A Heated Beat Story Will Barter’s been in love with his best mate Jack for as long as he can remember. They’ve shared everything: love, life, laughs, even Will’s first kiss. But Jack’s straight, and Will’s long-buried infatuation means nothing until their last summer together draws to a close. Then one night, everything changes, but with Will bound for university in Leeds, and Jack for his dream … Leeds, and Jack for his dream DJ job in Ibiza, there’s no time to explore their blurred lines. Before long all that’s left are secrets, lies, and misunderstandings.
In the months that follow, anger and hurt overshadow fifteen years of friendship, and Will must dig deep to remember Jack is his mate… his best mate, and nothing matters more than that, right?
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4.5 Stars Overall
5 Stars Narrator
4 Stars Story
This was a short, but heartwarming story of two, long-time friends. They’ve been there for each other, seen it all, and even lived next door. They were as close as two people could get. Will was gay, Jack was not, right? Right?
The story follows them over the course of a few years. Upon finishing school, Will moves on to Uni, and Jack goes off in search of living his dream of being a DJ. Their communication is spotty, superficial, and only through email. That is, until Will brings his friends, and current fling, with him to visit Jack for the first time in ages. Things started getting more emotionally driven from that visit.
There is a lot of angst—as expected with a book from Garrett Leigh—in this short story. These boys don’t seem to like to communicate. It’s like watching water boil. I wanted to yell at them so one would finally crack, and admit his feelings. People are so stubborn, but they’re also scared to lose an important relationship.
Garrett Leigh is a talented writer and storyteller. She’s also ridiculously talented at developing complex characters that draw you in and make you feel their pain. It’s a beautiful thing.
Dan Calley does a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. He puts so much emotion behind his narration. I enjoyed listening to him give the book a voice.
When you love your best friend (an audio review)
There are two Heated Beat stories and I listened to them back-to-back. This was the first one. Will has been in love with Jack forever. They’re best mates and share everything. But Jack’s straight and things will never work out, right? One night changes everything…and yet nothing…at the same time. Will heads off to university while Jack takes off for Ibiza with dreams of becoming a famous DJ. I have to admit, this wasn’t a profession I’ve given a lot of thought to, but Ms. Leigh has written a number of books centered around musicians and music, so I was able to get into the story pretty easily.
This friends-to-lovers story takes a few twists and turns. When Will goes to Ibiza there are plenty of misunderstandings and it takes a while for things to get straightened out. Eventually both men get their heads out of their tushes and figure out what’s most important to them. And yeah, Jack is definitely not as straight as Will believed.
The story is mostly told from Will’s point of view with only the final chapter in Jack’s. I am accustomed to Ms. Leigh’s uneven narration style so it didn’t surprise me. Would I have liked more of Jack? Sure. But did the story work? Sure. Finally I’ll mention Dan Calley’s narration. His voice just works with these two and I enjoyed this very much.
Audiobook review:
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Overall – 5
Angsty goodness and friends-to-lovers (which is one of my favorite romance tropes). I’m a sucker for stories where the gay guy falls for the (supposedly) straight guy who turns out to be not so straight. Will has crushed big time on Jack even though he knows that Jack is straight. At least that’s what he thought until things changed one summer.
Will and Jack remain friends but are separated for years due to Jack’s job and Will’s schooling. When they are reunited it takes a lot to undo the misunderstandings that have been left unresolved for too many years.
As usual, Dan Calley did a great job with his performance of this story. His voice was perfect for the characters. This relatively short audiobook held my attention from beginning to end and I thought it was a great listen.
A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author/narrator.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
I loved this story of two best friends growing up and discovering themselves. They keep in touch after doing their own things after school not as smooth running as they hoped. I really enjoyed the flow of writing and although a short read kept you gripped like a full novel.