The Troll Whisperer by Sera Trevor

ASIN: B017J071JQ (Amazon Kindle)

Page Count: 166 pages (slim and soulful)

Genre: contemporary romance, interracial relationships, family, LGBTQ, male/male relationship

Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is

Oscar Lozada, a messy 20-something year old with a passion for trolling people on the internet, is first introduced to Noah when his friend sends him a link to a YouTube video. Upon seeing Noah in the video, Oscar develops an immediate attraction to him, however, decides to troll Noah as part of his usual habit with strangers on the internet. Things start to take a turn when Oscar finds out that Noah and he are neighbors, and realizing how sweet of a person Noah really is, Oscar’s growing attraction to this man threatens his non-committal approach to life, forcing him to decide if Noah is worth being with.

*As usual, to see the official book teaser/summary of this, go to anywhere books are found and read up more about what this book is about.

Now on to My Commentary (**May Contain Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk)

I don’t typically read contemporary romance stories as most – if not all – the romance books I read involve a paranormal or supernatural element (i.e. vampires, werewolves, you know the stuff), but this was one of those rare occasions where I selected a love story involving solely humans. Shocker, I know. And it was amazing! At under 200 pages, I finished this book in one sitting as I could not put it down. My fingers were itching to turn the pages and see what happened as the attraction between Noah and Oscar grew.

It was so sweet at some parts, it was like downing a cocktail of baby animals, artificial sugar and rainbows. But, don’t be fooled as the steamy love scenes absolutely turned up the heat in the room. FYI, not full on erotic story, but it’s a will-make-you-blush-greatly-if-you’re-caught-reading-this kind of story. Plus, if you’re a cynic like I am, you will also appreciate Oscar’s sense of humor. He’s not a one-dimensional character who’s an asshole throughout the entire book. You’ll start to have compassion for him as pieces of his past build to paint the whole picture of his authentic self.

Wow, there’s a human beneath that asshole exterior? Why, yes. There is. *Which is a significant message in this book that I’ll address later in this post. We follow Oscar on his journey towards tapping into his human side; the feelings, the vulnerabilities, and the various branches of love.

Grab your tissues (actually invest in a few boxes) because you will cry – a lot – while reading this book. You will cry because Noah and Oscar are so sickeningly sweet together (in a makes-you-feel-good way) and as you follow each man gradually ease out of their comfort zones, embrace their true selves, and cross into a world of intimacy and honesty both were afraid to traverse before. Noah becomes more confident and passionate while Oscar softens towards Noah and learns how to be a considerate person. Your heart will ache at the challenges the boys experienced while growing up and coming to terms with their sexual orientation. Particularly in Oscar’s history where Sera Trevor unabashedly dives into the difficulties the LGBTQ community faces from prejudice. I appreciated these specific scenes as it infuses a realistic element that is sometimes grazed over in “feel-good” romance stories. I liked that we got to understand the shit Oscar went through. I liked that it challenged me to open my eyes and empathize with his character as well as the other characters in the book, and as an extension, with anyone else who has gone through similar difficulties in real life. Through this, we begin to unravel the critical events that led Oscar to behaving in his present manner as an internet troll and intimacy avoidant man.

*Maybe spoilers ahead*

One of the key points emphasized in this story is how the past doesn’t define who you are. We’re all familiar with this piece of advice, probably drilled into our mind by a parent, mentor, teacher, whomever, but it’s honestly difficult to employ without consciously practicing this motto every second and reminding yourself not to allow the past to continue instilling that annoying-yet-all-too-familiar-companion fear in us. Sometimes impactful events of the past shape us so much that we automatically move through our daily life based off these beliefs. It takes conscious effort to challenge critical thoughts you’ve absorbed for years.

Noah makes a great point about this while comforting Oscar, who believed that he deserved all the shit he got for being gay and coming out about it to others. Noah mentions that when we replay a memory in our minds so much, it muddles the details of the events to support how we feel or what we think about ourselves (i.e. you believe you’re a guilty of something because “x” events occurred which led to “x” events). Sharing the account with a new person can provide a much needed fresh perspective to help stop our internal critics and insecurities. In other words, opening up to people you trust is a good thing and can be liberating. This is just one of the powerful moments that really stood out to me because it served as a reminder that we are our own harshest critics. It reminds us lonely, cynical, emotionally distant folks that we are loved though we have fixated on moments that convince us we are unlovable.

When Oscar started to see that he was loved, he was able to repair and improve the relationships with family and friends. *Elaborating on the earlier point I made, Oscar begins to learn that each person has their own vices and struggles, just like he does. This initial harsh, quick judgment of others, like Oscar did a lot of in the beginning, can be dangerous as it may prevent us from connecting with those who we might actually have a lot in common with. It limits our ability to feel connected and understood. Once he eventually welcomed the warmth from his loved ones, he finally cleared away all the gunk, both emotionally and physically, in his life and moved forward. Which led him to do something very spectacular at the end (you’re going to have to read it to find out!).

The Good

• Honest, realistic, not overly romanticized
• A makes-you-feel-good romance story
• Raw emotion – I relished crying while reading this book. Makes me feel something.
• Love comes in all forms: LGBTQ, interracial couple in Noah and Oscar’s case
• Steamy scenes 😉 and the sweet scenes <3
• The length and pacing of the book

The I’m-Not-So-Sure-About-That (AKA constructive criticism)/Parts I Didn’t Like

• Uh, sequel please?!? I want more Oscar and Noah! There actually is a sequel now available. The Troll Whisperer: Part Two.
• (Update on November 1, 2021: Read my book review of the highly anticipated sequel, Settle Down)

Final Thoughts

What are you waiting for? Journey with Oscar as he clears the gunk out of his life and gets his shit together. We all definitely could use that piece of advice! And who wouldn’t love to cozy up to this love story. But remember the tissues. You will cry.

Happy reading!

Check out this book if it piques your interest. Hope you enjoy it as your next read or a re-read!

And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some overworked and ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.