When soccer star Chris Fischer moves next door to an openly gay classmate, he doesn't realize the wall between their rooms will be so thin he'll hear his neighbor's every move. But soon he and Peter become friends, and Chris is intrigued—imagining what happens on the other side of the wall. Active on the Queer Student Council, Peter Cohen wishes he wasn't so damn hot for his straight neighbor. He can't tell if Chris is flirting or in denial or what, but Chris's innocent overtures lure Peter into flirtation that throws his world into chaos. Peter doesn't want to date a closet case, but he desperately, passionately wants Chris. Soon Chris must choose whether to run away from his new feelings or embrace a relationship with the guy he loves. And Peter must decide if he can give his heart to a guy who hasn't yet figured it all out.

Review

This is a hot and sweet romance. It is a great tale of falling in love and takes particular care with showing how someone comes to understand their sexuality varies and there is no one correct way.

We get to see Chris' process while Peter supports him. There is a sweetness to this romance and you will believe in how in love they are.

Peter is a great character and we could have spent more time with him outside his relationship and relationship angst. Chris is a great guy as well.

I love the message of finding community in the book.

A nice start to a new adult series. 

Outside is scary, inside is terrifying.

Collin Fitzpatrick did NOT have an easy life. Controlled by a fanatically religious mother, the missing locks on his bathroom and bedroom doors were just some of the small things that had a lasting effect on him. Being gay wasn't remotely up for discussion in his family. Even the thought of being intimate with a guy was completely out of the question. Consequently, Collin is living his life with an unhealthy amount of guilt, shame and anxiety mixed in, and the big crush he has on his straight college roommate, Tanner, doesn't help one bit. Quite the opposite, because after listening to Tannner banging his friend with benefits the whole semester, the one night he gets caught staring? Turns out Tanner isn't as straight as Collin thought he was, and his undesirable thoughts aren't as impossible as he was hoping.

This book surprised me a little. The writing was good, even though some of the dialogue and inner musings seemed a bit forced at times. But it didn't bother me too much. I had more problems with the fact that Tanner slept with his roommate while Collin was right there. I don't care if he thought his roommate was asleep or not. You just don't DO stuff like that. Especially not when you allegedly have a huge crush on the other person sleeping in the bed right beside your own. Just no.

Other than that I enjoyed the story. Collin never had it easy with his family, therefore never really accepted himself or at least got comfortable with his own body. His anxiety and shame burden him in almost every situation, his fear of discovery is almost all-consuming. No wonder that this kind of angst influences the bloossoming relationship with Tanner greatly, and not exactly in a good way.

This was a good, short gfy-ofy story, even though I got a tiny bit annoyed with the "near-death/severe-situation-changed-everything" plotline. It's not a bad formula, but it's been done more times than anyone can count, which si why more often than not it lost its' shine. I can understand it, I can read it and somewhat enjoy it, but in the end, I wish the characters could grow, change and make decisions without life-altering events forcing their hand. But I know that's me, so other readers might not be bothered by it.

All in all a good start of a series and I picked up the second installment out of pure curiosity right after I finished this one.

Well, this one covered a lot of complex issues in just a few pages.


Chris, a young and promising athlete, needs a scholarship in order to not leave college with a debt as high as Mount Everest. But a sports scholarship and coming out just doesn't seem to go together, no matter how much you're wishing for a loophole. Add the pressure of a man-ly man as a father and the guy you're in love with (and just can't shove back in the closet as if it's nothing),and Chris has more than one full plate to deal with.

And shit happens. And everything comes to a head. And we get to watch it all.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Chris' desperation on so many levels - career, money, love - felt real and understandable to me. Matt was a sweatheart, he tried so hard to do the right thing again and again without losing himself. Watching these two struggling through real life problems of new adults was heart-breakingly real. Plus, the whole story line with Chris' parents was a great illustration of the power of words & the power parents' actions and casual remarks have over their children and their inner strenght or strife.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and was very happy with the way things worked out. It definitely got me interested in reading the next Saugatuck story.