Where We Left Off

Middle of Somewhere, Book 3

By: Roan Parrish

Narrated by: Spencer Goss

Leo Ware may be young, but he knows what he wants. And what he wants is Will Highland. Snarky, sophisticated, fiercely opinionated Will Highland, who burst into Leo's unremarkable life like a supernova...and then was gone just as quickly.

For the past miserable year, Leo hasn't been able to stop thinking about the powerful connection he and Will shared. So, when Leo moves to New York for college, he sweeps back into Will's life, hopeful that they can pick up where they left off. What begins as a unique friendship soon burns with chemistry they can't deny...though Will certainly tries.

But Leo longs for more than friendship and hot sex. A romantic to his core, Leo wants passion, love, commitment - everything Will isn't interested in giving. Will thinks romance is a cheesy fairy tale and love is overrated. He likes his space and he's happy with things just the way they are, thank you very much. Or is he? Because as he and Leo get more and more tangled up in each other's lives, Will begins to act like maybe love is something he could feel after all.

©2016 Roan Parrish (P)2017 Roan Parrish

I just didn't like Will....

First let me say that I think Roan Parrish is an amazing writer. I just loved her descriptions. I was highlighting all over the place in this book. She is just so lyrical. I really felt like I got to know Leo inside and out. Being in his head was a joy. What a special character.

As a result of all these “feelings” I had for Leo, I had really high expectations for his love interest. And, unfortunately, as Daniel and Leo both noted, Will is a bag of dicks.

And he never redeems himself.

Oh, poor Will. It’s so hard to be beautiful and have people give me everything I want. Boo. Hoo.

I wanted, so badly, to love Will. Leo wanted him and I wanted Leo to be happy. But, even at the end, Will is so GD stubborn. Only grudgingly admitting to having feelings for Leo and only under duress.

Then, there’s their age difference. Instead of being grateful to be able to show Leo his first experiences at lovin’, Will is begrudging and put off by Leo’s innocence. Well, screw you Will!

In many ways I felt Will was the immature of the two. He just wasn’t who I wanted to show Leo the ropes and I never felt secure that these guys have what it takes to make it. Maybe if we’d gotten an epilogue several years down the road I might have felt better, but as it stands the two are just only tentatively together. In fact, Will gave LEO a bad time for being mad at him when Will was cheating on him. (Sure, I know there were “understandings” in place but really – I was supposed to feel badly for Will in that situation? I didn’t.)

So… though I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, LOVED Leo, thought books one and two were amazing, I was very disappointed with Leo’s story. I kept rooting for him to find someone else. And that does not a good romance make.

2.5 of 5 stars for the excellent writing.

Audio
Spencer Goss does an absolutely amazing job with this. I wish I could say that he made me like Will more, but I think he actually portrayed him so well, that my feelings toward the two were amplified. Leo is so, so wonderful and Will --- well, you know how I feel about him.

But Spencer's narration absolutely adds to the sense of being part of this story and I highly recommend it as a way to experience this story.

5 of 5 stars

Overall 3.5 of 5 stars

Great ending to the series

I was hesitant about this book but as it went on it free me into it more. I liked how the author pulled in characters from the previous books. I found myself siding with Leo then with Will then back to Leo. the story kept me guessing and I really liked the twist about who's feelings are being hurt.

Great Book!

I really enjoyed this book (and series). It was emotionally wrenching, and I struggled with being able to listen at times because I would get so mad at Will. But such was the nature of the characters, and the story really made you think. It left me thoughtful and made me consider aspects of my own life. I definitely recommend it and the narration!!

Beautiful prose

It is such a pleasure to read a romance novel that is written for those of us who want a thoughtful story with well developed characters, intelligent prose AND a happy ending.

Amazing

So amazing,beautiful and wonderful such a great story telling i will listen to for the rest of my life 😍😍

Both MCs bother me, but the performance was good

1. Will, just mean. Really hard to like him, even when he was pretty clear and upfront about what he wanted, he was a di€k.
2. Leo, OMG, no dignity whatsoever. Super sweet and all, but sometimes he deserves Will's reactions.

Beautiful Story, Told Beautifully

Gah! This story was as emotional as Out Of Nowhere (also by this author), and I was on the same kind of emotional rollercoaster he sent me on in THAT one. By that I mean the highs and the lows for the main characters were intense and powerful. The narrator has a way of making things both realistic and gut-punchingly affecting. As with the last book in this series, done by this narrator, he made it seem like I was listening to a ten hour long movie, rather than a book.

I highly recommend this audiobook.

Excellent conclusion to the trilogy

Another compelling storyline. I want more from this author. Also, narrator has an excellent reading style.

Depth of Characters, Plot & Narration: Superlative

I thought the depth of characters in books 1 & 2 were outstanding until BOOK 3! I loved Leo, an intelligent, sensitive, sexy and incredibly adorable college student. Will, seemingly emotionally unavailable and complicated, was at times awfully annoying. But TOGETHER, they were magnificent. I absolutely loved this series.
Now, let's talk about Spenser Goss! What a narrator. What a wonderfully sexy voice. And, what a brilliant delivery. I look forward to more from Mr. Goss.

Good story. Great narration.

This was a sweet romance about overcoming insecurities in order to build a connection with someone. The story was very introspective and had a bit of a zen vibe.

I really enjoyed the narration, and the story was entertaining. Mechanically speaking, the main conflict in the story was resolved, but for some reason the end felt a bit abrupt to me. I wanted to know more about what happened to the side characters, and I really wanted another glimpse of Colin from the previous book in this series. Overall, this story was worth the read/listen, but I am not so secretly hoping for just a little more.