Author: Rick R. Reed
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (Reissued by NineStar Press)
Release Date: November 13, 2018 / June 15, 2020 Reissue
Genre(s): Contemporary Young Adult Romance
Page Count: 225
Reviewed by: Crabbypatty
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Read book blurb here
Just to recap -- "Big Love" was one of my favorite books of 2016 with a 5+ rating and a Recommended Read. "Bigger Love" is its sequel and I would suggest you read "Big Love" first if you haven't already to get the background on the characters and the flavor of the setting.
While I enjoyed "Bigger Love" it didn't capture my heart like "Big Love," probably because the first book dealt with such pivotal moments in all the characters' lives - Truman embracing his sexuality in the face of bullying at school, Dane and Seth finding love after the death of Dane's wife, Truman's mother Patsy hoping to find her own love story, etc.
In "Bigger Love" Truman is entering his senior year and while he is disappointed he wasn't cast in the school play "Harvey," he is enjoying his role as student director, helping the actors get comfortable with their parts and making staging and set suggestions. Truman makes a new friend Stacy, who is cast as Myrtle Mae Simmons and he learns although she is one of the popular girls, her life isn't a sugar-coated existence.
Patsy has a new love George and Truman falls in insta-love with George's son Mike. Mike is tall and rugged looking, can pass as straight and is conflicted about coming out to his father and the town. I like the way Reed shows us all the preconceptions people have - Truman can't play a female part in "Harvey," Mike can't be gay because he looks so masculine, Stacy has a perfect life because she's popular, and the bigoted homophobe leading a protest is straight and narrow (hint, he's a closet case).
"Bigger Love" is an entertaining read, but I never felt chemistry or pure emotion between Truman and Mike and while their HFN is sweet, it feels unfinished. I would welcome another sequel in the Big Love series to see how their relationship matures, want an update on Seth and Dane and Dane's children, and hint, hint, hint would love for Truman's mother Patsy to find the love she so richly deserves. 3.5 stars for "Bigger Love."
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