A review by originalbooknerd
So Real by Abby Millsaps

emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

๐Ÿ’ž๐’ฎ๐‘œ ๐‘…๐‘’๐’ถ๐“ - ๐ต๐‘œ๐“Ž๐“ˆ ๐‘œ๐’ป ๐’ฎ๐‘œ๐“Š๐“‰๐’ฝ ๐’ž๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“…๐‘’๐“ 2 - ๐‘…๐‘’๐“‹๐’พ๐‘’๐“Œ๐Ÿ’ž

Author: Abby Millsaps

Couple: Hunter with Kabir, Greedy & Levi

Tropes: reverse harem, why choose, LGBTQ+, childhood love, best friends, step-brother, past secrets, college romance

Review: Letโ€™s talk about So Real..this book man. Abby did it this time with the second book in HUnterโ€™s romance. So Real has been my favorite book in Abbyโ€™s South Chapel universe by FAR! Hunter is an FMC who I connected to in Joeyโ€™s trilogy and have continued to within her series. Abby has done a great job with all the ups and downs in her story so far and I am excited to see where it goes next!

So Real introduces the third love interest to Hunterโ€™s harem and can I say. WOW. Kabir was THE MAN. I loved the back and forth between him and Hunter and the others but it was the utter devotion he had for her that did it for me. The dynamic him and Hunter had set the stage for all the heat in this book and wowza was it HAWT! I adored the trust she had with Kabir and really loved how he put everything aside for her. His arrival also provided just enough oomf in this book to upset the rocky balance she had with Levi and Greedy which I found entertaining. 

So Real is another emotional rollercoaster of a book and Hunterโ€™s story is heartbreaking. The way we flip between past and present was a fine line that Abby did wonderful with but also left me reeling as we learn things from the past and how it is still affecting her. Add in the selfish mother Hunter has and the lovesick stepfather and her struggles become next level. I found the mother to be the most conniving in this book so far and am anxious to see how Hunter handles the dilemma she is put in, in the next book. One thing I was there for was the way Greedy and Levi stood up for her in front of Greedyโ€™s father and Hunterโ€™s mother. 

This book ends on a nicer cliffhanger than we are used to from Abby but still leaves us curious about this fourth mystery man who may join the group. I also loved how Abby gave us a tiny cameo of Joey and her men in this one and hope we get more in the next book!


Rating: 4.5/5, hands up for Hunter and  her men so far!

Thank you to Abby for sending me this ARC!


๐Ÿ’ž๐’ฎ๐‘œ ๐‘…๐‘’๐’ถ๐“ - ๐ต๐‘œ๐“Ž๐“ˆ ๐‘œ๐’ป ๐’ฎ๐‘œ๐“Š๐“‰๐’ฝ ๐’ž๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“…๐‘’๐“ 2 - ๐’œ๐“Š๐’น๐’พ๐‘œ๐’ท๐‘œ๐‘œ๐“€ ๐‘…๐‘’๐“‹๐’พ๐‘’๐“Œ๐Ÿ’ž

Author: Abby Millsaps

Narrators: June DeBorahae, J. River Pierce, Liam Dicosimo & Keval Shah  

Couple: Hunter with Kabir, Greedy & Levi

Tropes: 
๐Ÿ’žReverse harem
โœˆ๏ธWhy choose
๐Ÿ’žLGBTQ+
โœˆ๏ธChildhood love
๐Ÿ’žBest friends
โœˆ๏ธStep-brother
๐Ÿ’žPast secrets
โœˆ๏ธCollege romance

Review: So Real was great reading but the full cast narration truly brought this book to excellent. Abby brought on board a group of phenomenal narrators to bring Hunter and her men to life. This whole crew of narrators encompassed every feeling and every UP and DOWN inside this book and made me fall in love with HUnterโ€™s journey all over again. So Real was the book that kept me up with a gambit of emotional angst and it is safe to say that the audio version kept me up that much more.

The way June was able to embody Hunter thought was that captivated me in this audiobook. She was truly able to bring Hunter to life in my ears and I felt like I was there witnessing the action throughout the audiobook - especially in some of the more intense and emotional scenes. While all the narrators was fantastic June was the one that sold me in this story and Abby truly did wonders with the production of So Real in audio form!

Rating: 5/5, So Real was brought to life and this book becomes so much more REAL!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for sending me this ALC!