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Imperfect Cadence
Colton Ray, a veritable music icon, appears to have it all. Yet, beneath the glitz and glamor, he’s spent years grappling with a profound sense of emptiness. Haunted by a heart-wrenching secret, he’s struggled in silence, even as the spotlight he’s grown to hate blazes around him.
Until an unexpected phone call upends Colt’s life as he knows it. Suddenly, he is thrown back into the orbit of Grayson Scott. His high-school sweetheart, the man whose absence has left a permanent Gray-shaped hole in his heart. Now, returning to their small hometown, Colt may finally be forced to confront the raw ache he’s kept buried for the past seven years.
As sparks fly between them once more, it becomes clear that time has done little to temper the intensity of his feelings for Gray. But as long-buried truths are revealed, they threaten to unravel the carefully constructed walls around Colt’s heart. Haunted by the question of forgiveness, Colt grapples with the complexities of love and pain. Can he reconcile the longing in his heart with the scars of the past, or are some wounds too deep to heal, even when the person who caused them is your soulmate?
An M/M second chance, grumpy/sunshine romance with first times, size difference, supportive friends with no boundaries, meddling elderly neighbors, angst and heartbreak, and a hard fought HEA.
Until an unexpected phone call upends Colt’s life as he knows it. Suddenly, he is thrown back into the orbit of Grayson Scott. His high-school sweetheart, the man whose absence has left a permanent Gray-shaped hole in his heart. Now, returning to their small hometown, Colt may finally be forced to confront the raw ache he’s kept buried for the past seven years.
As sparks fly between them once more, it becomes clear that time has done little to temper the intensity of his feelings for Gray. But as long-buried truths are revealed, they threaten to unravel the carefully constructed walls around Colt’s heart. Haunted by the question of forgiveness, Colt grapples with the complexities of love and pain. Can he reconcile the longing in his heart with the scars of the past, or are some wounds too deep to heal, even when the person who caused them is your soulmate?
An M/M second chance, grumpy/sunshine romance with first times, size difference, supportive friends with no boundaries, meddling elderly neighbors, angst and heartbreak, and a hard fought HEA.
507 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2024
148 people are currently reading
1103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
July 8, 2024
Imperfect Cadence is a beautiful and emotional second-chance romance between Colton and Gray that I could not get enough of. Their love story is complicated and painful while maintaining an intense connection between two opposites.
Colt has a heartbreaking backstory, while Gray has his own personal demons, thus making them the best match as they quickly fall for one another. Their falling for one another is one of my favorite parts of this story along with their reunion. These two are soul mates and their separation is painful and devastating, therefore their reunion is long overdue and heartfelt.
Overall I loved this story so much. This love story is powerful and beautifully written. I cannot wait to read more from this author and see these characters again.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
Colt has a heartbreaking backstory, while Gray has his own personal demons, thus making them the best match as they quickly fall for one another. Their falling for one another is one of my favorite parts of this story along with their reunion. These two are soul mates and their separation is painful and devastating, therefore their reunion is long overdue and heartfelt.
Overall I loved this story so much. This love story is powerful and beautifully written. I cannot wait to read more from this author and see these characters again.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
dnf
April 29, 2024I tried, I really did but the writing style just wasn't for me. Plus 75% of the book is in the past and it's just something I don't like at all.
April 15, 2024
Colton • Gray
….
“I had a profound sense that he would accept every ugly and broken part of me, the parts I couldn’t bear to examine myself. More than that, he would love those parts— completely and unconditionally. “
.
“Imperfect Cadence, a love untold, A tale of passion, now bitter and cold. In the echo of silence, a love left stranded, Like a masterpiece abandoned, An imperfect cadence.”
….
Emily! Congratulations on your debut! 🫶🏼. If I could summarize this book in just a few words it would be - the epitome of a beautiful real second chance. The Author had me on her hook from the prologue and tested me so good through out because I can’t keep a grudge for my life. I felt like I fought to get that earned HEA right along with Colton and Grayson. The pages are caressed with so much love for the characters, you can feel it vividly while reading, music is the heartbeat of it and you hold on to that hope till the last page.
….
elijah woods - 24/7, 365
….
“You know exactly who is important enough.” // “…since I refused to let a day pass without gazing into those mesmerizing eyes again.” // “With pen, needing paper, my emotions for Colt spilled onto the page.” // “But Colt had always been the exception, ever since the moment he barged into my life like a snarky tornado…” // “Nothing presumptuous here. I’m simply manifesting.” // “Music may have been my heart, but Gray was my soul.” // “…I gave him my trust in exchange for his promise to safeguard it. I gave him my heart, in exchange for his vow to handle it with care.” // “I braced myself for the inevitable, knowing that the hardest part of letting go was yet to come.” // “I wanted to be the type of person that Gray would have been proud to call his.” // “That voice. The voice that had brought me the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow.” // “I should have tried harder.” // “Yet, in a stroke of serendipity, I had intentionally concluded the song on a perfect cadence, a manifestation of my hopes for our future.” …
….
*I had the honor to beta read this story. Though I am just a little blimp and don’t think of myself as any beta, I do thank you Emily for sharing this story with me and a few others before it went into the world 🖤.
….
….
“I had a profound sense that he would accept every ugly and broken part of me, the parts I couldn’t bear to examine myself. More than that, he would love those parts— completely and unconditionally. “
.
“Imperfect Cadence, a love untold, A tale of passion, now bitter and cold. In the echo of silence, a love left stranded, Like a masterpiece abandoned, An imperfect cadence.”
….
Emily! Congratulations on your debut! 🫶🏼. If I could summarize this book in just a few words it would be - the epitome of a beautiful real second chance. The Author had me on her hook from the prologue and tested me so good through out because I can’t keep a grudge for my life. I felt like I fought to get that earned HEA right along with Colton and Grayson. The pages are caressed with so much love for the characters, you can feel it vividly while reading, music is the heartbeat of it and you hold on to that hope till the last page.
….
elijah woods - 24/7, 365
….
“You know exactly who is important enough.” // “…since I refused to let a day pass without gazing into those mesmerizing eyes again.” // “With pen, needing paper, my emotions for Colt spilled onto the page.” // “But Colt had always been the exception, ever since the moment he barged into my life like a snarky tornado…” // “Nothing presumptuous here. I’m simply manifesting.” // “Music may have been my heart, but Gray was my soul.” // “…I gave him my trust in exchange for his promise to safeguard it. I gave him my heart, in exchange for his vow to handle it with care.” // “I braced myself for the inevitable, knowing that the hardest part of letting go was yet to come.” // “I wanted to be the type of person that Gray would have been proud to call his.” // “That voice. The voice that had brought me the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow.” // “I should have tried harder.” // “Yet, in a stroke of serendipity, I had intentionally concluded the song on a perfect cadence, a manifestation of my hopes for our future.” …
….
*I had the honor to beta read this story. Though I am just a little blimp and don’t think of myself as any beta, I do thank you Emily for sharing this story with me and a few others before it went into the world 🖤.
….
