Book Review: New Leaf by Hayden Hunt

Grant and Jackson were the best of friends while growing up. After graduation, Grant decides to confess his romantic feelings, and even though Jackson is drunk, he tells Grant that he feels the same. The following morning, Grant's happiness is ruined when he finds out that Jackson has left during the night and no one, not even his parents, know where he is.

Jackson regrets leaving town the way he did after graduation. He hurt his parents and most of all, his best friend. Now back in town to take care of family issues, Jackson is determined to make amends and win back the heart of the man he's loved all along.

This is a sweet story, but it was so hard for me to root for this couple when Jackson was so incredibly selfish. I absolutely understand being confused, scared and wanting to get out of small town life to explore the world, but the way he went about it was incredibly immature and downright cruel. Grant occasionally came off as a little whiny, but I really couldn't fault his distrust for Jackson. He was almost irrevocably hurt, so I was surprised he entertained the thought of starting any kind of relationship with Jackson. While he did quite a bit of groveling, I still felt like Jackson got off a little easy for his behavior. The "I was young and stupid" excuse can only be used for so long. I also found it really sad that Grant had no friends and wasn't close to his family. Much of his life centered around pain he suffered a decade prior, and he seemed like a one-note character when he could have been so much more than that. All in all, this is a frustrating, but engrossing read.

I received a copy of this book from the author and voluntarily provided my honest review.

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~ M