Review: Boyfriend 101 by Riley Hart
SYNOPSIS:
Camden
I’m a fun-loving guy who doesn’t take life too seriously. If there’s something I want, I go for it. Why not? Life’s too short to slide into the grave with regrets. But what I don’t do is go for men who aren’t out and proud. Been there, done that. The only real way to get to me is to hurt my brother, but now that Sawyer’s happy, he doesn’t need me anymore. I’m stoked for him, I am! But seeing my friends and brother paired off is a constant reminder of the one thing I don’t have but desperately want: Jude. There’s something about this beautiful man who insists he’s not into men. Even with my rules about guys who aren’t out, I’ve craved him since the moment he stepped foot in Fever Falls. Now that he’s one of my best friends, that desire has raged into an inferno I’m powerless to tame.
Jude
I’ve always considered myself straight. I wrote off the whole fascination with my longtime best friend Rush as something weird that happened. I’ve been over him for a while now, and the person who helped me was Camden Burke, the flirty man who calls me beautiful. I used to hate getting compliments about my looks, but when Cam does it… Well, let’s say the way he makes me feel is my first clue that the thing with Rush wasn’t a one-time deal. I’m bisexual. And Cam makes me laugh and always listens. Since I’ve been in Fever Falls, I’ve become closer to him than I’ve ever been with anyone, Rush included. So when I decide to explore my newfound sexuality, who better than Cam to show me all the pleasures of being with a man? Only, we get caught, and now it’s not just Cam showing me what it’s like to be with a guy–he’s become my professor in what he calls Boyfriend 101, and apparently, I’m a very good student.
But unfortunately, I have some issues to work out and a few exam scores start slipping. Cam has already graded on a curve by breaking some of his rules to be with me. If I can’t get my act together, I’ll flunk out of Boyfriend 101, and I can’t imagine retaking the course with anyone but him.
REVIEW:
Okay, the Burke brothers’ stories tie for first place as my favorites in the series, I can’t pick just one! Charming characters, a fake relationship that feels anything but fake, and an adorable teenager on his own journey to self-discovery made this book hard to put down.
Cam was just so delightfully charismatic and balanced Jude out perfectly. Jude is sort of like a boat adrift, he needs something to tether and ground him… that something is Cam. The banter, chemistry, and build-up in this ‘fake relationship’ is top notch. These two share vulnerabilities and had my heart soaring. There is just something about Cam’s endless patience with Jude that really captured just how deep his love for this man ran.
But the real show stealer in this book was Theo, Jude’s teenage neighbor. He really forced Jude to take a look in the mirror. The kid was asking all the blunt, brutally honest questions that allowed for Jude’s relationship with Cam to deepen. And you know the whole Saturgay gang was back and had me laughing out loud. There is just something about this crew that I am going to immensely miss.
Along the way, Cam mends his relationship with Sawyer and maybe they realize they each need each other. Jude also fixes his friendship with Rush and his relationship with his dad. There were just so many heartfelt moments sprinkled throughout this endearing love story that I couldn’t help but endlessly swoon. Riley has a way of writing so much compassion in her characters that I find myself sigh with content as I close the story.
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