This is the first book I've read by Kosoko Jackson, but it certainly will not be my last, especially if he writes more adult rom-coms that are as delightful as this!

I'm So (Not) Over You is the absolutely chaotic, messy adult m/m romance I never knew I needed in life. There’s a little bit of extravagance and fantasy to it, because it’s bordering on “billionaire romance,” but it also super funny, grounded, and authentic.

I would say my favorite part of this story is the main character, Kian, because he has such a strong, distinct narrative voice. He is an absolutely mess, and not only does he know it, but he fully embraces it. Kian really embodies what it means to be a broke millennial two bad choices away from absolute financial devastation, and I like that he’s not too hung up on pride. He knows exactly what he wants and what he needs, and when it comes to securing those things, he’s absolutely shameless. I think we need more characters like that in fiction—characters who are hyper-aware of the barriers they’re up against, the way the world works, and who are not gonna judge themselves for doing whatever they have to do to secure stability or “success.”

Another thing that really stood out to me is how these characters are not perfect and story doesn’t expect them to be either. As strange as it may be to say, the messiness between these characters is oddly refreshing. It's nice to have these two queer Black characters who are not sanitized, or "well-adjusted", or perfect. They make bad choices, they make mistakes, they don’t have the best judgment. Kian and Hudson are chaotic, reckless, horny, messy people who just want to be loved like so many other people do, and it's incredible that they don't have to be "perfect" in order to be deserving of that.

Going back to Kian as the main character, I love that he’s not afraid to just say whatever he’s thinking. He also really makes Hudson work for his second chance and holds him accountable for his past mistakes, and that while Kian may not be especially prideful, he still knows his limitations and reinforces them. Personally, I'm not into the whole “billionaire” thing, but I do think Kian does do a relatively good job of calling out Hudson and his family on their privilege and classism when it's needed.

Overall, I had a great time reading this. It’s funny, it’s voice-y, it’s in your face, it’s a super fast read and a solid second chance romance that doesn’t get hung up on arbitrary expectations, and it's definitely an entertaining read. I enjoy the time I spent with this book, and like I said, I would definitely read more!

Loved this second chance romance so much I had to have the physical copy once it was out. I am a complete sucker for fake dating especially when it comes to a second chance romance so this was right up my alley. I loved Kian’s bestie and brother and I found all of the relationship dynamics really intriguing. I LOVE LOVE LOVE rich black people because we’re so used to seeing the sad black character trying to make it out of poverty so this was a light breath of fresh air.
And just overall hilarious! Loved the banter and I also loved Kian’s stubbornness and the way he slowly started to break in and soften, but also didn’t take any BS.
Such a good black and queer romance!!

I hate to say it but I hated this book. I really wanted to like it but it was just generally uncomfortable to read.

The way the characters speak to each other is odd. They either have wildly deep conversations as soon as they're introduced ("do you love my grandson" "do you want to marry your fiancé") or they're having surface level conversations with people we're supposed to believe they're intimate with (y'all were together for over a year and never asked what made you interested in becoming a journalist?). The entire conversation where Kian compared traditional marketing strategies to slavery was weird and not the flex the book wanted us to think it was.

It's a second chance romance but we still know nothing about Kian and Hudson's first chance. We don't know why Hudson dumped him. We don't know why they love each other. They have a run in with a homophobic woman and Kian is surprised that Hudson clocks it, like Hudson is not also a gay Black man. Like they wouldn't have had those kind of encounters as two gay Black men in Boston? Even the facts of their relationship are unclear since they change through the book. In chapter 2, Kian says they were together for a year and a half but in chapter 33 Kian says they met ten months ago. The premise relies on us believing in their current relationship but that's impossible to do without context for their previous one.

