Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The struggle is real....

Nick Stahlnecker is eighteen and not ready to grow up yet. He has a summer job, a case of existential panic, and a hopeless crush on the unattainable Jai Hazenbrook. Except how do you know that your coworker’s unattainable unless you ask to blow him in the porta-potty?

That’s probably not what Dad meant when he said Nick should act more like an adult.

Twenty-five-year-old Jai is back in his hometown of Franklin, Ohio, just long enough to earn the money to get the hell out again. His long-term goal of seeing more of the world is worth the short-term pain of living in his mother’s basement, but only barely.

Meeting Nick doesn’t fit in with Jai’s plans at all, but, as Jai soon learns, you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to have the adventure of a lifetime.

This is not a summer romance. This is a summer friendship-with-benefits. It’s got pizza with disgusting toppings, Netflix and chill, and accidental exhibitionism. That’s all. There are no feelings here. None. Shut up.

First edition published by Riptide Publishing, August 2016.

Book Review

Hilarious! From the first page, when Nick practically stumbles onto the scene, I was laughing at his antics, loving the way he looks at things, and secretly nodding my head. Some of the issues he has about growing up and having to behave like the adult he is supposed to be now that he is eighteen and about to leave for college – some of these issues occasionally bother me as well. ‘Adulting 101’ is the perfect title for this book and Nick’s struggle during the summer before he goes to college. The thing is that “to adult” didn’t even exist as a word until late in the 20th century, and appears to have shown up on Twitter first around 2008, but it is such a perfect verb. I had a lot of fun reading this novel and think everyone who can relate to still wanting to be a kid – even if not every day – will enjoy reading it.

“The struggle is real” it says in the blurb, and truer words have never been spoken where Nick is concerned. He is impulsive, has no filters, is delightfully honest and direct unless he tries to get away with something, and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. His well-meaning parents push him into choosing a college and a major – but Nick is terrified because he doesn’t think he wants to study criminology. He is supposed to have a job to earn some money for when he moves away but he can’t keep it. He admires Jai from afar and goes after him in the most adorably fumbling way – and suddenly they begin to hang out together. They are supposed to be f*ck buddies, or so they think, but they quickly develop a real friendship and share more than one tender moment.

Jai is twenty-five and loves to travel. He has made working three months in the summer, then traveling the rest of the year, into an art form. He is sort of shocked when Nick enters his life, but can’t help but be charmed as well. As they slowly get to know each other and have some very hot and sexy times together, Jai begins to get to know Nick. Jai has rarely been this entertained while staying at home to earn the money he needs for the next airfare, and he is the one who figures out the solution to Nick’s problem.
 
If you like stories about new adults and enjoy looking at the world through their eyes, if you want to see two “friends with benefits” slowly evolve into boyfriends – something they would never admit, and if you’re looking for a funny, romantic, and very hot read that will have you laughing more than once, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I can only hope there will be an ‘Adulting 201’ soon!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 222 pages/61600 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	22-March-2018
Price	$4.95 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Adulting-101-Lisa-Henry-ebook/dp/B07BNBVQZG