Review for College Boys by Daisy Harris

When soccer star Chris Fischer moves next door to an openly gay classmate, he doesn't realize the wall between their rooms will be so thin he'll hear his neighbor's every move. But soon he and Peter become friends, and Chris is intrigued—imagining what happens on the other side of the wall.

Active on the Queer Student Council, Peter Cohen wishes he wasn't so damn hot for his straight neighbor. He can't tell if Chris is flirting or in denial or what, but Chris's innocent overtures lure Peter into flirtation that throws his world into chaos. Peter doesn't want to date a closet case, but he desperately, passionately wants Chris.

Soon Chris must choose whether to run away from his new feelings or embrace a relationship with the guy he loves. And Peter must decide if he can give his heart to a guy who hasn't yet figured it all out.

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Daisy Harris has created a story that manages to be both sweet yet sexy in this m/m coming of age story with likable characters and a realistic description of college life.  College students Chris and Peter had a memorable moment during the summer that both of them don't acknowledge but never forgot, so their becoming neighbors has an extra bit of tension associated with it.  What begins with late night talks through the wall soon morphs into hands-on interactions and a relationship between them that surprises them both.

I loved both Peter and Chris!  Peter was a caring young man and his relationship with Chris evolved slowly since Peter knew how difficult Chris' unexpected feelings were for him to admit to.  Peter was willing to live in secrecy if that's what Chris needed, that's how strong his feelings were for him.  Peter was comfortable with his lifestyle and was a gentle teacher to Chris.  Peter was a born leader and good friend and his aw shucks attitude made him extremely endearing.  Chris had been through a lot before moving next door to Peter.  The death of his mother opened up his emotional floodgate and Peter was the only one to truly understand him and help him cope.  His feelings for Peter evolved naturally with an intense sexual build-up that led to some very satisfying and sexy sexual interludes.  These scenes were nicely spaced throughout the latter half of the story and beautifully combined the physical as well as the emotional aspects they were both experiencing.  Even as Chris struggled to accept his new feelings he never lashed out.  He worked through his issues quickly and I admired his maturity in embracing his new feelings.  They're a wonderful couple and I felt privileged seeing their relationship evolve.  The ending was a bit unexpected though considering this is the start of a relationship and I would've been equally as satisfied with the story without it.

Along with a wonderful main couple, there were two secondary characters that stood out for me and have me hoping that Ms. Harris will be revisiting them soon.  Nathaniel is Peter's flamboyantly gay friend who's extremely loyal, outspoken, and hurt by love in the past.  I enjoyed his brutal honesty and whenever he came on the scene is was like a breath of fresh air.  The quiet and mature Greg was rather mysterious and I'm intrigued by the subtle connection I sensed between him and Nate.  These are both worthy characters to continue this enjoyable glimpse into college life, so here's hoping Ms. Harris writes faster.

This was an entertaining start to what promises to be an enjoyable series.  With its likable characters and realistic and relatable emotions, I recommend this to fans of the m/m genre and applaud Ms. Harris for her delectable creation.

My rating for this is a B+

*I received this from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.