Try Me: Extracurricular Activities, Book 2

This book is a lot of things, but yet, it's one of the most natural and beautiful books out there. It's a story of two former friends who receive a second chance. Second chance stories aren't new in real life or books, but in fiction, it has to make sense why they came back together, and I need to believe that there's a reason that they fell in love in the first place; that this connection is tangible even when apart. Where I've had issues in other second chance romance novels is that the characters when apart aren't necessarily growing separately as individuals, and when they get back together, I don't always understand how they're still in love. What Neve does so well is even the scenes with a slight sense of embellishment still appear completely real because the characters' motivations feel genuine and their reactions are natural.Chet and Mark are childhood friends coming from a pretty privileged wrapped-in-a-bow life. Except it's not - pretty, at least. When they are in high school, Chet loses the life he's grown up with and accustomed to, and he loses trust in family friends and even Mark. Amid a flurry of emotions, Mark would always represent Chet's former life, everything he'd lost, and for Chet's own mental well-being, he had to lose Mark for a time being. Not only does he cut off Mark, but Chet cuts off a piece of himself, and it changes him.Several years later while both are in college, their lives are intertwined again through mutual friends and an internship. This isn't simply a story of seeing each other a bit later, and all of the hurts are quickly wiped away with some simple words. Chet is protective of his father and family, and without spoiling anything, he takes integrity seriously. When a mutual "friend" of theirs had problems with addiction, Mark blamed Chet. This is beyond a simple grievance, but a pain deep in his core. Mark may not understand fully why Chet has to cut him out, but he should know him better than that. So, yeah, it's a lot to unpack.Characters whether main or secondary have nuance with flaws and depending on the moment you may empathize or not. Whether actions are good or bad, you can feel the author is actively not judging her characters because there is no martyr in these stories.But you become immersed in this world where in the beginning you understand this really tender and innocent dynamic they had with each other, how young love feels so deeply intense and finite, and when it's broken and cracked, it's only a tenuous moment before it could all shatter.But it doesn't shatter. It cracks, but slowly it starts to seal. There's anger and hurt, there's shyness and the new, there's lust and endearment over ties and short, purple shorts, there's that warm center of blooming love.Moments in a diner of showing kindness to a mother, a glance in the library where you realize that someone you once trusted and adored is back to showing you his vulnerability, and crawling into windows because no matter what, you will always leave it open for you.This book is hot - fans of Neve will recognize her ability to snap her fingers and start a smut fire. It's witchcraft and spells of lust and orgasms are aplenty. But this is not Want Me or even Show Me. This is not necessarily shiny and new; while there is newness and exploration, this is deeper in many ways from the beginning. This is "what could have been" and "we can't know, but let's make it right." It's romantic.Nate and Eric are in here, and their moments are glorious. Simply perfection. Jesse and Sam, Cam, and the ever-mysterious Ansel. Perfect book is perfect.

I just finished this second book in the Extracurricular activities series last night and I am still trying to put words to my thoughts. Maybe they'll come while writing this review.Before I started reading this one, I did a re-read of Want Me, just so I could be familiar with the characters again. It made me realize how much I loved that book, actually, and it made me uprate to 5 stars instead of the original 4 I gave. So, getting into this book I had HIGH expectations, and to be honest, it never really met them. But, having said that, it still was a fine, solid read. Very well written, hot and sexy, but also with a story and a romance, kind of everything I hope to find when diving into a story.So what made it that it didn't meet my expectations?I can't even tell exactly. First, it took me a while to get into the story. To get the feeling of Mark and Chet. It wasn't there right away. These were characters that had to grow on me. Eventually they did, though, and when that happened - I think somewhere the second half of the book - I really started to enjoy the story. I wanted to know how they would reach their HEA and how they would be able to make sure Mark's dad wouldn't ruin everything they had.Their chemistry was hot from the beginning, really, really hot (!), but I just found it hard to connect to them and I can't really tell why. I love Neve Wilder's writing, in the end I loved the story too, so nothing wrong there.I guess I maybe just wasn't in the right mindset. My mood took away the pleasure of reading the first part of this story. But eventually I did feel invested in what happened to Mark and Chet, and after that I couldn't put the book down. So the 4 stars are solid ones, definitely deserved. And who knows, when I start a re-read some time in the future, I might decide to uprate this one too. If you are into friends-to enemies-to lovers you will enjoy this book, I'm sure. And I still look forward to book 3 in these series!

