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freyafaithfull's reviews
382 reviews
Say It Out Loud by Nico Flynn
4.0
Say It Out Loud (Slow Burn Holidays Book 2) by Nico Flynn ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ezra has been in love with his best friend and former roommate Jack since they met in college. Ezra has played the doting friend over the years, even being best man at Jack's wedding. Now divorced, Jack moves back in with Ezra, giving Ezra the push he needs to finally tell Jack how he feels.
Even though everyone else sees their undeniable connection, Ezra finds it hard to believe that Jack's feelings for him are anything more than platonic. Ezra is clearly in denial from the very start of the story and is afraid of taking the risk and possibly losing Jack again.
This story was my least favourite of the three but was still a satisfying read and good addition to the series. I would recommend it as an easy read for a cold winter's night.
Ezra has been in love with his best friend and former roommate Jack since they met in college. Ezra has played the doting friend over the years, even being best man at Jack's wedding. Now divorced, Jack moves back in with Ezra, giving Ezra the push he needs to finally tell Jack how he feels.
Even though everyone else sees their undeniable connection, Ezra finds it hard to believe that Jack's feelings for him are anything more than platonic. Ezra is clearly in denial from the very start of the story and is afraid of taking the risk and possibly losing Jack again.
This story was my least favourite of the three but was still a satisfying read and good addition to the series. I would recommend it as an easy read for a cold winter's night.
Sing in the New by Nico Flynn
5.0
Sing in the New (Slow Burn Holidays Book 3) by Nico Flynn ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Tyler has been in love with his roommate Nick for the past 6 years. After finally coming to terms with his true self, he feels ready to admit his feelings to Nick, so long as he gets a sign first that Nick may feel the same way. Tyler and Nick head to Nick's parents house for New Years Eve and with the help of Nick's meddling mother, they both discover secrets about the other that brings them closer together and towards a revelation of their true feelings.
This novella was a great ending to the Slow Burn Holidays series, packed with fun moments and plenty of love. I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 books and would recommend them as quick, low angst reads for a cosy evening at home.
CW from author: Please note that this novella contains mentions of an unaccepting, homophobic family, all off-screen and in the past, as well as internalized homophobia that has been joyfully overcome.
Tyler has been in love with his roommate Nick for the past 6 years. After finally coming to terms with his true self, he feels ready to admit his feelings to Nick, so long as he gets a sign first that Nick may feel the same way. Tyler and Nick head to Nick's parents house for New Years Eve and with the help of Nick's meddling mother, they both discover secrets about the other that brings them closer together and towards a revelation of their true feelings.
This novella was a great ending to the Slow Burn Holidays series, packed with fun moments and plenty of love. I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 books and would recommend them as quick, low angst reads for a cosy evening at home.
CW from author: Please note that this novella contains mentions of an unaccepting, homophobic family, all off-screen and in the past, as well as internalized homophobia that has been joyfully overcome.
Speak My Language by Nico Flynn
5.0
Speak My Language (Slow Burn Holidays Book 1) by Nico Flynn ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chris and Oliver have been roommates for 5 years and unbeknownst to Oliver, Chris has been in love with him the whole time. After their landlady recommends a book on the 'Five Love Languages' to Chris, he devises an experiment to try each one on Oliver to see if he could possibly share his feelings.
This novella was exactly what I was hoping for, it's sweet, fun and satisfying. It was just long enough to build the story and feel as if you know the characters, but short enough for a one session cosy evening read.
CW: passing mention of drug abuse, grief and death of a family member (all extremely brief)
Chris and Oliver have been roommates for 5 years and unbeknownst to Oliver, Chris has been in love with him the whole time. After their landlady recommends a book on the 'Five Love Languages' to Chris, he devises an experiment to try each one on Oliver to see if he could possibly share his feelings.
This novella was exactly what I was hoping for, it's sweet, fun and satisfying. It was just long enough to build the story and feel as if you know the characters, but short enough for a one session cosy evening read.
CW: passing mention of drug abuse, grief and death of a family member (all extremely brief)
Going the Distance by DJ Jamison
5.0
Going the Distance (Love Notes 2.5) by DJ Jamison ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A fantastic short story set after the main story in Naughty & Nice (Love Notes Book 2) but before the books epilogue.
In this story we get to see Jonas and Quinn reuniting for the first time since Jonas went back to school. Jonas takes Ace and Benji with him to visit Quinn at his dad's cabin for Spring Break.
After being apart in a long distance relationship for the past two months, the couple are eager to be reunited and sparks once again instantly fly between them.
I really enjoyed this short story and loved how we got a little glimpse into Jonas's life back at school as well as his developing relationship with Quinn.
