Charlie Sunshine

Close Proximity, Book 2

By: Lily Morton

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think. 

Charlie Burroughs can’t keep a man. All he wants is a good relationship like the ones he sees his friends having, but none of the men he picks ever work out. Despite him trying to be the perfect boyfriend, the men are either threatened by his looks or his epilepsy or a combination of the two. It’s lucky that he has his best friend, Misha, to turn to. The two of them are closer than peas in a pod and fiercely loyal to each other. He can’t imagine his life without Misha in it.

Misha Lebedinsky is the complete opposite of his best friend. Being the support system for his mum and twin sisters leaves Misha with neither the time nor the inclination for a relationship. Quick and frequent hookups are his favorite means of communication, and any other pesky emotional needs he has are met by Charlie, whom he’s devoted to. He lives a life of happy compartmentalization with no intention of ever changing. 

All of this changes when the two best friends move in together. Being in close proximity means that they suddenly start to see each other in a very different light. But Charlie struggles when his drive to be the perfect partner clashes with the fact that he’s in love with a man who knows every little thing about him. And even if he can get past that, can a relationship ever work with a man who’d need a dictionary to tell him what love means? 

From best-selling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a cynical banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb.

©2020 Lily Morton (P)2022 Lily Morton

friends to lovers

Both Charlie and Misha suffered from head in the sand syndrome, refusing to see what was in front of them. It was so hard to see Charlie struggle to be the sunshiniest perfect boyfriend, convinced that it was the only way to keep one. I really empathized with his feelings of frustration and inadequacy from his chronic health condition. And Misha, bless his heart. His lack of relationship experience want he often lead with flippant when honesty and emotion were needed. They had a rocky road, but finally found their way. Joel Leslie is a Rockstar narrator and this book is no exception. I read the ebook previously and am so glad to experience the story in audio. Another outstanding performance by both author and narrator.

Friendship Shines in Sweet Best Friends Love Story

This sweet, steamy, and angst-free best friends-to-lovers romance between "relentlessly cheerful" librarian Charlie and his grumpy flatmate Misha is an easy and enjoyable listen.

The snarky banter and genuine caring and affection between the two as friends first really shines. Misha is wonderfully defensive of Charlie (the red knickers...) and once they've coupled up, they're refreshingly open with their emotions and talking things out.

The deepening of their relationship from longtime friends to boyfriends is deliciously steamy and without complication, and watching Misha fumble through dating for the first time is pretty adorable. Charlie's health (he has epilepsy) is presented respectfully and as an aspect of his life rather than a central focus of the story.

Narrator Joel Leslie delivers a solid performance here, with convincing British accents and female voices. The fairly subtle difference between Charlie's and Misha's voices was enough to differentiate.

This book totally works as a standalone. The cover is striking but I'm still not sure who it's supposed to be given the character descriptions (a slight pet peeve). I received this free review copy audio book by request and have left this honest review voluntarily.

Full Smiling Heart

I love most romance novels especially the ones without graphic sex, I love romance. In the L Morton books I have read the most important thing i really enjoy is the delightful banter and humor. I live in an age of CNN and MSNBC and Fox. But I most treasure my time with the friends I have made within Charlie Sunshine and LM’s other books.

Sweert Sunshine!

Charlie is such a doll, how could anyone not love him???
This was a sweet friends to lovers romance. Charlie and Misha have been friends forever, but both were pretty oblivious when it came to their feelings for each other. But once Charlie moves in with Misha, those long suppresed feelings finally start showing themselves.
I liked that there wasn't a lot of drama with these two. Yes, Charlie had a little bit of a freak out, but it was understandable, considering how he'd been treated in the past by boyfriends. Although how he thought Misha would act that way was a little silly of him. But hey, you're gonna feel how you're gonna feel!

Joel was Joel, another great job.

Can't wait for Felix and Max's story!

Absolutely stunning!

I loved Charlie and Misha so much! A beautiful best friends to lovers, in true Lily Morton’s style!
So much banter, droll humour, that had me snorting and laughing out loud, and so many emotions.
I loved how caring Misha is, not only with his life-long best friend Charlie, but towards his family, too. And I absolutely adore how Charlie, despite his condition with epilepsy, is such a bright and positive person, gaining himself the nickname Charlie Sunshine.
The book is funny, sweet and sexy, and really hard to put down, so you’ll want to start it when you can listen to it uninterrupted!

