Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below. 4.5 stars rounded up

He rolls his eyes and smiles, showing off his deep dimples that I’m sure have helped him get away with murder his entire life.

I read the third book in this series first (thankfully they’re standalones), and even though I loved it and was planning on reading Cali Boy sometime, I wasn’t actually planning on reading it so soon. Alas, Charli Meadow’s writing is just so good and I love the tropes, the possessiveness and protectiveness the MCs show, and just the overall vibe. I think it’s very easy to get hooked on this author’s writing. I am now gleefully looking forward to reading the second book.

I gulp so loud I almost choke on my own tongue. I’m positive he heard it echoing like a fucking foghorn in this otherwise silent room. Ass dimples. He has ass dimples.

There’s some dark stuff that happens in the book, and the characters have had some trauma previously, but it doesn’t read dark. I found it uplifting and made me optimistic for the boys’ future. I generally avoid books with very young MCs because I have a hard time picturing them actually staying together, but I think Charli did a fantastic job with making me believe in their future. An adorable epilogue certainly helped. There’s just something about the hurt/comfort trope that really hits the spot for me every time, and I love seeing sad boys get their HEA. Charli Meadows has expertly nailed those two things (and loads of other things), and has a direct line to my hurt/comfort-loving heart.

“Thanks, Gabe,” Ollie says politely, and I swear to God he better call me Daddy before he ever calls my father Dad.

I would have loved to see a bit more of the relationship development between Finn and his dad, as that dynamic was quite important to the characters, but I’m glad we got a glimpse at how it all turns out, atleast.

Oliver truly was a ray of sunshine to Finn’s grumpy, but Finn was complete putty in his Ollie’s hands.