Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Listen Closely" by Leon Egan. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers to please keep that in mind!)
"A heartwarming, cozy YA romance, perfect for fans of You've Got Mail, from the highly - acclaimed author of Lover Birds.
Jude's smile is magnificent. Their sharp edges melted away into a rare and beautiful joy. The flash illuminates them as their photo is taken, and for just a second, they glow. It feels like lightning has struck.
When Jude and Aiden are paired up together for an internship at a local radio station, things are awkward. Jude is quiet, withdrawn, has one friend, and is suspicious of everyone. Aiden is charming, outgoing, and popular, with a seemingly easy confidence and golden retriever energy.
But after they discover a shared love of podcast dreams, Jude and Aiden realise that they have more in common than they first realised - especially after Aiden reveals that he is a huge fan of Jude's own podcast, The Night Merchant.
With a wonderful and original meet - cute premise, an adorable couple with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic and gorgeous chemistry, and themes of forced proximity, found family, and mistaken identity, Listen Closely is an irresistible, heartwarming, swoon - worthy romance and a beautiful coming - of - age story - perfect for fans of You've Got Mail, Heartstopper, and Rainbow Rowell."
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.
So the reason I wanted to read this is because I. LOVE. QUEER. BOOKS. I think at this point we already know. What really did surprise me however is I did not realise that I'd already DNF'd "Lover Birds", Leon's other book. Why did this surprise me you ask? Well, one it's before they changed their name, but two I absolutely adored this book. Friends, I'm so glad I got another chance to read Leon's works. This book was SO good. It hit every single trope that I wanted from a queer book. For example, the found family in this book genuinely made my heart so happy. Was there bad communication at times? Yes. Was there times where I genuinely did not know what was going to happen between everyone? Absolutely. However it was executed so perfectly and genuinely felt like such a real and authentic friend group. I loved that this book was dual POV. Getting to see both Jude's and Aiden's side of the stories was incredible, and seeing what emotions they brought out in each other made it feel so much more real. This book had me cackling with the witty banter (I see you with the black mould joke), but also broke my heart at times whilst talking about real life queer issues, and just Aiden's and Jude's thoughts and feelings in general. If you're going to read this I definitely recommend grabbing a pack of tissues for both the happy and sad tears. I loved the grumpy x sunshine theme. I loved listening to Jude & Aiden talk about their separate experiences as trans people. And I especially loved that we have yet another beautiful story around queer love. I will 100% be grabbing myself a copy of this one when I ger paid.
I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads
This book is already out!
What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Doe!
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