This was an okay read, but not as good as I had expected. Mostly because I didn’t fully root for the main character and because of the love triangle that wasn’t my cup of tea at all.

Right Where I Left You follows the introverted and socially awkward comic fan Isaac in the last summer before he goes to college and has to leave his best (and only) friend Diego behind. Diego has decided to take a gap year to pursue his game designer dream career instead of going to college, so Isaac plans to spend every second he can with Diego this last summer. But it all changes when Isaac’s long time crush Davi suddenly speaks to him at the comic store, and reveals that he’s bisexual. So instead of spending his time with Diego, Isaac ends up swooning over Davi…

I loved Diego from the start. He was such a sweet, nerdy and likeable person. And I absolutely adored him for always being kind to Isaac, even though Isaac mistreated him for most of the summer.

The main character Isaac was harder to like though. He came across as whiny and selfish, and not understanding at all how badly he treated Diego for Davi’s sake. I also had problems understanding his hatred for his dad and brother. Yes, his dad left his mom for another woman, but if Isaac’s mother could forgive him, it seemed a bit over the top how Isaac kept hating him, and his brother for just trying to make peace in the family.

I also never shipped the relationship between Isaac and Davi. Davi seemed very flirty and unserious all the time, and it never made sense why he would be into Isaac.

Spoiler alert: It would have been much better if the love triangle had started sooner, with Isaac struggling with feelings for both Davi and Diego, rather than just suddenly realizing he has feelings for Diego when Davi breaks up with him.

But all in all, it was a cute, fast paced read that had a lot of potential. I just wished the friends-to-lovers trope had been better executed and that the main character had been a little more likeable.

Rating:
3 stars

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​Author info:
Julian Winters

Running With Lions was such an adorable read! It’s a little bit a coming out story, but most of all it’s a story about self-image and struggling with living up to your own and others’ expectations. I loved the main characters and the diversity, and the amazing team spirit. This soccer team was like a supportive, bickering, found family that truly warmed my heart.

In this story we get to follow a soccer team called The Lions during a summer camp, but also with glimpses to previous events in school, through the main character Sebastian. Sebastian is bi, and pretty open with it with his friends, even though he’s not out to his family yet. On the team there are also two other gay boys, and there is such a wonderful openness and supportive spirit within the team. They bicker and tease each other a lot, but they always have each other’s backs. I loved how they were like a found family where everyone felt free to express their sexualities without judgment.

But even so, Sebastian struggles a lot with anxiety and a feeling of not being worthy of the trust and responsibilities everyone keeps giving him. Especially after being named captain of the team. Then there’s also the new addition to the team this year, Emir. Emir and Sebastian used to be best friends, but somewhere along the way their friendship went wrong. But seeing Emir again awakens feelings within Sebastian. So whilst struggling with his new role as captain and anxiety for the future, he also has to struggle with a new attraction to one of his team mates.

I really loved how this story dealt with so many other issues besides the romance part. Even though the romance part was super cute too… Sebastian and Emir were so sweet and I loved every moment of it, even the cheesy tropes parts.

What I didn’t enjoy though was the way the only female character, the coach’s daughter Grey, was treated. The way her crush, Mason, was so mean to her and how the others never called that out properly but made jokes about it, didn’t sit well with me. It felt like romanticized bullying and it really made me uncomfortable.

But all in all, this was such a cute and sweet and heartwarming feel-good book! Highly recommended!

Rating:
4 stars

Get your own copy:
Indiebound
Amazon
Book Depository

​Author info:
Julian Winters