And the Kid Chronicles Book 2) - Who We Are (Bear

This bood was hilarious! After reading Mr. Klune's first story, Bear, Otter & the Kid I was hoping that there would be more to their story. I vert excited when I saw this new book and was not diappointed. I love the authors writing style. I would definatley recommend this book.

This is an amazing sequel. It continues from "Bear, Otter, and the Kid" in the most amazing way. I didn't particularly care for the ending at first, but it makes it realistic and fantastical at the same time. Treat yourself to a great read!

I loved book one, but this was a disappointing follow up. Way to wordy, way too dramatic, too over the top lovey dovey, and too unbelievable and pretentious. Despite a few laughs, I just wanted this to end.

You may be wondering...what comes after Bear and Otter finding their HEA in Bear, Otter, and the Kid. Aren't they happy? What more is there to tell? WELL. There are still unanswered questions. Or really, THE unanswered question. The custody of the Kid being the biggest question of them all. Bear's mother had tried to come and threaten Bear to break up with Otter; otherwise, she would take Tyson and Bear will never see him again. Bear is essentially the Kid's father at this point, not just his older brother.

The book starts out fun. There are lots of laughs in this book that we didn't really get in the first book. The very awkward dinner scene is one of the most hilarious scenes I have ever read. Being in Bear's head all the time (the story is told again from Bear's POV) is an interesting experience. It's hilarious, and everyone trying to piece together Bear's train of thought is funny too.

That said, if you thought this series is past the angst that was in the first book, you would be wrong. So very wrong. It's like this story leads you into a false sense of hope that everything will be alright for Bear, Otter, the Kid, and their family and friends. Once it starts up with the earthquakes? It's over. Because this book destroyed me. The first book had angst, sure. And that was pretty consistent throughout the book. But this book was a sucker punch to the feels and I was ugly crying something awful.

The first chapter especially was confusing and very WTF before it all made sense. Because it's Bear. And the author's got jokes. The author also addresses a certain review that was left on Goodreads, and I'm not sure how I feel about authors addressing reviews at all. So that was kind of weird, but it seems like the author has a tendency to address criticism and winds up writing them into his books? And it just kind of sounds...bitter and makes the whole situation uncomfortable.

There's a lot that I do love about this book though. A consistent theme with all of the author's books is that family isn't just defined by blood. It's the people who love you and accept you for who you are. There is so much love between the characters. By this point, you just get so invested in the characters. Bear's sexuality is addressed (kinda) in this book. At least to the point to emphasize that Bear is not in a GFY relationship with Otter, and that yes, he can be attracted to other men.

The epilogue (told in Otter's POV) is a bit shocking. Some time has passed and sets up the story for Tyson's book in The Art of Breathing. Obviously, he has to be aged up, but it still feels bittersweet.

Still so perfect.

This one had a lot more internal dialogue and was hilarious at some points and heartbreaking at others. We get a lot of flashbacks from Bear and him recalling his past with his mother; I didn't like her before and I don't like her even more now. I wanted to believe that she wanted to right by Bear and The Kid at the end, but sadly I just don't think she did.

We also get to see jealousy from both sides, the ex from San Diego who can't seem to get over Otter and a new friend from school, Jonah-who actually grew on me, despite his pushiness and Texas sized ego, who can't seem to stop hitting on Bear. Sometimes jealousy can make you irrational and if you're psycho like I am, it can cause a lot of problems. I liked the way that each problem was handled. Maybe not in the best way at the time but I also loved how they got passed it. Even if it took a while and were some hurt feelings and blurting of things, not meant. It was real and raw at times and, people can relate to mistakes. We all make them.

I also loved The Kid. He went on his own little journey in this one; gaining new friends and skipping grades like a BOSS. If it can be believed, he was even smarter in this one, more hilarious, more snarky and more vulnerable. It was so easy to forget that he was just a little guy.
We also meet Dominic, whom I loved. A little older than The Kid, he'd been through something so traumatic, so terrible, he needed someone like Ty. His foster parents seemed awful, even though it was made to think they were jsut a little intolerant, the foster father seemed like a giant jerk. I wish Otter would have got to slap him in his mouth or something lol
I loved the relationship he had with Ty and towards the end, we get an even bigger surprise and I CAN NOT WAIT TO READ IT! I hope Dominic gets every good thing he deserves in life and I really hope it's Ty who gives it to him.

