Sweet. Fun. Friends to lovers. Jeremy and Max are long time friends, though Max has always been sorta in love with his bff but Jeremy has never seen it. When Jeremy ends up sleeping on Max’s couch things start to shift. But can these two finally be on the same page? It was great finding out.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a fairly well written MM book with well-developed characters and a good plotline.

Jeremy Reynolds has been working for six years to try and make it big on Broadway. He’s talented and has the voice of an angel, but there are tons of actors who are just as talented. After his boyfriend of three years cheats so Jeremy will break up with him, he’s now crashing on his best friend’s couch. Max Meyers has been there for Jeremy since they were kids, and they are closer than close. Without Max, Jeremy wouldn’t get through the rough break up and being passed over for a new show, a part he desperately wanted.

Max has been in love with Jeremy since they were thirteen, and through all the years, he’s kept his feelings to himself. He values their friendship more. But it kills him to be living with Jeremy once again and to not be able to really have him.

Jeremy gets the break he’s been waiting for and gets cast as the lead in the new show, the part for which he was originally passed over. And one night, while running lines together, Jeremy and Max finally kiss. It’s the moment Max has been waiting for, and he finally confesses his true feelings. Jeremy never knew, but kissing Max feels right, and he wants more.

But doubts start to creep in for Max. It seems too good to be true. And with the accelerated timeline for the show, Jeremy needs to have his focus elsewhere. Max is convinced things won’t last, but Jeremy isn’t willing to let it go. He just needs to convince his best friend that they are right together. It won’t be easy, and Max’s insecurity is a big hurdle. But if Jeremy can show him that they are meant to be, then they could have the happy ever after they both deserve.

Any fan of musicals will appreciate this book. McMurray does an amazing job of bringing the show to life as a secondary character and using it to highlight the relationship between Max and Jeremy. I enjoyed seeing the parallels and watching as the show came together.

I’m a sucker for friends to lovers, and that’s the reason I picked up this book. Especially when one character has been in love with the other for so long. These two guys really are perfect together, and their chemistry leaps off the page. As friends and as lovers, they work exceptionally well. Characterization is this author’s strong suit, and she does it well in this story. Jeremy and Max’s love story was believable and heartfelt, and it’s the thing I enjoyed most about this book.

I did have some problems with the pacing here, though. There were moments that the story seemed to drag, and I felt like the narrative could have benefited from a little bit tighter pacing. For me, there were two major points when this happened: near the beginning, when the MCs were still friends and Jeremy was still clueless and then again toward the end after Max has his doubts about them. In these two sections, the action slowed way down and it was a bit of a slog as I turned each page, waiting for things to get back on track. They do, and it’s wonderful when that happens, but the slow parts didn’t work as well for me.

I will also say I wasn’t thrilled with Max’s actions when he begins to doubt the relationship, which is a personal preference. It was well done and it made sense for where Max’s head was at. It was truly in keeping with the character, and that made it a little more palpable. But I personally don’t like when this device is used, and I wished there had been a different dark moment for these guys. It also made the resolution a little less impactful for me, as I didn’t feel as solid about Max’s enlightenment as I would have liked.

That being said, I did enjoy this book. McMurray has a great author voice and it really shines in the characterization. Jeremy and Max are great together, and everything ends in the best possible place. And as I said, if you’re a fan of musicals, then you’ll really want to pick this one up.

Jeremy has returned to New York from a stint acting up in Boston to find his boyfriend of the past few years has decided to shack up with someone else, and he has two days to remove his belongings from their shared apartment. He's mad, really mad, with this whole situation. He puts most of his stuff into storage and calls up his oldest and dearest friend, Max, to see if he can spend the next few weeks on Max's couch while he hunts for a new permanent residence and auditions for new roles.

Max, who has been in love with Jeremy since....ever agrees, knowing he's risking falling hard and getting hurt. Max is a makeup artist and runs a modest studio for stage performers in the NYC theater scene. He also does drag makeup for his ex-boyfriend and other baby queens being shepharded by his ex. Right now, it's not ideal for Jer to be staying with him, because he has a lot of design work in the pipeline, but he'd never refuse Jeremy's needs--except when Jeremy begins making motions like he's coming on to Max--because that is surely the road to heartbreak.

For Jeremy, being in Max's apartment is like coming home. They'd been roommates for years until Jeremy was spending more nights with his now-ex and Max suggested he wanted a single place of his own. Truth was, Max was dying, seeing Jeremy fall for another man. With that distance, and his new role in a liberating LGBTQ-positive production, Jeremy is waking up to not only the deep feelings of love and attraction he has for Max, he's also realizing that he inadvertently broke Max's heart--and he's ready to make amends.

