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Falling Off the Face of the Earth
After his big-shot life in New York tragically falls apart, James Montgomery returns to his small hometown in south Georgia a defeated and broken man. All he has left is his mother to help him heal and regain his confidence before he's ready to get back out and re-conquer the world.
But being big-city gay in a small southern town has its own challenges. In addition to coming to grips with what happened in New York, his hometown of Lawder throws its own curveballs at him. James is confronted with a bitter enemy from his school days, and frustratingly can't seem to avoid the guy. His mother suddenly wants to expand the family. The one guy James takes a liking to and starts dating has a lot of hang-ups about being gay. And he watches almost helplessly as a new young bully starts to repeat the kind of abuse he suffered during his own school days.
Here where he grew up, the one place he should feel safe, James feels maddeningly off-balance. He starts to think that maybe going home was a bad idea after all. Maybe he'd be better off moving on and really starting over, completely from scratch. Maybe he should walk away from Lawder, just like he walked away from his life in New York.
But maybe, if he'd give it a chance, he'd re-think everything he ever thought he wanted out of life. And maybe what he thought was important, isn't so important after all. Maybe he could have everything he never realized he wanted, if he just looked around himself for a moment.
But being big-city gay in a small southern town has its own challenges. In addition to coming to grips with what happened in New York, his hometown of Lawder throws its own curveballs at him. James is confronted with a bitter enemy from his school days, and frustratingly can't seem to avoid the guy. His mother suddenly wants to expand the family. The one guy James takes a liking to and starts dating has a lot of hang-ups about being gay. And he watches almost helplessly as a new young bully starts to repeat the kind of abuse he suffered during his own school days.
Here where he grew up, the one place he should feel safe, James feels maddeningly off-balance. He starts to think that maybe going home was a bad idea after all. Maybe he'd be better off moving on and really starting over, completely from scratch. Maybe he should walk away from Lawder, just like he walked away from his life in New York.
But maybe, if he'd give it a chance, he'd re-think everything he ever thought he wanted out of life. And maybe what he thought was important, isn't so important after all. Maybe he could have everything he never realized he wanted, if he just looked around himself for a moment.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
May 6, 2013
**4.5 Stars**
I started this book around 10 pm last night, which was a very very bad idea indeed. Clocking in at over 400 pages, I had to stay up until 2 am to finish it. Late night= tired Heather today. But it was worth it. "Falling Off the Face of the Earth" was an excellent read.
The story follows James as he moves back to his home town in the south following a personal tragedy in New York. He feels lost and alone, and he is not sure what his next move will be. When he is confronted with his junior high bully, who seems to have changed completely since middle school, James struggles to let go of his past, move on, and forgive. During the process, however, he makes surprising friends and changes his outlook on life.
What I have noticed in JF Smith's books is that the author is a master at creating beautiful friendships. As with Latakia, the friendships that James makes are almost more special than the romance here. There is a deep bond between the men in this book that comes across loud and clear to the reader. JF Smith actually spends more time on the friend side of things than the romance itself, which comes much later in the book. This book is more of a journey of personal discovery for James than a traditional romance, in my opinion. What I especially love about this author is that he manages to create deep, meaningful moments out of mundane events. He makes everything shine much brighter than a different author would.
As always with JF Smith books, I wanted much more heat. Though with Latakia I could get past the lack of sex scenes, I sorely missed it here. I love a newbie gay man discovering sex with guys for the first time. Curse you author for taking that away from me! Despite the lack of smut, I think this book was a wonderful read, not to be missed.
I started this book around 10 pm last night, which was a very very bad idea indeed. Clocking in at over 400 pages, I had to stay up until 2 am to finish it. Late night= tired Heather today. But it was worth it. "Falling Off the Face of the Earth" was an excellent read.
The story follows James as he moves back to his home town in the south following a personal tragedy in New York. He feels lost and alone, and he is not sure what his next move will be. When he is confronted with his junior high bully, who seems to have changed completely since middle school, James struggles to let go of his past, move on, and forgive. During the process, however, he makes surprising friends and changes his outlook on life.
What I have noticed in JF Smith's books is that the author is a master at creating beautiful friendships. As with Latakia, the friendships that James makes are almost more special than the romance here. There is a deep bond between the men in this book that comes across loud and clear to the reader. JF Smith actually spends more time on the friend side of things than the romance itself, which comes much later in the book. This book is more of a journey of personal discovery for James than a traditional romance, in my opinion. What I especially love about this author is that he manages to create deep, meaningful moments out of mundane events. He makes everything shine much brighter than a different author would.
As always with JF Smith books, I wanted much more heat. Though with Latakia I could get past the lack of sex scenes, I sorely missed it here. I love a newbie gay man discovering sex with guys for the first time. Curse you author for taking that away from me! Despite the lack of smut, I think this book was a wonderful read, not to be missed.
November 22, 2011
This is an amazing book. It's about family, friendship, trust, and, of course, love. The book follows the life of James Montgomery since he returns back to his small hometown in the South after living in New York. James was a movie marketer who dated a famous actor, Ian. Ian killed himself and James felt that not only he was not able to prevent it, but he also contributed to his lover's death. When the company he worked didn't appreciate what he did, he quit and move back home with his mother who had a landscaping business.
James was so shocked to learn that his mother's current right hand man was Kevin 'Brick' Taylor--a person who often bullied him when they were in Junior High. He refused to even be in the same room with Brick. The author doesn't make a quick and painless reconciliation between the two. Only after a while and public humiliation did James forgive Brick, and they became friends. At one point, when life gave him another hit, James decided that he wanted to have his big city life back, so he seek a new job in Los Angeles. This put him in a dilemma: would he stay in his small-city life with his friends and family or would he pursue a career he wants?
The book chronicles many things that happened between the two. The length allows characters developments. Now and then, there are background stories about what happened in New York. I'm glad that the tension between James and Brick is not solved over night. Neither do they become couple fast.
There are many very interesting supporting characters: Jerry (a police chief who likes to smoke pot), J.T. (a hot policeman), Cory (a 14-yr old boy who bullied his classmate), Bea (James' mother), Lindsey (a 5-yr old girl), Stephanie (James' next-door neighbor who is a dominatrix stripper), and Jesus (a Hispanic colleague who keeps being accused illegal worker and was often called You-Know-Who, even though his name is supposed to be pronounced differently).