June 9, 2024
I don’t like the second chance trope but for some reason the trope likes to humble me
July 5, 2024
I have incredibly mixed feelings about this book, on one hand it is a beautiful and incredibly complex book and on the other it’s kind of a mess.
I did really like this book don’t get me wrong but it was just so unnecessarily long? By about 25% i was skipping chapters because i just couldn’t take it anymore and sadly it didn’t even really affect the overall story.
this book has 3 parts all taking place at different times,
we have the past which basically sets up their relationship from the very beginning taking place like 10 +years from the present,
this weird in between while they are separated that takes place over the span of 4+ years from the present then the present which is 8 years from that weird in between part while they are separated.
And while that’s fine and is so heartbreakingly beautiful when done right, this book unfortunately didn’t really do it well because we spend about 90% of the book in the past and that weird in between phase so by the time we get to the present and actually know what happened between them we’re about 95% in then we’re suddenly SPEEDING though it.
This author developed such a complex love story for the actual love story and happy ending to be like 3 chapters long and rushed.
This description describes it as a hard earned HEA but nothing about it was hard earned?
They spend what seems like 10+ years apart just to make up in the span of a couple months if that. While also including a 6 month time jump after that initial make up.
I loved knowing about their past don’t get me wrong but we didn’t need THAT much past. It felt too wordy and we got too much of the MMCs (colts) inner monologue like i really didn’t need to hear about how unsure he is about gray restated over 500000 times, or how much literal time they spend together.
I think this book would have been so much better if we sped through the past and had the rest of the book be this grovel and makeup moment. I thought that’s where it was headed yknow ? i thought it was going to play out like grey was hurt and needed this intensive rehabilitation therapy that he couldn’t do alone and while they haven’t spoken in 8+ years colt couldn’t just leave him like that so he comes to help gray get better, begrudgingly and they slowly fall back in love while learning what caused them to separate to begin with?!!? THATS WHAT I THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING
not this weird anticlimactic, makeup sex trauma dump we got.
I also felt like if this book wanted to keep the original past story line that there was so much doubt and uncertainty in their relationship in and of itself to use to cause a 3rd break up act and tension in their relationship that didn’t involve uprooting their whole life with this huge bombshell and then dropping an orphaned kid in the mix. Idk I just really wish that we got more of their actual relationship and grovel than what we got.
Note: this book also has so many typos, every single “i know” was “i no” in dialogue and actually text. I also caught a couple of “your” instead of “you’re” in there a couple of times. While it didnt affect the overall story, it did just make it feel like it wasn’t a complete or revised novel.
I did really like this book don’t get me wrong but it was just so unnecessarily long? By about 25% i was skipping chapters because i just couldn’t take it anymore and sadly it didn’t even really affect the overall story.
this book has 3 parts all taking place at different times,
we have the past which basically sets up their relationship from the very beginning taking place like 10 +years from the present,
this weird in between while they are separated that takes place over the span of 4+ years from the present then the present which is 8 years from that weird in between part while they are separated.
And while that’s fine and is so heartbreakingly beautiful when done right, this book unfortunately didn’t really do it well because we spend about 90% of the book in the past and that weird in between phase so by the time we get to the present and actually know what happened between them we’re about 95% in then we’re suddenly SPEEDING though it.
This author developed such a complex love story for the actual love story and happy ending to be like 3 chapters long and rushed.
This description describes it as a hard earned HEA but nothing about it was hard earned?
They spend what seems like 10+ years apart just to make up in the span of a couple months if that. While also including a 6 month time jump after that initial make up.
I loved knowing about their past don’t get me wrong but we didn’t need THAT much past. It felt too wordy and we got too much of the MMCs (colts) inner monologue like i really didn’t need to hear about how unsure he is about gray restated over 500000 times, or how much literal time they spend together.
I think this book would have been so much better if we sped through the past and had the rest of the book be this grovel and makeup moment. I thought that’s where it was headed yknow ? i thought it was going to play out like grey was hurt and needed this intensive rehabilitation therapy that he couldn’t do alone and while they haven’t spoken in 8+ years colt couldn’t just leave him like that so he comes to help gray get better, begrudgingly and they slowly fall back in love while learning what caused them to separate to begin with?!!? THATS WHAT I THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING
not this weird anticlimactic, makeup sex trauma dump we got.
I also felt like if this book wanted to keep the original past story line that there was so much doubt and uncertainty in their relationship in and of itself to use to cause a 3rd break up act and tension in their relationship that didn’t involve uprooting their whole life with this huge bombshell and then dropping an orphaned kid in the mix. Idk I just really wish that we got more of their actual relationship and grovel than what we got.
Note: this book also has so many typos, every single “i know” was “i no” in dialogue and actually text. I also caught a couple of “your” instead of “you’re” in there a couple of times. While it didnt affect the overall story, it did just make it feel like it wasn’t a complete or revised novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2024
This hurt.
Have you ever read a book where you just wanted more of their love story, more of their life? This book gives it to you but in the most painful way. 😭
We get to see Colt and Gray meet, become best friends, and fall in love. Then we watch it fall apart. And finally, we get to see it put back together.
It’s a LONG road for them. Nothing about their journey is quick and easy. They both make THE dumbest decisions (imo) but are stuck in this internal self sabotage mindset.
I was expecting a sweet second chance story, but this just hurt. 😭
The range of emotions I felt during this was wild. One minute I’m swooning and the next I want to throw my kindle (and maybe myself) into traffic. 🤪🫠
Anywho, I loved it. Read it.
Have you ever read a book where you just wanted more of their love story, more of their life? This book gives it to you but in the most painful way. 😭
We get to see Colt and Gray meet, become best friends, and fall in love. Then we watch it fall apart. And finally, we get to see it put back together.
It’s a LONG road for them. Nothing about their journey is quick and easy. They both make THE dumbest decisions (imo) but are stuck in this internal self sabotage mindset.
I was expecting a sweet second chance story, but this just hurt. 😭
The range of emotions I felt during this was wild. One minute I’m swooning and the next I want to throw my kindle (and maybe myself) into traffic. 🤪🫠
Anywho, I loved it. Read it.
May 12, 2024
I absolutely ADORED this book!
April 15, 2024
🎵𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 : 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐱𝐨𝐧🎵
🖤 ɢʀᴀʏ ᴀᴄᴇ ʀᴇᴘ
🌞 ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ / sᴜɴsʜɪɴᴇ
🖤 sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ
🌞 ʀᴏᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ / sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ
🖤 ᴏᴘᴘᴏsɪᴛᴇs ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛs
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 is Emily Axon’s debut novel and I couldn't be more proud of her for this book.
I was lucky to beta read the book before release and I'm so glad Emily trusted me enough to share it with me ❤️❤️
In this story, we first meet 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑜𝑛, a superstar musician/singer who has billions of fans and is touring the US. After a show, he receives an unexpected call about someone he used to know…
We are then sent back 8 years to discover how Colton met Grayson…
𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑠𝑜𝑛, back then, was the very tall and popular high school jock. But behind that jock facade, hides a big heart and caring person. Taking care of others is Gray’s love language… while Colton’s is music…. And that is basically the foundation of their relationship 🖤
I fell in love with both characters, while they are so different, their chemistry is crazy! I felt the need to protect them both at different moments during the book. The characters’ evolution and depth made me feel all the feelings and I could relate with both of them.
