{ARC Review} Trust The Focus by Megan Erickson

Title: Trust The Focus

Series: In Focus #1

Author: Megan Erickson

Published: 17th March 2015

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Source: eARC provided via Netgalley for fair & honest review

Rating: 4.5/5

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BLURB:

With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured through the lens of his Nikon.

As an aspiring photographer, Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin would rather share the experience with more than Landry.

But Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud travel companion.

Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is hiding.

Trust the Focus is beautiful story of raw emotions, self discovery and uplifting humour!

REVIEW:

The story:

Justin has known for some time that he's gay, but admitting it to himself and saying it out loud are two very different things, especially when his mother with big political aspirations has control over every aspect of his life and future. Justin's fear of 'coming out' has prevented him from ever admitting his feelings for his best friend Landry. It's not until he takes off on a road trip with Landry, that he starts to realise he can no longer lie about his true feelings. Following his father's maps & notes around the country to visit all his favourite photographic places, he scatters the ashes of his beloved father and learns a lot of lessons from in in the process.

As Justin & Landry travel across the country neither of them can hide their attraction for each other and this creates a whole heap of new issues for them to work through. To make matters worse, Landry is still dealing with trust issues from a previous bad experience and this has a huge affect on the way he responds to Justin's confession. At times it was so tragic and heartbreaking watching these two struggle with their feelings both within themselves and as a couple. But there was also lots of wickedly funny dialogue between them that gave such a beautiful vibrancy to the story.

The characters:

Justin is at a crossroads in his life, with lot's of decisions to make about his future. He's torn between being the man his mother want's him to be and being true to himself. He's does a lot of soul searching throughout the book, making big decisions about his future.

Landry has been open about his sexuality for years, and although on the surface he appears completely happy, he has had his fair share of hurtful comments and whispers behind his back. He's also struggled with his attraction to Justin,believing him to be straight. Landry grows a lot too, and learns how to let go of the past.

The romance:

I love friends to lovers stories, they are one of my favourite romance tropes, and Justin & Landry's story has the added element of Justin dealing with his sexuality. The chemistry between JusLan is intense from the very beginning, and I just loved seeing them grow as a couple. It's not easy for them, and they have many obstacles to overcome to make their relationship work, but I am shipping JusLan so much!!

The writing:

What I really loved about this book was the develop of the characters and they background. We learn about their history together, their friendship and their love for each other. It's that connection between the Landry & Justin that makes this book so amazing! And the humour was BRILLIANT! I was seriously laughing so hard at some of the things Landry said I was crying:

"Pretty sure you just took that sandwich's virginity."

I sputtered out a sip of coffee. "Lan!"

"What! That was a pretty intense moment you had over there."

"Will you just eat?"

"My sandwich doesn't want to do it now. My sandwich said your sandwich told her it hurts."

"Oh my God, Lan."

I also really loved the inclusion of blog posts at the end of the chapters, which even included comments from their friends back home. It really added to the feelings that Justin was going through, worrying about how his friends would react if they found out the truth.

FINAL WORD:

Trust the Focus is beautiful story of raw emotions, self discovery and uplifting humour!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium-strong / several m/m sex scenes

Violence: mild

Language: medium / regular use of f word

Drugs & alcohol: mild