I just loved this to pieces. Smart, snarky, flawed Leo was a narrator I felt I could never get tired of. I didn't even care if there was a plot -- which was probably fortunate, because if I try to look at this story objectively that's probably where it's weakest. But Leo's sense of humor kept me engaged as he documented, in diary form, his evolving relationships with his unattainable long-time crush and with the personable new neighbor across the hall.

The story wobbled at about 90%, which is probably where it should have ended. Instead, a new box of worms was opened up. Ugly worms. If a sequel is in the works, those worms make more sense. If not, well... things should have ended at 90%. Of course I'd love a sequel in any case, just so I could spend more time in Leo's head.

Half a star off because of the awkward ending, but I'm totally a Marina Ford fan now and can't wait to see what she writes next.best-of-read-in-2017 ebook fiction ...more18 s Mercedes1,130 95

Been loving everything I have read from this author.5 s CrabbyPatty1,652 179

Bored with his life - single, almost 30, has a PhD and lectures on post-war history at a university - Leo decides to start keeping a diary, which is not pathetic. Okay, Leo admits his "relationship" with Professor Jack Gordon is a bit pathetic. They've shared four years of winks, smiles and "every little moment that translated into a whole relationship in my head. [...] I just thought we were on the same path, were thinking along the same lines, and eventually things would sort of, I don’t know, unfold." That is, until Jack becomes engaged ... to a woman.

Then Alex (the tall and hunky across-the-hall neighbor) and Leo meet cute. That is, if you call Alex holding up Leo while he vomits in their corridor after his drunken night at the pub mourning Jack's engagement cute. Alex and Leo start dating, progressing from watching so-horrible-they-are-good movies and snogging on the sofa, to Alex sharing the joys of gay sex with bisexual Alex, who is in his first relationship with a man.

"Lovesick" is author Marina Ford's first novel and has a lot of good things going for it. The plot set-up is engrossing and Leo's diary is fun, neurotic and interesting as all get-out. There is a cast of interesting secondary characters - Leo's friend Lucy, his incredibly over-achieving sister Lena and their parents, Amelia and Mark, Sarah - with a nice smattering of their quirks and histories.

However, I think "Lovesick" suffers from only showing Leo's POV. Alex is a physical trainer and s bad movies. Other than that, I didn't really get a good sense of his personality and found his naivete about gay sex unbelievable. “I thought… I thought that it’d be all about anal or something… I didn’t know! I didn’t know we could have sex without—Oh God, that’s a relief! You’re so clever! I would have never thought—is that how gay men have sex? I never knew!”

Also, Leo's association with Jack Gordon is more a series of near-misses than any type of relationship so to describe Leo, Alex and Jack as a love triangle seems inaccurate. Finally Leo is ashamed that Alex is "only" a physical trainer and apologizes over and over to his parents: I blurted, “It doesn’t matter, Mum. It’s just something he does for now.” AND “He won’t be doing this forever,” I said, irritated now with both Alex and my parents. “He used to be in the RAF, for God’s sake. He’s qualified to do much more than just help people lift weights.” AND “It’s just a thing he’s doing for now. Okay? Leave it.” This despite Leo's parents not making a big deal out of Alex's career. Then he doubles down: “Well, it’s not exactly a job that gets you anywhere, Alex. Come on… this can’t be news to you!” AND “It’s just not something I thought you wanted to do forever. I mean, that’s ridiculous! It’s a job for a twenty-something while he’s supplementing his student loan, not a thing a grown man should be doing for a career. Seriously, do you want to be doing this forever?”. And of course, Leo triples down: "I wanted him to come to Paris with me. I found a cheap hotel, discount plane tickets etc. I made a real effort to make it affordable for him, so that we could get the hell out of London even for a few days. He said he couldn’t, since he had clients lined up through the dates I’d planned, and he couldn’t let them down. Honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not he’s a brain surgeon or anything. Granted, I shouldn’t have said that to him. I apologised, and we’re okay now."

Sorry to fill up that spoiler with so many excerpts, but I honestly am surprised how utterly clueless Leo is. The story ends with a HFN, but honestly? Alex, you're too good for Leo, mate. Dump 'em! I'm giving "Lovesick" 3.5 stars because I d Ford's writing style and for a debut novel, it had lot of good qualities and I would definitely read her next book.

I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.

Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews 2017-reads arcs-received didnt--mc-s ...more3 s Lada865 11

An easy and smooth read. The story was told via MC's diary (first person PoV) and I enjoyed it. I d the MC and the people around him, they're distinctive and acted realistically. The pace of the romance was right for me, and I didn't begrudge the relationship drama in the last few chapters. Also, there's very little sex here, which was a bonus for me.