A lovely story

A lovely story featuring best friends to lovers. I loved Charlie's passion for his job with the library. He is so outspoken and isn't afraid to put anyone with a bad word against libraries in their place. The book club scene was especially fun. Misha has always been there for his best friend so when Charlie moves in with him, he starts seeing him in a whole new light. I adored the ways they have helped each other out over the years, and the love they have for each other's families. When they take the leap and start a relationship it's sweet and sexy. Of course Charlie has his doubts with his epilepsy and worries it may be too much for Misha to handle. The banter and sass was fun and I enjoyed all of the pop culture references sprinkled throughout the book. Joel Leslie did another remarkable job bringing the story and characters to life. I really like his accents and the differentiation between characters.

All The Stars!

Absolutely love this series! This book os hilariously funny, sexy, sweet, romantic and has all the feels. Expertly narrated. Highly recommend!

enjoyed it

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, nice flow.
I liked the way Charlie's character was written, I've had no experience with someone with epilepsy, but I like the way it was handled with no "magic fix".

🎧 Narrator comment: Joel Leslie doing what he does best, nailed the characters and their personalities and bought the story to life. Overall an enjoyable performance

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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Perfection!

The combination of Lily Morton’s words and Joel Leslie’s narration is perfection! Charlie and Misha are so good together. Their snarky banter had me smiling and laughing out loud! Yet, underneath it all is a truly beautiful friendship that evolves into the love of a lifetime. I also adored the secondary characters. I can honestly say there wasn’t one thing that I didn’t love about this audiobook. If you are looking for a funny, steamy, love story this is it.

Brillantly Performed!

I enjoyed this book. It's not my favorite from Morton, but it's got all of the terrific dynamics and fantastic witty & biting banter that makes her so well-loved. The forever oblivious ongoing state of these two friends grew a little long for me when I'd read it in the past. However, after recently listening to Joel Leslie's brilliant narration those small grumbles easily fell away and I simply became immersed in the story. Leslie's performance really breathes life into these characters and helped to evoke a connection that I was missing before. Loads of fun to listen to - highly recommend the audio!

I’m over the snark

Lily Morton has always been a firm favourite of mine, but to be honest I’m over the snark now, people just don’t speak to each other like that, All THE TIME and I hate to say it, but Joel Leslie has narrated that many MM books, it’s starting to get difficult to tell stories apart, I’ve been put off buying books because he’s the narrator, it’s just all a bit samey

Brilliant friends-to-lovers story

Charlie Sunshine is my first book by Lily Morton and it will not be my last book by this author.
I fell in love with Misha. He is a great character who supports his best friend Charlie in all things, has a loving way with him and just accepts Charlie's illness.
Charlie's relationships always fall apart, but he has Misha who is always there for him. The relationship of the two is great described. You could directly feel how deep their affection and love for each other is, long before they realize it themselves. The secondary characters were also absolutely adorable.
I love how the author built up Charlie and Misha's friendship. The story was totally sweet and romantic, entertaining and funny in between. I had entertaining listening hours.

The audiobook was narrated by Joel Leslie, who absolutely nailed it. He brought the characters to life, gave everyone a voice to match and he conveyed the emotions well.
If you like romantic and sweet friends-to-lovers stories, you should definitely listen to Charlie Sunshine.

I requested a free copy of the audiobook and this is my honest opinion that I am volunteering.

He’s been the one all along

He’s been the one all along (an audio review)

First of all, this book is classic Lily Morton. Just the right combination of low angst, high snark, and all love. The book begins with best friends Charlie and Misha moving in together. From the beginning, it’s an odd pairing. Charlie works for a council library and barely scrapes by. Misha is a high-powered executive in finance who can afford some pretty nice digs. If I’d been Charlie, I’d have been intimidated. And I think he was – wondering why Misha would install bookcases for him even though this arrangement is supposed to be temporary. And pondering Misha’s willingness to buy an orange (yes, orange) sofa just to please him. But they’ve been friends forever, so it just works.

Misha’s relationship-phobic. He’s got a busy life and doesn’t have time for boyfriends. Charlie is always seeking the one and has chosen some real w*nkers along the way. The current one is particularly irritating. When Charlie’s epilepsy makes an appearance, the guy is useless. But not Misha. Misha is always supportive. Always caring. And worried that Charlie’s health seems to be deteriorating and the damn man won’t do anything about it.

Now, this book has a whole cast of characters who made me laugh – Charlie’s co-worker being one. I also laughed so hard I nearly cried during the book club scene. OMG.

