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Like Us #7
Charming Like Us
As the hottest bodyguard on Security Force Omega, Oscar Oliveira has no trouble finding a warm body at any odd hour. But he's ready for more.
And for the first time in this ex-pro boxer's life, he just got rejected. For a kiss.
Oscar's friends warned him not to fall for the straight guy, but flirty, sexy-as-hell Jack Highland made that difficult. Now Jack has Oscar's sweater. His belt. His bandana. And Oscar seriously wants them back.
As for Jack – well, Jack wants a lot of things.
But for the first time in this confident filmmaker's life, he's absolutely 100%... confused. Add another ultra-complication in a sea of complicated: Enter Charlie Cobalt.
The enigmatic famous one that Oscar is sworn to protect wants his own show, and he's asked Jack to film it. A Charlie-centric docuseries will force Oscar & Jack to share the same air again.
Option 1: Ignore each other.
Option 2: Flirt, aw yeah. And act like the rejection never happened.
Option 3: Confront each other about the rejected kiss.
With options on the table and their romantic lives unsettled, both Jack & Oscar are concerned about why Charlie wants his own show. And the longer filming lasts, the more tumultuous their personal & professional worlds become.
Chaos reigns when you're around the Cobalts, and Jack & Oscar are swept up among the most destructive one.
And for the first time in this ex-pro boxer's life, he just got rejected. For a kiss.
Oscar's friends warned him not to fall for the straight guy, but flirty, sexy-as-hell Jack Highland made that difficult. Now Jack has Oscar's sweater. His belt. His bandana. And Oscar seriously wants them back.
As for Jack – well, Jack wants a lot of things.
But for the first time in this confident filmmaker's life, he's absolutely 100%... confused. Add another ultra-complication in a sea of complicated: Enter Charlie Cobalt.
The enigmatic famous one that Oscar is sworn to protect wants his own show, and he's asked Jack to film it. A Charlie-centric docuseries will force Oscar & Jack to share the same air again.
Option 1: Ignore each other.
Option 2: Flirt, aw yeah. And act like the rejection never happened.
Option 3: Confront each other about the rejected kiss.
With options on the table and their romantic lives unsettled, both Jack & Oscar are concerned about why Charlie wants his own show. And the longer filming lasts, the more tumultuous their personal & professional worlds become.
Chaos reigns when you're around the Cobalts, and Jack & Oscar are swept up among the most destructive one.
408 pages
First published June 23, 2020
About the author
Krista Ritchie
40 books16k followersNYT & USA Today Bestselling Authors Krista & Becca Ritchie are identical twins—one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek—but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.
To stay up to date on new releases, bonus content, and more, sign up for Krista & Becca's Newsletter: www.kbritchie.com/newsletter
Quick note: We don't check Goodreads, so we don't respond to messages here. But if you want to connect with Becca or me, you can reach out to us on our social medias or at our website: www.kbritchie.com
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Fans of Krista & Becca's Books:
♥ Join Krista & Becca's Fizzle Force Facebook group.
♥ Inspiration for the Addicted series can be found on their Pinterest boards.
♥ Find playlists for all of their books on Spotify
♥ Check out all of their extras! Including: bonus scenes, character interviews, fun posts and more on their Extras page.
To stay up to date on new releases, bonus content, and more, sign up for Krista & Becca's Newsletter: www.kbritchie.com/newsletter
Quick note: We don't check Goodreads, so we don't respond to messages here. But if you want to connect with Becca or me, you can reach out to us on our social medias or at our website: www.kbritchie.com
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Fans of Krista & Becca's Books:
♥ Join Krista & Becca's Fizzle Force Facebook group.
♥ Inspiration for the Addicted series can be found on their Pinterest boards.
♥ Find playlists for all of their books on Spotify
♥ Check out all of their extras! Including: bonus scenes, character interviews, fun posts and more on their Extras page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,030 reviews
October 18, 2020
All I can say after reading these "reviews" (and the book's not even due out for a couple of months) is that the fans of this series are as opinionated and mean as the paps and admirers of the HMC families in the books. Sheesh.
10/17/20: I've finished the book so now I can leave a star rating... What a concept - actually reading the book before praising/trashing it with a false star review!
I liked it! It's definitely not an epic yarn, but it's entertaining and fun reading about Jack (who was basically just a side character that I didn't know much about) and nice getting to know more about Oscar.
It's got action, humor, smexy mansmex, and it's always fun when other characters pop into the story.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
10/17/20: I've finished the book so now I can leave a star rating... What a concept - actually reading the book before praising/trashing it with a false star review!
I liked it! It's definitely not an epic yarn, but it's entertaining and fun reading about Jack (who was basically just a side character that I didn't know much about) and nice getting to know more about Oscar.
It's got action, humor, smexy mansmex, and it's always fun when other characters pop into the story.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
May 31, 2021
Re-read: 31.05.2021
Since I had already re-read book one to six, I thought I might as well re-read this one. When I read the first chapter, I remembered how much Charlie is in it, and you know me; I don't really like him. That said, Jack and Oscar are cute together; I just wished more happened in the book. Not interested in continuing the series though.
First read review:
The review:
It was alright up until 65%. The book got quite boring, nothing happened, the romance got too quickly early on in the story. I even started skimming the sex scenes after 70% into the book. Charlie is still annoying as hell and I still don't like him and I still won't forgive him for how he treated Moffy, even though he did help him. I just don't like his personality or his way of doing things. I also still can't get over my small ship of Donnelly and Beckett, and I wish he becomes his bodyguard again.
Truth be told, I think I'm somewhat done with this series. I don't really like the authors' M/F books, and I'm quite certain that I won't like their M/F/M books, nor Luna and Donnelly as I don't care for them. Do I like Akara as a standalone character? Yes. But enough to read him in a M/F/M book? No. The only way I'd read Charlie's book if it's a M/M... That being said, Oscar and Jack, aka Highveira was a cute couple, but it was too lovey-dovey where nothing really happened. There were no heart-in-throat moments that's for sure. It was boring, meh and long but still cute and made the time pass. There was nothing special about the book, nor the plotline.
CHARACTER LIST:
The list is long so I've put it in a spoilers tag.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (New Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M)
Series: - Series, Book Seven.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Oscar Oliveira.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Don't think so.
Rating - 3/2.5 stars.
I can't wait for this one! After getting so disappointed by book #6, I'm seriously looking forward to Charming Like Us . A straight man falling for a male? Count me in because I love themes like that!
Since I had already re-read book one to six, I thought I might as well re-read this one. When I read the first chapter, I remembered how much Charlie is in it, and you know me; I don't really like him. That said, Jack and Oscar are cute together; I just wished more happened in the book. Not interested in continuing the series though.
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Had Actually Expected More*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
First read review:
The review:
It was alright up until 65%. The book got quite boring, nothing happened, the romance got too quickly early on in the story. I even started skimming the sex scenes after 70% into the book. Charlie is still annoying as hell and I still don't like him and I still won't forgive him for how he treated Moffy, even though he did help him. I just don't like his personality or his way of doing things. I also still can't get over my small ship of Donnelly and Beckett, and I wish he becomes his bodyguard again.
Truth be told, I think I'm somewhat done with this series. I don't really like the authors' M/F books, and I'm quite certain that I won't like their M/F/M books, nor Luna and Donnelly as I don't care for them. Do I like Akara as a standalone character? Yes. But enough to read him in a M/F/M book? No. The only way I'd read Charlie's book if it's a M/M... That being said, Oscar and Jack, aka Highveira was a cute couple, but it was too lovey-dovey where nothing really happened. There were no heart-in-throat moments that's for sure. It was boring, meh and long but still cute and made the time pass. There was nothing special about the book, nor the plotline.
“You think I’m not scared too? I’m running at a half-open window that you almost keep closing!”
He chokes on emotion. “What do you have to lose?”
“You!” I yell from my core, eyes stinging. “I could lose you!”
CHARACTER LIST:
The list is long so I've put it in a spoilers tag.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (New Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M)
Series: - Series, Book Seven.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Oscar Oliveira.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Don't think so.
Rating - 3/2.5 stars.
---------------BEFORE READING:---------------
I can't wait for this one! After getting so disappointed by book #6, I'm seriously looking forward to Charming Like Us . A straight man falling for a male? Count me in because I love themes like that!
June 29, 2020
4 stars
This is the seventh book in the 'Like Us' series and I can't get enough! Though the 'Addicted' series will always and forever be my favorite series of all time, I enjoy these books so much!
Oscar Oliveira is the body guard to Charlie Colbalt. And boy, is it a job. Charlie might be the hardest of the famous ones to chase around. But Oscar is great at his job and takes it seriously. Jack Highland is filming the series the famous ones star on and gets hired to film just Charlie for a side project. Oscar and Jack have had sparks, but when Jack rejected Oscar, he's started to keep his distance. The more time Jack gets with Oscar, the more he relalizes he doesn't want him to keep his distance...
I'll take any excuse I can to get back into Krista & Becca's 'Addicted' world, and even though this book isn't directly about any of the core six or one of their children, it was close enough for me! Seeing Oscar with Charlie was fantastic and it gave us a new look into Charlie's life. Plus, Oscar and Jack were just swoon. I loved the two of them together. Watching Jack discover new things about himself and seeing Oscar being so loving and patient... big sigh.
Getting to know the families of both the guys was really special too. They are both big brothers with much younger siblings and that gave them a bond. Another thing I loved was Donnelly. The more I read about him, the more I want his story! I think his and Luna's book is my most highly anticipated of the series (and Xander... I want a Xander book badly!)
Charming Like Us was a great addition to the 'Like Us' series and it was nice getting their complete story in this one book. This one was sweet, sexy, and swoony and I adored it! As always, I'll continue to read anything the Ritchie twins write, especially from this world/family!
This is the seventh book in the 'Like Us' series and I can't get enough! Though the 'Addicted' series will always and forever be my favorite series of all time, I enjoy these books so much!
Oscar Oliveira is the body guard to Charlie Colbalt. And boy, is it a job. Charlie might be the hardest of the famous ones to chase around. But Oscar is great at his job and takes it seriously. Jack Highland is filming the series the famous ones star on and gets hired to film just Charlie for a side project. Oscar and Jack have had sparks, but when Jack rejected Oscar, he's started to keep his distance. The more time Jack gets with Oscar, the more he relalizes he doesn't want him to keep his distance...
