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Enemies to Lovers #1
Shane and Trey
New edition found here
Shane is a little bit screwed. He has just started college and is stuck rooming with that bastard Trey. His sister's boyfriend. His sister's damn fine boyfriend. Uh-oh. This so wasn't going to happen. But try as he might, there's just a little too much to ignore between the two of them...
Shane is a little bit screwed. He has just started college and is stuck rooming with that bastard Trey. His sister's boyfriend. His sister's damn fine boyfriend. Uh-oh. This so wasn't going to happen. But try as he might, there's just a little too much to ignore between the two of them...
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2012
182 people are currently reading
1,360 people want to read
About the author
Anyta Sunday
93books2,699followersSpecialising in slow-burn romances where emotions reign, intimacy lingers, and chemistry sizzles—stories that leave you holding your breath and cheering for love, with just a splash of spice to sweeten the journey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 339 reviews
February 6, 2017
A story about two college-bound guys.
Shane and Trey were not enemies per se, more acquaintances who had some not so nice history. Both are 18-ish with Trey dating Shane's twin sister. Having known he was gay all his life, Shane was outed in the most embarrassing manner, this incident also impacted Trey, who never acknowledged his bi-sexual side.
Subsequently, and with them being roommates at college, they fall (ever so slowly) in love.
Would I consider this a love-of-my-life kind of story? No, more like first love. Did I enjoy the story? In parts, although one I'll likely forget within hours.
I've read reviews that hint the author's work does improve so, I suppose I can overlook this.
February 4, 2012
Very enjoyable, happy, college-based romance. I found the slow burn simply delicious, as Shane and Trey went from bullied/bully to lovers. Once they got together there was enough interest in filling in the back stories and uncovering each characters' broken-ness to keep me engaged. There was some sexual content without being at all sexually explicit, which would make this a very good YA m/m romance.
I found Sunday depicts families particularly well. Usually in m/m there's the dysfunctional family played against the 'perfect' family. In Shane and Trey there are no perfect families. Every family has its own issues. No one is completely bad or completely good. The tensions are believable: no-one beats anyone else to a pulp or keeps them locked in a basement, instead, people react thoughtlessly, let each other down, and make very stupid decisions, but they still care about each other, and try to forgive each other, even when they don't offer the perfect, unconditional love others might crave. Characters know their flaws, and want to be better than they are, but at the same time Sunday acknowledges that these flaws are what make us all human. No instant fixes are offered.
A few very minor niggles: Sunday needs a better beta, as there are some annoying errors i.e. a table draw, help for hell, seamen for semen etc.
I didn't like the epilogue as it didn't add anything to the story that needed to be there. When you finish a story with "There were no words. No more needed to be said", don't add more words.
And because I will probably never get around to writing a journal article on it, but still it's very interesting to me, a thought...
Shane and Trey's world as Auge's Supermodern
Trying to pin down the setting initially made me a bit frustrated, because I couldn't tell if it was British or American. My overall sense was that it was the US, but the MCs eating crisps made me locate it in the UK. However, once I realised that the author is a Kiwi, it made perfect sense to me. As a Kiwi you grow up knowing that books are set somewhere else. It's actually really cool. In contrast I see reviews from Americans on Amazon (never on ŷ!) where the reader is frustrated with a British setting or language terms. I believe it is this influence of everywhere 'real' being somewhere else, that has contributed to Sunday setting these books in a supermodern world: an everyplace, an everytime.
The books are set within Auge's non-place: places of transience that do not hold enough significance to be regarded as "places". This novel is set in a campus dorm and a camping ground, both transitory spaces. The followup, St-st-stuffed, is set in a hotel; another transitory space. The stories could be in any country, any (postmodern or post-postmodern) time. Really any time, because St-st-stuffed is set 21-22 years after this book, and yet they exist in the same exact same universe.
Sunday has selected the common threads between Western urban centres, and places Shane and Trey in a world made of nothing but commonalities: transitory spaces, third places (coffee bars,generic Asian takeaways), "the suburbs".
This makes Sunday a very interesting writer, and I'll be looking forward to her work from now on.
I found Sunday depicts families particularly well. Usually in m/m there's the dysfunctional family played against the 'perfect' family. In Shane and Trey there are no perfect families. Every family has its own issues. No one is completely bad or completely good. The tensions are believable: no-one beats anyone else to a pulp or keeps them locked in a basement, instead, people react thoughtlessly, let each other down, and make very stupid decisions, but they still care about each other, and try to forgive each other, even when they don't offer the perfect, unconditional love others might crave. Characters know their flaws, and want to be better than they are, but at the same time Sunday acknowledges that these flaws are what make us all human. No instant fixes are offered.
A few very minor niggles: Sunday needs a better beta, as there are some annoying errors i.e. a table draw, help for hell, seamen for semen etc.
I didn't like the epilogue as it didn't add anything to the story that needed to be there. When you finish a story with "There were no words. No more needed to be said", don't add more words.
And because I will probably never get around to writing a journal article on it, but still it's very interesting to me, a thought...
Shane and Trey's world as Auge's Supermodern
Trying to pin down the setting initially made me a bit frustrated, because I couldn't tell if it was British or American. My overall sense was that it was the US, but the MCs eating crisps made me locate it in the UK. However, once I realised that the author is a Kiwi, it made perfect sense to me. As a Kiwi you grow up knowing that books are set somewhere else. It's actually really cool. In contrast I see reviews from Americans on Amazon (never on ŷ!) where the reader is frustrated with a British setting or language terms. I believe it is this influence of everywhere 'real' being somewhere else, that has contributed to Sunday setting these books in a supermodern world: an everyplace, an everytime.
