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Becoming Us
Zac Mitchell and Bryce Tellier were best friends for the first two years of college, but things got complicated their junior year. Their senior year isn't looking to get any easier. Zac is out with a bang, featured in a magazine article on queer college athletes. Bryce didn't have a clue, but now Zac's revelation is shattering his world, making him question everything he thinks he knows, making him wonder if he'll manage to keep things together.
Bryce's father wants him out of the house he shares with Zac and two other friends, doesn't want him around someone like Zac. Bryce has spent years ducking his brothers' accusations about his sexuality. Now, Bryce has to decide where he stands, and he has to face how Zac makes him feel. Zac spent years working up the courage to come out and now he might have to go back in the closet to be with the person he wants most. Nothing seems right when Zac and Bryce part, so can these boys make their relationship work?
Bryce's father wants him out of the house he shares with Zac and two other friends, doesn't want him around someone like Zac. Bryce has spent years ducking his brothers' accusations about his sexuality. Now, Bryce has to decide where he stands, and he has to face how Zac makes him feel. Zac spent years working up the courage to come out and now he might have to go back in the closet to be with the person he wants most. Nothing seems right when Zac and Bryce part, so can these boys make their relationship work?
176 pages, ebook
First published September 16, 2009
2 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Anah Crow
58 books195 followersUnder Construction!
F.A.Q.
Do you want to participate in Generic_Author_Event?
F.A.Q.
Do you want to participate in Generic_Author_Event?
Drop me a line, please! If you're looking for a book for donation or a blog post from me, I'm usually cool with that.Are you going to write a sequel to Some_Book_You_Wrote?
The up front answer is no, unless the book cover indicates that it's part of a series. If there's going to be a sequel to a book, you'll know once I've signed the contract.Who is this Dianne person?
Only the light of my life and all that rot. She e-sides here: http://www.foxwrites.com/ Without her, you wouldn't see much from me at all, not even the books that don't have her name on the cover.Do you read your email?
All the time. I think the question you want is do I answer my email? Occasionally. Badly. I'm a terrible, terrible emailer.You're reading X books at once?!
Only occasionally at once. I can read two books at the same time, but I get dizzy. Mostly, I just switch books depending on my mood. It's unusual for me to have less than four on the go at a time.Do you read reviews of your books?
No, sorry! I'm here, yes, but I prefer not to read reviews (no matter how lovely they are) because once a book has left my hands and is available to the readers, my relationship to it changes. It's all grown up. :) I have a clutter of booklings to nurture so they will join the others on your shelves.Will you read/review my book?
Sorry, but no. There are a number of reasons for this but the biggest is—I suck at doing these things. I'm a horrible procrastinator. I get wound up and then blank out what I'm supposed to do. My ADHD goes galumphing through my head like a bull in a china shop, wrecking everything.I'm a writer and you hated/loved my book!
I'm sure you're a lovely person, either way. Please have one or both of: "I'm sorry!" or "You're welcome!"Can I be excused now?
Of course you can! Thanks for reading.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 1, 2010
This book had two elements that I typically really like: friends become lovers & struggles with coming out - not to mention I just read another book by Anah Crow that blew my socks off. So I guess I had high expectations for this book, and I was disappointed.
It started out good. Zac and Bryce have been roommates and best friends since their first year of college. They're seniors now, and Zac recently came out as bisexual in an interview in a college sports magazine. Bryce is hurt that Zac didn't tell him sooner, and also struggles with his own attraction to males. He comes from a family of douches so he's had a harder time than most and has tried really hard to suppress it.
So far so good. Bryce starts to give in to his attraction to Zac and at first it's cute, and you really feel for Bryce's dilemma. But then there's a point where the scale tips and it's no longer sweet and realistic, it's just sex scene after sex scene after sex scene, and then Bryce is freaking out and they're constantly cuddling and telling each other how much they like touching. I felt like I got tricked into thinking there was a plot. The bulk of the book is whining and sex.
It started out good. Zac and Bryce have been roommates and best friends since their first year of college. They're seniors now, and Zac recently came out as bisexual in an interview in a college sports magazine. Bryce is hurt that Zac didn't tell him sooner, and also struggles with his own attraction to males. He comes from a family of douches so he's had a harder time than most and has tried really hard to suppress it.