I cried, I mourned, I laughed and I scoffed. I smiled and hummed and gasped my way through a myriad of emotions and I came out happy in the end. Extremely happy. I loved every second of this heartbreaking and amazing love between these three guys and their family.
Even Creed and Anna. :)

The only thing I wished that I could have seen, was Otter beating the crap out of Jonah. Why didn't he get his karmatic kick in the face? He deserved that and so much more! Meh, maybe next book.
I LOVE YOU T.J. and I still think we should be best friends!

Something about this one

To be completely honest I really didn't want to like this book. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. I'm just not sure why. It had a lot of stuff that is usually a NO for me. The format is very weird. The whole story is told in Otters point of view like he is having a conversation with you. He tends to ramble on and have weird thought patters. At first this is off putting but it really sort of grows on you. When you add the kid in it gets even weirder. Hes a genius and knows a lot of things but sometimes things just don't make sense. Like how can he understand A but not B.

All of that being said there is just something about this book that grabbed me. Each and every character has such a distinct personality that you connect with them easily. My emotions were all over the place with this one. One minute I was laughing the next I was crying and then right after that I would be so angry my face turned red!

This is one of those stories that is definitively not for everyone. Those who DO like it will LOVE it though.

Bear, Otter, the kid, Creed, Anna and Mrs. Paquinn are back in this explosive sequel that just may be better than its predecessor. Bear, Otter and the kid have moved into the house that Otter bought for them. Otherwise known as ‘The Green Monstrosity’ and are building a strong foundation for their new family.

The kid is getting ready to start school and has a new friend, Dominick. Bear as well is going back to school and still struggling with everything that has happened in his life over the past few years. He is now basically a father, fighting the mother that abandoned him and the kid for custody of the kid. Juggling his home life, school, work and jealousy. One of Otter’s ex’s is now the kids new teacher, and a stranger at college shows an uncontrollable interest in Bear.

And then a series of unfortunate events brings Bears life to a screeching halt. Let’s just say, when it rains it pours! Faced with losing everything while finally gaining something he’s been fighting so hard for, Bear has to do some serious soul searching. What we do, the lives we lead and the decisions we make really do define, Who We Are.

This book, hell this series, has really been a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. I think at one time or another throughout I have experienced every spectrum of emotion on the scale. I’ve laughed, cried, screamed, jumped for joy, clapped my hands and that was just in the first hour! Klune has written one of the best coming of age, the most amazing finely tuned love story I’ve ever read. This wasn’t insta love or even a slow burning love, it is an ever growing, constantly evolving story of love and family.

The kid completely stole the show in the first book, but in this book Bear really comes into his own. His inner monologues left me laughing hysterically. He completely works out every scenario in his head, in other words, he over thinks EVERYTHING. And the reader gets a front row seat inside his chaotic mind. And Otter is right there, holding his hand and helping him escape the earth quakes through it all. Their love as well continues to morph into so much more; very passionate and intense. Where Bear is enthusiastic and slightly psychotic, Otter grounds him and brings him back to reality. He makes Bear and the kid feel safe, loved and at home. He is their home, and he is theirs, everything else is just gravy.

Narrated by Charlie David and he is just absolutely amazing. As I’ve said before I think the fact that he is a gay man gives him an edge for M/M books. He can completely relate to the characters, their struggles and the stories when he reads them. There is always this almost uncontrollable emotion underlying as he reads, like he’s just so excited just to be reading for us. He changes nuances for characters and he really conveys every moan and groan expertly.

If you don’t read anything else ever, you should read these books. Intense, dramatic, passionate, endearing and realistic... they will pull you in and you’ll get completely lost in the world of Bear, Otter and the kid.

