I am a huge fan of anything written by Timothy Janovsky and while this one missed the mark for me, I still found it to be an enjoyable read.

Nolan is in a life slump at 23, but the night after he bails on his sister’s wedding, he wakes up and is 30. And successful. And handsome. And is no longer in contact with anyone from his previous life.

While I let go and enjoyed the ride of New Adult… Nolan never quite wormed his way into my heart the way Janovsky’s characters typically do. However, Drew was amazing and held my interest in their friends to maybe something more to enemies to lovers journey.

Funny, sweet with the perfect sprinkling of magical realism- readers who enjoy a good giggle need to check out New Adult.

I love Janovsky's books. Never been kissed, Matthew Prince were unputdownable. And this has all of the beats save for the fact that Nolan is unlikable until the second to last part of the book. Maybe it's just I've never been able to find a stand up comedian likable but his inciting incident is unredeemable in a way that the description doesn't even manage to begin to cover. I couldn't understand what made even a single on of the characters forgive him. But the romance is incredibly sweet and when Nolan starts acting like a human again I buy his redemption finally. But this felt like I was slogging to get to the good part, and I was incredibly tempted to skip to a part where I just didn't want the main character to fail miserably. Being a selfish mean person works in 13 going on 30 because Jenna starts out at 13 and every 13 year old in the world is a terrible person. At 23 not having a shred of human decency is less a charming character flaw and more a character you're actively hoping bad things happen to. That being said, there are parts of this book still won me over. The emails to CeeCee broke my heart. Drew's leaving. There were no glaring errors or plot holes. I just spent most of the book wanting to punch Nolan instead of hoping he got his HEA

I am not surprised to say that this is another win from Timothy Janovsky. It’s like if you took 13 going on 30, subtracted all creepy elements, and made it gay—so basically, perfection. Never Been Kissed still has my heart, but Janovsky is an auto buy author for me after being blessed with ARCs for his last three books. I loved even seeing some demisexual representation pop up again in this one!! I can’t wait for whatever he comes out with next.

What a sweet story! We follow Nolan, a young man in New York City trying to make it as a comedian and desperate for a date to his sister’s wedding. He lives with his best friend Drew, who he also harbors secret feelings for (well secret to only him, not everyone else around them..). His sister works at an up and coming influencer company, and they are sponsoring her wedding. Nolan ends up telling Drew he loves him, but gets a call from a comedy legend who asks him to do a set. Nolan leaves the wedding and does the set, upsetting everyone in the process. When he makes it back to the wedding, he’s given a goody bag with crystals in it. He makes a manifestation statement and falls asleep. He wakes up the next day in a new body and timeline, discovering he’s missed 7 years and oh yeah.. he’s also a total jerk. How can he get back?

I am a SUCKER for this trope. I always love it and enjoy the books with changing the past and accepting the future. Nolan fumbles his way through and it’s so relatable as a 30 something. I loved the ending to this one - it reminded me of the best parts of It’s a Wonderful Life and Back to the Future. Pure magical love. Enjoy!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave off major 13 Going on 30 vibes, and I am here for it!

Nolan Baker will do anything to further his career as a comedian. After standing his best friend up and missing his sister’s wedding, Nolan wakes up 7 years in the future to realize he has met his career goals and ruined his relationship with his best friend, Drew, and his family. Desperate to return to his 23-year-old self, Nolan seeks out the only person he thinks will believe his story, Drew. I’m their attempt to return Nolan to the past, the pair rekindle their prior friendship and their romantic feelings for one another. Now Nolan has two choices - stay in the future where he has already begun to fix things with Drew and his family or return to the past and hope he can earn their forgiveness.

I truly enjoyed Nolan and Drew’s story. Best friends who fall in love will always hold a special place in my heart. Initially, I was not a huge fan of Nolan, but after he began to fix his past mistakes I started warming to him. Drew, on the other hand, was a favorite throughout. He’s an absolute cinnamon roll who I just want to protect at all costs.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: August 14, 2023

“New York is like that. Even the extraordinary places blend in because everything holds something extraordinary to someone here.”

Time travel is not my jam, so while this gay 13 going on 30/One Last Stop mash up missed the plot mark for me, it was still a very enjoyable story about figuring out what a truly important to you!

When you compare a book to 13 Going on 30, one of my favorite movies, you make me want to read it.
But to deliver on that concept too?! 5 stars! 10 stars!

