Lennox McAvoy and Will Osbourne are boyfriends who've weathered some storms. Will's family took Lennox in after his grandfather dumped him at a roach motel in Will's small hometown in rural Virginia. At that time, Lennox had be recently released from juvie, where he went after he injured his own attackers--white homophobes with powerful daddies--in the midst of perpetrating a hate crime on himself.

Lennox has grown a lot in the past years, and especially flourished living with the Osbournes. Will helped Lennox apply for colleges, an it was his encouragement that got Lennox a prime spot at Berklee College in Boston--where he's got a full music scholarship. Will follows his own path to NYU, to study journalism. It was his second choice after Sarah Lawrence, but he's sure it'll turn out great.

Lennox is a bundle of nerves, but he's a survivor and though there's an immediate housing mix-up, Lennox rolls with the situation, gaining a great new roomie plus a cast of new compassionate friends. He's fired up and energized with all the creativity happening around him. If only life in New York was going half as well for Will. His roommate is a turd, and the kids he met at orientation are vapid and shallow, not to mention Will's late everywhere he goes and gets turned around easily in the subway system. His frustration is only compounded when he learns he'd been accepted to Sarah Lawrence, but a paperwork snafu kept him from enrolling there.

Will and Lennox are determined to make their long-distance relationship work, but as the weeks and months stretch, it becomes harder and harder to keep connected, despite trips between cities. Lennox gets frustrated with the good advice he gets--that he's not responsible for Will's happiness. Meanwhile, Will's anxiety and depression grow until he's not able to manage behaving civilly and treats loving Lennox poorly. It's a big change for their relationship dynamic, and each of these young men needs to find a way to care for himself, while still caring about the other. It's a tricky balance, especially for two so young--they're both about 19--but they figure it out eventually. Not without some fireworks, however, and some heart-to-hearts that mend those battered fences.

This felt very genuine, and bittersweet, as I read it. I wanted to shake Will sometimes for hiding his true feelings until they couldn't be shoved down any longer. Yet, I knew that was an authentic response to his growing despondency. Lennox is a rock, and a great guy. I was so glad to see him grow and flourish completely on his own merit. Both of these guys are great, even though they aren't at their best of times--particularly Will. I was so happy when Will finally found a way to manage his life, and it was so sweet that Lennox supported his new path even though it meant even larger separations. This was a big compromise, but it was clear both men were making it, which was what needed to happen. Compared with the previous books, WHEN IT'S TIME has fewer sexytimes, but the intimacy and compassion are a constant on the page. It's great read for people who have relationships in flux, or who just want to remember those awkward new beginnings of college life. For me the nostalgia meter was on eleven.

*~~*ARC kindly provided to me for an honest review *~~*

- Review to come

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words

I really tried to like this book but somehow I just couldn't get into it. I'll give it a try when at a later point again, but this was a DNF for now.

The third book in the series shows Will struggling in his dream town of New York, while Lennox is thriving in Boston. While the distance between the two is short the gap between them just seems to grow as they each struggle to find their way in life and a place in each other lives.

This was definitely an intensely emotional end to the previous two books, the relationship between Lennox and Will is redefined in ways they never though possible. I enjoyed this follow up book to the previous two books. Lennox had always seemed to be the one struggling in the previous books and he finally came into his own in this book, while Will whose life was not as rough as Lennox in the previous books really had a struggle in this book. It was nice to see how they each dealt with the reversal of their roles. The ending was the only thing that was a bit hard to understand since it almost feels like the author is leaving an opening to come back to these boys and tell us a new adventure.

5 stars

Synopsis: Will and Lennox have graduated and are going to different schools. Lennox is worried about how he is going to cope without Will, the only person who has ever believed in him. When he gets to school, he finds good friends and really enjoys his classes.
Will is living his dream of going to school in New York, although he is worried about Lennox being on his own. Unfortunately, school is not what Will thought it would be. His classes don't interest him, or aren't what he thought they would be, and the friends that he made during introduction week aren't quite who he thought they would be. Will lives for visits with Lennox, either at his school or Lennox's.
Lennox and Will have to find a way to survive being away from each other.

