Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: The Little Things
AUTHOR: Jay Northcote
PUBLISHER: Jaybird Press
LENGTH: 214 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2018
BLURB:
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make you appreciate what you have.
There are lots of things that brighten Joel’s life. His three-year-old daughter Evie is one. His close relationship with her mother, his best friend from university, is another. Joel’s boyfriend, Dan, adds spice to his child-free nights, and Joel is pretty happy with how things are.
Then one cold and rainy night, everything changes. Joel’s life is turned upside down when he becomes a full-time dad to Evie, and his previously carefree relationship with Dan cracks under the strain.
Meeting Liam, who acts as if getting hurt isn’t a foregone conclusion, shakes Joel to the core. Their attraction is mutual, and Liam makes no secret of how serious he is about Joel. But Joel is wary. He tells himself he’s keeping Liam at a distance for Evie’s sake, when really he’s protecting his own heart. Taking a chance on this new relationship with Liam may seem a small step—a little thing—but is it one Joel can take after losing so much already?
Please note that although this edition has been re-edited for publication, there is no new or additional content.
REVIEW:
This was an amazing and heartbreaking story. You are so going to need tissues for this one. Wow. But even in grief and despair, there is beauty in the little things. And this is a story of a man struggling in being a single dad after the loss of his child’s mom and his best friend.
Joel loved being a dad, even though it wasn’t intentional. It was a drunk night in college with his best friend and the condom apparently broke. They tried to go at it a few more times but she could see he wasn’t happy and he finally had to admit he was gay. When their daughter was born, they stayed together in their place until Evie was weaned and then they split into different homes and shared custody. It was working good because it gave them both time to be out and with friends and his ‘boyfriend’ Dan. But things seemed to be going nowhere with Dan. At least that’s how Joel felt. And when the night Claire died from a car accident, everything really changed. He was comforted by someone he didn’t know enough to make it home, and Dan was there for him. But as the weeks went on, Joel couldn’t take the clubbing anymore. And when he saw Liam again in the club, everything came flooding back. They went to the restroom to speak and calm Joel down and Dan came after them a bit later mad and acting jealous. Joel knew then it was over. Because he never said a word about Dan’s sleeping around. He went back to being single, until Evie got sick and has to go to the hospital where he met Liam again and they decided to start dating. But the closer they get, the more Joel is freaking out and he breaks it off. But he realizes he messed up but it may be too late to fix it.
I don’t blame Joel for freaking out. Liam is a great guy, but losing his mom, even though it was 8 years ago, still gets to him. Now losing his sister, and his breakup with Dan, and it being overwhelming being a single father, it just became too much. That feeling of being hurt and abandoned hit him like a wrecking ball and it was all he could do to just stand and breathe. But what he had to stop and realize, is Liam is everything Joel ever wanted. Yeah, maybe they needed to slow down but he had it all for Joel. But it’s not easy to get over all those fears. And even with Liam being hurt deeply, he still understood to a point. He lost his brother years ago and it still weighed on him as well. So he got it. He got the fear and doubt. He got it all. He just needed Joel to trust him and talk to him instead of running.
It’s a tearful story but a sweet one. Evie makes this book. Her little innocence and seeing the beauty in everything makes life worth meaning for Joel. And that’s what he needed even at their worst.
RATING: 
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