The books are set within Auge's non-place: places of transience that do not hold enough significance to be regarded as "places". This novel is set in a campus dorm and a camping ground, both transitory spaces. The followup, St-st-stuffed, is set in a hotel; another transitory space. The stories could be in any country, any (postmodern or post-postmodern) time. Really any time, because St-st-stuffed is set 21-22 years after this book, and yet they exist in the same exact same universe.
Sunday has selected the common threads between Western urban centres, and places Shane and Trey in a world made of nothing but commonalities: transitory spaces, third places (coffee bars,generic Asian takeaways), "the suburbs".
This makes Sunday a very interesting writer, and I'll be looking forward to her work from now on.
July 14, 2014
I can't believe I forgot to write my full(ish) review!
I adored Shane and Trey's beautiful story. It reminded me of those young, embarrassing moments I had as a 16 year old, where I'd do something so embarrassing, that I thought my life would end that very instant. Reading this book, I had that feeling a lot.. that mortifying tug on my heart where I'd say out loud, "Noooo!"
I loved the slow build up and the sweet burn between these two boys. They faced some very real, quite common problems of people their age.
And the whole sister issue? I felt kind of bad for her at first, but then I think she overreacted a little and I lost some of my love for her.
But you need this kind of drama in a book, or else it would be too much smooth sailing!
All in all, do love. Would rec.
---
Great, loveable story that was equally as embarrassing as it was endearing! Full review to come. :)
---
Am reading with the unicorns for this business:
I adored Shane and Trey's beautiful story. It reminded me of those young, embarrassing moments I had as a 16 year old, where I'd do something so embarrassing, that I thought my life would end that very instant. Reading this book, I had that feeling a lot.. that mortifying tug on my heart where I'd say out loud, "Noooo!"
I loved the slow build up and the sweet burn between these two boys. They faced some very real, quite common problems of people their age.
And the whole sister issue? I felt kind of bad for her at first, but then I think she overreacted a little and I lost some of my love for her.
But you need this kind of drama in a book, or else it would be too much smooth sailing!
All in all, do love. Would rec.
---
Great, loveable story that was equally as embarrassing as it was endearing! Full review to come. :)
---
Am reading with the unicorns for this business:
August 26, 2012
DNF at 55%.
Can't do it. No more. I tried, but there's just so much a girl can endure from a book by an author she'd never read before. I might be persuaded to continue if I had read anything by Sunday prior to this and liked it, but I only have this to go on and I figure more than half of a painful novel is enough. I'm not fucking up my weekend any more than I already have.
The book started out okay but the lack of chemistry between the two MCs got more and more undeniable that reading about the book's insistence that they get together felt like work.
The book also needs editing; it read like a first draft of an online fic or something.
So yeah. DNF. I don't think I need to read the rest to know there's still nothing to feel between the two MCs, the editing still sucks.
Can't do it. No more. I tried, but there's just so much a girl can endure from a book by an author she'd never read before. I might be persuaded to continue if I had read anything by Sunday prior to this and liked it, but I only have this to go on and I figure more than half of a painful novel is enough. I'm not fucking up my weekend any more than I already have.
The book started out okay but the lack of chemistry between the two MCs got more and more undeniable that reading about the book's insistence that they get together felt like work.
The book also needs editing; it read like a first draft of an online fic or something.
So yeah. DNF. I don't think I need to read the rest to know there's still nothing to feel between the two MCs, the editing still sucks.
November 5, 2017
Creo que es uno de los primeros libros publicados de la autora y se nota en la ejecución. Es un New Adult con un toque tierno, fácil y ligero que recuerda mucho a otras obras de Anyta, pero le falta profundizar algunos aspectos, finiquitar otros, queda un poco deslabazado y algunas situaciones con una salida demasiado fácil.
No es de lo mejor que he leído, pero he pasado un rato agradable.
No es de lo mejor que he leído, pero he pasado un rato agradable.
January 20, 2019
FREE on Amazon 01/20/2019:
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This book was among the first that the author published back in 2012, while was released in 2016. And I gotta say, the improvement in her writing is clearly visible. I also think that while she did a good job here with the first-person narrative, writing in third-person is more her style.
A fail to see how this supposed to be an enemies to lovers story. Maybe Trey bullied Shane in high school, but we saw none of it on-page. They slowly become friends and then lovers, and to me it was rather hurt-comfortish. And I was so used to the slow-burn in the author's other books, that I was surprised about the first kiss which happened waaay sooner than I expected. And after that they were basically together, and I was a bit bored, I just wanted to get to the end.
It's... I don't want to say messy, that's not the right word, but maybe... too stuffed and tangled? There's too many topics in this story: coming-out, daddy issues, guilt issues, even , and it was too much for me all at once.
I still liked it, but the author's latest books are more enjoyable.
--------------
This book was among the first that the author published back in 2012, while was released in 2016. And I gotta say, the improvement in her writing is clearly visible. I also think that while she did a good job here with the first-person narrative, writing in third-person is more her style.
