That Boy (That Boy, #1) by Jillian Dodd

4 Stars

I've been here for you all along. I've listened to you cry about other guys, I rescue you, take care of you when you're sick, hug you when you're sad, tell you you're beautiful when you look terrible.

My sister recommended That Boy to me and I’ll admit I had reservations. I didn’t read the summary, but I was told that it was about two guys liking the same girl and both guys are great. So it doesn’t matter who she ends up with.

The thing with me… I am all for love triangles, but I am not for love triangles between two Heroes who are decent. However, I was told by several people that there wasn’t a love triangle. So, I HAD to see what all the fuss was about.

One word to describe That Boy would be too freaking cute!!! (okay two words)

[My version of blurb/summary]

Danny, Phillip and Jayden are best friends. That’s basically the summary…. I mean stuff happens. The beginning starts with them as childhood friends and each chapter progresses in time line. A majority of the story is told during their high school and college years.

And to clarify, no, it's not a love triangle per say, I would describe the story as three people who care for each other deeply on a friendship level (yes there's some attraction, but nothing abrasive).

[Disclaimer]

I am not a fan of reading the ending in the first few pages (this is usually in the prologue). I was warned to skip the first chapter and I am glad I did because to me it wasn’t necessary. I advise this if you are like me and can’t stand reading the end at the start of the book.

I have to give Jillian Dodd props in not writing flashbacks. She wrote the book exactly how I like to read (minus the first chapter) in chronological order. This made me SO HAPPY!

[Things I enjoyed]

- The writing was told in Jayden’s POV and her “quirky” attitude really worked for me

- No annoying characters. Everyone was all around nice and level-headed

- The writing style (despite some a few lengthy paragraphs) was nice. I enjoyed the flow.

- Danny and Phillip are equally perfect (even though originally I thought this was going to annoy me, Jillian Dodd developed the characters so well, she basically squashed my previous judgments)

My only complaint is sometimes I felt like the story dragged at times, but this is my personal taste, since I like reading dialogue base books more than narrative writing.

I have to reference the 50% mark where Jayden’s character shifts and I thought this part was written so beautifully. I could not put down the book and just had to let Jayden consume me.

I take references and comments seriously. So, I am really glad I was urged to change my mind and decided to give That Boy a try.

Overall, That Boy is a super light-hearted, super cutesy, all around warm-fuzzy-feeling type of read.

I recommend!

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