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The Boy Next Door

by Kate McMurray (Goodreads Author)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 173 ratings · 20 reviews

LGBT Contemporary

When Lowell moves back to his hometown to take care of his ailing mother, the last person he expects to see living in the house next door is his childhood friend Jase, grown up now and more attractive than ever. Jase had starred in many of Lowell's teenage fantasies, but Lowell is convinced Jase is straight. And yet, as they rekindle their friendship, it

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ebook, 141 pages

Published January 25th 2011 by Loose Id

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Childhood Friends Become Gay Lovers

39th out of 148 books — 209 voters

Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton

Best M/M Romance Published in 2011

332nd out of 399 books — 860 voters

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Mar 15, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

A childhood fantasy can’t be the love of your life, can he? That's what Lowell thought when he moved back to his hometown to take care of his ailing mother. Lowell’s childhood friend Jase just happens to be his next door neighbor. But life has certainly changed for both men as Jase is now divorced with a young daughter. As the two men reconnect, Lowell and Jase face a lot of obstacles that test their newfound friendship and romance.

The Boy Next Door is a sweet romance with the familiar and well...more A childhood fantasy can’t be the love of your life, can he? That's what Lowell thought when he moved back to his hometown to take care of his ailing mother. Lowell’s childhood friend Jase just happens to be his next door neighbor. But life has certainly changed for both men as Jase is now divorced with a young daughter. As the two men reconnect, Lowell and Jase face a lot of obstacles that test their newfound friendship and romance.

The Boy Next Door is a sweet romance with the familiar and well loved theme of friends turned lovers. The two main characters are normal guys dealing with the every day struggles of life, jobs, economy, and a relationship in a small town. Lowell and Jase have a lot of conflict that draws out the story. There is the issue of Jase’s ex-wife and custody of his child which plays a huge role in the novel. Then there is Lowell’s openness about his sexuality while Jase prefers to stay closeted. These problems and more contribute to the tension about whether the two men can actually weather the issues and come out together.

While the story is by turns romantic and lovely, it also tends to drag. There is some information and additional scenes that don’t seem to add much to the story. Jase’s best friend, a nearby bar owner, is also gay but I’m not sure how his romantic problems play into the story. If anything this distracts from the main couple. Additionally Jase and Lowell have a rocky relationship with a lot of fighting. Jase is especially fearful and often lashes out at Lowell because of this. Lowell is pretty understanding but ultimately I wasn't entirely sure that these two really fell in love and lasted.

The characters are three dimensional and come across as authentic. Their problems feel genuine and you can empathize with their issues. There are no clear cut evil villains and the story creates good tension with a definite happy ending. While this didn’t always work so well for me I think some readers will enjoy the real feel to the story. Everyday men with problems and issues that aren’t fantasies but find a way to true love. If this sounds like your type of book, give it a chance.

Originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...(less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-romance-or-erotica

Lowell returns to Greenbriar after 16 years to take care of his mother. The first day he gets to his house, his realtor (and friend) tells him that his neighbor is Jason "Jase" Midland and his daughter, Layla. Jase had been the star of so many Lowell's teenager's fantasy. What will happen now that they're adults ... and Lowell finds out the real reason why Jase's marriage falls apart.

This is the kind of story I enjoy ... I love how "down-to-earth" it is. This kind of setting can be boring, becau...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Kassa rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Boy Next Door is a cute premise that just didn’t capture my attention. The characters have some good depth and the writing is perfunctory. There are several themes that are likely to appeal to fans and some nice use of tension. The conflict is kept real and believable throughout the story, so much so I didn’t actually buy into the happy ending and resolution. Unfortunately there are many issues left hanging as well with the hope that together the two men can get through them. Unfortunately I...more The Boy Next Door is a cute premise that just didn’t capture my attention. The characters have some good depth and the writing is perfunctory. There are several themes that are likely to appeal to fans and some nice use of tension. The conflict is kept real and believable throughout the story, so much so I didn’t actually buy into the happy ending and resolution. Unfortunately there are many issues left hanging as well with the hope that together the two men can get through them. Unfortunately I don’t really believe they will so that combined with a few other issues just killed my enjoyment.

The story is as the title suggests a friends turned lovers theme. Boyhood friends Lowell and Jase grew apart in high school but now reconnect when Lowell moves back to their hometown. Lowell is dealing with an ailing mother while Jase has a young daughter to take care of. The plot is very character dependant and that’s not a bad thing. If you can connect to the two men and care about their plight, this story could be a contemporary comfort read. It has all the elements of an easy, enjoyable romance for the right reader.

Unfortunately for me I became increasingly frustrated with both Jase and Lowell. The story does a good job of developing both characters. They’re not perfect or evil but complex men with fears, flaws, strengths and weaknesses. Jase struggles the most with unrealistic expectations and a huge guilt complex. He got married knowing he was gay so when the marriage predictably unraveled, Jase feels responsible for everything and everyone. He excuses his ex-wife’s behavior out of guilt and constantly says mean, hurtful things to Lowell out of fear. While I can understand this and even applaud Lowell for calling Jase on these actions, Lowell simply takes the pain and keeps going in the relationship.

There are brief moments when Lowell pretends that he’s done with Jase after Jase has said and done yet another horrible thing out of fear and guilt, but Lowell always rationalizes everything due to the situation with Jase’s daughter. I found this issue made both men very unlikable for me. I didn’t like Jase’s waffling and bad actions towards Lowell but more so I hated that Lowell never really stood up for himself. He says the actions and comments are wrong and Jase agrees but Lowell simply gives in and claims love as the reason he continues. I was left feeling the two men shouldn’t be together and actually don’t really stand a chance at staying together.

Additionally there are several tangents that don’t really add anything to the story. There is the subplot about Lowell’s mother that seems to come in and out of the story without any real purpose; especially so when the problem is not resolved at the end. There is also the secondary character of Neil and his closeted boyfriend that is doesn’t really fit with the story but all I can imagine is there is a sequel staring these two so perhaps that’s why it’s included now. I found both subplots distracting and not very interesting.

Overall this just didn’t work for me. I didn’t care for the writing very much with the rhetorical questions and very short action style of writing dominating the prose. (Ie. “He walked to the bed. He sat down. He removed his shirt.”) This is strange since I’ve read other things by this author I liked a lot so perhaps this will hit big with the right reader.
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Oct 22, 2011 Sadonna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, pdf, friends-to-lovers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This story was a little bit predictable to me, but overall a decent read because the writing style was engaging.

Jason and Lowell were childhood friends who grew apart. Lowell was the abused and out son of the town drunk while Jason was the star baseball player. Fast forward 16 years and Lowell comes home and buys the house next to his former friend's partents house. Hmmm - and now the friend lives there. The story revolves around the rekindling of their friendship and then something more.

Turns...more This story was a little bit predictable to me, but overall a decent read because the writing style was engaging.

Jason and Lowell were childhood friends who grew apart. Lowell was the abused and out son of the town drunk while Jason was the star baseball player. Fast forward 16 years and Lowell comes home and buys the house next to his former friend's partents house. Hmmm - and now the friend lives there. The story revolves around the rekindling of their friendship and then something more.

Turns out ole Jason has been living in the closet after his marriage broke up and he has custody of his daughter who is now 6. His ex-wife is a thoroughly unlikable character - particularly because of her treatment of her child. I get that she's mad that she feels 'misled' or 'lied to' by Jason, but disappearing on a 4-year old for 6 months makes her completely unsympathetic and despicable - not to mention her other actions. The one thing I just couldn't understand was why in the world a man who obviously loved his child would be comfortable with someone who is repeatedly shown to be unstable taking said child unsupervised. Especially as it's not even in a legal agreement. Apparently it's his need to be "punished" for "lying" and for being gay.

