Review: And the Next Thing You Know . . . (Why You? #2) by Chase Taylor Hackett

Not the one you’re waiting for . . .

Jeffrey Bornic is getting over his ex. Really. So what if the rising-star attorney is angrily sleeping his way through most of Manhattan’s male population? When the time is right, the perfect partner will show up. And Jeffrey knows exactly what he’ll be like: an ambitious, polished professional who’ll make the ideal other half of a fabulous power couple.

Theo McPherson is definitely not that guy. He’s a short, fiery red-head who works in the arts and wears sneakers held together with duct tape. If it weren’t for the fact that Theo is his best friend’s little (literally) brother, Jeff would be crossing the street to avoid him. Theo, meanwhile, has nothing but contempt for guys in suits, and seems to have deliberately set out to make Jeff’s life miserable, all while grinning at him in that exasperating way that he has.

At least it’s hard for Jeff to keep moping over his ex when he’s butting heads with Theo—and suddenly wondering if the last guy he’d ever fall for might be exactly that . . .

Um, don’t mind me over here. In the corner. Hiding. In my box of shame.

I so wanted to love this. I really did.

Hackett wowed me with Where Do I Start in how he made fall for Fletch, and I was all ready to be bowled over to do the same with douchecanoe Jeffrey. In a way I did. The guy actually grows a heart, moves beyond his self involved inclinations, all because he falls for someone who he wants to be better for. Luckily, Jeffrey finds that in Theo.

Oh Theo. Overall, I can see and understand where this guy is coming from, but there were just too many instances where his thought processes made me cringe uncomfortably, and to me, bordered on pure spite and childishness. If one ever ran hot and cold in extreme, Theo is that epitome, and I actually felt sorry for Jeffrey despite the many instances where he deserved Theo’s wrath.

This goes above and beyond enemies to lovers, as Jeffrey and Theo go all out to push each other’s buttons again and again and again. Now, while highly entertaining, this just did not appeal to what I want and need in a romance. So I can see why all the readers out there loved this hard, but in comparison to the first book this lacked the sweet sweet charm that I reveled in and so wanted from this. I just couldn’t ever relax as I waited for the other shoe to drop on the next crazy drama that was going to come, and come it did. These two truly deserved each other.

Many many points to Hackett for great writing, humor, and eschewing typical romance tropes and expectations. This has all the smart snarky banter with the ultimate in one upmanship that any avid reader could want. I just needed a more solid reason to root for these two, wanting way more lovey dovey (not to mention some smexy smexy) and less hateful mean animosity. Perhaps bff-to-all Tommy, will find his HEA and be the icing on the cake!


Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Where Do I Start? (Why You? #1) by Chase Taylor Hackett

The ex best thing . . .

Fletcher Andrews never believed in promises. Or monogamy. Or love. When you’re tall and gorgeous, New York City is one big all-you-can-eat buffet of hot young actors, models, and baristas. Even when living happily with Roger, his sweet, sexy violinist boyfriend, Fletch can’t resist an occasional taste. Too bad you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s thrown you out for cheating with half the cast of Disney on Ice.

Two years and a chance meeting later, Fletch desperately wants Roger back. Roger’s new boyfriend, Jeff, will do anything to stop that from happening. But Fletch has a plan to make amends. And with a little help from friends, colleagues—even Roger’s Scottish terrier, Haggis—they might find that the love you don’t believe in can sweep you right off your feet . . .

I admit that the premise of this book might not appeal to everyone, and I’m kinda surprised myself that I chose to read this. For unknown reasons, I was apparently intrigued by how a guy, who has made some unforgivable mistakes, wins back the love of his life.

Now to put it out there, Fletch is definitely a piece of work. He knows he’s very good looking and is not shy, nor above using said looks, to skew things in his favor. However, I want to clarify that there’s not really a malicious bone in his body. Fletch is fun, spontaneous, very carefree, and at the same time, when he was with Roger, he was kind and thoughtful and they just clicked. So why the cheating?? It really is quite the conundrum, but things slowly come to light as this story unravels, and though I don’t excuse his behavior at all, I can totally see why Fletch is the type of person he was and is. When he meets up with Roger a couple years later, harsh reality smacks him in the face, making Fletch realize his mistake and just how much he wants to win Roger back.

Roger is understandably still hurt. In his ignorant bliss, his time with Fletch stands out as his happiest, but he can’t fathom ever forgiving him, let alone taking him back. Regardless, it’s a moot issue since he’s perfectly content with his boyfriend Jeff, and in comparison to Fletch, Jeff’s stable, responsible, and trustworthy. Little does poor Roger know that Jeff is far from the polished, put together person that he presents. As Fletch wheedles his way back into Roger’s life, it produces some interesting revelations, and Roger has to wonder if his planned life trajectory is really something that he wants, including what he currently has.

Was this perfect? No. At times this was quite verbose and there was an overuse of nicknames that drove me a bit bonkers… but it grew on me. Fletch grew on me. I will say 99.9% of the time, cheating is a hard limit for me, but somehow Hackett made me change my mind, and I found myself actually rooting for Fletch to win. One slowly comes to see the complexity of the man with plenty of faults and baggage, who wants desperately to move beyond his origins and grab onto the one exceptional person who made him the happiest he’d ever been in his entire life. Fletch’s charm is just that - charming. One can’t not like him despite his past deplorable behavior. I think that says something about Hackett’s ability to successfully change the reader’s, and Roger’s, mind.

So, this is technically a story about redeeming a cheating cad. It’s a story about opposites attract and second chances. I implore you to not give up on the rough beginning. As things are revealed, and how Fletch and Roger slowly reenter each other's lives more and more, this really turned into a sweet, fun, funny (sadly no smex) romance that had me speeding on through and ultimately, cheering Fletch on to get his guy. I had my reservations, thinking I had temporary insanity choosing this trope, but as the sequel is about Roger’s dumped asshat of a boyfriend Jeff, I really don’t have any more doubts that Hackett can change my mind for that as well.

A great debut for a tough topic!

Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.