I was so excited when Salvo revealed there were two more books in this series. What I didn’t realize is that it wasn’t a series, it was a trilogy and that it was the continuation of Jason and Tae Hyun’s story rather than a traditional MM Romance series with new protagonists.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a trilogy, but when you’re mentally prepared for a more traditional series and that’s not what you get, it knocks the wind out of your sails—as can be seen by my 20 day read time. This book would probably have taken me 2-3 days at most if it weren’t a continuation of the story.
Idol Moves is the continuation of Jason and Tae Hyun as they’re relationship grows after the events of Idol Minds. This novel is less romance and more action packed thriller. Sure there are moments of squeal-inducing adorableness, but the bulk of the novel seems more about who is trying to keep Tae Hyun from becoming the successful independent solo artist he knows he can be.
The most powerful scenes in the novel were after Jason and Tae Hyun had fought (more often about something stupid) and were learning to navigate being together in a conservative society and as public figures. They just felt the most delicate and consequential. The biggest was after the climax of the novel when they found each other again. Salvo’s writing was so raw that it felt like spying on them reading those passages.
Honestly, the book I want from Salvo is Naomi’s. She’s a badass and I just want to know her whole story 😀 That being said there were moments of levity and humor I really appreciated:
Raven laughed as she tried grabbing one of Jason’s biceps. ‘You could do a lot worse than with this bomb-ass beefcake at your back, baby.’
Tae Hyun grinned as he recalled how Jason had literally been at his back several times recently. ‘Actually, we take turns being in the back.’
Raven’s well-shaped brows briefly shot up before she barked out a laugh so loud she almost choked.
‘Oh shit,’ she called out, playfully smacking Tae Hyun’s arm.
‘You’re all right, Tae Hyun.’ Then she wrapped her free arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.
‘I see J finally met his match.’ (66)
Recommendation: Overall, the book was fine. It wasn’t what I was expecting so it took me a lot longer to read than it probably would have if I knew what it was going into this one. Salvo did a great job with the main storyline, which was more thriller than romance, and they definitely beefed up the minor characters giving more depth and variety to the novel. I wasn’t happy with the cliffhanger, but since I figured the third book would be part of the trilogy, it wasn’t totally unexpected.
Opening Line: “Once more from the top!”
Closing Line: “You’re father never changed his will. He left you everything.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
Additional Quotes from Idol Moves
“Naomi remained silent for long enough that Jason thought the call had dropped. ‘Jason.’ Her ability to pack an entire scolding’s worth of impact into a single word was always impressive, even if it never worked.” (47)
I hadn’t really planned on buying or reading this. It’s one of those add on things, that you always wonder if it’s a cash grab or a demand of the publisher (or production company by the time this was released), versus something the author truly wanted. That being said as we were packing up to move I found a $25+ credit for one of our local book stores and wanted to use it. I went looking for something else and they didn’t have it, and it’s not an area of the city we live near anymore so I knew I wouldn’t be back so I grabbed this.
What an interesting novel. I had no idea what to expect going into this. I knew it was famous, I knew it was Brookner’s most famous novel and I knew it won the year I was born. That’s about it.
If there is one book that I regret not getting my review pushed out as soon as I finished it to tell everyone about it, it is this one! Seriously, this book has stuck with me and I’ve thought of it off and on since I read it. And even when I read it, it was a year later than I should have because the publisher reached out in July of 2023!* OMG I didn’t even realize that which is a shock to me—I guess 2022-2024 were even more blurred than I thought.
And I’m done with the series—or at least done with what I’m planning to read.