Emily wrote them beautifully and I could feel she poured her heart in both characters.
Now I’m patiently waiting for 2 of the side characters’ stories because … it will be 🔥🔥🔥 … I know it !!
𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑚 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤.
✧˖°Instagram°˖✧
🖤 ɢʀᴀʏ ᴀᴄᴇ ʀᴇᴘ
🌞 ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ / sᴜɴsʜɪɴᴇ
🖤 sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ
🌞 ʀᴏᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ / sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ
🖤 ᴏᴘᴘᴏsɪᴛᴇs ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛs
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 is Emily Axon’s debut novel and I couldn't be more proud of her for this book.
I was lucky to beta read the book before release and I'm so glad Emily trusted me enough to share it with me ❤️❤️
In this story, we first meet 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑜𝑛, a superstar musician/singer who has billions of fans and is touring the US. After a show, he receives an unexpected call about someone he used to know…
We are then sent back 8 years to discover how Colton met Grayson…
𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑠𝑜𝑛, back then, was the very tall and popular high school jock. But behind that jock facade, hides a big heart and caring person. Taking care of others is Gray’s love language… while Colton’s is music…. And that is basically the foundation of their relationship 🖤
I fell in love with both characters, while they are so different, their chemistry is crazy! I felt the need to protect them both at different moments during the book. The characters’ evolution and depth made me feel all the feelings and I could relate with both of them.
Emily wrote them beautifully and I could feel she poured her heart in both characters.
Now I’m patiently waiting for 2 of the side characters’ stories because … it will be 🔥🔥🔥 … I know it !!
𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑚 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤.
✧˖°Instagram°˖✧
April 16, 2024
Absolutely Heart Wrenchingly Beautiful
Wow, I was blown away by this book! I couldn’t believe how much emotion and angst the author packed into this story of Colton and Grayson and for a debut book Emily hit it out of the ballpark.
This is a story of insta attraction forging a deep love, amazing as they were still kids when they met but the feelings were so deep you just knew they were meant to be together, as did everyone around them, so it was heartbreaking when they parted. I am always a bit wary of reading books where the MC’s waste years of their lives apart, it rips me apart, the waste!
Colt and Gray both had difficult and upsetting upbringings, Colt especially, and so there were trust issues, anxiety and depression and Colt had built impenetrable walls around himself and when he had hit rock bottom it was Gray that found him and rescued him.
Gray was the most unbelievably beautiful soul, the kindness radiated off him and he would do anything for anyone a real caregiver, and only believed the best in people and he loved with every fibre of his being, never putting himself first and that was probably the cause of the heartbreak to come.
Colt was a tiny prickly guy with a vicious tongue and only Gray saw beneath the persona he wore as armour. His love and talent for music was something Gray encouraged and this encouragement led to Colt being a star the world over. A bit of me blames Colt more for the wasted years, his inaction and always expecting Gray to make the moves irritated me a bit later in the book. Gray’s life went in a totally different direction, one he could never have foreseen but no matter what they were doing and where they were in the world the one thing that both had in common was their heart aching misery.
This book was a page turner, I was so immersed I couldn’t put it down, the fact that it was a nine plus hours read meant that today I am surviving on 4 hours sleep! But I strongly recommend you read this captivating book. I guarantee that Colt and Gray will find a way into your heart?
Well done Emily and I can’t wait to find out what’s going on with Remy and the sassy Willy!
Wow, I was blown away by this book! I couldn’t believe how much emotion and angst the author packed into this story of Colton and Grayson and for a debut book Emily hit it out of the ballpark.
This is a story of insta attraction forging a deep love, amazing as they were still kids when they met but the feelings were so deep you just knew they were meant to be together, as did everyone around them, so it was heartbreaking when they parted. I am always a bit wary of reading books where the MC’s waste years of their lives apart, it rips me apart, the waste!
Colt and Gray both had difficult and upsetting upbringings, Colt especially, and so there were trust issues, anxiety and depression and Colt had built impenetrable walls around himself and when he had hit rock bottom it was Gray that found him and rescued him.
Gray was the most unbelievably beautiful soul, the kindness radiated off him and he would do anything for anyone a real caregiver, and only believed the best in people and he loved with every fibre of his being, never putting himself first and that was probably the cause of the heartbreak to come.
Colt was a tiny prickly guy with a vicious tongue and only Gray saw beneath the persona he wore as armour. His love and talent for music was something Gray encouraged and this encouragement led to Colt being a star the world over. A bit of me blames Colt more for the wasted years, his inaction and always expecting Gray to make the moves irritated me a bit later in the book. Gray’s life went in a totally different direction, one he could never have foreseen but no matter what they were doing and where they were in the world the one thing that both had in common was their heart aching misery.
This book was a page turner, I was so immersed I couldn’t put it down, the fact that it was a nine plus hours read meant that today I am surviving on 4 hours sleep! But I strongly recommend you read this captivating book. I guarantee that Colt and Gray will find a way into your heart?
Well done Emily and I can’t wait to find out what’s going on with Remy and the sassy Willy!
August 18, 2024
it’s me
I will say this is a good book. I know people will love it. It’s not a great book for me. But that boiled down to 2 things. I don’t prefer to read YA books that’s just not my thing. If I’d know 50% of this book was going to be YA I would have skipped it. I understand a good past relationship set up for second chance books. I just prefer it to be most of the book. That being said if you are cool with that please read.
The second being it was more of internal monologue/ narration that told the story. I’m a reader who loves loves loves dialogue in books the more the better. But once again that’s not going to be hinderance for all readers. Thats why I said this was a great book. It’s just my preference of book style that made this book not for me.
The more adult smexy that I skimmed to was hawt, and the side characters were great. I might peak in on the next book, because Remy and Willy were great.
I will say this is a good book. I know people will love it. It’s not a great book for me. But that boiled down to 2 things. I don’t prefer to read YA books that’s just not my thing. If I’d know 50% of this book was going to be YA I would have skipped it. I understand a good past relationship set up for second chance books. I just prefer it to be most of the book. That being said if you are cool with that please read.
The second being it was more of internal monologue/ narration that told the story. I’m a reader who loves loves loves dialogue in books the more the better. But once again that’s not going to be hinderance for all readers. Thats why I said this was a great book. It’s just my preference of book style that made this book not for me.
The more adult smexy that I skimmed to was hawt, and the side characters were great. I might peak in on the next book, because Remy and Willy were great.
September 27, 2024
I really wish I liked this book a lot more than I did.
I’m not saying the idea was groundbreaking, but they could have made this book a lot more fun and interesting.
Grayson is the epitome of a good guy. He is well liked and he is kind to everyone. Cole has had a rough life and ends up homeless. Grayson being the good guy he is (and of course he is attracted to Cole) lends a hand.