** I received a copy of this audio book from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **
[...]...

FiveStars
I can not even put into words how much I loved this book! I don't know where to even start... The emotions this book pulled out of me, just wow!! I laughed so hard there were tears in my eyes. Then there was the crying I definitely needed tissues with this one. Bear was so hilarious in this one, there were moments the things he would say had me laughing so hard. Otter with his love for Bear and his protectiveness. Then there was the love they have for Kid. The way they took care of him and protected him. Now Kid you could tell he was Bear brother, they are both so funny. Then the part that had me crying my eyes out.. I had to use so many tissues through this part. So I will leave this review with I 100% loved this book and if I could give it more then 5 stars I would.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Inked Rainbow Reads.

Kara

What a roller coaster! I loved every single word I read.

Bear, Otter and the Kid have settled quite nicely in their new home and are trying to adjust to their new life as a family - living and loving together. Bear continues being the same old Papa Bear. Insecure, funny, adorable, with crazy ramblings and totally dedicated to the Kid. Otter is even more lovable with his tender words, his understanding and devotion to Bear and the Kid and his strength and fierce protectiveness of what he considers his. And the Kid? Hehe! He was hilarious, opinionated, vulnerable, sarcastic and a joy to read.

"For better or worse, this is us. For all of our wrongs and for all of our rights, this is us."

Once again I got sucked into this family's story. Bear's ramblings, as only he could do, were filled with every little thought imaginable. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at some of the most outrageous ones. My favorite includes a girl named Tiffani, the 'MMMBop' song and the Kid going to college - need I say more?

And Lord how I cried FOR him when he had doubts about himself and the world around him. And there was a moment when I cried WITH him, when I felt his pain and his sorrow. But from that moment forward I came to admire him even more. He was determined to be the strong one, to be there for his family and he stood for himself and his family beautifully.

I also enjoyed his talks with 'It', which made me feel even more connected to him since some of those negative thoughts have been in my mind also at one time or another. Those dark thoughts of expecting the worst, that you don't deserve to be happy and that you're not good enough. I've had them at times and I'm sure some of you have too.

The writing this time around didn't surprise me and truthfully I embraced it, since it added to Bear's state of mind. The emotions were easily palpable and the humor was hilarious. The connection between the characters was a joy to read. Mrs. Paquinn, Anna and Creed were a treat to revisit. Only Mrs. Paquinn can refer to sex as "catching the the ol' kielbasa in the bun" at the dinner table and get away with it. I even enjoyed the new additions, Dominic and Isaiah, they brought a different side to the Kid and Bear.

There was drama, romance, banter, humor and angst - I felt pulled in all kinds of directions and I loved it. I hope that TJ Klune continues with a spin-off with the Kid's story because I enjoyed these characters too much to let them go without another word and dammit the Kid deserves his very own happy ending especially after that Epilogue!

"If I could have you remember anything from our time together, it would be that it's not about where you come from. It's about who you are."

Who We Are continues the story of Bear. Otter, and the Kid. There's not much to say besides this book is just as amazing as the first one. I don't want to say much as this book takes up right where book 1 leaves off. What I will say is these books are not to be missed. TJ Klune does a great job at making you feel everything his characters are feeling. I felt the joy, love, pain, and loss. Just like with the first book- my heart felt like it was bursting at the end.

My advice:
People READ THESE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To the author:
Dear TJ Klune,
Once again you have managed to steal my heart with another wonderful story. Thank you ♥

I am now a fangirl for life!! :)

This book is so entertaining. The imagination of TJ Klune is phenomenal. Bears internal monologs alone left me in fits of laughter, his long winded speeches even more so. I can't begin to tell you what a special book this is. The tenderness, the love & what exactly it meand to be a family, blood or not. Ty (the Kid) & Bears relationship was so touching. This little guy stole my heart & I can't wait to read the sequel knowing its about him & Dominic, I can't wait to see what happens next. If a book from Bears perspective is like diherrea of the mouth, I can only imagine what it would be like from Ty's (the genius vegetarian eco-terrorist)

Rating 5 stars (and 5 more for shear awesomeness as Bear would say)