This was a really engaging friends-to-lovers romance that imparted a lot of cool info about the Broadway scene, as well as how young struggling actors and artists go to battle each day to make their dreams reality. Max is a sweet soul, hiding in plain sight and offering the safe harbor fabulous Jeremy needs. When it comes to their dilemma of not being friends--because becoming lovers could mess this up--they have a break, by Max's choice. He needs to trust the Jer will be by his side forever, and Jeremy definitely gives him the confidence to act on faith. The drag queen moments were fun, and I loved having both points of view giving me insight into this developing relationship. Sweet and uplifting, with a moderate amount of angst.

Jeremy was dumped by his long term boyfriend and is given two days to get out of their apartment. When Max, Jeremy's best friend, finds out he offers up his place for Jeremy. Max has been love with Jeremy since forever, but he never expects Jeremy to feel the same way. Once they are living together, his feelings for Jeremy come back full force.

Jeremy finally sees what has been right in front of him forever, but Max doesn't trust that Jeremy really likes him, he wants to go slow to make sure this isn't just a rebound for Jeremy. Max is trying to keep their friendship intact incase this is just a fling, but Jeremy wants to move at lightening pace which is helping Max feel like this is something that will last.

I like both of these characters, they were quirky but also fun. I could see both of their points of view. For Jeremy he is finally acknowledging his feelings for his friend and figures that they are already friends so the rest shouldn't be an issues. Max on the other hands wants to go slow, because he doesn't want their friendship damaged if things between them don't work out, but it was frustrating at times since Max tended to have a narrow view of their relationship and how it could end.

This was an entertaining read. I liked the writing style and I enjoyed both the characters and the plot.

I really enjoyed Kate McMurray's See The Light. This friends to lovers romance is riveting and compelling from the start.

I immediately feel for Max and Jeremy, with my heart hurting for Max, as he's secretly in love with his best friend. As their romance evolves, this tale wonderfully navigates the struggles involved with such a change in a relationship. We get to read about the fears, confusion, and doubts. I appreciate the way the transition isn't seamless for them. It definitely gives their story an authentic feel.

It takes place in NYC, in the world of Broadway theater. The Broadway aspect is entertaining, from both the actor side, as well as the makeup artist side.

See The Light ultimately involves a whole lot of risk and trust. I love the title and it's significance. Kate McMurray excels in this emotional journey.

What I loved about See the Light – other than it has a forced close proximity/best friends to lovers storyline – was the setting in the theater world. Kate McMurray described this with so much detail and I enjoyed learning about the Broadway world as much as I loved getting to know Jeremy and Max. One of my favorite things about it was that we got the know the backstage and stage make-up world with Max and the on-stage bit with Jeremy.

Jeremy and Max grew up together and have been best friends ever since. Unbeknownst to Jeremy Max has had a crush on Jeremy for ages but never had the courage to tell him. When Jeremy’s boyfriends breaks up with him and throws him out of their shared apartment Jeremy is desperately in need of a new place to live. Luckily Max offers Jeremy to move in with him. Cue feelings flaring up again! Being this close together brings back Max’s feeling full force but he still can’t bring himself to tell Jeremy how he feels.

On more than one occasion I wanted to shake Max because it is so, so obvious that Jeremy has real feelings for Max and it’s not just a rebound thing. But because Max is too afraid of losing the friendship between them – which is somewhat understandable – he keeps Jeremy at arms length and *exasperated sigh* I just wanted to shake some sense into him!

That back and forth and total lack of communication between Jeremy and Max started to bother me at some point in the story. Overall I *love* when characters can make me tear my hair out (figuratively speaking of course) because they’re just. so. stubborn. and won’t talk. And up until a certain point I was really enjoying that aspect of See the Light but right before they got their heads out of their asses I felt like it was getting a bit too much and that it slowed the whole story down. Otherwise though I really, really enjoyed the book. Especially when they finally both came to their senses. Their HEA was cute and sweet; definitely what they deserved after all the back and forth!

A good friends to lovers romance is my kryptonite and coupled with forced proximity that shit becomes irresistible for me. See the Light definitely hit a lot of my buttons just right so that all in all this was a solid 4 star read for me.

"See the Light" started out strong for me - best friends-to-lovers? Check. Theatre setting? An enthusiastic check! A behind-the-scenes feel of life as a Broadway actor? Yup, sign me up!

But, then around the middle of the book, I just could not get past the rampant lack of communication from Max and his total unwillingness to pull his head out of his arse. I can see how Max is having a hard time switching from unrequited love to having a relationship with Jeremy, and how Max is stuck in the mire of his worries that his feelings aren't completely reciprocated, that he needs to hold a part of his heart back in case this all falls apart .... but dude, maybe use your WORDS.