A fail to see how this supposed to be an enemies to lovers story. Maybe Trey bullied Shane in high school, but we saw none of it on-page. They slowly become friends and then lovers, and to me it was rather hurt-comfortish. And I was so used to the slow-burn in the author's other books, that I was surprised about the first kiss which happened waaay sooner than I expected. And after that they were basically together, and I was a bit bored, I just wanted to get to the end.
It's... I don't want to say messy, that's not the right word, but maybe... too stuffed and tangled? There's too many topics in this story: coming-out, daddy issues, guilt issues, even , and it was too much for me all at once.
I still liked it, but the author's latest books are more enjoyable.
August 28, 2015
A'ight book. Let's just cut to chase, shall we?
Sometimes I really liked you.
Sometimes I really didn't like you.
In the end?
Yeah, I think I like you.
The whole bit with Shane dating Trey's sister for 6 months was...weird.
The whole bit with Shane deliberating picking on Trey was...icky.
The whole bit with Shane's secret was...sad.
The whole bit with the boys screwing around and spending the night together at their parent's house when they were roomies at college was....cray cray.
Regardless, both Trey and Shane were charming and adorable together.
Fresh, young love is so sweet. And I just plain love Anyta's writing.
*3.5 I think-I think-Yeah-I-like-you stars*
Sometimes I really liked you.
Sometimes I really didn't like you.
In the end?
Yeah, I think I like you.
The whole bit with Shane dating Trey's sister for 6 months was...weird.
The whole bit with Shane deliberating picking on Trey was...icky.
The whole bit with Shane's secret was...sad.
The whole bit with the boys screwing around and spending the night together at their parent's house when they were roomies at college was....cray cray.
Regardless, both Trey and Shane were charming and adorable together.
Fresh, young love is so sweet. And I just plain love Anyta's writing.
*3.5 I think-I think-Yeah-I-like-you stars*
April 6, 2019
2,5 stars
This one was a freebie on Amazon and as I mostly enjoy Anyta Sunday's writing I grabbed it right away. The blurb got me interested, "bastard Trey", Trey being his sister's boyfriend. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I really hoped to enjoy this book. Well it was just OK and I enjoyed some parts of it. The writing was good but there were some parts that didn't work for me. The action was too slow for my taste, Trey wasn't at all a bastard and the main characters weren't actually enemies. This story could have been shorter and with a little more speed. It wasn't what I expected from this author and it felt ... common. Well we can't love them all, right?
This one was a freebie on Amazon and as I mostly enjoy Anyta Sunday's writing I grabbed it right away. The blurb got me interested, "bastard Trey", Trey being his sister's boyfriend. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I really hoped to enjoy this book. Well it was just OK and I enjoyed some parts of it. The writing was good but there were some parts that didn't work for me. The action was too slow for my taste, Trey wasn't at all a bastard and the main characters weren't actually enemies. This story could have been shorter and with a little more speed. It wasn't what I expected from this author and it felt ... common. Well we can't love them all, right?
May 3, 2012
I couldn't give this higher than a one. The plot is pretty flat, the characters aren't very... they are very cliche. The relationship between June and Shane doesn't feel like a twin sibling relationship... there's something "lacking" in it. There are a thousand little grammatical errors and a lot of the sentences are broken down when they could be joined to help the flow of the reading. There is also a very strange manner of sentence formation that makes it at times very distracting to read.
I couldn't make it all the way through. It bored me; the reactions and emotions and especially the events weren't realistic. It was more like reading about two pubescent teens going through highschool on a college campus; the party was weird and very much did not go the line of College party so much as it did Youth Camp party or something of that sort.
There wasn't any interaction with the external world; there was no mention of other students, passerby etc etc. Everything was narrowed down into the tiny scope of five or six people and that limits how alive the world has come. The descriptions were lack-luster and there was enough repetition to have me slamming my head (metaphorically) into the desk.
This needs some intense editing and perhaps a bit more development into characters; perhaps some observation of how college kids interact and behave could've helped this novel immensely.
I couldn't make it all the way through. It bored me; the reactions and emotions and especially the events weren't realistic. It was more like reading about two pubescent teens going through highschool on a college campus; the party was weird and very much did not go the line of College party so much as it did Youth Camp party or something of that sort.
There wasn't any interaction with the external world; there was no mention of other students, passerby etc etc. Everything was narrowed down into the tiny scope of five or six people and that limits how alive the world has come. The descriptions were lack-luster and there was enough repetition to have me slamming my head (metaphorically) into the desk.
This needs some intense editing and perhaps a bit more development into characters; perhaps some observation of how college kids interact and behave could've helped this novel immensely.
October 10, 2014
The was a really sweet romance. The series is titled Enemies to Lovers, but they never felt like enemies to me. One incident a while ago, but they seemed to mostly avoid each other, considering Trey was dating Shane's sister.
I was expecting more drama on that front, but happily, that never happened. Frankly, June was way nicer than I'd have been in her situation.
Now, why was this rated 3.5 stars? I found the writing just a bit clunky and in need of an edit, and I thought the guys were a bit too sappy for teenage boys. All in all though, this was a pretty good book, and I'm glad I finally read it.
I was expecting more drama on that front, but happily, that never happened. Frankly, June was way nicer than I'd have been in her situation.
Now, why was this rated 3.5 stars? I found the writing just a bit clunky and in need of an edit, and I thought the guys were a bit too sappy for teenage boys. All in all though, this was a pretty good book, and I'm glad I finally read it.