Majority of the story is told via flashback and in all honestly it wouldn’t end. I sort of clocked out when everything was instant love with these boys. Cole had about five minutes where he was mean to Grayson and didn’t trust to him, to being blindly in love with him. Grayson was in love right from the get go.
The separation is filled with way too much drama and when they finally make up it was so over the top.
It read more like fan fiction than a published book.
I’m not saying the idea was groundbreaking, but they could have made this book a lot more fun and interesting.
Grayson is the epitome of a good guy. He is well liked and he is kind to everyone. Cole has had a rough life and ends up homeless. Grayson being the good guy he is (and of course he is attracted to Cole) lends a hand.
Majority of the story is told via flashback and in all honestly it wouldn’t end. I sort of clocked out when everything was instant love with these boys. Cole had about five minutes where he was mean to Grayson and didn’t trust to him, to being blindly in love with him. Grayson was in love right from the get go.
The separation is filled with way too much drama and when they finally make up it was so over the top.
It read more like fan fiction than a published book.
June 7, 2024
Imperfect Cadence by Emily Axon
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Firstly I cannot stress enough, please read trigger warnings before picking up this book! It touches on heavy topics!
Colton Ray and Grayson Scott are very different kids, but are also very similar, this second chance romance shows many real realities of living a queer life, it’s well written and relates well. The story revolves around two high school sweethearts who reconnect seven years later! I loved this story, it kept me engaged and interested in what was happening! I was rooting for Colton and Grayson from the very beginning, I went through every emotion possible literally.
I was so excited to read this for pride month, having been Emily’s one woman hype girl for months before IC’s release, I had high expectations and to say, it did not disappoint made me so excited to recommend this!
(Even to people in other countries, this is a MUST READ)!
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Firstly I cannot stress enough, please read trigger warnings before picking up this book! It touches on heavy topics!
Colton Ray and Grayson Scott are very different kids, but are also very similar, this second chance romance shows many real realities of living a queer life, it’s well written and relates well. The story revolves around two high school sweethearts who reconnect seven years later! I loved this story, it kept me engaged and interested in what was happening! I was rooting for Colton and Grayson from the very beginning, I went through every emotion possible literally.
I was so excited to read this for pride month, having been Emily’s one woman hype girl for months before IC’s release, I had high expectations and to say, it did not disappoint made me so excited to recommend this!
(Even to people in other countries, this is a MUST READ)!
March 30, 2025
Good concept, but not my fav.
I really really like the concept. I love the whole idea of a second chance romance with a very tragic, super talented singer and the cute adorable boy who helps bring him up with support. However, 3/4 of the book is just how the relationship began - it’s the relationship from beginning to end - and then it goes back to I guess the “present” where suddenly everything is happening all at once and it feels very rushed. I dunno. I wasn’t a fan of the structure of the novel and it felt too rushed. It felt like the “forgiveness” part was glossed over with steamy times and then epilogue-type chapters before the actual epilogue.
Was super hopeful because I liked the characters but this book didn’t work for me.
As well, the first chapter wasn’t that intriguing but I pushed through. It’s a very slow start. The “second chance” is really the ending eight chapters or less. and it doesn’t feel very earned. it just feels like they do the steamy times and realize oh we were young and dumb and hurt so we didn’t communicate and have one or two convos that would have fixed everything.
I really really like the concept. I love the whole idea of a second chance romance with a very tragic, super talented singer and the cute adorable boy who helps bring him up with support. However, 3/4 of the book is just how the relationship began - it’s the relationship from beginning to end - and then it goes back to I guess the “present” where suddenly everything is happening all at once and it feels very rushed. I dunno. I wasn’t a fan of the structure of the novel and it felt too rushed. It felt like the “forgiveness” part was glossed over with steamy times and then epilogue-type chapters before the actual epilogue.
Was super hopeful because I liked the characters but this book didn’t work for me.
As well, the first chapter wasn’t that intriguing but I pushed through. It’s a very slow start. The “second chance” is really the ending eight chapters or less. and it doesn’t feel very earned. it just feels like they do the steamy times and realize oh we were young and dumb and hurt so we didn’t communicate and have one or two convos that would have fixed everything.
August 31, 2024
This started relatively well, enjoyed the plot to begin. Then it just got silly. Around 60/70% of the book they’re not even together, it’s 6 years apart and they still tbink about each other every single day? Really? And then the ending is just ridiculous.
March 16, 2025
Very cheesy and overly long.
In some parts of this story my eyes rolled so hard that I was afraid they might get stuck backwards.
In the middle of the book (the separation part) I skipped many, many pages without losing track, there was just too much rambling. I think that tells everything.
In some parts of this story my eyes rolled so hard that I was afraid they might get stuck backwards.
In the middle of the book (the separation part) I skipped many, many pages without losing track, there was just too much rambling. I think that tells everything.
May 6, 2025
I really wanted to like this book, I did, but I just couldn’t.
Four percent in and I already wanted to smother myself with a pillow because « For the Fans » by Nyla K. is mentioned as a pillar of queer literature or whatever, which is without a doubt the least accurate thing I’ve ever read. I could write a whole essay on everything wrong with that piece of trash (and I probably will) but that’s not the subject here.
Anyways, that was the first strike, which admittedly, can be ignored for some people.
Second : the writing style. I understand that this was the author’s first book, and that you can’t master writing easily, but there’s a standard to meet. This whole book was telling us what was happening and we were just supposed to believe it. Ever heard of « show, don’t tell »? Insta love in general is hard to believe, so when we aren’t even immersed in the character’s feelings and actions, well… Gray and Colt’s whole relationship in the past happens « off-screen ». We’re told they get closer and that they have dates, etc, but none of those scenes are included in the book, so any development reads as very sudden and unbelievable.
In the same vein, this book was marketed as a second chance romance, yet the actual second chance represented maybe 15% of the book, and that’s being generous. All the time spent in the past ends up being repetitive after we get to the breakup, especially when we get both perspectives of the same event (there are things readers can infer just from previous/future events and one character’s point of view). They’re miserable and there are misunderstandings, we get it, now move on. When we finally get back to the present, we only get more misunderstandings before they fuck and talk a bit and then all is well. What? Where’s the second chance romance here?
Talking about quiproquos, I can’t not mention how unrealistic they were. The whole « Colt is number one singer in the country and nobody knows he’s married » thing was already unlikely, but him not having fired Carl years ago when he clearly hates him is ridiculous. Depression doesn’t make you stupid and it certainly doesn’t force you to employ a cliché Disney villain (because yes, that’s how his character read : a man mean just for the sake of being mean, with no other layer or reasoning). Don’t even get me started on what Grayson wanted to say at the hospital and what came out : there are virtually no chances for these exact words to be missing or present. Not everything in a story has to be one hundred percent realistic but please, try to make it at least plausible.
There’s another thing that I found very odd : the random « psychoanalysis » moments and the characters reassuring themselves about their mistakes by invoking pseudo-psychology and how they needed to do something for their mental health. In theory, it’s not something I hate at all, I think it’s important to have open discussions and to see a therapist if you need one, but this was just handled weirdly. Mostly, those moments felt like plot devices and as such, they didn’t really make me feel empathetic for the characters, especially considering I found it to be very stereotypical.
