Starting from Scratch

Housemates, Volume 5

By: Jay Northcote

Narrated by: Lewis Carter

Starting over isn't easy, but Ben is ready to live his life as the man he was always meant to be.

Ben is transgender and is back at the university after hormone treatment and chest surgery. His new housemates have no idea about his history, and Ben would prefer to keep it that way. He's starting from scratch, and his life is finally on track, except in the romance department. The idea of dating guys as a guy is exhilarating but terrifying, because if Ben wants a boyfriend he'll have to disclose his secret.

Sid is drawn to Ben from the moment they meet. He normally gets what he wants - in the short term at least. Ben's guarded at first, and Sid's not used to guys rejecting his advances. He eventually charms his way through Ben's defenses and helps Ben on his journey of sexual awakening.

It doesn't matter to Sid that Ben is trans. He's attracted to the whole person and isn't worried about what is - or isn't - in Ben's pants. They're good together, and both of them are falling hard and fast, but Ben's insecurities keep getting in the way. If Sid can convince Ben he's committed, will Ben finally be able to put his heart on the line?

Although this audiobook is part of the Housemates series, it has new main characters and a satisfying happy ending and can be listened to as a stand-alone.

©2017 Jay Northcote (P)2018 Jay Northcote

Amazing and Revealing

I have read this book ages ago, and have never realised how important it would be for me. But when the audiobook came out, I had to get it. It is easy to listen while commuting, and it is really amazing. Even cis people will have no issues "following" Ben's story. And I adored Ben and Sid. They are adorable characters, and I just want to hug them. The other flatmates also make an appearance and it is nice to see their relationships progress as well.
I loved how Sid NEVER made Ben feel bad about being trans which is an admirable thing when it comes to books featuring trans characters. I guess having it be ownvoices in this part of the story is amazing.

The narration is also very good and I'm enjoying the book every time I (re)listen to it. It is just amazing and it means so much to me and I think everyone should just read/listen to it. <3

Wonderful!

I adored this one in the Housemates series by Jay Northcote! It was probably my favorite of the entire series. The transgender aspects of the book were handled so well and I loved the main characters. Lewis Carter is a new narrator for me and I am happy to say that he did a nice job!

✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

What a great story. I knew when this book started that the subject would be very enlightening for me. I really enjoyed these two characters so much and I adored their love story. It was so beautiful to "read" about their unconditional love. Seriously I wanted to cry for their situation at first because I can not even image how hard any of it must be but this was written so perfectly and these guys handled it with pure love <3

The narration was great!!!

Exactly what I needed to life my spirits

I've always wondered why people can't just write a simple story that tells of a casual experience. I found one. I kept waiting for the tragedy shoe to drop and thank goodness it didn't. Just two people getting to know each other and building something special. Loved every second. Trans positive, realistic, relatable.

A touching story.

I haven't read many books with transgender characters but this is my second one by Jay Northcote. The story is romantic and educational. It also seems very authentic to me and perhaps that's because the author himself is transgender. I've been following his writing for a while and also his journey on Facebook. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there like Jay does.

Starting from Scratch is about Ben who is returning to college after hormone treatment and chest surgery. He wants to live his new life openly but he doesn't really want to come out as transgender. He's never really had a romantic relationship so when Sid shows an interest in him, he's not sure how to respond. He knows that he will have to tell Sid that he's trans if anything serious is to develop between them.

I loved that Sid didn't care that Ben is transgender; he's interested in the whole person and he wants Ben. Convincing Ben to date him isn't easy but he knows it will be worth the effort. It's not easy to get Ben to come out of his shell but once he does the two of them form a bond that is really special.

This story really touched my heart and I thought that Lewis Carter's performance was great. I enjoyed his voice and would definitely listen to more audiobooks performed by him.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***