their personalities are not really something i adore - with being so immature and stupid sometimes, so Tate and Daniel were just okay for me. i have issues with highschoolers and college students in books. Still, it was worth my time to discover this new-to-me author, and I appreciated how the story mostly steered clear of clichés and manufactured drama. But the appealing/unappealing realism that had powered my reading momentum fizzled out. I don't know, like I said, it could just be me.

It made me wonder if the author felt awkward writing explicit sex scenes.? And once they'd figured out they were in love, their thoughts seemed excessively sappy. The vocabulary became 'older,' more stilted (we're getting all this in alternating 1st-person POV), no longer what I'd expect from boys their age. And then things began to ring false for me. I intended to give it 4 stars, up until maybe 60%. It seemed like every time I expected the story to zig into a well-worn rut, it would zag and do its own thing instead. I was also impressed by the author's refusal to deliver the tired old generic story beats - like, now it's time for the gay panic - but did we get a gay panic? No we did not! Now it's time for the friend(s) to freak out - but did the friend(s) freak out? No they did not! Etc. But I kept being impressed by how true it felt. Spending time in the company of two 18-year old boys who are (realistically) immature and often (realistically) jerks is not my idea of a fun time.

The least appealing thing about it was also how realistically rendered the MCs were. The most appealing thing about it was how realistically rendered the MCs were. It can be read as a standalone.Ī low-key self-discovery story set in Australia with two high school boys who start out assuming they're straight, but can't resist pursuing their attraction to each other. The Straight Game is a slow burn M/M New Adult Romance with the strangers-to-friends-to-lovers trope. This thing we’re doing? It’s just a game. We’re just friends, and besides, I’m 100% straight. But there are a lot of things about Daniel that are impressive - he’s kind, thoughtful, and absolutely gorgeous. Honestly, I’m impressed Daniel’s brave enough to keep going, even when it means kissing and touching each other and taking our clothes off. Somehow our competitions somehow turn R-rated.

But as we spend the summer holidays together and our games get increasingly sexual, I’m forced to face the terrifying truth: I might like Tate more than a friend. I can’t say no to a competition, no matter whether it’s a swimming race or an intense match of truth or dare, no matter how much Tate makes my heart flutter. Something about his toffee-brown eyes and fearless attitude immediately draws me in and I quickly learn we have a lot in common: When I’m stuck in an unfamiliar city, attending maths lectures for my final high school exams, I resign myself to two days of boredom.

The Straight Game by Milana Spencer