Additionally, the supporting characters felt like they revolved around the main characters. Violet is only present when it’s convenient and leaves when the MCs have sex, just like that. She’s a child, and Gray’s borderline bad parenting of her isn’t resolved. He loves her and isn’t her dad, sure, but that doesn’t make it all okay. At the end of the day, he chose to take care of her. Her maturity just hurt my soul : even though a child being mature isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in context, it felt like she grew up too fast because of Gray. Willy randomly decided to become friends with a client because he seemed sad, psychoanalysed him and drops everything for him. All that while being told, again, that they become best friends. That always makes the MCs feel selfish to me, because friendship isn’t a one-way street and that’s always how we are presented things. Same goes for Remy.
Lastly, I don’t know if the author is a straight woman or if she’s queer, but either way, she clearly doesn’t know much about gay relationships. If you’re going to write about people who aren’t like you, please at least do some research.
This is a very dense review with a lot of criticism, but please understand that my goal isn’t to flame this author or judge anyone who enjoyed this book. It still has its good sides; it’s a nice concept, though not revolutionary, and an entertaining read.
Four percent in and I already wanted to smother myself with a pillow because « For the Fans » by Nyla K. is mentioned as a pillar of queer literature or whatever, which is without a doubt the least accurate thing I’ve ever read. I could write a whole essay on everything wrong with that piece of trash (and I probably will) but that’s not the subject here.
Anyways, that was the first strike, which admittedly, can be ignored for some people.
Second : the writing style. I understand that this was the author’s first book, and that you can’t master writing easily, but there’s a standard to meet. This whole book was telling us what was happening and we were just supposed to believe it. Ever heard of « show, don’t tell »? Insta love in general is hard to believe, so when we aren’t even immersed in the character’s feelings and actions, well… Gray and Colt’s whole relationship in the past happens « off-screen ». We’re told they get closer and that they have dates, etc, but none of those scenes are included in the book, so any development reads as very sudden and unbelievable.
In the same vein, this book was marketed as a second chance romance, yet the actual second chance represented maybe 15% of the book, and that’s being generous. All the time spent in the past ends up being repetitive after we get to the breakup, especially when we get both perspectives of the same event (there are things readers can infer just from previous/future events and one character’s point of view). They’re miserable and there are misunderstandings, we get it, now move on. When we finally get back to the present, we only get more misunderstandings before they fuck and talk a bit and then all is well. What? Where’s the second chance romance here?
Talking about quiproquos, I can’t not mention how unrealistic they were. The whole « Colt is number one singer in the country and nobody knows he’s married » thing was already unlikely, but him not having fired Carl years ago when he clearly hates him is ridiculous. Depression doesn’t make you stupid and it certainly doesn’t force you to employ a cliché Disney villain (because yes, that’s how his character read : a man mean just for the sake of being mean, with no other layer or reasoning). Don’t even get me started on what Grayson wanted to say at the hospital and what came out : there are virtually no chances for these exact words to be missing or present. Not everything in a story has to be one hundred percent realistic but please, try to make it at least plausible.
There’s another thing that I found very odd : the random « psychoanalysis » moments and the characters reassuring themselves about their mistakes by invoking pseudo-psychology and how they needed to do something for their mental health. In theory, it’s not something I hate at all, I think it’s important to have open discussions and to see a therapist if you need one, but this was just handled weirdly. Mostly, those moments felt like plot devices and as such, they didn’t really make me feel empathetic for the characters, especially considering I found it to be very stereotypical.
Additionally, the supporting characters felt like they revolved around the main characters. Violet is only present when it’s convenient and leaves when the MCs have sex, just like that. She’s a child, and Gray’s borderline bad parenting of her isn’t resolved. He loves her and isn’t her dad, sure, but that doesn’t make it all okay. At the end of the day, he chose to take care of her. Her maturity just hurt my soul : even though a child being mature isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in context, it felt like she grew up too fast because of Gray. Willy randomly decided to become friends with a client because he seemed sad, psychoanalysed him and drops everything for him. All that while being told, again, that they become best friends. That always makes the MCs feel selfish to me, because friendship isn’t a one-way street and that’s always how we are presented things. Same goes for Remy.
Lastly, I don’t know if the author is a straight woman or if she’s queer, but either way, she clearly doesn’t know much about gay relationships. If you’re going to write about people who aren’t like you, please at least do some research.
This is a very dense review with a lot of criticism, but please understand that my goal isn’t to flame this author or judge anyone who enjoyed this book. It still has its good sides; it’s a nice concept, though not revolutionary, and an entertaining read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2025
2.5⭐ la autora tiene potencial y se nota que es de sus primeros trabajos pero la forma en la que retrató la relación de los protagonistas no se me hizo muy orgánica el insta love también ayudó en eso pero durante todo el libro hubo demasiadas cosas que no me terminaron de cerrar y la forma en la que se reconcilian los protagonistas no me gustó nada.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2024
4.75 ✨ I really like Colton and Gray relationship so much, I really liked how we went into detail about what happened and how it led up to the current events, and bonus they have letters, and this my first MM second romance book will defiantly read more from the author.
April 21, 2024
Oh man. This was a gooder and it made me cry so hard! It’s a sad one I ugh.. but happy ending! And so so good I loved gray 😭😭😭❤️ my heart I cannot anyways 4-5🌟
August 16, 2025
I surprised myself by the 4 stars I gave it. God, I hate Colton with my whole being. I don't understand how he still stands as the victim after all. Grayson is the hero he doesn't deserve. He sacrifices himself to limits bordering on absurdity.
May 5, 2024
Don’t let the cover fool you, this is not a fluffy, quick romance … as much as it is extremely sweet, it’s also raw, and angsty with so much heartbreak and pain. A fantastic debut novel, complex with deep emotions that I very much enjoyed.
Gray and Colton are high school sweethearts, the most unlikely couple. Gray, the popular jock is all hearts and genuine goodness, hiding his loneliness and problems from everyone. He rescues Colton, the beautiful musician foster kid who fell on hard times. Gray is instantly enamored by Colton and the first part of the book is their beautiful, slow, sweet love story. It is really all swoon, trust me on this! Together they are working on their dreams, it was wonderful to see how much they supported each other, you cannot help but cheer for them. But just when you’d think they finally made it and Colton is on the verge of a new stardom, all things fall apart. This was painful, Emily has a way with words and I felt all the heartbreak, mental and emotional pain these two went through. We got to see the years that they spent apart and yes, I did tear up reading these parts … it felt like everything was against them and it’s not until later in the book that they are finally able to see each other and all truth come to the surface. What never changed was the raw attraction that they both felt. Theirs is a hard-earned HEA, they had to work through a lot of issues but it made the ending that much sweeter. I'm looking forward to reading Emily's next book, she is clearly an author you should get to know.
Second Chance
Musician MC
Grumpy/Sunshine
Gray Ace Rep
High School Sweethearts
Instant attraction
Please check the TW for sensitive content!
