Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really, really, REALLY wanted to love this book - two black, gay, powerful and successful men in their 40's had all the ingredients for a wonderful story, but the execution just wasn't there. Both main characters were a bit dull in my opinion, very surface level knowledge about them and their backgrounds, which didn't help in connecting with them. Alongside not being able to connect with either of them, their dialogue (and every other conversation portrayed in the book) didn't feel at all genuine or how a conversation would go between two real people. This is super unfortunate, considering there was a lot of topics that the book covered that could have been really impactful to the reader (family struggles, queer and black representation in positions of power, etc).

My main issue with this book was the amount of unresolved conflicts. Dustin's strained family relationships were not explained enough to really understand the on-and-off relationship with them, Taylor's colleague that was portrayed as the villain with no real mention of WHY he is a villain, Taylor's tiff with his mother and the president of his university. As the reader, you kind of had to fill in the blanks yourself on a lot of these, and more, and I would prefer to be presented with the full picture by the author. With as much that was NOT explained, there were several incredibly detail-oriented descriptions of things like Beyonce songs, which felt so out of place when substantial pieces of the plotline were so vague.

Also, when you have two highly educated, sophistacated, older men that are romantically involved calling each other BRUH..... come on.

One and Done had so much potential, but this was simply not well-executed.

I really wanted to love this, there’s not enough queer romances with MCs over 40 out there…

But unfortunately I DNFd at 57%. I tried to power through, I really did… I especially wanted to find out what happens with Wes Jenkins…

The writing however was so extremely stilted, especially the conversations between the MCs.

I don’t think this is necessarily a bad book, the storyline kept me engaged… the writing was just really not for me and kept pulling me out of the story 😕

The entire book is choppy, there's very obvious disconnects between plot points and more than a couple times I found myself asking how we'd gotten to a certain point in the book. I also couldn't connect with either of the mcs. I finished with this a couple hours ago and I couldn't tell you anything about the mcs or anything that happened in the book.

None of the major plot points were properly fleshed out. None of the conflicts were resolved either, just forgotten and it was so frustrating to read. For men in their 40s they sure had the communication skills of 8th graders!!

I did appreciate the insight the author gave on just how strenuous and long the accreditation process was for universities. I loved how pronounced the influence of Black culture and Black queer culture in particular was in this. I was excited when I found out it was a romance between two Black gay men in their 40s.

I wish I could have enjoyed this more because the blurb stood out to me so much but the execution wasn't up to expectations

“I feel like every time I made a step forward, you took a step back.”-Dustin
“And now we’ve both taken a step forward”-Taylor

“There, in front of the window with the dark Pacific Ocean as our backdrop in the distance, I received his warm kisses over my lips, face, and neck…kisses that signaled two grown men who were falling into each other”

Finished this novel that was full of Blackness, Queerness, and intelligence. It’s nice to see Black queer people in high end leadership roles with little to no trauma being the base for their success. I respected Taylor’s decision to climb the educational ranking without his parents help just as much as I admired Dustin’s patience with his less than financially stable mother. Both stubborn in their own right, but caring just the same. I love the openness and maturity Taylor and Dustin exhibited when communicating their feelings about their not quite relationship!

I was hoping for a little more steamy sex scenes. There were moments where I felt like they could’ve gone a little farther to really showcase the intimacy between the two men. Dustin’s mother seemed to be the focal point for his stress and I would’ve liked it if their relationship was drawn out a bit more. The story has a lot of telling and a bit more showing between the men and their surroundings would’ve bumped the story up a bit more.

Overall, a cute story with selfless, if not frustrating men, who’ll make you want to visit San Francisco and its queer residents!

absolutely chuffed to see an older adult, queer romance with 2 black MCs

taylor james and dustin mcmillan get off to a rocky start, but as 2 unicorns (black queer men in the academia space) have a lot to relate to. taylor thought all he wanted was to become a university president, leaving no room for romance. dustin is a bit of a playboy and is not afraid to hide it. there were some very funny, relatable moments that occurred between our MCs, but i found difficulty finding a lot of depth in the writing. i enjoyed the plot and its characters, however, and would still recommend this to read for a quick cute rom-com, with an A+ for diversity. bc i'm tired of "reading diverse" meaning one POC and one hwhite person. ty.

thank you to netgalley & bold strokes books for the arc!

This love story was good and also I think real talk about being a Black Man in academia at the same time

One and Done is such an important book. In a world where 80% of the romance books sold last year were written by two white authors and feature straight protagonists, and where “diverse” representation is often reduced to a white main character and a BIPOC love interest, this proudly Black and openly queer novel is much needed. This delightful book tells the story of Dustin and Taylor, two successful Black gay professionals who meet by chance in a bar in San Francisco during a drag brunch. Will their initial impressions of each other hold or will their simmering physical attraction grow into something more substantial?