While the plot is not completely new, the execution is done beautifully. The author provides enough background stories for both James and Brick that make them multidimensional characters. The characters also have many quirks that makes this really interesting book (for instance, there's a dog who likes to sniff James' crotch).
I really recommend this book for those who like romance. Don't worry, while it's sweet, it's not all-too-sweet sugary kind of romance. There are appropriate dose of angst, humor, and drama. Interestingly, the sex scenes are there but not between the MCs.
I've never heard of the author before. A quick search both on Goodreads and Amazon didn't give me any other result apart from this book. So, more likely it's a new author, or famous author with a pseudo name.
It's quite long book (9,500 points in Amazon Kindle location). Because I've never heard the author, I was wondering if I'd like the book. So happy that I gave it a try.
I feel bad that the author only charged me 99 cents in Amazon. With so many craps books out there which charge me $4.99- $6.99, I think the book worth much more than that.
James was so shocked to learn that his mother's current right hand man was Kevin 'Brick' Taylor--a person who often bullied him when they were in Junior High. He refused to even be in the same room with Brick. The author doesn't make a quick and painless reconciliation between the two. Only after a while and public humiliation did James forgive Brick, and they became friends. At one point, when life gave him another hit, James decided that he wanted to have his big city life back, so he seek a new job in Los Angeles. This put him in a dilemma: would he stay in his small-city life with his friends and family or would he pursue a career he wants?
The book chronicles many things that happened between the two. The length allows characters developments. Now and then, there are background stories about what happened in New York. I'm glad that the tension between James and Brick is not solved over night. Neither do they become couple fast.
There are many very interesting supporting characters: Jerry (a police chief who likes to smoke pot), J.T. (a hot policeman), Cory (a 14-yr old boy who bullied his classmate), Bea (James' mother), Lindsey (a 5-yr old girl), Stephanie (James' next-door neighbor who is a dominatrix stripper), and Jesus (a Hispanic colleague who keeps being accused illegal worker and was often called You-Know-Who, even though his name is supposed to be pronounced differently).
While the plot is not completely new, the execution is done beautifully. The author provides enough background stories for both James and Brick that make them multidimensional characters. The characters also have many quirks that makes this really interesting book (for instance, there's a dog who likes to sniff James' crotch).
I really recommend this book for those who like romance. Don't worry, while it's sweet, it's not all-too-sweet sugary kind of romance. There are appropriate dose of angst, humor, and drama. Interestingly, the sex scenes are there but not between the MCs.
I've never heard of the author before. A quick search both on Goodreads and Amazon didn't give me any other result apart from this book. So, more likely it's a new author, or famous author with a pseudo name.
It's quite long book (9,500 points in Amazon Kindle location). Because I've never heard the author, I was wondering if I'd like the book. So happy that I gave it a try.
I feel bad that the author only charged me 99 cents in Amazon. With so many craps books out there which charge me $4.99- $6.99, I think the book worth much more than that.
January 16, 2015
Mixed bag of feelings about this one.
So there is some definite emotional manipulation going on with this which I am not fond of in general, add in the MC's psychologist narrative that just felt too separated from the events that made this seem less like a story being told and more about the author trying to herd me-- this is my face O__O
That said, it is a lovely story about losing oneself and going back home and finding yourself again. Realizing that it isn't the what or where, but the who that makes the impact in your life and happiness. About forgiveness, and how it changes everyone involved. And I love those concepts, but the didactic approach was repellant at times.
You try to drag me somewhere and I'm gonna head the other direction out of spite.
That's how this book made me feel, and I had other issues, too. I had a major issue with the resolution of James and Brick's past. The onerous of rebuilding/bridging was placed squarely on James' shoulders and I really, viscerally disagreed with the other characters' analyst of the situation. Way too much turn the other cheek for my liking, and this was the primary disconnect for me and the story. In addition, the flamboyance of a whole slew of characters made it less realistic. It made for easy laughs to disperse that heavy sadness, but at what cost? Finally, it dragged on. The story wanted to tie up all the loose ends including a tertiary character--this is only one story. So the slow flounder to the end kinda was a bummer.
I'm at a loss on rating. Parts were four or five stars, others were two and the composite rating seems to skew lower in my mind than the actual enjoyment of the story. It's more than a two and less than a three, I'm rounding up because it kept my interest and made me laugh at times.
So there is some definite emotional manipulation going on with this which I am not fond of in general, add in the MC's psychologist narrative that just felt too separated from the events that made this seem less like a story being told and more about the author trying to herd me-- this is my face O__O
That said, it is a lovely story about losing oneself and going back home and finding yourself again. Realizing that it isn't the what or where, but the who that makes the impact in your life and happiness. About forgiveness, and how it changes everyone involved. And I love those concepts, but the didactic approach was repellant at times.
You try to drag me somewhere and I'm gonna head the other direction out of spite.
That's how this book made me feel, and I had other issues, too. I had a major issue with the resolution of James and Brick's past. The onerous of rebuilding/bridging was placed squarely on James' shoulders and I really, viscerally disagreed with the other characters' analyst of the situation. Way too much turn the other cheek for my liking, and this was the primary disconnect for me and the story. In addition, the flamboyance of a whole slew of characters made it less realistic. It made for easy laughs to disperse that heavy sadness, but at what cost? Finally, it dragged on. The story wanted to tie up all the loose ends including a tertiary character--this is only one story. So the slow flounder to the end kinda was a bummer.
I'm at a loss on rating. Parts were four or five stars, others were two and the composite rating seems to skew lower in my mind than the actual enjoyment of the story. It's more than a two and less than a three, I'm rounding up because it kept my interest and made me laugh at times.
December 14, 2012
This is my second book to read by JF Smith and I loved this one very much. It is a long winding kind of book that has a romance toward the end. There were times that I wondered if it was going to happen even. Some of the subplots and character building seems superfluous, but I enjoy that as well. It extends my reading pleasure to not have everything be about the romance.
James has had some rough things happen to him in life. This book is about how karma catches up with you or how you can learn from your past mistakes. What do you truly need to make you happy in life?
