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Not like Other Boys

M/M Bully Romance

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Not like Other Boys

By: K.A. Merikan
Narrated by: Tyler Kent
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Lose an eye. Win a boyfriend.

Ethan. Taxidermist. Goth weirdo. Can’t wait to be done with high school.

Ethan is a young artist-entrepreneur with a love for quirky taxidermy. Roadkill is so much better than people. By the end of high school, all he wants is to develop his business, yet all his parents want is for him to go to law school. That is more than enough of a problem for Ethan, so any kind of love life is out of the question. That is until Robert Hunter, the quarterback of the football team, comes crashing into him. Literally.

Robert. Quarterback. In the closet. More than meets the eye.

Robert is the popular kid, the quarterback on his way to med school. He’s gay, but not exactly coming out since he doesn’t like to stir the pot. One night, spurred on by too much booze, he ends up causing irreversible harm to Ethan, the school’s weirdo.

The aftermath.

Robert will do anything to avoid charges for what he’s done, but when Ethan makes an indecent demand in return for his silence, Robert might just be in way over his head.

For Ethan, it’s a simple act of revenge on a bully, but when Robert turns out to be not-so-straight, their arrangement gets complicated all too fast.

Possible spoilers

Themes: first love, fitting in, entrepreneurship, disability, high school, jock/goth, taxidermy, artist, coming out, becoming an adult, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort

Genre: new-adult M/M romance

(Stand-alone novel, no cliff-hanger.)

Warning: Contains steamy, passionate scenes, violent injury, themes of bullying, and a morally ambiguous proposition.

(This book was formerly published as Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist.)

©2014, 2020 K.A. Merikan (P)2020 K.A. Merikan Literature & Fiction Romance Mind-bending Feel-Good
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I absolutely loved Rob. Yeah, he was a bit of a bully at first, but he really came around and became a dreamy boyfriend for Ethan. I liked Ethan, but he could be very immature and I just wanted to shake some sense into him. While they were hot together, there was a bit too much sex in the book for me, so I ended up ffwding through some of it. Sorry, not sorry.

The whole taxidermy thing was intriguing, if a bit icky, especially when combined with food, but okay. And I really would've loved some kind of epilogue some months/years into the future.

Overall, I found the audiobook entertaining and I really enjoyed Tyler Kent's narration. He did a good job with both characters and with the story.

Nice YA story!

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I’m the first to admit I approach K.A. Merikan books with some trepidation. There have been some I’ve loved, and a couple that were misses. This book was not a miss. Formerly published as Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist, it has now been brough to audio. Tyler Kent is a new narrator to me but his voice worked. The teenagers in this story haven’t yet reached maturity, so it made sense their voices were young and not as deep and resonant as the narrators the Merikans normally use. In other words, these kids are definitely not hardened criminals or members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

That being said, they’re no innocents either. The synopsis is longer than the average one I’ve seen but that’s necessary – the plot needs to be laid out in some detail so the squeamish and those traumatized by bullies don’t accidentally pick it up without knowing what they were getting into. I read the synopsis carefully – several times, in fact. I was intrigued enough to pick up the book and am glad I did.

I don’t read a lot of books with teenage protagonists. I barely survived my teenage years and do not look back upon them with nostalgia and fondness. They were years I struggled through, and although they made me a stronger person, I believe one should make it to adulthood without having to endure the gauntlet of bullying and peer pressure.

Robert is a jock. He has friends who sometimes egg him on. And he does stupid stuff. And sometimes that stupid stuff has devastating consequences. And some readers might think ‘there but for the grace of god’ as they reflect on stupid stuff they did as teens. But Robert owns up to what he’s done and is willing to make amends – partly out of a desire to stay out of jail – but mostly out of intense guilt at having caused such horrible damage. Ethan hasn’t had an easy go of it. He’s a misfit who appears goth but doesn’t fit that stereotype. He prefers to stay at home and practice taxidermy. And, okay, I was a little squeamish at that. I love my dog, but I don’t want her stuffed and put on a shelf when she dies. That being said, Ethan’s taxidermy projects are phenomenally creative and I was fascinated.

