Requited

Unrequited/Requited #2

by Jesse H. Reign

If you've read Unrequited, and have been left longing for more of Andy and West's story - you are in luck.

Requited tells the story of roommates and best friends Andy Montgomery and West Baxter from West's perspective. It is a sweeping story of friendship that turns into longing that can't be ignored.

Be warned, this isn't a retelling of the same story, rather, it's an exploration of what would have been if West or Andy had had the courage to do one teeny, tiny thing differently.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, Contemporary, College, LGBT, Fiction

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2022

About the author

I'm Jesse, and I write contemporary and paranormal MM romance.

Whether my characters are born magical, or whether magic is something they make between the sheets, I strive to take the reader into the mind of the narrator. My ultimate goal is to leave the reader feeling like they’ve made a new friend or have spent a few hours flirting with a brand-new book boyfriend.

I love coffee, chocolate and daydreaming, in no particular order. I love conflicted characters, lust at first sight and angst – no seriously, ALL the angst. Give it to me!

Reviews

[Rachael Hamilton]

I went into this thinking I was just rereading book one from a different perspective, but then a twist gets thrown in that changes everything!

This one has the same start line, same painfully oblivious West, but he just learns a little faster here.

I really enjoyed getting West's POV in this second book. It allows us to see just how oblivious he truly is. We could tell from the first book, but actually being inside his head and seeing the "perceived effort" he thought he was making to show interest in Andy was a whole other experience. I just wanted to shake him, because ain’t no way anyone would have picked up on what he thought they should!

The plot twist definitely makes this a much sweeter read. This book is more wholesome and much less angsty than the first one. Knowing the story of book one makes this one feel necessary, because these two needed a break and they deserved more time together.

While I did prefer the first book simply because I personally need a bit more angst in my reads, this one was still very satisfying. I suppose this could be read as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it. You need the context of the first book to appreciate this one. Do you want them to have a long, painful, angsty story or a sweet, wholesome, loving one? I'm glad I read both, but I guess one could pick

[Pauline]

My statement from my previous review still stands. I hated it. I loved it. I could not stop reading it.

First things first: One thing that jumped out was the writing style. I don’t know what happened between book one and this one but here it got on my nerves - massively. It’s always short sentences. No more than 4 or 5 words. So much punctuation. It felt stilted. Choppy. Unnatural. Repetitive. 🙄

Here’s an example:

‘I’ve got lots of friends here. Lots. Just like school. It’s exactly the same. Lots of people wherever I go. Lots of people waving me over. Lots of people calling my name. I’m in several different groups. I’m friends with The Nerds. Guys from class. Calling them nerds isn’t an insult, by the way. These guys are proud of their intelligence. They call themselves nerds. They are guys who like numbers. Like me. I like talking to them.’

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN??? Aaaah I was pulling my hair out 😩

BUT, I needed West’s side of the story, so I stuck with it and it felt like such a relief to hear his thoughts full of all his pining, his heartbreak, his love. 😭

And I was surprised to see that this was in fact not the same plot as in ‘Unrequited’ but rather an exploration of what would have happened if West actually talked to Andy about his feelings during their university days. So here, we don’t have the 10 years of utter agony, THANK FUCK.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still pining galore, and still so so painful for the longest time but it helped that there were no massive time jumps, not that much OP action, and especially much more time to see these two utterly happy and in love, which I needed after all the hurt they put me through 🥹

So like with ‘Unrequited’, this story sucked me in, maybe even against my will and better judgement and just wouldn’t let me go. What a journey 😮‍💨🫀

[Renae Reads]

Loved this retelling of West and Andy's slow burn roommates to lovers romance.
I preferred this version of their love story due to the epic pining of West and fantastic twist.

[Elizabeth]

I am still a bit upset with Jesse for not letting these two love each other immediately but the story itself was great enough that I'd almost forgotten how mad I was by the end. Almost. 😅😂

I pull him close. “I’m going to get better, okay? I’ll get better.” I feel a little insecure when it comes to Andy. I do. I can’t help it. My God, the man knows what he’s doing. He can handle himself. He’s so much more experienced than me. I’m playing catch-up, big time. I want to be as good for him as he is for me.
“You can’t,” he says decisively.
“I will,” I say, feeling mildly panicked. “I won’t stop until I do.”
“You can’t get better, West. You can’t. I felt like my heart was going to explode. If you get any better, you’ll land me in the ER.” I start laughing and he pulls me close. “You can’t get better, okay? You can’t. That was the best fuck of my life. No one else has ever come close.”