I usually think I am pretty lucky having a career that is based on my passion and having a husband that I am passionate about. A few years back I took a job where I had to live M-F in a different city from my husband. A 3 year stint didn’t harm our relationship but I learned that I need to live with my husband in order for me to feel right. I am bless to love what I do for a living. It doesn’t make it all play, its hard work but I do love working at it. For our stories lead James, he has messed up with the one person he thought he needed to be complete. He has found out that his chosen field is full of self serving idiots. Now what? This is the genius of Mr. Smith. You need all the superfluous bits to really get into James’ head. All the things he has to re-learn about himself and others. Then JF inserts Cory, a 14 year old boy figuring out he is gay and desperately not wanting to be. James becomes a better person by all that he does to help Cory. The bully and victim theme is woven skillfully thru out this novel. It really opens his eyes to see the world differently from his original myopic self image.
There are many great supporting characters that populate this novel, most of which I came to enjoy if not love. The chief of police is a hoot, I do wonder if he is a bit over the top, but I can also admit that there might be someone like him in real life.
The end of the book is like an extended epilog. When you fall in love with characters, it is a blessing to really know what happens after the romance has blossomed.
JF Smith writes complex characters that I care about and love to see them grow and find their place in life. There is no real sex in this book. There are many situations that might be a problem for a minor to read, but I am not an expert there. The situation with Cory would be great for young men to read about.
James has had some rough things happen to him in life. This book is about how karma catches up with you or how you can learn from your past mistakes. What do you truly need to make you happy in life?
I usually think I am pretty lucky having a career that is based on my passion and having a husband that I am passionate about. A few years back I took a job where I had to live M-F in a different city from my husband. A 3 year stint didn’t harm our relationship but I learned that I need to live with my husband in order for me to feel right. I am bless to love what I do for a living. It doesn’t make it all play, its hard work but I do love working at it. For our stories lead James, he has messed up with the one person he thought he needed to be complete. He has found out that his chosen field is full of self serving idiots. Now what? This is the genius of Mr. Smith. You need all the superfluous bits to really get into James’ head. All the things he has to re-learn about himself and others. Then JF inserts Cory, a 14 year old boy figuring out he is gay and desperately not wanting to be. James becomes a better person by all that he does to help Cory. The bully and victim theme is woven skillfully thru out this novel. It really opens his eyes to see the world differently from his original myopic self image.
There are many great supporting characters that populate this novel, most of which I came to enjoy if not love. The chief of police is a hoot, I do wonder if he is a bit over the top, but I can also admit that there might be someone like him in real life.
The end of the book is like an extended epilog. When you fall in love with characters, it is a blessing to really know what happens after the romance has blossomed.
JF Smith writes complex characters that I care about and love to see them grow and find their place in life. There is no real sex in this book. There are many situations that might be a problem for a minor to read, but I am not an expert there. The situation with Cory would be great for young men to read about.
May 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this story a lot. The characters are more than just shallow stereotypes, and grow, and change over the course of the story. It's nice to see people from small towns being treated with a level of respect, and allowed to be much more than ignorant hicks or folksy charmers. The secondary characters were as well developed, and interesting as the primary ones, and the relationships between friends and family was accorded just as much importance as romantic ones.
November 17, 2011
Review of Free Version only. This is a family drama book and about friendships with some romantic elements but not a real m/m romance story. I didn't really like a lot of it in the beginning and it was boring in parts. The story starts with James returning to his hometown of Georgia where his mom lives, after some tragic event happened in New York. James doesn't talk about what happened, it's only hinted at until we're about 70% (page 300) into the story , which is quite annoying.
The first half of the book deals with James' relationship with his mother. In fact the entire book is very mom centric. She eventually adopts a child that James becomes a big brother/father figure to. James also reconciles with a former bully, Brick and becomes friends with him and other people in the town.
Things I didn't like: James constantly(and I mean constantly) compares how shallow his life and his friends were in New York and how much better people were in country life of Georgia. I didn't like that whole bias big city equals bad. I didn't like that when James, an adult, wants to actually try to restart his career in another state, his mom says no. Nor was it quite believable that he would forego everything he ever wanted and be satisfied with a manual labor landscaping job.
The first half of the book, (200 Kindle pages) everyone just played to good ole boy stereotypes. There was a lot of drinking and getting high. One of their friends to celebrate becoming chief of Police comes over to get high and hit a bong. In an earlier scene, the future chief and Brick get so drunk that they can barely walk, talk, see straight & the writer makes the poor decision to write out their totally inane dialog. (While the major ones, like James talking about his former boyfriend, are told and not shown) The second half of the book it's still mentioned that coming over and getting high is a favorite past time but at least the dialog for this drops off.
We get 200 pages of James being the only gay man, as far as he knew, in town. He's like the pet gay in town. They take him to a straight stripper bar, I guess to see how he reacts. There's an entire scene described about the stripper, who is James' neighbor, dollar bills and lap dances. In fact more sexual details are given for this than was given for when James & Brick finally get together, which doesn't happen until the book is about 88 percent done.
I did like the subplot involving the chief's 14 year old son Cory. And when Brick & James get together (all 5 to 10 pages or so) they make a nice couple. But before that there is zero sexual chemistry between Brick & James. They are just friends and act more like brothers throughout the book. At 88% in James is wondering when did my feelings change. The reader could wonder the same thing as well as there's really no lead up to this romantic turn. We don't get to think about it too long, however, as we're swept once again into more family drama involving the mom & Cory as the book comes to a close.
While a couple of the things mentioned was nice, it's not enough for me to recommend this book. It may be because I read the free version, but it felt like it needed a lot of reworking to make this a publishable story. It also didn't hold my interest a lot of the times. (As a side note--there are numerous editing & spelling errors and words that are misused throughout. I mention this last as I assume this was cleaned up in the published version)
The first half of the book deals with James' relationship with his mother. In fact the entire book is very mom centric. She eventually adopts a child that James becomes a big brother/father figure to. James also reconciles with a former bully, Brick and becomes friends with him and other people in the town.
Things I didn't like: James constantly(and I mean constantly) compares how shallow his life and his friends were in New York and how much better people were in country life of Georgia. I didn't like that whole bias big city equals bad. I didn't like that when James, an adult, wants to actually try to restart his career in another state, his mom says no. Nor was it quite believable that he would forego everything he ever wanted and be satisfied with a manual labor landscaping job.
The first half of the book, (200 Kindle pages) everyone just played to good ole boy stereotypes. There was a lot of drinking and getting high. One of their friends to celebrate becoming chief of Police comes over to get high and hit a bong. In an earlier scene, the future chief and Brick get so drunk that they can barely walk, talk, see straight & the writer makes the poor decision to write out their totally inane dialog. (While the major ones, like James talking about his former boyfriend, are told and not shown) The second half of the book it's still mentioned that coming over and getting high is a favorite past time but at least the dialog for this drops off.
