Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Better to Believe
SERIES: Harrison Campus Book 4
AUTHOR: Andy Gallo
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: Glorious Readers, LLC
LENGTH: 5 hours and 50 minutes
RELEASE DATE: July 13, 2021
BLURB:
Fall for your best friend’s brother, just don’t break his heart.
Coury Henderson has wanted to play professional baseball since he threw his first pitch. If he’s drafted, he’s off to Tiny Town, USA, to earn his ticket to the majors. But a freak injury threatens to derail his dream. If that weren’t enough, his graduation is in jeopardy. Physical therapy might solve the first hurdle, but he’ll need a tutor who is aces in science to solve the second.
A tutor like Liam, his best friend’s little brother.
But when did Liam grow up to be such a hottie?
Liam Wright has crushed on his brother’s best friend since he was twelve. He jumps at the chance to tutor Coury and spend time alone together.
Not that anything could happen between them…as nice as Coury is to him, jocks don’t go for nerds.
So why does everything they do feel like a date?
Better to Believe is a best friend’s brother-to-lovers, nerd-jock, slow-burn M/M romance with a guaranteed HEA. This new adult, college age novel can be listened to as a standalone. The Harrison Campus series can be listened to in any order.
REVIEW:
Andy Gallo’s Better to Believe wraps up his diverting Harrison Campus series. Like the previous stories in this series, Mr. Gallo delivers a sweet, low angst romance, here with the brother’s best friend, nerd/jock trope twist to it.
Liam, an adorkable, dinosaur-loving, brilliant guy, has been crushing on Coury, his brother’s BFF, since he was a kid. However, Liam has always felt overlooked by his brother Beckett and Coury. Liam never thinks Coury could notice him or feel about him the way he does of Coury. But after moving back in with his grandfather, Coury reenters his life, and all of a sudden, Coury’s view seems to have changed. Liam dares to believe that maybe something could actually develop between them as he’d always hoped. The biggest obstacle is Liam’s brother Beckett who, to be honest, is a bit of a jerk, ignoring and shutting out Liam to monopolize Coury’s attention and time.
Coury’s dream of being a major league baseball player has driven him for as long as he can remember. Unfortunately, that single-minded focus has caused Coury to lose sight of who he is without baseball. He now, mistakenly, believes baseball is all he’s good at. He also has forgotten that other paths may exist for him. Baseball is not the be-all and end-all.
Liam, for his part, is more grounded. He’s just landed his dream job doing what he loves. But he’s also a lonely guy who wants to fall in love, believes in the HEA, but isn’t sure how to get there.
Better to Believe is an apt title because that is what this story is about at its heart. It’s about closing doors and opening windows. It’s about patience, perseverance, having goals yet believing that other unexpected paths could be fulfilling, or even better than, what you thought you were destined for.
Liam and Coury have great chemistry in and out of bed. But their unwavering support and belief in each other provide the most remarkable aspect of their relationship. They put each other first, even when it hurts. However, they also allow the other to open their horizons and be receptive to unanticipated options for a beautiful future. All because they dared to dream it, chose to believe in it, and ultimately grasped it with two hands. Together.
As much as I love Liam and Coury, Liam’s grandfather is the highlight of this book. He’s kind, intuitive, supportive, funny, and patient. He’s everything you could want in a friend or loved one. Mr. Gallo gives complexity and nuance to Liam’s relationship with his grandfather as well as Liam’s relationship with Coury, and both are lovely.
Nick J. Russo narrates the Better to Believe audiobook and delivers a solid vocal performance. His voice has a smooth, even quality to it that’s soothing yet impactful. One of the things he does so well, as he demonstrates here, is in delivering nuanced emotions with subtlety but without minimizing impact. You feel it, but it’s not overwhelming or melodramatic. Mr. Russo clearly and consistently distinguishes his characters, and his pacing is generally apropos. He acts out the story rather than simply reading it, as you’d expect from a skilled narrator, and he is definitely that.
However, surprisingly here I felt overarchingly that the speed of his delivery was a bit too measured. I would have liked more variation in the pacing and vocal dynamics to reflect the content better. As it was, I found it a bit flat across the board.
Overall, Better to Believe is a fitting conclusion to the series. It is an easy read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. Personally, I could take or leave the narration. There’s nothing terribly bad about it, it just didn’t add much to the experience for me. Generally speaking, I really enjoy Mr. Russo’s narration, so maybe I’m just being picky and you’ll get more from it than I did. Notwithstanding, whether you choose to listen, read or do both in tandem, I’m confident you will enjoy this sweet, feel-good romance.
RATING: 
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