I think if we had a better sense of the MCs personalities and backgrounds, it would be easier to stick with them through the bad times in their relationship. Yes, we get a lot of information about their shared interest in theatre, but their childhood friendship is very much unexplored and even their young adulthood. I didn't ever feel I knew these characters.

3.5 stars for "See the Light" because I loved the premise of the musical that Jeremy is starring in, and the epilogue was all sorts of satisfying, but all the miscommunication drove me batty.

When I glanced at a couple of reviews of See the Light, I noticed that some people were overwhelmed by all the “shop talk” about theater. For the record, I kinda enjoyed that aspect. I love learning new things about people, professions, cultures, places, lifestyles… it’s one of the reasons why my reading is so eclectic.

Now, on to Max and Jeremy. As brilliant, talented and confidant as he was when it came to his as he was when it came to his art, Max had absolutely no self confidence when it came to his personal life. Especially when it came to Jeremy. The thing was, even though Jeremy knew his feelings for Max were real, he didn’t want to risk their friendship if Max didn’t feel the same. It was a vicious cycle.

Regardless of the ups and downs, misunderstandings and total lack of communication, it was obvious that these two were meant for each other. It may have been frustrating ride at times and I may have wanted to shake some sense into both Max and Jeremy at times, but in the end it was worth these two finally finding out exactly what they really meant to each other.

3.5 stars Jeremy and Max

Both creative artists, only in different disciplines. A make up artist and a musical star.

“You ever think about us as more than friends?”

Since they were young they were best friends. Max always had feelings for Jer... After Jeremy had a break up with his boyfriend he ask Max if he can crash on his couch...
When they start something more... Max almost can’t believe it... after all these years...
And that fact is also what withhold him... he is so afraid to lose Jer.
So afraid to lose him... that it narrows his vision and his only option is to end their relationship.

A lot of story... for me sometimes too much. It was captivating and with a lot of feelings only all parts about work, it was too much... didn’t work for me... I would have loved it when there was more about Max and Jeremy together.
Overall a well developed story with a wonderful scenery.

Kindly received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley

This is a best friends to lovers romance, one that I normally get into. I was hoping for a fun read with the required amount of angst these stories are known for. Sadly, I did not get what I was expecting.

After an unexpected break up, best friends are bunking together. You could see Max struggling with having Jeremy so close, but Jeremy was kind of clueless. You understand the set up rather quick. I liked both of them and the jobs they held-make up artist and Broadway show actor. They were very good friends and I could definitely see how they could mesh together well, if that line was crossed. The way the book was written, however, I never got a true grasp of chemistry between them. I felt Max and his pining more. They never really footing in my opinion, before we were racked with so much angst. It slowed the progress way down. I had no clue if they could cut through it all-or even if I could.

This also seemed to be very wordy. I know the author wanted us to understand Jeremy's struggles, but the pages and pages of explanations about the musical process, just didn't interest me. It brought down the flow and complete tone of the book.

All in all it was an ok read for me. It just didn't grab me quite liked I hoped it would.

Review copy was graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley. The rating and review are my opinion.

Friends to lovers is my jammy jam. I love it when two people can take the leap and set their friendship on fire. It took these two a little bit to find their way but it was so worth the wait.

*~~*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

It has been a long while since I've been so angry reading a book and Max made me angry. Jeremy was a bit flaky in regards to Max, and then all of a sudden he was into it, but Max takes the cake for aggravating character. Normally the reason I like the MM genre is because of having two strong characters but Max was like all the weak heroines that drive me batty.

There were also many timeline issues that I hope were caught which also didn't help my reading experience.

I truly have never wanted to punch a character so much as I did Max and his decision making and actions. I'm not sure if the author had depression in mind with Max or if she thought wow I've written a douchecanoe and how can I fix it? And then made it look like he suffered from depression in the past, but came out of nowhere. It felt totally random and out of the blue.


I'm not sure if they were timeline issues or the author wanted to piss off the readers with this behaviour or lack of details but many things made me angry while reading this book unfortunately.

Even though I wanted to throat punch Max and I'm willing to give the author another chance because maybe it was just this story that was an issue.

Friends to Lovers; one of my favorite romance tropes.

I loved this new book by Kate McMurray. See the Light is a great friends-to-lovers story with just the right amount of angst.

Max and Jeremy have been best friends for years. Both of them have careers connected to the theater. Max has a thriving business doing make-up for Broadway shows and he isn't afraid to flaunt his personal style. Jeremy loves doing musical theater and is just waiting for his big break and get the lead in a Broadway show.

