My Boys

<b>Priorities</b><br /><br />3.5 stars - I really love that Francine "Frankie" has been friends with Bryce, Noah, and Lucas since they were kids. They have a deeply entwined history going back about two decades, to Frankie's first kiss and before. <br /><br />As much as I like the knowledge of the past, and the tales are interesting, initially the back and forth between present and past rubbed me wrong but as the story moved forward, there are fewer looks back and my opinion lightened. They do provide some context to future actions.<br /><br /><blockquote><i><b>“Tell me something.” I somehow found a thought outside the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. “If you saw me kissing Lucas or Noah like this, how would it make you feel?”<br /><br />He considered me a moment, his pupils large and telling that he probably wasn’t thinking with the right head at this moment. He swallowed hard. “I’d probably wonder when it was my turn.”</b></i><br />-- Frankie and Bryce ??</blockquote><br /><br />The varying relationships between the kids / adults and their parents, especially their mommas, were real and sometimes difficult. Mrs. Wilkes and Mrs. Kemp were easily favorites. Mrs. Moore was prickly and... very set in her ways.<br /><br />Overall, I was happy with the book but I wasn't as invested in the outcome as I expected to be. There was chemistry between Frankie and her men but it didn't scorch the pages. There's plenty of steaminess but it sometimes feels perfunctory.

<br />Pages: 230<br />My rating: 3<br />Read other books by this author in the future: no<br />MC: Frankie, Noah, Bryce, Lucas<br /><br />Frankie, Noah, Bryce and Lucas meet when Frankie and her mum move to their neighbourhood. There are flashbacks to their relationship when the met, or when they were teens but only a few. Frankies mum is divorced, pretty conservative and does not like that Frankie has three friends, who are boys. The stay together through school, college and are now working their first jobs. Only Lucas started to work right after Highschool. They meet regularly and at one point decide all wanted to upgrade their relationship and they go for it.<br /><br />This book is a little smutty and there are parent issues with Frankies mum and her roommate. It was an okay book with some smut in it, but the book and writing style was not my cup of tea!<br />

<strong>Liked it</strong><br /><br />Sweet read. I like friends to lovers books. These friends were already really familiar with each other and it was almost the most realistic RH I could possibly think of. Like they actually had their own lives and it wasn't just crazy bedroom acrobatics once they decided to be together. I liked that.

This is the first story by Alyssa Clark that I have read. I will be reading more in the future! I really enjoyed this story because it took me into the middle, like I was a fly on the wall and was able to see what was going on and what each of the characters was felling and going through. It made the characters feel real and very well rounded. Like you could walk into a restaurant and pick out one of the characters sitting at a table. One of the things I really liked about this story is the fact that it took you into the psyche of what it is like to have a poly relationship. Yes, these four have known each other for many years and had each other's back. I liked the fact that two of the mothers were very supportive of the group from the time they were kids. This is a story about friends to lovers without making it all about tons of hot scenes. There are hot scenes, but it is more about a great story.<br /><br />Frankie didn't have the best life at home. After her father left them, her mother became a very bitter person who pushed her beliefs and expectations on her daughter. It almost seemed like Frankie couldn't do anything right in her mother's eyes. Good thing she ran into Bryce, Noah and Lucas as soon as her and her mother moved into the neighborhood. The boys took her under their wings and made her part of the group. They were all supportive of each other as they all grew up. Frankie was fortunate that her absent father had set up a college fund for her so she could pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. She never had to worry about tuition, books, room and board all through college, even in residency. Granted, in residency she was sharing an apartment with another girl, not a friend of hers. Frankie and the guys got together every other week to keep tabs on each other and share what they were going through.<br /><br />Lucas had an absentee father with a mother that wasn't the best either. He was the most serious and grown up kid in the group. That never changed. The only difference between him and the rest is that he never went to college. He worked doing all sorts of household repairs and yard work When his mother passed, he inherited her home and the first thing he did was gut it. That way he can get rid of all the bad memories and create the home and memories he wants.<br /><br />Bryce was always the spoiled and entitled one of the group. His parents spoiled him but were the most caring parents to the whole group. He was chunky as a kid until high school when he got into sports and got fit and buff. Then he became the playboy. He went through women all the time. Never had a serious relationship and when he had one of his girls around the group, the girl was sent to get the drinks and was never treated with respect. <br /><br />Noah became an attorney. He was the one that had the mother that cared for them all, but was also scared of her. She would have put a Marine sergeant to shame, but she cared about them all. He was the one of the group who had the nicest car and apartment, even though his parents taught him to be thrifty. He had a good head on his shoulders, but still knew how to have fun with his friends.<br /><br />They all had one problem. They could never have a decent relationship with anyone because the one thing they wouldn't give up was their group. They each also had a secret they kept, the guys knew that each of them were in love with Frankie, but didn't want to mess up their friendship dynamic. When Frankie started to realize that maybe she felt more than just friendship with the guys, she knew she had to speak to them about it. When Bryce kissed her, she asked how the others would feel if they saw them kissing. He told her that they would want to kiss her next.<br /><br />I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Frankie became friends with Noah, Bryce and Lucas when they were kids and as they grew up, they just became closer. Until soon sparks are flying between them but Frankie won’t choose between them. What if she doesn’t have to choose? Fast-paced read with and entertaining story and loads of steam. I liked the characters and the story held my interest throughout. A good read.

