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A review by luluwoohoo
Him by Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy (audiobook narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan)
☀️☀️☀️
▪️A queer sports romance that aimed high with its intentions without reaching most of them successfully
▪️A story of this style really needs you rooting for the couple. I liked the dual POV, particularly in audiobook form with two narrators, which allowed both characters to unfold throughout the novel. Jamie's arc was interesting and handled well, especially his growing understanding of his bisexuality. Wes, on the other hand, had almost no growth and continued to make shitty choices, only for Jamie to redeem him without apology or any real commitment until the final chapters. Their chemistry was good but not amazing, and ultimately the ending was cheapened by how little genuine communication happened
▪️In regards to the plot, I appreciated the balance of sports content to social interactions, which gave just enough context without feeling like info-dumping. The romance was well paced but I actually think there was too much sex throughout without proper emotional payoff at the end, because they're two dudes who refuse to have a conversation for 80% of the book, which really let down the premise
▪️Most of the dialogue and internal monologue was fine, but there were enough cringy lines in there to make me really disassociate from the characters and the attempted humour
▪️This is a super popular MM title that simply didn't do enough to work for me - being a 22 year old sports bro doesn't excuse a lack of respect and care for the supposed love of your life, especially in a romance novel, so I can't say I truly enjoyed it.
☀️☀️☀️
▪️A queer sports romance that aimed high with its intentions without reaching most of them successfully
▪️A story of this style really needs you rooting for the couple. I liked the dual POV, particularly in audiobook form with two narrators, which allowed both characters to unfold throughout the novel. Jamie's arc was interesting and handled well, especially his growing understanding of his bisexuality. Wes, on the other hand, had almost no growth and continued to make shitty choices, only for Jamie to redeem him without apology or any real commitment until the final chapters. Their chemistry was good but not amazing, and ultimately the ending was cheapened by how little genuine communication happened
▪️In regards to the plot, I appreciated the balance of sports content to social interactions, which gave just enough context without feeling like info-dumping. The romance was well paced but I actually think there was too much sex throughout without proper emotional payoff at the end, because they're two dudes who refuse to have a conversation for 80% of the book, which really let down the premise
▪️Most of the dialogue and internal monologue was fine, but there were enough cringy lines in there to make me really disassociate from the characters and the attempted humour
▪️This is a super popular MM title that simply didn't do enough to work for me - being a 22 year old sports bro doesn't excuse a lack of respect and care for the supposed love of your life, especially in a romance novel, so I can't say I truly enjoyed it.
"My life has been chaotic for as long as I can remember, and I always dealt with it alone. My parents’ criticism, my confusion over my sexuality. But for six weeks every summer, I didn’t have to be alone. I had Jamie, my best friend, my rock."