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    Something Like Summer
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    Something Like Summer
    Unavailable
    Something Like Summer
    Ebook402 pages6 hours

    Something Like Summer

    By Jay Bell

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    I remember sneaking over to his house in the middle of the night. And the secret love we used to share. That was back in high school. I never expected to see him again...

    Life isn’t easy for a gay teenager living in the nineties. Ben thought coming out was his best chance of finding love. Instead he ended up lonelier than before. After a not-so-accidental collision with Tim, an attractive athlete and artist, Ben is convinced that he’s met his soulmate. Their budding romance is soon tested by spreading rumors, the danger increasing along with their passion for each other until it pushes them to the breaking point.

    Years later, Ben is attending college in a different state while dating a truly wonderful guy. Everything is perfect until the day Tim shows up unexpectedly. Overwhelmed by old feelings, Ben is forced to reconcile the summer-filled dreams of his past with the complexities of his new adult life... But some love stories are impossible to forget.

    Each Something Like... book follows a different LGBTQ character on their quest for love. Central to the plot is the troubled relationship between Ben and Tim, former high school sweethearts who continue to meet over the years, their chemistry changing with each encounter. Surrounding them are friends and enemies, each with their own story, resulting in an immersive universe filled with first times and second chances. While the series doesn't shy away from sex, it also focuses deeply on emotion, promising an experience that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.

    This book is intended for mature audiences. The recommended reading age is 18 or older.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJay Bell
    Release dateJan 5, 2011
    ISBN9781458015327
    Unavailable
    Something Like Summer
    Author

    Jay Bell

    Jay Bell is a proud gay man and the award-winning author behind dozens of emotional and yet hopelessly optimistic stories. His best-selling book, Something Like Summer, spawned a series of heart-wrenching novels, a musically driven movie, and a lovingly drawn comic. When not crafting imaginary worlds, he occupies his free time with animals, art, action figures, and—most ardently—his husband Andreas. Jay is always dreaming up new stories about boys in love. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you can get the kettle boiling by visiting www.jaybellbooks.com.

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    Reviews for Something Like Summer

    4/5

    167 ratings23 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This was a great story. I just wonder what's wrong with me that I felt it too realistic and the end made me feel sort of betrayed.

      The good:
      The story itself.
      The way it was told.
      Realistic, I think.
      More story than sex.
      Likable characters. Nobody was perfect.

      The bad:
      My impression of the main character is somehow blank.
      Forced ending?
      At some point I kept asking myself, how is this relevant?
      And thanks to that the first part of the story lost its appeal.
      Probably because it was too much realism?
    • 5/5
      I just finished reading this book and I freaking loved it! What I like most about this book was that it was different from most gay novels that I have read. I could tell this was gonna be a different read pretty early on when the story didn't only concentrate on the gay romance side of the story, but also about his friendships and their lives as well. I also like how the story doesn't revolve around sex scenes. They're short and sweet and then the story continues. I literally laughed aloud at several different parts, gasped, and even teared up. What an amazing read! Hands down, a 5 star rating! I cannot wait for the movie to come out! :-)
    • 5/5
      Amazing love story very well written with twists around every corner comedy sadness and love all bound together. Should be a ten star rating
    • 4/5
      Never was I bored throughout the entire book. However, I didn't like summing up a year by just describing a trip to London. That's my only complaint, so it's definitely a worthwhile read. Jay Bell, you really know how to rip my heart out, curb stomp it, rip it into atoms and set it on fire.
    • 4/5
      Touching and interesting without being stuck in lurid sex scenes or other shallow nonsense.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed it but the ending felt rushed and inorganic

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Hardly recommended for a bed-time reading 'cause you're gonna keep reading and reading until you realize the sun is rising and you didn't get any sleep... But it was soooo worth it, believe me!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Sadly the last few chapters felt rushed. Overall a good read while waiting for Mary Calmes's new titles
    • 4/5
      Good book and the characters are well written.
    • 5/5
      one of my fav m/m romances!! jay bell depicts his characters so brilliantly you have this feeling they're old friends of yours!!
    • 5/5
      A very good book, It was sad how it ended.
    • 4/5
      When I started this, I thought it was going to be another run-of-the-mill 'nerdy high school guy crushes on apparently straight jock guy and they start a clandestine relationship and then it gets tested by external pressure for the straight guy to come out' novel. I've certainly read a fair number of those recently. But there's so much more to this. Yes, it starts out the way I described, but Jay Bell brings life to the characters and builds the relationship in a way that just seems so much more authentic. And the story goes well beyond high school, following the characters into college and beyond. It's very easy to connect to this story and to find yourself laughing, crying, and loving right along with them...
    • 5/5
      simple but so cool
    • 4/5
      The first part of this novel read to me like a young adult novel, and I wasn't overly into it. It felt a little cliched and I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times at the over the top antics happening to these high school kids. However, once the part 2 began, the writing almost seemed to mature with the characters, and I found myself really invested in the characters. I am not sure if it was the introduction of Jace, who I personally fell in love with as Ben did, or if that is how Bell purposefully wrote it. In part 1 Ben is in high school, and still learning who he is and still quite immature, so perhaps the writing is meant to mimic that, while in part 2 he has matured and his relationship with Jace is more nuanced and adult. Either way, I became hooked from that point.I struggled however, throughout the entire novel, because I never did find the main protagonist Ben all that likeable. Personally I never felt he deserved Jace, so it was hard for me reading as he continued to make horrible mistakes. His growth and development in the books just didn't really hit the mark for me. I never warmed to him, and found myself caring more about the side characters. He seemed to me, to have a lot of love being thrown at him, two men wanting him, a loyal best friend through everything, cats and dogs loving him, and ultimately, I didn't really understand why. There wasn't really anything revealed in the writing that would warrant so much love coming his way. He wasn't particularly amazing or great. That's just my opinion though. Overall though, Bell did a great job of writing this love story. I felt invested in the characters he built here, and invested in their story. I selfishly wish the book had ended different, but I think it was clear from the beginning who's love story Bell was really telling, and even though Ben has two people he loves, there was really only one possible person he could end up with.I enjoyed Tim's transformation, even if I hated how he tried to sabotage things, again, probably due to my preference for Jace. Bell did a good job of capturing the angst of someone dealing with their sexuality and religion and family. I felt the emotion and the struggle.I'm excited for the rest of the series, and definitely this was a solid and worthwhile read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Reading this book was a real privilege for me. And now I am left crying from so many emotions that I have trouble to describe but I feel more human than I have ever felt. Amazing work.
    • 4/5
      A Love Story Well Told