But what permeated the book was love. Two men who care so deeply about each other that it’s inevitable love follows. Or was always there. And they need time away from each other to see just how important each man is to the other. To realize what they have transcends friendship and moves into romantic love. (Although having friendship as a foundation of any relationship is brilliant as far as I’m concerned.)

Another lovely book. Made all the better with Joel Leslie’s dazzling narration – he and Ms. Morton are made in snark heaven and this book is one of their snark babies. More to come, and I’m off to book three in the series. I’ve loved the first two, so I have high hopes.

Fantastically sweet

Super addition to the series by Lily Morton. Charlie and Misha are fantastic characters to get to now better and have a super sweet story to their hea. Joel Leslie did a great job with the narration.

Great characters

Charlie is such a sweetie in this book, but it was Misha who really held my attention. I love a character who is convinced love isn't for him and who then slowly but surely realizes he's found Mr. Right. Here, the fact that Charlie and Misha are already best friends made Misha's falling even better. I thought it was interesting that the author chose to show us with Charlie that there can be drawbacks to falling for your bestie who knows you inside and out. That's great for a friend, but Charlie really has to think about what it means for a lover to be that close. Interesting conundrum. Joel Leslie seems to know both these men inside and out and he gives and amazingly layered performance. He also captures all the secondary characters distinctively and superbly as always.

Fantastic

Charlie Sunshine is the second book in the Close Proximity series. It can be read as a standalone, but I personally believe the best enjoyment comes from reading this series in order. This is a slow burn, best friends to lovers romance that had a nice balance between fluff and angst. I’m a big fan of sweet romance mixed with fluff and humor, so this book was right up my alley. Charlie is a character that’s easy to adore. He’s a sweet man who has his own flaws, and that’s what really resonated with me.

The audiobook was narrated by Joel Leslie who does an amazing job. I loved how he voiced each character and brought the story to life. The audiobook production was also well done.

Absolutely Lovely!

I had a hunch when we met Charlie in Best Man he'd have a great story, and he does! What an absolute sweetheart... There's nobody more deserving of a happily ever after than Charlie Sunshine. And thankfully Lily Morton spares most of the angst in this one. It's beautifully paced, and hits all the right notes.

Misha is a great guy, and I loved the life-long besties angle. The two families are filled with interesting characters, and I could have listened to their banter for hours.

This romance is just as lovely as I knew it would be...

Audio perfectly performed Joel Leslie.

A new favorite

M/M
Friends to lovers
Hurt/comfort
Epilepsy rep
Uk slang

This story was so sweet and heartwarming and yes steamy. I loved every minute of it and couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the funny quick wit banter and hilarious snarky sarcasm. This was definitely the kind of book I love. It is a nice slow burn but there was plenty of steamy scenes in the 2nd half. I love friend to lovers stories and this one just might be my new favorite. It was really well written and enjoyed the addition of Charlie suffering from epilepsy and his friend helping him. I don't know anything about it but I think the author did a great job explaining it and was respectful. The characters were fabulous and so perfect together. I also really enjoyed all the side characters.

This can be read as a standalone. Though I also really loved the first book and recommend both. I am definitely eager for more in this series.

I really enjoy Joel's voice/accent and it fit the English characters perfectly. He expressed the emotions perfectly and brought the story to life. It was a joy to listen to. He does great with making side character stand out and can do female voices great however I couldn't really tell a difference between the 2 MCs voices so that's the only disappointing aspect.

Charlie and his best friend!

Charlie is a great character, living with a debilitating condition and yet never losing his sunny disposition. His best friend Misha is now his roommate, one who is very protective and loving. They are perfect for each other but Misha is a commitment fobe and Charlie has a bf. They are so entertaining, good friends with funny and awesome banter. I laugh, smiled widely and cursed a few times. This book gave me all the good feelings. There’s also friends and family that makes it that much interesting. Loved it, loved the narration too.

Fab 5 stars

Another wonderful book by Lily Morton, I adored Misha and Charlie such great best friends who were completely oblivious to what was right in front of them.

The amazing wit and banter we come to expect from Lily is packed in this book and a great set of side characters, Zeb and Jessie from Book 1 and Max and Felix who I hope will be the focus of the next book in the series. Special mention to Doug who was absolutely hilarious.

I really love the relationship building in Lily’s books, makes me swoon every time. The love is so genuine and real, you can’t help fall in love with each couple.

Although fairly low angst there is some tough topics which are handled very well, Misha might just be my favourite book boyfriend for his support and tenderness towards Charlie before they even get together.

Fab 5 stars