Shay Maloney is living his dream—on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in. The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more … about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself. But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realises he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.
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Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is one of those books that I nearly dumped! NEARLY, but didn’t.
Ollie said something, Shay said something, I forget who said what, but one of them said something that made the book a whole LOT more readable and I wanted to know what more. More Ollie, more Shay, just plain MORE! Cos ya’ll know how greedy I am!
I loved that, when Ollie was keeping the things he found about Shay’s family from Shay til certain points, he kept it from US too, and we only found it all out, just as Shay does. Loved being kept on my toes for that!
I loved that what happened to Ollie isn’t immediately laid out for you and you have to piece together the clues. Again, we don’t get the FULL picture til Ollie tells Shay all about it.
There is immediately attraction between the guys, yes, but it’s a way WAY through the book before they actually get their sexy time, and strangely, I think I would have preferred that they did NOT have on-screen time, you know? I was loving the EMOTIONS that run rife through the book, real gut wrenching ones in places, and the sexy time, while still emotional for the guys, it kinda felt thrown in, that it was supposed to be there, just because, if you see what I mean? probably not, I’m not making much sense, I know!
Both guys have a say, in the third person, so we get all of Ollie’s fear about doing this again, about being behind the camera again. We get all of Shay’s growing feelings for Ollie, and we get it all from them both when the full history of Shay is revealed.
So, because it took me a while to fully engage . . .
4 solid stars
**same wroded review will appear elsewhere**
I’ve so looked forward to the release of The Edge of the World for some time. Judging by the blurb, I should have inhaled it and based on how long I had anticipated reading it, I expected to do just that, but it took me a long time to fully connect with the story. In the end, I really enjoyed the story of Shay and Ollie and thought it was very unique. I’d definitely say that the latter half was my favorite part, but the slow burn of their romance was lovely as a whole.
No surprise as this is one of my must-read authors, but the writing in The Edge of the World is especially beautiful. I loved the gentle, flawed main characters, and really appreciated the way the author captured the nuances of their individual personalities and their relationship. This wasn’t one of those all-consuming romances filled with big declarations of love. The power was in the small details- notes, touches, unguarded smiles, and revelations. I also loved that Shay wasn’t a typical rock star, but a folk rock musician. It was different and gave the book a unique, memorable quality. Additionally, the genealogy project aspect was an interesting way to bring the characters together and I enjoyed the slow path Ollie took Shay and the reader on as he revealed his roots. Although the quiet tempo of the book fit the characters and romance perfectly, it did dull my interest at times. I found The Edge of the World to be a beautiful book I had to slowly consume versus one that I can scarcely put down, so I think it’s best suited for readers in the mood for depth and quiet, deep love versus the fervent, fast burns.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
This book was beautiful. Almost swoon worthy. I fell so connected yo Shay and Ollie. It’s a delicious slowburn with dual POV.
It’s not your typical rockstar romance. I loved how Shay’s family history was revealed through Ollie’s genealogy research. Ollie and Shay work together so well. I love the progress of their relationship. You can see them falling in love.
I was really excited to read this when I first saw the blurb and that fantastic cover. I’m glad it worked out in the end with all the shit that went down. Totally recommend to everyone.
*ARC provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Another wonderful book by Garrett Leigh.
The Edge of the World is the kind of story that kind of tears me up and puts me back together again. It’s not really so much a rock star story like I thought it was going to be. It’s more of a slow-burn romance between two guys with each of them having baggage to deal with.
We get hints along the way about what has made Ollie the way he is: afraid to let anyone close to him, doesn’t want to be touched, but it’s pretty far into the story before we learn for sure what happened.
Shay is dealing with Type I Diabetes and he’s pretty good at coping on his own. The rigors of life on the road can make it difficult to manage his sugar levels, though. Fortunately, he has people around him that care about him and can recognize the signs when something isn’t right.
The other running plot line has Ollie helping Shay, who is adopted, to discover his heritage. It’s slow in developing but when we finally learn everything it was a nice surprise for this reader as well as for Shay.