February 21, 2020
Anyta Sunday is an amazing author, but we all start somewhere.
This is one of her earlier works and it shows in many things � little and big.
Although I had no trouble finishing the book and enjoyed it mostly, it is quite rough at the edges.
1. Imo, Shane and Trey are not really enemies. It’s all down to a misconception by Shane.
2. There is a lot going on (too much) and the mix gets quite heady at times.
3. This results in some of the bigger issues not getting enough exploration.
Saying that � I really enjoyed Shane and Trey’s first explorations of gay sex and the careful way they go about it. It would have been nice to get a dual POV to better understand what’s going on in Trey’s head.
I got this series as a free bundle, so I’m not complaining!
This is one of her earlier works and it shows in many things � little and big.
Although I had no trouble finishing the book and enjoyed it mostly, it is quite rough at the edges.
1. Imo, Shane and Trey are not really enemies. It’s all down to a misconception by Shane.
2. There is a lot going on (too much) and the mix gets quite heady at times.
3. This results in some of the bigger issues not getting enough exploration.
Saying that � I really enjoyed Shane and Trey’s first explorations of gay sex and the careful way they go about it. It would have been nice to get a dual POV to better understand what’s going on in Trey’s head.
I got this series as a free bundle, so I’m not complaining!
June 22, 2014
Charming and engaging characters with a narrator whom I really enjoyed following through his journey.
Check out the unicorn chat coming up in July!
Check out the unicorn chat coming up in July!
January 21, 2019
Freebie at the zon.com right now:
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 2, 2018I'm updating this review because I realize now that I went off on the wrong rant. 🙄
Yes, I hate seeing what I call "insta-monogamy" in m/m romance. But back when I wrote this I had zero knowledge of the spectrum of asexuality. What I dismissed in the story as fantasy is something that I would now be open to interpreting as Shane being demisexual. Since I DNF'd, I don't know enough to say whether that would have been a viable interpretation -- but at least I would have been open to it, and curious about it, rather than dismissing his behavior out of hand. I apologize if I annoyed or irritated anyone with my cluelessness.
What hasn't changed, though, is that Anyta Sunday still isn't the right author for me. And I still never learn.
____
You know that saying about how doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results is the very definition of insanity? Well, that saying is probably wrong, but IF it was right I would be certifiable. Because apparently I just can't learn: I don't like Anyta Sunday's writing. So why don't I stop trying to read her books?
Because I keep getting them for free. Ah, "free," that magic word -- apparently it's sufficient to make me act like a crazy person. Seriously, if someone offered me a cobra and said it was FREE, would I take it? Well, yes, probably, because I like snakes. But YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Accepting things you already know you won't like may not actually be crazy, but it is stupid.
So here's the deal with this book: A few chapters of rather awkward, clunky writing lead to this moment: The 18-year old MC finally, finally has his first opportunity to have sex. There's a hot guy who's attracted to him AND available -- yes, he has hit the jackpot! Time to kiss his virginity goodbye!
Oh, but wait. Something's wrong. All systems are go, but -- but -- wait -- there's no "spark." Well, hell, no horny teenage boy wants to just have sex, does he? No, of course not! Not without The Spark! Perish the thought!
And here I thought I was reading a contemporary novel. Turns out it's a fantasy. A fantasy that's catering to the romance convention of only letting the MC have sexual contact with one person -- the destined love interest -- over the course of the book. This convention puzzled the hell out of me when I first started reading this genre. It makes for frankly preposterous scenarios -- like this one -- which drive the story right into fantasyland. Personally, I'd rather see the MC boink everything over the age of consent than have his chastity maintained in a contrived and unconvincing way.
But that's a matter of taste. So... maybe I should stop reading Anyta Sunday. Ya think?
I'm not giving this book a star rating -- and not just for the obvious reason that I only read to 18%. It doesn't seem fair to accept this author's freebies when I strongly suspect that I won't like them, and then hand out 1 or 2 stars when sure enough, I don't. She shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of my stupidity.
And speaking of stupidity... I still have 2 of her books waiting in my TBR pile, and YES they were freebies and YES I'm going to at least open them and give them a look. But what I'm not going to do is complain about them if I don't like them or can't finish them. I will just file them on the appropriate shelf and quietly slink away, wondering if I will ever, ever learn...
Yes, I hate seeing what I call "insta-monogamy" in m/m romance. But back when I wrote this I had zero knowledge of the spectrum of asexuality. What I dismissed in the story as fantasy is something that I would now be open to interpreting as Shane being demisexual. Since I DNF'd, I don't know enough to say whether that would have been a viable interpretation -- but at least I would have been open to it, and curious about it, rather than dismissing his behavior out of hand. I apologize if I annoyed or irritated anyone with my cluelessness.
What hasn't changed, though, is that Anyta Sunday still isn't the right author for me. And I still never learn.
____
You know that saying about how doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results is the very definition of insanity? Well, that saying is probably wrong, but IF it was right I would be certifiable. Because apparently I just can't learn: I don't like Anyta Sunday's writing. So why don't I stop trying to read her books?
Because I keep getting them for free. Ah, "free," that magic word -- apparently it's sufficient to make me act like a crazy person. Seriously, if someone offered me a cobra and said it was FREE, would I take it? Well, yes, probably, because I like snakes. But YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Accepting things you already know you won't like may not actually be crazy, but it is stupid.