We get 200 pages of James being the only gay man, as far as he knew, in town. He's like the pet gay in town. They take him to a straight stripper bar, I guess to see how he reacts. There's an entire scene described about the stripper, who is James' neighbor, dollar bills and lap dances. In fact more sexual details are given for this than was given for when James & Brick finally get together, which doesn't happen until the book is about 88 percent done.
I did like the subplot involving the chief's 14 year old son Cory. And when Brick & James get together (all 5 to 10 pages or so) they make a nice couple. But before that there is zero sexual chemistry between Brick & James. They are just friends and act more like brothers throughout the book. At 88% in James is wondering when did my feelings change. The reader could wonder the same thing as well as there's really no lead up to this romantic turn. We don't get to think about it too long, however, as we're swept once again into more family drama involving the mom & Cory as the book comes to a close.
While a couple of the things mentioned was nice, it's not enough for me to recommend this book. It may be because I read the free version, but it felt like it needed a lot of reworking to make this a publishable story. It also didn't hold my interest a lot of the times. (As a side note--there are numerous editing & spelling errors and words that are misused throughout. I mention this last as I assume this was cleaned up in the published version)
October 4, 2015
Five glorious stars. It's been awhile since I've been so enamored with a story... I don't think I'll ever forget it. The writing was beautiful, his story timely and clever, the characters were complex and real, and the atmosphere had a tactile quality to it. And then there was Brick. Suffice it to say that when I was done with the book, I felt like I had just spent a considerable amount of time with beloved family and fabulous friends. It was a wonderful, satisfying feeling.
I loved Smith's book, perhaps even more that his Latakia (also 5 stars). Highly recommended.
I loved Smith's book, perhaps even more that his Latakia (also 5 stars). Highly recommended.
March 24, 2013
Falling Off the Face of the Earth is the second JF Smith book I have read. The first one was Latakia and there is a third book, that I will try to read after this. This book was beautiful and at times painful. One of the things about this as well is there is a lot that happens. The saving grace for me was the humor. I laughed sometimes.
James was the main character and while I would consider another character (who I won't mention) a main character, James was the main focus of the story. His story was quite sad and at times I felt sorry for him, although he was clueless at the best of times. It killed me to know who he should end up with and then having to wait for it to happen.
This book wont be for everyone. I loved it though and I found myself enthralled in the lives of James and the other characters. I am a huge fan of JF Smith and cannot wait for more of his books.
Highly recommend it!
James was the main character and while I would consider another character (who I won't mention) a main character, James was the main focus of the story. His story was quite sad and at times I felt sorry for him, although he was clueless at the best of times. It killed me to know who he should end up with and then having to wait for it to happen.
This book wont be for everyone. I loved it though and I found myself enthralled in the lives of James and the other characters. I am a huge fan of JF Smith and cannot wait for more of his books.
Highly recommend it!
November 25, 2011
Lovely, sweet, romantic story. No explicit sex, but the charm and the HEA makes up for it.
August 6, 2016
This book could have been a very good read, if it wasn't for a few things that made me yawn and/or roll my eyes.
The stilted, fake-sounding, dialogues. The endless inner monologues that went over the same thoughts over and over again. The somewhat out of the blue things that happened, for reasons that felt like they were there just to prolong the story, but never really got the attention it needed to actually be a part of the story.
And my biggest problem of all, the romance never got a build-up. There were no pining or tension or anything like it. For 80% of the book, the romance was just a friendship. A great friendship at that, but this also mean we didn't get to see the falling in love part. Which is one of my favorite things with books in this genre.
So, I'm giving these stars more because I can see what this book could have been, than what it actually was for me.
The stilted, fake-sounding, dialogues. The endless inner monologues that went over the same thoughts over and over again. The somewhat out of the blue things that happened, for reasons that felt like they were there just to prolong the story, but never really got the attention it needed to actually be a part of the story.
And my biggest problem of all, the romance never got a build-up. There were no pining or tension or anything like it. For 80% of the book, the romance was just a friendship. A great friendship at that, but this also mean we didn't get to see the falling in love part. Which is one of my favorite things with books in this genre.
So, I'm giving these stars more because I can see what this book could have been, than what it actually was for me.
September 3, 2014
4.5 stars I really, really liked this! I'll be honest, the last chapter and Epilogue were actually my least favorite. Just more than necessary and overly sweet .
But the rest was just... *sigh* I stayed up till 2 am exhausted but not wanting to put it down, and loving every second. I cried, a lot. And laughed even more (out loud, like a weirdo). And they didn't even get together until like 86%! I should be angry about that, but I'm not. Because I loved them as friends too. Yes, I was curious when it would finally happen, but I just liked hanging out with them (and Jerry) and just genuinely enjoyed the ride.
At first when there was an insinuated sex scene I thought, "okay, this is a fling and so I get not seeing the details because it's not our MC's and we don't need to get attached." But then, after all that time! James and Brick finally get together... and I had to get to a full page ahead before I was sure they had actually had sex. Boo! I get not having a ton of sex in your book, and the guys had such a great connection we didn't have to see the sex... but I love getting to see that intimate look into how they are together. What they say, what they do, what they feel as they look into each others eyes during that moment. So, I missed that.
But really... I really, really liked it. Ask my hubby who finally had to tell me to turn my fucking book off and go the fuck to sleep. :)
Borrowed from Reggie for 2014 September Free-For-All in Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group
But the rest was just... *sigh* I stayed up till 2 am exhausted but not wanting to put it down, and loving every second. I cried, a lot. And laughed even more (out loud, like a weirdo). And they didn't even get together until like 86%! I should be angry about that, but I'm not. Because I loved them as friends too. Yes, I was curious when it would finally happen, but I just liked hanging out with them (and Jerry) and just genuinely enjoyed the ride.
At first when there was an insinuated sex scene I thought, "okay, this is a fling and so I get not seeing the details because it's not our MC's and we don't need to get attached." But then, after all that time! James and Brick finally get together... and I had to get to a full page ahead before I was sure they had actually had sex. Boo! I get not having a ton of sex in your book, and the guys had such a great connection we didn't have to see the sex... but I love getting to see that intimate look into how they are together. What they say, what they do, what they feel as they look into each others eyes during that moment. So, I missed that.
But really... I really, really liked it. Ask my hubby who finally had to tell me to turn my fucking book off and go the fuck to sleep. :)
Borrowed from Reggie for 2014 September Free-For-All in Bookie Nookie's Erotic Lending Group
May 29, 2012
Wow, this was a great read. I loved that the story, characters, and setting was full fledged and thought out.
I am not a big fan of the fall in love with your grade/high school bully romances but this one made it work. I liked the how the author let his characters grow and change with the story not stay the same cardboard template through out the tale.
There were a few typos but those are easy fixes, all in all it was a good solid read.
I am not a big fan of the fall in love with your grade/high school bully romances but this one made it work. I liked the how the author let his characters grow and change with the story not stay the same cardboard template through out the tale.
There were a few typos but those are easy fixes, all in all it was a good solid read.
April 15, 2014
What a major disappointment this turned out to be. I started reading and was engrossed at first, although I did have some quibbles about the typical 'mother' and the 'school bully'. I was really looking forward to exploring James's past relationship, and I waited, and waited and waited.
And waited.
The dialogue became more and more improbable (DO 28 year old men actually discuss 'friendship' like that??), some of the events were simply 'padding' as far as I could see - I mean - how EASY is it to adopt a five year old girl. and she settled down incredibly well!! (and please - the part where James wasn't sure if she was 'potty-trained at 5 years of age? Give me a break.)
The story needs serious editing. It waffles, rambles, goes off on wild-goose trails, ANYTHING rather than tackle the real 'meat' of the story. And in the end I can only stand so much 'dog sniffing at crotches' scenes and formatting errors where I had no idea who was speaking.
I had such great hopes for this story. It could have been utterly wonderful. Perhaps it is, further on, but I don't have the patience to plough through any more.
And waited.
The dialogue became more and more improbable (DO 28 year old men actually discuss 'friendship' like that??), some of the events were simply 'padding' as far as I could see - I mean - how EASY is it to adopt a five year old girl. and she settled down incredibly well!! (and please - the part where James wasn't sure if she was 'potty-trained at 5 years of age? Give me a break.)
The story needs serious editing. It waffles, rambles, goes off on wild-goose trails, ANYTHING rather than tackle the real 'meat' of the story. And in the end I can only stand so much 'dog sniffing at crotches' scenes and formatting errors where I had no idea who was speaking.
I had such great hopes for this story. It could have been utterly wonderful. Perhaps it is, further on, but I don't have the patience to plough through any more.
August 7, 2011
4.5 stars
A beautiful story about friendship and family, about simple things that bring joy into life. James, a man confronted with a tragic event, returns to the place where he was born, hoping that a break from his painful present will help him regain control of himself. As an open gay man it's not easy in a closeted small town. The people he meets and the relations he establishes with them will induce a re-evaluation of the life that he left behind. Starting anew is a difficult road, but rewarding in its own nature by bringing change and hope to an existence that feels empty.
A beautiful story about friendship and family, about simple things that bring joy into life. James, a man confronted with a tragic event, returns to the place where he was born, hoping that a break from his painful present will help him regain control of himself. As an open gay man it's not easy in a closeted small town. The people he meets and the relations he establishes with them will induce a re-evaluation of the life that he left behind. Starting anew is a difficult road, but rewarding in its own nature by bringing change and hope to an existence that feels empty.
April 15, 2013
2.5 stars.
Overall impression: yawn. Too touchy-feely, too adorable, too predictable, too long for a story that couldn't really hold my attention suspense and story arc-wise...
Light and ok read, nothing heavy (although the MC is recovering from his ex-lover's suicide..).
Overall impression: yawn. Too touchy-feely, too adorable, too predictable, too long for a story that couldn't really hold my attention suspense and story arc-wise...
Light and ok read, nothing heavy (although the MC is recovering from his ex-lover's suicide..).
Read
November 10, 2016Все я не могу больше.
Второстепенных героев не просто много, их нереально много! Характеры плоские, действия предсказуемые, описания затянутые и нудные. Развития романтической линии нет совсем, зато есть плоские шуточки и сплошь положительные персонажи, от которых тянет спать.
Второстепенных героев не просто много, их нереально много! Характеры плоские, действия предсказуемые, описания затянутые и нудные. Развития романтической линии нет совсем, зато есть плоские шуточки и сплошь положительные персонажи, от которых тянет спать.
December 7, 2011
TL;DR
...is what I'd like to say. It started off intriguing enough. Well, ok, almost. The start was in fact written in such an annoying style I almost put it down. But after the first 1-2 pages, when the editor woke up and realized the sentences were way too long, and the story really started, it got better.
For a while it was kind of a funny and nice, light read. However, after reading half the book, it started to get really boring and tedious. We were still kept in the dark about what happened to the previous boyfriend, the hints getting way too annoying to bear. Also, aside from a few way-too-easy friendships the token gay guy/ protagonist developed with the townies (Chief of Police, stripper), nothing really happened. No sexual attractions to speak of aside from the protagonist enjoying the fleeting view of this guy and that.
In the end I scrolled through 100 pages (not kidding), just in time to catch the blink-and-you-miss-it realization of attraction between the protagonist and the guy he should have hooked up with from the start - and then they fall into bed together. It takes 4 pages, the whole thing. Yay. This is why I read 144 long pages and scrolled down an additional 100 for.
All in all, if you're looking for a nice romance, or as the blurb promised, "childhood bully and victim hooking up" (and not a "slice of life story"), don't waste your time. This book lacks sparks entirely. All it has is some depressing angst gone wrong, way too long sentences and a story that could have been much, much better. (I guess a decent editor would have crossed half the story out and begged the writer to make things even remotely interesting.)
Edit: after reading it two more times I concede: it has some good parts. And some horribly bad ones too. Sure, I can imagine someone settling for a gardening job... but not a hotshot high-profile guy who rubbed elbows with movie stars. I'm not saying it's unimaginable, but... there should have been a huge and I mean huge change in someone's life for that to happen. (No. The change happened waaaay before he left the advertizing business altogether.) You don't just wake up one day and decide to settle for a completely different job. It feels like a science nerd deciding to do professional football. Or the other way 'round.
If you ask me, just because someone was a moron and picked friends who didn't give a damn about him, doesn't mean that he should give up his career altogether (even more so if he was good at his job) and move to a small town and pick manual labour as a ways to earn money.
On the other hand he was most probably out of options and wanted to keep his new friends and boyfriend. Still, this looks a lot like the writer hates big cities and flashy jobs and instead prefers little rural towns and manual labour.
