Title: Nothing Special
Author: Jay Northcote
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (158 pages)
ASIN: B07TDL1VZN
Publisher: Jaybird Press (19 June 2019)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: When Noah’s insecurity threatens their fledgling relationship, can Sol con-vince Noah that he’s enough?
Noah thinks he’s nothing special. Average height, a bit on the skinny side, and cute but rather geeky, he’s relentlessly ordinary. He certainly doesn’t expect to be noticed by Sol, the gorgeous dark-haired stranger Noah usually sees on his commute home.
When a friend persuades Noah to take a big risk in a bid to get Sol’s at-tention, things turn out better than Noah dared to hope. But Noah doesn’t believe he’s interesting or sexy enough to hold Sol’s attention.
As Sol tries to get closer, Noah tries to protect his heart by pulling away. If their relationship is going to survive, Noah needs to accept that Sol sees him very differently to how Noah sees himself. Because to Sol, No-ah is something very special indeed.
This is a standalone story with a satisfying happy ending.
Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AUÂ
Review: Nothing Special is a standalone novel by Jay Northcote, this is a second edition of the book, which was previously published in 2014 by Dreamspinner Press. I’m not sure how much has changed with the re-release as I’ve not read this before. In fact, I really didn’t know what to expect because Jay Northcote isn’t an author that I am familiar. I’m sure I’ve heard the name before, just not sure if I’ve ever read anything by Northcote before now.
Set in London, the story starts with Noah talking to his best friend, Dom, about the hot guy he’s been talking about for the last couple months, who he sees every day on the way home on the tube. The hot guy wears a London Zoo polo and work boots, Noah just doesn’t believe a good-looking guy like Zoo Guy could ever have any interest in him. Noah has extremely low self-esteem, but it is his best friend that encourages to pursue Zoo Guy – Sol – who is just as interested in Noah.
Noah is such a sweet and lovable character. He is shy and geeky, which probably lends to his character having low self-esteem. He has finished uni, has an alright job at a bookstore and still lives with his parents. Sol is Noah’s opposite in the fact that he is outgoing, but is completely crazy over Noah. Sol is sweet, but he is also kind, gentle and despite outward appearances he also has his own insecurities.
The relationship between Noah and Sol is wonderful. This isn’t an instalove where the two guys get over their baggage, have tonnes of hot sex and fall in love. Instead, these guys take their time to get to know each other. But don’t worry, the intimacy and sex in the book reflects the same sweetness and reflects Noah’s need to be sure about love. The guys have great chemistry together, but they complement each other in so many ways it felt just right. The book is all about the romance rather than getting the guys to their HEA, if that makes sense to anyone other than me because it sounds good in my head. There is low level angst, which is entirely fuelled by miscommunication. I usually hate miscommunication plot points because they are usually just used and don’t make sense to the characters. However, everything that happened felt organic with the characters as we get to know them.
This is such a sweet and beautiful story. Nothing Special is a very simple romance and for me that it was makes it so excellent. It was just so easy to connect with Noah and Sol. I recommend this one for those that want a sweet, gentle romance and a HEA that had me smiling so much.