I absolutely loved that this took the time travel aspect from 13 Going on 30. It skirted the line perfectly: constantly making me have nostalgia for the movie, while also becoming its own entity.

I loved the character development, romance, the lower-level spice scenes, and the ending was very well-played.

This book definitely makes me want to pick up more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize that this book had time travel in it, but it only added to the storyline and I really enjoyed it. Nolan's character growth was necessary. because I honestly found him kind of annoying to start. I enjoyed watching the characters grow and watching them fall in love was sweet!

This was an incredibly charming, delight of a book in the vein of 13 Going on 30. Nolan wants to be a successful stand up comic - and he's willing to put on hold everything else in his life, including his years long crush on his best friend, until he achieves his goal. When he jumps at the chance to fill in for a famous comedian he not only stands up his best friend, Drew, but also misses his sister's wedding.

Nolan then wakes up seven years later, now a successful comic, but at the sake of all those relationships that used to mean everything to him. It turns out, being all fancy and successful isn't all it's cracked up to be and Nolan desperately seeks out Drew in order to go back to his past self so he can fix everything.

My favorite romances are when there is substantial growth involved for the characters, both inside and outside of the romantic relationship. This is where Janovsky shines as a writer. In the two books I've read of his, the main characters have a lot of growing up to do and by the end of the book they are at a completely different and natural place than the beginning and that is just SO satisfying as a reader.

Nolan's relationship with Drew is so lovely as he earns back the other man's trust while also navigating losing seven years of his life. I'm not a huge fan of magical realism in romance books mostly because sometimes it can become a bit gimmicky, but here it is used to such great effect. Getting to watch Nolan grow and change and help those around him (and fall in love) was so delightful.

Thank you SO much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 4.5
Nolan hopes to have it all by the time he is 30, in seven years. But he's single, broke and trying to make his way as a stand-up comedian. Maybe his wishes will come true sooner than he expects...
This is a coming of age, best friends to lovers MM romance with 13 going on 30 vibes. It's book 3 of the Boy Meets Boy series, but it's the first one I read and although it can be read as a standalone, I will definitely go back and read the first two books, it was so good! It's not quite closed door, but not very spicy either, the spicy scenes are quick (a paragraph) and not explicitly detailed. Nolan is so annoyingly selfish and clueless in the beginning. Luckily, he takes a turn for the better, so I'm glad I stuck around, his character development is great through his journey, but boy was that painful. I know he's a comedian, but his constant jokes (that were not very funny) would get annoying and felt forced at times. I loved the interactions between Nolan and Drew, they were so cute together, and I absolutely adored Drew, he's mostly why I stuck around in the first part. And that first part was a bit too long, but we I finally reached the "future part", everything got better. The stand-up comedy scene was original, I don't think I've read a book set in that world before. I also liked the magical realism.
"Strange how I got the funhouse-mirror version of everything I ever wanted."
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

This is such a sweet romance set with a great magical realism subplot. When we meet 23 year old Nolan, he is a struggling stand up comedian in love with his best friend Drew. On the day of his sister's wedding, he wins a sought-after comedy gig and makes a decision that consequently changes the course of his life. He then wakes up 7 years later as a successful comedian and although it's what he initially thought he wanted, he realises that life is more than just career success.

Drew and Nolan were both fantastic characters, and their romance was really lovely to read. I also loved the supporting characters throughout, who really gave this book a lot of depth. I found Nolan an unlikable character initially, but loved the way Janovsky managed to redeem him. This definitely gave '13 going on 30' vibes, but I especially loved the queer context.

Highly recommend a read if you like your queer romances with a side of magical realism and parallel timelines.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This is a LGBTQIA+ romance with a 13 going on 30 feel. 23 year old Nolan get an opportunity for a stand up gig and dies fantastic but in the process angers family and friends by missing his sisters wedding and standing up his best friend Drew. He then wishes to reach the good part of his life and wakes up to find himself 30 successful and estranged from family and friends.

This book is witty and charming, and keeps you entertained throughout the entire book. Nolan’s growth is fascinating to see as he learns how to balance success with keeping relationships. The relationship between Nolan and Drew as it progresses is swoon worthy. This is definitely a charming Romance that is a must treat.