If I were the editor I would have suggested the protagonist walk the middle ground: settle with his friends and family and boyfriend in the little town and start his super-duper awesome advertizing business.
...is what I'd like to say. It started off intriguing enough. Well, ok, almost. The start was in fact written in such an annoying style I almost put it down. But after the first 1-2 pages, when the editor woke up and realized the sentences were way too long, and the story really started, it got better.
For a while it was kind of a funny and nice, light read. However, after reading half the book, it started to get really boring and tedious. We were still kept in the dark about what happened to the previous boyfriend, the hints getting way too annoying to bear. Also, aside from a few way-too-easy friendships the token gay guy/ protagonist developed with the townies (Chief of Police, stripper), nothing really happened. No sexual attractions to speak of aside from the protagonist enjoying the fleeting view of this guy and that.
In the end I scrolled through 100 pages (not kidding), just in time to catch the blink-and-you-miss-it realization of attraction between the protagonist and the guy he should have hooked up with from the start - and then they fall into bed together. It takes 4 pages, the whole thing. Yay. This is why I read 144 long pages and scrolled down an additional 100 for.
All in all, if you're looking for a nice romance, or as the blurb promised, "childhood bully and victim hooking up" (and not a "slice of life story"), don't waste your time. This book lacks sparks entirely. All it has is some depressing angst gone wrong, way too long sentences and a story that could have been much, much better. (I guess a decent editor would have crossed half the story out and begged the writer to make things even remotely interesting.)
Edit: after reading it two more times I concede: it has some good parts. And some horribly bad ones too. Sure, I can imagine someone settling for a gardening job... but not a hotshot high-profile guy who rubbed elbows with movie stars. I'm not saying it's unimaginable, but... there should have been a huge and I mean huge change in someone's life for that to happen. (No. The change happened waaaay before he left the advertizing business altogether.) You don't just wake up one day and decide to settle for a completely different job. It feels like a science nerd deciding to do professional football. Or the other way 'round.
If you ask me, just because someone was a moron and picked friends who didn't give a damn about him, doesn't mean that he should give up his career altogether (even more so if he was good at his job) and move to a small town and pick manual labour as a ways to earn money.
On the other hand he was most probably out of options and wanted to keep his new friends and boyfriend. Still, this looks a lot like the writer hates big cities and flashy jobs and instead prefers little rural towns and manual labour.
If I were the editor I would have suggested the protagonist walk the middle ground: settle with his friends and family and boyfriend in the little town and start his super-duper awesome advertizing business.
February 6, 2013
This is not a perfect book, but I liked some things about it very much. For instance, Smith does great opening scenes. I thought the first chapter of Latakia was fabulous, and this one is pretty great too.
On the down side, I often thought the writing was too wordy -- not overwritten in the sense of being overly intricate or florid, but often too many words being used to get a point across. Not efficiently/economically written, and the plot tended to mosy rather than scamper. However, at times Smith said some very nice things, simply and honestly. For instance, this paragraph -- a simple description -- very much appealed to me:
"He found he really loved having Brick’s arms around him, his thick forearms right up on his face and the dense hair on his arms tickling James’ lips and the underside of his nose. It was a sensation he had never experienced with any other guy, and he loved it. He found himself keeping Brick’s arm there, just so he could nuzzle it and run his lips up and down his arm."
It isn't overly dramatic or sexy or angsty, it's just a nice straightforward quiet description that does manage to say a lot.
This is a book about grace, about learning to appreciate the things life offers you -- or failing to do so. That's one of the reasons why I like the paragraph I quoted above. It's a nice instance of grace -- of being mindful of the small things.
Here's two more nice statements that reflect the overall message of the book:
“I think one of the keys to life is to see grace. Life brings grace, sometimes big, but more often small and subtle. The kind of stuff you only catch out of the corner of your eye, like a lightning bug on a summer night."
"I get reminded that there is small and modest magic in the world. That if I would just slow down and look out the corner of my eye, I’d see something pretty amazing.”
On the literal level, this book is about a gay man who has returned to his small Georgia home town after some crippling disappointments he suffered in New York. Once he returns home, his life becomes wound up with four other gay guys, relatives, and friends, all of them trying to figure out what's important and how they should be living their lives. Although I didn't always appreciate the writing style, the characters and the message were great. And for once the small town southern police chief was NOT a screaming homophobe!
A very nice book if you're looking for something sweet and thoughtful. 4 stars.
On the down side, I often thought the writing was too wordy -- not overwritten in the sense of being overly intricate or florid, but often too many words being used to get a point across. Not efficiently/economically written, and the plot tended to mosy rather than scamper. However, at times Smith said some very nice things, simply and honestly. For instance, this paragraph -- a simple description -- very much appealed to me:
"He found he really loved having Brick’s arms around him, his thick forearms right up on his face and the dense hair on his arms tickling James’ lips and the underside of his nose. It was a sensation he had never experienced with any other guy, and he loved it. He found himself keeping Brick’s arm there, just so he could nuzzle it and run his lips up and down his arm."
It isn't overly dramatic or sexy or angsty, it's just a nice straightforward quiet description that does manage to say a lot.
This is a book about grace, about learning to appreciate the things life offers you -- or failing to do so. That's one of the reasons why I like the paragraph I quoted above. It's a nice instance of grace -- of being mindful of the small things.
Here's two more nice statements that reflect the overall message of the book:
“I think one of the keys to life is to see grace. Life brings grace, sometimes big, but more often small and subtle. The kind of stuff you only catch out of the corner of your eye, like a lightning bug on a summer night."
"I get reminded that there is small and modest magic in the world. That if I would just slow down and look out the corner of my eye, I’d see something pretty amazing.”
On the literal level, this book is about a gay man who has returned to his small Georgia home town after some crippling disappointments he suffered in New York. Once he returns home, his life becomes wound up with four other gay guys, relatives, and friends, all of them trying to figure out what's important and how they should be living their lives. Although I didn't always appreciate the writing style, the characters and the message were great. And for once the small town southern police chief was NOT a screaming homophobe!
A very nice book if you're looking for something sweet and thoughtful. 4 stars.
