Jay Bell is a remarkable story teller. The author of the “Something Like…” stories, I picture his office with two laptops, one for the project at hand and one for keeping track of the many characters he explores through about twenty books. There are yellow post-its everywhere, a cup of room temperature coffee with current pop music playing and if I were he, an ashtray with at least one cigarette burning.
But I suspect that Mr. Bell doesn’t smoke. None of his characters do. They’re young and fit and active.
I’ve lived a fairly “straight” life- whatever that means- and never gave much thought to the differences between my family and the families of the LGBT people in my life. Me? I’m bisexual, somewhere in the middle of the Kinsey Scale, a measurement of sexuality that one of Mr. Bell’s characters taught me. What I was moved by is just how normal everyone is. Their lives are important and Mr. Bell writes character driven narrative, his dialogue is real, and any sex scenes (there are several) are comfortable, even hot, but always necessary to the story.
Having read a lot of gay fiction lately I find Jay Bell to be the very best, chewing my way through all his “Something Like…” books over the summer. Sixteen of them, each book bringing us closer to his characters. Gay, straight, Bi, Thai, we meet and live with all these characters and we come to love them, like an extended family; not many writers have achieved this. Not that I have found.
And fortunately for us, Jay Bell is another Agatha Christie. Or Stephen King. He writes quickly but carefully and during his relatively young life has produced an ample catalog of great fiction. It’s all worth your time, regardless of your sexuality. Begin with “Something Like Summer” and begin with Ben and Tim, the anchors of this series. You’ll know them from puberty to death, both of which are beautiful. The conflicts real, the characters flawed.
But familiar. Start with Summer and I would easily bet that you will want to read more. Jay Bell is fantastic. And his husband is responsible for the art work which actually applies to the story. It causes me to sometimes consider Mr. Bell as the main character in all his books. He’s there, just below the surface and we begin to believe that we know him.
And so I thank him for normalizing LGBTQ people. Ah, how the world has changed; Mr. Bell has done more than most. My grandfather always said, “It is our job to leave the world more beautiful than we found it.” Bravo, Mr. Bell.
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From the Publisher
My life inspires my stories!
"When I was a teenager and still in the closet, I thought I'd never find the sort of love I dreamt about. Coming out changed everything. I eventually met a handsome guy from Germany who was visiting the US as an exchange student. His accent was adorable, his heart was kind, and his muscles were impressive, so I fell quick and hard. We've been married for over twenty years now. He continues to inspire me. I want other people to experience that kind of love through my stories!" -Jay Bell
Jay Bell
I write hot gay books that will break your heart.
Jay Bell writes from his home in Chicago where he lives with his husband and three cats. His best-selling book, Something Like Summer, spawned a series of heart-wrenching novels, a musically driven movie, and a lovingly drawn comic. He has since gone on to write other emotional and yet hopelessly optimistic stories about boys in love. When not crafting imaginary worlds, he occupies his free time with animals, art, action figures, and—most ardently—his husband Andreas.
Fan favorite books:
- Straight Boy
- Something Like Summer
- Kamikaze Boys
- Out of Time, Into You
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| Something Like Summer | Pride High | Out of Time, Into You | Straight Boy | Kamikaze Boys | The Cat in the Cradle | |
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| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 | $5.99 | $5.99 | $5.99 | $4.99 |
| Genre | Gay Romance | High School Romance | M/M Romance | Coming of Age | New Adult Romance | Gay Fantasy |
| Summary | A secret love affair in high school continues to haunt the hearts of two men whose relationship changes each time they meet. | Retro charm, timeless drama! Join a group of LGBT teens in the 90s as they navigate love, identity, and life's crazy hurdles. | A young man is swept back in time to the 1950s where he falls head over heels for a special guy. But can their love survive in a bygone era? | A gay teenager crushes hard on his straight but secretive best friend. Can they find happiness together despite their differences? | Two outcasts find comfort in each other's arms and decide to take on the injustices of the world, walking a dangerous line to do so. | A young man sets off into the world with his talking cat to find the guy who broke his heart while also dodging deadly wizards. |
| Part of Series? | ✓ | ✓ | X | X | X | ✓ |
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Top reviews from other countries
richardandsandy
Another masterpiece from Jay Bell!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2015inktvis
Schöne Geschichte jedoch ohne echte Spannungskurve
Reviewed in Germany on June 30, 2012