I'll take any excuse I can to get back into Krista & Becca's 'Addicted' world, and even though this book isn't directly about any of the core six or one of their children, it was close enough for me! Seeing Oscar with Charlie was fantastic and it gave us a new look into Charlie's life. Plus, Oscar and Jack were just swoon. I loved the two of them together. Watching Jack discover new things about himself and seeing Oscar being so loving and patient... big sigh.
Getting to know the families of both the guys was really special too. They are both big brothers with much younger siblings and that gave them a bond. Another thing I loved was Donnelly. The more I read about him, the more I want his story! I think his and Luna's book is my most highly anticipated of the series (and Xander... I want a Xander book badly!)
Charming Like Us was a great addition to the 'Like Us' series and it was nice getting their complete story in this one book. This one was sweet, sexy, and swoony and I adored it! As always, I'll continue to read anything the Ritchie twins write, especially from this world/family!
June 25, 2020
After reading:
Wow, I had such an awesome time reading this one while my kid was at soccer practice!!!
All joking aside, this book was absolutely awesome, just as I expected it to be. Oliviera and Jack were all kinds of cute!!! Jack is definitely one of my favorites in this series. He is such a fun and naughty dude.
I am also giddy as hell that we are getting more Sulli Akara and Banks books and that Luna and Donnely will be getting their own books. So much awesomeness to look forward to!!!
All the haters should just fuck the hell off. If you don't like a book ... fine, that's your prerogative, just skip it, but please leave the people who do enjoy reading these books be. What made you think, that it's okay to treat the people who do love this series like shit? Go find something to read that suits your narrow-mindedness and be done with it. And while you are at it...also do something about that narcissism.
Before reading:
Can't wait for this one to come out. Just have to take my kid to soccer so I am home alone and can get off properly while reading this one LOL...
* read the sarcasm please *
Wow, people are mean and fucked up!! I for one am gonna give this book (and the authors) the honest chance it deserves and I am probably gonna love the hell out of it.
Wow, I had such an awesome time reading this one while my kid was at soccer practice!!!
All joking aside, this book was absolutely awesome, just as I expected it to be. Oliviera and Jack were all kinds of cute!!! Jack is definitely one of my favorites in this series. He is such a fun and naughty dude.
I am also giddy as hell that we are getting more Sulli Akara and Banks books and that Luna and Donnely will be getting their own books. So much awesomeness to look forward to!!!
All the haters should just fuck the hell off. If you don't like a book ... fine, that's your prerogative, just skip it, but please leave the people who do enjoy reading these books be. What made you think, that it's okay to treat the people who do love this series like shit? Go find something to read that suits your narrow-mindedness and be done with it. And while you are at it...also do something about that narcissism.
Before reading:
Can't wait for this one to come out. Just have to take my kid to soccer so I am home alone and can get off properly while reading this one LOL...
* read the sarcasm please *
Wow, people are mean and fucked up!! I for one am gonna give this book (and the authors) the honest chance it deserves and I am probably gonna love the hell out of it.
June 24, 2020
Charlie Keating Cobalt is here to save the day. I love the oldest son of Rose and Connor the most. The true MVP of this book.
Charming Like Us is about Oscar Oliveira and Jack Highland. They were side characters in the previous books. One is the bodyguard to one of the kids of the famous family (Charlie Cobalt) and the other guy is the producer for the reality show “We Are Calloway”. I found both characters irrelevant as side characters and not very interesting so it’s no surprise that I found their story to be very irrelevant as well. I didn’t care about Oscar or Jack at all. Therefore there romance left me feeling colder than the Antarctica.
– SPOILERS –
It makes perfectly sense that Jack who is 27 and didn’t know he was even attracted to guys, starts dating Oscar for a month and then after one drunken night they get hitched and stay married. Does that make sense to you? This series is all about drama and full of ridiculous plotlines so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
So what made me give this book 2 stars instead of one?
↳ CHARLIE KEATING COBALT. I said it already and I’m saying it again: he’s the star of the book. Everyone is making him out to be this selfish villain and Moffy the selfless saint, but in this book we get more details into his character. My heart was breaking for him. He is so full of frustration and self-loath, I just wanted to give him love and thousands of hugs. That one scene where he has a panic attack in the elevator and has to call his father? Yup, my heart couldn’t handle that.
↳ The scene when they filmed Jane’s dress fitting. Rose Calloway Cobalt best mother and best fashion designer. Designing 10 ass wedding dresses for her first born. GOALS.
↳ Beckett/Joana insulting each other. That’s the content I’m living for. Their book is not even confirmed and yet here I am hanging on every little piece.
↳ Oscar-Charlie friendship. I don’t care about Oscar as an individual, but together with Charlie that’s different. I love how he is one of the few people Charlie is considering a friend, who knows Charlie is not the selfish brat. Charlie & Oscar travelling the world together? Cute. Charlie and Oscar renting a whole park to play chess together once a month cute! Charlie wanting to film his own show so Oscar and Jack can spent more time together? Cute. Best matchmaker and best person. Charlie can push me down a ladder anytime soon and I’d say thank you sir.
Not the worst book I’ve read this year but probably the most irrelevant.
Charming Like Us is about Oscar Oliveira and Jack Highland. They were side characters in the previous books. One is the bodyguard to one of the kids of the famous family (Charlie Cobalt) and the other guy is the producer for the reality show “We Are Calloway”. I found both characters irrelevant as side characters and not very interesting so it’s no surprise that I found their story to be very irrelevant as well. I didn’t care about Oscar or Jack at all. Therefore there romance left me feeling colder than the Antarctica.
– SPOILERS –
It makes perfectly sense that Jack who is 27 and didn’t know he was even attracted to guys, starts dating Oscar for a month and then after one drunken night they get hitched and stay married. Does that make sense to you? This series is all about drama and full of ridiculous plotlines so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
So what made me give this book 2 stars instead of one?
↳ CHARLIE KEATING COBALT. I said it already and I’m saying it again: he’s the star of the book. Everyone is making him out to be this selfish villain and Moffy the selfless saint, but in this book we get more details into his character. My heart was breaking for him. He is so full of frustration and self-loath, I just wanted to give him love and thousands of hugs. That one scene where he has a panic attack in the elevator and has to call his father? Yup, my heart couldn’t handle that.
After filming Charlie for so long, I've realised he calls his dad any time he's feeling off. Like someone would call a therapist.
It's almost a daily phone call.
Oscar passes Charlie the phone. "Dad?" Charlie says, his voice controlled. "Can you just talk to me for a second?" He slides down the wall and tucks his head between his knees.
↳ The scene when they filmed Jane’s dress fitting. Rose Calloway Cobalt best mother and best fashion designer. Designing 10 ass wedding dresses for her first born. GOALS.
↳ Beckett/Joana insulting each other. That’s the content I’m living for. Their book is not even confirmed and yet here I am hanging on every little piece.
↳ Oscar-Charlie friendship. I don’t care about Oscar as an individual, but together with Charlie that’s different. I love how he is one of the few people Charlie is considering a friend, who knows Charlie is not the selfish brat. Charlie & Oscar travelling the world together? Cute. Charlie and Oscar renting a whole park to play chess together once a month cute! Charlie wanting to film his own show so Oscar and Jack can spent more time together? Cute. Best matchmaker and best person. Charlie can push me down a ladder anytime soon and I’d say thank you sir.
Not the worst book I’ve read this year but probably the most irrelevant.
February 5, 2024
It is currently 6 AM, I’ve been up all night reading this amazing and beautiful book. I’m sleep deprived and I’m hungry, but it was 100% worth it.
This really is the perfect standalone romance novel. Oscar and Jack are the cutest and softest couple of the series so far. Their support and love for each other makes me giddy. I loved the angst and drama at the beginning of the book, which later turned into this beautiful romance. *swoon* While I’m sad this is the only book they get, I really couldn’t have asked for a better story for them.
This book picks up right where book 6 ends. Oscar is dealing with the most embarrassing moment of his life and Jack is trying to figure out his feelings for Oscar. We see a whole different side to these characters, these characters have been seen at a very surface level in past books, and here we finally take a dive into their thoughts and personalities here. And let me tell you there was a lot to unpack here.
I loved meeting Jack and Oscar’s families. Jack’s younger brother Jesse was adorable! One of my favorite supporting characters in this book. I really enjoyed seeing Oscar’s relationship with his siblings. His relationship with his younger sister Joana was filled with love, while Oscar and Quinn’s broke my heart.
We also see a lot of Charlie Cobalt! At the beginning of the story he decides he wants his own show, for reasons unknown to us. I loved seeing just a glimpse of the way he thinks and makes decisions. We see a little bit of a softer and more compassionate side of him (just a bit). But I really can’t wait to see his POV, I really hope one day we get it. And I think I saw a little tease of his romance there at the end. He deserves love and happiness and not to have so much pain inside him ahhh. His friendship with Oscar was unexpected and beautiful.
Next we (finally!) have Sulli’s romance. This has been a long time coming, and we’ve finally made it. The ending of this book sets us her romance really well for the next book and I honestly cannot wait. Sulli is my favorite character and I am so excited to have her POV. It’s going to be wild…
----
They are going to be such a cute couple
This really is the perfect standalone romance novel. Oscar and Jack are the cutest and softest couple of the series so far. Their support and love for each other makes me giddy. I loved the angst and drama at the beginning of the book, which later turned into this beautiful romance. *swoon* While I’m sad this is the only book they get, I really couldn’t have asked for a better story for them.
This book picks up right where book 6 ends. Oscar is dealing with the most embarrassing moment of his life and Jack is trying to figure out his feelings for Oscar. We see a whole different side to these characters, these characters have been seen at a very surface level in past books, and here we finally take a dive into their thoughts and personalities here. And let me tell you there was a lot to unpack here.
I loved meeting Jack and Oscar’s families. Jack’s younger brother Jesse was adorable! One of my favorite supporting characters in this book. I really enjoyed seeing Oscar’s relationship with his siblings. His relationship with his younger sister Joana was filled with love, while Oscar and Quinn’s broke my heart.
We also see a lot of Charlie Cobalt! At the beginning of the story he decides he wants his own show, for reasons unknown to us. I loved seeing just a glimpse of the way he thinks and makes decisions. We see a little bit of a softer and more compassionate side of him (just a bit). But I really can’t wait to see his POV, I really hope one day we get it. And I think I saw a little tease of his romance there at the end. He deserves love and happiness and not to have so much pain inside him ahhh. His friendship with Oscar was unexpected and beautiful.