The book constantly contradicts itself that way. Wallace (who's existence is unnecessary in an already lengthy book) goes from being a lawyer Divya met on a case to her coworker in the first half, only to claim to have patients in the second half. Is he a doctor now? I'm not sure if this is an editing issue or my own reading comprehension? But it was distracting.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

I've really enjoyed Kosoko's YA novels, Yesterday is History and Survive The Dome, so I was excited to read his adult romance debut! Unfortunately, this book wasn't quite for me. It got off to a really slow start and I just never got hooked or excited to continue reading. I prefer a faster pacing and need something quick that will grab me. After the first couple of chapters, I decided to put it aside--but I do hope to try it in another format, such as audio.

I will absolutely still be recommending this book to romance readers at my library! I look forward to trying this one again someday, and reading more of Kosoko's work.

THE 411...

What would you do if your ex sent you an urgent text to meet him at a café post break up? Kian Andrews has had many thoughts and emotions since last seeing his ex Hudson Rivers. Could he possibly be having second thoughts about their break-up? or an apology? What he wasn’t expecting was for Hudson to ask a huge favor, to fake date him for the sake of getting his wealthy parents off his back. Hudson hasn’t given into his family’s wishes of joining their business, instead he’s chosen to carve his own career path. His relationship with Kian was something his parents not only accepted but praised him for. 𝗜’𝗺 𝗦𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂 is a queer second chance romance paired with some fake dating that is set between New York City and Georgia. Our MC’s are from very different socioeconomic backgrounds and are night and day in personalities making a strong case for opposites attract. We follow this couple as they revisit old wounds and decide whether or no their relationship deserves another go around.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

This is one romance I wish had been more fleshed out since it featured the second chance trope. I really wanted to know why Kian and Hudson broke up in the first place...was it differences in socioeconomic class? Kian's constant commentary on these differences? or was it something entirely different? I still feel the reason was needed before plunging into the fake dating negotiations that took place. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱? I enjoyed Kian’s sarcasm and dry humor when met with Hudson’s southern charm, their on the page chemistry that made for *chefs kiss* steamy scenes, a supportive friend group, the presence of strong sibling bonds, and female side characters who are driven and fiercely independent. There was enough witty banter and intriguing side characters in this book to guarantee I pick up whatever Kosoko Jackson writes next 🖤

There was so much good in this book that I adored, so don't fear the 3-star rating! I recommend this one to Casey Mcquisten lovers, who crave dynamic & witty characters in their romances. Here are my thoughts:

THE VOICE. Kosoko Jackson's writing is stellar. The protagonist, Kian Andrews, is hilarious, honest, and refreshing. Not to mention, he is 24, an age I LOVE seeing in books, although I may be biased. There are tons of pop-culture references, something I also love seeing, but know is a controversial hot-take since many readers hate this.

THE CONCEPT: A book about exes on a wedding vacation together, I mean, could it get any better?

WHAT LACKED FOR ME: completely surrounded the tension. We aren't included in too much backstory of Kian & Hudson's relationship and I really wish we did. I think this would've amped the tension up way higher. I never once doubted that this couple was going to get back together... and for me, the "what if" factor is what truly makes a romance.

i enjoyed this book. it made me laugh out loud a few times and i appreciated how 'real' kian's narration was. by that i mean all the conversational tangents he took when telling us the story since almost everyone i know does that. so, that aspect of that was accurate as all get out.

i also love second chance stories and think this handled it well especially considering how young they were. while we were never in hudson's mind, we got a lot of kian's introspection over "am i feeling this way because of our past and that it may be convenient or am i really feeling him again?" it usually is a mixture of both but it was still nice to have that honesty in a book.

there were a few drawbacks, such as both men's sheer stubbornness (since that is ultimately what it was) as well as not having previously dealt with the demons (but they were working on it so brownie points there). they were young and admittedly still immature so they had a lot of work to do on themselves and each other. and it seemed they were going to do that so it was positive..

next part is also a bit of a spoiler so be warned:

i also didn't appreciate how quickly the issue with olivia was resolved and it really came down to the threat she made to kian. it's like i'm sorry that this marriage didn't happen after your family spent all this money but first off your family can afford it. and second off if a five minute conversation with a virtual stranger gave the bride the push she needed to not go through with the wedding? the marriage wasn't going to last. if i were kian i would have made her work to get back into my good graces, especially if she threatened my livelihood.

overall it was a good book and a sweet and steamy read. i would read more from this author.

