Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: Push & Pull 
SERIES: The Midwest #2
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
PUBLISHER: The Two Peninsulas Press
LENGTH: 246 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 24, 2018
BLURB:
Brent Cameron has been dreaming about a road trip around Lake Michigan for years. When his best friend, Nathan, ditches him to spend the summer with his boyfriend, Caleb, Brent is pissed. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he reluctantly agrees to take Caleb’s best friend, Lowell Prescott, instead.
Brent is a former hockey player and recently out of the closet. Lowell is an in-your-face gay guy who rebels against the limits people put on him. Tempers fly and sparks flare as they hit the road, which leads to a hot night they both regret in the morning. Despite the rocky start, Brent and Lowell slowly begin to realize they have a lot in common. As the miles disappear behind them so does their animosity. Casual hook-ups aren’t Brent’s thing, and Lowell doesn’t do relationships, so they agree to focus on their friendship.
By the time they make it to the shores of Lake Superior, their feelings have deepened past simple friendship, but neither of them have the guts to admit it. When the past intrudes, will it derail the trip and the possibility of a relationship?
REVIEW:
This is very different to the first book, Bully and Exit. It’s still told in alternating points of view, but it doesn’t jump back and forth in time, which I found less jarring, although to be honest I didn’t have too much trouble with the other book. Although it’s Book 2 and there are some references to Book 1 I think it can be read as a standalone without any trouble.
I don’t know what it was, but I took to Lowell and Brent much more quickly than I did Nathan and Caleb. I suppose it might be because I’d already become fond of Lowell in Book I.
The premise of this book was fresh and funny. Basically, Nathan and Brent organized a road trip for basically the whole summer, but Nathan stood him up because he didn’t want to be parted from Caleb and risk their fledgling relationship. Instead, Caleb’s roommate Lowell steps in.
Brent and Lowell are a pretty unlikely pair, and at first, didn’t hit it off at all. However, as the book progressed and their experiences brought them closer together something grew that neither of them was prepared for. I loved how both of them struggled with their growing feelings in very different ways, but both kind of come to the same conclusions, eventually.
As with the first book, I loved the little details that made the books so much more interesting, things like the shirt Lowell bought for Pride, the discussion about sport helmets, the doll house in the science museum—little insignificant details that make the story flow more naturally. My favourite was the skating scene which had a wonderful flow and ended in just the right place.
There were times in Book I when the writing was a little patchy and the timing a little off. The writer certainly seems to have got into their stride now, though because this book was close to flawless. The characters were rich and rounded, interesting over and beyond what was strictly necessary for the relationship building. The situations the author put them in were fun and informative, each one moving on the story in the same direction.
There were more background characters this time, and the author took time to give them all some dimension. Ricky was a pure gem. I think characterisation and dialogue are definitely strong points.
I had a few reservations about the first book and was debating giving a 4* or 3.5* but there’s no debate this time. This one has fully earned its 4* and I would definitely be interested in any other books in the series.
RATING: 
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