2.5 stars
When I first started reading MM I was told that this was a good beginner's book. Maybe I would have liked it better back then. But now it felt like too many other books I have already read. There was nothing original here. I was kinda BORED through much of the story.
Also, I know I often complain that in GFY it takes too long for the relationship to develop. But here, it was too fast. For two very straight guys, they fell into lust and in love with each other way too fast. Had there been some suggestion that they had been bisexual, bicurious, deep in the closet, or whatever, then maybe I would have bought it. But that was not the case here for either MC. There was some off page friendship/relationship building and maybe some those realizations happened a bit in the parts we couldn't see. If so, however, that is not the kinda thing that should take place off page. That is the stuff that makes the story what it is.
As it was, I found the whole relationship unbelievable.
As far as the whole things with James goes, it bothered me but for a totally different reason than it bothered my BR partner, Marco. I am okay with cheating. Not in real life of course, but certainly in fiction. Flawed characters who make mistakes and recover from them makes for interesting reading. In fact I don't even consider what happened cheating since Matt and Evan had already been broken up for a while. What annoyed me with the James thing was that the only reason it seemed to be there was to set us up for book 2. I hate when authors give a story an unneeded turn in the plot, especially a bad one, just to set up the next book.
In all it was a mediocre read. The last 20% or so I liked a lot more than the rest but that didn't save the book.
But even though I didn't love the book, I enjoyed the BR a lot. Thanks Marco.