One of my favorite things about the books I’ve read by Garrett Leigh is how “British” they are. I never fail to learn new-to-me words when I read one of her stories and The Edge of the World was no exception. I’m looking forward to enjoying more of her books.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
The Edge of the World is “rock” star meets filmmaker, tour-bus road trip meets self-discovery. As per Garrett Leigh’s MO, the plot is an interesting twist on tropes, but the characters compel the reader forward as the story unfolds. Part of what I love a Leigh’s writing is mastery of the “character arc,” the growth the characters endure (yes, endure, lol) to arrive at their “happy” destination—HEA or HFN. As in other books I’ve read by this author, the characters started out hiding behind the (figurative) detritus of troubled lives, but twist by turn they shed layers of tarnish until, in the end, united they shine. This novel takes the reader on a deep dive into how love heals Ollie’s broken life—a brokenness he’s well aware of and uses to defend against the vagaries of chance. On the other hand, it’s a ride along with Shay, who takes a path to love that fills up his vast empty spaces, an emptiness he keeps secret even from himself—perhaps mostly from himself. And, taken altogether, it’s a romance that transcended my high expectations.
I recommend this book for readers who yearn for deep characters and stories full of music and discovery.
This book is wonderful..
If I Could give this book 100 stars I would so very easily.
I was absorbed from the first page , I knew I wouldn’t want this book to finish .
Ollie and Shay are complex , they Garrett has written about their story is so real to me I so don’t want to let them go…. That doesn’t happen is most books that I read…
Such a beautiful story-line that can be in parts emotional , I really felt this book.
Their chemistry is magnetic this book is written so beautifully as all of Garrett’s are, I always one click ..
Mystery , intrigue, history , ancestry and much more and don’t forget love …..
I now will find it difficult to start another book …
Thank you Garrett Leigh so writing such wondrous book.
As usual Garrett Leigh’s characters are beautifully constructed and the chemistry is impossible to ignore. I appreciate how the challenges each character faces in life accentuate their strength.
Dan Calley’s narration was wonderful, and I find myself looking forward to any book he has narrated even if it isn’t a story that usually catches my attention.
This book is typical Garrett Leigh in so many ways–throughly “real” MCs, angst, a touch of heartbreak, and that oh so lovely HEA only she can deliver–and yet it was so much more than the 5-star experience I know I’ll get with every GL book. The Edge of the World is *soft* despite all of the blunt edges of the MCs. It’s grief, pain, and frustration, and it’s also comfort, connection, and passion.
I highly rec the audiobook too!
Audiobook review:
Overall: 5
Performance: 5
Story: 5
When I read this book back in January 2020, I absolutely loved it. Getting to experience all over again as an audiobook was a pleasure. It took me a couple of books to get used to Dan Calley’s voice but now that I’ve listened to several, I can appreciate his style and voice. He does several different accents for this book and each was distinct from the other. I will definitely listen to more books that he performs.
Below is my original review from January.
Another wonderful book by Garrett Leigh.
The Edge of the World is the kind of story that kind of tears me up and puts me back together again. It’s not really so much a rock star story like I thought it was going to be. It’s more of a slow-burn romance between two guys with each of them having baggage to deal with.
We get hints along the way about what has made Ollie the way he is: afraid to let anyone close to him, doesn’t want to be touched, but it’s pretty far into the story before we learn for sure what happened.
Shay is dealing with Type I Diabetes and he’s pretty good at coping on his own. The rigors of life on the road can make it difficult to manage his sugar levels, though. Fortunately, he has people around him that care about him and can recognize the signs when something isn’t right.
The other running plot line has Ollie helping Shay, who is adopted, to discover his heritage. It’s slow in developing but when we finally learn everything it was a nice surprise for this reader as well as for Shay.
One of my favorite things about the books I’ve read by Garrett Leigh is how “British” they are. I never fail to learn new-to-me words when I read one of her stories and The Edge of the World was no exception. I’m looking forward to enjoying more of her books.
I saved it and am so glad, what a beautiful story. I already miss Ollie and Shay.
I love this author’s work. This is a mm contemporary story set in the UK. Musician Shay and film maker Ollie are both broken souls. They find each other and the road to love is rough. Excellent writing and story telling. This author is an auto buy for me.
Garrett Leigh books are never going to be full of sunshine and roses, her characters are real, their lives are never pretty and their issues are ongoing but damn their HEA is well earned and you feel like it’s completely real. Ollie and Shay were wonderful, their love story totally believable, I’d love to see where they are in 5 years time (hint hint Garrett).