Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: And Then You
SERIES: Until #2
AUTHOR: Briar Prescott
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 292 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2023
BLURB:
Here’s the thing: I am not—I repeat not—boyfriend material. I’m a good time for one night, and that’s it.
Figures I manage to get myself into a situation where I have to pretend to be in a relationship.
Ah, well. Not much else to do now than suck it up and get it over with.
I’m in. I’m out. I’m done.
But then Quinn says he’s curious.
He says I’m a liar.
He says he wants to see the real me.
Honestly, I can’t run away fast enough after that.
Because he doesn’t know.
Doesn’t know that I’m a landmine.
That he’s trudging so close.
That he’s about to step on me.
And then?
I’ll ruin him.
REVIEW:
And Then You is simply marvelous, one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s chock full of fake dating, quasi-enemies to lovers, and angst along with humor to offset the pain. Still, I cried and I had a heck of a book hangover before I could pick up another book. I loved its predecessor, Until You, and I dare say I loved this one even more. At its heart, this is a beautiful story about Quinn unearthing the true Steph behind the masks he wears for self-preservation. He suffered the worst of tragedies as a youth and has been pretending his whole life. It’s a hurt/comfort dynamic at its best. It’s a book about a man, his fake boyfriend, and a tree that helps bring them together. You’ll see.
I’ve never seen somebody switch between personas as quickly and often as Stephen does. It’s almost as if he has a selection of faces always at hand, and he dons the one he deems necessary at any given moment.
You’ll remember Steph as Jude’s best friend in Until You. He describes himself as adrift, aimless, and without purpose. In short, a screw up. To the reader, he’s a hilarious mess. He and Quinn are in the same friends group with Jude and Blake, Nora and Blair (happily, they all appear in this book). But Steph and Quinn are not friends; there is a lot of animosity between them. Quinn thinks Steph is insincere, shallow, and self-absorbed. And maddeningly, he never suffers the consequences of his screw ups. Steph thinks Quinn is cold, arrogant, prim, and frankly, unpleasant to be around, yet he’s had a decade long crush on Quinn. But now, they barely tolerate each other, which makes it very awkward when Quinn impulsively tells his family that Steph is his boyfriend of six months so they’ll stop their matchmaking.
This lie is also the impetuous for much of the humor in the book when they communicate with insults and goad each other into doing stupid things. But on a deeper level, they start falling for each other. Quinn sees Steph’s fragility. It takes a long time for Steph to be real and honest about himself, even when Quinn implores him to be. I personally think I would quickly grow tired of Steph being sealed closed like a vault but Quinn, wonderful man that he is, never gives up. He slowly chisels away until he opens Steph up, one crack at a time.
It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. And the breathless feeling remains. It should be terrifying, but it’s just… not. Instead, it’s safe again. Instead, I feel real. In this moment, my life isn’t a play, and I’m not an actor. I’m cells and blood vessels and bones and skin and a wild heartbeat of a person, more alive than I’ve been in a decade.
Their chemistry is amazing and when they’re intimate, it’s truly making love, not just sex. It’s a treat, as a reader, to go along on the ride with them falling in love. This book has all the feels. Fair warning… you might need some tissues handy. Hurt/comfort is my favorite trope and Briar Prescott fully delivers a story rich in healing and hope. The prologue is devastating but the epilogue, set five years in the future, is the perfect, heartwarming ending.
“I want you to fucking fight for me,” he says. “I want you to fight for us. I want you to tell me you love me and that you want me and have me and keep me and be with me. Forever. But most of all, I want you to be happy. I want you to stop all the lying and hiding and just be fucking happy. With or without me.”
And Then You could be read as a standalone but please read Until You first, if you haven’t. Both are stunning, 5 heart/star books.
RATING: 
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