All The Stars! Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

I present to you

one of my new top three favorites

of all times

ALL THE STARS

Yes, you read that right.

GENRE: M/M

THE BLURB:

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.

MY REVIEW:

I have a new favorite. Or rather, I have two new favorites, Jamie Canning and Ryan Wesley. This book is staying on my Kindle because I'll make sure to re-read it very soon.

"Science has proven."

Jamie's and Wes's friendship has been steady and solid for years. They met at a hockey training camp and have spent every summer ever since.

“My life has been chaotic for as long as I can remember, and I always dealt with it alone. My parents’ criticism, my confusion over my sexuality. But for six weeks every summer, I didn’t have to be alone. I had Jamie, my best friend, my rock.”

When they spend another six weeks at the camp, they are both eighteen now, something happens that makes Wes give up on them and walk away. Jamie is left in the dark about the reasons for Wes's disappearing act.

After four years, they both play for their respective college hockey team, they meet again. Wes hopes for a chance to make things right with his former best friend and after Wes confesses what made him disappear all those years ago they fall back into their funny and comfortable friendship. Wes is surprised at how easily Jamie comes to terms with Wes being gay. Jamie, as straight as they come, however, doesn't know that Wes has been in love with him since their first summer together.

“Want you,” I whisper. Lately those two words define me.

“Have me,” he says.

Wes is a snarky, cocky guy, the best lines in this story come from him - I laughed hard, sometimes to the point that tears were running down my face. And sometimes the tears came from a burning place in my heart.

“Next year in Toronto you’ll probably have a personal assistant to carry your stick around for you.” It feels superstitious to talk about my NHL contract before the Frozen Four. So I change the subject. “That’s awesome, dude. I love it when another guy holds my stick."

There is something about the friendship between two guys the majority of us women will never have or completely understand. That relaxed relationship, the banter without inhibitions, the straight-forward companionship. I think this is what appeals so much to me about the MM-genre. I envy guys for that. What I'm starting to become aware of now after starting to read MM and I have to admit, I never really thought about it more deeply (possibly because I'm tolerant and open-minded and never questioned it): It is hard to be gay. The realization, that you are more attracted (or exclusively so) to your own gender, the acceptance of it and then coming out of the closet is mostly a painful process. I love how Jamie doesn't shy away from his feelings, he struggles, yes but unlike Wes he doesn't run.

I am so incredibly happy I have made the step into the MM world. Not only does it open up many more possibilities, I also learn a lot about myself.