<b>Underwhelming</b><br /><br />My Boys is a friends-to-lovers reverse harem story. The FMC, Frankie, grew up with 3 boys on the same street. They all experience relationships outside each other before realizing they want to be with Frankie and the guys decide they are cool to share her. <br /><br />As far as plot: There really isn't one? The relationship itself <i>was</i> the plot. If you're looking for plot or danger then this one is not for you. If you want an easy-to-read book about a new relationship then that's what you'll find here. <br /><br /><input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="a120db36-0b66-49bb-8f77-8eb9800b884b" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="a120db36-0b66-49bb-8f77-8eb9800b884b"><br />- As other reviewers have mentioned; there are a few typos in this book. They may have been edited a bit between other reviews and when I read this because I didn't think it was overwhelming or distracting and I'm normally a stickler for that.<br /><br />- As a whole I didn't really FEEL the romantic love between the characters. I'm not sure if the writer was relying on the fact that they were all best friends first so didn't feel the need to write in as much tension or what. <br />For example: if it were one of my friends confiding in me about some of the things Lucas in particular was saying and doing I feel like I would tell my friend that he didn't seem like he was all that into her. It's mentioned that a lot of time goes by where Lucas keeps things very platonic between them shortly after Frankie moves in. She has to essentially throw herself at him to receive any affection, confesses she loves him, then basically has to beg him to return the sentiment. He does, but it feels like an appeasement... "of course I do love you" (cue side-eye). If Frankie is someone he's been wanting for 10ish years, why is there such resistance? We don't get the added benefit of having any of the guys' POV in this book so it's hard to say how much is Lucas protecting his own heart vs the possibility that yeah he likes Frankie but may not feel as strongly as she does. It comes across as him not being very interested to me.<br /><br />- There are some sexy times, but those are fairly vanilla. The group scene is the spiciest but was kind of awkward as well.<br /><br />- We get a HFN and a clear opening for book 2. Unfortunately, I'm not invested enough to continue. <br /><br />- If this is your first RH, I encourage you to not make a decision about whether or not you like RH based on this book. There are so many more out there that have excellent plot and way more feeling.<br /></label>

