Sass (Style #3) ~ Jay Hogan

My short review of this book pretty much goes like this: “Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god” for ages. But I will try to put into words what it did to me. Because this was just an absolutely wonderful reading experience and it’s not one I will forget about any time soon.

If you know me, you know that Jay Hogan is one of my favourite writers of all time, that I have read each and every one of her books and that I basically worship the ground that she walks on.

So, I basically went into this knowing that I would enjoy it. But I wasn’t prepared for just how much. It hit me like a freight train and there was nothing I could do against it, with the exception of just staying here and letting this story impact me.

Full disclosure. I have also read this book three times already. I just adore it so much and I keep going back to re-read my favourite scenes, only to end up finishing it all over again because it turns out that every little detail about the book is my favourite thing about it.

It's just that it works so perfectly as a whole. Even if I’m racking my brain to try and find something I don’t love, I cannot. That’s how perfect for me this is.

“You’ve got me forever, sweetheart. This is just the beginning.”

Brief Summary

Leon and Chris aka Kip met two years ago. They had a misunderstanding, and it didn’t go well. So, they have been kind of antagonizing each other since then. They start spending more and more time together, resolve their issues, and they end up realizing that they are perfect for each other.

This was one of the most romantic stories I have read. And not even this year, but of all time. It just absolutely nailed the aspect for me. Just everything about the romance, the connection, the progression, the chemistry between the characters, the care and tenderness. Just all of it.

The relationship development, especially, was lovely. Leon is a hopeless romantic and he wants a husband, a family and everything that comes with it. While Chris is really afraid of committing and wanting those things. Which is a trope that can work sometimes, but also can really ruin things, if one of them seems less passionate about the relationship than the other. I’m happy to report that it wasn’t the case at all in this, however. They just both felt so balanced and involved. I would go as far as to say that this book was the best showing I have ever seen of the "commitment-phobe" trope. Chris was afraid, but he didn’t want to hurt Leon, so he tried so hard to change his ways throughout the story. I just loved how he became more and more invested and committed the further the book went. I loved how he never pushed Leon away or hesitated to make a commitment to him, even if he was super afraid of it. I just adored how this book tackled this trope, it was done absolutely perfectly.

“I didn’t want to want you for a long time, Leon. […] I didn’t want us, any us, any relationship. […] But that changed. I want you. I want us. I want this, what we’ve been building together. I want it more than anything, and that’s not going to change.”

Leon and Chris had the best chemistry. I loved how you could feel it just by reading. They just felt like they were made for each other. All their interactions flowed perfectly, with so much care and banter in between, that it really highlighted how good they are as a whole. I just loved reading all their interactions. They just had such a solid relationship and it showed through their every interaction. Which made it so much fun to read about them interacting with each other, because it kept reminding me how perfectly for each other they are.

Also, they just were so complimentary as well. Chris is the more outgoing one who likes to banter while Leon is the quiet guy who is super nice and romantic. Despite being opposites, together they made a perfect pair in my book.

I just loved how much care and tenderness there was in their relationship. I loved how they always listened to each other and took care of each other. They truly seemed to appreciate each other for everything that they are and that was just so sweet, I love it. I loved how they always listened to each other and were there to guide each other, if it was needed, or just to listen, if that was needed. That just so sweet and it really worked for me.

“We do this together, understand? We do it all together.”

Both Leon and Chris were so respectful and that really showed in their communication too. They had some of the best I have ever read. I loved how they told each other everything and that they never assumed anything about the other and what they wanted, they preferred to talk to each other and communicate and I just loved it. I loved how much respect they have for each other and how they considered the other and their thoughts before taking a decision, that just was an absolute joy to read, and it just really worked for me. I also love good communication in a book and people who talk to each other instead of jumping to conclusions, and this book really embodied that for me. It showed their mutual respect and love even more, and it made the book super fun to read in return.

Also, the banter between Chris and Leon was wonderful. It was hilarious and only enhanced all of my previous feelings about them.

For the heavy stuff, this story touches on sexual assault a little. It showed both the fall out of the event and what it did for the character. But mostly, I was pleased by how the book touched on the topic of a family who won’t believe that something like that would happen. It had a big message of how those family members are toxic and shouldn’t be trusted and how you are better off without them. And I must say that the way it was done was superbly to me.

This book touches on grief and losing a sibling too. To me, the topic was handled well. It felt super realistic and close to my own life experiences with grief.

Hurt/comfort is one of my favourite things to read about in books and I really loved the one in this book. It was just so well done and lovely. I liked how there was a super good balance of angsty moments and then super sweet comfort moments. I love how much comfort there was in this book. That was just the sweetest and something I adored reading about.

Last but not least, I just adored the sex scenes. They happened at the perfect place and the perfect everything for the story. They complemented the plot and gave everything a new dimension. It was lovely.

Also, really small thing, but Leon is a tattoo artist and I personally thought it was done really nicely. I adore tattoos and reading all about his job was super fun to me. It even really made me crave getting a new tattoo, as it’s been a way too long time since my last one (about two months haha) so thank you very much for that too!

Also, this book was just such a satisfying journey to read. I couldn’t have made the book more satisfying to read for me, even if I somehow wrote it myself. This book just went in the exact way I wanted it to, and it was just such a joy to read. This book just kept going in all the directions I wanted it to, and I really loved reading that. I would say that this book had one of the most satisfying endings I have read in a very long time, it was just absolutely everything I wanted it to be and it truly was a joy to read.

In conclusion, this book just made me ridiculously happy. The romance both melted my heart and put the biggest grin on my face. It gave me all of the good feels. And it also made me so emotional. I was so invested in the relationship and the characters' lives that I kept crying while reading because I was just rooting for the characters, and I simply wanted them to be happy. It ended up being everything I love reading about in a love story, all put together in a super lovely package, with an adorable couple that I can never get enough of. You really shouldn’t be surprised if it’s all I obsess over for the next few months. I just don’t see myself stopping talking about this book any time soon.

Sass is available as an ebook and paperback from Amazon US ǀ AUS