I very much wanted to love this book. The main characters on their own we’re enjoyable. I had fun reading this but there was something missing…that pop of chemistry that I crave in romance seemed to be missing. I will not be sharing a review of this one outside of NetGalley.

I liked this book a lot! I have been consuming a ton of queer romance recently and really enjoyed the dynamic between the love interests, Thank you for the early read!

This book! I’m So (Not) Over You had me hooked from page one, with a lovely romance, laugh-out-loud moments, and a fun second-chance twist on my favorite trope: fake dating! I couldn’t put this one down. I absolutely adored Kian and Hudson’s story, and I’m so eager to read Jackson’s next romance!

Aspiring journalist Kian Andrews never understood why his boyfriend, Hudson River, broke up with him just as they were graduating from Northeastern. When Hudson unexpectedly texts Kian, Kian can’t resist meeting him, hoping to find resolution. Instead, Hudson admits he never told his parents they split and begs him to attend a family dinner as his boyfriend.

Kian agrees but finds himself invited to Georgia’s biggest wedding of the year. If Kian goes as Hudson’s plus-one, Hudson promises to introduce him to one of the most prominent magazine editors in the business.

Soon, the fake relationship feels very real, but the class issues that drove them apart are only heightened as the two men navigate the expectations of Hudson’s wealthy family, owners of the Rivers & Valley brewing company.

I love the representation in the book and how it addresses race, class, and sexuality. Kian’s BFF, the newly minted, no-nonsense Divya is a fun character who delights in giving Kian reality checks. I wish that there had been more backstory about their relationship and circumstances surrounding their breakup. Without this information, it was difficult to understand why a second chance was worthwhile. Also, much of the narration moved via Kian’s inner dialogue, and I think I would have preferred less contemplation and more action. I’m excited that Kosoko Jackson transitioned from writing YA to adult novels and look forward to seeing his future endeavors!

When I first heard about Kosoko Jackson’s I’m So (Not) Over You, I was incredibly excited; an Own Voices romance with two gay Black leads and featuring two of my favourite tropes, fake dating and second chance romances sounded so promising. While I definitely enjoyed some elements of this novel, a few pitfalls in the execution made this one not land as well for me personally as I might have hoped.

First, the good. Kian’s voice is distinct, unapologetic, and often quite funny; he’s both charming and possessed of believable flaws. The anxiety representation was well executed and felt true to the experience. Despite being a romcom, the novel also doesn’t shy away from exploring how issues of racism, classicism, homophobia, and late-stage capitalism affect Kian’s life. His relationship with his best friend Divya is sweet and thoughtful, and it’s clear he thinks the absolute world of her.

My main issue with this book, as other reviewers have alluded to, is that we never actually get any explanation—literally none—as to why Kian and Hudson initially broke up. So, while Kian and Hudson have great chemistry when they’re on page together in the novel, it feels like we’re missing half the story. For a second chance romance to work, there has to be evidence of a significant shift from the initial circumstances, but because the reader is never given that context, the romance arc falls painfully flat for me.

A secondary issue was the quality of the advance reader copy. I am used to minor errors and issues in ARCs and don’t let them impact my review; in this novel, however, it was exceedingly difficult for them not to impede the reading experience. Inconsistencies with timelines, typos, incorrect character names, and more were present. Mostly I’m bummed that the ARC wasn’t given a more thorough editing pass before being distributed, and I hope the multitude of errors were cleaned up before final publication.

All in all, I think other readers may have a better experience with this book than I did. There’s definitely two strong characters in the main leads, good chemistry between them, and an overall lighthearted energy. For those who want a quick, fun, Own Voices MLM romance read, I would still recommend giving a finished copy of Kosoko Jackson’s I’m So (Not) Into You a try!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Reading this book felt like listening to a friend tell you a story about themselves. Kian is a relatable main character and his internal dialogue made me smile and laugh more than once. I would have liked to see more explanation as to why Hudson broke up with Kian in the first place and have some more character development from him. Overall, this book was a good time and I hope to see more from this author in the future!

Kian Andrews is just doing his best, which is all anyone can ask of him, when ex-boyfriend Hudson Rivers comes barrelling back into his life with a proposition (not that kind). Hudson needs Kian to pretend to be his boyfriend for a bit. Of course, Kian's first response is "hell no", but when Hudson sweetens the deal, Kian can't quite say no. And we all know where that leads, right?

First of all, I love the fake dating trope. It's delicious. Maybe not my favorite trope, but oh boy it is up there. Add in gay romance? Perfection. I had all the hope in the world for this book, and let me tell you, it delivered. Kian's sharp wit and humor were what really drew me into the story and kept me invested throughout the book. There was a stream of consciousness quality to the book that I found myself really enjoying. I wish that there had been bit more exploration of characters outside of Kian. Like I would love to know more about Hudson's development and Kian's friendship with Divya. I'm also incredibly curious about why Kian and Hudson broke up in the first place. Maybe that's just me being nosy, but I really want to know.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I think I'm going to look into reading Kosoko Jackson's YA works as well!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I feel like every romance I pick up has the fake-dating trope. And I'm not even trying.

This must be how Midas felt.

Except if Midas were also cursed by wanting something slightly different. Like if instead of everything he touched turning to gold, it turned to silver, or platinum, or bronze, or whatever other precious and semi-precious metal you can think of (because my personal knowledge is officially depleted).

Basically what I'm saying, or what I'm attempting to stretch this metaphor to say, is that I have been trying to find a romance novel I really truly really LIKE since the very start of the year of our lord 2022, and it appears that 2022 is not just similar to the years before in its apocalyptic nature, its continuing pandemic, and the fact that every month feels a hundred centuries long.

It's also determined to make me lose faith in the romance genre. And I WON'T.

Even if I have read 11 so far and not gotten past a singular 3.5 star rating.

In this case, we are at a firm 3, for reasons that may be me-exclusive.

For one thing, this book needed more of an edit. I read this as a Netgally e-ARC via Berkley, and I read a lot of Berkley e-ARCs. None of them had as little editorial support as this one, which is a bummer and I have to wonder why that is.

It results in kind of stilted and silly writing, like this passage from a restaurant:
"“The Lobster Thermidor,” Mr. Rivers says.
“The cioppino,” Mrs. Rivers selects.
“Seafood pappardelle,” Olivia chooses.
“Samundari Khazana Curry,” Hudson points.
[...] Just the four items they ordered easily cost . . . Twelve hundred dollars?!"

Noting again that I read an e-ARC and this passage is subject to change in the final version.

Also, while this is fake dating, which is one of my favorite tropes, it is also another of my LEAST favorite tropes: second chance romance.

A fun fact about me is that when I break up with someone they are dead to me. I wish them a very happy afterlife, but it is separate from me and I will never seek them out again. They are blocked on socials, their number is gone, they are done. And they have usually done something to justify this, or otherwise we have been so fully incompatible that an ideal scenario would involve us calculating the two most distant points on the globe and skedaddling to our respective new homes.

So when I read about a second chance romance, I need a LOT of explanation. Both for the above explanation and because I am nosy. This proves to be a bummer, because in this book, you get exactly zero. While we have a handful of flashbacks at our dynamic duo's first attempt, we are never really told why they broke up.

And a second chance romance without any information on the first chance and not a lot of time passing means no romance at all.

Anyway, I'm picky, it's true. But there was plenty of good stuff in this book. It's extremely funny, for one thing, and I'm going to come back to Kosoko Jackson because anytime I find an author who builds in pop culture references in a way that doesn't make me want to dramatically pass away, I cling.

Just look what happened with Mary H.K. Choi. I refuse to give up on her.

Also, the background characters (especially Olivia, Danni, and Divya, three supporting women who are very funny and brazen and cool) were fantastic.

In truth, they were way more interesting than the main two, who I did not exactly care for, but that's beside the point.

Long story short, this was my first Kosoko Jackson book, but it won't be my last!

Bottom line: Was this anything? I feel like I just wrote words for too long and called it a review.

This was such a fun read! I'm So (Not) Over You captured everything that makes fake-dating one of my favorite tropes, from the swoony progression of fake romance to real romance, to the incredible sense of humor in the narration. The best part about this book's interpretation of the fake-dating trope, though, was the addition of a relationship history between the couple. This added another layer of emotions to the narrative, forcing the protagonist to grapple with the realities of pretending to date someone you loved. I'm So (Not) Over You was a fantastic adult romance debut on the part of Kosoko Jackson, and I cannot wait to see what he will write next!

My Recommendation-
If you love the fake dating trope and all the complicated character feelings that come from it, you need to grab a copy of I'm So (Not) Over You! I would especially recommend this book to fans of Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall.

Kian Andrews, aspiring journalist, hasn’t heard from his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, in months, but an urgent text brings them together at a cafe. Hudson’s not looking to profess his love or even apologize, he needs a favor - he wants Kian to pretend they’re still dating while his parents are in town. Kian reluctantly agrees and somehow ends up being Hudson’s plus one to a huge family wedding in Georgia. Hudson is from a wealthy family and Kian sees the wedding as an opportunity to rub elbows with big names in media, so he agrees. However, their fake dating starts to feel not so fake and both men need to do some soul searching.

This book…***SCREECHES IN EXCITED GAY**

Now, that that’s out of the way, let me properly gush about this book! This was such a fun, witty, smart, spicy book. I really love Jackson’s writing - it’s fun, breezy, and keeps a good pace. I enjoyed Yesterday is History last year and loved his first foray into adult romcom writing.

Kian is a beautiful, loving, thoughtful mess. I felt so akin to him and his overthinking. Hudson was…hot 🥵 The scenes at the rehearsal dinner party….🥵🥵🥵 This is another book that has gay MCs and you can tell it’s written by a gay man. And, before anyone tries to come for all the pop culture references…gays are like that!

My one gripe…the ending happened too quickly for me! I wanted more story and wanted Kian to stand up for himself more. That said, this is a book that gives us all a happy ending for Black queer men. More of this in books please!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Berkley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

After months since hearing from his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, the aspiring journalist Kian Andrews gets an urgent text from him, with a very peculiar favor to ask: pretending to be his boyfriend while his parents are in town and Kian agrees. But soon enough Kian finds himself involved in a complex plot, where he will be Hudson's plus one to a wedding of the season. Hudson's family is rich and fights for its reputation and willing to meet some big names in media, makes Kian decides to help Hudson with this charade. But their fake relationship starts to be a way to make them confront their own feelings for each other.

I'm so (not) over you is a sweet, swoony romantic comedy written by the talented Kosoko Jackson and I loved everything about it. Ex boyfriend asks for a fake relationship? What could go wrong? Or right? This book is amazing, funny and I love Kian and Hudson so much! The characterization is awesome and their relationship is pure gold. I wish they would have explained more the issues surrounding the first break up, but I enjoyed the talk about racism and wealth and the diversity in this book.

This cover totally pulled me in, and then you add in a fake dating situation and I was pulled in. It starts with Kian and Hudson already broken up, and the Kian receives an urgent text to meet. While he expected Hudson to come groveling, he didn't expect him asking him to pretend to still be together for a family dinner in Georgia.

While the dinner ends up with an invitation to the wedding of a cousin, Kian and Hudson now have more time to spend together. I loved some of Kian's inner dialogue. As a journalist he sometimes gets into trouble by asking probing questions but it also really made people think and possibly even change the course of their decisions.

There is one issue that I had with this book and it is that you are never told why they broke up in the first place. So there is nothing to determine if Hudson should be forgiven and a second chance is worth trying again. They also break up a second time and even that resolution was a little off for me. They slide right back into a relationship without really much discussion of the past issues or reasons for breaking up.

Aside from that major issue I did enjoy the writing and I did appreciate some of the conversations surrounding racism, and the wage gap of both main characters and their families.