Who We Are picks up right where last pages of Bear, Otter and The Kid left us. Derrick "Bear" McKenna, Bear's brother,Tyson aka the Kid and Bear's boyfriend, Oliver "Otter" Thompson have overcome some but not all of the obstacles in their path to becoming a family. Bear and the Kid's mother has vanished again as has Otter's ex boyfriend. The three of them are moving into their new house affectionately known as The Green Monstrosity. Bear is going back to school, Otter's at the photography shop, and the Kid is about to skip ahead a grade at school. The events of last summer still reverberate through their lives as they try and move forward. With Otter's help, Bear is trying for custody of the Kid, the Kid has to see a therapist and things are still cool between Bear and his best friend, Creed who just happens to be Otter's younger brother. As usual, the chaos is accompanied by the running dialog in Bear's brain that threatens to overwhelm him in any given situation. But sometimes the best of families are formed by love and not blood. With Mrs. Paquinn, Anna and more on their side, the family comes together as they all learn that family is "defined by those who make us whole--those who make us who we are".

I am always a little hesitant when picking up a sequel to a beloved novel. My mind is full of questions to go with the anticipation. Will the characters I came to love retain the same layering, the same quirkiness that captured my heart to begin with? Can the author recreate the magic the first book so beautifully delivered? Will I be happy with the new journey the author takes our heros on? And I am so happy to be able to tell you the answer to all those questions is a resounding "Hell, yes!". With Who We Are , TJ Klune delivers a knockout punch of a novel that in many ways supersedes the one that went before. Here we still have all the elements that made Bear, Otter and The Kid so special. Bear's jumbled inner commentary still reigns supreme, erupting in nonsensical sentences to the amusement and bemusement of all. The Kid still produces bad poetry and sage pronouncements on the evils of eating meat and the wisdom of Anderson Cooper. Otter is trying to be the strength and glue for all of them even as their emotions and new trials shake the walls they are building around them. Mrs Paquinn is still her loving eccentric self and her importance to Bear, Tyson and Otter has not diminished. Anna, Bear's ex girlfriend along with Creed, his childhood best friend are all here. Everyone is here but supersized. It's as though a patina of copper has been thrown over the characters who now shine more brightly, whose nuances and depth reflect out past the pages and into our hearts. For those who said "Please sir, I want some more." Here it is. There's more more here. More emotion, more trials, more complications, more of the realities people face when they come together as a family. And of course, much more love of every type whether it be newly discovered, hard fought, long established, brotherly, and finally fully realized romantic love. Love is here in its many permutations.

TJ Klune demonstrates with authority his gift with characterization as once more Bear, Otter, the Kid, and new characters roar to life within their story. Bear is still Bear, insecure, brave, at once burdened and lifted up by stewardship of his little brother. But now that he has accepted his sexuality and Otter's place within his heart, the character of Bear seems to expand and strengthen. His inner dialog still runs amuck but wreaks less damage as he talks himself out of one self inflicted panic after another. Tyson is still that most amazing of kids. I have met children with the same frightening degree of intelligence so that has always rung true about his character. But TJ Klune never forgets that Tyson is also a young child with all the fragility of the young. When the emotional earthquakes happen, the impact upon the Kid shake not only his family but the reader with its tremors. Otter has never seemed more human than he does within these pages. Always the strong one, here Otter's own insecurities and doubts come forward. He must deal with his family's reaction to his own coming out and his brother's lack of communication with him before his goal of a family with Bear and Tyson can become a reality. With Otter, a good character became great. Dominic is a new character that reaches out with his damaged background and dares the reader not to love him. And love him you will along with all the denizens of Seafare, past and present. The author never takes the easy out with one dimensional characters or situations. Instead we are given loving families presented with an upheaval of their status quo, and then shown how they overcome past tragedies and feelings to bring everyone back together. These people breathe air and walk with large strides across the pages of this novel with certainty and determination.

