Jacqueline's Reads: Goodbye Paradise (Hello Goodbye #1) by Sarina Bowen

Most people called it a cult. But for twenty years, Josh and Caleb called it home.

In Paradise, there is no television. No fast food. Just long hours of farm work and prayer on a dusty Wyoming ranch, and nights in a crowded bunkhouse. The boys of the Compound are kept far from the sinners’ world.

But Joshua doesn’t need temptation to sin. His whole life, he’s wanted his best friend, Caleb. By day they work side by side. Only when Josh closes his eyes at night can they be together the way he craves.

It can never be. And his survival depends on keeping his terrible desires secret.

Caleb has always protected Josh against the worst of the bullying

at the Compound. But he has secrets of his own, and a plan to get away — until it all backfires.

Josh finds himself homeless in a world that doesn’t want him. Can Caleb find him in time? And will they find a place of safety, where he can admit to Josh how he really feels?

5 Sugary Sweet Stars
Goodbye Paradise was originally published in 2015 under a different title (In Front of God & Everyone) and is (to my excitement) re-released under a different title and cover. YAY!

This is a MM book and I have to tell you, I’m starting to like (love) MM books. The romance is hot and I find reading about the same sex issues (things they have to deal with, especially towards society), really fascinating to read.

This isn’t a cult book, but the Heroes of the book escape from a cult, which sets an interesting setting for the story.

Caleb is the hard worker. In the cult he has a good standing and will soon have plenty of wives. Joshua isn’t that strong as a worker and everyday he struggles to maintain his worth in the cult.
The thing about the Compound they are from, the weak men are tossed aside.

Caleb and Josh soon find themselves on their own. They have some experience in the outside world so it’s not a completely shock to them, but the feelings they feel. Well that’s different.

The thing that really worked for me in this book was that they two main characters were from a cult so their mindset was different and they were both gay. It was interesting to read how scared Josh was to reveal anything about himself to anyone. I also loved that they two Heroes are best friends and truly cared for each other. I loved all the characters Caleb and Josh come across and it added a little something to the story.

Overall, the read was really sweet and intriguing. I liked the way the book was broken into parts and each part was from either Caleb or Josh’s POV.