Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Suddenly Last Summer
AUTHOR: Michael Robert
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 345 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2023
BLURB:
TREY BARNES
I professed my love for Jordy when I was seventeen. He was leaving for his last year of medical school after working another summer at my family’s Banks Lake resort in the Pacific Northwest.
Desperate for him to know how I felt even though he was my older brother’s best friend, and fearing that he wouldn’t return after that summer, I decided to take the plunge and admit my feelings while I had the chance.
As the adult in the situation, Jordy wisely chose to discount my confession as simply a teenage crush. But my last spoken words to him were that I’d wait patiently for him.
And I always kept my promises.
JORDY HALL
I’d been away from my small hometown for nearly five years. Life and a stressful medical residency had kept me busy, but I finally returned to fulfill my best-man duties for my best friend’s upcoming wedding.
His younger brother, Trey, was a sweet, sensitive kid when I left years ago. The shy, lean teenager who’d tearfully professed his love for me my last summer there had grown into a sexy, confident man. I was intrigued by what I saw, though I probably should have walked away again.
Had he actually waited for me to return? Did I hope he had? He was nine years my junior and my best friend’s little brother. But he could be so much more.
After five long years, it was suddenly last summer.
REVIEW:
Jordy and Brock have been best friends all their lives. Jordy’s parents died tragically when he was in his senior year of high school. The Barnes family took him in and he lived with them and worked at their resort every summer he was in college and medschool. Then he left to go finish his training. Trey, Brock’s younger by almost nine years brother tells Jordy he’s in love with him the summer he is 17 and Jordy is off to finish his medical training. He tells Jordy he’ll wait for him. And for five years he does. And then Jordy is back for the summer before he decides his next move.
Brock has gone to law school and is getting married. He is getting married at the resort and Jordy is his best man. Brock is a total jerk and the woman he’s marrying is a piece of work. But he arrives back at the resort to a very different and grown up Trey. Trey has indeed been waiting for him. He’s a total virgin, has never been kissed, etc. Jordy is still worried about it but he’s definitely attracted to this new grown up version of Trey. After a few fits and starts, they get together – after Trey and his BFF Skippy, who also works at the resort, have spent a few days with socializing with a group of gay men from Seattle – with mixed results.
Trey and Jordy spend all their free time together and are staying in Trey’s cabin. Trey’s parents are in on this and are doing what they can to make sure Trey and Jordy have a shot at whatever this is between them. Then Brock and his bride arrive and things get heated. And messy. And borderline violent. Brock is a bully, but now his little brother isn’t so little any more. In fact, he could probably take Brock with one hand tied behind his back. Brock has been very vocal about Jordy staying away form his little brother – saying that THEY are like brother and it’s gross He likes to get in Jordy’s head. Only much later do we get to understand why – and it’s not a good reason.
The wedding goes off and Jordy and Trey are official. But then Derek, Jordy’s cheating ex shows up. Turns out he has mutual connections with Brock’s wife. Jordy has no interest in rekindling anything with Derek who is truly a narcissist. But it does throw Trey off for a hot minute. In the end, Brock is proven to be the douche canoe he is but there is still the question of what Jordy is going to do at the end of the summer. He’s been offered a fellowship. He can have his pick of jobs. But Trey is back in Eastern Washington. He is the only one who can make the decision.
This book was very hard to rate. There were parts that I just loved. There were parts where I was rolling my eyes. There were parts that were tender. There were parts that were ridiculous. There were plenty of stereotypes and stock characters. But Trey and his relationships – to his parents, to his uncle Jack, to his best friend Skippy and to his long time crush once in a lifetime love Jordy are at the heart of this book. Jordy’s brother Brock and his ex Derek were just so awful, it stretches credibility as to why he’s been involved with either of them. Brock we at least get somewhat of a understanding because he was there for Brock when his parents died, but he’s NOT a good person. Like at all. He’s horrible to his brother. He’s dismissive of his parents. I actually kinda liked Cherie in the end. She at least was straight with Jordy even if she was a bit of a bridezilla. Uncle Jack was funny and a life lesson for Trey. Skippy was a good friend to Trey although I did find their relationship less credible in some moments. I honestly wanted someone to just put a good beatdown on Brock frankly. In the end, I thought things wrapped up a little bit too neatly. I will admit that I began skimming the sex scenes. It was sort of weird how Trey is a virgin – literally never kissed anyone and then he’s immediately into Daddy kink? I feel like I missed something there. Jordy had lots of issues despite being very smart and successful. I was surprised it took Brock and Trey’s parents as long as it did to shut down Brock and his horrible ways. I guess I don’t know how parents of a narcissist would deal with that. Just annoying. I also felt like the book was a bit long and the pacing could have been improved a bit probably with another round of edits to tighten up some sections. Anyway, I’m giving this a recommendation with some reservations. There seemed to be some disconnect between some of the characters and their behaviors, but at the end of the day, I really was rooting for Trey to get his heart’s desire.
RATING: 
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