      Something Like Summer tells the story of being in love, of finding the the one that makes life wonderful, the heartbreaks that loving includes even as the love continues. The book feels real, the characters feel genuine, the situations feel authentic. Author Jay Bell presents a sometimes gut-wrenching story of love between two men made more difficult by one character’s inability to accept himself.
      There is a subtle change in the tone of the book when it gets to section 2 that I felt foreshadowed how the rest of the book would go. Perhaps the author intended this hint of what was to come, but I doubt it. Nevertheless, I thought the overall novel was an enjoyable read, much better than many of a similar type of novel.
    • 5/5
      I have to say that this book was one of the best books I've read in a while. While it was very emotionally charged, the emotions were perfectly pitched so as to not become over wrought and comical. The author managed to pack in 10 years of living for these characters into a very tightly written package. With three characters, two ever changing relationships and one very emotional ending any one of these elements would've thrown off a less capable author but Bell handled them deftly and left me emotionally tied to these characters. Even knowing what was going to happen to one of the men, did not stop me from being pulled into the story. I tried to distance myself knowing what was coming but it just wasn't possible with these guys. The relationships and the road life leads these guys down isn't neat and tidy but it's realistic and very compelling. This is one book I wouldn't hesitate to read again and recommend to everyone.
    • 4/5
      Emotionally gripping. Great writing. Real characters. Enjoyed very bit, even the sad parts. 4.5 stars
    • 5/5
      That ending destroyed me...

      What a roller coaster ride of a love story.... really great book.
    • 5/5
      A brilliant novel about friendship, coming of age, coming out, staying true to your self, and about how life throws you curve-balls.

      This was a quick read, but for some reason, many of the sentences in it have stayed with me for days, making this book an enjoyment, something that keeps giving. I adored the language and the images Mr Bell painted for us, and I especially loved how one teacher really made a difference for Ben. Her comment:
      "Love isn't meant to be hidden away and life is too short for shame." really resonated with me. Also, attacking the many-headed hydra of deceit and cheating, Mr Bell's "Who knew that a single kiss could be so expensive?" shattered me.

      I loved this story, and I am looking for more from the same author.

      ***
      I was NOT asked to read this book by anyone, I paid for it with my own money, as I do for all the books I read, all the music I listen to and the movies I watch.
    • 5/5
      Benjamin Bentley is sixteen years old when we first meet him, he has been out since he was fourteen, coming out was his own decision, how else was he going to find a partner? When a new boy moves into the neighourhood he is infatuated, but how will he get to know this handsome well built guy, and anyway he is probably a straight jock, he won't have any time for skinny Ben who prefers singing to sports.Against all the odds Ben manages to engineer an introduction, even if a somewhat disastrous one, but at least it gives him the chance to get to know Tim. A friendship develops, and despite Tim's protestations that he straight, he eventually beds Ben. But Tim'e refusal to come out seems to spell dome to their relationship. In time Ben meets Jace, an air steward a few years his senior, and love looms again, all goes well until some three or four years since they parted Tim reenters Ben's life. Ben is torn between the two loves of his life, and the loyalties of all three are tested to the limits. It will take tragedy before matters are finally resolved.Covering twelve years, this delightful love story follows Ben and his loves. Ben is a most likable, confident boy with a sense of humour, and while everyone else thinks Tim is the spoilt brat born of wealthy parents, Ben sees something much deeper. Jace too is a caring and loving man; both are deeply in love with Ben. It seems there can be no winners, yet this is a positive and moving well above average tale.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      3.5 stars

      This story is the telling of a relationship over many years with loads of ups and downs and is told with a realistic spin. The good and bad sides of the characters are given. It's definitely a book worth your time.
    • 5/5
      This was an amazing book! The writing was wonderful; I read the first page and just had to read more after that. And that turned into a nine hour marathon of reading this book. Non-stop. I couldn’t put it down. The characters are all fantastic and the story kept me entertained the whole nine hours. I’m going to go find the other books Jay Bell has written because I’ve been missing out. This book is highly recommended for any who like GLBT.