Blurb
Named after
the main character in his mother's infamous Oliver novels, Ollie's been
fighting his fictional namesake his whole life. It's a battle for identity he
is slowly and inevitably losing. Ex-army PTI, Tom knows all about battles--the
real ones that break soldiers. When he volunteers to help with the Oliver
situation, Ollie hears more in the offer than Tom apparently intends, for Tom
quickly informs Ollie that he's married. Which is absolutely fine, because
Ollie isn't gay--that's Oliver. Tom and Ollie discover fairly swiftly that
there is often a very fine dividing line between fact and fiction.
Best Line: Ollie’s cries turned into a wail of genuine
and total distress. “I’ve put my hand in dog shit!”"
This was
such a sweet, fun romance! Ollie is neurotic and ditzy and remarkably sweet
when he wants to be. He's moved to New Zealand to escape the shadow of his
mother's writing and maybe to write his own bestseller in the process.
Unfortunately, he's become a little too enamoured with cat videos (we've all
been there) and the sexy stranger who likes jogging past his house without his
shirt (Haven't been there but I like what I've seen in the travel brochures) to
get anything done!
Tom is a
life coach who sees a man in some desperate need of coaching plus he's totally
gorgeous in an ex-army I-will-solve-your-problems-by-taking-you-for-jogs type
way. Not really the path to romance I would have chosen but it works for Ollie.
Not that he's gay, of course. Oliver is gay. Ollie is... okay. Ollie is
probably a little bit gay.
I loved the interplay between Ollie's life and
the fictional Oliver's. Oliver is a creepy, underage manipulator who uses sex
to get what he wants. Despite their personality differences, Oliver's life has
mirrored Ollie's but always just been a little bit better. If Ollie got into a
good school, Oliver would get in, get perfect grades and probably be sleeping
with the headmaster. Living with this constant comparison and knowing that his
mother engineered it has left Ollie with an intense inferiority complex and
makes every scene with his mother (who is blithely unaware of how weird the
situation is)and her friends (hands down the best supporting characters ever)
uniquely uncomfortable.
Word of
warning. This is one of those books that didn't know when to quit. Chapter 21
has a sweet, charming ending that brought everything together in a way that
leaves you feeling buoyant and happy. Chapter Twenty Two onwards is a mire of
uncomfortable dithering and sex scenes that were better left somewhere far far
away from the shining, silly perfection of everything previous. Do yourself a
favour and just pretend that last quarter of the book doesn't exist. Do not
make my mistakes.
If you like
your romance sweet and silly and charming with just the right level of
legitimate angst, Ollie, Always is an
excellent choice to while away a few hours on your weekend!
Get it here https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01APNF1UK
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