Gray and Colton are high school sweethearts, the most unlikely couple. Gray, the popular jock is all hearts and genuine goodness, hiding his loneliness and problems from everyone. He rescues Colton, the beautiful musician foster kid who fell on hard times. Gray is instantly enamored by Colton and the first part of the book is their beautiful, slow, sweet love story. It is really all swoon, trust me on this! Together they are working on their dreams, it was wonderful to see how much they supported each other, you cannot help but cheer for them. But just when you’d think they finally made it and Colton is on the verge of a new stardom, all things fall apart. This was painful, Emily has a way with words and I felt all the heartbreak, mental and emotional pain these two went through. We got to see the years that they spent apart and yes, I did tear up reading these parts … it felt like everything was against them and it’s not until later in the book that they are finally able to see each other and all truth come to the surface. What never changed was the raw attraction that they both felt. Theirs is a hard-earned HEA, they had to work through a lot of issues but it made the ending that much sweeter. I'm looking forward to reading Emily's next book, she is clearly an author you should get to know.
Second Chance
Musician MC
Grumpy/Sunshine
Gray Ace Rep
High School Sweethearts
Instant attraction
Please check the TW for sensitive content!
May 2, 2024
This was a solid debut, I liked the writing, it flowed well for me and both the mc's.
I struggled with all the inner monologue. It was too much for me and made the book longer than it needed. Also having it take 70% to get to the present time wasn't my favourite. I wanted more of them now.
I'm interested in the characters for the next book so will pick it up to see how it plays out.
I struggled with all the inner monologue. It was too much for me and made the book longer than it needed. Also having it take 70% to get to the present time wasn't my favourite. I wanted more of them now.
I'm interested in the characters for the next book so will pick it up to see how it plays out.
August 13, 2024
had to DNF at 46% I’m sorry the writing is just not doing it for me 😭
February 12, 2025
M/M || Second Chance || Insta Love || Golden Retriever X Black Cat || Co-Habitation || Music || Height Difference || Light Feminization (“Princess”, Makeup, High Heels…) || Asexual-ish (There is still sex) || Misunderstanding || Brief Homelessness || Foster System
A light-ish romance book that could serve as a palate cleanser or just a fun read to enjoy! I liked it a lot and read it in like 5 hours!
🐱🐶🎶💄💍🏈❤️
Plot: Colt, famous musician, gets a call that his estranged husband has been in a bad crash and is listed as his next-of-kin. It’s been seven years since Colt had seen Gray and the plot follows what happened prior to that moment—how they met and fell in love and how they broke up while staying married.
Important thing to know is that the basis of this book is miscommunication. If that is frustrating for you to read, perhaps think it through before starting!
Characters: Colt gave me major Sirius Black/Regulus Black vibes (I wonder if either of them were an inspiration for him) both on looks as well as personality. A likeable character who had his moments of stubbornness and crankiness, which added more depth. His character was more feminine than the average MM protagonist, but it wasn’t overly down to fall into the feminization category in my opinion. I liked how he could be comfortable to present himself with makeup and high heels and it wasn’t made in to a big deal by other characters. I could’ve sworn the boom described Colt as more tan but the book cover suggests otherwise…
Gray was the embodiment of a Golden retriever from start to end. A lot of love to give and one person in particular he wanted to give it to. A truly caring person who could give a place for Colt to stay, no strings attached. It was unfortunate how his love for Colt blinded him just enough that made him choose to break up with Colt instead of communicating and finding a better solution than dumping a person scared shitless of being left alone. I also liked how his texts and letters had little typos to show his dyslexia (so NO they’re not actual typos like some might think, it’s very much intentional I think). Do not be fooled by the cover, Gray IS a football player but only for a brief moment at the start of the book so this is not a football player romance! Also, a little James Potter vibes. Wouldn’t be surprised if the writer was a Marauders reader.
Remy and Willy (that’s still a hilarious nickname) were the needed best friends to keep the protagonists afloat while they suffered apart. I sense something will happen between the two and am interested as to what.
Writing: Overall, very solid easy to read writing. However, there were parts throughout the book where there were long stretches of internal monologue which sadly almost brought me out of the book. As in, pages upon pages of internal monologue jammed within action, multiple times. I debated on just not reading more many times at the start because it felt like action -> three pages of life story -> two lines of action -> another three pages of life story. It was rather exhausting to read. But it was more so a problem at the beginning, but either I got used to it or there wasn’t as much at the end. I think(?) this is the author’s first book so I’ll give the writing a pass.
There were lots of references that threw me off while reading—For The Fans, Tal Bauer, comparisons to real-life artists such as Adele and Lewis Capaldi, ChatGPT. This is just a me-thing and I don’t mean this as a negative, but it just felt off to come across them the same way I don’t like how books explicitly mention a character watching Netflix or scrolling through Facebook and TikTok. For me, it brings the book too close to reality when I read to escape it in a sense, so I prefer to have no such references. (I did read why For The Fans was mentioned in the author’s note!)
A light-ish romance book that could serve as a palate cleanser or just a fun read to enjoy! I liked it a lot and read it in like 5 hours!
🐱🐶🎶💄💍🏈❤️
Plot: Colt, famous musician, gets a call that his estranged husband has been in a bad crash and is listed as his next-of-kin. It’s been seven years since Colt had seen Gray and the plot follows what happened prior to that moment—how they met and fell in love and how they broke up while staying married.
Important thing to know is that the basis of this book is miscommunication. If that is frustrating for you to read, perhaps think it through before starting!
Characters: Colt gave me major Sirius Black/Regulus Black vibes (I wonder if either of them were an inspiration for him) both on looks as well as personality. A likeable character who had his moments of stubbornness and crankiness, which added more depth. His character was more feminine than the average MM protagonist, but it wasn’t overly down to fall into the feminization category in my opinion. I liked how he could be comfortable to present himself with makeup and high heels and it wasn’t made in to a big deal by other characters. I could’ve sworn the boom described Colt as more tan but the book cover suggests otherwise…
Gray was the embodiment of a Golden retriever from start to end. A lot of love to give and one person in particular he wanted to give it to. A truly caring person who could give a place for Colt to stay, no strings attached. It was unfortunate how his love for Colt blinded him just enough that made him choose to break up with Colt instead of communicating and finding a better solution than dumping a person scared shitless of being left alone. I also liked how his texts and letters had little typos to show his dyslexia (so NO they’re not actual typos like some might think, it’s very much intentional I think). Do not be fooled by the cover, Gray IS a football player but only for a brief moment at the start of the book so this is not a football player romance! Also, a little James Potter vibes. Wouldn’t be surprised if the writer was a Marauders reader.
Remy and Willy (that’s still a hilarious nickname) were the needed best friends to keep the protagonists afloat while they suffered apart. I sense something will happen between the two and am interested as to what.
