Catch Me If I Fall

by Augusta Connor

Jacob is an ambitious, talented, and distinctly stubborn acrobatic gymnast who has worked too damn hard for his team to quit on him and expect him to be okay with it. When his coach offers him a partnership with Andy, the sunny redhead from the gym who Jacob's barely talked to, Jacob reluctantly agrees to try. But under the warmth of Andy's ever-present smile, Jacob finds himself ready to let go of old pain — and ready to fall.

---- “Hey, um. Jacob? Jacob Baptiste? I’m Andy.” He sticks out a hand, and all Jacob can think about is how big it is. Jacob blinks, then comes to himself and takes Andy’s hand in his own. That hand could wrap nearly the entire way around his thigh, which Jacob guesses is kind of the point. “Yeah, I know,” he answers. “I’ve known who you are for, like, the last six years?” “Oh.” Andy looks genuinely surprised, and Jacob feels a flicker of amusement. How dumb does this guy think he is? They’ve traveled in the same large group at least twice a year for half a decade. They’re not friends, not anything like it, but it’s not like Jacob doesn’t know perfectly well who Andy is. “Well, nice to officially meet you, I guess?” “We’ve met.” Jacob folds his arms as Andy looks blank. “Shawn’s party? Three years ago? You were Bozo the Clown?” Andy flushes a deep pink, and it’s disarmingly sweet. “Oh. Right. And you were James Dean. Sorry. I, um. I didn’t think you’d remember.”

Genres: M M Romance

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2023

About the author

Augusta Connor is a classicist by training and a queer romance author by accident. Her drinks of choice are tea (Yorkshire), gin (St. George's), and water (sparkling). Favorite tropes include period romance, soulmates, angst, and generational stories of love. Her favorite pastimes include color-coding her spreadsheets, playing the piano, and letting her yard go wild. She now lives in a vast coastal metropolis, but left her heart in the red rocks of home.

Instagram: augusta_connor
Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/aroseinaugust

Reviews

[YonnoMaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounded. Oh wow! This was just so so so so so wonderful!!!!! The characters are all so great. The prose is so well executed. I loved that this wasn't just about the romance. It was more about the sport and the friendships and the relationship and trust development. It's just such a wonderful idea and so well written. And this author has definitely earned a spot on my auto-read list. I'm so glad I read this and I highly recommend it to everyone.

[VeryQueerBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob, a talented acrobatic gymnast, just had the rug pulled from under his feet; the boys he called his best friends and his partners decided to go their own ways. He’s always been part of a team, and he can’t imagine doing anything else. His coach’s solution is to pair him up with Andy, a boy he’s barely ever talked to and doesn’t know that well. They have only a few weeks until their first meet, and both of them feel the pressure.
Jacobs’s life and emotions are in turmoil, and not only because he feels betrayed by the boys he’s known and loved all his life. There is also this spark of something when he and Andy train.
This is a lovely short story (under 100 pages) about friendships, moving on, falling in love, and acrobatics (a sport that doesn’t get a lot of recognition). All the characters are well written, the setting is intriguing, and the friendship and romance develop at a good pace. This one is unhurried and fun.
Honestly, 5 stars.

[Daisy Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this this story?? What a great cast of characters, and what a lovely slow build of trust between characters who have to work together with zero room for error. Very well handled by Augusta, who writes athletic routines in a way that make them easy to follow and who spins a sweet story of love hard come by in a challenging sport that takes all of your dedication. A real heartwarmer that's going to stay with me!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely fun to read about a sport that I don't know anything about and to have it be the backdrop for a sweet take on rivals to lovers. I'm in love with the ensemble cast, and Jacob and Andy are wonderfully whole and developed as people. A great read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know ANYTHING about men's gymnastics before this— and you definitely don't need to. As someone who's not athletic AT ALL this was very much a fun read and a sort of peek-behind-the-curtain on Olympic-level athletes and training. I really loved the character building— I still remember not just the mains but the supporting characters as well, and to me that tells you a lot about the quality of writing. A sweet coworkers-to-lovers MM story.

[Louisa Vidal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give me all the gymnastics romances! This one is a great "reluctant pairing" (well, reluctant on one side) where the intense, ambitious Jacob starts working with cheerful Andy. Andy is clearly already smitten with Jacob, but Jacob is kinda oblivious (adorable!) Very sweet, great for readers looking for something low-spice, I found this charming.