I'll definitely read the author's other book.4 s Walford752 48

This was a bit of a mess, but completely won me over. I suspect Ford chose the journal-entry structure because it's more forgiving (?) for a first novel (?) and the story Is rather shapeless and shaggy. But it's got so much charm & humour (British, duh) and utter sincerity. Love the characters. Wish to hell our Marina was more prolific...2 s Mollien Fote Osterman723 11

Title: Lovesick
Author: Marina Ford
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Reviewer: Mollien
Release Date: January 20, 2017
Genre(s): Male/Male Romance
Page Count: 208 pages
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:



Friday, 23 January
The cat funeral.
Yeah, that happened today. I went and participated in—aided and abetted?—a cat funeral.

London life is tough on idealists. In an ideal world, after years of flirtation, Leo would be cosily settled down with Jack, his long-time crush. In an ideal world, Jack wouldn’t now be engaged to a woman. And in an ideal world, Leo would move on.

When handsome new neighbour Alex moves in opposite Leo, an opportunity to do so presents itself. But Alex is working class, poorer than Leo, and probably straight. While Jack’s engagement unravels, and Leo’s friendship with Alex deepens, will Leo manage to find happiness with the right man? Or will he succumb to his enemies: self-doubt, family expectations, and pride?

Told in diary form, this is both the story of a love triangle in London and the chronicle of a man’s struggles to confront his self-image and overcome his insecurity.




Review:

This is an adorable debut story. Although I am not typically a fan of diary style writing, I found this story very entertaining and very engaging. It is told from the point of view of the main character, Leo. Basically, Leo is the under achiever of his family. Living his life without much distinction. Un his super accomplished, married sister. The story starts out at a funeral for a co-worker's cat. Yes, you read that correctly. While there Leo learns that his long time crush, the man that he idolizes and has been in a flirtatious relationship over the last four years, has gotten engaged to a beautiful woman from America. Heartbroken, Leo has way too much to drink and meets his new, seemingly straight, gorgeous, neighbor Alex. Alex is from the working class. He is a personal trainer with the hottest body that Leo has ever seen. The two develop a friendship and as Alex discovers his attraction to Leo, things become more complicated. Especially when Jack, Leo’s longtime crush starts to show more of an interest in Leo. There is strong chemistry in this story between Leo and Alex, but they have many hurdles to jump before their relationship can get off the ground. This story moves along quickly and is very easy to read. I pretty much read this story while waiting for a tow truck to fix my flat tire and was disappointed when my tire was fixed and I had to put this story down. The ending was pretty much predictable, but the journey to get there was fun and interesting. Since this story was written as a diary the character development is pretty one sided, but we do get to learn about Alex through Leo’s eyes.

PLOT: 4 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 4 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 4 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4 Stars


Review Copy of Lovesick provided by the Dreamspinner Press I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club
humorous male-male-romance Steph ??702 29

***3.75 stars***

This book is written in diary form from Leo's POV. It is a documentation of Leo's life. His perceptions, feelings and interpretations of things that happen to him in his life. Given this, don’t expect insight on behalf of the other characters. In fact, there are a few parts in the story, mainly after the breakup, that I wish I had Alex’s POV. Case in point: Michael who wants to be more than friends with Alex, yet Alex is oblivious to it all. It would have been nice to know what was going on, if anything, during their "break", but....nope. Needless to say, at those times I felt I was missing out on information that might have been possibly going on behind the scenes.

Let me just say, this is a very humorous read, not to mention enjoyable. I loved, yes LOVED Leo's witty and snarky behavior. Seriously, the boy needs it when it comes to his family. Even though Leo’s family is accepting, they treat him as if he's a slacker. When in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Leo not only holds a PhD, but he lectures at the university and has written articles that have been published in Journals. All of this and he is only 29. I know, right!?!

You would think he would take great care and learn from his parents actions, but as you guessed it....nope. He in turn treats Alex unfairly, making him feel less for his chosen profession, and it is just upsetting. Seriously, for what they have together, to almost come to an end because of something so small and ridiculous, is really frustrating. Thank goodness one of them, *coughs* Alex, has his head on straight and helps Leo realize what really matters. That same person also had the courage to make the first move.

With that said, I hope there might be a continuation of the story with a second diary or an alternate viewpoint; possibly from Alex's POV. Regardless, we are left with a beautifully written ending with much hope for both characters finding their HEA with each other.

Side Note: You cannot help but love Leo’s friend Lucy and all her raunchy lines. Seriously, they are highlight worthy.

I am one of many reviewers at Gay Book Reviews and can be found here: http://gaybook./author/steph/

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.gay-book- z-read-in-2017 ItsAboutTheBook1,447 31

Review can be read at It's About The Book

This was a fun read with very charming characters. The story is told from POV of Leo, a British professor, in diary form. I know that would normally make me hesitant but once I settled in it all worked for me. I’d also never read this author but I d this book enough to make sure I watch out for whatever she writes next. It’s sweet but not too sweet. Funny and engaging. I d it a lot.

