Audiobook Review: Something Like Winter (Something Like #2) by Jay Bell

There are two sides to every story. When you’re Tim Wyman, sometimes there are three.

Tim hoped moving to Texas would mean a new beginning but soon finds himself falling into the same tired patterns. Until he meets recklessly brave Benjamin Bentley, who introduces Tim to a world of love, sex, and warmth. Certain that society won’t understand what he and Ben have together, Tim struggles to protect their relationship, even if it means twisting the truth. Buried beneath his own deceptions, Tim must claw his way to the surface in the hopes of learning to fly.

Narrator: Kevin R. Free
Listening Length: 13 hours and 39 minutes

***Warning: this book review may contain spoilers of Something Like Summer, book 1 in the series. If you've already read Summer, then you're good to carry on reading. If you've not... what the heck are you doing reading this review when you could be diving into the Something Like universe? I warn you, take tissues!***

I'm going with the assumption that if you're reading this review you've already been introduced into the Something Like world created by Jay Bell. The content of this story won't be  a huge surprise to you as it reflects many (though not all) of the events written about in Something Like Summer, though this time from the perspective of Tim Wyman.

Tim; the protagonist we love to hate. 

Kinda. Right?

Let's put it out there straight away; he's a selfish arsehole. An utter prick.

Or is he? 

Well, yes, at times he is - but I kind of suspect at times, on reflection, we all are/can be/have been. That's the benefit of growing up and hindsight and all that guff.

I liked having the story from Tim's perspective, it helped me see beyond the selfish and understand why; and that can be a great life lesson. In fact, I think Jay Bell manages to fill his books with life lesson's; though whether this is intentional or not, I'm unsure. There is nothing preachy or patronising about his writing though, it just speaks of experience and whether it is that of the character or the author is not important. 

Tim effectively has it all, well to an outsider looking in. His parents have money and are not shy of giving him some, materially his world is a-OK, he is good looking and knows how to fit in with the in-crowd. His parents are not physically abusive, though he certainly does suffer neglect at times. Emotionally he is abused, perhaps not intentionally, but he doesn't fit into his parents' plans, and that is even before any mention of him being gay. His mother loves him, but he is an inconvenience to the life her and his father want. 

This little information, from his POV, changed me from seeing him as being merely stuck up and selfish to someone who is hiding a whole world of pain. Does this mean that I agreed with all his choices? No, of course not - but it helped me understand them better. Fear is a very strong emotion, it can make people selfish, it can aid bad decisions... sometimes in very necessary circumstances. 

Did Tim do this? YES. A million times yes - but he learns from his choices, he doesn't let his fear

rule him forever. I thought the first part of this was when he met Eric. I loved Eric deeply. I loved that the love between them was friendship based, it wasn't sexual, but it was true. I think Eric was the first person to give to Tim in the way Tim needed. He gave him time and friendship and the courtesy of recognising him as a person. 

Sure, Ben did those things, but it was different, too intense, they were too young their relationship was all-consuming and fairly self-destructive, unable to survive in the environment in which they were trying to nurture it. Eric was older, more understanding and mature - he had the wisdom to let the friendship be what it needed to be. As much as Tim loved/loves Ben, Eric is the person I feel who perhaps did Tim the most good in his life. Of course, when Eric dies it leaves Tim with a whole world of hurt and only a little more maturity to deal with it.

Life is messy. It just is and the Something Like stories show this to perfection. They show the humanity of characters that it is impossible not to love. Tim is far from my favourite of Jay Bell's characters, but I loved this story from his POV because it helped me understand him a little more, and by understanding him a little more I understood Ben more. I understood their world and the other characters more. 

It's like... bear with me here. Have you ever watched an artist paint? I used to watch Bob Ross at times, and he'd start and it would just look a mess, then suddenly the picture he was creating would become clear and I would think, wow, amazing. I could see the scene he had created, the snowy cabin on a mountain side. Amazing. Beautiful. Then though, then he would carry on adding paint and the picture wouldn't change per se, but it would become clearer. It would become more beautiful, more intense - and that is what Jay Bell does with this series. You think you've seen the whole picture, because you've seen the whole timeline - but one book alone does not give the true, beautiful picture that the artist wants to create.

If you hadn't guessed it, I'm a fan of this series and I really recommend everyone to give it a go.

A copy of this audiobook was given in exchange for an honest review.
For more information see Goodreads.

Audiobook Review: Something Like Lightning (Something Like #5) by Jay Bell

Never stop running. No matter how often life trips you up, or how many times your enemies knock you down, just get up and keep on moving until you find where you belong.

Kelly Phillips has been out of the closet since he was a young teenager, and thanks to the gay youth group he frequents, he has never been short on friends or lovers. But when you have almost everything, it’s hard not to focus on what’s just out of reach: A best friend, who would be Mr. Right if he wasn’t already Mr. Straight. Or that handsome guy at school, who would be easier to wrangle if not for his angel wings. And then there’s the one who might be a perfect fit, maybe even a soulmate… if only he wasn’t convinced he didn’t need anyone at all. Kelly has always been good at running. Now he must learn to chase, which will not only test his endurance, but the durability of his heart as well.