Ace and Benji were also a nice addition to the story and it was good to see Jonas opening himself up to them more.
A fantastic short story set after the main story in Naughty & Nice (Love Notes Book 2) but before the books epilogue.
In this story we get to see Jonas and Quinn reuniting for the first time since Jonas went back to school. Jonas takes Ace and Benji with him to visit Quinn at his dad's cabin for Spring Break.
After being apart in a long distance relationship for the past two months, the couple are eager to be reunited and sparks once again instantly fly between them.
I really enjoyed this short story and loved how we got a little glimpse into Jonas's life back at school as well as his developing relationship with Quinn.
Ace and Benji were also a nice addition to the story and it was good to see Jonas opening himself up to them more.
Boyfriend Freeze by DJ Jamison
3.0
Boyfriend Freeze (Love Notes Book 3) by DJ Jamison ⭐⭐⭐.5
Fed up of one night stands and feeling rejected, Ollie decides to make a New Year's resolution to try and change his ways and stay celibate for 2 months. He starts a part time job at the college library where he meets Graham, a post graduate student and librarian, who is more focused on romance in books than in real life.
As Ollie and Graham spend more time together, Ollie begins to worry whether he can keep to his resolution or if he should give into temptation and pursue snarky librarian, Graham.
Over the course of the book, Ollie starts to learn his self worth and begins to believe that he is worth more than a one night stand. Graham helps to show Ollie that he is special and deserves to be loved.
Unfortunately it took me a lot longer to get into this book than I expected and I didn't feel the same connection with the characters in this story as I usually do with other books by DJ. This wasn't my favourite story in the Love Notes series but was still a good addition and I was glad to see Ollie get his well deserved happy ending.
Fed up of one night stands and feeling rejected, Ollie decides to make a New Year's resolution to try and change his ways and stay celibate for 2 months. He starts a part time job at the college library where he meets Graham, a post graduate student and librarian, who is more focused on romance in books than in real life.
As Ollie and Graham spend more time together, Ollie begins to worry whether he can keep to his resolution or if he should give into temptation and pursue snarky librarian, Graham.
Over the course of the book, Ollie starts to learn his self worth and begins to believe that he is worth more than a one night stand. Graham helps to show Ollie that he is special and deserves to be loved.
Unfortunately it took me a lot longer to get into this book than I expected and I didn't feel the same connection with the characters in this story as I usually do with other books by DJ. This wasn't my favourite story in the Love Notes series but was still a good addition and I was glad to see Ollie get his well deserved happy ending.
Naughty & Nice by DJ Jamison
4.0
Naughty & Nice (Love Notes Book 2) by DJ Jamison ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Jonas can't seem to forget his ex-stepbrother Quinn. After sharing a fleeting kiss on Christmas Eve four years ago, Jonas has held on to the memory and can't let go of his feelings for Quinn.
After Jonas rescues Quinn in a snow storm, they end up trapped together at Jonas's dad's cabin. Forced to spend time together alone, can they each put aside their baggage and rediscover their past connection?
I loved how Jonas doted on Quinn throughout the book and made him feel loved, but also gave him the space he needed to grow and learn to love himself again after his past bad relationship.
There were lots of both sweet and steamy moments in this book and you could really feel the connection grow between the two main characters. The only thing I wish is that we got to see Quinn's talk with his mum, it felt like it was built up throughout the book but then we never got to read the actual scene.
Overall, this book is a great Christmas read, giving off plenty of cosy, wintery vibes. I would have equally enjoyed reading it any other time of the year but the Christmas theme did make it extra special.
CW: grief, emotional abuse (from a past relationship- off page), negative body image
Jonas can't seem to forget his ex-stepbrother Quinn. After sharing a fleeting kiss on Christmas Eve four years ago, Jonas has held on to the memory and can't let go of his feelings for Quinn.
After Jonas rescues Quinn in a snow storm, they end up trapped together at Jonas's dad's cabin. Forced to spend time together alone, can they each put aside their baggage and rediscover their past connection?
I loved how Jonas doted on Quinn throughout the book and made him feel loved, but also gave him the space he needed to grow and learn to love himself again after his past bad relationship.
There were lots of both sweet and steamy moments in this book and you could really feel the connection grow between the two main characters. The only thing I wish is that we got to see Quinn's talk with his mum, it felt like it was built up throughout the book but then we never got to read the actual scene.
Overall, this book is a great Christmas read, giving off plenty of cosy, wintery vibes. I would have equally enjoyed reading it any other time of the year but the Christmas theme did make it extra special.