The story that follows hits a lot of favourite romance tropes – forced proximity, only one bed, miscommunication, and so on – but in a way that feels fresh and original. There was so much to like about this book but some of the things I particularly appreciated included the age and maturity of the main characters. It was so refreshing to read a queer romance which definitively asserts that there is life and love after the age of 30. Dustin also captured my heart and sympathy with his insecurities about his upbringing and how he was so deeply invested in being someone’s number 1. Similarly, I really loved how embedded into their community Taylor especially was. The friendships he had and the way he was able to use his position to benefit others was genuinely inspirational. It is clear that the author has a particular appreciation for this kind of altruism as his dedication so movingly attests.

One thing that didn’t work so well for me was the way that some of the mannerism of certain characters were repeated so much it became irritating. In one conversation between Taylor, his best friend Markell, and a drag queen Manessa, the drag queen tongue pops almost every time she speaks. This ended up feeling unbelievably overdone and stereotypical and really took away from the depth of the conversation the characters were trying to have.

Overall though this was a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read. It took me less than a day to finish and I look forward to engaging with more of this author’s work.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The story overall had a good message but the romance fell flat. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and so it was hard reading the story. I loved the blurb and I was so excited, I feel it had so much potential it just didn’t hit the mark.

This was super cute. Probably 3.75 stars.

I loved reading about two Black men who (eventually, not a spoiler I don't think) fall in love. Especially with all the nods to nerdery and family ties and communities where you can be who you are, through and through.

I saw some reviewers mentioning being confused by the character of Wes, but he read very true to me. The minor background annoyance of Black (and in his case queer) colleagues who choose to use "their own" as stepladders to try to succeed. Not a major villain, just something mundane that happens so the time.

It was not the best written novel that I have read this year, but it felt like home, and described a world I *want* to live in, so I recommend it!

Oh my heart!

It's rare to find queer books that center couples over 40, and author Frederick Smith has done just that with ONE AND DONE. I loved it - grown people relationships, dealing with aging parents, real-life work woes - all of it came together beautifully. I did think the pacing of the story could be stronger (sometimes too fast or too slow, plot-wise), but I rooted for Dustin and Taylor. Can we get a sequel with the rest of the friend group, please?

This book feels like when you go out with your partner or friend and then they run into an old coworker, and then they talk shop for the next three hours and you are out of the loop. I also wish there had been more romance between the characters. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I love when a book is set where I live and know. I live in between Oakland and SF in a way so I was familiar with so much discussed and totally agreed. It's so different now than even 15 years ago when I was going to school in SF.
Loved these two successful professional men. They were both so different but in intersecting industries within education. They didn't have the best start but close proximity in the workplace and a one bed situation and they started to get close, very close.

The community described in the Castro being small and close knit was very interesting. This book includes love between two gay black men, lots of queer people and drag performers. Loved the rep in this book and the loving families.

I found it odd that we only said the antagonists name by saying the whole name but Wes Jenkins does sound villainous. Honestly I used to get called by my whole name a lot when I was younger maybe they were telling me something. But he was awful to his coworkers and truly was awful all around.
Such a sweet ending to this one.

This book was going for all the right things theme-wise and plot-wise, but unfortunatley I didn't completely love the writing style, and it felt like some big things were rushed. I think some moments needed to be dropped to keep this as a novella and give more space to things that were kind of rushed over, or just be made into a novel that would dive deeper and give time, because I felt a lack of build up.

I couldn’t finish this book, unfortunately. I found it to be repetitive and the writing to be crude, at times. I’m so sorry I didn’t enjoy it, as I really was excited about all of the romance tropes featured and the lgbtqia+ representation!

3.75 rounded up. i really enjoyed this book once it got going. i loved dustin and taylors relationship and the forced proximity of them having to work together professionally after the time they first met being not so smooth. they worked so well together. i loved the commentary on uplifting minorities in the community and advocating for them as well.

I'd like to start by thanking Pride Book Tours, Bold Stroke Books, and Frederick Smith for the opportunity to participate in this book tour and to receive an ebook of One and Done to review!! This is my first ever book tour AND my first of Frederick's books. I'm sure it won't be the last of either, especially given how much I adored the characters and world of this wonderful story.

I was immediately drawn in by the snappy-yet-descriptive writing and lovable, diverse cast. The pace was perfect for me - not fast enough for any of the emotional moments to lose their depth, but fast enough to make for a quick and joyful summer read. I really loved Frederick's ability to create beautifully three-dimensional characters. I adored everyone in the book so much (well, ALMOST everyone - I won't say more for spoiler's sake) and really felt like a part of their lives and community by the time I was done.