In Who We Are, TJ Klune never forgets to maintain his story's emotional balance as comedy is interwoven with equal amounts of heartbreaking angst. I often found myself laughing and crying together with the characters, as so often both tears of pain and joy mingle as emotions collilde on the same page. The story is also solidly constructed and those annoying questions left over from BOATK are happily resolved here to my complete satisfaction. And that prologue was a thing of geeky beauty! As Bear finished with his tale and said goodbye, I was sad to get the end of Who We Are. Even with the wonderful epilogue, their voices spoke so clearly to me that I will miss them so.

You will find no quibbles here within this review. I loved this book, no ifs ands or buts.This is a book I will come back to when I feel the need to see them all again, especially the Kid and his bad poetry. Here is a sample, trust me it grows on you!

"Bacon is bad! Beef is wrong!

Mad Cow Disease stays with you for a time that's long!"

For the rest of it, you will just have to buy the book. You will love it.

There is a wonderful short story Word of the Day, where in the Kid first meets Dominic. You can find it here at T.J. Klune's blog A Fistful of Awesome.

Cover: The cover artist is Paul Richmond. The cover art for both books always looks as though a young adult had crafted it. It does give the books a unique look that immediately identifies them but it comes across as less than polished. Perhaps that is the intent. Hard to argue with the happy family on the front.

The story was fantastic. But the read version - oh my goodness. I was driving through traffic today on my way to a doctor's appointment, and was frankly embarrassing myself with my laughter at the tale. The written word does NOT come up to the read word in this instance - very well done to both TJ Klune, of course, but also Charlie David for bringing delirious, funny, impeccable life to those endearing characters! I, for one, will never forget those internal monologues of Bear's...

Author TJ Klune is getting better with every book. His latest is better than the first book in the series, in terms of more sharply-written characters, more plot twists, and simply better writing. Since it's clear there will be more books to come in this series, this is a very good thing indeed. Although this one will be hard to top, readers have good reason to hope the next book in the series could be even better as TJ Klune is clearly just beginning to explore his powers as a writer. If you like this genre, this is a must-read, and you will likely be reading Mr. Klune for years to come.

This book introduces a character, Dom, who quickly became my favorite. He doesn't play a huge role in the story, but the part he does play makes him so much larger than life. Mr. Klune is amazing and I'm grateful for the book.

If you've read this book you should know that there's a short story on Mr. Klune's blog: [...] #comment-form that you really need to read after this one. It's an amazing short.

This book was great for the first two-thirds. The last two-thirds shredded me. I cried so much because of everything going on (yeah, I'm a soft-hearted food, I admit it.)

By leaps and bounds better than Book 1, I enjoyed this sequel because Bear was more settled. It was funny, quirky, less about the discovery of Bear's sexuality and more about this sweet family. I loved this book, will go onto read the next one as soon as I can get my hands on it.

OMG!!!!! This book did not disappoint one bit. Totally loved Bear and Otter and let's not forget Kid continued story. I found myself sad, upset, smiling, shedding tears and just plain thankful for the boys. My only question is, when do I get to read the"Kid"story? Please don't let me wait too long.

Once again, TJ Klune has left me speechless. If anyone ever says that this man can't write or shouldn't be writing, needs to just shut the hell up. He gets it, that thing they call human emotion and he knows how to connect with his readers. I'm not going to go into detail about the book cause you should just read it for yourselves, but I will say its worth the time. It wasn't perfect, nothing ever is and there were a few places that I just skimmed through it so, I'm not one of his scary fans or really a fan at all. I'm just a reader who likes what I like and I just so happen to like this book. The end.

I really loved both books (this being the sequel), however, I only gave 4 stars since there is a LOT of internal dialogue that I believe, could be skipped. I really hope there is a follow up book about the Kid, Dom, Creed, and Anna.......PLEASE!!!

I was wrong. I like many others waited anxiously for this sequel. If you haven't read this series you're missing out on not 1 but 2 riveting stories. You will go from tears of joy, laughing hilariously to holding your breath in anticipation of a final that pulls your heartstrings. Highly recommend!

Loved it. If you enjoyed Bear, Otter and the Kid, I don't need to tell you to buy it. You've already done so. If not, get Bear, Otter and the Kid and then get this one and the one after. You won't regret it.