So far so good. Bryce starts to give in to his attraction to Zac and at first it's cute, and you really feel for Bryce's dilemma. But then there's a point where the scale tips and it's no longer sweet and realistic, it's just sex scene after sex scene after sex scene, and then Bryce is freaking out and they're constantly cuddling and telling each other how much they like touching. I felt like I got tricked into thinking there was a plot. The bulk of the book is whining and sex.
November 3, 2009
4.5 stars
"Anah Crow and Dianne Fox are wonderful writers. This engaging story has characters that held my attention throughout and while it's an emotional story it also has some very entertaining and fun scenes as well. Overall this is a very well written story that touched my heart and has won a spot on my keeper shelf. I highly recommend it."
My complete review is posted at Rainbow Reviews
"Anah Crow and Dianne Fox are wonderful writers. This engaging story has characters that held my attention throughout and while it's an emotional story it also has some very entertaining and fun scenes as well. Overall this is a very well written story that touched my heart and has won a spot on my keeper shelf. I highly recommend it."
My complete review is posted at Rainbow Reviews
October 16, 2009
Bottom line up front:
There was crying. Lots of it. Bryce was slinging snot through pretty much the whole story. I hate crying guys, really I do. So why did I love this book so much?
The rest:
Zac and one of his room mates, Perry, came out during Zac's junior year. For the rest of the year, things were a bit strained between him and his best friend, Bryce. Summer is over and they're going into their senior year. Not wanting another awkward year, and missing his best friend, Zac determines to clear the air between them. Somehow, that clearing the air ended up with him falling in love with his best friend and having to fight all year to try to get Bryce to calm the heck down and just be his boyfriend.
Bryce the Emo Swimmer was raised in a family where his father dictates everything and the sons sort of fall in line. He had the misfortune of not only being born last, but also being named after a formerly favored uncle who later came out. Because of this, he endured years of cruel taunts from his older and more assholic (is that a word?) brothers about how Bryce was somehow automatically gay.
Now poor Bryce is seriously screwed in the head and had almost daily breakdowns and panic attacks because kissing was great. Then touching the naughty bits felt good. Then he started crying because sticking his boy bits into somebody's bum was zomg!amazing. And after that, Zac made an offhand comment about maybe sometime in the distant future returning the favor and putting fingers and cocks in Bryce's ass, which set him off again. In between all this, Bryce has multiple mini anxiety attacks after a phone call from his father. His controlling dad read Zac's interview about being a gay athlete in a magazine and now wants Bryce to move out. Preferably before his speshul snowflake son is tainted by the gay germs.
Many of Bryce's internal conversations were some variation of this one:
He was serious about Zac, and he didn’t know how serious Zac was about him. He didn’t want to seem like a girl, getting all emotional about taking the step to fucking, getting emotional about dating and being together. He hated what a loser he was and kept cramming it down inside and hoping no one noticed.
Despite my almost instinctive and virulent dislike of long, drawn out pity parties, I found myself drawn to Bryce as a character, and empathizing with the situation he was in. There was a man whom he cared deeply for, and he genuinely wanted to explore that relationship to see where it went. On the other hand, his father was paying his tuition and housing expenses while he was in college. After college, Bryce was expecting to work for his father. He already knew that his father would react negatively to any declaration of love for another man. His father, after all, disowned his own brother after the guy came out. Bryce had every reasonable expectation that the same thing would happen to him. It's senior year of college, and Bryce had no way to support either himself or his boyfriend if the funds got cut off. All that aside, Bryce actually liked his asshole brothers and controlling father.
It hurt. Even if he wanted to come out, he couldn’t. Not until he was ready to give up his family. Fucked up as they were, they were still his family. And Zac. It felt like he was saying Zac wasn’t worth it. How was he supposed to compare?
While Zac and Bryce are involved in a hot and heavy relationship, neither is precisely gay either. Zac would more accurately be described as bi. Bryce very vaguely referred to situations in the past where he might have had a glimmer of attraction for other males, but rather ruthlessly suppressed it for fear of being booted out of his family and disowned like his uncle. There was a scene where Bryce had pity sex with an ex-girlfriend, and enjoyed it as much as he ever had.