Next we (finally!) have Sulli’s romance. This has been a long time coming, and we’ve finally made it. The ending of this book sets us her romance really well for the next book and I honestly cannot wait. Sulli is my favorite character and I am so excited to have her POV. It’s going to be wild…
----
They are going to be such a cute couple
June 28, 2020
I'm incredibly sad to admit but this book didn't work for me as much as I hoped it would. But I think if you are a fan of Oscar and Jack, if you ship them, you'll adore it. They are a cute MM couple, and have a cute story, with some wonderful Charlie scenes.
But I'll be honest here, I didn’t love the book. I didn’t fall in love with the O&J. And I skipped and skimmed at times. And that has NEVER happened before.
I don't really know what the issue was. Maybe because Oscar and Jake had some big shoes to fill. We had so many outstanding personalities in this family, and for me neither Oscar nor Jack could measure up. They were adorable at times, no doubt about that, but overall it wasn't enough to really pull me in. In the end I was invested in the overall LIKE US plot line, but not enough in their love story, if that makes sense.
So, when it comes to Charming Like Us, what I loved the most was the focus on Charlie. I adore him. His personality is complex and fascinating. Just like his dad. I need him to get his own books, and I worry he only ever will be a side story, which would be a shame because he is THE most interesting character that is left in the second generation.
Last thoughts, I'm sure most readers and fans of this series will love this book. For me it just didn't deliver. I love Oscar and Jake as supporting characters, but I don’t feel that they successfully carried their own story.
But I'll be honest here, I didn’t love the book. I didn’t fall in love with the O&J. And I skipped and skimmed at times. And that has NEVER happened before.
I don't really know what the issue was. Maybe because Oscar and Jake had some big shoes to fill. We had so many outstanding personalities in this family, and for me neither Oscar nor Jack could measure up. They were adorable at times, no doubt about that, but overall it wasn't enough to really pull me in. In the end I was invested in the overall LIKE US plot line, but not enough in their love story, if that makes sense.
So, when it comes to Charming Like Us, what I loved the most was the focus on Charlie. I adore him. His personality is complex and fascinating. Just like his dad. I need him to get his own books, and I worry he only ever will be a side story, which would be a shame because he is THE most interesting character that is left in the second generation.
Last thoughts, I'm sure most readers and fans of this series will love this book. For me it just didn't deliver. I love Oscar and Jake as supporting characters, but I don’t feel that they successfully carried their own story.
December 2, 2020
3.5 STARS
This book was like a ray of sunshine and I felt so good, so happy reading it. It felt like free therapy. Free pizza. Warm hugs and kisses. The best kind of comfort I could’ve wanted in this moment.
“You’re Team Jack Highland?”
“Let’s put it this way—whatever president was sitting at the top of the Jack Highland fan club has been dethroned by me.”
Oscar and Jack were absolutely adorable. Their love was so heartwarming, their journey from the first page till the last one was something I adored witnessing and reading about. I loved the way the feelings entered the picture, I loved it when they started dating, I loved how Jack came to peace with his sexuality, I loved seeing both Oscar and Jack’s parents supporting them with everything they had (tired of reading about homophobic parents!). I loved how Jack’s Filipino culture shined in the book, I loved the diversity. I loved everything really. And I have to say, this book got better with every chapter; the second half was amazing.
My biggest issue was maybe the fact that at times I really struggled with feeling their chemistry (especially in the first half) so it took me a while to warm up to them!
And, like always in these books, the side characters deserve a mention. I literally love all of them. All. From Jack’s adorbs little brother Jesse (maybe Winona’s potential love interest?) to the Core Six. Despite that, the ones who deserve their story told the most, in my opinion, are Donnelly, Luna and Charlie. We got to see so much of Charlie and all his sides. His scenes absolutely floored me.
He swipes tear tracks off his cheeks. “I sometimes think that maybe it’ll stop one day. This feeling inside me…frustration…all the fucking time.” He blinks into more tears. “But it never really goes away, and…it has to be drowned out by something stronger. Either…pain or love.”
Charlie is so perfectly imperfect, so selfishly selfless, a character full of oxymorons. He is so fascinating. I refuse to die before I get his book(s) on my hands. And if I do, someone better come read them out loud on my grave. (SPOILER: We found out his love interest’s name, Roxanne!!! I nearly cried reading that scene. She seemed SO adorable!)
This book was like a ray of sunshine and I felt so good, so happy reading it. It felt like free therapy. Free pizza. Warm hugs and kisses. The best kind of comfort I could’ve wanted in this moment.
“You’re Team Jack Highland?”
“Let’s put it this way—whatever president was sitting at the top of the Jack Highland fan club has been dethroned by me.”
Oscar and Jack were absolutely adorable. Their love was so heartwarming, their journey from the first page till the last one was something I adored witnessing and reading about. I loved the way the feelings entered the picture, I loved it when they started dating, I loved how Jack came to peace with his sexuality, I loved seeing both Oscar and Jack’s parents supporting them with everything they had (tired of reading about homophobic parents!). I loved how Jack’s Filipino culture shined in the book, I loved the diversity. I loved everything really. And I have to say, this book got better with every chapter; the second half was amazing.
My biggest issue was maybe the fact that at times I really struggled with feeling their chemistry (especially in the first half) so it took me a while to warm up to them!
And, like always in these books, the side characters deserve a mention. I literally love all of them. All. From Jack’s adorbs little brother Jesse (maybe Winona’s potential love interest?) to the Core Six. Despite that, the ones who deserve their story told the most, in my opinion, are Donnelly, Luna and Charlie. We got to see so much of Charlie and all his sides. His scenes absolutely floored me.
He swipes tear tracks off his cheeks. “I sometimes think that maybe it’ll stop one day. This feeling inside me…frustration…all the fucking time.” He blinks into more tears. “But it never really goes away, and…it has to be drowned out by something stronger. Either…pain or love.”
Charlie is so perfectly imperfect, so selfishly selfless, a character full of oxymorons. He is so fascinating. I refuse to die before I get his book(s) on my hands. And if I do, someone better come read them out loud on my grave. (SPOILER: We found out his love interest’s name, Roxanne!!! I nearly cried reading that scene. She seemed SO adorable!)
May 8, 2022
Donnelly spitting in a girl’s mouth in exchange for a slice of cake was the highlight of the book.
June 29, 2020
HIGHVEIRA IS REAL!!!
PRE-ORDRER: releases June 23rd
● Amazon: http://bit.ly/CLUAmazon
● Apple Books: http://bit.ly/CLUAppleBooks
● B&N: http://bit.ly/CLUNook
Beta read: June 7th, 2020
Thanking these 2 amazing authors is not enough for wanting to highlight the Filipino culture in one of their books. Getting my help (and Jenn's) to shape up the Filipino side of the book is too surreal I cannot express how I really feel right now. Being grateful and beyond thankful doesn't even cut it.
Yes, together with Jenn, we beta read Charming Like Us. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. To talk to Krista and Becca about what is accurate, what works, translations, talking about the Filipino traditions and culture is beyond astounding. And they have captured the very essence of a Filipino family well and I am so proud to showcase all these to you. I'm sure you're going to love the Highlands.
So what can you expect from Charming Like Us? If you've read all of KB's books then you'll know what to expect. And then some haha.. because the twins are the sneakiest and most devious authors I know Lol
And I believe many readers are going to be very, very happy with his book *wink wink
PRE-ORDRER: releases June 23rd
● Amazon: http://bit.ly/CLUAmazon
● Apple Books: http://bit.ly/CLUAppleBooks
● B&N: http://bit.ly/CLUNook
Beta read: June 7th, 2020
Thanking these 2 amazing authors is not enough for wanting to highlight the Filipino culture in one of their books. Getting my help (and Jenn's) to shape up the Filipino side of the book is too surreal I cannot express how I really feel right now. Being grateful and beyond thankful doesn't even cut it.
Yes, together with Jenn, we beta read Charming Like Us. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. To talk to Krista and Becca about what is accurate, what works, translations, talking about the Filipino traditions and culture is beyond astounding. And they have captured the very essence of a Filipino family well and I am so proud to showcase all these to you. I'm sure you're going to love the Highlands.
So what can you expect from Charming Like Us? If you've read all of KB's books then you'll know what to expect. And then some haha.. because the twins are the sneakiest and most devious authors I know Lol
And I believe many readers are going to be very, very happy with his book *wink wink
June 25, 2020
Me before reading this book :
HIGHVEIRA ! HIGHVEIRA ! HIGHVEIRA !
Me after reading this book :
CHARLIE ! CHARLIE ! CHARLIE !
I just couldn't stop smiling throughout the book. I enjoyed the hell out of this book. The whole time reading this, I was just feeling giddy and happy. I think it's safe to say this is the perfect feel good M/M romance novel. But there are some emotional moments in this book that gutted me.
The romance between Oscar and Jack was amazing. They make a fantastic couple. As I was reading from both their perspectives, I could actually feel the love they had between them. I was really excited for Jack's POV because I wanted to get to know him so much and I was not disappointed at all.
Charlie was a HUGE part of this book and the parts we were shown of him in this book were fucking amazing. He always seemed like a mystery to me, so I was excited to read him from Oscar's POV. And ohmygod, I love him so much now.
While I truly adored the couple, this book would've been a 4 star read for me if it wasn't for Charlie. He was AMAZING in this book.
I really want Charlie and Beckett to get their own books. I need them to have their own HEA. I will be shipping Beckett and Joana till the end of time. That insult scene in this book is my fav.
I also just added Roxanne and Charlie to my ship list. I'm kinda bummed that I have to wait years before these books arrive and that too hopefully. The fact that their books haven't even been confirmed is a tragedy.
Although, I'm excited for Sulli's book. I'm curious to see how her romance will progress.
HIGHVEIRA ! HIGHVEIRA ! HIGHVEIRA !
Me after reading this book :
CHARLIE ! CHARLIE ! CHARLIE !
I just couldn't stop smiling throughout the book. I enjoyed the hell out of this book. The whole time reading this, I was just feeling giddy and happy. I think it's safe to say this is the perfect feel good M/M romance novel. But there are some emotional moments in this book that gutted me.
The romance between Oscar and Jack was amazing. They make a fantastic couple. As I was reading from both their perspectives, I could actually feel the love they had between them. I was really excited for Jack's POV because I wanted to get to know him so much and I was not disappointed at all.
Charlie was a HUGE part of this book and the parts we were shown of him in this book were fucking amazing. He always seemed like a mystery to me, so I was excited to read him from Oscar's POV. And ohmygod, I love him so much now.
While I truly adored the couple, this book would've been a 4 star read for me if it wasn't for Charlie. He was AMAZING in this book.
I really want Charlie and Beckett to get their own books. I need them to have their own HEA. I will be shipping Beckett and Joana till the end of time. That insult scene in this book is my fav.
