Elaine White's Life in Books

Book – Yellow Streak (Heroes at Heart #2)
Author – Susan Laine
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
No. of Pages – 82
Cover – Simple, nice
POV – 1st person, past tense, 1 character POV
Would I read it again – No.

Genre – LGBT, Contemporary, College


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine


For me, this was another one that was too short. Though it very skilfully dealt with the aftermath of a suicide attempt, in an understanding and sympathetic manner, half the story was about the progression of Yancy and Curt's relationship and it just didn't feel that authentic to the original story.

Recounting the events of the first story in 1st person didn't work for me. It felt foreign and didn't read well. It could just be because I'm not a fan of 1st person as it is, and having the character talking to a reader is offputting for me, in any case. Either way, it didn't work for me.

I loved how Yancy and Curt remained open with each other, talking through everything and really learning more about each other. Their relationship progressed fast, however, and didn't feel quite right. They jumped into this, while barely knowing each other, and didn't really make a conscious attempt to learn more. I certainly connected to these two in book 1, but this time around, if I was to read about their relationship, I wanted bonding, dating and the deep, meaningful connection of book 1. What I got was a lot of 'hot' moments and arguing.

There was sudden jump in timeline at 40% that took me by surprise, as well. It wasn't explained until two pages into the chapter, which made it quite confusing to tell when or where they were.

This is also a pet peeve of mine, but I'm throwing it in there – EW! to the max for the use of “heated teat” in the sex scene. Ew! Ew! Ew!

Unfortunately, the blurb is slightly misleading. It suggests that Curt ignoring Yancy is a huge deal, which it's not. It's a minor blip, right at the start of the story and it takes barely until 24% before things are ironed out. The rest is about the continuation of their relationship, which wasn't at all what I expected.

Sadly, I have to say I'm disappointed. Though the first half was authentic to the previous book, in tone and in characterisation, the second half was like a totally different story. Or, like these characters years down the line. It all happened too suddenly, with not enough exploration of the time in between for my liking. I also have to admit that I don't see how there would be another book. There isn't space for one, with Yancy and Curt getting their HEA in this book.

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Again, there was an issue with length. The story ended even earlier than book 1, at 63%. I really, honestly, feel cheated out of more storyline and plot, because I'm missing 37% of the book. I don't mind the excerpt from book 3, but it's 16 pages (2 chapters) and I don't need that much. I also don't need a further 47 pages of adverts.

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Favourite Quote

“He was having fun with his teammates. And me? I'd gone back to being the invisible boy.”