Becoming Us is a deeply emotional story about a guy who was in a no win situation, and had to think long and hard about the choice he was about to make. There is no easy way out, and the consequences of picking either road were essentially untenable. I found myself deeply immersed in Bryce's struggle and, although I wasn't crying along with him, I certainly understood his frustration and need to vent.
The writing duo of Crow and Fox provide deep, thought provoking stories that interest and enthrall. This book was a refreshing change from fluffy stories of pretty boys rubbing off on each other, and will be crying it's way onto the keeper shelf. I highly recommend this book...but save it for when you're not already emotionally drained, because this book will pull it out of you.
As an odd side note...the story is actually rated chile pepper on TQ's ridiculous rating for the heat of books. I thought the sex scenes were holy wow smoking hot, but what the heck do I know??
There was crying. Lots of it. Bryce was slinging snot through pretty much the whole story. I hate crying guys, really I do. So why did I love this book so much?
The rest:
Zac and one of his room mates, Perry, came out during Zac's junior year. For the rest of the year, things were a bit strained between him and his best friend, Bryce. Summer is over and they're going into their senior year. Not wanting another awkward year, and missing his best friend, Zac determines to clear the air between them. Somehow, that clearing the air ended up with him falling in love with his best friend and having to fight all year to try to get Bryce to calm the heck down and just be his boyfriend.
Bryce the Emo Swimmer was raised in a family where his father dictates everything and the sons sort of fall in line. He had the misfortune of not only being born last, but also being named after a formerly favored uncle who later came out. Because of this, he endured years of cruel taunts from his older and more assholic (is that a word?) brothers about how Bryce was somehow automatically gay.
Now poor Bryce is seriously screwed in the head and had almost daily breakdowns and panic attacks because kissing was great. Then touching the naughty bits felt good. Then he started crying because sticking his boy bits into somebody's bum was zomg!amazing. And after that, Zac made an offhand comment about maybe sometime in the distant future returning the favor and putting fingers and cocks in Bryce's ass, which set him off again. In between all this, Bryce has multiple mini anxiety attacks after a phone call from his father. His controlling dad read Zac's interview about being a gay athlete in a magazine and now wants Bryce to move out. Preferably before his speshul snowflake son is tainted by the gay germs.
Many of Bryce's internal conversations were some variation of this one:
He was serious about Zac, and he didn’t know how serious Zac was about him. He didn’t want to seem like a girl, getting all emotional about taking the step to fucking, getting emotional about dating and being together. He hated what a loser he was and kept cramming it down inside and hoping no one noticed.
Despite my almost instinctive and virulent dislike of long, drawn out pity parties, I found myself drawn to Bryce as a character, and empathizing with the situation he was in. There was a man whom he cared deeply for, and he genuinely wanted to explore that relationship to see where it went. On the other hand, his father was paying his tuition and housing expenses while he was in college. After college, Bryce was expecting to work for his father. He already knew that his father would react negatively to any declaration of love for another man. His father, after all, disowned his own brother after the guy came out. Bryce had every reasonable expectation that the same thing would happen to him. It's senior year of college, and Bryce had no way to support either himself or his boyfriend if the funds got cut off. All that aside, Bryce actually liked his asshole brothers and controlling father.
It hurt. Even if he wanted to come out, he couldn’t. Not until he was ready to give up his family. Fucked up as they were, they were still his family. And Zac. It felt like he was saying Zac wasn’t worth it. How was he supposed to compare?
While Zac and Bryce are involved in a hot and heavy relationship, neither is precisely gay either. Zac would more accurately be described as bi. Bryce very vaguely referred to situations in the past where he might have had a glimmer of attraction for other males, but rather ruthlessly suppressed it for fear of being booted out of his family and disowned like his uncle. There was a scene where Bryce had pity sex with an ex-girlfriend, and enjoyed it as much as he ever had.
Becoming Us is a deeply emotional story about a guy who was in a no win situation, and had to think long and hard about the choice he was about to make. There is no easy way out, and the consequences of picking either road were essentially untenable. I found myself deeply immersed in Bryce's struggle and, although I wasn't crying along with him, I certainly understood his frustration and need to vent.