I also just added Roxanne and Charlie to my ship list. I'm kinda bummed that I have to wait years before these books arrive and that too hopefully. The fact that their books haven't even been confirmed is a tragedy.
Although, I'm excited for Sulli's book. I'm curious to see how her romance will progress.
June 22, 2024
“Basta ikaw,” I use his words now and translate, “as long as it’s with you, because it’s you.”
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Reread #3 Update:
If only past me (from my original review) could see me now... WE HAVE LUNNELLY IN T-MINUS THREE HOURS AHHH. Anyway, Highveira still as fun as usual.
Reread #2 Update:
This was a buddy reread with Navya! <3
This book is a literal ray of sunshine.
Original Review:
⇢Jack and Oscar
Jack and Oscar’s story was even more entertaining than I expected. The pace of this book had a lot to do with it; since the plot involved a lot of travelling (chasing) around the globe, every moment was filled with non-stop action.
“What does love feel like?”
My breath heavies, my eyes veering to Oscar. His gaze already glued to me.
Love?
All I know is my love for Oscar carries me like the water. A feeling of invincibility. The patience as the ocean laps underneath my body. The anticipation as the perfect wave rolls near. The cool excitement and power as I stand up. As I ride those impossible swells, and once I’m in the barrel, all the doubts and fears wash away. Leaving a bright burst of indescribable bliss.
⇢Charlie
And while this was Oscar and Jack’s book, I have to talk about Charlie who has been one of my favourite Cobalt boys for a while. Despite his demeanour in other books, I adamantly believed he wasn’t the bad person he was making himself out to be, and this book totally proved that. I really enjoyed all the snapshots we got into his life and I just know that the CharlieRoxanne book is going to serve.
“It’s those soft moments people don’t see. The ones I cherish from Charlie. It’s why I trust he’ll find his way.”
⇢Future Books
Thinking of future books has got me thinking back to the few moments in this book we saw from couples in novels that aren’t released yet. The best was definitely Donnelly and Luna when Donnelly was sleepwalking I’m so excited about their books I CAN’T WAIT. I am absolutely a lunnelly stan and I can’t think of their book without hyperventilating.
My Charming Like Us Playlist:
New York, New York by Daisy Dash
Higher Ground by Red Hot Chilli Peppers
*4.5
. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ❦ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .
MY SPOTIFY ❦
MY LINKTREE ❦
June 25, 2020
So, don't let the rating fool you. My general understanding of all this is that mainly straight (women, for the majority) who mainly read MF and had been shipping Sulli and Akara from like book 1 got pissed when it was revealed that it would Sulli, Akara AND Banks, so a poly book, and it ruined their ship, and straight white women took that to mean that the authors just want to fetishize men together, and so started giving the book 1 star ratings before it has even been released. They did the same to this one, just because it is MM and thus the authors must be fetishizing MM people, without having read this at all.
I even saw a comment about how the first book with Maximoff & Farrow was good but then they got worse because the authors just started to "milk it" and that was...just wow. As if continuing their romance and story means they were fetishizing and "milking" two men being together...but they had no problem about Jane & Thatcher having two books, and definitely wouldn't if the next three books in this series had been about only Sulli & Akara. Their homophobia jumps out with all this.
So all that long rambling to say...now that this is out, I'm happy to see the rating going up, because people are reading this and giving it the rating it deserves, not what they think it deserves without even reading it because they think they know best. (And most, if not all, one starring it, are people who most likely stay in the MF reading community more often than not, and don't really understand the MM community at all. Because from what I've seen MM readers have no problem with this. I sure don't, and they are not fetishizing. If that were true, this would all be based on sex - and not be over 500 pages - and there is not nearly as much sex as there could have been in this.)
And to get to the actual story, I adored it. It focuses on Oscar Oliveira, the 32-year-old bodyguard to Charlie Cobalt, the oldest male son of the Cobalts and probably the most mysterious and secretive, and Jack Highland, the 27-year-old producer for WAC, who we have met briefly throughout the previous six books.
We get to know these two much more in this book, and we get to see what happened at Maximoff and Farrow's wedding between the two, and how their romance kicks off from there.
Jack has always thought he was straight, or at least he's always convinced himself of that, because he's known Oscar for 5 years, and he's always been attracted to him, interested in him, but wasn't able to face for a long time.
And when Charlie wants Jack to start filming him for his own docuseries apart from WAC, Jack and Oscar start to spend more time together than they ever had before, and long buried attraction and new developing feelings come to the surface.
Jack is confused about his sexuality at first, but the more time he spends around Oscar, the more Jack comes to terms that he is definitely not straight.
Oscar is cautious at first when Jack finally shows interest back, because Oscar cares about Jack too much and is gaining a lot of feelings fast, and so he doesn't want to just be an experiment for Jack, used and tossed aside. But Jack has no intention of doing that, and it takes a bit for Oscar to trust that.
There is, as always, drama in both their lives. Jack, with if he'll be able to sustain his career and really get it to take off with his own project, something that is soley his, and Oscar with his brother Quinn, who has a serious beef with Oscar that Oscar doesn't understand.
And I just want to say about that
Anyway, back to the romance. I loved Oscar and Jack together. They were incredibly sweet together and their romance was wonderful. Their love shined through the pages, and when they did have sex, it was pretty damn intense and steamy, I loved it.
I don't know quite what to think of
So if you've been reading this series, I highly recommend this one. I adored Jack and Oscar together, and they were wonderful together, so adorable, sweet, and steamy. Ignore the homophobic assholes giving this one star ratings. This is definitely worth a read, especially if you're a fan of this fun, OTT series that you can't help but love, the same way you can't help but love the three way too famous families and their bodyguards.
Two massive thumbs up from me!
I even saw a comment about how the first book with Maximoff & Farrow was good but then they got worse because the authors just started to "milk it" and that was...just wow. As if continuing their romance and story means they were fetishizing and "milking" two men being together...but they had no problem about Jane & Thatcher having two books, and definitely wouldn't if the next three books in this series had been about only Sulli & Akara. Their homophobia jumps out with all this.
So all that long rambling to say...now that this is out, I'm happy to see the rating going up, because people are reading this and giving it the rating it deserves, not what they think it deserves without even reading it because they think they know best. (And most, if not all, one starring it, are people who most likely stay in the MF reading community more often than not, and don't really understand the MM community at all. Because from what I've seen MM readers have no problem with this. I sure don't, and they are not fetishizing. If that were true, this would all be based on sex - and not be over 500 pages - and there is not nearly as much sex as there could have been in this.)
And to get to the actual story, I adored it. It focuses on Oscar Oliveira, the 32-year-old bodyguard to Charlie Cobalt, the oldest male son of the Cobalts and probably the most mysterious and secretive, and Jack Highland, the 27-year-old producer for WAC, who we have met briefly throughout the previous six books.
We get to know these two much more in this book, and we get to see what happened at Maximoff and Farrow's wedding between the two, and how their romance kicks off from there.
Jack has always thought he was straight, or at least he's always convinced himself of that, because he's known Oscar for 5 years, and he's always been attracted to him, interested in him, but wasn't able to face for a long time.
And when Charlie wants Jack to start filming him for his own docuseries apart from WAC, Jack and Oscar start to spend more time together than they ever had before, and long buried attraction and new developing feelings come to the surface.
Jack is confused about his sexuality at first, but the more time he spends around Oscar, the more Jack comes to terms that he is definitely not straight.
Oscar is cautious at first when Jack finally shows interest back, because Oscar cares about Jack too much and is gaining a lot of feelings fast, and so he doesn't want to just be an experiment for Jack, used and tossed aside. But Jack has no intention of doing that, and it takes a bit for Oscar to trust that.
There is, as always, drama in both their lives. Jack, with if he'll be able to sustain his career and really get it to take off with his own project, something that is soley his, and Oscar with his brother Quinn, who has a serious beef with Oscar that Oscar doesn't understand.
And I just want to say about that
Anyway, back to the romance. I loved Oscar and Jack together. They were incredibly sweet together and their romance was wonderful. Their love shined through the pages, and when they did have sex, it was pretty damn intense and steamy, I loved it.
I don't know quite what to think of
So if you've been reading this series, I highly recommend this one. I adored Jack and Oscar together, and they were wonderful together, so adorable, sweet, and steamy. Ignore the homophobic assholes giving this one star ratings. This is definitely worth a read, especially if you're a fan of this fun, OTT series that you can't help but love, the same way you can't help but love the three way too famous families and their bodyguards.
Two massive thumbs up from me!
July 2, 2020
3.5 Stars!
I liked this one, but I didn't love it.
Pros:
(1) I do like the Ritchie sister writing style. While clocking in at over 7,000 locations it read much faster than that. Always lots of dialogue.
(2) Jack.
(3) Oscar. Though at times he read like Farrow to me. Maybe that's just me projecting my love for Farrow on to Oscar?
(4) Some of their sweet moments together.
(4) All of the scenes with Moffy, Farrow and Ripley.
Cons:
(1) It was repetitive at times, as is common with this series.
(2) Not a lot happened plot wise.
(3) The romance was a bit sappy at times.
(4) Charlie - he just hasn't been very likable.
Still, I am a fan of this series and will continue on. But I don't think anyone can beat Moffy and Farrow when it comes to the best couple! They win hands down.
I liked this one, but I didn't love it.
Pros:
(1) I do like the Ritchie sister writing style. While clocking in at over 7,000 locations it read much faster than that. Always lots of dialogue.
(2) Jack.
(3) Oscar. Though at times he read like Farrow to me. Maybe that's just me projecting my love for Farrow on to Oscar?
(4) Some of their sweet moments together.
(4) All of the scenes with Moffy, Farrow and Ripley.
Cons:
(1) It was repetitive at times, as is common with this series.
(2) Not a lot happened plot wise.
(3) The romance was a bit sappy at times.
(4) Charlie - he just hasn't been very likable.
Still, I am a fan of this series and will continue on. But I don't think anyone can beat Moffy and Farrow when it comes to the best couple! They win hands down.
July 1, 2020
I really don’t have much to say, if I’m honest.
This book was very unnecessary and only released for Pride month -you cannot tell me otherwise when it’s that clear. I’m not saying the story was horrible or harming but it was boring.
I never cared for Jack and Oscar and I tried my best to not go through this book skipping pages but it was hard. The first chapters were okay and actually cute. Their banter was funny but then everything went downhill. And I’m not going to lie, I was on board with the book just so I could read more of other characters but even then, I wasn’t entertained. I was bored.