So here's the deal with this book: A few chapters of rather awkward, clunky writing lead to this moment: The 18-year old MC finally, finally has his first opportunity to have sex. There's a hot guy who's attracted to him AND available -- yes, he has hit the jackpot! Time to kiss his virginity goodbye!
Oh, but wait. Something's wrong. All systems are go, but -- but -- wait -- there's no "spark." Well, hell, no horny teenage boy wants to just have sex, does he? No, of course not! Not without The Spark! Perish the thought!
And here I thought I was reading a contemporary novel. Turns out it's a fantasy. A fantasy that's catering to the romance convention of only letting the MC have sexual contact with one person -- the destined love interest -- over the course of the book. This convention puzzled the hell out of me when I first started reading this genre. It makes for frankly preposterous scenarios -- like this one -- which drive the story right into fantasyland. Personally, I'd rather see the MC boink everything over the age of consent than have his chastity maintained in a contrived and unconvincing way.
But that's a matter of taste. So... maybe I should stop reading Anyta Sunday. Ya think?
I'm not giving this book a star rating -- and not just for the obvious reason that I only read to 18%. It doesn't seem fair to accept this author's freebies when I strongly suspect that I won't like them, and then hand out 1 or 2 stars when sure enough, I don't. She shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of my stupidity.
And speaking of stupidity... I still have 2 of her books waiting in my TBR pile, and YES they were freebies and YES I'm going to at least open them and give them a look. But what I'm not going to do is complain about them if I don't like them or can't finish them. I will just file them on the appropriate shelf and quietly slink away, wondering if I will ever, ever learn...
August 27, 2016
3.5
A sweet story, but an inconsistent read for me. It may have just been that I wasn't up for YA, but I didn't really connect with the characters until the second half of the story. Although realistic for YA, some of their behavior irritated me in the first half.
For someone who was supposed to be shy and worried about being a victim, Shane was kind of a brat at first. And for a long time, I wasn't happy with Trey, either. Even though he was a sweet guy, and I sympathized with his struggle, I didn't like how he was leading June on. Confusion, denial, fear were all understandable, but making some moves on Shane at the same time was a crappy thing to do.
Also, once some of it came out in the open, the change in Trey was just weird to me. How did he go from being all possessive and flirty, to no communication at all? I understood his internal conflict, but it seemed like such an about face. I was bothered by inconsistencies with both characters. There was also some telling that didn't match up to the showing, if that makes any sense.
My biggest pet peeve, though, was the lack of communication. While some of it was understandable, to get Shane's internal thoughts over and over was frustrating. I just want to yell SAY SOMETHING, ALREADY! or ASK HIM ABOUT IT! The whole avoidance thing made me crazy, it leaves too much room for misunderstandings.
When the talking finally happened, I was much happier, and even though there were some parts of the story that dragged for me, and others that were too cheesy, there were also some good parts that I enjoyed...like the balcony scene ;)
Yeah, that last quarter of the story definitely bumped this another half star.
Side notes:
I liked the individual storylines, but to have three of the boys in the story have family issues seemed a bit much.
I'd never heard of a spatula being called a fish slice before. The thought of calling my pancake flipper a fish slice kind of grosses me out.
We found out during our blog chat that some of us read different versions of the story and there were several changes in the newer version. This review is based on the third edition published in 2013.
A sweet story, but an inconsistent read for me. It may have just been that I wasn't up for YA, but I didn't really connect with the characters until the second half of the story. Although realistic for YA, some of their behavior irritated me in the first half.
For someone who was supposed to be shy and worried about being a victim, Shane was kind of a brat at first. And for a long time, I wasn't happy with Trey, either. Even though he was a sweet guy, and I sympathized with his struggle, I didn't like how he was leading June on. Confusion, denial, fear were all understandable, but making some moves on Shane at the same time was a crappy thing to do.
Also, once some of it came out in the open, the change in Trey was just weird to me. How did he go from being all possessive and flirty, to no communication at all? I understood his internal conflict, but it seemed like such an about face. I was bothered by inconsistencies with both characters. There was also some telling that didn't match up to the showing, if that makes any sense.
My biggest pet peeve, though, was the lack of communication. While some of it was understandable, to get Shane's internal thoughts over and over was frustrating. I just want to yell SAY SOMETHING, ALREADY! or ASK HIM ABOUT IT! The whole avoidance thing made me crazy, it leaves too much room for misunderstandings.
When the talking finally happened, I was much happier, and even though there were some parts of the story that dragged for me, and others that were too cheesy, there were also some good parts that I enjoyed...like the balcony scene ;)
Yeah, that last quarter of the story definitely bumped this another half star.
Side notes:
I liked the individual storylines, but to have three of the boys in the story have family issues seemed a bit much.
I'd never heard of a spatula being called a fish slice before. The thought of calling my pancake flipper a fish slice kind of grosses me out.
We found out during our blog chat that some of us read different versions of the story and there were several changes in the newer version. This review is based on the third edition published in 2013.
September 28, 2022
Shane and Trey are not really enemies. Shane is initially afraid of Trey because he once treated him badly. Apart from that, the two get along quite quickly. It's rather an awkward situation that Trey is actually Shane's sister's boyfriend, but even for that, there's not too much tension. Overall, it's a pretty fluffy story to relax with. As usual in books like this, there is a bit of a lack of communication between the characters involved. But little by little all the problems are sorted out.
