I really enjoyed the premise of this book. This sounded like everything I love in a book, but somehow it was harder for me to get into this book than I wanted it to be, It had all of the right elements for me, but it just didn't really work for me.

Diese sehr emotionale, humorvolle, jugendliche Gay Romance über Freundschaft, Liebe und die Last, die auf Trennungskindern und ihren Familien liegt, wird aus der Perspektive des 17-jährigen Ryan erzählt.
Ryan und Cody teilen sich zwei ältere Schwestern. Sie sind nicht zusammen aufgewachsen, kennen sich quasi kaum, aber zu allen wichtigen Feierlichkeiten ihrer älteren Schwestern sind sie sich begegnet und immer musste Ryan erdulden, mit Cody verglichen zu werden. Codys Vater, der früher mit Ryans Mutter verheiratet war, lässt keine Gelegenheit aus, mit seinem wohlerzogenen, musikbegabten Sohn zu prahlen. Ryan konnte da nie mithalten; Ryan, der eher in den Tag hinein lebt, das Surfen liebt, gern mit seinen Freunden feiert und noch nicht weiß, was er mit seiner Zukunft anfangen soll. Als Ryan ungeplant mehrere Wochen des Sommers mit Cody und ihrer gemeinsamen Schwester Mel in einem Ferienhaus am Strand verbringt, stellt er sich auf eine unangenehme Zeit ein; und ist überrascht, als zwischen Cody und ihm plötzlich nicht nur eine zarte Freundschaft entsteht, sondern auch kräftig die Funken sprühen...

Ich weiß gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll, meine Liebe zu diesem Buch zu beschreiben. Ich bin mit viel Interesse, aber ohne Erwartungen an dieses Buch heran gegangen und wurde vollkommen überwältigt.
Ryan ist eine wundervolle Figur. Er ist ein typischer Teenager mit wenig Interesse am Lernen, dafür viel Interesse am Feiern und Flirten und mit einem vorlauten Mundwerk. Er ist offen bisexuell, obwohl er sich eigentlich nicht labeln mag, und liebt es, seine Schwestern zu ärgern. Recht schnell wird jedoch auch deutlich, dass seine Witze und lockeren Sprüche seine Unsicherheiten überdecken sollen. Gefangen im ständigen Vergleich mit Cody - nicht nur durch ihre Eltern, sondern auch durch seine Schwestern, die den freundlichen, zuvorkommenden Bruder viel lieber mögen als ihn - geht er immerzu als Verlierer hervor, sodass er gelernt hat, seine Verletztheit zu überspielen. Ich habe sofort einen Zugang zu Ryan gefunden und im Verlauf der Handlung sehr mit ihm gelitten.
Die Geschichte von Ryan und Cody ist zwar eine Liebesgeschichte, aber es ist in der ersten Hälfte des Buches vordergründig auch eine Geschichte über Freundschaft. Man spürt die Chemie zwischen den beiden, wie sie durch den jeweils anderen neue Interessen entwickeln und neue Seiten an sich hervor locken, und es war wunderschön und süß zu erleben, wie die beiden immer vertrauter miteinander werden. Ich habe mich in der Geschichte sehr wohl gefühlt, gemeinsam mit Ryan geschmachtet und konnte mich kaum von der Geschichte lösen.

Neben der Freundschafts- und Liebesgeschichte zwischen Ryan und Cody gibt es jedoch noch einen weiteren sehr wichtigen, viel Raum einnehmenden Aspekt in der Handlung des Buches: Trennungskonflikte und wie sie jedes einzelne Mitglied der Familie belasten können. Es wird in diesem Buch sehr ausführlich, eindringlich und schmerzlich aufgezeigt, wie sehr Kinder - auch noch im Erwachsenenalter - darunter leiden, wenn ihre Eltern sich nach einer Trennung nicht mehr verstehen; wenn jedes Aufeinandertreffen in Streit ausartet, jedes Fest doppelt gefeiert werden muss oder jede Entscheidung für den einen Elternteil automatisch als Entscheidung gegen den Anderen gewertet wird. Ich habe teilweise große Aggressionen gegen Ryans Mutter und Codys Vater entwickelt und auch, wenn ich am Ende verstanden habe, woher dieses Verhalten kam, fällt es mir sehr schwer ihnen zu vergeben, was sie ihren Kindern - und zwar allen vier - angetan haben.

Fazit:
Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um eine herzerwärmende, süße Geschichte über Freundschaft und Liebe zwischen zwei Jungen, die jedoch auch nicht an ernsten Themen und Herzschmerz spart und mich emotional zutiefst berührt hat. Ich würde diese Geschichte auch für Jugendliche ab ca. 15 Jahren empfehlen und vergebe sehr, sehr gute 5 Sterne.


In English:

This highly emotional, humorous, youthful gay romance about friendship, love and the burden placed on children of separation and their families is told from the perspective of 17-year-old Ryan.
Ryan and Cody share two older sisters. They didn't grow up together, they hardly know each other, but they met at all the important celebrations of their older sisters and always Ryan had to endure being compared to Cody. Cody's father, formerly married to Ryan's mother, never misses an opportunity to brag about his well-mannered, musically gifted son. Ryan could never keep up; Ryan, who lives more in the moment, loves surfing, likes to party with his friends and doesn't know yet what to do with his future. When Ryan spends several weeks of the summer unplanned with Cody and their sister Mel at a vacation home on the beach, he braces himself for an awkward time; and is surprised when suddenly not only a tender friendship develops between Cody and him, but also the sparks fly strongly...

I don't even know where to begin to describe my love for this book. I approached this book with great interest but no expectations and was completely blown away.
Ryan is a wonderful character. He's a typical teenager with little interest in studying but much interest in partying and flirting, and with a cheeky mouth. He's openly bisexual, although he doesn't really like labeling himself, and loves to tease his sisters. However, it quickly becomes clear that his jokes and casual sayings are intended to cover up his insecurities. Caught in constant comparison with Cody - not only by their parents but also by his sisters, who like the kind, courteous brother much better than him - he always comes out a loser, so he has learned to cover his hurt. I immediately connected with Ryan and suffered a lot with him as the story progressed.
The story of Ryan and Cody may be a love story, but it's also primarily a story about friendship in the first half of the book. You can feel the chemistry between the two of them as they develop new interests and new sides on themself through the other, and it was beautiful and sweet to watch the two become more intimate. I felt very comfortable with the story, languished with Ryan and could hardly tear myself away from the story.

In addition to the friendship and love story between Ryan and Cody, there is another very important, space-consuming aspect of the book's plot: separation conflicts and how they can affect each individual member of the family. This book shows in great detail, emphatically and painfully how much children - even as adults - suffer when their parents no longer get along with each other after a separation; when every encounter degenerates into a fight, every celebration has to be celebrated twice or every decision for one parent is automatically evaluated as a decision against the other one. At times I developed great aggression towards Ryan's mother and Cody's father and even though I finally understood where this behavior came from, I find it very difficult to forgive them for what they did to their children - to all four of them.

Conclusion:
This book is a heartwarming, sweet story about friendship and love between two boys, but it doesn't skimp on serious issues and heartbreak either, and it touched me deeply emotionally. I would also recommend this story for young people from about 15 years and give very, very good 5 stars.

Cody and Ryan's story was a sweet story with little to no angst (aside from some family drama). I enjoyed the overall premise of the story, it made for some interesting moments. Although the story was a bit predictable, I appreciated the author's efforts in bringing in unexpected elements. This made a difference in my reading experience. I especially enjoyed how the author went about bringing Cody and Ryan together in a viable way. Going from friends to lovers gave me the opportunity to see their connection firsthand, which ultimately sold me on their romance.

I enjoyed some of the secondary characters that were introduced, but I could have done with a little less of the family drama. I understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but a lot of it was unnecessary to get the point across. Thankfully, Cody and Ryan were great characters to get to know and I was invested enough to stick it out until the end.

All in all, a cute enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I started this book 3 times before I finally finished it. I am so glad I did. Once I finally got into it, I really enjoyed it. I am a librarian so I love to read what my kiddos are reading.

The family dynamic is a little different, but this is the story of Cody and Ryan. They share half sisters. Their parents were married many years ago and there are some big time secrets the parents are keeping. Ryan is the fun loving, goofy, and never serious brother and Cody is the gifted musician whose father has him on the straight and narrow path. Cody and Ryan have never been close, even though they share sisters until at a party one night when Cody gets really drunk and Ryan takes him home.

Over the next few weeks feelings develop and then they fall for one another, but will their parents allow it.

Great story with some fun twists and turns.

4 stars!

**Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Pros
+ Ryan (17yo): laid back surfer who doesn't take school or life goals too seriously
+ Cody (~17yo): master pianist, perfectionist overachiever, bane of Ryan's existence
+ plot: Ryan spends time with his nemesis, Cody, who is related to his sister... they make a deal. Ryan will teach Cody how to surf if Cody teaches him how to play guitar...the more time they spend together the closer they get...
+ romance tropes: laid back/uptight & enemies-to-lovers-ish & forbidden not-step-brother romance
+ slow burn, mutual pining goodness

Cons
- I really didn't like just how horrible the divorced parents were. Talk about miscommunication and toxic parenting. I just wanted to slap the f*** out of both of them.

TW: divorced parent toxicity, death of a child

Well, this was a very enjoyable coming of age/young adult romance book. It might seem like there's some taboo in here, but there isn't. Both mc's are not related - they just share the same sisters, who were born from a previous marriage. This is a love story, but it's also a story about complicated family dynamics after a difficult and hurtful divorce, and about the impact this has when there are children involved. My husband often uses a phrase: one can divorce his wife or husband, but one can never separate from an ex. Specially not when there are children involved. This book shows, once again, how true that phrase is.

Ryan and Cody both have 2 sisters and they are the same - Ryan's mother was once married to Cody's father, long before both boys were born. They had their daughters and then divorced and remarried. From this second marriage Cody and Ryan were born, both seventeen years old. They see each other when their sisters celebrate their birthdays, but never got along all that well. Cody seems to be the better person of the two, their sister's favorite - he is good at everything he does and he always seems to be doing the right thing. Taking life and everything he does, seriously, where Ryan always jokes around and doesn't even know what he wants to do.
Until one day they get to know each other better and a friendship develops. And then that friendship turns into something more. But how can they find a future together with all the tension in their families? When the ex-parents can't be in a room for just a second without starting an argument or a disagreement that turns into harsh words and a fight? Will they ever be able to tell them they fell in love when even their sisters are skeptical?

This is a slow burn. There are lots of lingering looks and feelings of attraction before they finally act on it. But when they do, it's just sweet and nice and real and I really liked that about this story. It's written from Ryan's pov only, which worked well for me.
There is sex in this book, but even though the scenes are not fully fade to black, they are not very descriptive either.

This book is my first one by this author, but I enjoyed the writing and the story, so I will definitely be checking out more of their books.
If you are looking for a sweet ya/coming of age book with a bit of tension on the side, this book might work really well for you. It really did for me.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I love Jax Calder's writing and this one did not disappoint! I loved the relationship between Ryan and Cody. Their growth together and figuring out themselves and each other was amazing. Honestly my only complaint was the boys seemed to act a lot more mature than normal 17 year olds. This might've ended up being 5 stars if they had been adults.

Can't wait to see what all Jax Calder comes out with next!

Oops! I didn't get around to reading this one read before it was archived! Sorry! I was really looking forward to it as well. :(

maybe its because I've gone soft... or maybe, its because i truly felt Ryan. but, i cried.

this is kinda slow burn. i love experiencing the transition from (not so) enemy to friends to lovers. as their interactions grew, so does their chemistry. i love reading them hanging out together.

ryan is a relatable character. someone who jokes around, to make others feel better and to also hide his true feelings. it hurts that everyone underestimate him but it was amazing how he stayed strong through it all.

i truly like that it was only in Ryan's pov, but i would love to know how Cody is feeling and hurting. i think their patch up was too fast and underwelming, but maybe i'm being bias to Ryan. :P

but really, Ryan is a very very precious character and i hope he gets all the love.

What's it like to fall for the forbidden? I would assume it's quite easy- the fall that is. Once you get past prejudices and blind anger, it's pretty easy to fall for him. The hard part is dealing with your family's repressed drama, the pain, the bitterness, and admitting you need them.

The Other Brother is a sweet story about two young men falling for the impossible.

The Other Brother is a good New Adult/ Young Adult read with an interesting twist on the stepbrother trope. The writing was smooth, the characters likable, and the romance sweet.

Young Adult romances can be hit or miss for me as I sometimes find the immaturity or silly conflicts that fit the characters' age off-putting. In The Other Brother, I almost felt the opposite. Cody and Ryan often behave or talk almost too mature for their age. I found this especially noticeable with Ryan, the quintessential high school surfer boy for much of the book, but who would occasionally wax poetic about Cody's appearance or feelings for him. In these moments, I admittedly stumbled. I liked the writing and story in The Other Brother, but…

As I kept reading, I found myself increasingly drawn into Cody and Ryan's story, their ongoing family drama, and the unexpected connection that would help heal longstanding wounds between their families. I enjoyed seeing these two forges a connection and how innocent it felt initially, but how that feeling solidified into something extraordinary at the end. I also enjoyed seeing both characters develop throughout the story - in their own lives, their relationship with each other, and their relationships with their family members.


always like it when books surprise me. The Other Brother definitely did that - not only did it prove to be a slower build but gripping read, but it also had some surprising moments and revelations I honestly hadn't expected. I'd recommend The Other Brother to readers who like New Adult stories and don't mind some family drama to drive the plot and conflicts.

Sweet

This YA , sweet , heartfelt , fade to black , romance was an unexpected and happy surprise.
Because , The Other Brother isn't your typical angst filled teenager drama story; it's so much more. It's an interesting and entertaining glimpse into what makes and takes to be a family.

Jax Calder is a new , to me , author and I am glad I took the chance and read this book. Looking forward reading some of her other books.

I just reviewed The Other Brother by Jax Calder. #TheOtherBrother #NetGalley

This was enjoyable and pretty sweet. It's pretty predictable in places and a tad over-dramatic but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I did feel like Ryan was unfairly pigeon-holed a lot and for the most part no one ever really apologused for the way they callously treated him and it was just brushed aside. But that aside the MC's are cute and it's a light (mostly) fun little story that I had fun reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this sweet YA contemporary romance between two guys with a problematic family connection.

One thing I appreciated about the book was that the issue that complicates Ryan and Cody’s romance isn’t something that a couple of teenagers could easily fix. Ryan and Cody aren’t related, but they share a set of older sisters, the children of Ryan’s mom and Cody’s dad, who divorced years ago. The exes have been involved in a constant battle over their daughters ever since, making life extremely unpleasant for everyone involved. So, when Ryan and Cody become boyfriends, they can only expect a lot of parental disapproval. That’s a heavy burden to place on a relationship between teens, and it’s not surprising they don’t deal with it well once everything comes out. My one major criticism of the book is that the way the tension between their parents does ultimately get resolved felt a little anticlimactic to me, though.

The story is told from Ryan’s perspective, and I thought he was a very likeable character. Ryan’s an average teenage boy who more interested in surfing than school, doesn’t have any outstanding talents, and annoys his sisters like a typical little brother. Cody, in contrast, is a paragon; he gets great grades, is a skilled tennis player and an even more talented pianist, and knows how to keep his older sisters happy. So, Ryan has always felt like Cody’s inferior, which he hides behind a mask of humor and carelessness. Ryan does have a generous spirit, however, which allows him to empathize with Cody’s problems and give up any jealousy fairly easily as they become friends and then boyfriends. Ryan’s great at supporting Cody when he needs it, and in turn Cody encourages Ryan to see his own strengths, which helps Ryan grow as a person.

This is the second book by Jax Calder I’ve read, and I’ve liked them both. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from her in the future!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Ryan and Cody have a complicated relationship -they share older sisters. Although they're not technically related, they've orbited around each other for their entire lives. When Ryan and Cody get a chance to actually spend time together at the beach for the summer, they learn that they both want a much stronger connection. I really liked Ryan's goofy personality. He was always getting overlooked, but Cody could really see what he was about. Great characters and I really liked how they navigated their family relationships in the midst of their developing relationship. It was. a really cute YA M/M romance.

The Other Brother is an absolutely delightful novel. The characters were well-drawn and the plot well-paced.
Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

I completely fell in love with this book from the moment I read the first sentence! I don’t know how that happens but it’s kind of magical to me and one of my favorite things about reading. This is such a sweet, funny, beautiful story about becoming friends with someone you shouldn’t and how family is never easy.

The book is in Ryan’s POV and he is such a delightful character, always the fun one but never taken seriously. This has never been an issue for him except for the fact that his sisters compare him to their other brother Cody. Ryan’s mom and Cody’s dad used to be married and had Kate and Mel, Ryan and Cody’s half sisters. They divorced and remarried and Ryan and Cody are the children from their new marriages. Unfortunately the divorce was nowhere near amicable and relations between the parents is still horrible over 20 years later. These have got to be some of the worst parents I’ve read about. There are reasons we find out about but they still are so horrible thinking of themselves and essentially ruining everything special for their daughters and even their new families in the process.

Ryan and Cody become friends over a few weeks in the summer and watching their friendship form is beautiful. Ryan teaches Cody to surf and Cody teaches Ryan guitar. Ryan realizes that all the animosity he held towards Cody for being the perfect brother is not what he expects and he learns who Cody really is.

This is a major slow burn but in the best possible way. It’s sort of YA being they are 17 but it didn’t read as YA for me. The writing is excellent and the story flows so well I didn’t want the book to end. I loved every word, every emotion and even the messed up family situation wasn’t enough to stop me loving this book. This was a very different story than what I usually read and it was like a breath of fresh air. I’m now off to discover more from Jax Calder.

**I received an ARC via NetGalley for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

4 Stars

What I Loved: The premise totally drew me in and aside from a few issues, it was well-executed. During the first, say 60% of the book (for the most part), I really enjoyed the slow burn, the way Ryan and Cody's relationship progressed, the glances, the near-kisses, the kisses, and more, Cody and Ryan had amazing chemistry. I loved Ryan, he showed so much growth throughout the book, from a somewhat directionless 17-year-old to someone who actually knew what he wanted and worked hard to achieve his dreams, no matter if no one but Cody believed in him.

What I Liked: I liked Cody, even if I was more than fed-up by how everyone kept comparing him and Ryan, and Ryan kept coming up the loser in the comparison. Grrr!

What I Didn't Like: Okay, so their family dynamics were complicated, to say the least, and while I didn't mind the constant battling between Cody's father and Ryan's mother, what I hated was how everyone, but especially Mel and Kate—Cody and Ryan's older half-sisters—kept putting Ryan down. I get that Cody was the good son, smart, a music and tennis prodigy, and that Ryan was more laidback, the jokester of the family, but the way they constantly belittled Ryan was downright frustrating and really lessened my overall enjoyment of the book. Also, I would've liked to get Cody's POV, I felt a tad cheated that I didn't get to see a certain scene near the end because of this.

Overall, this was a good read, well-written, interesting, and captivating (especially the first half), albeit a tad annoying in certain parts. Still, I was invested in Ryan and Cody getting the chance to experience love without their families' interference. Recomendable.

*** Copy provided for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

I loved it!

The Other Brother is the first book I’ve read by Jax Calder and I couldn’t put it down. I have a real fondness for YA/New Adult stories and I think this was a real gem. I’m not going to rehash the blurb as it is excellent and what enticed me to read the book.

The story is told entirely from Ryan’s POV and I wouldn’t have minded at least a chapter or two from Cody but that didn’t affect my rating or how much I loved this book. The story took the ups and downs that I expected from the blurb but it was the writing that kept me pretty much glued to the book. I felt like I got to know both Ryan and Cody pretty well.

I’m usually not fond of books or movies with dysfunctional families as I get enough of that in real life but the premise for this one was so different from anything else I can remember reading that I had to read it. The story has a fair amount of angst but family drama is always angsty – right? Seeing what was once an adversarial relationship (for Ryan) develop into a true friendship and then much more, made this a great book for me.

I also liked how Ryan grew from being the always wise-cracking guy into someone a bit more serious and how he finally knuckled down and decided what he wants to do with his life. Cody helped a good bit with that but Ryan still had to do the work.

There were a few surprises along the way, especially when it was revealed what caused the dissention between Ryan and Cody’s families. I was confident that Ryan and Cody would get their HFN/HEA and the epilogue set two years after the end of the story was like the perfect topping on my favorite ice cream sundae.

A copy of this book was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

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

The characters use the Romeo/Juliet reference several times in the The Other Brother to describe their story - hatred between factions that prevents them from being together as young lovers... and the added twist of having two half-siblings in common means that the factions come together more often...

What I love about this book is that family dynamics and the strong parental leads of Cody's father and Ryan's mother who divorced before either was born play in the development of their relationship and the angst about being together... There is also stress from Cody's parents about his life choices and it juxtaposes the life that Ryan leads.

I really enjoyed the interplay between the main characters and the family angst that was part of this story. The Other Brother was well written, well paced and I recommend it to anyone who likes a story-driven romance with age appropriate steam and some good plot twists!