Read
July 24, 2012I really enjoyed this small town romance; James is a New York City big shot name in the Advertisement industry, with a good looking boyfriend who has to remain in the closet. Actually the boyfriend is more small-town boy than James who is actually from the South; he would like to come out, he would love for James to be the one helping him facing the public opinion, but James is all for the imagine, and not at all supporting; worst, James doesn’t understand his boyfriend is hurting, not until the day he finds him dead for an barbituric overdose. James’s world crashes down and he can only think to go back home, to his mother’s welcoming embrace. But the limited mentality of the small town he left so many years ago is still there, and worse than worst, his high school nemesis, Brick, is now his mother’s second hand in the business she owns.
Brick is really changed from when he was a teenager, but James doesn’t trust him at the beginning. And while he is hurt from his mistakes, he hasn’t probably learned from them since James starts another relationship with a closed man, who, on the contrary of his previous boyfriend, is not at all ready to come out from the closet.
While James is grieving, he has not crossed the chance to have again a love life; from day one, James is ready to check out the market for a possible partner, but of course he always picks the wrong option. James will also have issues with the small town attitude, very few examples are good, like his mother and the friends he will make anew.
I found the romance well developed, and in a way surprising, even if I was expecting the evolution; what I was not expecting was the sidetracking the author had for James, he didn’t take the straight road (no pun intended) to happiness. And what I didn’t expect was the tragic ending for one of the supporting characters, from my point of view, if the author wanted to revisit this couple, having that character out of the picture is a tremendous loss, but maybe James had to grew somehow, since, as proved, not even the death of his boyfriend was a shock enough to make him.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054LX3C2/?...
Brick is really changed from when he was a teenager, but James doesn’t trust him at the beginning. And while he is hurt from his mistakes, he hasn’t probably learned from them since James starts another relationship with a closed man, who, on the contrary of his previous boyfriend, is not at all ready to come out from the closet.
While James is grieving, he has not crossed the chance to have again a love life; from day one, James is ready to check out the market for a possible partner, but of course he always picks the wrong option. James will also have issues with the small town attitude, very few examples are good, like his mother and the friends he will make anew.
I found the romance well developed, and in a way surprising, even if I was expecting the evolution; what I was not expecting was the sidetracking the author had for James, he didn’t take the straight road (no pun intended) to happiness. And what I didn’t expect was the tragic ending for one of the supporting characters, from my point of view, if the author wanted to revisit this couple, having that character out of the picture is a tremendous loss, but maybe James had to grew somehow, since, as proved, not even the death of his boyfriend was a shock enough to make him.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054LX3C2/?...
December 16, 2013
What a surprise read, having bought the e-book ages ago then being daunted by the sheer length of the novel I had put it on the back burner to come to when I was "in the mood" for a challenge.
When I started reading it though, I just could not force myself to put it down and read the whole book over two days! J.F.Smith is a new author for me and sometimes it takes a while to get into the writing style of such but the story just flowed beautifully along and the characters were excellently drawn.
The main character is James who had been working as a film publicist in New York but after a personal tragedy (the detail of which is not revealed until well into the book) he returns to his home town for a breather with support from his mother and a time out from any relationships. Of course the biggest bully who taunted him through high school has now been employed in his mothers gardening company and that is where the meat of the story lies. I dare not say any more for fear of spoiling another readers enjoyment of the book but I loved so many characters in this book - Jerry the chief of police, Stefanie the stripper who lives next door to James, James' mother, Jesus and Roddy who work for the gardening firm and J.T. (whose story I wondered would ever be rounded off but as they say "Everything comes to he who waits!" - these and more had their own impact on the story which I can thoroughly recommend.
btw I just download J.F.s other books "Latakia" and "The Last Day of Summer" and can't wait to get my teeth into them.
AND if J.F.Smith needs to find a subject for another novel then maybe he could tell us more of JT the policeman's story......
When I started reading it though, I just could not force myself to put it down and read the whole book over two days! J.F.Smith is a new author for me and sometimes it takes a while to get into the writing style of such but the story just flowed beautifully along and the characters were excellently drawn.
The main character is James who had been working as a film publicist in New York but after a personal tragedy (the detail of which is not revealed until well into the book) he returns to his home town for a breather with support from his mother and a time out from any relationships. Of course the biggest bully who taunted him through high school has now been employed in his mothers gardening company and that is where the meat of the story lies. I dare not say any more for fear of spoiling another readers enjoyment of the book but I loved so many characters in this book - Jerry the chief of police, Stefanie the stripper who lives next door to James, James' mother, Jesus and Roddy who work for the gardening firm and J.T. (whose story I wondered would ever be rounded off but as they say "Everything comes to he who waits!" - these and more had their own impact on the story which I can thoroughly recommend.
btw I just download J.F.s other books "Latakia" and "The Last Day of Summer" and can't wait to get my teeth into them.
AND if J.F.Smith needs to find a subject for another novel then maybe he could tell us more of JT the policeman's story......
April 22, 2012
This was another late, late night read for me. I told myself I wouldn't switch off the light until the MC's shared that first kiss...and JF Smith kept me dangling and hanging on in that oh, so sweet way.
I adored this story. The plot is simple and certainly not unique but it's the utterly adorable cast of characters who make this story. Both MC's have so much depth- James, the successful businessman who is brought low by poor judgement and tragedy, and Brick, a man struggling to forgive himself. Forgiveness, redemption and the longing we all have, to belong, to find a place in the world where people accept us for who we are...these threads are woven into a beautifully told story.
The wonderful supporting cast add just the right dash of humour to prevent the story from being overly sweet and angsty. (Jerry, the newly appointed, dope smoking, Chief of Police has got to be one of the best straight friends evah!)
Beautiful story. Highly recommended!
$2.99 at Amazon.
I adored this story. The plot is simple and certainly not unique but it's the utterly adorable cast of characters who make this story. Both MC's have so much depth- James, the successful businessman who is brought low by poor judgement and tragedy, and Brick, a man struggling to forgive himself. Forgiveness, redemption and the longing we all have, to belong, to find a place in the world where people accept us for who we are...these threads are woven into a beautifully told story.
The wonderful supporting cast add just the right dash of humour to prevent the story from being overly sweet and angsty. (Jerry, the newly appointed, dope smoking, Chief of Police has got to be one of the best straight friends evah!)
Beautiful story. Highly recommended!
$2.99 at Amazon.
