More time needed to be spent on that relationship.Overall, I enjoyed the story. I loved seeing the way Joel and Evie worked together and learning about her stuffed animals.I was in the mood for sentimental.Near the end, I really was screaming at Joel over Liam, especially since he put up with so much from Dan without a care.Liam, loved him from the moment he showed up, and I definitely would have liked a better balance between Joel's day to day versus building the love story.

But since I wanted a family read, it really worked for me. Ben is transgender and back at university after hormone treatment and chest surgery. more l over the place, but I was in the mood for a family story, so I decided to take the plunge.There is a lot of mundane, day to day, snapshots of Joel's life and I can see where this might not work for all readers. Starting from Scratch by Jay Northcote Series: Housemates 5 Release Date: ApPage Count: 196 pages Rating: Synopsis Starting over isn’t easy, but Ben is ready to live his life as the man he was always meant to be. Review 2: 3.5 starsSo the reviews for this book were al. The book was well written, but I found it dragged a bit at times. We don't even meet Liam until about 50% into the book. He normally gets what he wantsin the short term at least. Sid is drawn to Ben from the moment they meet. The idea of dating guys as a guy is exhilarating but terrifying, because if Ben wants a boyfriend he’ll have to disclose his secret. I felt the romance with Liam was definitely not the main focus here. He’s starting from scratch and his life is finally on track, except in the romance department. Joel's Romantic life definitely takes a back seat to him dealing with being a single father. After losing his mother and the mother of his child, will Joel let himself get close to anyone one again or will he run?This book was good, but not what I was expecting.

He and Dan eventually break up and Joel meets Liam. Then tragedy strikes and Joel becomes a full time father. He is raising his daughter Evie that he has with his best friend. Review 1: Joel is just entering his 2nd year as a teacher.