Him, by Elle Kennedy & Sarina Bowen | Book Review #198

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend… and a big one to learn about himself.

Warning: contains sexual situations, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

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Told in two differing points of view, Him is a novel that was one steamy read! Him is a New Adult novel that takes place in Canning, and Wes’ senior year of college. Please note: if sexual scenes and innuendos make you uncomfortable, then Him is not for you.

The New Adult novels that I usually read take place in their earlier years of college/university, so having a book that was nearing the end of the boys’ college days was great.

I was a bit unsure of whether or not I would end up liking Him, since I’ve never read anything written solely by Sarina Bowen. — I’ve read books by Elle Kennedy, so I knew I enjoyed her writing. Even though I’ve never read anything by Sarina Bowen before (I should rectify that), I can 100%, honestly say that Him is a great blend of the two writers work.

I surprised myself by realizing at the end of the book that I had actually enjoyed reading Him. There were many factors that I liked about Him, but a few of those are spoilers, and I’m trying to keep this spoiler free. What I can say is this: I loved the difficulties they had, and the self awareness that both of these characters have. I find it so refreshing to see that authors are bringing some serious authenticity to relationships these days. — Not everyone’s relationship is all sparkly and dandy, and I sincerely appreciate that we see both sides of the coin in Him.

I loved the happy ending. That’s a given though, I love happy endings. What I’m not all too excited about is the thought of the second book, since the second book itself implies that there could be hiccups along the way.

I ended up giving Him 4 of 5 stars on Goodreads!

Have you read Him, yet? If you have, what did you think of the book? I haven’t read a book by Sarina Bowen before so I can’t judge her writing, but what I read of it I liked.

Happy Reading!
Adele

PS– Do you have any Sarina Bowen recommendations for me?