Book reviews and Art

To say Joe and Trevor are sworn enemies would be the understatement of the year.

Their feud began with Daniel—Joe’s brother, Trevor’s partner. When Daniel relapsed, Joe walked away. Trevor stayed. And when Daniel overdosed, the fracture between them only deepened.

Years later, they’re forced back together by the last person either of them expected—Joe and Daniel’s mother. Her will demands that Joe, Trevor, and Daniel’s son Mitchell share family dinners for one year. If they refuse, the inheritance disappears.

At their first dinner, Trevor notices something’s wrong with Joe—better known to the world as Jader, a dazzling gay pop icon. The man who once ruled the stage is battling a chronic illness, and every movement is laced with pain. Trevor has always been a sucker for broken men. Joe has never stopped craving attention.

What starts as a reluctant truce grows into a magnetic pull neither can deny. But their history, and Joe’s uncertain future, may be too much to overcome.

In the ruins of their family’s tragedies, Joe and Trevor must find a way to be together—or else the first spark of light in their darkness will die for good.

THE FACTS

📕 real life with disability, addictions

📘 thoughtful, well-written, authentic

📙 romance, life stories

THE GOOD BITS

I was given an ARC of this book by the author – which was lovely as it was already on my “to be purchased” list. Thank you for the chance to read such a touching story and give my unbiased review.

I’m not going to summarize the plot as you can read that in the blurb – but what I will say is that this book is packed full to bursting with emotion and gives  a thought-provoking exploration of disability and addiction that may challenge your beliefs.

Joe – or as he is known on stage Jader – is a pop star facing crumbling under the weight of several life-changing evens. The recent death of his mother had brought back the heartbreak of his brother, Daniel’s addiction and death…and he is coming-to-terms with a diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis.

Trevor was Daniel’s partner and is now raising Daniel’s child. He was very close to Daniel’s mother, Darlene and this is why Joe/Jader and Trevor end up at the same funeral.

These two men have a lot of reasons to dislike one another and very little in common. It’s clear on the first pages that they are together there’s going to be a lot of conflict – and it comes in a tidal wave the moment they’re together.

Despite the fact that Trevor detests Joe, he immediately notices that there’s something wrong with him. He isn’t himself and seems to be struggling. Joe has been diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis and he is shocked and frightened.

The two men are thrown together because Darlene has made a requirement in her will that they spend time together with Mitchell if they are to inherit her house.

The main characters in the book are all on their own journeys and yet, their lives are a pretzel twist of emotion and family connections.

Joe is a wonderful character. As he struggles with his diagnosis, he realizes that almost everything is changing. The author has clearly put a lot of his personal experience into Joe – it shows in the attention to detail and wonderful representation of a person coming to terms with living with a disability. It’s powerful the way that Joe explores his own disappointments, his expectations and how his life trajectory has completely changed because of his diagnosis.

Trevor’s life has changed completely from what it once was. After struggling to deal with his partner’s drug addiction, he lost the man he loved and ended up raising a child. Then when Joe comes back into his life, things are changed up again and Trevor is torn between keeping Mitchell as his priority and taking chances on a future that might be out of reach.

There is a lot covered in this book, and I’m not sure I can do it justice with a review. The author has handled so many confronting issues and challenges with a light touch and authenticity. 

This was a wonderful book. I could relate to so much of it: grief, illness, disability, career changes, losing family members… so much life is lived in the pages of this book.

This remarkable book is available Friday, July 18, 2025.

THE LINKS

📘 Goodreads

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review!