Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: No Big Deal
SERIES: Not Letting Go #2
AUTHOR: Danni Keane
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 186 Pages
BLURB:
Still reeling from his father’s death and stuck in a job he hates, the only moments of happiness in Josh Roberts’s life are those he spends with his boyfriend, Bradley. The boys are inseparable, and when they lose their virginity together, Josh feels closer to Bradley than he ever imagined.
But Josh’s mum, proud of her son and his biggest supporter, expects Josh to go to university after his year off. He doesn’t want to disappoint her by telling her he’s changed his mind, and struggles to find a solution.
When Bradley moves in with Josh and his mum, Josh truly believes life can be perfect again. But before long, their still-fragile feelings of connection and intimacy are tested when Bradley becomes secretive and distant. Anxious and confused, Josh is desperate to find out why Bradley is rejecting his affections. Bradley finally opens up, but what he reveals will change every aspect of their young love and quite possibly the rest of their lives.
REVIEW:
This is the first book that I’ve read by Danni Keane and I’m very glad that I discovered her books.
Firstly, this full-length book is preceded by two short stories, which the author has kindly made available in one combined, free book that you can download from Smashwords. I did read the first stories before reading No Big Deal and I highly recommend that anyone planning to read this does the same. I saw a few other reviews of this book, where the reviewer lamented the fact that they skipped the freebies and as a result didn’t enjoy No Big Deal as much as they might have. But honestly, free. I’ll even make it easy for you. You can download the freebies from here.
When No Big Deal begins Bradley and Josh are already a couple and despite the fact that they’re only eighteen they both have visions of “forever” when it comes to the other. They’ve both finished highschool but neither is planning to go to college. Bradley didn’t get the grades he needed and now works in a supermarket while volunteering to coach little kids football. Josh got the grades he needed to go to the college of his choice but after the death of his father earlier in the year he decided he wanted to spend time at home with his mother so he put off leaving. Now that he’s decided that he doesn’t want to go at all, he’s faced with the tough task of telling his mother.
Meanwhile, finances are getting a little tight at home so Josh suggests that Bradley come live with them. This seems like the most brilliant idea ever to the two boys who have just lost their virginity to each other and are desperate for as much “alone” time as they can manage. But their blissful, madly in love phase may not survive the reality of living together in an adult relationship.
I think what really stood out for me in this book was the author’s ability to write teenage characters. I found both Bradley and Josh to be very realistic in the way they believed they were “grownups” but still acted very juvenile at times. Josh more obviously than Bradley, but even Bradley had his moments. Had the characters been even five years older I would have been bemoaning their immaturity but I felt, for their ages, they were written with a great balance of adult and child.
The secondary characters of Josh’s mother and sister were also perfectly written in my opinion. Despite the fact that in the earlier stories she doesn’t have a lot of page time, Sue, Josh’s mother, changes noticeably with the death of her husband. But she’s not transformed into some mopey, tormented shell. The author still allows her to show humor, it’s just muted and changed to suit her new situation.
Josh’s character goes through the same changes. The carefree teenager from the first short story disappears but his character remains consistent. Just sadder and a bit more…subdued is probably the best word. He continues dealing with the death of his father throughout the whole book.
The boys “first time” was a great scene. Well, actually, it was pretty disappointing and awkward but as Josh says – it was perfect. How many people actually lose their virginity only to discover that they’re masters of sex and could give a stunning demonstration of the Kama Sutra – cover to cover. It might be fun to read about but I think, especially in these books marketed to young adults, it’s important to show that it’s not really like that. At least, not until you practice a lot. So, bonus points for teenage characters that don’t last longer than two minutes!
Overall this book was a great mix of fun scenes mixed through with the sad. If you don’t generally like young adult then this book may not be for you. The focus of this story is definitely the relationship between two teenagers with not a lot of anything else going on to distract from that. Which is exactly how I like my young adult stories. It’s nice to have a break from young adult books that focus on homophobia. I have no idea if Bradley’s and Josh’s story ends here or if it will carry on, but I know I’d definitely love to know what happens next.
RATING: 
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