Jackal's Wild had an interesting plot and set of characters but the writing style and execution just didn't click with me. The romance felt off and a little lack-luster and I just didn't really get the stakes? This was decent enough and I read it pretty quickly but it wasn't great.

Another book that took me too many days to read that I should have been able to read in one sitting. This is usually a pretty good indication that I just didn’t connect with the story. The book was fine. The plot was predictable and the villain was obvious. I was expecting a queer version of The Roommate but this just was lacking oomph. I did read the whole thing and I’m not mad that I read it, but I’m not excited to continue the series. This doesn’t mean that I won’t read the next book in the series. I liked both Carter and Adam but I didn’t feel overly connected with either despite the fact that it was dual POV. I did like that the book addressed issues like bullying and the power of rumors. Honestly I will read the next one in the series, but it didn’t jump to the top of my TBR.

3.5 stars

This book was definitely different and I can't quite put my finger on why exactly, but I still enjoyed it! The story of roommates where one is secretly a porn star and then the other one finds out and becomes the camera guy is a fun trope that I'm seeing more of lately, and this book was done well!

It is a romance book but I liked how there were real life problems that were incorporated and mentioned into he story that gave us as readers more of an awareness to these problems like cyber bullying and the power of gossiping.

Apparently this is a series and the next one is enemies to lovers and in super excited for that one to come out in fall!

This book comes out on the 25th of March!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the earc in return for an honest review.

**I was provided an electronic ARC through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Abby Kaitz presents Jackals Wild, a queer new adult contemporary romance. College mathematician Adam is all about making sure he is acing his classes and putting in the work to get there. Adam is thrown off by his annoyingly attractive messy roommate, Carter. When Adam finds out that Carter has a side hustle that distinctly does not involve wearing clothing, it only complicates things further. And when Carter asks him to be the camera man? This is not what Adam thought college would be.

Kaitz not only leans in hard to "and they were roommates", but she does it with flair. There's a reason that opposites attract and roommates tropes are so successful. They're fun. They're relatable. And Kaitz pulls off the tropes in a way that gives a realistic portrayal of students struggling with sexuality and new adulthood. The interpersonal drama along with the struggle of school and expenses was definitely well-balanced, and Kaitz took the time to develop her characters beyond the surface level.

I was entertained throughout the work, and grew fond of seeing Carter and Adam find their way, not only with each other but with setting up a foundation for the rest of their lives. I look forward to reading Max's story coming in the fall and enjoyed the teaser for introducing his book. Overall, a strong debut novel from Kaitz and I am definitely intrigued to read more.

Jackals Wild is a cute m/m college romance featuring kind-of-nerdy Adam and his supposedly suave, frat bro'y roommate Carter. However, Adam quickly realizes Carter's putting up a facade, and while attempting to really get to know the guy he's living with, he starts to fall for Carter as Carter's walls slowly come down. Doesn't hurt that Carter's super hot and Adam finds out he's doing gay porn online. While I liked both Adam and Carter, the story felt fairly predictable and the writing came off as somewhat flat at times. I didn't fully connect to either of the main characters and they still didn't feel fully three-dimensional at the end of the story which made it hard for me to get fully invested in the book. It still was a cute read but nothing too ground-breaking.

4 Stars

This was a nice read. Adam and Carter were both likable and sweet. My heart broke for Carter and the pain he’d suffered in the past. He was sweet and kinda goofy, but when you dug deeper he had a big heart and was much more than just the obnoxious frat boy that Adam believed him to be in the beginning of the story.

Adam was also sweet and I really loved that when he discovers what Carter is doing, he doesn’t think less of him as most people would. He was perfectly fine with it and unlike others, made an attempt to get to know the real Carter.

Together, they were nice, but I guess my biggest issue was I wasn’t sure how Carter felt about Adam for a big portion of the book. It wasn’t really clear to me and it felt like they were just roommates having sex for a while. I think I wanted a bit more romance and a deeper connection between them throughout the story.

Still, this was an enjoyable read and I absolutely loved Adam’s friends, Mateo and Fern. I’d have no issues recommending.

**copy provided by published/author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book surprised me. In a good way.

I usually don’t go looking for M/M stories, so if they’re part of the book I’m reading, I don’t mind. But the description pulled me in and I wanted to read it.

Nothing like a fresh first love during college years, add great friendships, crushes, math, p*rn sites, a bit of drama and a sweet ending and you have a great story.

I enjoyed the ups and downs of both Adams and Carters feelings. Adam at times was a bit too emotional for me, but in the end it made him who he was.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a total sucker for new adult, college, M/M romances. Adam is a sophomore who was bullied in high school and is still coming into his own. He's shy and very much focused on school and maintaining his scholarship. He has one close friend at the start of the book - and has no interest in partying or putting himself out there. His roommate - Carter - drives him crazy with his messy ways and over-the-top humor. Carter is used to keeping things superficial with everyone around him. He pushes pretty much everyone away - and is equally as focused on his goals as Adam is. Carter's side hustle in porn is something he's kept entirely to himself. When Adam figures out what he's doing - Carter offers him a partnership to start a fans only site with Carter playing the starring role and Adam as cameraman. Its an unlikely partnership and the start of a close relationship between the two of them.