Max has always been afraid to let Jeremy know that he has romantic feelings for him. Every time he thinks about telling him something happens and the timing doesn't seem right. Now Jeremy needs a place to crash and it's killing Max to have him so near every day.

Jeremy really isn't that upset that his boyfriend broke up with him. He's more upset about being tossed out of the apartment they shared. Now that he's staying with Max, he's beginning to see him in a different light and wonders why he never thought of him as a love interest before.

I love a good friends-to-lovers story and See the Light hit the spot. I also love everything about musicals – movies and stage shows – so I really enjoyed reading all of the things in the book that gave me an inside look into this world; I found it fascinating and a bonus to a great romance story.

I look forward to reading more books by Kat McMurray.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

3.5 stars--SEE THE LIGHT by Kate McMurray is a contemporary, adult, M/M erotic, romance story line focusing on twenty-eight year olds, Broadway actor, singer and dancer Jeremy Reynolds, and makeup artist Max Meyer.

NOTE: SEE THE LIGHT contains scenes of M/M sexual situations that may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Jeremy and Max) SEE THE LIGHT follows the friends to lovers relationship between Broadway actor, singer and dancer Jeremy Reynolds, and makeup artist Max Myer. Max Meyer has been in love with his best friend since childhood, a best friend who recently broke up with his long-term boyfriend. Needing a place to crash, Max offered Jeremy a place to stay, in an effort to get closer to the man that he loved. Jeremy auditions for several show buy is eventually offered the lead in a new Broadway play; Max finds himself the makeup artist and designer for a couple of big productions. With both of their careers climbing the ladder of success, emotions and issues of trust begin to tear them apart.
What ensues is the building romance and sexual relationship between Jeremy and Max, and the fall-out as Max struggles with feelings of inadequacy as it pertains to Jeremy, and the potential of losing his best friend forever it things fall apart.


Max Meyer loves Jeremy Reynolds but Jeremy’s star is on the rise, and time apart means too many hours, for Max, to contemplate what might go wrong. Max’s angst and emotional drama begins to eat away of his own self-esteem, and thusly his relationship with the man that he loves. Jeremy has fallen for his best friend, a friend he saw more as a brother. With Max’s revelations of a life-long love, Jeremy finds himself looking towards the future, a future that is in jeopardy as Max struggles between head and heart.

The relationship between Max and Jeremy is a best friends to lovers romance wherein Max battles the ‘what ifs and whys’. Struggling to accept that Jeremy loves him in return, Max begins to sabotage their relationship in the hopes of saving a lifelong friendship. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include the cast of the Broadway production of See the Light, as well as a number of ‘drag queens’ and friends of Jeremy and Max. Max is the makeup artist to the wanna-be stars, a group of drag queens hoping to make it big and launch their careers.

The world building spotlights the Great White Way-the Broadway hits of the past and present; the musicals, the actors, the hits and the misses. We are backstage as Max Meyer develops his artistic designs, and Jeremy Reynolds prepares for the role of his life.

SEE THE LIGHT is a story of friendship, love, uncertainty, and miscommunication. The premise is emotional and heart breaking; the characters are wounded, sassy and spirited; the romance is arousing and provocative. I had an issue with the inordinate amount of Broadway musical information and history, reflection and contemplation which reads like filler more than anything else.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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this was sassy and sweet. it was fun and interesting. it was all around a good story. i enjoyed it.. the story had a decent plot.. it was an easy going read.. and it was all together a sweet story to read. i enjoyed characters.

I love a good friends-to-lovers romance and that’s what we get in See the Light. However, I wish we had a bit more of Jeremy and Max in a nice, committed relationship. A lot of the book is a bit back and forth, because while Max has always loved Jeremy, he’s not sure that Jeremy feels the same or that this will actually work out. He’d rather Jeremy as his best friend than nothing at all, and I could understand that. Max also deals with depression and that seems to be a part of his hesitation when it comes to believing Jeremy really wants him. Again, though, I would have liked to have seen more of this dealt with in the book.

See the Light is great for Broadway fans though, as Jeremy is an actor/singer and Max does makeup. The title actually comes from a musical Jeremy stars in, but of course, it also refers to our two leading men finally “seeing the light” when it comes to each other. I really did enjoy See the Light overall, but like I said before, there were things that I wish had been included – or focused on more – so that lessened my enjoyment a little bit.

I enjoyed this friend to lovers scenario between Max and Jeremy. They are childhood friends sharing an apartment after a breakup. They decided to give their romance a try and started developing feelings for one another. The book was great and I truly enjoyed it.