"Life is a series of in-the-moment choices, snowballing into an always uncertain future. Other people can weigh in on my choices all they want...but at the end of the day, I'm the only one who has to live with those choices."

Nolan Baker is 23, a struggling comedian, and hopelessly in love with his best friend. He desperately wants to fast forward to the "good part" of adulthood, where he's a famous comedian, beloved by fans, and his life is finally on track. But after being gifted some "magical healing crystals", Nolan wakes up seven years in the future. Now he's 30 and a successful comedian, but his best friend and his family don't speak to him. As Nolan tries to get back to his younger self, he has to prove to those he loves that he's not really the person that they think they know.

I loved this book - every little bit of this story had me sucked in from the beginning. The 13 Going on 30 plot, the messy little brother comedian vibe that Nolan has, the romance novel obsessed best friend, the potentially cult-y company that is throwing his sister's wedding...every piece of the pie was so sweet and enticing.

Something Timothy Janovksy does that I truly appreciate is not shy away from characters you can be angry at. And oh boy was I furious at Nolan for a good chunk of this book. He was just not the lovable romcom lead that you typically expect out of a romance novel. He was super frustrating at times. Not that it was always intentional, though, because there's something very fragile about being 23 and having to balance the expectations others have for you and your own dreams, and feeling like no one else cares about what you're working hard for. And I can really respect that, because it made me fall deeper in love with these characters by the end of the story.

By the end, this book gave me the full-on romcom crocodile tears. And I loved every second of it. New Adult is pure early '00's romcom bliss. I know it only came out a couple days ago, but like...Tim...when is the book four release date again? I'll be there with bells on!

New Adult is my favorite of the books Timothy Janovsky has written so far. I expected to enjoy it, but I didn't think I would love it as much as I did, especially since I'm not a fan of the movie 13 going on 30 lol

Nolan is 23 and like most 23-year-olds he's a little bit selfish and his focus on making it big as a comedian was believable. I saw some reviews complain that he gave up on his dream to easily in the end, but in my opinion the whole point of the story is for Nolan to really look at what matters most to him, Fame or Family. From the moment Nolan wakes up 7 years later , I was rooting for him to fix all the rash decisions past him made. I found the entire journey of him asking for forgiveness from the key players in his life, learning what really matters to him , and the chooses he makes in the end to be satisfying . I mean I could have done without the third act break up because that hurt my heart lol

Usually I have trouble falling in love with both MCs when it's single point of view but I had no problem falling head over heals in love with Drew right from the start. It helps that Nolan's love for and regrets over him come across so genuine and honest. It also doesn't specifically say, but Drew gave off Demi vibes that made his love for Nolan even more special. I also appreciated that Drew had problems of his own that haunted him, he wasn't this perfect, flawless love interest. While Nolan is working on his inner self, Drew has a few things to work through on his own.

Overall, New Adult was a fantastic Queer romantic comedy. A best friend to lovers with pining, forgiveness, second chances, family, personal growth, a bit of steam, a fast-forward in time, and a HEA.

I read this book without reading the blurb so I had no idea what to expect. I've read the other books in the boy meets boy series and really enjoyed them, and this was no exception. It wasn't like the other two though, which was a surprise. Some of the book was a bit slow but it was interesting enough of a concept that I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. I love the character developement (I am a sucker for good characters above all else!) and the character arcs were the strongest part of this book. I liked that there was a little bit of magical-slash-time travel without getting too technical about it, and it wasn't bogged down with complicated magical systems or theories. It just was. Overall an enjoyable read with good characters and a satisfactory resolution.

Nolan Baker is looking forward to being 30, when he hopefully will be a successful standup comic and have his whole life together. Now 23, those goals look far away -- he's struggling to get attention for his comedy and he can't quite bring himself to tell his long-time best friend, Drew, how he really feels. Then, he gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a last minute gig at a famous comedy club. The only wrinkle: The gig is in the middle of his sister's wedding. He goes to the gig and crushes it, but at the cost of his relationships with Drew, his date to the wedding, his sister, and his parents. So he wishes he could just skip ahead to being 30, when he presumes everything with his life will be settled. The next day, he wakes up and somehow it is seven years later. Nolan is now a nationally known comedian, with a successful career, huge apartment, and several assistants, but estranged from Drew and his family. Despite having the success he has always wanted, Nolan is desperate to get back to being 23 -- and is willing to do whatever it takes to convince the Drew in this timeline to help him and hopefully prove that he is not a bad guy after all.