This is a huge step back. These authors did such a great with Sinful Like Us and while Headstrong Like Us was good, I thought they were going to continue with this improvement but alas that didn’t happen.
Look, there is NO way Sulli/Akara/Banks will not be a mess. There is NO way the following books will be great. I don’t know how bad they’ll be but I really have no faith in them.
I still want to read them but I don’t know if I should. I do not like going into a book with formed opinions but truly, that poly relationship is going to be a mess. Luna and Donelly are going to be a mess and I’m so sorry for that because I like them but not with the way Donelly is being portrayed in this book. And I’m not talking about his situation with his family.
Anyway, sometimes I can’t believe these authors are the same one that gave us the Addicted and Calloway Sister series.
This book was very unnecessary and only released for Pride month -you cannot tell me otherwise when it’s that clear. I’m not saying the story was horrible or harming but it was boring.
I never cared for Jack and Oscar and I tried my best to not go through this book skipping pages but it was hard. The first chapters were okay and actually cute. Their banter was funny but then everything went downhill. And I’m not going to lie, I was on board with the book just so I could read more of other characters but even then, I wasn’t entertained. I was bored.
This is a huge step back. These authors did such a great with Sinful Like Us and while Headstrong Like Us was good, I thought they were going to continue with this improvement but alas that didn’t happen.
Look, there is NO way Sulli/Akara/Banks will not be a mess. There is NO way the following books will be great. I don’t know how bad they’ll be but I really have no faith in them.
I still want to read them but I don’t know if I should. I do not like going into a book with formed opinions but truly, that poly relationship is going to be a mess. Luna and Donelly are going to be a mess and I’m so sorry for that because I like them but not with the way Donelly is being portrayed in this book. And I’m not talking about his situation with his family.
Anyway, sometimes I can’t believe these authors are the same one that gave us the Addicted and Calloway Sister series.
September 10, 2019
Why is this even book #7? Why are we getting another mm couple so that the fb soccer moms can get off?
Is it too late to save Jack and Oscar from this mess?
Is it too late to save Jack and Oscar from this mess?
June 26, 2020
well well well. here we are.
i have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this book. so this is going to be a jumbled mess.
firstly, what the FUCK was that ending? oscar what the FUCK!!!!! why in the everloving fuck would this guy (who loves his job so much he has been charlie's bodyguard for the last 5 years and wants to continue doing it) offer himself to be the center of attention on an aired SERIES????? with his BOYFRIEND???? yeah. makes sense.
the marriage? where did that come from? i got whiplash from alu.
the only thing ive been enjoying about the last three books was the flirting between the two of them and like. it lasted almost nothing here. because apparently theyve been falling in love with each other in the course of the whole series? idk. seems fake but okay.
god fucking dammit.
i just wanted ONE book that i could enjoy reading about oscar. but these authors' writing makes it impossible. (already ranted about that in other reviews)
BRO. DUDE. MUSCULAR. SHUT UPPPPPP
charlie was the true mvp all along. who wouldve thought *surprised pikachu face*
lastly, that sulli mess is disgusting. go read a shayla black book instead. rip kitsulli
ps. who tf wants those 100 books about [redacted] and [redacted]?
------
i love oscar but sadly he was created by k&britchie 🤡💀
i have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this book. so this is going to be a jumbled mess.
firstly, what the FUCK was that ending? oscar what the FUCK!!!!! why in the everloving fuck would this guy (who loves his job so much he has been charlie's bodyguard for the last 5 years and wants to continue doing it) offer himself to be the center of attention on an aired SERIES????? with his BOYFRIEND???? yeah. makes sense.
the marriage? where did that come from? i got whiplash from alu.
the only thing ive been enjoying about the last three books was the flirting between the two of them and like. it lasted almost nothing here. because apparently theyve been falling in love with each other in the course of the whole series? idk. seems fake but okay.
god fucking dammit.
i just wanted ONE book that i could enjoy reading about oscar. but these authors' writing makes it impossible. (already ranted about that in other reviews)
BRO. DUDE. MUSCULAR. SHUT UPPPPPP
charlie was the true mvp all along. who wouldve thought *surprised pikachu face*
lastly, that sulli mess is disgusting. go read a shayla black book instead. rip kitsulli
ps. who tf wants those 100 books about [redacted] and [redacted]?
------
i love oscar but sadly he was created by k&britchie 🤡💀
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2019
krista and becca ritchie writing another m/m book because the soccer moms said they wanted a new ship they could masturbate to. if you want a m/m book written by authors whi are respectful of the lgbt+ community and their readers THIS WILL NOT BE IT
January 5, 2024
4/5
I know a lot of people skip this book or read on fragments with Cobalts, but I actually really enjoyed it. The sisters has some weird fixation with bodyguard romance trope, so it was like a breath of fresh air.
I know a lot of people skip this book or read on fragments with Cobalts, but I actually really enjoyed it. The sisters has some weird fixation with bodyguard romance trope, so it was like a breath of fresh air.
"You’re actually the first person who makes me feel like…this is enough.”
"Because,” I tell him, “sometimes people grip so hard onto the concept of hate that they can’t let go for two seconds to even try to love.”
October 12, 2020
Audio 5 + Stars
Story 3 Stars
Story 3 Stars
December 28, 2020
4.5/5
First of all I want to talk about how GOOD these books are written. Even when my first language is not english and I self-taught-it, missing a lot of grammatical important things, I can say that these books are good.
The authors never fail in taking your attention from everything around you and wrap you up into the world of these famous families, their bodyguards and the production team.
So, in the previous books we started to notice that Jack's flirty ways started to get into Oscar's head and heart, and as the time was passing Oscar developed a crush on him. Jack, however, is straight and didn't doubt to deliver this statement when Oscar asked him if he could kiss him, and took a huge rejection from his crush.
Now, Charlie Cobalt -Oscar's client- wants to do a show centered on him and him alone, and no one would make a better job that the young producer, Jack Highland.
Thing is... this is not going to be easy, and not because the difficult Cobalt kid.
Oscar is still hurt for the rejection, and Jack is questioning his feelings towards Oscar, and they have to spend time together.
Krista and Becca usually give us happy-like books, with some emotional-angsty-and-scary moments that make the books incredible, and I wasn't sure how this was going to play because of what we knew of the couple.
That's why I started reading this book resenting the hell out of Jack (drama Lula talking there). I didn't wanted to read about Oscar hurting over and over again while Jack figured out his feelings and his identity, or him playing with Oscar through his own journey finding himself.
Oscar, as he should and we read before, is the mature one, the protector. He is intelligent, intuitive, a good friend, supportive, et cetera. Jack is definitely a flirty guy, simple yet ambitious, humble. Their scenes were so deep-to-the-soul, serious, to the point. Jack, even struggling, knew what he wanted to try, what he had to win and what he had to lose. Oscar risking his heart to help Jack... *okay, I'm emotional, I'm sorry but I might be crying writing this*.
Another thing that worried me was... how is it going to work out? The other two couples were famous-bodyguards, so they HAD to spend time together. I mean, yeah, sure, Jack is going to follow Charlie around, which means he's going to be with Oscar, but how much time are they going to have for themselves? How are they going to build a relationship with that schedule, running around the globe aftermy baby Charlie's ass.
To my surprise, they managed that in a smart way. Charlie *don't cry, Lula, DO. NOT. CRY!--five minutes later* is an incredible guy, he is a genius and a selfless guy, so of course he'd knew what was going on with his bodyguard and the docuseries producer, and he did what he had to do for them to spent more time together.
I feel like this book can't hold ALL the information the author gave us. The additions of some characters, bringing back the previous couples, with the next confirmed couples, with those who weren't... everything, as always, makes you feel like you are in a front-seat show and can't miss a second.
First of all I want to talk about how GOOD these books are written. Even when my first language is not english and I self-taught-it, missing a lot of grammatical important things, I can say that these books are good.
The authors never fail in taking your attention from everything around you and wrap you up into the world of these famous families, their bodyguards and the production team.
So, in the previous books we started to notice that Jack's flirty ways started to get into Oscar's head and heart, and as the time was passing Oscar developed a crush on him. Jack, however, is straight and didn't doubt to deliver this statement when Oscar asked him if he could kiss him, and took a huge rejection from his crush.
Now, Charlie Cobalt -Oscar's client- wants to do a show centered on him and him alone, and no one would make a better job that the young producer, Jack Highland.
Thing is... this is not going to be easy, and not because the difficult Cobalt kid.
Oscar is still hurt for the rejection, and Jack is questioning his feelings towards Oscar, and they have to spend time together.
Krista and Becca usually give us happy-like books, with some emotional-angsty-and-scary moments that make the books incredible, and I wasn't sure how this was going to play because of what we knew of the couple.
That's why I started reading this book resenting the hell out of Jack (drama Lula talking there). I didn't wanted to read about Oscar hurting over and over again while Jack figured out his feelings and his identity, or him playing with Oscar through his own journey finding himself.
Oscar, as he should and we read before, is the mature one, the protector. He is intelligent, intuitive, a good friend, supportive, et cetera. Jack is definitely a flirty guy, simple yet ambitious, humble. Their scenes were so deep-to-the-soul, serious, to the point. Jack, even struggling, knew what he wanted to try, what he had to win and what he had to lose. Oscar risking his heart to help Jack... *okay, I'm emotional, I'm sorry but I might be crying writing this*.
Another thing that worried me was... how is it going to work out? The other two couples were famous-bodyguards, so they HAD to spend time together. I mean, yeah, sure, Jack is going to follow Charlie around, which means he's going to be with Oscar, but how much time are they going to have for themselves? How are they going to build a relationship with that schedule, running around the globe after
To my surprise, they managed that in a smart way. Charlie *don't cry, Lula, DO. NOT. CRY!--five minutes later* is an incredible guy, he is a genius and a selfless guy, so of course he'd knew what was going on with his bodyguard and the docuseries producer, and he did what he had to do for them to spent more time together.
I feel like this book can't hold ALL the information the author gave us. The additions of some characters, bringing back the previous couples, with the next confirmed couples, with those who weren't... everything, as always, makes you feel like you are in a front-seat show and can't miss a second.
June 24, 2020
All of the “ meu raio de sol” stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s Oscar and Jack take on Philly, New York, California, the world—you and me, Long Beach.”
This whole series is amazing and this book was everything that I’ve wanted for Highveira. It was swoony, emotinal and heartfelt.
I love Jack and Oscar with all of my heart. Their love was radiant. Pure sunshine and magic. My favorite part was how adorable, funny, mature, sexy, SWOONY, these two were.
