I will start with some trigger warnings: pretended drowning, death of a child, death of a parent.

Now. First thing I will say is that pretending to drown to get someone's attention is NEVER okay and the scene hasn't been sitting right with me.

HOWEVER. Not taking this scene into the equation, I loved it? It was the perfect mix of romantic, sexy and serious and I enjoyed every second of it.

I came to really care for Connor and Tris (and James if I'm honest!) and I was rooting for them and being excited and I may have even swooned a little bit once or twice.

Similar to other reviewers, I did not expect this to take the dark emotional turn that it took but I absolutely loved it. It showed the manifestation of the relationship between Connor and Tris and also had the benefit of... "setting Tristan free", which made me nothing but happy for him.

I enjoyed this book a lot and can only recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, J.R. Hart, and Ninestar press for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review!

Splash is a quick, 50% light and raunchy summer romance, 50% dark but relatable account of young love and the realities of life. I enjoyed both protagonists, and the enemies-to-lovers trope didn't rely on one enemy being an absolute asshole, which I always appreciate. In a romance, I want both love interests to come across as genuinely decent people, even if they don't start that way, and I'm glad Splash adhered to that! There's a lot of open door sex scenes, so if that isn't your preference steer clear, but if it is your preference, you'll enjoy them! They're passionate and steamy and realistic, but also eventually turn incredibly loving. I will say (and am noting this to the publisher) that the content warning is useful, but missing a warning for implied coerced sex (sexual assault). I won't give spoilers here, but I think that warning should have been included!

All around, a read that truly feels like going through your own summer romance. Tristan and Connor will fit into your heart as a couple you want to see succeed, and I wouldn't be upset if we got a sequel....

I recieved this copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you J. R. Hart, NineStar Press and NetGalley.
The review will be posted on my instagram account @soooomanybooks 24/08/2020.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(⭐)
.
Oh my... wooow! I did NOT expect this! It started out lightly and it got really intense really quickly!

In Splash, Connor works as a lifeguard at a pool where Tristan acts like a total douche to get his attention. And his attention he gets. But instead of feeling attraction Connor is annoyed and truly hates Tristan for his stupid, dangerous behaviour. His past issues cause him to react extremely to the younger guy's stupidity.
They start from anger to frustration and then en up with understanding and feelings.
Their relationship is an emotional rollarcoaster! They are both intense and the their past and present makes them more and more so. They have one summer of this... whatever this is between the two of them.

The Cover:
It was the first thing that cought my eyes. And as their hate-to-whatever relationship starts at the pool, this summer-y cover suits that theme perfectly.

The Story:
It starts out as an ordinary new adult MM story with college aged guys figuring out their attraction to each other. But it is easy to see how they both have issues to get through. And what a beautiful way they help each other. Tristan through his art and affection shows Connor his worth and then when Tristan needs him he gets him through it because he caught feelings without meaning to. And the story unfolded to something I did not expext at all. In the ocean of fluffy love stories it turned out to be sonething a little different. And the ending? It killed me a little.

The Characters:
The story is told in Connor's POV so we mostly get to know him through his thoughts. His feelings pour through the pages. He's a passionate but closed off guy with deeprooted confident issues and self-loathe. But he grows from page to page in the caring hands of Tristan. Tristan who is more insecure than he lets us to see under his confidence. We get to know him from Connor's view, how the other boy sees him is magical. We got to witness him coming out of his shell and show the artistic, caring man he is.

The Writing:
The whole story is written like a reminiscence. Connor telling a story from a later time. It's a bit distracting at first but becomes a great tool to increase tension and angst. There are some espacially beutiful parts where the author shows the depth of their relationship and the pain they're in sometimes.

All in all, I would say this was a surprisingly great read with two amazing lead characters one summer full of lus and mire, hot scenes, drama and feelings. So much feelings.

I loved the book and maaaan! I really need to get a hold of the author to demand answers to that ending!
So bye.. I'm outta here harassing writers!

Thank you NetGalley Publisher and Author for this Complimentary copy.

Summary
Connor Molina’s summer can’t get any worse. He’s stuck in his college town taking summer classes, and he’s got a dead-end lifeguard job he’s too old for and a baby gay who’s thirsty for all the wrong guys.