Beginnings are the best way to bait readers. This book did not do it for me. In fact I was confused as to if “My boys” was related to “Nadia’s Boys” and if that meant reading all of the books by this Author to gain that understanding. <br /><br />When I first started reading this book I would love to say I figured that out, but I didn’t. Although the prologue did clear up the misconception that the writer was another crappy writer based on her pathetic excuse for a title. Although there are some spelling errors right way. Mrs Wilkes becomes Mrs Wilks then back to Wilkes again. There are several more small error that should have easily been caught, but the idea is there. <br /><br />For the most part I would strongly suggest the writer goes back to the draft board with this book and do a better job of editing. She could have easily dove into the flashbacks with a few more details while giving us an actual time frame for the present time. The reader is left to fill in the blank of age and what Frankie looks like. Lucas also needs a bit of work. If he is the Alpha than readers of this genre are expecting more. The same goes for Noah the brains and brawn, as well as Bryce the jokester that went all in. <br /><br />By the time we get to chapter twelve everything complete falls apart in the writing. The writer choose to write as if she doing quick voice over scenes of events that occurred without actually having any connecting moments. Then we get to chapter fifteen which has two of the mothers speaking their peace and it’s not bad, just lacking . We also see the Frankie acting uncharacteristic and a bit to dependent on her mother. This is until she actually walks up to her mother to speak her truth. <br /><br />I want to give the writer credit for trying to write a story with relationships that tell a story of family and how one person can affect many. Most of the character are flawed, the writing needs serious polish, but it wasn’t a bad idea. I recommend this book with the hope that this Author gets better by honing her craft and putting the work in.

<b>Childhood friends grow into lovers x 3</b><br /><br />My Boys is a Reverse Harem romance story with four childhood friends who become a whole lot more when they grow up. The story is about Francine, aka Frankie, and Bryce, Lucas and Noah. When Frankie and her mother had moved to a new home after her father had left them she becomes friends with the three boys who were already best friends. It is lucky for Frankie that she has My Boys as they become her support system regarding her mother, who is just a piece of work. As they grow up they remain a group and really do love each other. Well the boys are all in love with Frankie and she loves each of them. <br />After high school Frankie goes to university to become a doctor, which was her dream. She is lucky to be able to do this as her father had set-up a college fund before he left so everything is taken care of for her. Once a week she and the boys get together to catch up with and keep tabs on each other. All four were on different paths in life but yet they never lost the thread that tied them together as a group. <br />In this book they start to explore the beginnings of a relationship together, as none of them has been able to have a lasting relationship with anyone else. <br /><br />This is an interesting take on a RH which grows organically with friends turning into lovers and entering into what is a natural relationship for them. There is a lot of character development but at the same time they did not always come to life and were kind of in a lane the whole time and stayed there. The ending was a bit rushed also. Overall I found it to be an okay book which needs some polishing and another round with the proofreader/editor. There is a lot of potential with this story-line and characters though so hopefully the author will flush it out more.

<strong>Story was sweet but....</strong><br /><br />(Spoilers!!!)<br />I really liked this story, the characters had a sweet childhood where they bonded together and formed their little group. I liked the flash backs to when they were growing up which showcased their group dynamic. The main issue I had with this book was the MCs controlling mother. What a cow. Always controlling her daughter, calling her boys heathens, taking the word of the MCs jealous roommate over that of her daughter. The MC said it best when she said that her mother chose her ideals over her daughter, and I think that’s spot on. I, personally, am a ride or die biotch meaning to love someone is to love all the things about them. I just felt like at the end when the MC and her mom ‘made up’ seemed a little forced and that she didn’t really hold her mom accountable for her actions or her ridiculous controlling nature. Overall I enjoyed the book just not the mother- if my mom said any of that sh*t to me, I don’t think I would be as easily forgiving.

<strong>Potential </strong><br /><br />There’s potential with this book but right now this feels unpolished. I would’ve liked more than one point of view than just the female lead. I found myself liking more of the flashbacks and kinda hoping for a bit more in it. I also felt like the characters didn’t get delved into as deeply as they should have. The female lead was whiny and It seemed like the basis of the story was the need to continually assure each other that they wanted this. Side note, its gross that she was lounging in her scrubs. That is so gross all the germs and crap ?. There’s all this talk of love but I just didn’t feel a connection with her and the male characters not even during the steamy scenes. This book needs a lot of work before I’d tout it as a must read. As is, im happy it’s a KU book bc I would never buy this.