Want Me walked, so Try Me could RUN. As if the first book in this series wasn’t amazing, this one blew me away.You get all the spicy, glorious, believable heat between these two PLUS so much depth. Childhood friends, horrible falling out due to parents, miscommunication (mostly before book takes place), and a pull that jumps off the page. I LOVED this.Believable enemies to lovers, parental interference with high stakes, and a well fought and earned HEA. Perfection.Five stars!!I also listened to the audio book and Kirt Graves could narrate an ikea manual and I’d swoon so this was borderline illegal. Love. Five stars.

I wasn't exactly sure if this book would be one of those quickie straight gay type of stories. I was so surprised how good this book was! There was so much emotion, it was a total real life situation, and wow some of the sex was pretty awesome! I don't usually read a lot about male male books because I'm female but it still turns me on to read books about, hopefully they print this, gay sex between two men

This book was a little more angst and tension than salaciousness compared to Nate & Eric’s story, but very good. I really disliked Chet at first, and wasn’t sure if he should be trusted or not. It was clear he had a history too, and I was curious about what happened to him.I ended up feeling really sad for him & his family. They went from having everything to having nothing in the blink of an eye, and it felt so unfair to all of them.By the end, I was completely, 100% head over heels in love with them. ❤️

Almost DNFed, but got through it. Cute, simple, low angst, 2/5 spicy. First book was much more engaging imo, but those two were out of control. No reread on this one.

I really enjoyed this book, even better than the first one in this series, and I loved that book, too. Again, great characters. This time, the storyline was deeper, which I appreciated. I loved the backstory and all the nuances. It's a good read.

What a journey! Chet and Mark got another piece of my heart. I've been giving them slowly because there are so many to love. I couldn't avoid giving it to these two if I wanted. I love enemies-to-lovers books. Just as much as I love friends-to-lovers. And this book has BOTH. I love Neve's books. Want Me gave me a memorable hangover. I see this one is a new kind of high. You'll laugh, things are going to get wet (your cheeks from your tears!!! What do you take me for?) *Wink wink*Steamy, sweet, low angst, lovely.5stars.

I'm so freaking angry right now.Wilder, how dare you?!What happened to the smut?All of a sudden, all of these scenes that I was so excited to read just faded to black like this is some clean romance nonsense.What the hell?I loved this book so much, but I can't give it five stars when it FADES TO BLACK right when the sex is supposed to be at its best!

This was a slow burn romance about two guys who had been best friends all through childhood but in their later teens, going to different schools, they lost the connection but oh boy when they reconnected it was off the charts hot.This book hooked me pretty quickly, Chet was a complex character and I really felt for him when everything he had ever known in his life fell apart and was taken from him and I so admired the way he didn’t go under but used his anger to get his life back on track and he worked so hard to do it he hardly had time for sleep! Mark was less complex and an all round likeable guy with the rich and privileged lifestyle that Chet used to enjoy but his bullying and controlling father was definitely not likeable.I enjoyed that this book had a couple of good plots running through it but my only criticism, I felt it was too long and my interest waned a bit in the middle even with the non stop steamy scenes, but it captured me again towards the latter part of the book and I loved the conclusion and that Mark developed a backbone and their HEA was lovely and a fitting end.I have not read any other books in this series but I did enjoy all the side characters. They were all likeable and had Chet and Mark’s backs and the lovely Sam and Jessie get their HEA in the next book.

I expected more steam, because I read Want me before and that's kind of only steam. Nevertheless this book was a really sweet lovestory and the enemies to lovers wasn't over the top.