The writing duo of Crow and Fox provide deep, thought provoking stories that interest and enthrall. This book was a refreshing change from fluffy stories of pretty boys rubbing off on each other, and will be crying it's way onto the keeper shelf. I highly recommend this book...but save it for when you're not already emotionally drained, because this book will pull it out of you.
As an odd side note...the story is actually rated chile pepper on TQ's ridiculous rating for the heat of books. I thought the sex scenes were holy wow smoking hot, but what the heck do I know??
May 3, 2011
I went into this one thinking this was going to be a great book. It started out very well with characters I really liked. But the more I read the more I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop....when will Bryce's father find out and how will Bryce and Zac handle it. But it never happened. It became nothing but continuous sex, sex, sex. I don't mind a lot of sex in what I read but I do like a decent plot with my romp thank you very much! And then it ended without really wrapping up what happens to these two. Is there a sequel???
October 16, 2009
An uber sweet, angsty romance about exploration and acceptance. I really enjoyed this story. So much so that I accomplished pretty much nothing else today because I just had to finish it. :D
December 16, 2011
I rarely am scathing about any book. But for this, I will be.
There was so much potential in the book - there could have been conflicts, parents being a problem, school being a problem, peer pressure etc. But what translated was a book where there was too much sex (not that I am complaining), whining and not much story. I was really let down by this. We don't even get a good description of the boys other than "Bryce was big" and "Zac was dark". It is hard to imagine the face to go with the personalities.
So to the story - Bryce's dilemma wasn't frivolous. It was genuine. He was afraid of getting disowned by his family and getting cut off from the money that is paying for his college. All this because he is roommates with a recently 'out' best friend. But then Bryce faces a bigger dilemma when he realizes that he is attracted to his 'out' best friend. Think of all the possibilities of the stories and events that would have unfolded! But nooooo....!
What follows is - Bryce and Zac act on their attractions and then Bryce whines, Zac consoles. Again they act on their feelings, Bryce whines and Zac consoles. It was believable in the beginning but after awhile it became repetitive and lost the appeal. I think, in real life, Zac would have gotten irritated after a certain time - specially if it was your best friend who was being hot and cold about this.
The sex scenes were written really good, I must concede. But when it got repetitive I started skipping paragraphs and then some pages. What I felt when I read was that Bryce was the one who wanted Zac whereas Zac could've been even ok with Bryce's friendship. That didn't sit well with me. Zac was only uncomfortable with Bryce's reaction about his coming out was that Bryce started behaving weirdly and started avoiding him. We don't get to see much of Zac's thoughts or his reactions.
This is the fourth Anah Crow and Dianne Fox book that I have read. The other three being - Slow Bloom, Uneven and One True Thing. Out of the four there are only two which were good - Uneven and One True Thing. I felt that this book was almost like Slow Bloom but there wasn't even much character development in this book as much as in Slow Bloom
There was so much potential in the book - there could have been conflicts, parents being a problem, school being a problem, peer pressure etc. But what translated was a book where there was too much sex (not that I am complaining), whining and not much story. I was really let down by this. We don't even get a good description of the boys other than "Bryce was big" and "Zac was dark". It is hard to imagine the face to go with the personalities.
So to the story - Bryce's dilemma wasn't frivolous. It was genuine. He was afraid of getting disowned by his family and getting cut off from the money that is paying for his college. All this because he is roommates with a recently 'out' best friend. But then Bryce faces a bigger dilemma when he realizes that he is attracted to his 'out' best friend. Think of all the possibilities of the stories and events that would have unfolded! But nooooo....!
What follows is - Bryce and Zac act on their attractions and then Bryce whines, Zac consoles. Again they act on their feelings, Bryce whines and Zac consoles. It was believable in the beginning but after awhile it became repetitive and lost the appeal. I think, in real life, Zac would have gotten irritated after a certain time - specially if it was your best friend who was being hot and cold about this.
The sex scenes were written really good, I must concede. But when it got repetitive I started skipping paragraphs and then some pages. What I felt when I read was that Bryce was the one who wanted Zac whereas Zac could've been even ok with Bryce's friendship. That didn't sit well with me. Zac was only uncomfortable with Bryce's reaction about his coming out was that Bryce started behaving weirdly and started avoiding him. We don't get to see much of Zac's thoughts or his reactions.
