In lieu of a full review, please enjoy the messages I sent at about the halfway point of the book to my friend (hey Becca!) with my feelings (Some of my feelings about them together did change by the end once all the nonsense got out of the way, but like damn this read was a slog at times):

I'm about to leave for home so i can finish Try Me and attempt to get over the fact that I just don't like Chet and Mark for each other

oh I'm not stopping, and tbh I like both Chet and Mark as characters, I just don't like them together, their flirting and banter and sex teasing are in this awkward antagonistic but not antagonistic enough to be interesting space where I'm like babes genuinely what is the draw here

also there's too many things, there's the connection of Eric/Nate, of Cam, of their childhoods, of their fathers, of the firm, of the competing for the spot IN the firm, of John and Barrett and now some random named I think Errol???? (i just finished the BJ at the gay club scene and said okay that's enough before bed)
and i'm sitting here like
yes you've done maybe TOO good a job at showing me why they shouldn't work as a couple but you've put ZERO legwork into why I should want it to work out anyway

I've fucked with childhood best friends to enemies to lovers before, but like why am i reading a 400m hurdle race worth of obstacles they have to get through, pick a struggle

highkey i think i just wish the law firm wasn't in this, it doesn't feel like it's adding anything, they're in college so there had to be other ways to get them interacting, and childhood best friends to star crossed baby-lovers to enemies to semi-allied and still star crossed rivals to lovers is too many to's

4.5 rounded up

This was very fun and very steamy.

Childhood friends, to enemies kind of, to secret lovers. I really liked Chet and Mark. They had a great connection, and a strong pull that they couldn’t resist no matter how hard they tried.

Loved the banter and constant competition!

This was a really well done friends to enemies to lovers. Enemies to lovers is not a favorite trope of mine, usually because the enemy portion isn’t well explained or believable. But this one was. And the circumstances to bring Mark and Chet back in each other’s orbits was also very believable. And I can’t say it was bi awakening, because Mark already described himself as heteroflexible. So Mark’s concern of the feelings he was developing had less to do with sexuality and more about their families’ past relationships and their daddy issues. Speaking got daddy issues - I liked the contrast of Chet’s dad being the good father even though he was a criminal, and Mark’s dad being a grade A asshole but never held accountable for his dealings that were never n the grey zone. Also - what kind of rat threatens a kids future like that? I wish he’d gotten some payback.

I loved the banter and text exchanges. The one in the library was hilarious and hot.

I liked the second book in this series much less than the first. I cared about the characters, but I didn't like the execution of the romance. Yes it was sexy and steamy. But the relationship was a hard sell, i'm not sure I bought it.