Review: My Mate Jack by Garrett Leigh (Heated Beat #1)


Note: This ebook was provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

“I want to tell you about that kiss. What I was looking for when I snogged that bloke.”
Will’s eyes shot open. He made a grab for Jack’s arm. Pulled him closer. Breathed him in, music forgotten. “Tell me.”
Jack shrugged. “I was looking for you.”

Will Barter and Jack Lawson have been best friends since they were kids, sharing their dreams and fears. They know each other's secrets, like Will being gay. But then there's one particular secret Will isn't quite ready to share with Jack--that he fancies his best friend. Maybe more than fancy. But Jack is straight and Will knows Jack would never have any romantic feelings for him...even if they shared a kiss--Will's first kiss--one that Will never quite forgot, even three years after. They're still the best friends, right up to their last summer together...as summer that changes everything when another first happens. But with Will off to Leeds to start university and Jack heading to Ibiza to pursue his dream of becoming a DJ, whatever was between is never discussed, leaving their friendship in limbo. Miscommunication and wrong assumptions could risk ending fifteen years as best mates, but if Will confesses exactly how he feels, the risk could become all too real, leading him to lose Jack in his life permanently. 

This year saw me discovering the writing of Garrett Leigh and five books in--the two most recent being those belonging to the Heated Beat duet--and I have yet to find one thing that didn't meet my expectations. The first book in the duet, My Mate Jack, has two best friends--one gay, the other straight--who reach a point in their friendship were things have changed yet they don't take the opportunity to really talk about what caused the change or how they intend to navigate the new waters they find themselves hesitant to wade in. Yes, Will and Jack's story is a friends-to-lovers one, but most of it didn't go in the direction most other books that employ this trope head towards. I loved that this was different and that it felt real in terms of the confusion, hesitation, and jumble of other emotions these two young men experience. My Mate Jack was about love, friendship, and acceptance, and how communication--or the lack of it--can make or break any relationship. It gets five-plus stars. ♥

Date Read: 23 December 2016

Learn more about Garrett Leigh.

Purchase My Mate Jack on Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N | Kobo.

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