Just Like Heaven

Just Like Heaven by TL Bradford is a long- read,…a Contemporary M/M Romance that mixes opposites attract feel with a friends to lovers theme. It deals with topics such as coming out, discovering your truth, hate crime, abuse dark revenge and PTSD. Noah and Josh’s journey of love is a bit of a rollercoaster ride…. ups and downs, joy and heartbreak. I must admit there were emotional times while reading this, parts I felt I was falling apart with the characters and then parts where my pieces were healing once again. The story just grips you and refuses to let go, instead it brings you deeper and deeper. And the characters are interesting and endearing. I cared about them, their emotions and their future. I loved every second, even as I cried. Definitely a reread worthy title and I highly recommend it!

I has a heck of a time deciding how to rate this book! Things that typically drive me MAD and cause me to tank a review were very much present. Things like editing & grammar errors, POV changes without notice, characters speaking without first being identified, and being TOLD instead of shown, way too often.

BUT, none of that mattered in the long run, oddly enough. This story is fun, emotional, passionate, sizzling hot, and frightening. Yup, ALL that and a cherry on top! Despite problems, I couldn’t wait to turn the next page, and THAT right there, is why I gave such a high rating and why I can’t wait to continue reading this series.

There you have it, the heart overrules the head!

Oh, please be aware of PTSD, flashbacks to childhood & spousal abuse, homophobia, violence, and religious nutbags!

This book could easily be a 5 star read but for me there were a few holdups that shaved the rating down considerably. On one hand we have a really good slow burn (bro)romance (or the guys keep telling themselves it’s just that) , two guys put in a situation that makes them question, or in Noah’s case acknowledge, their sexuality, some angst and deep buried issues from the past, written in both PoW’s. All the things I usually love in the book. What put me off was that it was mostly written in present simple which is a big no-no for me. The second was that this book is simply too long and that takes away from dynamic and progression of the story. I usually prefer long reads but here the story was just chasing it’s own tail. The third was lack of dialogues or some internal musings . At some points it felt like reading a detached blurb of what had happened. Telling is not showing. The dialogues that were there are very well written, some actually very humorous, I just wish there were more of them. Secondary characters were well fleshed out except the cat. If you put a pet in a story you better give it some character or just leave it out altogether. Even with all that said it’s still a good read, otherwise I wouldn’t finish it. So I’ll be keeping my eye on future releases from this author.

Where do I even begin? This is one of the longest, most detailed books Ive read in a long time, and I was hooked by the second chapter. I couldnt put it down!

This book follows Noah and Josh at work, on-set of the popular show American, and off-set in their lives. Sometimes life begins to imitate art, or in this case, maybe there was a behind the scenes push. Noah was raised by an emotionally, and physically, abusive father for the majority of his life. This monsters words live long in Noahs mind and affects everything he does. Josh comes from a loving family, but has never opened up about his bisexuality. These men hit it off at first, their chemistry being palpable, but feelings start to develop, and Noah succumbs to his inner turmoil, causing their working relationship to be volatile, and the easy friendship they started to disappear. This story is theirs, and it is painful, beautiful, fun, and tragic all at once.

It was easy to see into the mind of the author, and her vision for each character and how the story unfolds. The writing was imaginative, consistent, with an easy flow. I was so wrapped up in the book that I forgot about everything else. All that existed was Noah, Josh, and their love story.

***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasnt a requirement. ***

This one is a little weird for me. Let’s get into the review before I explain it all.

STORY: 4 STARS
Wow! Two men introduced as straight, but there is an instant connection between them. Turns out at least one of them might not be as straight as they claim to be. The connection is real, the interaction between the two of them feels genuine, and the back and forth is at times funny and sometimes cringeworthy. But everything is good. I will tell you that there are a few trigger points and the author does an amazing job of dealing with issues that many may have dealt with or are dealing with. PTSD is real. When I realized audio was long, I was a little unsure, but the author, for the most part, needed all of that time. There are several times when I think it drags and I think the author does a lot of tell and less show, but the story is good regardless of that.

NARRATION: 3.5 STARS
Hmmm. The narration was decent, but many times the narration was stagnant and it was hard to tell who was talking when. It didn’t help much especially in the moments when the story was slow-moving. As the story progressed, the narration got better, but I still felt that there were times when it could have been better. I did love the conversation parts and the way Corey H. Bennson brought those particular parts to life.

OVERALL: 4 STARS
Overall, I did like this story and the narration was ok. 4 stars overall.

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