Thank you Netgalley, Rob Loveless and Ninestar Press for the review copy


Representation: Gay and Bi characters, Hispanic character
Content warnings: Cheating

Cal is 25 years old and has a hard time dating after Andrew left him three years ago without an explanation. When at a family gathering her sister brings home her new boyfriend, Andrew, Cal is completely thrown off and wants to show him what he walked away from.

CAWPILE Rating: 7.21 => 4 stars

Characters : 6
Atmosphere : 7
Writing : 8
Plot : 7
Intrigue : 7
logic : 8
Enjoyment: 7.5

I really enjoyed reading it. This book reads fast and every scene continues the plot. The book is a bit predictable but done in a good way. I think the characters were okay, I didn't feel anything special towards them. The side characters did not have a lot of personalities and were more there for plot purposes.
[ I didn't like the cheating aspect. I just don't like reading about it.

Have you ever read a book and gotten stuck on one annoying thing and never get past it? Yeah, that happened to me in this book. Really, it's a trivial thing and if it had been a "knock my socks off" kinda read, I may have been able to ignore it, but... *sigh*

So, I think my problem with A Family Affair was that I never connected with anyone in the book. So, it's probably a "me" thing, not a "book" thing and it happens. I just hate it when it does.

I think if Andrew and Cal had had a really deep relationship three years before this story takes place, it would have been a little better, but they didn't - not really. To me this book was more of a train wreck than a "darkly humorous tale", but again, that's just me. A fair amount of readers saw the humor, I just didn't get it. I didn't really like a lot of the choices that Cal made, the only family member that he had that I liked was his dad. I can't really say that I didn't like his sister, but I felt sorry for her and didn't really get to know her enough to say that I liked or connected with her. I suppose that if I was pressed to say that I "liked" anyone, it would have to be Cal's best friend Sophie, simply because she was the only one that seemed to have any common sense. *sigh*

Okay, I think I've said enough. I really don't want to bash this book, because, like I said, there were a fair amount of readers who really liked it. Maybe if I read it at another time, I'd have a different take on A Family Affair, because that's happened too. Oh and for those of you who are curious about what annoyed me about this book the most... Cal kept referring to his mom as Mrs. Adams. That makes sense if it's an unfamiliar character referring to someone else's mom, but the son... in his head? It just threw me off every single time. *sigh*

I wanted to love this book. I thought the premise was really fun going in. At the end of the day, I just wanted Cal to get over it. Andrew was not a likable character. I thought it was going to be a cute mistaken identity and it really turned manipulative. Not a favorite read.

Cal has never got over his fling with Andrew when at uni, his regrets colour all his attempts at trying for a meaningful relationship. Imagine his feeling when his sisters new boyfriend turns out to be his old flame and he finds he still harbours feelings towards him. Makes for an intense and frustrating Christmas holiday. I really wanted to shake some sense into Cal, I found the story to be frustrating and irritating, was close to not finishing to be honest. I guess that it was a reflection of the character’s personality but I didn’t enjoy it, too much angst, not enough light for me. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was something that I did not expect it to be. But it was fun. There was a lot of drama and affairs, and I was here for it. It is also a quick read.
I got this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review

Well that was a pleasant surprise! Just scrolling through NetGalley the other day, and I came across A Family Affair. New author Rob Loveless (this looks like it’s his first published novel) puts his unique spin on an awkward family situation. Your ex is your sister’s new boyfriend? Plus, I’ll admit, the words “darkly humorous” in the précis grabbed my attention.

Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down, and I tore straight through A Family Affair. Loveless’ style is engaging and easy to read. It’s an entertaining story with well developed characters and complex, interesting relationships. The timing, the dialogue, and the humor all work.

My only complaint is that Cal’s ruminations became a bit repetitive. I started wondering if I was that obsessive in my early 20’s…? Though I guess if I’d been treated the way Cal was, by a jerk like Andrew, then I might have been.

