Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: All I Want Is You 
AUTHOR: DJ Jamison
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 161 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2018
BLURB:
One kiss under the mistletoe destroyed a friendship. Will another Christmas kiss remake it into something better?
Eli hasn’t been home since he left at eighteen with a heart aching from his best friend’s rejection and his father’s intolerance. But when his father reaches out, Eli figures it’s time to make peace with his family. He doesn’t expect to come face-to-face with Turner too — or to learn that the straight friend he’d foolishly loved is actually bisexual — but once the shock wears off, he knows exactly what he wants for Christmas.
Turner’s life isn’t everything he’d once planned, but he’s happy to be the shoulder his loved ones lean on. They keep him busy, which is just as well since none of his dates have really clicked. He hasn’t been able to connect with anyone the way he did with his former best friend. When Eli shows up for the holidays after years away, Turner doesn’t know what hit him. But he knows one thing: This time, he wants to give Eli a reason to stay.
All I Want Is You is a holiday romance with friends to lovers and second-chance themes with an HEA.
REVIEW:
Losing his job and a heartfelt birthday card from his dad forces Eli to go home for Christmas. Just the place he’d been avoiding since; One, his best friend (Turner) rejected his advances. Two, his dad’s posture on gay men and, three, the issues of a small-minded town.
Upon returning home, there is a lot of friction between Eli and his father. Neither can seem to say the right thing around the other, but his mother is glad to see him. Then, Turner is the man everyone relies on, including Eli’s parents (to a lesser degree). These elements fuel Eli’s negative view of himself and don’t do anything to alleviate his low self-esteem, especially when it comes to the issue of being boyfriend material. None of these problems is helped when Eli has a tendency to be a bit of a klutz.
It was lovely to read a story in the more traditional way of writing in the third person. I can’t say I’m a fan of stories in what I call the semi-third-person way where the pov’s are named. So, I was on a good plateau from the first chapter. My only gripe is that age-old nervously bitten bottom lip which firmly belongs in my room 101.
Physically, the main characters are different. In many ways, they are stereotypical for this genre of story. But, Turner and Eli are similar in that they analyze the small sentences so that they have a significant impact, and they have been in love with each other for years. They simply missed their opportunity. One was rejected and ran away; the other was unsure of his sexuality and scared of his feelings.
Among family and friends, Eli finds there is much to catch up on and many fences to be rebuilt. Juniper is a small conservative town, and Eli must reconcile what it was like to what it has become. Understandably he feels out of place and somewhat replaced/pushed out.
Between the initial anger and posturing, there are some beautiful heart-felt dialogue. Such moments endeared me to the characters and their place within the story – even those who have difficulty relating to Eli. The emotional angst doesn’t last long which will please some readers. Personally, I prefer to give such scenes a few more legs to keep my heart pumping and on edge for a wee bit longer.
The problem Eli has is that – even knowing the town has gotten better – is it enough to return to Juniper and the love of his life.
This story filled me with ooohhh’s and oh blesses. In yuletide tales, it is the journey the characters take, which enables them to open the best present under the Christmas Tree – happiness.
RATING: 
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