[Megan [Jaded AF]]

MM Romance
Friends To Lovers
Companion book to Unrequited-West’s POV
3.5 Stars ⭐️


This book should only be read if you’ve read Unrequited first. The first 40%? is the exact same story as Unrequited but in West’s POV instead of Andy’s and it filled in a lot of questions I had. However, there is a plot twist that occurs that takes this book into new territory and because of that small change this book is a lot less angsty. I liked being in West’s POV but I definitely enjoyed Unrequited more because of that damn pining. There was pining in this book too but it didn’t hit the same way. West was OTT obsessed and in love with Andy but his hurt was different and he had a choice to say something where Andy believed West to be straight because that’s what he was told and shown.

This is definitely the more intimate, sweeter version as well because instead of it taking 10 years, they get together much sooner. But because of this change, I found that this book kind of dragged in the middle. It was new material but everything was smooth sailing for them and I must be a masochist because I missed the angsty pain the first book delivered. Even though it was painful it made their relationship feel that much more special and meant to be like they both had to go through hell and grow as people to be together.

I loved all the extras this gave me after they got together though. Seeing Andy’s paintings through someone else made them take on a life of their own and I loved seeing Andy the same way. There were Easter eggs all over this book and I enjoyed discovering them. I just happened to enjoy book one more.

[kaye taz]

6 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
Format: ebook

“I want them to know our story. I want them to know I’m in the painting with you. That I’m hidden behind you. I want them to know that we worked our shit out. But mostly, mostly, I want them to know that this thing between us was always requited.”

From the blurb, I kinda expected this to have less pining and angst than Unrequited, but I think it actually had way more. Andy’s POV was heartbreaking but West’s POV was absolutely gut-wrenching. A sad Andy hurt me but a sad West killed me.

I’m obsessed with the idea that whether West married Ash or not, he and Andy were always going to be endgame no matter what. But I do really enjoy in this book how they got together much sooner. I also love that their bedroom dynamic shifted a bit in this version…

I just love these boys so much. They really put me through it, but it’s a pain I’d endure again and again for a beautiful love story like theirs.

This duet is an absolute must-read. If you like a lot of pain with your pleasure, this is for you.

[Theseus *Chaotic Reader*]

I loved the first one as heartbreaking as Andy's only POV was. And I loved this one from West POV, especially with its little plot twist that made me think these two are made to be together no matter what.
*sighs dreamily*

[Jamie]

I'm dead. Deceased. The way Jesse retold this story from West's POV and with an alternate ending had me questioning my sanity but only for a hot minute. I was like,
"What is she thinking?" But you know what..she did it - it totally worked AND it took nothing away from the first book.

In fact, I feel even deeper in love with Andy and West - and their love story. These boys were destined to be together no matter what was going on around them or their own internal struggles.

The moment they met completely turned their worlds upside down and yet they needed it to happen so they could find their always together. But that pining and yearning made my heart hurt so bad in this one too. Worth every moment tho!!

[Tare]

Rating - 4.5

This is essentially Unrequited as told from West’s POV with one minor change that alters the course of their relationship.

This was still painful for the first half of the book. My god, the pining!!! But these boys figure themselves out a lot sooner. The level of angst was bearable but still agonizing.

While it’s nice to see Andy’s POV in Unrequited - I would almost choose to read this one as a standalone. The communication issues are resolved a lot quicker and their relationship development was slower paced and we got to see a lot more relationship development at a more natural pace.

The tone of the book felt less hopeless and a lot more sweet. Also the spice 🔥🔥 Jesse always knows how to deliver some great steam!

And the final chapters of them building their lives after college together 🥺 I adore West & Andy.

[Jessica Swan]

just as cute as the first book

[Gaby]

Wow yeah the pinning is pinning y’all

[Mir (fighting for her life to not read AI)]

I enjoyed the first book a bit more but this was still fantastic. I liked that we got two different versions of their story!

[Elle Kay]

I was intrigued when I read that this book was a retelling of a story from a different character’s perspective, but with one twist. One single decision is made differently. And how amazing that twist turned out to be.

Although this book is spicier than the first book in the series (because the characters have more time to get up to shenanigans), that doesn’t take away from the character development. We get to learn more about West, as this is from his point of view; but we also learn more about Andy through West’s eyes.

I could wax philosophical about the roads not taken, but instead I will simply advise you to read this book! 4.5 stars.