What I liked: the very real portrayal of two completely different experiences in college. Lennox was supportive of Will, and if Will had told him the whole story, would have tried to work with Will to figure out how to get through it.
Will's reluctance to come clean with both his parents and Lennox rang true for a kid who was so certain of what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be. He didn't want to let anyone down, or admit that he might have made a mistake.
I liked the journey of discovery that Will went on, and what he eventually decided to do.

What I didn't like: nothing.

Overall impression: a fantastic story about entering college, and discovery of self. The writing is excellent, with very real, flawed characters.

*I received a copy though Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

4.5 Stars

It’s the end of summer after high school graduation and Will and Lennox are both preparing to head off to college, Lennox to Berklee in Boston and Will to NYU in New York. Although they know long distance won’t be easy, they plan to visit each other as often as possible, but while things go great for Lennox, Will’s dreams of NYU aren’t everything he thought they would be and as things slowly start to fall apart for him, he retreats into himself and tension builds between Will and Lennox. Will they make it through their first semester of college with their relationship still intact?

I’ve been waiting for what seems like forever for the conclusion of Will and Lennox’s story, and Mr. Riley doesn’t disappoint. I loved that the roles are somewhat reversed in this installment. I adored seeing Lennox become the nurturing one and seeing the more vulnerable and not so put together side of Will. This installment seemed to put Will and Lennox on a more even footing, and while I’ve always been confident in Will’s feelings for Lennox, I think I walk away from these two young men feeling much more confident that Lennox feels that same for Will and with more assurance that they can make it work no matter what they face as long as they face it together.

The story is well-written and I loved seeing Lennox open up and flourish. College and his new friends suit him beautifully and it was amazing to see him come into his own. Will had a tougher time, but I’m glad that although what he thought was his dream didn’t work out, in the end I think he gets what he most wanted and walks away stronger and more confident in his future.

Although there have been times throughout the series where I’ve wanted to knock one or both of them in the head, I absolutely love Will and Lennox and it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to them as well as the host of loving family and friends that make up the secondary cast of characters.

This was a great addition to the series and Zane manages to recapture the chemistry, love and passion between Will and Lennox. Very enjoyable and definitely recommendable!

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were great and their chemistry was there.

4.5 Stars so rounding up to 5

I’m not 100% sure where to start this review…I’m a bit distracted by the ending. I’m really, really hoping this isn’t the end. I feel like they’re not done but I read somewhere this is a trilogy. I guess time will tell. This cannot be read as a standalone…there is too much history and story building in the two previous books.

This book didn’t seem as angsty as the previous two but it was still very emotional and intense. Both boys struggle with individual issues as they attempt to navigate a long-distance relationship. They go through some maturation and growth which strengthens them even though it was a battle to get there.

Will discovers that his life-long plan wasn’t everything he thought it would be and is forced to re-evaluate what he wants to do with his life. His behavior towards Lennox at times was surprising. His self-confidence took a major hit and quite frankly he acted like a spoiled child through part of the book which was disappointing. He does find his stride again after crashing and burning. There is some self-discovery that wasn’t fully explored that I would have liked to see more. He gets some pretty great news at the end of the book which was a bit predictable but I’m glad it didn’t lead to more angst and indecision.

Lennox really thrives at Berklee which was amazing to see. His teen trauma comes roaring back unexpectedly (which I didn’t fully understand) and he’s forced to deal with what happened even though he fought it tooth and nail. His road to full recovery has been started and I hope he continues to work through those issues. More of his history is revealed which is mostly good this time.

There is another fantastic supporting cast in this one including the introduction of some great new characters.

As I stated above, I hope we get more of their story as I was left with some unanswered questions.

I loved this When It’s Time so much. It’s such a great continuation to this series. The boys have grown so much and I love the growing pains they go through in this book. Will going though such a rough time in a new city is so relatable and I’m so happy to see Lennox finally getting a good break and enjoying life. I’m glad Lennox and Will are growing up and learning what it means to be an adult. Learning new relationships with parents, finding new good friends, and figuring out what you want to do are all part of that process. Zane does such a great job introducing new people and continuing with these characters and builds such a fun world that I just always want more and more. Would highly recommend this whole series to everyone.