Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Review: Overexposed by Megan Erickson

Overexposed by Megan Erickson
Series: In Focus #4
Published: September 20th, 2016
Publisher: InterMix
177 pages (ebook)
Genre: Contemporary New Adult/LGBTQ
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}


Levi Grainger needs a break. As a reality show star, he’s had enough of the spotlight and being edited into a walking stereotype. When he returns home after the last season of Trip League, he expects to spend time with his family, only to learn his sister is coming back from her deployment in a flag-draped casket. Devastated, Levi decides the best way to grieve will be to go off grid and hike the Appalachian Trail—a trip he'd planned to do with his sister.

His solitary existence on the trail is interrupted when he meets Thad, a quiet man with a hard body and intense eyes. Their connection is stronger than anything Levi has ever experienced. But when Levi discovers the truth about what Thad is hiking to escape, their future together looks uncertain, and uncertainty is the last thing Levi needs...



 
Megan Erickson has done it again. The whole In Focus series is basically perfection. Starting with Trust the Focus, these characters, with their journeys both physical and emotional, have stolen my heart. Each book is an emotional roller coaster, with moments that make you laugh, cry, swoon, and really stop to think about your life and the people in it. Not to mention the sexytimes that leave you needing a cold shower! Overexposed is no exception. While these books can technically all be read as standalones, I highly recommend reading all of them since the characters do connect. I always got so excited seeing familiar characters, and I legit started happy crying at a certain point in Overexposed, so I’m not kidding when I say I recommend reading the whole series.

Despite being a well-known reality TV celebrity, Levi is really just an average guy. He’s desperate for some space and peace after the show ends and also after the death of his sister. He and his sister had planned to hike the Appalachian Trail (which I previously knew absolutely nothing about and enjoyed learning about in this book), and he’s determined to do it in her honour, even though that means doing it solo. He’s uncertain about his future and is trying to figure out what life holds for him, all while grieving. When he meets Thad along the trail, he’s a welcome distraction that turns into so much more. Each of Erickson’s books has had at least one character who I’ve connected with on a personal level because I’ve experienced something similar. With Overexposed, that character was Levi and the connection was his grief. It was very real, and it was a factor in a lot of his decisions. I thought it was realistically handled well, and I appreciated that it never overtook the story or bogged it down. I also connected with his uncertainty over the future and wondering what comes next.

Thad is the strong, silent type - the broody hero with demons in his past. And let me just say...Thad is so. Freaking. Sexy. He’s an alpha male done right. He had this presence that jumped off the pages and came through in every scene, no matter what he and Levi were doing. I loved his fascination with Levi and how protective he was of him. He seemed like the type of guy who would be confident and comfortable with himself, and while he was in a lot of ways, he also had these little insecurities that crept in because of stuff that happened in his past. He and Levi seemed like an unlikely pair, but they ended up being perfect for each other and helping each other in so many ways.

Overexposed is a beautiful story about healing, self-discovery, and love. Levi and Thad are complex, genuine characters, and the setting of the Appalachian Trail added a unique layer to the story that made it even more enjoyable.  The In Focus series is definitely one of my favourites, and one I recommend often. Overexposed is supposed to be the last book in the series, but Erickson has said she’ll ‘never close the door’ on these characters, so I’ll remain hopeful that we’ll get more eventually. There's a character in Overexposed that’s begging for his own story, so here’s hoping!




 


{My review of Trust the Focus || My review of Focus on Me || My review of Out of Frame}

Have you read Overexposed or any of the other books in the In Focus series? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to?
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1 comment:

  1. Nope, I haven't read any of the books in the series. In fact, I didn't know about the series at all until I came across your blog! *high five* Now my curiosity has been piqued, so I might very well give it a go :)

    Thanks for the suggestions, and good job with the picture at the end of the post! I'm a new follower of your lovely blog via GFC and Bloglovin' :)

    ReplyDelete

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