Anyway, Ethan goes to a party and things go horribly wrong. He loses an eye, but gains a means of revenge – he makes sexual demands of Robert who feels he has no choice but to comply. This is where the Merikans are at their strongest – moral ambiguity. Ethan is blackmailing Robert – pure and simple. And yet there is nothing simple about this relationship. Things progress and the boys develop real feelings for each other. But so much stands in their way – well meaning parents, friends who apply peer pressure, and a society as a whole. Ethan has always felt he had to fight the world and suddenly Robert is an ally, believing in him. Those transformations were powerful.

But high school ends. Ethan pushes to pursue his true passion while Robert continues to hide his from the world – and it’s a great one, by the way. So I was left wondering if they could make it as a couple or if they were destined to have to head in their own separate directions.

I’m glad I listened to this book. Yes, it brough back memories of being bullied in high school, but it also reminded me that I survived that time in my life and was a better person for it. So give the book a shot. Between the narration and the story, you won’t be disappointed.

The Jock and the Taxidermist

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I am a little disappointed with this story, to be honest. It had so much potential, but the plot fell flat pretty fast. Everything came pretty easy, even the life changing accident that made Ethan loose an eye. It was so glossed over it was painful. There also isn't much bullying besides that first encounter, I thought it would be more heavy, but everything seems to come too easy, idk. You have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this book, it's quite OTT.

I didn't like the narrator, at all. It's my first time listening to Tyler Kent and I'm not going to listen again. His narration is stilted. And. He does weid. Pauses. In the middle of the. Sentence. I kid you not, that's how he talks, it's frustrating. His voice is ok, but the voice he does for Ethan is so high pitched it looks like Ethan is always screaming and excited.

Not that good

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I love how the minds behind K.A. Merikan work. They utterly fascinates me. I leap at the chance to read their work. They don’t shy away from weird, interesting, outrageous, and dark things. They embrace it, and I love it. I don’t read a lot of books with teenaged mcs, but these boys are both 18, so there’s that. For this author, though—I will read whatever trope, age group, or genre.

Robert and Ethan were brought together under very unique circumstances. Both events, one caused by Rob, the other by Ethan’s odd demand as payment for his silence, have lasting repercussions throughout the book. Despite this, these boys find themselves continually drawn to the other. It was not a smooth transition from bully/bullied to friends, and then, boyfriends. Despite Rob no longer participating and often preventing it, Ethan still gets bullied.

This was a brilliantly written story, with incredibly well developed characters. I loved that there’s always humor mixed in with the dark, the serious, and the sadness. There were moments that were funny for the readers, that were just not addressed in the story (by the characters). I love that stuff, and soak it up like a sponge. The characters are funny, without even meaning to be.

Tyler Kent is a new to me narrator, but I hope to hear more from him. He was perfect for these characters and their story. He did a phenomenal job with Ethan and Rob. His ability to project emotion, awkwardness, and have two very well thought out, and distinct, voices for our leads, is incredible. I can see him going far in this industry, and I’m glad Merikan utilized his talents for this story. I cannot imagine it with any other voice. Tyler Kent IS this story.

Unique and absolutely captivating

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Not Like Other Boys is a standalone contemporary romance that takes the reader on an emotional and fascinating journey. The best way I can describe this book is as a quirky, young adult romance with themes of boys being stupid, making bad decisions that have serious consequences, yet still finding a way to forgive, grow, and love each other. Ethan and Robert together just makes sense. At first, it doesn’t. Ethan is the strange kid who created taxidermy art and Robert is the popular football jock who cooks as a hobby. Their relationship is unique with a tragic start, but the love and attraction they have for each other cannot be denied.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I also recognize it is not for everyone. K.A. Merikan don’t shy away from dealing and exploring difficult themes and unhealthy behaviors. Both Robert and Ethan make really bad and poor decisions, but they also acknowledge the seriousness of those decisions and understand that their behavior was not good. But despite this acknowledgement, they can’t and won’t stay away from each other. It’s not a dark romance, but there are messed up situations that not everyone will feel comfortable reading about. Read the summary for content warnings and make your own decision on whether or not this book is for you.

The audiobook was narrated by Tyler Kent who did a good job. I wasn’t really a fan of Ethan’s voice, but I did get used to it. All the other characters had a great voices that I liked. The narrative portions were voiced smoothly and were easy to listen to. The audiobook production was well done and overall this was an enjoyable listen.

A Quircky and Unique Love Story

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