I loved how we got to see Adam developing - not just his relationship with Carter - but as an individual. And seeing the friendships grow between him, Mateo, and Fern was almost as satisfying as the romantic relationship between Carter and Adam by itself. I think the way the relationship grew really made sense and gave you a really good sense of who both Adam and Carter were. This book definitely gave me Sarina Bowen/Elle Kennedy vibes in all the best ways.

My only quibble with the book was the resolution of the arc between Carter and his dad. The one conversation that we got to resolve that issue - didn't feel like enough. But overall - this was a great new adult read.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and am very much looking forward to reading more of this series and this author.

When Adam, a math nerd and model student, learns his obnoxious frat boy roomie Carter is secretly a gay pornstar, he starts seeing him in a very different light. The pair strike up a working friendship that soon turns into more, and *swoon*.

I really loved Adam and Carter together. Adam, although shy, wasn’t afraid to push past Carter’s boundaries and get him to open up about himself, and Carter help Adam become more confident. They were also super cute together and their chemistry was 🔥

The plot is a little generic outside of the whole secret porn star thing, but I loved every minute of it!

A wholesome and steamy geek/jock college roommate romance!

Adam is a shy nerd who spends his time studying hard and playing an online video game with his best friend Matteo. His roommate Carter is - in Adam's eyes - a typical frat boy, handsome, muscular and extremely untidy, Adam's main source of frustration. Carter has a secret: he is saving money to chase his carreer dream through a rather unconventional means - adult industry.

The romance is sweet and without silly setbacks, the side characters (Matteo, Fern, Max) are very interesting, the messages on harassing, invading privacy, bullying and cyber=bullying spot on, and the book is also touching the issues of family and background.

An exciting debut novel from Abby Kaitz !

This was a sweet story about roommates Adam and Carter finding their way to each other after a rocky start. Carter had a secret job of being in adult films that Adam found out by mistake. They agreed go into business together to include Adam as the camera guy for extra income. As they navigate from business partners to more it was cute to see Adam develop his self esteem and self confidence. I liked all the friends especially Fern and Mateo who were very supportive to Adam. My only complaint was the ending. I felt that it was rushed and a bit confusing. Overall, though I liked the book. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm new to Abby Kaitz's writing. Jackals Wild is well written but doesn't cover any new ground in the gay romance genre. I really liked the way the two main characters were written. Adam is a typical math nerd who would rather spend the night in his room studying than out partying. His roommate, Carter is outgoing and friendly and "born" into the more elite circles at the school. What is unusual about Carter is that he has a side job that no one knows about and it's pretty x-rated.

The two roommates becomes close as they find out more and more about one another. The build up of the relationship is nice. There's the usual recipe of angst, confusion, lack of confidence, family issues - the result of which is a slow burn of a relationship.

I really enjoyed the supporting characters in the story. Adam's best friend, Mateo was lovely. The banter between them was entertaining and I enjoyed the support and love between the friends in the novel.

So... while there's nothing particularly original about the plot, it's well written and enjoyable.

This was really good. This is the story about a student named Carter who has a difficult relationship with his father and for that reason and other events that happened in this past has become really closed off and created a character to keep everyone at an arm's lenght. Adam - his roommate - is this nerdy, sweet, insecure guy who just needed to be pulled from his shell a little bit. At first I had a little bit of trouble connecting with Carter - actually with the facade he presented - but once we got to see what was behind, it made much more sense. I loved the way his and Adam's relationship evolved and how they ended up becoming better people together. There was also a whole side plot where Carter made porn - with Adam's help at one point - and it let to some interesting plot devices. Also, i was a HUGE fan of Fern (major girl crush!!) and her banter with Mateo. Their whole friendship group was one of my favourite things about this book. The only thing I missed and the reason this was not a 5 star read for me is that Carter had these flashbacks and I think I either missed the reveal or it was not clear enough for me what those were. Other than that, I really loved this book and recommend it.
*I was sent an e-arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I don't what to say about this book because I loved Adam and Carter, they both are smart and their charm is really different, I like roommates romance so it's was plus point for me.
Only one thing that bother me was it's was very typical storyline, nothing was new
Even Lucas's Character was predictable
I didn't like the storyline but writing style was great, Main Character and side character are amazing👍

This book took a while to get going but once it did, I really enjoyed it! I liked that both MCs had things going on besides the main plot and both got development. Despite the slow start, the book is very fast paced overall and probably could have done with expansion in areas as everything did get resolved very quickly. Overall, a quick, good read with a nice relationship.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is adorable. Okay, Adam is adorable, Carter is kinda mysterious but charming and I came to like him a lot by the end of the book. Jackals Wild follows college undergrads and roommates Adam and Carter as they get to know each other and eventually fall in love. Of course it’s not that simple, Adam is suffering from critically low self esteem and Carter? Well, he hides himself from everyone, putting on masks so no one gets close to him. For the most part he succeeds until Adam discovers his side-hustle as a gay porn star and the pair go independent together with Carter as the on-screen talent and Adam as the videographer. This goes great except not everyone is accepting of Carter’s alter-ego and the pair have to lean on each other to navigate the discrimination and hate that gay adult entertainers can face.

The story is well paced and cute, it’s mostly told from Adam’s point of view at first but as Adam gets to know Carter we get more and more insight into his side of things and it work well for the story. It’s a little different than a lot of the two person POV we see where it swaps back and forth consistently and it’s kind of refreshing to see that done a little different.

Pick up your copy of Jackals Wild when it releases on March 25, 2022

I received a copy of Jackals Wild for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.