I really enjoyed the story and the secondary characters are also interesting and add a wonderful flavor to the book.
And I love Sunday's writing style, so it's easy to rate.
And then there was Trey. How his deep eyes looked into mine through thick brown lashes, caring, curious . . . protective. Just being around him was better than touching music. Surreal. Wonderful. What I’d have wished for every day, if I’d have known such a thing—such an amazing thing—existed. Around him my heart beat a million miles a minute.
I really enjoyed the story and the secondary characters are also interesting and add a wonderful flavor to the book.
And I love Sunday's writing style, so it's easy to rate.
And then there was Trey. How his deep eyes looked into mine through thick brown lashes, caring, curious . . . protective. Just being around him was better than touching music. Surreal. Wonderful. What I’d have wished for every day, if I’d have known such a thing—such an amazing thing—existed. Around him my heart beat a million miles a minute.
February 15, 2012
Really cute & adorable. Shane was hysterical and I thought the story was paced nicely. That being said, the author really needs beta readers. Numerous misspelled words, missing words, & grammar errors. If its small things or rare, I can ignore it, but in this case it was distracting. Overall, I still really enjoyed this story.
July 16, 2014
As ever Anyta Sunday writes characters & ust like they're both going out of fashion!
February 25, 2012
This is a sweet story, Shane is gay and sort of outed himself to his sister, her boyfriend and his best friend.
This had unforeseen repercussions for Shane, Trey and June.
I really liked this story, nobody was perfect, no family was all evil or all perfect. There was very little sex in it, which was fine.
My only complaint would be the editing, there were a few mistakes that threw me a bit.
This had unforeseen repercussions for Shane, Trey and June.
I really liked this story, nobody was perfect, no family was all evil or all perfect. There was very little sex in it, which was fine.
My only complaint would be the editing, there were a few mistakes that threw me a bit.
August 31, 2014
The best part of this book was when it unexpectedly ended at 83%. I never saw Trey as Shane's enemy; one little incident doesn't make an enemy. There was zero chemistry between Shane and Trey. I was bored pretty much the entire book and I did major skimming to get to the end.
I did like that kid Paul and I found Syd and his relationship with his guy somewhat interesting. The random British words/phrases and editing issues were annoying.
I did like that kid Paul and I found Syd and his relationship with his guy somewhat interesting. The random British words/phrases and editing issues were annoying.
June 26, 2014
Read it. Loved it. Gonna chat about it with my fellow unicorns during Happy Hour on the blog. Look for it soon!
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January 20, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/20/2019)! 🎁
June 29, 2014
YAY for book chat books with the unicorns!
This was another winner that I really enjoyed and honestly had steered clear of because I was afraid of . While technically there wasn't any, the meet up and get together did give me a smidge of the squinchy sads for June. But, I'm glad we picked this one, because otherwise I would have missed out on a couple of great characters and all the awkward and sweet moments between the two of them.
The first half was a little slow to get going for me and read more YA than anything else, but once the communication really started after that I was totally hooked. Shane's narrative voice was so endearing and I loved his inner musings. Trey was so much more than what Shane believed and I loved his charming courting of Shane. Plus, he loves the cuddles. D'awwwwww.
Syd and Lucas were also great together and I would love to read more of them. They have quite a story of their own.
I love the authors writing style and JL tells me that the second in this series is her favorite, so I'll definitely be diving into that one soon.
Book crazy ass chat coming to the blog on 07/08/14
This was another winner that I really enjoyed and honestly had steered clear of because I was afraid of . While technically there wasn't any, the meet up and get together did give me a smidge of the squinchy sads for June. But, I'm glad we picked this one, because otherwise I would have missed out on a couple of great characters and all the awkward and sweet moments between the two of them.
The first half was a little slow to get going for me and read more YA than anything else, but once the communication really started after that I was totally hooked. Shane's narrative voice was so endearing and I loved his inner musings. Trey was so much more than what Shane believed and I loved his charming courting of Shane. Plus, he loves the cuddles. D'awwwwww.
Syd and Lucas were also great together and I would love to read more of them. They have quite a story of their own.
I love the authors writing style and JL tells me that the second in this series is her favorite, so I'll definitely be diving into that one soon.
Book crazy ass chat coming to the blog on 07/08/14
February 2, 2012
Enjoyable coming of age story that covers about one year in the life of Shane. It starts when he is accidentally outed at a family party and his long time friend deserts him. Soon after he starts college but ends up rooming with his sister's boyfriend who he's always detested.
The whole book has a laid back, easy-to-read style and Shane is a likeable character. We follow him as he makes new friends, faces old demons, and most of all falls in love with the very wonderful Trey.
I was concerned when I first read the blurb that there would be a lot of angst from Shane's sister. But that part of the storyline is well done and definitely doesn't overshadow the cute romance.
It's a great length (>84,000 words). So you can put your feet up and be entertained for a couple of days. It's only 0.99c at Amazon at the moment which is a real bargain. Recommended to fans of the coming-of-age theme.
The whole book has a laid back, easy-to-read style and Shane is a likeable character. We follow him as he makes new friends, faces old demons, and most of all falls in love with the very wonderful Trey.
I was concerned when I first read the blurb that there would be a lot of angst from Shane's sister. But that part of the storyline is well done and definitely doesn't overshadow the cute romance.