This is the fourth Anah Crow and Dianne Fox book that I have read. The other three being - Slow Bloom, Uneven and One True Thing. Out of the four there are only two which were good - Uneven and One True Thing. I felt that this book was almost like Slow Bloom but there wasn't even much character development in this book as much as in Slow Bloom
April 17, 2012
If the authors had a bit more sense of humor this could easily have been a side split-tingly funny satiric comic novel - they wouldn't have to revise it much from what's already written. All the elements are there: big masculine jock who bursts into tears every time he has an orgasm. All too patient boyfriend who must be secretly thinking "e-gads, when did my best bud become such a girl?"
A lot of coming out anxieties for housemates who probably couldn't give a damn whether they're gay or straight. Unfortunately the authors takes the story with deadly seriousness, which robs us of all the fun that might have been had.
Reading other reviews, it really amazes me that some people consider this good writing. This is not good writing. This is very, very bad writing. Instead of showing us what the character feel and think, they tell us what they think in details that go on and on in endless repetition.
The authors seem to have a fairly good grasp of how college jocks talk, that is until that have sex, at which point the two protagonists turn into a couple of whimpering 12 year old girls. "Oh Bryce!"
"Oh, Zac, please!" "Oh Bryce, you're so wonderful!" And the ubiquitous "SO GOOD!!" which the authors feel compelled to insert at least two times every other paragraph. Really, even in the throes of hot sex, guys simply don't talk like this unless they're seriously channeling their inner Taylor Swift.
A missed opportunity, since there is so little humor in the M/M genre, and this comes so close to being unintentionally funny it almost qualifies as camp.
A lot of coming out anxieties for housemates who probably couldn't give a damn whether they're gay or straight. Unfortunately the authors takes the story with deadly seriousness, which robs us of all the fun that might have been had.
Reading other reviews, it really amazes me that some people consider this good writing. This is not good writing. This is very, very bad writing. Instead of showing us what the character feel and think, they tell us what they think in details that go on and on in endless repetition.
The authors seem to have a fairly good grasp of how college jocks talk, that is until that have sex, at which point the two protagonists turn into a couple of whimpering 12 year old girls. "Oh Bryce!"
"Oh, Zac, please!" "Oh Bryce, you're so wonderful!" And the ubiquitous "SO GOOD!!" which the authors feel compelled to insert at least two times every other paragraph. Really, even in the throes of hot sex, guys simply don't talk like this unless they're seriously channeling their inner Taylor Swift.
A missed opportunity, since there is so little humor in the M/M genre, and this comes so close to being unintentionally funny it almost qualifies as camp.
January 11, 2010
"This m/m romance is the very steamy, yet sweet, story of two guys in college - one out, one whose family with disown him if they found out he has a boyfriend. The only thing I didn't like is that it felt like the book was building toward a big emotional crisis that never materialized. Weirdly, that was a bit of a disappointment."
October 25, 2015
2010 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
August 14, 2010
seriously sweet- and somehow not in a toothachey way. i can't figure out why i actually enjoyed this, because the whole oh-i-dont-know-how-to-handle-being-gay-thing irritates the hell out of me (which i'm sure is terribly tolerant on my part), but really? i just kind of wanted to squeeze bryce (instead of slap him, which is my usual impulse when reading about a weepy boy), and zac was kind. so either i'm becoming a nicer person or these are just good writers.
January 24, 2010
Angsty, but a great journey of self discovery.
August 3, 2019
3.5 Stars
Although I'm left wondering huh? Where's the rest of it?
Although I'm left wondering huh? Where's the rest of it?
August 15, 2015
Very sweet, loving and supportive. Hot.
July 23, 2016
Another one I'm struggling with to review. It might have been just that it's the wrong book at the wrong time, but I have to be honest to myself.
So, as I commented on at the halfway mark, this book contains a lot of guilt-tripping, doubts, crying, self-recrimination and sex. Lots and lots (and lots) of sex. In fact, if you removed half the sex scenes from the book it would be less than 100 pages long... I honestly have to say that there were way too many sex scenes in this book for me (and I can happily read PWP) and after the 50% mark I was actually skimming over those scenes.