The Midnight sun in Greenland? My heart. So so romantic and perfect for them.
🥺❤️🌈🥺
I had the biggest, goofiest, smile on my face while reading this book
I can’t wait to read more about them in future books or in Krista and Becca’s patreon.
It’s Oscar and Jack take on Philly, New York, California, the world—you and me, Long Beach.”
This whole series is amazing and this book was everything that I’ve wanted for Highveira. It was swoony, emotinal and heartfelt.
I love Jack and Oscar with all of my heart. Their love was radiant. Pure sunshine and magic. My favorite part was how adorable, funny, mature, sexy, SWOONY, these two were.
The Midnight sun in Greenland? My heart. So so romantic and perfect for them.
🥺❤️🌈🥺
I had the biggest, goofiest, smile on my face while reading this book
I can’t wait to read more about them in future books or in Krista and Becca’s patreon.
July 6, 2020
When I found out about this book being about Oscar and Jack, I wasn’t particularly excited about it – but I’m SO glad at how much I ended up adoring them!
I was mainly skeptical because since Book 1, it looked like there’d be a love triangle with Sulli, Akara, and Jack. So finding out Oscar and Jack would have a book, when there were limited interactions b/w them up to that point– I was thrown off.
Fortunately, this book did a really good job setting up their romance. It started off in a rather amusing, humiliating kind of way – with a rejection. And it was interesting to see how the characters took it from there.
I liked seeing the mindset of Jack – and how he had to wrap his head around his own changing identity. It made sense why he couldn’t fathom being attracted to guys because he never thought or experienced otherwise. I felt for him seeing him struggle with things he thought to be true to be totally not, and the life he planned out to be not quite how he imagined it to be.
Charming Like Us was a fitting title. Oscar and Jack were charming in their own way. I have loved Oscar since the beginning of this series because he was such a lovable goofball who showed that he had an infinite capacity for loyalty to his friends. On the other hand, Jack was always that affable, sensitive guy who could just relate and talk to people, and we saw him do that throughout the series as he interviewed the families. He, however, shocked me in this book because I ended up loving him more than I thought I would. I loved how his charm stemmed from his own love of people and that also tied in with his role as a producer because he genuinely wanted to showcase the family – not for his own benefit – but for them. In this book, we saw how he struggled to balance between his own high ambitions and ethics. I appreciated seeing that he had such a strong sense of morals.
And on another note about Jack, I was happy to see his interactions with his family. He literally had the most SUPPORTIVE, sweetest family! I loved his brother and parents! I thought they’d become problematic (his parents) or annoying (his brother) – but they really just showed their support and concerns for Jack when he was getting attacked on the media. In particular, his brother, Jesse, was kind and cool, and he was still immature at times, but he still was hard-working and did well by his brother. (low-key wouldn’t mind if he got his own book ) I also SO LOVED seeing the diverse representation! I think this was the first non-fully-white main couple in the Addicted/Like Us series. I loved hearing Jack’s strong sense of pride for his culture – we got to see him share some of the language, the snacks (which ofc Oscar adored), etc. with Oscar.
Also, on a random note, this was probably the first couple of the Addicted/Like Us series that didn’t have one of the duo being the “prickly”/non-people-person one (Lo, Rose, Ryke, Farrow (although Farrow was more laidback, while Moffy was perhaps more prickly while still being a people-person), Thatcher, Garrison). For the first time, we got a legit 2 people-person couple, which was a fun change (although I did enjoy the prickly characters).
I obviously was excited for Charlie the most out of all the children b/c he was like a somewhat replica of Connor – but he was pissing me off in the past few books because he seemed so selfish. Like I stilled adored him, I was curious about him, but that boy got on my NERVESSSS to the point that I didn’t like him as much in recent books. With Oscar being his bodyguard, I’m glad we got a closer look at him. He was still impulsive and selfish at times… but we got a better idea of the “why’s.” My heart broke for him seeing how he hurt himself and let people hurt him. I felt like I could relate to him for the first time, which was crazy for me because I could not be more different than this character. I felt like I related to his frustrations at his feelings – the stagnation, the emptiness, the need to feel anything else, something strong, to overpower the other feelings. After reading this book, I hoped more than ever that Charlie would get his own book where he’d find what he was looking for – and more. He showed how selfless he was – with his family and with people he saw as friends. He did more than anyone would know. Don’t get me wrong, he was still selfish at times (a lot of times), but at his heart, you could see he cared and that he would do anything for the ones he loved. Seeing this development in Charlie was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
Also – wait did we just meet the girl for his book because there was a moment – but… idk idk! If that’s his person, I am hoping it’ll be epic and sweet and amazing. Guess we’ll see – there’s no announcement for the line-up for his book yet, but hhmmm… If it is what it is, YOU BETTER MAKE IT GOOD!
I get way too much secondhand embarrassing seeing Sulli’s scenes with Akara (and more recently, Banks) since Book 1 of this series. She’s literally like Lily 2.0 with all the social disasters she goes through. And we’re not even at her book yet! I still have mixed feelings about the setup for the Sulli/Akara/Banks romance – I literally keep on going back and forth between liking the idea and not liking the idea. Let’s hope it’ll be good – because hallelujah it’s finally fucking here! I’ve literally been looking forward to the book since Book 1 of this series (and now we’re going to be on Book 8??? That’s a long wait. PLUS Garrison & Willow’s duet books that came out a bit ago). It was literally torture waiting while all this angst was building up b/w Akara and Sulli. Throwing Banks into the mix, it’s confusing, bur fingers crossed. I’m curious how it’d turn out.
Btw, in this book, Oscar kept saying how he loved watching the drama unfold among the families, and how he loved eating popcorn during it, and it cracked me up how much he enjoyed seeing the Sulli/Akara/Banks drama (b/c same, but also, I had more anxiety wondering what’d happen to this couple).
Overall, 4 stars I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I like seeing 2 truly likable, kind, and giving people become that and so much more to each other. They have such a respectful and positive relationship, filled with cute bantering and sensitive moments, and I am here for ittt.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? Other things to note?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
I was mainly skeptical because since Book 1, it looked like there’d be a love triangle with Sulli, Akara, and Jack. So finding out Oscar and Jack would have a book, when there were limited interactions b/w them up to that point– I was thrown off.
Fortunately, this book did a really good job setting up their romance. It started off in a rather amusing, humiliating kind of way – with a rejection. And it was interesting to see how the characters took it from there.
I liked seeing the mindset of Jack – and how he had to wrap his head around his own changing identity. It made sense why he couldn’t fathom being attracted to guys because he never thought or experienced otherwise. I felt for him seeing him struggle with things he thought to be true to be totally not, and the life he planned out to be not quite how he imagined it to be.
Charming Like Us was a fitting title. Oscar and Jack were charming in their own way. I have loved Oscar since the beginning of this series because he was such a lovable goofball who showed that he had an infinite capacity for loyalty to his friends. On the other hand, Jack was always that affable, sensitive guy who could just relate and talk to people, and we saw him do that throughout the series as he interviewed the families. He, however, shocked me in this book because I ended up loving him more than I thought I would. I loved how his charm stemmed from his own love of people and that also tied in with his role as a producer because he genuinely wanted to showcase the family – not for his own benefit – but for them. In this book, we saw how he struggled to balance between his own high ambitions and ethics. I appreciated seeing that he had such a strong sense of morals.
And on another note about Jack, I was happy to see his interactions with his family. He literally had the most SUPPORTIVE, sweetest family! I loved his brother and parents! I thought they’d become problematic (his parents) or annoying (his brother) – but they really just showed their support and concerns for Jack when he was getting attacked on the media. In particular, his brother, Jesse, was kind and cool, and he was still immature at times, but he still was hard-working and did well by his brother. (low-key wouldn’t mind if he got his own book ) I also SO LOVED seeing the diverse representation! I think this was the first non-fully-white main couple in the Addicted/Like Us series. I loved hearing Jack’s strong sense of pride for his culture – we got to see him share some of the language, the snacks (which ofc Oscar adored), etc. with Oscar.
Also, on a random note, this was probably the first couple of the Addicted/Like Us series that didn’t have one of the duo being the “prickly”/non-people-person one (Lo, Rose, Ryke, Farrow (although Farrow was more laidback, while Moffy was perhaps more prickly while still being a people-person), Thatcher, Garrison). For the first time, we got a legit 2 people-person couple, which was a fun change (although I did enjoy the prickly characters).
I obviously was excited for Charlie the most out of all the children b/c he was like a somewhat replica of Connor – but he was pissing me off in the past few books because he seemed so selfish. Like I stilled adored him, I was curious about him, but that boy got on my NERVESSSS to the point that I didn’t like him as much in recent books. With Oscar being his bodyguard, I’m glad we got a closer look at him. He was still impulsive and selfish at times… but we got a better idea of the “why’s.” My heart broke for him seeing how he hurt himself and let people hurt him. I felt like I could relate to him for the first time, which was crazy for me because I could not be more different than this character. I felt like I related to his frustrations at his feelings – the stagnation, the emptiness, the need to feel anything else, something strong, to overpower the other feelings. After reading this book, I hoped more than ever that Charlie would get his own book where he’d find what he was looking for – and more. He showed how selfless he was – with his family and with people he saw as friends. He did more than anyone would know. Don’t get me wrong, he was still selfish at times (a lot of times), but at his heart, you could see he cared and that he would do anything for the ones he loved. Seeing this development in Charlie was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
Also – wait did we just meet the girl for his book because there was a moment – but… idk idk! If that’s his person, I am hoping it’ll be epic and sweet and amazing. Guess we’ll see – there’s no announcement for the line-up for his book yet, but hhmmm… If it is what it is, YOU BETTER MAKE IT GOOD!
I get way too much secondhand embarrassing seeing Sulli’s scenes with Akara (and more recently, Banks) since Book 1 of this series. She’s literally like Lily 2.0 with all the social disasters she goes through. And we’re not even at her book yet! I still have mixed feelings about the setup for the Sulli/Akara/Banks romance – I literally keep on going back and forth between liking the idea and not liking the idea. Let’s hope it’ll be good – because hallelujah it’s finally fucking here! I’ve literally been looking forward to the book since Book 1 of this series (and now we’re going to be on Book 8??? That’s a long wait. PLUS Garrison & Willow’s duet books that came out a bit ago). It was literally torture waiting while all this angst was building up b/w Akara and Sulli. Throwing Banks into the mix, it’s confusing, bur fingers crossed. I’m curious how it’d turn out.
Btw, in this book, Oscar kept saying how he loved watching the drama unfold among the families, and how he loved eating popcorn during it, and it cracked me up how much he enjoyed seeing the Sulli/Akara/Banks drama (b/c same, but also, I had more anxiety wondering what’d happen to this couple).
Overall, 4 stars I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I like seeing 2 truly likable, kind, and giving people become that and so much more to each other. They have such a respectful and positive relationship, filled with cute bantering and sensitive moments, and I am here for ittt.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? Other things to note?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
June 23, 2020
the saving grace of this book was charlie keating cobalt.
he really is the best man so pls let him love himself and not use pain to tame his frustrations because that was so so fucking sad to read. that elevator scene broke my fucking heart and i will never emotionally recover from that.
LET HIM FIND HAPPINESS AND LOVE HE DESERVES IT!!
also like please let him have his soft ballerina soulmate, roxanne or im just fall apart.
so the rest of the book...
tbh i think oscar and jack were boring and i really could not get myself to care for them.
the plot of this book was all over the place especially during the end. we had like three different thinks happening at once when really one thing should have been focused on at a time. we go from quinn and oscar yelling and somehow making up, but then charlie going missing and instigating a search party, to having charlie and jack both injured and then the whole thing that happened after and it was so rushed and messy.
also the whole jack being a secret billionaire like what??? they clearly threw that in to go along with their billionaire and bodyguard trope bc that made zero sense to just add that in. like zero.
also that whole scene with kinney explaining what happened to her was rushed and glazed over. what happened to her was fucking sad and i wish that was properly and adequately addressed. my heart broke for her.
good parts:
- i love jesse he was adorable and funny and i would have appreciated more scenes of him.
- QUINN OLIVEIRA IS WHERE IT IS AT!!! that anger that he radiates and that tragic backstory of what happened to him when he was younger like please write that. that would be some good angsty/angry literature.
- charlie was really the star of this book. i have nothing bad to say about him. he deserves all the love and happiness in this world period. GIVE HIM HIS SOFT BALLERINA SOULMATE!
he really is the best man so pls let him love himself and not use pain to tame his frustrations because that was so so fucking sad to read. that elevator scene broke my fucking heart and i will never emotionally recover from that.
LET HIM FIND HAPPINESS AND LOVE HE DESERVES IT!!
also like please let him have his soft ballerina soulmate, roxanne or im just fall apart.
so the rest of the book...
tbh i think oscar and jack were boring and i really could not get myself to care for them.
the plot of this book was all over the place especially during the end. we had like three different thinks happening at once when really one thing should have been focused on at a time. we go from quinn and oscar yelling and somehow making up, but then charlie going missing and instigating a search party, to having charlie and jack both injured and then the whole thing that happened after and it was so rushed and messy.
also the whole jack being a secret billionaire like what??? they clearly threw that in to go along with their billionaire and bodyguard trope bc that made zero sense to just add that in. like zero.
also that whole scene with kinney explaining what happened to her was rushed and glazed over. what happened to her was fucking sad and i wish that was properly and adequately addressed. my heart broke for her.
good parts:
- i love jesse he was adorable and funny and i would have appreciated more scenes of him.
- QUINN OLIVEIRA IS WHERE IT IS AT!!! that anger that he radiates and that tragic backstory of what happened to him when he was younger like please write that. that would be some good angsty/angry literature.
- charlie was really the star of this book. i have nothing bad to say about him. he deserves all the love and happiness in this world period. GIVE HIM HIS SOFT BALLERINA SOULMATE!
August 1, 2020
i literally do not understand why people are rating this book when it’s not even out yet.
me: [excited for jack’s inevitable gay panic]
finished: june 22 - 23, 2020 | 4:06 PM — 4.5 stars
let me correct myself: jack's inevitable gay panics, as in plural
spoilers ahead!
i adore this series — like i'm so hooked into these characters that i'd probably be stuck with them for 10 or 20 or 30 books more and i wouldn't complain. the core 6 will always hold a special place in my heart that's different from their children, but this series is still entertaining.
okay, i'm not gonna lie: after ALU, i got a bit bored with this series. like thatcher and jane are adorable and the wedding was cool, but i wasn't as excited about it as i normally was? those three books in a row just felt me feeling like 2-3 stars? but then this book came along.
i'm a filipino-american too, so i'm biased towards this story, but i love it. representation is important and it just felt so cool to see my culture represented accurately — like the mano po, the susmaryosep, the SNACKS lskdfjslfd
not to mention the fact that charlie is my favorite character. he's just such a little shit and he knows it. i love how we got to know more about him than ever before. like how he was so proud he got his own apartment in paris at 18, he calls his dad almost daily, he's so desperate to get away from his frustration sometimes to the point where he seeks out pain, he wants love to ease that frustration, and he only did the docuseries not only for jack and oscar but for maximoff, the cousin he doesn't get along with the most. one of the things i loved the most? how, despite the multiple times oscar shuts down being his friend, charlie has always seen him as a friend.
but this kid also broke my heart.
"I know you hate the Oslie rumors as much as me," Charlie says. "I know you barely have time to date because you're following me around the world —"
"It's my job, Charlie. I made that choice."
He glares up at the stars. "No one deserves to have their life attached to mine."
over the course of this book, jack spends more time with charlie and grows fond of him, which i absolutely adore because it's clear oscar feels the same way. it's so interesting to think that jack and oscar have this really rare viewpoint into charlie's world — that he's willingly letting them in.
His fondness of Charlie is clear. Maybe I'm a little bit clouded by the fact that Charlie did set me up with Oscar, but I've grown to feel the same.
In the garden, I watch Charlie study the chess board. It's those soft moments people don't see. The ones I cherish from Charlie. It's why I trust he'll find his way.
i know this is jack and oscar's book though, so i'll talk about them right after i talk about the last chapter!
Oscar finds her first. He leans forward and whispers, "Roxanne Ruiz. She's eighteen."
Charlie just turns forward, but I catch his smile.
this is charlie's love interest and i know the next 3 books are about sulli, banks, and akara and i love them and i'll read it and i know the next 3 after that are about luna and donnelly but i literally just want to read charlie's book and even beckett's book (so so bad) but i understand if it's not the right time or circumstances yet. but. still. those are the two people i want to read about the most.
jack and oscar are just so full of positive vibes and i LOVE it when one person just has to scream their feelings out for the other to get their point across LMAO give me the angst i love it
ALSO i just remembered: jesse and winona meadows? i knew it was coming the second "wild child" came from jack's mouth. i knew it. and i am ready.
anyways, it was so cool to learn more about production since this is going to be the only jack and oscar book. it feels right that they only get one book — like if it went on, it wouldn't be right. it's good as it is. i also adore how oscar and jack eloped cause that was hilarious but also spot on.
also this gabe dude? clearly a himbo <3
me: [excited for jack’s inevitable gay panic]
finished: june 22 - 23, 2020 | 4:06 PM — 4.5 stars
let me correct myself: jack's inevitable gay panics, as in plural
spoilers ahead!
i adore this series — like i'm so hooked into these characters that i'd probably be stuck with them for 10 or 20 or 30 books more and i wouldn't complain. the core 6 will always hold a special place in my heart that's different from their children, but this series is still entertaining.
okay, i'm not gonna lie: after ALU, i got a bit bored with this series. like thatcher and jane are adorable and the wedding was cool, but i wasn't as excited about it as i normally was? those three books in a row just felt me feeling like 2-3 stars? but then this book came along.
i'm a filipino-american too, so i'm biased towards this story, but i love it. representation is important and it just felt so cool to see my culture represented accurately — like the mano po, the susmaryosep, the SNACKS lskdfjslfd
not to mention the fact that charlie is my favorite character. he's just such a little shit and he knows it. i love how we got to know more about him than ever before. like how he was so proud he got his own apartment in paris at 18, he calls his dad almost daily, he's so desperate to get away from his frustration sometimes to the point where he seeks out pain, he wants love to ease that frustration, and he only did the docuseries not only for jack and oscar but for maximoff, the cousin he doesn't get along with the most. one of the things i loved the most? how, despite the multiple times oscar shuts down being his friend, charlie has always seen him as a friend.
but this kid also broke my heart.
"I know you hate the Oslie rumors as much as me," Charlie says. "I know you barely have time to date because you're following me around the world —"
"It's my job, Charlie. I made that choice."
He glares up at the stars. "No one deserves to have their life attached to mine."
over the course of this book, jack spends more time with charlie and grows fond of him, which i absolutely adore because it's clear oscar feels the same way. it's so interesting to think that jack and oscar have this really rare viewpoint into charlie's world — that he's willingly letting them in.
His fondness of Charlie is clear. Maybe I'm a little bit clouded by the fact that Charlie did set me up with Oscar, but I've grown to feel the same.
In the garden, I watch Charlie study the chess board. It's those soft moments people don't see. The ones I cherish from Charlie. It's why I trust he'll find his way.
i know this is jack and oscar's book though, so i'll talk about them right after i talk about the last chapter!
Oscar finds her first. He leans forward and whispers, "Roxanne Ruiz. She's eighteen."
Charlie just turns forward, but I catch his smile.
this is charlie's love interest and i know the next 3 books are about sulli, banks, and akara and i love them and i'll read it and i know the next 3 after that are about luna and donnelly but i literally just want to read charlie's book and even beckett's book (so so bad) but i understand if it's not the right time or circumstances yet. but. still. those are the two people i want to read about the most.
jack and oscar are just so full of positive vibes and i LOVE it when one person just has to scream their feelings out for the other to get their point across LMAO give me the angst i love it
ALSO i just remembered: jesse and winona meadows? i knew it was coming the second "wild child" came from jack's mouth. i knew it. and i am ready.
anyways, it was so cool to learn more about production since this is going to be the only jack and oscar book. it feels right that they only get one book — like if it went on, it wouldn't be right. it's good as it is. i also adore how oscar and jack eloped cause that was hilarious but also spot on.
also this gabe dude? clearly a himbo <3
June 22, 2020
Get ready for a feel-good romance that will make you feel light and joyful inside, and will leave you floating on cloud 9! Oscar and Jack’s chemistry is palpable. I don’t know what it is with this book but I can FEEL all the tension. I can feel the unrequited love that Oscar’s feeling and I can feel Jack’s turmoil. I just want to step in the middle and help them open their eyes to the truth! I’m sitting here cheering them both on thinking, omg just kiss already!!!!!!!!
