Trying It All: A Naked Men Novel

love the naked men books!! wish there was a 5th and final with Josh, kinda an epilogue to finish them out and toe up loose ends!! but great series non the less!!

5 star review of Trying It It All (Naked Men #4) by Christi Barth I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in the series and was excited to read Riley’s story. The idea of a group of men, who have been friends for many years talking out their problems on a blog as a premise was so intriguing. These men survived a horrific bush crash over 10 years ago, and their bond of friendship which was firmly cemented and has only deepened over the years. This is the story of Riley Ness and Summer Sheridan. He is the most serious of the group, the most detail oriented and possibly the most uptight; always needing a plan and to be in control. Summer, on the other hand is beautiful, carefree and somewhat flighty. Totally not who Riley expects to be attracted too, but then opposites do attract. Riley wants Summer to become more serious about life and Summer just wants Riley to enjoy life. Can these two polar opposites fight through their obvious differences, traumatic pasts and find a compromise which opens them both up to love? Or will pride and fear get in their way and lose them both a chance at happiness? The chemistry between Riley and Summer was real. There was definitely a romantic feel to this book and I really love all the secondary characters. I love the humour and the easy banter between all of the characters, particularly Logan and his friends. I cannot wait to read more about the Naked Men from Christi Barth.

On the surface, this looks like an opposites attract story but as Riley and Summer get to know each, and we get to know them, it is revealed that they are more alike than either of them realize. Riley is one of the ACSs, a group of men who survived a near fatal accident in the mountains of Italy ten years ago. Each one of the men in this group was impacted in a different way. Riley learned that he always needs to be prepared and thinks of all of the possible outcomes of every situation that he may be in. He's a super uptight Type A and tries to control everything around him. Summer survived a mass shooting on her college campus and, after nearly losing her life, has lived as if today may be the last day she has so she must live life to the fullest. Whenever Riley and Summer are together, they do nothing but fight and snipe at each other but there's a thin line between love and hate so once they cross the line, their chemistry is explosive. The differences between them seem to fade away the more they learn about each but, as with any person who has experienced the type of traumas they have, the baggage can get in the way. I loved Summer and Riley. They're both hilarious and care more about the people around them than anything else in the world. Even though they seemed like opposites in the beginning, I loved learning all of the ways they are similar and perfect for each other. This is only the second of this series that I have read so I *need* to go back and read the first two. I love so much about this group and I can't wait to see where the series goes next. *This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*