Loved this book. Anyone looking for a nice contemporary read should definitely pick this up. I had this in my “Wish List” for quite a while and I’m kicking myself I didn’t buy it sooner.Contrary to the cover, this is not a threesome story. We do get a peek inside the heads of all 3 characters, which I like. Shows how each guy is handling what’s going on. It’s easy to want them to do well even when they are screwing up.That being said, I’m glad the 2 who got together were the ones to do so. They made so much more sense.This book could easily be split into 3 parts. Chris confused, Chris sexual, and Chris in love. The first 3rd of the book is setting up the conflict … Seth, his crush, is back from college, things are awkward because neither of them know what to do. The middle part is all about his neighbor, Alex, who knows exactly what to do and Chris is having a blast. The last 3rd is Chris’ choice. Who does he want to be with? Neither Seth or Alex is much use in helping him decide. When the light bulb does go off, the declaration scene is adorable without being cheesy. I thought it was very well done.The only thing I would change is a bit of the sex in the middle. Of course, Chris liked it, but it pushed the romance into the erotica genre and I’m not sure this story needed it.I will definitely be buying Rachel West again. This is a cute story with some well crafted characters but lost some of my attention with all the sex scenes. I found my mind wandering with sex scene after sex scene that didn’t actually advance the relationships or the story. This is definitely a story where great sex leads to an emotional connection because the men simply don’t want to give up the best sex of their lives. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily and certainly realistic, especially so as the men do develop an emotional connection eventually. I just found all the sex too much and wanted more of the story but depending what you’re looking for (ie. you want something with a lot of sex and emotion) this may not bother you. The story revolves around young Chris Bennett; a nineteen year old lifeguard trying to figure out his life. He’s torn between his old friend, closeted Seth and new neighbor hunky Alex. Seth is only just figuring out his sexuality so his confusion, panic, and fear color his attraction to Chris. Similarly Alex is recovering from a nasty breakup and determined not to get involved with a “boyfriend” again. While the sex with Alex is amazing, Chris wants something more, something deeper and his crush with Seth is familiar, if frustrating. Deciding between two attractive men who want him, for different reasons, is not easy for young Chris.The story is definitely character driven, which is good since the men are well drawn as flawed and complex people. Here the writing really shines in depicting all three men as sympathetic and interesting. Seth is nominally the bad guy since he’s jealous of Chris and Alex but really the great writing shows how confused and scared he is. Just figuring out his sexuality and not sure what it means or what to do, Seth is not a bad guy but merely at a turning point in his life. His friendship with a female friend, shown in phone calls, is one of the many highlights of the story. Similarly watching Alex and Chris dance around each other emotionally as they push and pull trying to keep boundaries they’re not sure they want is equally interesting. I wish the story had included far fewer sex scenes, since they ran together for me. Not all readers felt this way so take it with a grain of salt since I got bored with so many but others really loved them. Chris and Alex each shine with their flaws and strengths and work well together. I was kind of surprised that the age difference, Chris 19 to Alex’s 26, is never an issue, even for Chris’ mother. Part of this is that I felt Alex comes across even more mature than 26, which made the age difference more noticeable. Overall this is an interesting story that keeps your attention when focused on the men and their actions, less so with all the sex scenes. I’d say the story is easily 50% erotica, which overwhelmed it. But not so much that I put it down and quit reading. I’d be interested to read any follow up to this story as I think Chris and Alex have a lot more to say.
What do You think about Everything Under The Sun (2010)?
A thoroughly enjoyable read. It hits it on all marks. 5 stars.
—shahida
4.5 stars, really enjoyed this story :)
—Passion_Fruit
