The Roommate Situation
**** 4 roommate stars ****
This book was a surprise to me! It was my first book of this author, and I really liked it!
The blurb tells you everything you need to know about the story. It's about Shane moving in to a new dorm room, sharing room with Derek. Shane quickly shows interest in the a bit mysterious Derek. Shane has lived a pretty sheltered life, or at least controlled life, thanks to his overbearing parents, especially his mother. They tell him how things are going to go, and Shane has pretty much gone along with their opinions. Like where he should go to school, which classes to take, what sort of hobbies he should have (or don't have) and almost what food he should eat. Moving in with Derek is an eye opener for Shane. He starts to discover that he want more control of his life, and that he's starting to be an adult, and wants to make his own decisions.
So this story is about self-discovery. The time between being a kid and being an adult. Where you want to make your own decisions, but is still kinda dependent on your parents. It's about that youth's "push and pull". I felt young when reading this story. It took me back to my school years, and I could relate to Shane (except with bondage with the roommate in the dorm room. That would have been something. LOL).
I think this was a very good young adult story. Shane is 18 and Derek is 21. Nothing really "big" happens. It just tells the story of Shane meeting Derek, their mutual interest in each other, their day to day interaction, and Shane's interactions with his parents. Shane discovers he has a bondage kink, when he offers to model Derek's work with leather bondage which he sells on eBay. It starts out innocently, but quickly morphs into play between the two guys. I would say that this is not a BDSM story at all, no domming or rules or anything like that. Shane just likes the feel of being cuffed, he gets turned on by it. Like really turned on. Derek discovers it too. They like it together, the two of them. So it's more of them doing something that turns both of them on, than hardcore BDSM.
I loved the scenes where Shane discovers his feelings and kink towards the cuffs and bondage. The descriptions were great! And they weren't erotic or porny at all. He is just a guy discovering he has a kink. He also discovers that he is attracted to guys, more precisely Derek. There is no penetrative sex in this story, but there is still sex. Even though I would have liked it to be (because, duh), I found that it wasn't needed. Sex without penetration is still sex, and intimate, and these guys had it. As I said, they weren't porny or cheesy at all, the were just there. Two young people discovering sexuality and finding pleasure in each other.
A lot of the story is conversation. They actually talk. Not always about something important, just everyday conversation. So learning about their character is a lot through conversation between Shane and Derek, Shane and his friends, and Shane and his parents. Not everything is told to me, the author shows me through conversation. And I really liked that! This translate into pages. This book is 330 pages long, and it could easily have been cut down a bit, just to tighten the story line. Some readers might find the story droned on a bit, and I can see that. Especially the parts with his parents during the holidays. For me, though, I think it was good. I liked seeing Shane (trying) to interact with his parents. It just goes to show him struggling between being their kid and being his own man. His mother was a piece or work. She really got on my nerves. Also, what happens with his parents is not told, but shown. Looking back, all the signs where there.
Shane dealing with his parents aren't really dissolved at the end of the book. There is some solution, but I would have liked to have been more. I was left wanting. Shane and Derek tentatively discuss the future. I don't know if I should call the ending HEA or HFN. I would have loved an epilogue. Things were left kinda loose, but still hopeful! I wish Shane and Derek the best!
Overall, I'm surprised how much I loved Shane's story and his road to self discovery. It's a slow build. The author doesn't tell you everything you need to know, she just shows you through dialogue and interaction. Shane discovering his bondage kink was awesome. He wasn't ashamed or afraid about it. He just wanted. I loved reading about that. I loved Shane and Derek finding, and falling for each other.
I would definitely recommend this book! I highly enjoyed it, but I recognize that some might find it boring, especially the part with his parents towards the end. Give it ago, if you want to.
So this story is about self-discovery. The time between being a kid and being an adult. Where you want to make your own decisions, but is still kinda dependent on your parents. It's about that youth's "push and pull". I felt young when reading this story. It took me back to my school years, and I could relate to Shane (except with bondage with the roommate in the dorm room. That would have been something. LOL).
I think this was a very good young adult story. Shane is 18 and Derek is 21. Nothing really "big" happens. It just tells the story of Shane meeting Derek, their mutual interest in each other, their day to day interaction, and Shane's interactions with his parents. Shane discovers he has a bondage kink, when he offers to model Derek's work with leather bondage which he sells on eBay. It starts out innocently, but quickly morphs into play between the two guys. I would say that this is not a BDSM story at all, no domming or rules or anything like that. Shane just likes the feel of being cuffed, he gets turned on by it. Like really turned on. Derek discovers it too. They like it together, the two of them. So it's more of them doing something that turns both of them on, than hardcore BDSM.
I loved the scenes where Shane discovers his feelings and kink towards the cuffs and bondage. The descriptions were great! And they weren't erotic or porny at all. He is just a guy discovering he has a kink. He also discovers that he is attracted to guys, more precisely Derek. There is no penetrative sex in this story, but there is still sex. Even though I would have liked it to be (because, duh), I found that it wasn't needed. Sex without penetration is still sex, and intimate, and these guys had it. As I said, they weren't porny or cheesy at all, the were just there. Two young people discovering sexuality and finding pleasure in each other.
A lot of the story is conversation. They actually talk. Not always about something important, just everyday conversation. So learning about their character is a lot through conversation between Shane and Derek, Shane and his friends, and Shane and his parents. Not everything is told to me, the author shows me through conversation. And I really liked that! This translate into pages. This book is 330 pages long, and it could easily have been cut down a bit, just to tighten the story line. Some readers might find the story droned on a bit, and I can see that. Especially the parts with his parents during the holidays. For me, though, I think it was good. I liked seeing Shane (trying) to interact with his parents. It just goes to show him struggling between being their kid and being his own man. His mother was a piece or work. She really got on my nerves. Also, what happens with his parents is not told, but shown. Looking back, all the signs where there.
Shane dealing with his parents aren't really dissolved at the end of the book. There is some solution, but I would have liked to have been more. I was left wanting. Shane and Derek tentatively discuss the future. I don't know if I should call the ending HEA or HFN. I would have loved an epilogue. Things were left kinda loose, but still hopeful! I wish Shane and Derek the best!
Overall, I'm surprised how much I loved Shane's story and his road to self discovery. It's a slow build. The author doesn't tell you everything you need to know, she just shows you through dialogue and interaction. Shane discovering his bondage kink was awesome. He wasn't ashamed or afraid about it. He just wanted. I loved reading about that. I loved Shane and Derek finding, and falling for each other.
I would definitely recommend this book! I highly enjoyed it, but I recognize that some might find it boring, especially the part with his parents towards the end. Give it ago, if you want to.