[Lily Suzanne]

No rating

I was hoping I liked West’s side of events more than Andy’s but I had to skim most of this. I didn’t realize the story was the same except from a different POV. That’s on me. I did like Andy’s side better but West is a great, easy going character.

I did enjoy the writing and the flow of both stories. I will certainly be on the lookout for more from this author. I just struggled with the retelling overall.

[Yeslia]

I think….I think i’ve just read a masterpiece

This is such a genius idea i don’t even have the words to explain how much of a smart one this was. First, i read unrequited and i cried and cried because i felt Andy’s pain with him. It’s so beautifully written, packed with so much pain, pining and yearning.

I even thought to myself at one point that “is this truly a HEA book?” cos it sure as hell didn’t feel like it at the time.

I read the blurb for requited and i squealed, i was excited, itching because yess 😭now let me tell you how much of a masterpiece this book turned out to be.

In requited we find out how fascinating West found Andy, even before he realized he had a crush on him. Shortly after, he realizes he actually had feelings for Andy, his yearning and pining starts too, he starts feeling a strong sense of jealousy whenever Andy hangs with other men. I’m actually really happy i read Unrequited first, because you know exactly how Andy also felt with him, they both were just too scared to do anything about it. And it hurt because they were both hurting and self loathing and i kept saying to myself “you have no idea” because they didn’t 😭

I love them both, truly I do, but i couldn’t help but be annoyed with them sometimes…okay not Andy cos he’s my favorite but here’s the thing with West. Just like Matt told him, there was no way Andy was ever gonna make a move or even think he had a chance because West was straight which is true. If there’s one thing about Andy, it’s that he never wants to make anyone feel even the least bit uncomfortable, so of course he wouldn’t make a move, gay men can’t afford to do that. It’s honestly really annoying that it took a stranger to get him to think in that direction, this same man who’s supposed to be so damn smart he doesn’t even need to study for exams because he never forgets anything he studies ugh 🙄

But i forgive him, the poor guy was in love, he feared rejection, and not even that per se, it’s the fact that it had the possibility to destroy their friendship and he’d rather have Andy as his best friend than not. So yes i understand his dilemma. And oh the part of this story i’d never forget is West seeing Andy come out of Alex’s room after they’d hooked up. West going into their bathroom to quietly cry until he couldn’t anymore, is seared into my brain 😭 it hurt so badly because i know Andy felt the same and he was just suffering because they couldn’t let their feelings be known. UGH!!

Requited hurt, but it doesn’t come close to how badly Unrequited broke me 😭 these boys went through so much.

Oh and when i tell you i want romance??? this is what i’m talking about!!! The love they had for each other stopppp 😭 i felt it, i felt it all i can’t even explain how but i did. It’s kind of rare today, to find stories like this with actual romance, where they truly fucking love each other. Now books are just lust lust lust lust they forget that a love story is what we are here for.

One last thing i wanna say is, i really wanted to see Andy’s paintings 😭 i wanted to see HEART and ALWAYS, picturing it isn’t enough.

I gotta say, unrequited love fucking sucks.

[Jordan Fischer | julietfoxreads]

Just a quick review because this follow-up absolutely deserves one. If you thought Unrequited had some serious pining, OMG. Requited has, like, nuclear level pining. Poor sweet West hides the fact that he's in love with Andy SO WELL, and they cause each other SO much heartache. THEY ARE BOTH SUCH PRECIOUS IDIOTS. It's interesting to see Andy from West's POV after reading Unrequited; clearly both guys are terrible at reading each other. For a guy as open and loveable as West, it's crazy to me that he kept THIS ONE THING bottled up - I do feel like this entire awful situation is sort of on him. Despite that, I do love that they are such good friends that, even though they are head over heels in love with each other, they are willing to sacrifice that to continue spending time with each other.

This book has a bit of a twist from the plot of Unrequited that was just delightful and made me so freaking happy. The second half of this book is SO satisfying (and SO spicy), I loved every minute of it. READ THIS DUET!

[peoniesandmm]

it hurt so good?

[Courtenay (ceelovesbooks)]

Okay wow. This might be one of my favourite duets of all time. Is it a case of right book, right time? Who knows. All I know is I devoured every second of book 1 & 2 and I’m really sad that it’s over. Spicy as heck, so sweet, painful in the way unrequited love usually is, beautiful HEAs for both versions of this story, more spicy spicy spice, and just chewed me up and spit me out with the love these two have for one another. Beautiful. I’ll never forget them.

