were! Such a good read, I need the next one ASAP.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews