Return to the world of Maximoff and Farrow and realise that all is not what it seems.
Dates read: 24/10/24 to 12/11/24
Word to describe: Just okay
Star rating:⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Queer Romance, Gay Romance, Romantic Comedy, Fiction.
Trigger Warning: stalking, mental health, violence between two males, graphic depictions of death, and mention of incest.
I have a very mixed opinion on the second instalment in the fan-favourite Like Us series.
For one, Maximoff and Farrow have a very lovely relationship and as a couple they match each others energy well. And I adore the way they compliment one another's energy and style.
But I have the same issue that I had with the first book, their sexual tension seems very forced. I think this offers more of a reflection of Ritchie sisters ability to write gay romances in their books, especially when both male characters are the leads in the story. It is although the authors were struggling to create effective sexual tension without having a constant referral to how attracted they are to one another.
To demonstrate I'm going to take a few extracts from the book:
"He nips my lip, fuck me."
"... Licks the peanut butter off the tip. Fuck. Me"
"Fuck me fuck me is the prominent plea, request, and sentiment"
Maybe it's the repetition of fuck me but after the first ten chapters the constant described lusting and sexual attraction felt overdone. The fuck me in every chapter (every page if i;m being truthful) was overkill and in turn, it diluted what could've been a fantastic display of affection and sexual desire between two male characters into a over sexualised and fetishized gay couple.
Every single encounter between Moffy and Farrow ended up in one of two ways, they desperately fucked after yearning for each other, or they had a barely charismatic conversation and thought about how much they lusted after each other. Basically, the interactions between the characters were always solely focused on their desperation to undress each other that it stole away from any sweet moments the characters could have had to make their relationship more realistic.
On the other hand, one thing I found endearing about the book is relationships between Maximoff (or Farrow) and every other character in the book. There was soulful banter, protective brother mode, and genuine comforting moments that made the rest of the book such a delightful read. If only this had extended to the connection between the two male main characters.
Charlie's gritty personality, Luna and Sullivan's carefree characterisation, even the other guards (Donnelly, Akara, Thatcher etc) all added a delightfully humorous tone to the book and they quickly have become fan favourites. Honestly, I could do without another Moffy and Farrow romance let me move onto Thatcher and Jane sooner rather than later.
I found myself predominantly intrigued by the storyline of the gang on tour, Maximoff's puzzling relationship with his cousin Charlie, and the dreaded stalker plot line. For the most part this was executed brilliantly and they all served as great plot development that helped move the book along through it's natural course. But - forgive me Like Us stans - why did they just end on such a dull conclusion. They had promise and each plot as they developed further and had more sweet moments, or more questions for the reader - it worked for a good 80% of the book. And then, it just didn't. It felt like they never got a true conclusion and were dropped as a storyline.
Take the stalking plot spoiler ahead my guys take care you're telling me I had to read an entire book to find out the stalker was someone BARELY mentioned through the book. Come on! I was looking forward to a major climax for the book and it was just meh. The fight scene, the grand reveal, the emotional aftermath, all of it fell flat.
I kind of wish that the authors had focused more attention to fleshing out the plot lines of this book from start to finish. They lost their way half way through and felt the easiest way to end these side plots was to just leave them behind or give them the utterly mundane end.
In short, Maximoff and Farrow are a delight but maybe less time trying to convince authors these fellas want to fuck each other and spend more time creating a solid climax and end to the book.
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