[Arta reads at night]

4⭐️
What a wonderful concept. The “what if”. What if one thing happened differently? What then?
This was nice. And I liked it.

[Joyfully Jay]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3 stars

Requited is a companion novel to Unrequited and tells West and Andy’s story from West’s POV. Although it starts out telling the same story, the path goes in a different direction at one point and they get an updated story. This is more of a what-if scenario — what-if Andy and West had explored their feelings earlier and saved themselves a decade’s worth of heartache. I found it helpful to read Unrequited first and suggest reading the books in immediate succession. Some of the scenes are revisited here, but not in full, and the narrative does rely on knowing and remembering events that were discussed in the first book. It did make for uneven reading at times and it also felt like I was coming into a story already in progress. This style, combined with the lack of character development and depth to some of the scenes, didn’t fully appeal to me.

Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.

[book_reader_addict]

I love this book so much❤️❤️ I cried at the end, it was so romantic and HEA❤️❤️❤️ We get the story from West POV❤️ The best ever friends to lovers story!!
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Naana]

This would have been a solid 5 star if not for the whole West- Ashleigh relationship. I know I am being petty and I understand the whole rebound thing, but I really really can't when the mc has/had a romantic relationship with a person who isn't the other mc .

[S.K.]

I did read Unrequited and reviewed it here and finally got over my anger at the wasted TEN YEARS in that book to read the alternate version.

I think I’m glad I read it, although I’m still not sure. Wes is pretty much obsessed with Andy but hides it because he doesn’t want to lose the friendship that they have. Some of his actions are extremely dubious whilst dealing with this obsession and it was fascinating seeing this different side to him – in Unrequited, he seemed more together, confident and sure of himself. In Requited, we see his thought processes and feelings and it quickly becomes obvious that he hasn’t dealt with being bisexual and his attraction to other men during different periods of his life.

I did enjoy the opportunity to see Andy through outside eyes – strangely enough, in Unrequited he was the one who seemed to be lacking in confidence and self-assurance, whereas through Wes’s eyes, Andy truly has got it all together.

Overall, this book had a lot of sex scenes in it, but it also had a lot of talking – the talking that should have taken place in Unrequited to be honest – and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed the two of them realising all of the ways in which they have revealed that they cared but were too blind to see.

The relationship with Ashleigh was also explored through new eyes, and it became obvious a lot sooner that she and Wes were not suited to each other. I think, generally speaking, I enjoyed this chance to see the other side of things and it was worth the money I paid for it.

There was a lot more sex in this section of the books, which isn’t always a bad thing. Overall, I enjoyed this alternative look at what could have been if Wes and Andy had shown some gumption and spoken up and it was different enough to make it worth reading.

[Marie-Pierre]

Reread January 2, 2024: i love this duet 3000.

......

Requited is the second novella from the Unrequited/Requited duet by Jesse H Reign.

Jesse.... what are you doing to me? I can't breathe. I'm seriously dying here.

Requited is the retelling of Unrequited, but from West's POV (Andy's POV is in Unrequited). But there's a point in the story where one of the MMCs does something different, and it changes the end. I strongly recommend reading Unrequited first not only because it will help you understand what's happening, but because ANDY IS PERFECT.

Jesse does an AMAZING job at using the same scenes but setting them at a different time, in a different place. The words spoken are mostly the same, and it's the same feelings, but it's different, and I LOVED it. The parallels she created between West's inner thoughts and Andy's is pure talent. It was so much fun to finally get West's side of things. There were scenes in Unrequited that blew my mind and I couldn't wait to get all of West's emotions through those scenes. Mind utterly destroyed.

I'm going to say it again, Jessy's writing style is perfection. The way she writes makes me feel like I'm in the character's body and head. It feels like I'm the character. I can't wait to reread this whole duet, cause Illdo it regularly.

Once again, I'm pretty sure I could have highlighted this whole book.

This book was full of laughs and love and lust and heat. It was beautiful and I loved it. Please read it.

One last quote because it's everything this book is :

"There’s not a path in the world I could have taken that would ever have led me anywhere but here, to him, to this precise moment."

[Chelsea Moore]

I was so very excited to read this retelling of West and Andy’s story from West’s point of view and whew!!! It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! I enjoyed this story a bit more I think because they got smart in this retelling and expressed their feelings so there was not as much pining. There was still pining but no as much. We get to experience more time of Andy an West being together. All in all this duality was so very enjoyable and I loved every second of it! It was a beautiful love story and I will for sure be on the lookout for more books by this incredible author!!!


I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

POV: 1st Person Single POV (West’s Perspective)

Standalone or series: Book 2 in the Unrequited/Requited Series

Would I recommend it: 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ highly recommend!! 🤩

Would I read it again: Most definitely!

[Ida Umphers]

I loved Andy and West's story in Unrequited and this is a genius idea to have the second book now told from West's point of view with some differences from book one that change the way the relationship develops. Almost an author writing an alternate universe version of their own book. As in the first book, great characters and a deeper view of these two as a couple.

[Bookbingewithsteph]

Damn, this book was SO good. Loved this retelling of Andy and West’s story. I could not put it down. One of my most highlighted books of the year.

[HappilyEverReader]

After finishing Unrequited, I RAN to get West’s side of the story—and this book was just as good, if not BETTER, than the first.

If you thought Andy’s POV was painful, West’s POV gives us a double dose of emotional damage. 😭 Watching him struggle with his feelings for his best friend while also figuring out his sexuality was so gut-wrenching, especially as he gets tangled up with Ashleigh along the way. (UGH.)

The pining and tension in this one are just as painful, but in a completely different way. Watching West slowly figure out his feelings for Andy and what those feelings actually mean for him was incredibly sweet and beautiful. I also loved seeing all the sneaky ways he tried to get Andy’s attention and how, no matter what was happening, Andy was always the person West needed when things got tough.

You can’t help but love West and his golden retriever personality. 🥹 He loves his people BIG, and Andy is absolutely no exception. Andy is his everything, and seeing the story from West’s perspective made it so much easier to understand why he was unsure about Andy’s feelings. Andy holds back and isn’t nearly as open or affectionate as West, so I could completely understand why West struggled to believe that Andy might feel the same way.

One of my favorite things about this book was that West decides to be brave. He finally tells Andy how he feels, and watching these two come together was SO satisfying. And the fact that they didn’t make us wait another ten years?! 👏 THANK GOD.

Their bedroom dynamic was different in this book but equally as spicy—and HAWT. 🔥 I also loved watching them figure out their life together, especially the parts that weren’t glamorous. The two of them eating ramen in their empty NYC apartment while trying to figure out what comes next felt so real and made their happily-ever-after even more satisfying.

I love what this book does with the story from Unrequited. We get to experience the same relationship from West’s perspective, but we also get to see how the story changes when West decides to do one small thing differently. It was such a cool way to revisit their story while still giving us something new.

I loved every minute of this book—even when it hurt. 😭

If you like angsty MM romance, bi awakening, best friends to lovers, pining, yearning, emotional tension, and a romance that makes you suffer before giving you the payoff you’ve been desperately waiting for, this one is absolutely for you. ❤️‍🔥

[369Pages]

3.75⭐️
West and Adam’s story is rehashed from West’s POV. But halfway through, West makes a decision he didn’t in book one. And it changes the trajectory of their story.

Honestly, I was expecting to like this one more than I did, I feel like I went into it with really high hopes, so that’s a little bit on me for having super Duper high expectations. However, I do think this book was effective and I loved reading the story from West’s point of view. I loved being able to reflect on all of their moments together and really see how it was from the other side.

I will say, I loved all of the new cute moments that we got between the characters that we didn’t get before, and I was definitely less frustrated with them in this one, but I was in the previous book.

I will say, that this book did feel kind of long for actually being quite a short book so I feel like maybe it was just a little bit drawn out. Maybe this could’ve been an Novella instead in my opinion.

Overall, I think the idea for this duet is really genius and I do love this author and think she is so creative!

[Mac]

I don’t know which version of this story I’ve preferred. I honestly can’t tell and even weirder for me I don’t feel like I’ve just read almost the same half of a book.

Feeling what West felt this time, since it’s his POV changed the whole experience for me and I’ve loved West in both books but here ? Here ?!? He broke my heart do many times.
In this one I feel like you delve into his insecurities more.
In fact you delve into his hole character more.

You also see another side of Andy who this time seems more self assured into who he his as a person. In the previous one I always learned new things about Andy but through his feelings for West.
However since here you discover him through West’s eyes you discover the Andy that’s walks like rain and talk with a different tilt depending of his emotions and what he wants to convey.

Reading this duet was really and experience and I’ve loved every pages of it.