So with all the guilt and doubts and fears about being disowned if his family discovers that he is gay, the least you would expect is some solution...something...anything! Well, guess again. We are left completely hanging. So after reading all this angst, the stressing, the snot, doubts and guilt about "what will the family say/do" there's nothing. Oh, there's a determination, and more than just one step in the right direction, but after all the build-up I honestly would have expected more than just that.
So, as I commented on at the halfway mark, this book contains a lot of guilt-tripping, doubts, crying, self-recrimination and sex. Lots and lots (and lots) of sex. In fact, if you removed half the sex scenes from the book it would be less than 100 pages long... I honestly have to say that there were way too many sex scenes in this book for me (and I can happily read PWP) and after the 50% mark I was actually skimming over those scenes.
So with all the guilt and doubts and fears about being disowned if his family discovers that he is gay, the least you would expect is some solution...something...anything! Well, guess again. We are left completely hanging. So after reading all this angst, the stressing, the snot, doubts and guilt about "what will the family say/do" there's nothing. Oh, there's a determination, and more than just one step in the right direction, but after all the build-up I honestly would have expected more than just that.
October 18, 2009
It had a lot of things one should not like. Too many tears/crying, loads and loads of talking, head hopping. And still, the story is sweet, I could not put it down. A classic friends who become lovers story.
It deals mostly with Bryce being unable to get out of the closet were Zac had gone out of it with a bang the school year before.
One m-f scene with an ex gf, not shown though until afterwards. I would have liked to see her back later in the story.
It deals mostly with Bryce being unable to get out of the closet were Zac had gone out of it with a bang the school year before.
One m-f scene with an ex gf, not shown though until afterwards. I would have liked to see her back later in the story.
January 18, 2010
Becoming Us by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox was a wonderful post Christmas read. A college coming out/coming of age story about finding that sometimes someone to love can be right under your nose. Awwwww! While the angst level had the potential to be rather overwhelming, it was nicely balanced with much smex and the pacing was quick, clever and provided me with much entertainment. A great read with memorable characters. Get it from Torquere.
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June 17, 2011
The intent was clear but not delivered. Both main characters were annoying and the story needed more build-up, I felt like I skipped the first 10 chapters.
Oh. And dont forget. The main characters talk in shortened sentences and cut off EVERY thought like they were too afraid to say what they thought...or maybe they just forgot what they were going to say. (examples from the book: "I...this." or "I'm. I need." or "We...Shit" or "I Just...". It was just too many broken sentences).
Oh. And dont forget. The main characters talk in shortened sentences and cut off EVERY thought like they were too afraid to say what they thought...or maybe they just forgot what they were going to say. (examples from the book: "I...this." or "I'm. I need." or "We...Shit" or "I Just...". It was just too many broken sentences).
July 21, 2013
2 stars for the hot sex. I read a review once that commented on the fact that this thing had way too much crying. That person was being very kind. The waterworks and self hate are nearly constant and it's annoying as hell. Not that there weren’t sweet, enjoyable bits there. They just didn't make the read worthwhile. Tsk.
October 24, 2009
3.5 stars. Really sweet story, but I was getting a bit bored with all the sex scenes towards the end.
May 11, 2011
Such a great book...and it was SMOKING HOT
August 1, 2011
2.5-3 stars. Good writing and a sweet romance, but I kept waiting for the fallout with Bryce's family. Which never happened.
November 7, 2011
Too much sex, it got very boring.
August 12, 2013
I loved the book but I found there was alot of repetition in the scenes between Zac and Bryce.
August 24, 2013
I really enjoyed this one, and the characters are really sweet! Just think the ending was too sudden. I was like what? It's over? But a great book nevertheless.
October 28, 2013
This is really a lot of sex! :DD
July 11, 2014
I give it a 3.5' not a 4 though. I understand why it's called "Becoming Us" however there was just, dare I say, too much sex and not enough of an actual story. I hate that. Still, it was ok.
December 9, 2014
I feel like this book had a fade-to-black protocol anytime a plot so much as poked its head out to say hello...
April 6, 2012
So sweet and hot.
May 15, 2013
Holy moly hotness!!!! Very sweet coming out story!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews