BAD IDEA by DAMON SUEDE

 Reviewed by Jenny and Gitte

 Gitte & Jenny : 4 Stars

Gitte: Damon Suede has a way with words, no question, he’s a great storyteller. I love his writing style, his astuteness, his sense of humour and the emotion he indisputably draws from his readers. His characters find their way into my heart every time without fail, making me laugh, cry and swoon. The whole ‘geek’ aspect as a selling point? Well sign me up, because I’m a regular! Oh and I have to mention the heat factor, it was passionate, hot and surprisingly sensual.

I was desperate to start Bad Idea, and on the whole, I loved it, I fell in love with both Silas and Trip. Don’t get me wrong, they both drove me crazy at times, especially Trip. However, they both had a lot of growing up to do, before each could successfully embark upon any type of long standing relationship. Each had a journey of self-realisation, learning from each other by highlighting the self-professed traps and stumbling blocks needed to be overcome.

“I don’t need a secret identity to live my life. I’m not a caped crusader. I’m just a guy with a pencil.”’ – Trip

Jenny:   As you know G I’m the same as you. When we heard Damon had a new book on the horizon we were beside ourselves…when Bad Idea hit our Kindles we were ecstatic and itching to get stuck in because we knew this author would deliver and he did. His storytelling is compelling and always contains the perfect balance of humour, heat and heart.  He has a way of describing a feeling or a scene with such vivid imagery that you feel part of that moment. He brings his story and characters to life in such a way you can almost see playing out inside your head. I fell completely in love with the characters in this book, both main and supporting. I have to say, the supporting characters balanced this story superbly.

“I’m pretty, I dunno, crappy at being gay. I never really wrapped my head around what I was supposed to be doing. Like everyone else got a memo I didn’t.” – Trip

I will say that although I did find parts of the story a little confusing and I’m not sure if it was just me or the subject matter, but despite that I was immersed in the journey of Trip and Silas throughout. Bad Idea encompassed the intensity, the conflict, the passion and the emotion of these two characters.

Gitte: So…Trip and Silas. What a couple! They were individually refreshing and unique and together even more so. And I loved that!

Trip is cautious and I suppose morose, an awkward people pleaser who doesn’t adapt well to unknown social situations. I mean, his first date with Silas had me cringing but I was wanting to pull him out my kindle and just hug the life out of him and tell him to relax and take a breath.  He’s the funny geek who finds himself to be happiest in his own company or in familiar territory. Trip is neurotic to say the least, he’s a creature of habit who is extremely unsure of change and rocking the boat. Yet, give him a pencil or throw the possibility of nookie with Silas his way and there is no uncertainty on what Trip wants and it’s as if his whole personality changes…he turns into the kinky geek.

‘No way could he or Silas live up to any expectations they had about each other. Only strangers can be perfect.’ – Trip

I have to say, this guy had me wanting to throw my arms around him one minute then wanting to slap some sense into him the next. Trip had to redeem himself tremendously to me by the end of their journey!!

“Maybe your resolution is to stagnate in a swamp of loneliness, despair, and anxiety.” – Jillian

Now, Silas came across the exact opposite. I have to say Silas took that special place in my heart. He was larger than life in many respects. He loves and lives with passion yet he lives and makes decisions on his own accord. Not necessarily thinking that they may not work for another. In this case Trip. I have to say though that Silas had a heart of pure gold, he’s a giver and he’s fun and at times this made me resent Trip because by all accounts Silas’ intentions were pure and self-less and came out of love, respects and admiration. Silas showed true loyalty even when it was inadvertently misjudged.

“S’important to have old friends…They remember who you were before you made yourself up. That’s what my Dad used to say….They keep ya honest and call your shit.” – Silas

It was obvious just how much these two characters cared for each other, a case of opposite attracts I suppose. The differences in their characters highlighting the other which sparked the tension, the friction, the jealousy and the differing viewpoint in taking from life what you most desire by taking chances and daring to be who you truly are.

Jenny:  Trip was the consummate geek and his allergy issues and his overall social awkwardness endeared him to me even more. He felt real and like you I swung between having overwhelming feelings of affections one minute and complete frustration with him the next but I found him to be such an interesting character.

“Thanks.” – Trip
“For what?” – Silas
“This. You……..I dunno. Coming over. Being amazing. Nothing. Anything”. – Trip

He did have to work hard at one point to win my favour back that’s for sure. But I got him and all his quirkiness and the conflict he was feeling.

I adored Silas and like you, this man completely stole my heart. The two seemed like such opposites, yet together they seemed right….two halves of each other’s missing piece if you like. Together they made sense. If only they could see what we, the reader saw, but getting there is half the fun and although my heart ached a time or two I really did enjoy the ride.  The passion between these two was palpable indeed.

“You can’t lose what you never had, you can’t keep what’s not yours and you can’t hold on to something that doesn’t want to stay.” – Jillian

The supporting cast of characters, the depth of the characters and the story as a whole completely won me. The story did feel weighted down in parts with the comprehensive references to the comic world and at times the story felt as if it dragged in parts as a result, though it soon got back on track and I was once again enveloped within the pages of this book.

“If you love life, life will love you back.”

Damon Suede will always be a 1click author for me. His knack of making you feel a part of his story, a part of his characters world and the emotion he elicits from his written word will win me over time and time again and Bad Idea was no exception.  A beautiful story that had me smiling, heartbroken and elated. Yep, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up.

“You know…you’re going to have to get used to the idea of being worth looking at. You are, y’know.”

Gitte: The only issue I had really was all the comic talk. It became a bit too much for me and detracted from the characters and their journey…I suppose it left me confused sometimes. I had to stop and look some of the references up as I just wasn’t understanding them. Absolutely, I found it interesting, and at times I saw the messages that came across within, however, I found it very wordy and it took me out of the story. Trip and Silas’ journey and character development almost seemed halted at times by the detailed aspects. In my opinion some of it could have been cut for a better flowing story. However, I would say this was only an issue for the first 60-ish % because suddenly the personal story really took off again as it became more about Trip and Silas, together and apart, after a heart-breaking moment that had me hiding behind a pillow and reading with one eye closed. Bad Idea completely grabbed me again and I couldn’t put it down for anything.

Taking my issue aside, I have to say that I absolutely love this Author and he didn’t disappoint as he made me fall completely in love with Trip, Silas and their story. Damon got every emotion out of me again, with laughter, and tears borne out of both sadness and frustration. I also loved the secondary characters especially Jillian and Max, I thought they all played a great part of this story. Max, in particular, just had me from the get go as he reminded me in so many ways of my own nine year old son. When did kids become so clued up at that age?

“Having a kid is like having your heart walking around outside your body for the rest of your life.” – Jillian

Overall, I thought Bad Idea stood out as being original and unique in both concept and style and despite my stumbles because of my own limitations I’d say without a doubt this is a must read!

“You just find something you would die for and live for it instead…” – Rina