The Fake Boyfriends Debacle

Frat Brats of Santa Barbara, Book 1

By: Hayden Hall

Narrated by: Jon Waters

Caleb: Nobody ever looks past the mask I wear. Not until I meet Jayden Harris, the adorably bossy scholarship student with a razor-sharp focus and an unbreakable determination to be the best of us all.

He says he doesn't have time for dating. He says I'm just a player. If I could prove to him that I'm worth falling in love with, he might change his mind. But asking him to be my fake boyfriend for a massive family gathering probably wasn't my greatest idea.

We're a lost cause, but I just can't let him go.

Jayden: It was just a one-time thing. And then a two-time thing. And a three-time thing. Before I know it, I'm in his fancy car, heading to the Wine Country for an extended weekend. My mission? Be the loving boyfriend you bring home to meet the parents.

I'm risking my scholarship and my future at the elite Highgate Academy for a charming stranger in need of a boyfriend. Why? I wish I could tell you. But there's more to him than I imagined.

I'm doing my best to convince everyone that we're a couple. But maybe I'd be wise to remind myself that we are not.

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Hayden Hall (P)2022 Tantor

Hmmm…

Jaden and Caleb….

I think I checked out while listening a couple of times. I was like they’re in love? It’s been three mos? It seems like they had the night of fun, then didn’t see each other, then did for a day and scheduled a date…then Caleb was asking him to go home with him. I must have missed when they got to know each other…and that could have been because of the narrator. I’m guessing because Caleb was upper class he was supposed to sound pretentious but I didn’t like that…
I liked Caleb and his story/struggle to pace his own path…break free from what’s expected of him, but I don’t recall much of Jaden’s family other than he didn’t grow up wealthy.
Just meh for me…

Quirky but Really Fun

This was my introduction to the series and it kept me wanting more. I feel like there are some extremely silly moments within this book that are extremely unrealistic, but they are introduced in such an entertaining way with such an entertaining performance that you can't help but ignore how incomprehensible they are. The only reason I can't give this a perfect five stars is because the mocktails are a little excessive. You can look me In the eyes and tell me there is a college notorious for gay men, but you cannot convince me they drink this many mocktails.

This was okay....

I think sometimes how a couple meet in a romance novel can make or break a novel. The way Caleb and Jayden met was unbelievable...there was no build up; stolen glances here or there between the two. I don't really understand what set Jayden apart from the other partygoers that made Caleb have to make a B-line towards him....their whole interaction felt too forced; Caleb sees Jayden, gets him alone then they are having sex with barely a few words between them. To me the sex was just... meh...the kind you take and leave and never look back. I never truly felt the connection between Caleb and Jayden. Caleb's wealthy family (outside his father) didn't feel believable to me either...maybe in a utopian world yes....Caleb's father - the classist curmudgeon - felt like the real deal. I finished this title because I felt compelled to...but at least Jon Waters had a pleasant voice. My only issue with him is that there was no voice distinction between Caleb and Jayden so I kept getting mixed up with whose POV it was in the chapter. This was the first book in the series so I felt it had the duty to introduce other characters at the school or in the frat in such a way it makes you think, "I can't wait to see what Hayden Hall has in store for him..." But no really stood out or appeared interesting enough so I won't feel bad for not checking out the other books in this series.

3 starz - I won't listen again

Hot

Recommend this spicy stuff. 🏳️‍🌈❤️📚🎧 Light read (in my case listen) with a lot of steam and spice in it.

What a first party at a university can do... Well land you a perfect love match even if you don't want it.

✓ party hook-up
✓ steamy and hot
✓ lgbt
✓ romance
✓ HEA
✓ easy listen (read)
✓good narration

Exceeded all expectations!

I hadn't read any Hayden Hall, didn't get anything from the cover and was concerned from the synopsis that I was not going to like this book. I could not have been more wrong. I am on a kick to only read titles included with my membership, so there is a lot of dreck. At the start, I thought this was more of the same, until I let go and allowed the story and the quirky narration to literally wash over me.

I was not familiar with Jon Waters. Initially, I was afraid I was in for a Marc Bachmann scenario, where the narrator sounds thirty years older than the characters they're portraying. However, within about 20 minutes, what I realized is that I was slipping into a modern take of a classic film style of speech. Everything felt like a 1940's film, and once I let that realization sink in, I was in love with this book until the very end. For those who felt there wasn't enough distinction between the characters, or missed having the chapter announce who was speaking, I will grant the difference was subtle, but it was clear. And if you didn't know within the first sentence who was speaking, then I don't know that announcing a name would matter.

The story was so stylized, I loved the whole lost neckerchief, school uniforms and skinny dipping in broad daylight. This story is about finding yourself, standing up for yourself, and loving the quirks of those you love. The synopsis undersells the book. This isn't some just met fake boyfriend trope. Once that aspect of the story comes into play, they are well into an undeclared relationship. This shouldn't feel like a spoiler, and the story progresses at a pace to make this very clear. The only thing that isn't clear and again, has that old movie feel is Jayden's oft repeated worry that he will lose his scholarship if he dates anyone. It seems to be based in the idea of distractions, not any rule he is breaking.

Another happy twist is when something happens that could be the cause of a dramatic break, it is instead treated with a touch of humor that makes me think that Hall is influenced by British storytelling. Everything that takes place in wine country feels more British that American. Regardless, the approach, the character development and the plot are top notch. Highly recommended!

Pretty good

Low angst, college, fake boyfriend, with some pretty spicy scenes. Above average narration. A fun listen.

very Mid

I really couldn't put together how the characters actually look, the descriptions were lacking.

audio was good, but the author should have added indication which chapter was which character as their thoughts seemed too similar to tell which one was talking. I will try the second one to see of it was changed

loved it

it was such a great story. So cute and I love low angst stories, which this definitely was but then again this author is good about keeping his stories focused on the plot instead of all the angst Good narrator definitely will tecommy

Instalove, low-stakes, medium-drama

A quick read or listen with a HEA where everything is resolved nicely. The characters were mostly likable, and definitely had chemistry. Their relationship issues themselves were frustrating and mostly pointless. A quick fluffy book with low drama and some added spice. While the narrator did a good job overall, I found his voice to be too old for the characters.

Horrible

The narration for this book is simply awful. The story is kinda blah as well. Don’t waste a credit