It's a great length (>84,000 words). So you can put your feet up and be entertained for a couple of days. It's only 0.99c at Amazon at the moment which is a real bargain. Recommended to fans of the coming-of-age theme.
June 28, 2017
First off I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as two MC's as mortal enemies; perhaps more of one instance of bullying that took place 2 yrs prior. This was my first Anyta Sunday book and I wasn't disappointed. There were issues about coming out, dealing with your past, new love... Some say this was more YA and both are virgins, but I thought there was plenty of heat and angst. If you want something sweet and tender with a healthy dose of dealing with relevant issues, then you cannot beat the price that this book is currently at.
September 3, 2022
RECENSIONE A CURA DI SLANIF
Shane Watson deve iniziare il college e ha appena capito di essere gay, grazie alla cotta per il suo migliore amico Ryan. Questo, ovviamente, per il ragazzo è un problema, perché non pensa che il suo amico ricambi la sua infatuazione e anzi, ha paura di perderlo qualora dovesse dire la verità.
Come se non bastasse, sua sorella gemella June è fidanzata da qualche mese con Trey Brennan, che gli procura terrore a causa di un episodio capitato quando erano ragazzi e che non lo fa mai rilassare in sua presenza.
Shane Watson deve iniziare il college e ha appena capito di essere gay, grazie alla cotta per il suo migliore amico Ryan. Questo, ovviamente, per il ragazzo è un problema, perché non pensa che il suo amico ricambi la sua infatuazione e anzi, ha paura di perderlo qualora dovesse dire la verità.
Come se non bastasse, sua sorella gemella June è fidanzata da qualche mese con Trey Brennan, che gli procura terrore a causa di un episodio capitato quando erano ragazzi e che non lo fa mai rilassare in sua presenza.
February 24, 2012
Would have been 5 stars if there's no Big Misunderstanding. Why, oh why? Is it a requirement element in creative writing class for m/m romance?
July 10, 2024
Voto: 2
Volevo iniziare dagli inizi della Sunday, sapendo quanto è quotata nel mondo dei romance MM. Giuro che non lo faccio mai più, ahah!
Proprio perché è uno dei primi libri, le darò un'altra possibilità leggendo qualcosa di più recente, ma questo è un gigante no. Le due stelle sono per il personaggio di Syd e perché ha alcune cosine che comunque mi sono piaciute. Ma per la maggior parte del libro mi sono chiesta "quando finisce?" ed è pure tipo super breve.
In bilico tra la noia e il "ma cosa sto leggendo? Ma che è sto cringe?". No, seriamente. Il libro aveva tutte le giuste premesse... College romance, tizi che condividono la stanza, qualche dramma familiare, rapporto con i fratelli... Ma è tutto gestito in maniera così superficiale e svelta e a tratti assurda che quel poco che c'era di buono è stato ricoperto dal resto.
Allora, di buono c'è la sorella che è un bel personaggio e ha una buona evoluzione e dimostra una bella maturità personale. Syd, come dicevo prima, perché è un ragazzo super carino e con delle ferite reali e la sua relazione con Lucas, per quanto si veda poco, sembra cento volte migliore rispetto a quella dei protagonisti, per come è nata e tutto... E per ultimo comunque qualche dinamica tra Shane e Trey, perché alla fine sono anche bellini insieme. anche se il come arrivano a mettersi insieme è tutto un boh.
Shane deve andare con urgenza da un urologo. Basta un "bah" e lui è duro durissimo. Basta poi un "beh" e viene. Non scherzo. Cioè. È successo davvero. Ho riso come una matta. Il problema è che lui pensa solo tramite il suo uccello, non esiste altro. Ho perso il conto di quante volte gli sia venuto duro. Ma poi anche quando no, cioè anche no. E fa anche il prezioso a una certa... Non sai dove ti mando, Shane. Poi lui come personaggio è ultra irritante e stupido. Ed è tutto dal suo pov, capite il problema? Innamorato perso del suo amico del liceo e basta una sola frase per non parlarsi mai più nella vita, ma manco provare a spiegarsi, a capirsi... E no problem, che nel giro di tre giorni si è innamorato del ragazzo della sua gemella, da cui è terrorizzato per una mini vicenda di anni e anni prima. Mai parlati praticamente. Ma, ehi! È sexy! Ovvio. Amore subito. Perlomeno si fa uno scrupolo verso la seconda parte del libro nei confronti della sorella.
Trey sarebbe anche un bel personaggio, con la sessualità da esplorare, con i suoi drammi... Ma è tutto buttato lì così. Trattato poco e male. Poi trovo imbarazzante quante cose abbia fatto consapevole di stuzzicare Shane nonostante lui stesso ancora non si sia accettato come gay. Che roba veloce.
E niente... Non c'è molto altro da dire. Succedono mille cose, tante sottotrame ma non ne ha chiusa quasi nessuna. I ragazzi della scuola? Boh, finito lì (sottotrama super interessante tra l'altro...). Il padre di Shane? Boh, non è commentabile. Il padre di Syd? Avrebbe tipo potuto chiamare anni prima e si sarebbe risolto tutto in 3 minuti letteralmente. Conviviamo in una stanza solo noi due? Ma no, andiamo a fare cosacce a casa dove mia madre dorme nella porta accanto. Sono sicura che ci sia altro, ma al momento non mi viene in mente.