Taylor and Dustin's romance felt so genuine and and was a delight to experience. I loved seeing their relationship grow and change throughout the story and could feel the happiness they brought each other through the pages. They're dedinitely a couple who I was rooting for from the first pages through to the end! And getting to read a book that focused on so much warmth and joy in regards to characters and communities who don't always get those types of stories and endings was a pleasure and a privilege.

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a fun, heartfelt read with some bickering, some business...and occasionally only one bed. 😁

This book had such promise but to me, the execution failed to deliver. The start of the book pulled me in and I enjoyed the banter between the two MMC’s, but as the plot went on and the characters developed the book became more disappointing. I did not enjoy the repetitive nature of the use of the characters first and last name while in dialogue and the repetition of certain character traits when they did them. The last couple of chapters specifically made me angry and turned off from the book. I would have preferred if the communication between the characters was handled better and maybe that’s a “me” probably of not loving the miscommunication trope but I also didn’t think the ex, Silas, was necessary to the plot line. It felt weird and forced like the author needed a hindrance or problem per se with the characters. I think if the book went through another round of edits or beta readers this would have been a hit.

There were some great ingredients here: particularly the perspectives - the two main charcters, two Black, older (for rom com world), highly educated main characters, the setting - SF, Castro, Oakland. These were all FANTASTIC and pretty refreshing and new and cool to see in a romance.

However, someone needs to get this author a superstar editor, because this is still a soup of ideas, the writing is choppy, the dialogues don't sound like spoken voices, and there are a lot of interesting storylines, but it never flows. There's no cohesive build-up; it just doesn't work.

Taylor is hyper-focused on his career and on his goal of becoming the youngest black and openly queer college president in history; love and relationships simply do not factor into his life equation.

On the Sunday before a big accreditation project, Dustin "bumps" into Taylor at a drag show but Taylor doesn't fall for Dustin's confidence and the two don't exactly hit it off. But Taylor is suddenly forced to spend a month or so with Dustin when Taylor finds out that Dustin is heading the accreditation team at Taylor's college - expect a little:
- Forced proximity
- Only one bed
- Found family
- Happily ever after

I enjoyed the story and I liked the characters; the author tried to create two people who grew up in vastly different ways. Dustin is a much more layered character than is Taylor, but I think they are both great and relatable. There is something about this author's writing style that is a little weird; I can't put my finger on it, exactly, but I got confused a few times.

The only thing I didn't like, though, was that there were too many things happening off-page only to be "resolved" later - the Wes Jenkins plot-line, the third act break-up, etc.

Overall, One & Done has some super cute moments and some gorgeous landscapes and I enjoyed this a lot.

3.5 stars rounded up

2.5 stars rounded down and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC.
Disclaimer: I am not the fully intended audience for this novel and my review probably reflects that. But bad writing is bad writing...

I'll start off with what I liked about One and Done.
I really loved Taylor and his drive to succeed, even at the cost of his own personal happiness. I liked that he knew what he wanted and wasn't going to compromise, even if that word ended up being a bad idea for his relationship.

Unfortunately, that's probably the only thing I didn't have an issue with. Whether it was the dialog, the "chemistry," and the never ending (dear sweet lord never ending) Beyoncé references, One and Done might be my one and done with Smith.

The dialog and banter between Taylor and Dustin was...clunky at best. Smith does a great job at telling us everything we need to know about their personalities and their work in the community without actually showing us. They spoke so many times about what it means to be black, queer, black and queer, and in academia, but it got so repetitive at times with the same people, it seemed like all anyone does in this world is go around and around about drag brunch. Where is the outreach in the community? We get throwaway lines about Taylor getting ready for graduation and commencement, but no interaction with the students?
I'm also begging Smith to find another singer. Beyoncé is queen, obviously, but for so much of the book's plot focusing on being black and queer, they had no black and queer artists to be obsessed with? Janelle, Lil Nas X, Megan, Frank, Kehlani??? Just to name some of the popular ones.

The chemistry between Taylor and Dustin was cringe-worthy. They had a lot in common, they seemed to enjoy each other's company, but there wasn't much substance. They talked about their pasts and how they had vastly different upbringings, but any talk of the future? Any talk of what they want in life away from their careers? Not a word.

Finally, and I promise this is the last bit, Wes Jenkins. What a waste of a "villain." He could have been something interesting, but he ended up being a catty bitch for no reason and then his downfall was relegated of off-screen in the epilogue.