The New Normal by L.J. Hayward Release Blitz

Brian Stagliano’s life should be pretty sweet right now. Two of his closest friends are getting married, and he’s taking a new, exciting step in his career as a doctor. Most amazing though, his best mate has been given the all clear from cancer. But Brian’s normal has just been tipped A over T and the friendship he’s relied on for years is in danger. All because of five little words.

Andrew Fitzroy should be on top of the world. The cancer that’s haunted him is gone. He can finally get on with his life—except he doesn’t know what that life is anymore. Is he brave enough to come out as bisexual? Should he pursue architecture or stay in construction? Either way, Andrew knows happiness won’t be his until he has what his engaged friends have—love, joy, passion. So, he says those five little words to Brian—I’m in love with you.

Friends since childhood, Brian and Andrew have always been closer than brothers. Best mates. Nothing could ever tear them apart. Except for those five little words. Now, Brian’s not sure about so many things—their friendship, his own desires—and the foundation Andrew’s built his world on feels like its crumbling. But if they manage not to destroy everything they have together, Andrew and Brian might just find a new normal with each other.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
I really loved this story. New adult angst at its best, it’s a book about two lifelong friends who slowly realise they might want something more with each other.

I absolutely love Brian and Andrew. Brian is a junior doctor struggling to meet his professional challenges. Andrew has recently returned to work after recovering from cancer. Both men are wonderfully vulnerable, and their voices feel real and familiar. I love the slightly mad group of friends that surrounds them and the Aussie setting is a welcome change from the many American m/m romances.

There is a whole lot of drama and angst as Brian and Andrew work through their sexualities, and as the relationships within their friendship group grow, strain, and sometimes explode. The angst feels realistic and familiar for characters in their early twenties, but it is a lot. The Aussie humour mitigates some of the emotional turmoil and there are a few scenes that had me laughing out loud.

I really loved this book. Something about the characters and their experiences really resonated and I immediately fell in love with both Brian and Andrew. There is something really special about this story and these characters – it’s the kind of book that I can see myself rereading and recommending to friends.

L.J. Hayward has been telling stories for most of her life, a good deal of them of the tall variety. She loves reading but doesn’t seem to have enough time between wanting to be a more disciplined writer, being the actual erratic writer she is, and working for dollars in a dungeon laboratory. She also lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland, but rarely sees a beach and can’t surf, though she thinks living on a houseboat might be fun. At least then she’d have an excuse to get a cat.

Connect with L.J.

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L.J.’s Lab Facebook Group

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The New Normal (Gold Coast Collage #1) by L.J. Hayward to read and review for this tour.