Ah. Non è un enemies to lovers. È un "ti ignoro e poi ti seduco di brutto ignorando i sentimenti di chi mi sta attorno"
Volevo iniziare dagli inizi della Sunday, sapendo quanto è quotata nel mondo dei romance MM. Giuro che non lo faccio mai più, ahah!
Proprio perché è uno dei primi libri, le darò un'altra possibilità leggendo qualcosa di più recente, ma questo è un gigante no. Le due stelle sono per il personaggio di Syd e perché ha alcune cosine che comunque mi sono piaciute. Ma per la maggior parte del libro mi sono chiesta "quando finisce?" ed è pure tipo super breve.
In bilico tra la noia e il "ma cosa sto leggendo? Ma che è sto cringe?". No, seriamente. Il libro aveva tutte le giuste premesse... College romance, tizi che condividono la stanza, qualche dramma familiare, rapporto con i fratelli... Ma è tutto gestito in maniera così superficiale e svelta e a tratti assurda che quel poco che c'era di buono è stato ricoperto dal resto.
Allora, di buono c'è la sorella che è un bel personaggio e ha una buona evoluzione e dimostra una bella maturità personale. Syd, come dicevo prima, perché è un ragazzo super carino e con delle ferite reali e la sua relazione con Lucas, per quanto si veda poco, sembra cento volte migliore rispetto a quella dei protagonisti, per come è nata e tutto... E per ultimo comunque qualche dinamica tra Shane e Trey, perché alla fine sono anche bellini insieme. anche se il come arrivano a mettersi insieme è tutto un boh.
Shane deve andare con urgenza da un urologo. Basta un "bah" e lui è duro durissimo. Basta poi un "beh" e viene. Non scherzo. Cioè. È successo davvero. Ho riso come una matta. Il problema è che lui pensa solo tramite il suo uccello, non esiste altro. Ho perso il conto di quante volte gli sia venuto duro. Ma poi anche quando no, cioè anche no. E fa anche il prezioso a una certa... Non sai dove ti mando, Shane. Poi lui come personaggio è ultra irritante e stupido. Ed è tutto dal suo pov, capite il problema? Innamorato perso del suo amico del liceo e basta una sola frase per non parlarsi mai più nella vita, ma manco provare a spiegarsi, a capirsi... E no problem, che nel giro di tre giorni si è innamorato del ragazzo della sua gemella, da cui è terrorizzato per una mini vicenda di anni e anni prima. Mai parlati praticamente. Ma, ehi! È sexy! Ovvio. Amore subito. Perlomeno si fa uno scrupolo verso la seconda parte del libro nei confronti della sorella.
Trey sarebbe anche un bel personaggio, con la sessualità da esplorare, con i suoi drammi... Ma è tutto buttato lì così. Trattato poco e male. Poi trovo imbarazzante quante cose abbia fatto consapevole di stuzzicare Shane nonostante lui stesso ancora non si sia accettato come gay. Che roba veloce.
E niente... Non c'è molto altro da dire. Succedono mille cose, tante sottotrame ma non ne ha chiusa quasi nessuna. I ragazzi della scuola? Boh, finito lì (sottotrama super interessante tra l'altro...). Il padre di Shane? Boh, non è commentabile. Il padre di Syd? Avrebbe tipo potuto chiamare anni prima e si sarebbe risolto tutto in 3 minuti letteralmente. Conviviamo in una stanza solo noi due? Ma no, andiamo a fare cosacce a casa dove mia madre dorme nella porta accanto. Sono sicura che ci sia altro, ma al momento non mi viene in mente.
Ah. Non è un enemies to lovers. È un "ti ignoro e poi ti seduco di brutto ignorando i sentimenti di chi mi sta attorno"
June 24, 2018
It's not the best I've read from this author whose work I love so much. But even then, it was still good enough not to disappoint. I liked it; I just didn't adore it.
I guess I'm just so used to the slowburn in Anyta's latest works, that pleasing process that leads to the moment when the characters get together... This one was a bit different than all that, and maybe it was a bit my fault for expecting something different. Not to say I didn't enjoy Shane and Trey's relationship: it was really sweet and caring and I really loved it. I just wish there had been a bit more of a "chase", so to speak. Or some kind of anticipation. As things were, it was a bit difficult for me to get invested at times.
I did appreciate all the context about Shane, Trey AND Syd's family situations. Although at the same time every conflictive point that arises gets resolved pretty quickly and without much issue.
Overall, this was okay. Not great, but okay. And that's not a bad thing.
I guess I'm just so used to the slowburn in Anyta's latest works, that pleasing process that leads to the moment when the characters get together... This one was a bit different than all that, and maybe it was a bit my fault for expecting something different. Not to say I didn't enjoy Shane and Trey's relationship: it was really sweet and caring and I really loved it. I just wish there had been a bit more of a "chase", so to speak. Or some kind of anticipation. As things were, it was a bit difficult for me to get invested at times.
I did appreciate all the context about Shane, Trey AND Syd's family situations. Although at the same time every conflictive point that arises gets resolved pretty quickly and without much issue.
Overall, this was okay. Not great, but okay. And that's not a bad thing.
August 20, 2017
Less than 3 stars. This book was a big mehh to me. The story didn't interest me much and the characters were a bit bland.
The sexy times were boring.
The sexy times were boring.
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