Something Like Lighting is a new beginning in the Something Like… saga, shifting the focus to a fresh set of characters while also revisiting a familiar face or two.

Once again, I am amazed at Kevin R. Free's ability to bring this series to life. With a book that's already so emotional, it was almost hard to listen to because the narration was so raw and real.

Since this was my second time with Kelly's story, I wasn't worried like I was the first time through. I knew, regardless of his actions in the previous book, that I adored Kelly. If you're going into this worried that you won't like Kelly because of Jason... don't be. This is Jay Bell, after all. He doesn't give his readers a choice but to love his characters.

That being said, Kelly is a fighter. He can be irritating and insufferable and I wanted to smack him upside the head on more than one occasion. But he's young and life has thrown him some curve balls that nobody can prepare for, especially not a teenager. He's going through life, the best he can, and Kelly's not going to let anyone bring him down. What I love about this series is the journey we take with each character. Kelly's was particularly heartbreaking since one of the most important things in his life was taken from him in an instant. Reading it was hard. Listening to Kevin R. Free's narration? Devastating! There was way too much realness going on and I had to press pause a few times.

While I felt for Kelly and empathized with him, he still managed to be annoyingly snotty and selfish. And, oddly enough, I LOVED that about him. It took some time, but he continued to fight. His circumstances changed, but he didn't let them change him.

The love story... perfect. I wish there was more couple time, since they didn't meet until very late in the book. But who needs 300 pages to make a love story? Not Kelly and Nathanial! They were it for each other and it was obvious from the start. But their story is far from over at the end of Something Like Lightning and things were left on shaky ground.

I am a romance reader and live for a good HEA. I didn't quite get that here. Regardless, I loved every second of Kelly's journey. Because that's life. Sometimes it sucks and sometimes it's beautiful. This was Kelly's story, from angsty teenager fighting his feelings for his best friend, to a young adult fighting for love while dealing with overwhelming hardships, to a man fighting for the future he knows he and Nathanial can have together.

I'll be moving right along to Something Like Thunder for Nathanial's story and the HEA these guys deserve.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more info on Goodreads.

Audiobook Review: Something Like Spring (Something Like #4) by Jay Bell

Nothing in this world is permanent. Friends, lovers, even family, can all disappear in the blink of an eye. Without these anchors, it’s all too easy to find oneself drifting.

Jason Grant doesn’t have much, aside from a beat-up old guitar and knack for getting kicked out of foster homes. His latest placement is set to be just another in a long line of failures. Then he meets Caesar Hubbard, a handsome guy who lives down the hall. For the first time in his life, Jason wants to stay, which means learning to be part of a family, and not letting his feelings—or his actions—ruin his first real chance of falling in love.

Something Like Spring introduces a new character to the Seasons story, one with a troubled past and an equally turbulent future. Jason must traverse a winding road fraught with emotional conflicts and tough decisions… a road that might just lead to a certain couple in Austin.

Whether you're a fan of this series or new to the Something Like books, they really should be experienced in audio. Kevin R. Free creates an experience when he reads Jay Bell's words. He brings the characters and the story to life. I've loved them even more after listening to the audio.

I've already reviewed the print version of Spring when it was first released, so I'll try not to rehash the entire story again (even though I really want to because I could talk about it for daaaayyyys).

Honestly, I can't pick a favorite character from this series, but Jason is right at the top. Competing with Jace... although I really love Tim. And Nathaniel. Gah! See? Impossible to choose. But really, Jason holds a special place in my heart. I think it's mostly due to how much his life changes throughout his story. He sets out to make changes in his life and the circumstances he's been dealt, and he does. He turns his seriously crappy situation around and finds a family, a home, and love. Of course, not without some heartbreak.

The story starts out with Jason being sent to, yet another, foster home. But this home is different than the others. He wants to stay this time. This time he meets a boy that changed everything for him. Goodness, could Caesar be anymore charming? The dude drove me crazy! I hate that I love the guy. I tried to like him a little less this time, but with Kevin R. Free narrating... nah. Wasn't gonna happen. I couldn't help but root for Caesar and I really hope we get his story someday.

But I'm happy with how everything turned out, because William. Sweet and adorable William.

I think this is where Jason's character really shines. He'd had a rough life so far. Nothing had come easily for him. Now, he sees someone he wants and, fuck it all, he's going to get the guy. I loved his commitment to William. They really were perfect together and Jason knew this right away. He just had to make William see it, too. His methods weren't the most honest, but his scheming only made Jason even more endearing.

There were some seriously great Ben and Tim moments, too. They were a huge part of Jason's story and it was awesome to see their life post-HEA. Tim was especially wonderful. He had some major character growth and he has a special place in my heart. Right next to Jason. And Jace. And Nathaniel. These guys take up a lot of space.

Spring was so damn good. Kevin R. Free does an amazing job narrating. A couple of his voices bother me a bit, but he's got to be running out with so many characters to keep track of. I love that his voices for each character stay consistent throughout the series. I couldn't put it down and I kept making up excuses to keep listening. Like doing the dishes and laundry and cleaning the bathroom. That's how good it was! I wanted to scrub the toilet just to keep listening.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more info on Goodreads.