Leo is a bit of a snob but a mostly likable one. He had his moments where I wanted to smack him. Alex is adorable! He’s seriously the nicest guy. The guys go from friends to lovers. Which is exactly what he needed after his self absorbed crush strings him along. There are some problems stirring however. Leo comes from money. His career path is academia. He wants to travel. Alex is a personal trainer. Something he loves but he doesn’t make enough money for all the things Leo wants to do and isn’t comfortable with having his way paid for. Their different views on this cause a major blow up. The reasoning behind this left me with a bad taste in my mouth in regards to Leo. I felt he was totally in the wrong. Yes his feelings are valid but you don’t get to look down on someone for not matching your ambition to be more when they’re happy as they are. The way it’s spun makes it seem him being a pompous jerk forces Alex to want to be more. This is literally the only problem I had with the book. It ends happily but thinking back it still bugs me. The rest is lovely. I read it in one sitting.

Leo’s friends were a lot of fun. I think they helped balance out Leo’s serious career driven side. Particularly his promiscuous loud mouthed friend, Lucy. OMG the back and forth with her and Leo was almost as satisfying as the page time with Leo and Alex. She cracks me up! I laughed out loud quite a few times reading this book. The dialogue is witty and engaging. Leo’s thought process was very entertaining. At times he’s a mess. He’s also frustrating! I really enjoyed this book. The love story is sweet and the guys are super sexy together. Definitely worth picking up if you love a British love story with some laughs. I recommend it.whit Maji9

Really enjoyed this gay rom-com a la Bridget Jones!

Written in diary entries, you get the day-by-day play-by-play of one Leo Taylor, a post-war history lecturer at an anonymous university. (I believe it's anonymous as I can't really remember if the name of the uni was mentioned or not. :P Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

Aside from the slightly overbearing parents, the never-ending comparisons to his golden child-status sister, and some wacky friends, the meat of the story revolves around his budding relationship with his new neighbour, Alex Landi, and his kinda-crumbling relationship with his co-worker, professor Jack Gordon.

If you and get English humour, then this book, you will enjoy! I do have to say, though, that there was something ever-so-slightly American about some of the dialogue, but you get over it kinda quickly. It's kinda dry, kinda roundabout, and overall enjoyable and not too in-your-face (aside from the scenes involving Lucy.)

I d the pace that Leo and Alex moved at, if a little rushed as it is only 192 pgs. long.

As far as the conflict is concerned, it was a tad bit frustrating seeing as how the main issue between the characters was a simple lack of communication.

And it wasn't even really one of those burlesque-y, over-the-top misunderstandings, which would've been more enjoyable.

It was simple lack of listening and waiting one's turn to speak that caused most of the drama in the novel between two 30-year-olds. :(

Other than that, I enjoyed the story. Pretty light-hearted, nothing too heavy or meaty.

Would I reco this quick read? Of course! There's also quite a set-up for a second novel as well!

I know this review is kinda crap lol BUT I'M TIRED. Shawna (endemictoearth)2,073 32

*sigh* 2.5 stars, rounded up, I guess.

I enjoyed parts of this Bridget Jones' Diary retread, but now that Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall exists . . . this pales in comparison. It might not be fair to compare them, and they're not exactly a, but the inspiration for both is clearly BJD. This one really goes for the whole diary thing, which is sometimes hard to swallow, that people can confidently remember how conversations go after the fact. (I mean, yes, unreliable narrator, got it, but still.)

Leo is posh (posher than we know for most of the book) and ends up in a relationship with a lower class bloke from across the hall in his apartment building. There are some lovely moments to their relationship, a truly frustrating dark moment that stretches out way long due to non-communication, and while the ending is sweet, I wasn't sufficiently convinced they could last for the long haul.

(Also, Alex is a personal trainer, and I'm always super wary of that in these kind of books, because there is inevitably going to be fatshaming and obsession with fitness/looks. It actually comes more from Leo than from Alex, but I got tired of hearing the word fat bandied about.)2020 library-book m-m Suze3,597

3/3.5* for a fun, light read. Told as a first person narrative in diary form, we do only get Leo’s thoughts as well as actions - the other charcters remain somewhat at a remove.
It is a bittersweet slice of life - Leo pining for Jack, then having his rose tinted specs removed; his friendship with his new neighbour then moves to infatuation and eventually into a relationship; he turns 30 so we get a look at that through his friends as they make that transition from hip young things to adults!; families and all their foibles come under scrutiny too.
I d the dialogues, appealed to me as a British reader. Leo was a bit of a pompous idiot at times but did learn his lessons. Alex seemed the gentle giant but I did miss hearing his thoughts about his attraction to Leo and then dealing with his family.
Interesting secondary characters. Amneris CesareAuthor 36 books51

Loved it. Despite the bad review I read on goodreads, I found this book very appealing, and the "diary" thing is kind of appropriate. Loved the way it's written, Leo, the MC is real and reminded me of Daniel of In the middle of nowhere by Roan Parrish. Nice and entertaining. MaelleMaud769

Leo &...
This was real fun! I loved the snark humour of Leo and his story had a ‘feel real’ vibe all along. It was really the excellent gossip of an unlucky friend then lucky
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