November 3, 2011
3.5
This story had a lot to offer, but was sometimes difficult to read through because the pieces of the story and emotion developed too slowly in certain aspects. I enjoyed getting to know Brick and Bea, and the friends...but it took me awhile to engage with the main character James. I did like this book however, because it did offer these great moments that made you smile and think about the good things in your life. I loved Brick and really would have loved to see more of their romantic relationship, but I did enjoy the slow build of friendship and ease within their relationship and by the end of the story I was beginning to warm up to James. I look forward to seeing this author develop and will read more of their books.
This story had a lot to offer, but was sometimes difficult to read through because the pieces of the story and emotion developed too slowly in certain aspects. I enjoyed getting to know Brick and Bea, and the friends...but it took me awhile to engage with the main character James. I did like this book however, because it did offer these great moments that made you smile and think about the good things in your life. I loved Brick and really would have loved to see more of their romantic relationship, but I did enjoy the slow build of friendship and ease within their relationship and by the end of the story I was beginning to warm up to James. I look forward to seeing this author develop and will read more of their books.
June 29, 2015
What a very lovely and realistic story! This one preceded The Last Day Of Summer where Cory is the main character! I super loved the friendship between James, Brick and Jerry plus Jesus and Roddy. And who doesn’t love Stefanie? The last three books I’ve read from the author are just oh-so-amazing! I wonder why it took me forever to learn about Mr. Smith! Such a fantastic storyteller!!!
September 6, 2013
Not as amazing as latakia but wonderful nonetheless.
I think I found another author to follow.
His stories and characters are full of life, full of emotions and realism.
I am in awe of this author.
Highly recommended!
I think I found another author to follow.
His stories and characters are full of life, full of emotions and realism.
I am in awe of this author.
Highly recommended!
March 15, 2017
This book was on my kindle since 2011, can you believe it? Even after reading Latakia I still didn't get around to this book. Stupid me! Now I was looking for a book for my annual challenge and - there it was. Started reading without any expectations, surprise, I was pulled in at once. Ok, the hints of the sad past of James, it got a bit boring, I would have loved to get the whole story a lot earlier than 75% of the book. And yes, I'm with other reviewers that the relationship took a loooong time to develop. But here that didn't bother me too much. I had too much fun reading about the different characters, their friendships and even James finding friends, yes it was rather endearing.
Nevertheless, after about 50% it lost some of it's steam, got a bit boring, repetitive. I'm not a reader wanting all political correctness, but it rather got on my nerves that these guys all were drinking and doing drugs and still drove their cars.
So, after writing all this, now what's the rating? 5 stars for the first half, moving down to 3 stars during the second half, I guess I'll go with 4 stars.
Nevertheless, after about 50% it lost some of it's steam, got a bit boring, repetitive. I'm not a reader wanting all political correctness, but it rather got on my nerves that these guys all were drinking and doing drugs and still drove their cars.
So, after writing all this, now what's the rating? 5 stars for the first half, moving down to 3 stars during the second half, I guess I'll go with 4 stars.
June 14, 2020
I really liked JT at the beginning.
I got JeBaited.
I got JeBaited.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2023
I know, I know, all my frieds love this novel. But it's them, not me.
January 15, 2018
4.25 stars from me. This was a nice read, a coming of age story [for more than one person too] and has been in my kindle library since 2013 [but better late than never 😄] which will obviously lead me into The Last Day Of Summer. Have to admit James annoyed me at first, and I just can't picture Jerry as a police chief...he's much too juvenile, but the characters I liked although I could've done without the numerous typos 😕.
October 7, 2023
Reread - buddy read 2023
Still fabulous book.
Again my empathy transferred throughout the book to either James or Brick. I did love Brick. Yes he has made mistakes as young adult, but who hasn't, and he showed a great strength of self to change his whole character. He knew who he wanted to be and he set out to make it so, he never once feel back into who he was a child no matter what life threw at him. that showed great strength of character.
Great book
4.5 ⭐️ 🌟
Re read
I’ve read this book many times and it seriously gets better every time I read It. I think it comes down to James/Jimmy. At times he is an unlikeable character even as the narrator.
At the start my empathy was for him, but that quickly changed and my empathy transferred to Brick. Who doesn’t love a character that has so obviously worked so hard on himself to transform himself from the bully of a child to the quiet caring adult he became. Times that Jimmy took out his own issues on Brick, made me not like him at times. But then there were other times that Jimmy proved he was a stellar human, his dealings with Cory being one of those.
The secondary characters are all well portrayed. I love Jerry, he is hilarious, and his friendship with the Jimmy and Brick was lovely to read.
This book made me laugh and it made me cry, and it is still one of the best books I’ve read in this genre.
Still fabulous book.
Again my empathy transferred throughout the book to either James or Brick. I did love Brick. Yes he has made mistakes as young adult, but who hasn't, and he showed a great strength of self to change his whole character. He knew who he wanted to be and he set out to make it so, he never once feel back into who he was a child no matter what life threw at him. that showed great strength of character.
Great book
4.5 ⭐️ 🌟
Re read
I’ve read this book many times and it seriously gets better every time I read It. I think it comes down to James/Jimmy. At times he is an unlikeable character even as the narrator.
At the start my empathy was for him, but that quickly changed and my empathy transferred to Brick. Who doesn’t love a character that has so obviously worked so hard on himself to transform himself from the bully of a child to the quiet caring adult he became. Times that Jimmy took out his own issues on Brick, made me not like him at times. But then there were other times that Jimmy proved he was a stellar human, his dealings with Cory being one of those.
The secondary characters are all well portrayed. I love Jerry, he is hilarious, and his friendship with the Jimmy and Brick was lovely to read.
This book made me laugh and it made me cry, and it is still one of the best books I’ve read in this genre.
April 25, 2025
Date read: 30 October 2017
Rating: 5 stars
I simply loved this book. I can’t pin-point exactly what it was about it, but I could not put it down. It is a story of a man regaining his confidence and direction in life after a few harsh moments in love and friendship. He goes back home and rebuilds a simpler and happier life based on stronger values, family and friendship.
Warning: there is some romance but it is certainly not at the core of the book. And there is no sex (at least not on page).
Definitely recommend it!!!
Rating: 5 stars
I simply loved this book. I can’t pin-point exactly what it was about it, but I could not put it down. It is a story of a man regaining his confidence and direction in life after a few harsh moments in love and friendship. He goes back home and rebuilds a simpler and happier life based on stronger values, family and friendship.
Warning: there is some romance but it is certainly not at the core of the book. And there is no sex (at least not on page).
Definitely recommend it!!!
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