Mr. Loveless lets the tale unfold in real time, and pops in a few flashbacks so we get to watch while Cal grows to realize how poorly he’s being treated by Andrew. What a player! This guy deserves everything he gets, and more.

The last two chapters are fantastic with a wonderful confrontation, and reconciliation, between the siblings. And a happily-for-now ending that I think pleases us all. Definitely looking forward to whatever Rob Loveless brings us next.

Given the family dynamic aspects of the story I was a bit iffy on how this was going to play out, to say that it was an awkward second chance romance is an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised at how it worked out. All in all it was a quick enjoyable read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

Plot:
Cal is shocked to discover that his sister’s new boyfriend is his ex. He was starting to feel like he finally had his life together after hitting a rough patch a few years ago and the appearance of his ex he never got over on his sister’s arm leads him on a confusing path.

My thoughts:
I picked this book up because it seemed like it would deliver a lot of tension and awkwardness and drama that would be really fun to read. And it delivered. But the plot also went deeper than this and I really appreciated the path of self discovery and learning that the author took with this one.

However, I have to say that I wasn’t overwhelmed with this book. I found the characters pretty flat and didn’t really care about any of them. I also wasn’t a massive fan of the writing style; I just found that some things were written quite awkwardly and technically.

Nevertheless, this book was a quick, fun read - I read this book in practically one sitting!

3.25 Stars

A Family Affair by Rob Loveless begins with a clever, if definitely unusual premise. What follows, though, is angst, angst, and more angst.

The story revolves around Cal Adams, who at age 25 runs a gym where he works with his best friend, Sophie, a personal trainer.

Sophie is the only person who knows of Cal’s devastation following his breakup 3 years earlier with Andrew Hall, the one man Cal still believes is the only person in the world he can ever love.

Cal has always been a protective older brother to his sister, Claire. So you can imagine his surprise, dismay, angst, and even jealously when Claire brings her new boyfriend home to meet the family - and that boyfriend is Andrew.

Most of this book is spent hashing and rehashing Cal’s feelings about Andrew. It's understandable the first few times, but eventually the reader will just want to shake Cal and say ‘get over it’.

There is some clever dialogue such as this conversation between Cal and his mother, when she begins, “Calvin James…I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you haven’t been yourself the past couple of weeks. What’s the deal?”

And Calvin responds, “Well, I don’t want to alarm you, but the doctor recently diagnosed me with early-onset cynicism.”

The final chapters of A Family Affair do provide a chaotic, but ultimately happy resolution to everything that happened before.

I received an Advance Review Copy of ‘A Family Affair’ from NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review. #AFamilyAffair #NetGalley

Reviewed and digital copy supplied by NetGalley.

The first novel I have read from Rob Loveless and I thought it was great! Gives me N R Walker vibes.

The story centres around Cal who is still hung up on his ex Andrew. He thinks he is nearly over him until he turns up at Cal’s family house as his sisters boyfriend!

Full of twists and turns this quick read is perfect for fans of the romance genre.

It will make you laugh out loud and cry in equal measure.

I received this arc courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buckle up and get ready for the most awkward plot twists of your reading life that will literally leave have you saying “HUH ???”

Have you ever been so hurt and acted by the past that you were unable to move on? You buried your emotions so deep that you cannot have a fully functioning relationship because you never moved on? What happens when your past and present collide? Cal has suffered from all of the above and his journey of lust, heartbreak, and self-discovery was so heartwarming.

Even though I found Cal to be a bit of a whiny emotional mess sometimes, the ending was pure comedic gold! The last 15% of this book will have you rolling in tears and laughter!

A Family Affair was an engaging read. I enjoyed the plot and the characters, all of whom came across as well-rounded figures. The story included a mix of emotion and humour, and I was always keen to keep turning the pages, to find out what would happen next. There are instances of infidelity in this book, but the tale ends on a positive note. I fun, quick read.