Jason really cares for Lowell but he doesn't believe that he deserves to be happy and have a relationship with someone that he loves. He lashes out at Lowell when something happens that will most likely not be a surprise to any reader.

While a lot of the plot was completely predictable, what I liked about the story was the interaction between Lowell and Jason as they try to figure out what is going on between them. Jason is rather stunted in his emotional life and can't seem to express himself - he has a hard time being honest with himself, let alone Lowell. Lowell tried to be understanding, but he's lived his life totally out and he thinks Jason is just hiding behind some pretty unjustified fears.

I liked the secondary characters of Joanie, Neal and Russ (is there another book coming there?), but I think the story line with Lowell's mother kind of slowed down the pacing a little bit. Finally, I felt like the ending was a little bit forced although I applaud Joanie's interference. Sometime people just need a push.

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Dec 04, 2012 Raevyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 45k-to-65k-words, contemporary, friends-to-lovers, gfy-ofy, hurt-comfort, m-m, mm-with-kids, 2012

Lowell and Jase were friends as kids, but that friendship fell apart in their teen years. Lowell was abused by his father, an art major and very out, while Jase was a jock and very closeted. Lowell returns to their home town and happens to move into the house next door to Jase and his daughter. Things heat up between them and seem to be going okay, even with the fear Jase deals with about being found out. Something major happens and Jase and Lowell have to reevaluate their relationship.

I liked t...more

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Jul 01, 2012 jules0623 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: artists-writers-and-creative-types, fabulous-friends-or-relatives, asshat-friends-or-relatives, child-abuse-or-implied-or-past, evil-harpy-gf-ex-wife-friend, exes-that-are-not-awesome, break-up-and-make-up, friends-to-lovers, homophobia, casual-sex-booty-call-drunk-sex, hot-computer-geeks, in-the-closet, relationship-m-m, on-the-run, outed, kidnapped-hijacked-or-held-hostage, domestic-violence-or-other-abuse

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 29, 2011 Nerine Petros rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

The Boy Next Door is a story based on childhood fantasy. Those love stories or wishful thoughts we have either heard about or felt towards that special someone, but never had the guts to do anything about. It's about acknowledging and facing the past that we may have left behind but could never quite outrun, and finally facing truth.

Lowell feels almost resigned to the next stage of his life. The one where he returns to a previous phase and revisits those haunts of his childhood home, along with...more The Boy Next Door is a story based on childhood fantasy. Those love stories or wishful thoughts we have either heard about or felt towards that special someone, but never had the guts to do anything about. It's about acknowledging and facing the past that we may have left behind but could never quite outrun, and finally facing truth.

Lowell feels almost resigned to the next stage of his life. The one where he returns to a previous phase and revisits those haunts of his childhood home, along with the sweet, memorable and often-times painful, memories that go along with this. But this isn't all of it, because once I moved past his reservations, I could also feel his excitement and anticipation at the chance to conquer this new landscape of old geography.

Jason is a man finally facing himself and the hard truths he has kept hidden. A divorced father of one spunky little chick, Jason is real right down to the mixed bottle of emotions his ex-wife can open. His little one, Layla, is really well written. Almost wise beyond her years at times, with the same cheeky, pushing-the-boundaries attitude of every young child who knows a simple smile will buy them miles of leeway.

I really liked how Kate didn't let the story run away with how bitter and twisted everyone could have felt over the separation of Karen and Jason as Layla's parents. Instead, this story focuses on the outcomes of that decision, where each of the characters is at right now and how they are each in, if not a healthier place, then at least a much more honest one.

The absolute certainty that the marriage is over right from the start really let me focus on where the two main male characters were heading. Really subtle at first, it helped reading from both Lowell and Jason's points of view to see what past history each felt and remembered, leading to where they were coming from. I got to work with them as they each worked through separate issues before finally connecting.