This is a fun and often heartwarming story about success, family and friendship, and making the most of your time with those who are most important in your life.

Highly recommended!

I didn’t know this book was an installment in an ongoing series, but although I might have missed a few inside jokes, this really didn’t bother me at all.

In this story we meet Nolan, who is so focused on becoming a successful comedian that he forgets that real life matters. When a mysterious gift bag at his sisters weddings gives him time travelling abilities, he finds himself transported into the life he has always dream of. Or…. The life he thought he always dreamed of. Now he is trapped seven years in the future and he needs the help of his former best friend to either help him get back to his own time or learn to live in the this new reality.

This is really a heartwarming romantic comedy and I really want to put the emphasis on comedy. Because the humor in this book is so on point. It keeps a perfect balance between really heart full scenes and that big smile on your face.

Definitly would recommend.

New Adult is a wonderful romcom with a magical twist that will keep you on your toes while also providing a warm hug.

In this story we follow Nolan, a 23 year old aspiring stand up comedian living with his best friend Drew (who he might have feelings for). Nolan would give anything for a chance of stardom - and when the opportunity presents itself, he ditches his sister's wedding to make his dreams come true. Cue some magical crystals and a 13 Going on 30 twist and Nolan wakes up seven years in the future, where his life is full of fame and money, but his family and his best friend don't talk to him anymore. Can Nolan make it back to his timeline while also winning back his family and his chance at true love with his friend-turned-almost-lover-turned-enemy?

I absolutely LOVED this twisty little romance! Nolan had such a fantastic character development and honestly it really made me think about this capitalist, gotta win at all costs, little world of ours. Nolan's slow realization that it's usually the people you should fight for, made me melt a bit and Drew was such a perfect love interest that I maybe shed a tear or two or twenty.
Nolan's sister was a freaking firecracker and honestly one of my favourite side characters! The whole family dynamic aspect was wonderful and I wish more romances focused on that as well. So much of what Nolan did was connected to his family and the way he was determined to get back to them and I loved that.

This review is all rambly and starry-eyed, but that's what my reviews are usually like when I love the book. But all in all - New Adult is a beautiful romance with a magical twist that will take you back to your favourite early 2000s romcoms (minus the problematic aspects and lack of queer rep). I highly recommend!

I’m so pleased I tried another book by Janovsky - I didn’t love the last one I read (I found Matthew Prince (book 2 in this series) quite immature for what it was supposed to be, and while I didn’t DNF it, I came close), but I definitely did LOVE this one! It was incredible!

New Adult was a breath of fresh air compared to what I’ve been reading recently - I was in a reading slump of disappointing books and this story brought me back up. The plot was totally fresh and super unique. I didn’t know what to expect with a time travel storyline, but it was super-well done! I loved how he wrote it, before, during and after the jump. The characters, the relationships - everything was absolutely perfect. I also wasn’t sure, going in, about a comedian character. Loved that and his growth, especially with the time travel arc!

Nolan, his relationship with his family, most especially his sister, and his former best friend and roommate - all are super special bonds and Janovsky did such a great job writing them in all the different time periods, the crazy company in the background (Doop), just everything … all so well done! And… the book! (the fictional book. You’ll understand when you read, but as soon as this was mentioned a whole lot was unlocked and I figured out where it was going/what was coming)

I definitely recommend this one - to absolutely everybody!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca, and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Nolan Baker is trying to make it as a stand-up comedian in New York City. While his family does not understand his career choice, his best friend and roommate Drew is always supportive. Nolan is struggling with whether or not to tell Drew that his feelings have turned into something more than friendship, and whether or not to throw in the comedy towel for good. When the night of his sister’s wedding arrives, Nolan has a decision to make with wildly unforeseen consequences.

This was a really sweet and funny romance with a magical realism element. I love the movie 13 Going on 30, so I was really intrigued by this premise. And I think it worked well! It did drag a little bit in the middle, but picked up again towards the end. While Nolan’s character can be annoying at times, I think that was intentional to show his character development. I was worried that having him be stand-up comedian would mean a lot of punny dialogue and corny jokes, but it ended up being quite sweet and funny. There were a few plot holes that didn’t ultimately matter to me because I was here for the romance.