CW: grief, emotional abuse (from a past relationship- off page), negative body image
Secret Admirer by DJ Jamison
5.0
Secret Admirer (Love Notes Book 1) by DJ Jamison ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Benji has been infatuated with his best friends brother, Ace, for years. When Benji starts college at the same campus as Ace, they begin to spend more time together alone and gradually become closer.
After Benji is stood up for a date, Ace decides to become Benji's secret admirer and leave him notes and small gifts in the hope of boosting Benji's self esteem. Along the way, Ace starts to question his feelings for Benji and realises that he might not be quite as straight as he originally thought.
Benji is such a cute, sweet guy and it was so nice to see him get the happy ending with Ace that he deserved. I found this book to be a really satisfying, low angst read and would happily read more about Benji and Ace's relationship in the future.
CW: reference of homophobia
Benji has been infatuated with his best friends brother, Ace, for years. When Benji starts college at the same campus as Ace, they begin to spend more time together alone and gradually become closer.
After Benji is stood up for a date, Ace decides to become Benji's secret admirer and leave him notes and small gifts in the hope of boosting Benji's self esteem. Along the way, Ace starts to question his feelings for Benji and realises that he might not be quite as straight as he originally thought.
Benji is such a cute, sweet guy and it was so nice to see him get the happy ending with Ace that he deserved. I found this book to be a really satisfying, low angst read and would happily read more about Benji and Ace's relationship in the future.
CW: reference of homophobia
Bad Boy by Charli Meadows
5.0
Bad Boy (The Loyal Boys Book 2) by Charli Meadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A bad boy with a heart of gold
A bad boy with a heart of gold
Keeper by Nicole Dykes
4.0
Keeper (Kensley Panthers book 1) by Nicole Dykes ⭐⭐⭐.5
A best friends to lovers small town romance ❤️
Camden and Kingston have been best friends since childhood and despite their shared love of Football, they are complete opposites. Kingston is outgoing and focuses on having fun whereas Camden is more serious and spends every day trying to balance his many overwhelming responsibilities.
Kingston lives his life oblivious to the secrets and desires that Camden keeps buried, unaware that once revealed they could tear apart their friendship. As secrets are revealed and the lines of friendship blur, their relationship becomes more complicated than ever. With Cam wanting to break free of small town life and Kingston never wanting to leave, the two of them struggle to find a way to deviate from their opposing paths and stay together.
This book was a satisfying start to the Kensley Panthers series, however, Camden and Kingsley's story turned out to be quite different than I was expecting. I found that the many small time jumps made the story feel quite rushed, especially as there seemed to be no progression between the characters in that time.
At times the story felt less centered on the characters' relationship and more on Camden himself and the change he so desperately longs for in his life. This in turn made it seem as if Kingston was more in the background than the forefront of the story and I wish we got to see more of his own character development as well.
Overall, I did enjoy this book but found myself longing for more from the individual characters and their story. We got a glimpse of some of the characters from the upcoming books in the series and I'm intrigued to see what Nicole brings to their stories. I will definitely be sticking with this series and look forward to seeing how the future books pan out.
❤️Friends to lovers
❤️Small town
❤️Highschool
❤️American football
CW: underage drinking, homophobic language
A best friends to lovers small town romance ❤️
Camden and Kingston have been best friends since childhood and despite their shared love of Football, they are complete opposites. Kingston is outgoing and focuses on having fun whereas Camden is more serious and spends every day trying to balance his many overwhelming responsibilities.
Kingston lives his life oblivious to the secrets and desires that Camden keeps buried, unaware that once revealed they could tear apart their friendship. As secrets are revealed and the lines of friendship blur, their relationship becomes more complicated than ever. With Cam wanting to break free of small town life and Kingston never wanting to leave, the two of them struggle to find a way to deviate from their opposing paths and stay together.
This book was a satisfying start to the Kensley Panthers series, however, Camden and Kingsley's story turned out to be quite different than I was expecting. I found that the many small time jumps made the story feel quite rushed, especially as there seemed to be no progression between the characters in that time.
At times the story felt less centered on the characters' relationship and more on Camden himself and the change he so desperately longs for in his life. This in turn made it seem as if Kingston was more in the background than the forefront of the story and I wish we got to see more of his own character development as well.
Overall, I did enjoy this book but found myself longing for more from the individual characters and their story. We got a glimpse of some of the characters from the upcoming books in the series and I'm intrigued to see what Nicole brings to their stories. I will definitely be sticking with this series and look forward to seeing how the future books pan out.
❤️Friends to lovers
❤️Small town
❤️Highschool
❤️American football
CW: underage drinking, homophobic language