Another Dumb Jock (Dumb Jock #2), Jeff Erno

- Review by Trisha

5 out of 5 stars

Another Dumb Jock is the sequel to Jeff Erno’s Young Adult novel, Dumb Jock. It has a new couple and is set in modern day times, unlike Dumb Jock. Adam, Jeff and Brett’s son, is the protagonist and his voice was interesting. In the first book it was Jeff’s point-of-view and he was the nerd. This time we got the jock’s and I found that to be enjoyable.  Having the jock's point-of-view captured my interest immediately as I found that to be unique.

As in the first book, Another Dumb Jock is not very different from the normal nerd/jock trope. Adam and Trevor were an adorable couple. They had a different relationship in comparison to Adam’s two dads. The Dom/sub element was not in this one at all, where it was in the first book. Adam and Trevor's romantic relationship started as a result of an argument. It was kind of funny to read and I thought it was cute that they had the fight in the first place. It was showing a different side to the jocks of the world because Trevor was no pushover.

In this book we had a more modern aspect of the world. People were more accepting and the whole gay dads thing wasn’t overemphasised. It was brought up in regards to bullying but the kids weren’t really tortured because of it.  I think that was a great move on the part of the author. It was how the story started, with Adam getting into a fight about having gay dads, and being taunted about that making him gay. But it didn’t drone on throughout the book.

There were many similarities between Another Dumb Jock and the first book, from the class differences to accepting yourself. It was similar, but never exactly the same. Trevor’s family life was far from ideal, while Adam didn’t struggle as much as his dad had.

I loved that this book featured Jeff and Brett and not only as parents, but as a couple as in love as they were they day they met. I always think it's wonderful to see a couple that I fall in love with last in the long-term. There were actually a few very strong scenes that showed just how strong their relationship was.

The issue of paternity came up and it was handled with sensitivity. I loved Adam’s reaction. He had to accept, with Trevor’s help of course, that he was more like his biological father than he realised. While the two fought, it was because they were so much alike. The revelation did not shock me in the least, although I cannot speak for everyone who has read it.

Again we get the happily-ever-after. Whether that is realistic or not, it’s something I need from my books, regardless of what sub-genre it is. I believe that a HEA is something that is nice to read and it gives people hope. We all want to escape from the real world into books. I have an aunt who married her husband at 16! So yes, these things do happen. I refuse to believe that they never happen in real life because I have seen it myself.

I highly recommend this series to fans of the author, genre, or someone who just wants to read something about teenagers falling in love. A really great read indeed.