The story, although not quite a tearjerker, is emotional without going too deep. Well balanced with drama and a bit of old friend humour, The Boy Next Door is a novel written in a contemporary style. Nx

Note: Review written for Queer Magazine Online.(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Mel rated it 2 of 5 stars

2,5 - I do like Kate McMurray's writing but in this particular case I had some major problems with the main characters, mainly Jase.
I have not much sympathy for characters who struggle to fight for their own happiness. Hence the ending of this story seemed constructed. I really don't get Jase's hesitation to integrate Lowell in his life.

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Mar 24, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay, ebook, romance, 2011, done

Good m/m romance about a designer who moves from NYC back to his small Connecticut hometown to keep an eye on his mom after his dad dies. He discovers that the house he just bought is next door to the guy he had a crush on in high school, who's now divorced with a six-year old daughter.

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Jan 04, 2012 Heidi Cullinan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, comfort-fun-reads, best-of-2011

This book has a lovely tossed salad of tropes mixed up with some new twists, excellent storytelling, and a refreshing voice. The Boy Next Door was my first Kate McMurray, and I quickly went out and read everything else she'd written after reading this.

It's a book about family, about coming out, about coming home, about hard decisions and falling in love. The characters are real and distinct but allow a reader to insert herself into the scene a little and feel resonances in her own life. The situ...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Janna rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. Friends reunite and become lovers in this story, a theme I love. Add some serious angst, complex family ties and hot smexing to the mix and you get an enjoyable read.

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Jan 30, 2011 Tana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I enjoyed this book, but I wasn't to happy with the way it ended. To much of the story is still untold is the best way I can explain it. Maybe there is a sequel???

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May 14, 2011 Arthur rated it 2 of 5 stars

The theme (childhood friends become lovers) is my favorite. To a degree, the author tried to make the problem real. However, the solution that she offers doesn't seem to be one. I'm tired of reading this 'gays v. non-gays' mentality. Apart from the closest friend that the MC has from the beginning, it seems all non-gays try to do harm to the MCs. The ones that seem sympathetic happens to be... gay also! The ending is HFN, not HEA. If I knew it's HFN, I wouldn't have bothered to pay six bucks.

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Oct 28, 2011 Meredeth Dean rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story. It didn't feel forced, like some do. I highly recommend it.

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Jan 18, 2013 Hrtnsoul28 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Wonderful story with a sweet 6 year old girl.

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Dec 21, 2012 Fernanda Parente rated it 5 of 5 stars

one of the sweetest book I read this year

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Jan 26, 2011 Nichem rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

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Feb 26, 2011 Cole Riann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, m-m-contemporary, m-m-friends2lovers, armchair-reviews, rereads

DNF Reason -- This wasn't a terrible story, it just didn't do anything for me. Halfway through I still hadn't connected to the characters and I was forcing myself to read it just to get it over with. That's not a good thing. So, this one is headed for the DNF shelf. Maybe I'll pick it back up at a later date, maybe not. But, for now, I'm going to move on to something else.

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Jul 04, 2011 Mandi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-mm

2.5 stars. Good writing, but I didn't really like either character or the situation they were in. Maybe I wasn't expecting so much angst? And I'm a sucker for a HEA, not an uncertain HFN.

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Dec 21, 2012 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, contemporary, e-books, favorites, romance

I couldn't put this one down. I started it last night, and finished it at 5:00 in the morning. This one is going on my favorites list.

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May 21, 2013 Lottapotta rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 17, 2013 Stacey marked it as to-read

May 17, 2013 Lasticmax marked it as to-read

Shelves: have-it

May 17, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 16, 2013 Kiki Lynnwood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general

May 11, 2013 glorybox6 rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 07, 2013 Ashlee added it · review of another edition

May 13, 2013 Lisa Fox rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 02, 2013 Lisa marked it as to-read

May 02, 2013 Califg70 rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Kate McMurray

Kate McMurray is a nonfiction editor. Also, she is crafty (mostly knitting and sewing, but she also wields power tools), she plays the violin, and she dabbles in various other pursuits. She’s maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with a presumptuous cat.

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