Writing: Overall, very solid easy to read writing. However, there were parts throughout the book where there were long stretches of internal monologue which sadly almost brought me out of the book. As in, pages upon pages of internal monologue jammed within action, multiple times. I debated on just not reading more many times at the start because it felt like action -> three pages of life story -> two lines of action -> another three pages of life story. It was rather exhausting to read. But it was more so a problem at the beginning, but either I got used to it or there wasn’t as much at the end. I think(?) this is the author’s first book so I’ll give the writing a pass.
There were lots of references that threw me off while reading—For The Fans, Tal Bauer, comparisons to real-life artists such as Adele and Lewis Capaldi, ChatGPT. This is just a me-thing and I don’t mean this as a negative, but it just felt off to come across them the same way I don’t like how books explicitly mention a character watching Netflix or scrolling through Facebook and TikTok. For me, it brings the book too close to reality when I read to escape it in a sense, so I prefer to have no such references. (I did read why For The Fans was mentioned in the author’s note!)
August 19, 2024
I really wanted to love this book because, let’s be honest, the premise sounded absolutely fantastic. But alas, the execution was a hot mess. The balance between past and present was way off. Seriously, did we really need that many chapters of the past ? A decent chunk to set the scene and then a sprinkle here and there would’ve sufficed.
Chapter 1 had me duped into expecting a juicy second chance romance, but nope! The second chance happened in the blink of an eye, and the breakup drama felt forced and fantastical.
And don’t get me started on the YA vibes. I’m not generally not here for angsty teens, even if they’re technically legal. For a flashback sure I can deal but had I known it was going to be a teen drama fest, I would’ve passed. Plus, the early chapters had me wondering if any of the adults were actually doing their jobs.
Sure, aging out of foster care happens, but come on. Nowadays, social workers usually have programs to help out kids who age out of foster care. Yet somehow, in this small-town fantasy, teachers are clueless and social workers are shamelessly negligent?
Then there’s the whole age thing. In a small town, everyone knows everyone’s business. There’s no way Grey’s age would’ve been a mystery. Did the people he grew up with all develop amnesia? His internal monologue screamed “old soul,” but still it was just too much for a 21-year-old.
And let’s talk about Colt’s fame. Are we seriously supposed to believe that no fans or press would dig into his past and find Grey? Restraining orders are public record, folks. Someone on his security team would’ve known. And I refuse to believe they wouldn’t find his marriage. I mean I’ve seen them find
This book’s plot depended on coincidences, miscommunications, and sheer ignorance. Maybe if Colt were a CEO of some obscure tech company, it could slide. But a celebrity? Absolutely not.
Chapter 1 had me duped into expecting a juicy second chance romance, but nope! The second chance happened in the blink of an eye, and the breakup drama felt forced and fantastical.
And don’t get me started on the YA vibes. I’m not generally not here for angsty teens, even if they’re technically legal. For a flashback sure I can deal but had I known it was going to be a teen drama fest, I would’ve passed. Plus, the early chapters had me wondering if any of the adults were actually doing their jobs.
Sure, aging out of foster care happens, but come on. Nowadays, social workers usually have programs to help out kids who age out of foster care. Yet somehow, in this small-town fantasy, teachers are clueless and social workers are shamelessly negligent?
Then there’s the whole age thing. In a small town, everyone knows everyone’s business. There’s no way Grey’s age would’ve been a mystery. Did the people he grew up with all develop amnesia? His internal monologue screamed “old soul,” but still it was just too much for a 21-year-old.
And let’s talk about Colt’s fame. Are we seriously supposed to believe that no fans or press would dig into his past and find Grey? Restraining orders are public record, folks. Someone on his security team would’ve known. And I refuse to believe they wouldn’t find his marriage. I mean I’ve seen them find
This book’s plot depended on coincidences, miscommunications, and sheer ignorance. Maybe if Colt were a CEO of some obscure tech company, it could slide. But a celebrity? Absolutely not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
4 stars
POV: alternating 1st person, past tense
Colt is a world famous musician, but the loneliest boy in the world. When he gets a phone call that takes him back in time to his high school sweetheart Gray, he has some decisions to make. We head back to the past and watch Gray and Colt meet and fall in love and promise to be together forever. Then we watch as they fall apart (are maybe pushed apart?) and how they continue on without each other. When they come within the same orbit once again after the phone call, everything that was never really dealt with comes to the forefront.
I think I enjoyed this. No, I know I enjoyed it. It's just that it was written in such a way that I wasn't sure I was enjoying it until a certain moment when I became emotional about what was happening, and that was over halfway through the book. I think that I was kept at arm's length from the characters with words. It wasn't overwritten or using 10 words when one would suffice; it was the fact that there were a lot of words used that aren't necessarily used in everyday conversation. And since Colt and Gray were basically having a conversation with us to tell us as the reader what happened, it was a little jarring. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't... engaging. I wasn't pulled in to the story, always felt a little bit apart from it. I liked the characters, and did end up pretty much enjoying the story, but it felt hard fought, not an easy enjoyment. I did like the fact that there were no quick fixes for what Colt and Gray went through, and that they were both involved in therapy, since I think this should become commonplace if people need it.
POV: alternating 1st person, past tense
Colt is a world famous musician, but the loneliest boy in the world. When he gets a phone call that takes him back in time to his high school sweetheart Gray, he has some decisions to make. We head back to the past and watch Gray and Colt meet and fall in love and promise to be together forever. Then we watch as they fall apart (are maybe pushed apart?) and how they continue on without each other. When they come within the same orbit once again after the phone call, everything that was never really dealt with comes to the forefront.
I think I enjoyed this. No, I know I enjoyed it. It's just that it was written in such a way that I wasn't sure I was enjoying it until a certain moment when I became emotional about what was happening, and that was over halfway through the book. I think that I was kept at arm's length from the characters with words. It wasn't overwritten or using 10 words when one would suffice; it was the fact that there were a lot of words used that aren't necessarily used in everyday conversation. And since Colt and Gray were basically having a conversation with us to tell us as the reader what happened, it was a little jarring. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't... engaging. I wasn't pulled in to the story, always felt a little bit apart from it. I liked the characters, and did end up pretty much enjoying the story, but it felt hard fought, not an easy enjoyment. I did like the fact that there were no quick fixes for what Colt and Gray went through, and that they were both involved in therapy, since I think this should become commonplace if people need it.
April 25, 2024
pretty good
I love how the author wrote in present tense and seeing the situation then brought us back to years ago and really going into depth and details on both Grayson and Colton’s love. I am a fan of this whole perfect and imperfect contrast of MC. Colton is depicted to be mixed race while Grayson features are described as imperfect which makes it more perfect.
The part I really didn’t like about the whole book was that we don’t get to read about gray and colts reconciliation till we’re at 90% of the book and in that last 10% it’s just not enough to make readers really want to forgive all the hurt and pain. While as you read the book you can glimpse at Colton and see his sexuality leans a little more towards demisexual. While Greyson and Colts time apart colt had never been with anyone else and then when you read about Grayson and his mishaps it makes the love seem less genuine since they are still married and the author never goes back to this issue and leaves us readers stewing about it.
