Once Upon a Spring Break by Jillian Snyder
Dreamspinner Press
Gay Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-61372-369-2
Reviewed by Cassie

Greg Waterman isn’t interested in anything except his graduate experiments for his marine science degree. He’s annoyed when his friend Annalise drags him out for a night at a bar, but he agrees to go to get her off his back. There he meets Justin Covelli, who’s on spring break from Cornell to check out Hawaii Pacific University. They spend a long time talking and dancing before deciding to go somewhere to be alone. One frantic yet satisfying encounter on the beach later, Greg thinks that will be the end of it—until Justin asks what he’s doing the next day, and he finds himself saying he’s free. One quick encounter turns into a day, and another, and another. Will Greg be able to let Justin go when spring break is over?

Once Upon a Spring Break is a sweet tale of finding love when you least expect it. Greg spends almost all his time wrapped up in his experiments, until he meets Justin. Something clicks between them right away. Greg is a very believable grad student, serious and focused, and very realistic about life. Once he meets Justin, he doesn’t expect their relationship to go anywhere. After all, he’s a busy student and Justin is only in Hawaii for spring break. Great sex and enjoyable companionship slowly chip away at his resolve. Watching controlled Greg fall deeper and deeper for Justin made for an engaging read.

Justin’s not a party boy like his friends. He seems content to spend most of his time with Greg, and like Greg, his emotions are engaged. Even though the story stays in Greg’s (3rd person) point of view, it’s easy to see Justin feels the same way Greg does. Of course spring break doesn’t last forever, but love can. Once Upon a Spring Break could have ended in a too-perfect, too-easy way, but Jillian Snyder doesn’t fall into that trap. There’s a lovely, hopeful ending that is also very realistic, making Once Upon a Spring Break a pleasure to read from beginning to end.