Adorable!

This was such an adorable slowburn friends to lovers romance.

I absolutely loved listening to this!

The characters were likeable and well fleshed out and the writing style was engaging.

The narration was enjoyable and appealed to me


Definitely recommend

3 people found this helpful

Sweet story of best friends to lovers

Keeping Casey is a sweet New Adult friends-to-lovers hockey romance. Friends since childhood, Casey and Ethan are bound by a shared tragedy as well, and while the boys handle things differently, they always have each other's back. But when Ethan takes a bad hit in a game and it causes his rheumatoid arthritis to flare, Casey must learn that letting go of control is part and parcel of being in love. The main characters are wonderful, as is the cast of colorful, supportive side characters. The relationship developement is very believeable, and touches on serious issues without being dour. Overall, Keeping Casey is an uplifting romance. The narration seemed rushed for the first few hours of the book, but improved tremendously as the book moved along. The author does a good job differentiating the voices of the characters.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Wonderful characters you can't help but love!

I cannot get enough of this author! Amy Aislin knows how to write such compelling, relatable, and interesting stories with just the best characters! Ethan and Casey have been life long friends, both in love with the other but too afraid to say anything to the other out of fear of ruining their friendship. Not all authors are able to create demi characters that feel genuine but Ethan's sexuality is so well done that you really understand how approaches romantic relationships because of it. I also loved that Casey does not define his sexuality with a label and that is perfectly okay! Instead of trying to force himself into a label that doesn't feel right, Casey just likes who he likes. The secondary characters in this book were amazing and I can't wait to see their stories in the future. Fans of the Stick Side series will also be happy (I know I was!) because there are cameos by almost all of our favorite hockey players and their partners in this book! The party at Roman and Cody's house was one of my favorite scenes, for many, many reasons. There are some instances of homophobia in this book from one of Ethan's teammates but it is handled in a great way, showing Ethan just how much support he has. It was hard to see Casey struggle so much with the death of his father, causing him to push others away before they have a chance to leave him but I love how much he was finally able to grow and accept that he is needs love just like everyone else. The narration was absolutely fantastic and brought so much life to these characters! Michael Franklin did an excellent job making Ethan, Casey, and all the characters feel alive without detracting from the story overall, creating a seamless transition from the written story to the spoken story. Love this author and narrator and will definitely listen to both their future work!

Sweet best friends to lovers story

Casey worries he’s too emotionally damaged to be in a romantic relationship with anyone despite his feelings for his best friend Ethan. I prefer more of a performance from a narrator rather than a simple read so for me I felt the narrator was a little stiff. Michael Franklin has a pleasant voice, just not my preferred style. Best friends to lovers, slow burn with lots of mutual pining. Low steam. I would happily re-listen.

Slow-burn sweetness.

The story was fantastic, all slow-burn sweetness. Best friends to lovers with likable characters, main and side. Ethan and Casey’s relationship was so beautiful, and even though getting them to talk about their feelings was like pulling teeth, it was so satisfying when they finally admitted how they really felt and transitioned their friendship to a dating relationship. Their chemistry was perfect, I just really loved them together. I had a little trouble with the narrator, sometimes I couldn’t tell which character was talking. I didn’t even realize Brittan was revealed as the villain until a little later and had to go back and listen again. His voice is nice but he needs a little more work on his inflection. He sounded pretty wooden.

Casey and Ethan

Casey and Ethan are both adorable and I completely agree with their friend's assessment, they have been dating just without the sex. These two each love the other but are afraid to ruin their friendship. The altercation at the hockey house just pushes them together more. I love that they both understand the other and Ethan doesn't take offense whrn Casey runs because he know he will be back. I look forward to more stories in this series.

I really enjoyed this in audio form, I thought the narrator did a great job capturing the characters and their emotions.

Loved the characters

This was a very good book, very sweet, slow burn but sweetly adorable characters. Ethan and Casey made my heart smile. Growing up together and loving each other made everything sweeter. Good read ❤️

Great Book

I really enjoyed listening to this book! Ethan and Casey are adorable characters! This is the first time I’ve listened to Michael Franklin and I loved his voice. I would highly recommend!

Sweet Best Friends to lovers story!

Hockey player Ethan and archeology student Casey are childhood best friends. They have a shared trauma of losing a parent and are both secretly in love with each other. So, lots of good pining on both sides and a fun fake boyfriends twist. The narrator does a fine job making each character distinct and identifiable. The story is sweet with minimal angst. Great cameos from Stick Side series favorites and lovely HEA.

I received an arc of this book and this is my honest review.

Beautiful best friends to boyfriends story

I really love a best friends to lovers story and this one ticked all the boxes for me. Casey and Ethan are both gorgeous MC’s. They’ve been best friends since childhood and know each other’s best parts as well as their flaws. It’s one of those solid friendships that is completely unshakeable. Both men love each other wholeheartedly, but neither dares say it out loud. Casey is still dealing with the terrible grief of losing his father unexpectedly, which leaves him scared of committing to someone in case he loses them too and he knows how overwhelming grief is. Ethan meanwhile is scared of risking their friendship by opening up about his feelings.

The book is tender and sweet, all whilst dealing with some bigger emotions and issues. It was lovely to see an author tackling a chronic illness like rheumatoid arthritis and showing the ways it weaves its way into the lives of the person living with the illness and those around them. The book shows how beautiful romantic love can be and how strong a connection it brings to a relationship. This isn’t a high heat book and is a slow burn on that front, all of which feels very real as Ethan is demisexual.

For those who’ve read Amy’s Stick Side series, it’s a real treat to see some cameo appearances from characters in that series. You don’t need to read that series to enjoy this book though. It’s a gorgeous book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review