Revised and edited versionNoah SinclairNoah Sinclair is best described as an egotistical, pompous, anal retentive, asshat. And those are his better qualities. Lately, Noah has lost touch with his playboy character “Jace” on the show Americana and can’t quite put his finger on why. The studio decides it is time to shake up his character by making him an offer he can’t refuse, literally. They will … up his character by making him an offer he can’t refuse, literally. They will introduce a new love interest for his character “Jace.” Only this time, there’s a twist.
Josh Hill
Josh Hill is up a creek and sinking fast. He’s got no job, no money, no credit and is about to be kicked out of his apartment. Opportunity comes in the form of a job offer from the show Americana. Everything should be perfect; only there is one hitch. He will be the new love interest for Noah Sinclair’s character on the beloved show.
So, opposites are supposed to attract, right? Not so fast. No one said life was that easy. Both actors find themselves in untested waters. Will they be able to play a same-sex couple with no prior experience authentically? Well, they say practice makes perfect.
Carefree, fun-loving Josh and uptight, overbearing Noah, realize they need to make the best of their bad situation and are forced to find common ground. Over time, their roles in each other’s lives become blurred. Is their attraction fake, or is it real? To top it off, Noah has a dark skeleton in his closet that can prevent them from ever moving forward.
Can they get on the same page and save both of their careers and their relationship?
Or will they end up yesterday’s tabloid fodder?
(Just Like Heaven is a full-length, slow-burn love story. It contains a cast of fully-developed characters that encounter romance, heartache, laughter, and life lessons. The book has darker themes that may act as triggers to some readers. It contains adult language, mature themes, and is best enjoyed by those over the age of 18.)
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Where do I even begin? This is one of the longest, most detailed books I’ve read in a long time, and I was hooked by the second chapter. I couldn’t put it down!
This book follows Noah and Josh at work, on-set of the popular show ‘American,’ and off-set in their lives. Sometimes life begins to imitate art, or in this case, maybe there was a behind the scenes push. Noah was raised by an emotionally, and physically, abusive father for the majority of his life. This monster’s words live long in Noah’s mind and affects everything he does. Josh comes from a loving family, but has never opened up about his bisexuality. These men hit it off at first, their chemistry being palpable, but feelings start to develop, and Noah succumbs to his inner turmoil, causing their working relationship to be volatile, and the easy friendship they started to disappear. This story is theirs, and it is painful, beautiful, fun, and tragic all at once.
It was easy to see into the mind of the author, and her vision for each character and how the story unfolds. The writing was imaginative, consistent, with an easy flow. I was so wrapped up in the book that I forgot about everything else. All that existed was Noah, Josh, and their love story.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure. A review wasn’t a requirement. ***
Noah and Josh had always thought of themselves as straight. Then their show decided the two were going to start a relationship. With each other. Suddenly they’re noticing each other in a whole new light. Will their newfound feelings make way for a whole new relationship, or will the obstacles in their way be too much for them to get past?
Just Like Heaven could have been great. It has the potential for it. It has good bones. Unfortunately, too many things got in the way, there was so much going on that it clouded the story too much. Not to mention that their relationship was wholly toxic. They broke up more than once. They said horrible things to each other, they did horrible things to each other because of hurt feelings. Then one of their backstories turned out to be pretty heinous, and all those things in combination were just too much for my tastes. And, the thing that really hurt my enjoyment is that I ended up disliking both of them. Yep. If I dislike both the main characters, then I can’t rate above 3 stars unfortunately.
This is definitely a story on what is wrong in Hollywood!
The paparazzi runs amok!
Ambitions get in the way of personal connections.
Hollywood moguls play with people’s lives and some aren’t strong enough to say ‘no.’
Poverty and desperation drive young men to take deals they aren’t comfortable with.
Fame is fleeting…at best.
And when love comes from an unexpected direction, there are no clear guidelines on how to proceed.
But when threats become real, only the strong are able to survive.
The Young American cast is diverse, engaging and for the most part continue to grow as the show continues. There are times the story drags, but it you push on (and it is a long, long book) the end is worth it. Just prepare…there is a second installment and you’ll need to plan on reading it to get the full benefit of the love story, characters and passion!
A slow-burn Hollywood romance.
In “Just Like Heaven” we’re introduced to a dynamic cast of characters. The two main characters, Josh and Noah, are opposites in so many ways, which works so well at sparking their chemistry.
Intense and in some ways unhealthy, their budding relationship is as lovely as it is heartbreaking. Cue the start of a roller-coaster ride of emotions as they battle through their relationship journey as well as try to outrun challenges from their past.
The story captures the themes of the difficulties of coming out, as well as dealing with PTSD. The story is evocative and doesn’t travel an easy path. The author successfully captures the struggle of abuse and personal identity, and does so by pushing the characters to the limit.
The overall plot and characters were strong and captured my attention. The pacing was a little slow at times, making it a little too easy to skim ahead. But despite some pacing concerns, I was emotionally invested in Josh and Noah’s romantic and personal journeys, and will definitely check out the next book.
Disclosure: Includes M/F scenes.
Both Noah and Josh’s characters were written better than expected. Its always amazing to see how total opposites end up being the most attracted to one another. Josh, despite his personal troubles, is the outgoing free spirit. Naturally Noah had to be the asshole most people could easily walk away from. This book was very long but made sense. There were points where things seemed a little mundane, but that may just be my trying to rush things along and see what develops for the MCs.
Overall, there were mentions of abuse, violence ,and other triggers. These two did end up finding a comfortable place. Be prepared for a slow burn.
**I received this ARC from Gay Romance Reviews for my honest feedback.**
I felt like there was a lot of things going on with this story. Friends to Lovers that have a lot of chemistry. They are two actors on a show called Americana and one of them is the new love interest. The story grabs you right from the beginning. I had a hard time putting it down. It was actually a really good story. I definitely recommend this one, enjoyable!!
I am voluntarily leaving a review form an ARC that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions