*SPICY BOOK REVIEW*
This is a warning, mostly for my mom, that this is a SPICY book review. Meaning that this is a story with explicit sexual content. So before we dive into the review, if you want a more mellow swoony romance, check out my review on The Stand-In and Chloe and the Kaishao Boys.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. I link these sources for the quality of the products and my positive experiences; not because of the commission. You are the ultimate decider, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
To start off this review, I will state that Some Things Never Change by Cee Yang was my very first spicy novel read. I’ve seen other spicy novel recommendations around social media, but to be honest, I didn’t feel ready to dive into this new realm of romance. When I saw Cee Yang's post about her newly finished book and the premise of the story, I couldn’t just pass up the opportunity to read it.
I was the lucky few to receive the story before its release on January 29th. It took me about a week to finish when really it should have taken me less than a day. I was just so flustered with the content that I had to space it out to calm my blushing cheeks. That is to say, this is a sweet, sexual story suitable for a first time spicy reader like myself.
So let’s get into the plot, shall we? The novel starts on a Christmas celebration between two families, the Lo’s and the Hughes. The moms of the family have been close since their time in a Thai refugee camp where many other Hmong people resided. Julie is the main character and the only girl in this loving family. She and her brother Jonathan grew up with Anthony and Andy Hughes, the handsome twins, right next door. Wondering who the love birds of the story are? Well…
We first get the sense of a swoony romance when Julie overhears the family watching old home videos; specifically one video where seven-year-old Andy confesses his love to Julie through heartbreaking tears. Julie is in the kitchen when adult Andy walks into the room with his flirty smile beaming at Julie.
Andy has a Christmas gift he wants to give Julie in private, so they merge outside into the cold evening air. They sit close by a fire as Andy pulls out a small, velvet box. Julie jokes that this is a proposal and Andy counters with, “‘And if I am?’”. When Julie opens the box, it’s a beautiful pair of pearl earrings. The pair continue to talk until the topic of Julie’s new job comes up. She shares that she was going to ask her brother to help her move, but Andy visibly is hurt that Julie didn’t ask him when, coincidentally, she was going to be working in the same city as him. Without taking no for an answer, Andy offers his assistance with a grin. He even insists on having Julie stay with him instead of paying rent at an apartment. With loveable banter, Julie finally agrees to all of Andy’s help. And thus, this brings us to their cohabitation!
The start of the story jumps right into the romance. The main characters are established right away, giving a strong foundation to the plot of the story. There is obvious flirtation but with a naive character who just does not want to believe what is in her heart. Not only were the characters having butterflies; I was having them too! I swooned right away and immediately fell for lovable Andy.
"Andy laughed as he leaned in a tad loser than he typically would. I could feel his breath on my ticklish neck as his laugh mellowed out into a low chuckle, and I squirmed."
Throughout the story, Andy is so open to flirting with Julie. His antics drive her wild, but in her head, she thinks it’s all friendly teasing–dear Julie, I’m not even in your world and I can tell it’s lust for you! Besides the tension between the couple, what struck out was their blatant care for one another. Julie quickly notices that Andy’s Lego sets are not displayed anywhere in his home. Andy sadly opens up that he was made to feel ashamed about them after an ex-girlfriend disapproved of the hobby. Julie became defensive and expressed to Andy that he should never feel ashamed for being himself and that she expected to see his finished sets throughout the house so she could admire the work he put into it. Julie’s caring demeanor left Andy with a warm smile and, of course, a final flirty remark to end their conversation.
And that’s how they live together. You’ll have to read it to know what I’m talking about. But I will state that there’s much flirting, some jealousy, open conversations, and lots of ogling. What's there to expect in a spicy romance than lots of lingering looks? And this is just the romance side of the book, we haven’t even gotten to the spice yet!
But before I dive into that, let’s appreciate the childhood friends to lovers and the falling for the boy next door tropes. The author truly put heart into establishing a sweet romance right from the beginning. My heartstrings were tugged as soon as I read little Andy proclaiming his love for little Julie, and that is literally the first page of the novel! As we get further into the book, we learn of their relationship as best friends and how close they are in each other’s lives. There were plenty of precious scenes that painted the whole romantic picture. Small moments between the two as they reminisced about their youths made me want to jump into the story and give them hugs. They were so close to forming a romantic bond but it took years to actually cave in and admit their feelings.
"'I was hopelessly in love with you from the moment I met you,' said Andy"
When you read the book, tell me, should they have told each other sooner or was the timing perfect?
Another important aspect of Some Things Never Change is the inclusion of the Hmong culture. The way the author had interwoven the history and representation into the story was thoughtfully laid out. I appreciate the time spent to share the ethnicity through traditions, family, and love. Not only do we not read many books with a person of color as the main character, but for a spicy novel, it is that common. It was refreshing to read a healthy relationship growing from the point of view of a Hmong character. I got a taste of who the Hmong group are and it was told to me with compassion. Honestly, the main points of Some Things Never Change were balanced out nicely; culture, romance, and spice.
Now onto the explicit content…
Never in my wildest dreams have I thought, “Oh, I’m going to read about a couple doing it in the backseat of the guy’s car”. Never! And yet, here I was, hiding my blushing, hot cheeks with a blanket as I got to the first sexual encounter. Now, I’m not going to go into any detail, but I will share that the scenes were vivid and tender.
"The world was spinning and the only thing that kept me from falling was the gentle pressure of his full, soft lips against mine."
If there was any reason to love the couple even more, it was the way they acted with each other. The sexual scenes were hot, but the love they expressed through the giggles and embrace was so pure. I was rooting for them from the very beginning, and to read that they were having some explicit fun, I almost shed a tear. Their sex life was not oversaturated; in fact, it read natural and flirty. I wouldn’t say it’s vanilla, but it's definitely sweet. The best way to describe it is that Julie and Andy were finally making up for lost time.
Before ending here, I am just going to admit that I completely fell for Andy. His flirts were so attractive, that I got goosebumps all over. The way he complimented Julie and told her she was beautiful was the sweetest thing. I’m giddy just writing about it. This may be the first book to actually make me say “In love with a fictional boyfriend”--don’t tell my actual boyfriend! Overall, Andy was the sweetest character and I am over the moon for Julie.
I think I will end this review with a question for the author: will there be a sequel focused on twin brother Anthony? Maybe Jonathan?
Cee, can you weigh in?
Some Things Never Change by Cee Yang is affectionate, compassionate, and enticing. Perfect for readers in search of a spicy sweet romance. Fall in love with the characters and Grab a copy on Amazon today!
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