I was excited to revisit this world, but I think this one fell a little flat for me. Overall, I feel like it was just all over the place. Brenden was sweet and funny. I enjoyed his inner dialogue about being too much for others and getting to hear about his past trauma with bullying and how he overcame that. Paul was kind and serious with a take charge attitude, while also seeming pretty laid back. We got to see how he felt like he wasn't enough, which was a great contrast to Brenden thinking he's too much. I thought the two made a great pair and I enjoyed seeing them go from friends to lovers and watching Paul's crush become reciprocated. The characters are great. My issue, I think, lies in the story. It felt all over the place. What was the real conflict? Was it Paul not wanting to come out, both of them having internal personal issues, Brenden's stalker, their insecurities... It felt like a lot. And yet, it felt like not a lot actually happened. I did really enjoy seeing more of Jeremy and Preston. 2/5 spice levels.

Notes: friends to lovers, past bullying, death of a parent (past), hockey, teammates, hurt/comfort, past trauma, stalking (bad), insecurities