Even worse? Tristan, a wild patron, won’t leave his section of the pool, splashing him and pulling stupid stunts to get his attention. When Tristan fakes a drowning to get closer to him, Connor’s furious, but he quickly realizes that Tristan’s reckless nature isn’t always infuriating…it’s also intriguing.

Review
This was an ok read. Read in one sitting.
To be honest it wasn't what in was expecting like at all.
I enjoyed the story line, the characters but the ending..... Wish there was more.
Overall I would recommend

I thought this book would be a really easy, Tom com read! How wrong I was! It was so much deeper than that. We follow Connor and Tristan at their local pool. Connor is the lifeguard and Tristan is annoying.

What Connor doesn’t realise is there’s another side to Tristan than the annoying younger kid.

This story gets dark and emotional, dealing with trauma of death and does come with trigger warnings which is so important.

Overall I enjoyed the story but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I enjoyed the M/M relationship and how it was described. I liked Connor and Tristan and was rooting for them. I loved seeing their growth and maturity develop!

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review. I picked this book because of the cute premise of a lifeguard finding love. I thought it would be a cute and fun read. However I was a bit wrong. It started off as a cute love story of Conner and Tristan but then the second half of the book delved into darker elements. I’m not stating that it was bad but I was hoping for a better resolution to it.
The book was a quick and fascinating that I couldn’t put down. I read it in one sitting! I loved the romance and relationship between Connor and Tristan. I definitely cheered for them along the way. The ending wasn’t my favorite and I wished there was more to it.

I was in a slump, none of the lasts books I read seemed to satisfy me so I decided to try something new.
I've never read anything by J.R. Hart and the description intrigued me, this book isn't what I was expecting at all.
I was expecting something more light and fluffy, even if there is mention of death in the warnings.
This book is about grief, love, and growth. The journey of two young men that start with the wrong foot but find their way to each other.
I liked the writing and the pace but most of all I liked the characters, I have stayed up reading till six in the morning because I was invested in this story, Connor and Tris wormed their way into my heart. And even if the ending is a little bittersweet I really liked this book and will recommend it to others because reading it is worth a couple of tears and the loss of some hours of sleep.

This book surprised me! I thought it was going to be a cute summer romance, which it is...but it has a lot more depth than I expected.

Connor is stuck working at the pool while he's taking summer classes. College life isn't quite what he expected. He'd rather be lazing around his parents' place but he needs to make money...and he's a swimmer! Being at the pool all summer should be great. But it's not.

An event in Connor's past ensures that he's stressed out all the time while working. People can drown, people can get hurt... and as if that's not stressful enough he's dealing with Tristan. Tristan is an annoying constant at the pool, always breaking the rules and vying for Connor's attention. When Tristan finally pretends to drown... things escalate in a couple of different ways. Tristan is furious that someone would pretend to drown. it's a serious issue. But then... he finds himself dealing with a budding attraction to Tristan that he hadn't bargained on.

The summer romance in this book is solid but I think what I liked, even more, was the growth of Tristan and Connor. These two characters met at one stage in their lives and progressed to another together. It's an interesting plot to follow along with two people who are together only a short time and find themselves dealing with some pretty heavy life issues. I felt as though I really got to know Connor and Tristan and I was disappointed when the book finished because I wanted to know more!

This is the second book of J.R. Hart's I have read and I would definitely recommend this author! If you're a fan of M/M romance with a bit of depth then you'll enjoy this one! Please read the warnings though!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

Splash is a book about Connor, a lifeguard and college student who has to do a few summer classes. Enter Tristan, a wild patron who pretty much does anything to get Connor's attention, including things that are reckless and stupid.

Warnings: Explicit sex, Death of a child (mentions) and Death of a parent

I liked this book a lot as I felt that I saw Tristan and Connor grow quite a lot. In the beginning, Connor is very angry and snappy but starts to mellow out a bit and Tristan isn't as immature, pushy and reckless as the story goes on. This was a really quick read for me and I read it in one sitting and it definitely gave me a nice summer vibe.

There are a lot of tender moments throughout the book which I adored and felt rather soft at and there were a lot of moments that felt quite raw which I enjoyed as I easily got hooked into the story. Overall, it was a nice summer story to read.

Rating
3.5⭐(rounded to 4 on Goodreads)

Would I read it again:
Yes

Would I recommend it:
Yes, especially to those who like reading gay romance