Book is a good solid 4. For how long it is I just wish there was more time to read them coming back together and really building up that love because the beginning and middle was so entrancing that you felt the love and heartbreak and then the ending just leaves a sour feeling in your mouth because you become angry and just wish the author spent more time giving us readers and feeling and emotions of them both really forgiving one another and growing together.
I love how the author wrote in present tense and seeing the situation then brought us back to years ago and really going into depth and details on both Grayson and Colton’s love. I am a fan of this whole perfect and imperfect contrast of MC. Colton is depicted to be mixed race while Grayson features are described as imperfect which makes it more perfect.
The part I really didn’t like about the whole book was that we don’t get to read about gray and colts reconciliation till we’re at 90% of the book and in that last 10% it’s just not enough to make readers really want to forgive all the hurt and pain. While as you read the book you can glimpse at Colton and see his sexuality leans a little more towards demisexual. While Greyson and Colts time apart colt had never been with anyone else and then when you read about Grayson and his mishaps it makes the love seem less genuine since they are still married and the author never goes back to this issue and leaves us readers stewing about it.
Book is a good solid 4. For how long it is I just wish there was more time to read them coming back together and really building up that love because the beginning and middle was so entrancing that you felt the love and heartbreak and then the ending just leaves a sour feeling in your mouth because you become angry and just wish the author spent more time giving us readers and feeling and emotions of them both really forgiving one another and growing together.
May 8, 2024
Loved it!
These two had a rough start. Colton constantly tried to push Grayson away, but this charming over-thinking mess of a man just never gave up on winning over his black cat. Despite how different those two appear to be at the start, there were so many things that bound them together – past childhood trauma, difficulty fitting in with their peers, feeling anxious about the future, fear of abandonment, to name just a few. Once they figure out they have a lot more in common, their relationship becomes this absolutely sweet first teenage love that sweeps you off your feet and makes you feel like you're snuggling in cotton candy☺️🤗❤️
Nothing comes easy for Colton, and soon, his biggest fears come to life when he finds himself completely shattered and abandoned on the precipice of great success in his music career.
Grayson and Colton must fight for their happy ending, and even though almost a decade has gone by, before their paths cross again, their love is still strong and carries them through their turbulent reunion. Getting back together is nothing short of a miracle. Forgiveness comes at a high price, but Colton and Grayson are determined to make it work.
This beautiful story is filled with vivid side characters, who bring the action to life! Remi and Kitten ❤️❤️❤️ loved those two❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely loved it!
These two had a rough start. Colton constantly tried to push Grayson away, but this charming over-thinking mess of a man just never gave up on winning over his black cat. Despite how different those two appear to be at the start, there were so many things that bound them together – past childhood trauma, difficulty fitting in with their peers, feeling anxious about the future, fear of abandonment, to name just a few. Once they figure out they have a lot more in common, their relationship becomes this absolutely sweet first teenage love that sweeps you off your feet and makes you feel like you're snuggling in cotton candy☺️🤗❤️
Nothing comes easy for Colton, and soon, his biggest fears come to life when he finds himself completely shattered and abandoned on the precipice of great success in his music career.
Grayson and Colton must fight for their happy ending, and even though almost a decade has gone by, before their paths cross again, their love is still strong and carries them through their turbulent reunion. Getting back together is nothing short of a miracle. Forgiveness comes at a high price, but Colton and Grayson are determined to make it work.
This beautiful story is filled with vivid side characters, who bring the action to life! Remi and Kitten ❤️❤️❤️ loved those two❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely loved it!
July 29, 2025
5 estrellas
⚪ M/M Romance
⚪ Bi Awakening
⚪ Second Chance Romance
El libro comienza cuando Gray, cantante de éxito, recibe una llamada del hospital ya que su marido Colton con el que no habla desde hace 7 años ha tenido un accidente grave de coche y tiene que tomar decisiones porque es su contacto de emergencia. Después de este inicio, nos adentramos en un flashback a 7 años atrás cuando Gray y Colton se conocen en el instituto. Gray ha pasado por varias familias de acogida tras ser abandonado por sus padres drogadictos pero a los 18 años acaba en la calle. Colt le acoge en su casa y forjan una relación romántica que se acaba abruptamente por algo que cambia en la vida de Colt.
Hacía mucho tiempo que no lloraba con un libro así que solo por eso ya le tengo que dar la máxima puntuación. No esperaba tanto de este romance de segunda oportunidad ya que no conocía a esta escritora y las reseñas tampoco eran tan buenas, pero la historia me ha llegado al alma. No podía parar de leer. Lo recomiendo, de verdad. Los dos protagonistas son personajes muy complejos y cómo el libro cuenta la historia a lo largo de años van evolucionando. Además, también hay representación de sexualidad gray/ace en uno de los protagonistas.
⚪ M/M Romance
⚪ Bi Awakening
⚪ Second Chance Romance
El libro comienza cuando Gray, cantante de éxito, recibe una llamada del hospital ya que su marido Colton con el que no habla desde hace 7 años ha tenido un accidente grave de coche y tiene que tomar decisiones porque es su contacto de emergencia. Después de este inicio, nos adentramos en un flashback a 7 años atrás cuando Gray y Colton se conocen en el instituto. Gray ha pasado por varias familias de acogida tras ser abandonado por sus padres drogadictos pero a los 18 años acaba en la calle. Colt le acoge en su casa y forjan una relación romántica que se acaba abruptamente por algo que cambia en la vida de Colt.
Hacía mucho tiempo que no lloraba con un libro así que solo por eso ya le tengo que dar la máxima puntuación. No esperaba tanto de este romance de segunda oportunidad ya que no conocía a esta escritora y las reseñas tampoco eran tan buenas, pero la historia me ha llegado al alma. No podía parar de leer. Lo recomiendo, de verdad. Los dos protagonistas son personajes muy complejos y cómo el libro cuenta la historia a lo largo de años van evolucionando. Además, también hay representación de sexualidad gray/ace en uno de los protagonistas.
April 15, 2025
I loved this book, but it absolutely fucking destroyed me. As soon as the flashback started, I was completely on edge and in turmoil, waiting for whatever tragedy separated them. And then finding out what actually happened, actually made it so much fucking worse. I gave this five stars because I loved how real it was, and how much it made me feel, but so much of that emotion was utter heartbreak. If you are an emotional, empathetic reader, make sure you’re in a good headspace before you read this one. This was not the lighthearted romance that I thought it would be, even though the book description does say it’s a hard fought HEA. I guess I didn’t believe it 😅
I really wish there had been a little less flashback so that we could have a little more of them together at the end. I felt like the wrap up was way too fast compared to the amount of buildup in the story. But I also think that getting that full background story and in between was well written and very important so maybe it just needed to be another 50 to 100 pages longer? Lol.
❤️Colt and Gray ❤️
I really wish there had been a little less flashback so that we could have a little more of them together at the end. I felt like the wrap up was way too fast compared to the amount of buildup in the story. But I also think that getting that full background story and in between was well written and very important so maybe it just needed to be another 50 to 100 pages longer? Lol.
❤️Colt and Gray ❤️
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