I think Jack is the perfect match for Oscar because I always thought Oscar was someone who’s a no-BSer. I mean, he can joke around with Farrow and Donnelly and SFO but he always had that air of maturity. I enjoy being inside Oscar’s head and seeing everything and everyone through his eyes; especially his best friends, Farrow and Donnelly. He’s one of my favorite characters in the Like Us series. And Jack doesn’t seem to beat around the bush. Jack’s personality just meshes well with Oscar’s. They’re both very mature and they don’t have unnecessary drama.
I love that most of the focus centered on Jack and Oscar, which is kind of unusual for Krista and Becca’s books. We usually see a lot of the side characters as well, but this time it’s different. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just different from the norm.
Also, I absolutely love Jack’s relationship with Jesse! I enjoyed all of their interactions and it was so nice to finally meet Jack’s family. I think the authors did great in capturing the essence of the Philippine culture, how Filipinos are, how a Filipino mom would be, and the importance of family. It was a joy to read the moments with Jack and his little brother and with his mom.
I also like the glimpses we get of Charlie. We see him in a different light from Oscar’s perspective and I, for one, wasn’t a big fan of Charlie from the beginning. In the previous books, he just always seemed so angry and mean and an a-hole for no apparent reason. But here in Charming, the authors have me hooked on Charlie. I’m intrigued and, not gonna lie, there were a few moments that tore at my heart for Charlie. I cried my eyes out! I’ve gone soft towards Charlie and I may or may not dislike him a little less. I’m so interested in him getting his HEA.
I was grinning from ear to ear for the majority of the book. I don’t even really know how to describe how I feel about Oscar and Jack’s story. This book just feels so different from all the others in the Like Us series. I’m so excited for everything that was revealed (love interests and...just...other possibilities *wink wink*) and I’m looking forward to reading Sulli’s story. Charming Like Us was such a fun book to read!
I think Jack is the perfect match for Oscar because I always thought Oscar was someone who’s a no-BSer. I mean, he can joke around with Farrow and Donnelly and SFO but he always had that air of maturity. I enjoy being inside Oscar’s head and seeing everything and everyone through his eyes; especially his best friends, Farrow and Donnelly. He’s one of my favorite characters in the Like Us series. And Jack doesn’t seem to beat around the bush. Jack’s personality just meshes well with Oscar’s. They’re both very mature and they don’t have unnecessary drama.
I love that most of the focus centered on Jack and Oscar, which is kind of unusual for Krista and Becca’s books. We usually see a lot of the side characters as well, but this time it’s different. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just different from the norm.
Also, I absolutely love Jack’s relationship with Jesse! I enjoyed all of their interactions and it was so nice to finally meet Jack’s family. I think the authors did great in capturing the essence of the Philippine culture, how Filipinos are, how a Filipino mom would be, and the importance of family. It was a joy to read the moments with Jack and his little brother and with his mom.
I also like the glimpses we get of Charlie. We see him in a different light from Oscar’s perspective and I, for one, wasn’t a big fan of Charlie from the beginning. In the previous books, he just always seemed so angry and mean and an a-hole for no apparent reason. But here in Charming, the authors have me hooked on Charlie. I’m intrigued and, not gonna lie, there were a few moments that tore at my heart for Charlie. I cried my eyes out! I’ve gone soft towards Charlie and I may or may not dislike him a little less. I’m so interested in him getting his HEA.
I was grinning from ear to ear for the majority of the book. I don’t even really know how to describe how I feel about Oscar and Jack’s story. This book just feels so different from all the others in the Like Us series. I’m so excited for everything that was revealed (love interests and...just...other possibilities *wink wink*) and I’m looking forward to reading Sulli’s story. Charming Like Us was such a fun book to read!
June 22, 2020
this entire book felt like a filler episode of pokemon like who are these characters 😴
March 3, 2021
*Mild spoilers ahead* Read with caution!
Update: Finally finished reading this book. It took me so long because I didn't really have time to read these past months (life happened). So, I've updated the one star to three stars because I can't lie, this book was pretty good... until I got to the marriage part (sorry, mild spoiler). I liked that Krista's and Becca's books are more character driven than plot driven, but what I don't like lately in their books is the unrealistic parts and the fact that they seem to rush everything. I mean, in a book or two you want to put every part of a relationship (yes, I'm looking at you Thatcher and Jane)? There's something called "hinting" in writing or "foreshadowing" so I would've liked them to hint at Oscar and Jack's possible wedding in the future (maybe shown in future books), but not in this one. In my opinion, this one was for developing their relationship. I know that they already knew each other, but I feel like they didn't really MET, met, like get to know each other more than just what they knew already about each other. It felt so shallow. And don't get me started on the "we got drunk married part" because I instantly thought about these two:
Yeah, Monica's reaction was me when I read that part. Then I thought: "Why? This book was going in the right direction and now you've ruined it.". Again, I'm aware that some people think they found the one and can marry after a month of dating, but I don't think it was their case, especially when Jack was trying to discover himself again after realising he might not be as straight as he thought. And moving forward to this, I liked how this part was written. This part really felt realistic because I've been through this when I was 17, I related to Jack big time.
Also, let's not forget Charlie, the sole reason I bought this book at first. I liked his storyline (and I wanted more scenes with him, but yeah) in this book and I cried when I found out why he wanted to do the docu-series about him in the first place. Protect Charlie Cobalt at all costs, please!
All in all, it was a good book, I'll give them that. There were some more parts that annoyed me a lot (yes, some scenes that had unnecessary sex scenes in it, but I'm going to let it slide for now), but I choosed to focus on what went good in this book, even though I expected it to be bad. If you've already read some books in this series this one deserves a chance also. Maybe some of you will enjoy it more than I did.
Update: it seems that Krista and Becca have done it again. They're tricking me into reading this book because apparently Charlie Cobalt will appear more and if you've read my reviews of the previous books you know I'm literally obsessed with him. Therefore, I have no choice but to read it because I'm a weak bitch.
I don't even have to read this book to know that it's going to be bad. Krista and Becca ruined this whole series and really it's a shame because the "Addicted" books were really good. Now this whole series turned into cheap fan service. Come on, this is absolutely pathetic! And let's not forget the twins are disrespectful towards the LGBTQ+ community and the sexualization of a m/m couple is what they should've avoided since the first books and I guess they're in just for the money now, they don't care what the readers think anymore. And don't get me started on the fact they ruined the characters or they teased us with other ships and pushed Sulli's books so far away they're practically inexistent. So no, I'm not going to read this garbage, but hopefully they will see this review and think twice before messing with their fans. I'm not paying anymore for your cheap ass fan service!
Update: Finally finished reading this book. It took me so long because I didn't really have time to read these past months (life happened). So, I've updated the one star to three stars because I can't lie, this book was pretty good... until I got to the marriage part (sorry, mild spoiler). I liked that Krista's and Becca's books are more character driven than plot driven, but what I don't like lately in their books is the unrealistic parts and the fact that they seem to rush everything. I mean, in a book or two you want to put every part of a relationship (yes, I'm looking at you Thatcher and Jane)? There's something called "hinting" in writing or "foreshadowing" so I would've liked them to hint at Oscar and Jack's possible wedding in the future (maybe shown in future books), but not in this one. In my opinion, this one was for developing their relationship. I know that they already knew each other, but I feel like they didn't really MET, met, like get to know each other more than just what they knew already about each other. It felt so shallow. And don't get me started on the "we got drunk married part" because I instantly thought about these two:
Yeah, Monica's reaction was me when I read that part. Then I thought: "Why? This book was going in the right direction and now you've ruined it.". Again, I'm aware that some people think they found the one and can marry after a month of dating, but I don't think it was their case, especially when Jack was trying to discover himself again after realising he might not be as straight as he thought. And moving forward to this, I liked how this part was written. This part really felt realistic because I've been through this when I was 17, I related to Jack big time.
Also, let's not forget Charlie, the sole reason I bought this book at first. I liked his storyline (and I wanted more scenes with him, but yeah) in this book and I cried when I found out why he wanted to do the docu-series about him in the first place. Protect Charlie Cobalt at all costs, please!
All in all, it was a good book, I'll give them that. There were some more parts that annoyed me a lot (yes, some scenes that had unnecessary sex scenes in it, but I'm going to let it slide for now), but I choosed to focus on what went good in this book, even though I expected it to be bad. If you've already read some books in this series this one deserves a chance also. Maybe some of you will enjoy it more than I did.
Update: it seems that Krista and Becca have done it again. They're tricking me into reading this book because apparently Charlie Cobalt will appear more and if you've read my reviews of the previous books you know I'm literally obsessed with him. Therefore, I have no choice but to read it because I'm a weak bitch.
I don't even have to read this book to know that it's going to be bad. Krista and Becca ruined this whole series and really it's a shame because the "Addicted" books were really good. Now this whole series turned into cheap fan service. Come on, this is absolutely pathetic! And let's not forget the twins are disrespectful towards the LGBTQ+ community and the sexualization of a m/m couple is what they should've avoided since the first books and I guess they're in just for the money now, they don't care what the readers think anymore. And don't get me started on the fact they ruined the characters or they teased us with other ships and pushed Sulli's books so far away they're practically inexistent. So no, I'm not going to read this garbage, but hopefully they will see this review and think twice before messing with their fans. I'm not paying anymore for your cheap ass fan service!
June 26, 2020
“love,” charlie muses into a sad smile, almost longing. wishing.
- charlie being the protective brother / cousin
- charlie playing match maker
- charlie being self destructive
- charlie trying to tame his anxiety and frustration by pain
- charlie being “the misunderstood cobalt”
- charlie’s friendship with oscar
- charlie’s relationship with connor
- charlie’s love for art and architecture
- charlie wondering what love feels like
- charlie being the hopeless romantic
- charlie being soft for his ballerina love interest already
charlie keating cobalt really is their best character and the only reason why i’m still here skimming these books. i can’t wait for the day i get to read his books, see him get the kind of development loren hale got and fall madly in love with roxanne ruiz (hoping she belongs to the ruiz family from aerial ethereal). 2 stars for all the charlie crumbs!
<3
August 13, 2022
i skimmed half of the book because i couldn’t care less about jack and oscar. like yeah, they were cute sometimes, but it was still very boring for me.
for me charlie was the mc in this book and i would sell my soul to devil to get his book right now. he’s one of the most selfless character i’ve ever read about and i can’t wait to see him fall in love.
side note: donnelly’s sleepwalking… i’m obsessed with lunnelly, it’s not even funny.
for me charlie was the mc in this book and i would sell my soul to devil to get his book right now. he’s one of the most selfless character i’ve ever read about and i can’t wait to see him fall in love.
side note: donnelly’s sleepwalking… i’m obsessed with lunnelly, it’s not even funny.
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