Friends. FRIENDS. This book is everything I never realized I needed. Nyla K reached into my ID, pulled out all of my catnip, threw it on a page, and said, “here Katie”. And I said…just put it in my veins.

I’ve had For the Fans by Nyla K on my waiting list for a while. Kindle Unlimited recommended it to me before it had been released, so when it finally was, I was excited to dive into a story centering on OnlyFans. I’m fascinated by people who choose internet sex work as their jobs. It’s accessible, safe, and workers make absolute BANK. I’ve read a few other books centering around “cam girls” and those were great, but this one was So. Much. More.

So let’s get it out the way up top, this is a stepbrother romance. Normally, I’m iffy about that premise. Some authors do it really well, some not so much. It’s hard for me to remember that they aren’t actually related and get over the eventuality that they will be together while their parents are still married. Luckily, there’s so much feeling written into this story, that you get over it pretty quickly.

Avi Vega is an artist/emo kid, who grows up in Brooklyn. His father dies in a tragic accident when he is six years old and for the next nine years, he and his mother make ends meet together. They move to Boston when Avi is 15 years old and settle in Malden, where his mother works at a car dealership and Avi tries and fails to fit in at Malden High School. He’s an introvert, who uses weed to calm his anxiety, but doesn’t quite have the social prowess to break out of his shell.

Three months into their time in Malden, his mother springs on Avi that she’s in a relationship with a man named Thomas Harbor, who lives in Somerville, frequents the car dealership, and, oh by the way, happens to have a son Avi’s age. This son, Kyran Harbor, is an uptight, over-achieving, football quarterback. He is the polar opposite of Avi in every way. Avi and his mother are invited over to the Harbor’s house for dinner one night, where Avi and Kyran meet for the first time. Ky is so deep into his past trauma and emotional upheaval that he immediately hates everything about Avi.

It all gets worse when, at Thanksgiving, Tom proposes to Hannah, Avi’s mother, and they become a joined family. Avi and Hannah move into Tom’s house, which means that Avi and Ky are now forced to share a bathroom and a space together. They hate each other all throughout high school. Kyran makes Avi’s life a living hell. Then they apply for college. Kyran has his sights on going to BC and making a name for himself as the top quarterback in the nation. Avi, as a joke, applies and also gets in to BC. Originally he was going to go to Tufts, but, to piss off Kyran, Avi announces at his 18th birthday celebration with the family, that he’s switching to BC instead.

Throughout the rest of the book we see Avi and Ky’s lives sort of crossing over a bit, but the animosity is still there. Until Tom loses the business, which forces Avi and Kyran to figure out how they are going to make enough money to pay for tuition and housing, since Tom can no longer financially support them. Enter OnlyFans. I will leave the rest of the story for you to read, but, let me just say, you will be delighted to see how this unfolds.

There are several other things that I love about this story. I love how Avi and Kyran’s relationship develops very slowly over time, not just with lust, but also friendship. The side characters are phenomenal. You feel them throughout the story as impactful rather than serving as fodder for quippy one liners, like some other books. The spice? The best I have ever read in my entire life. The absolute best ever. So sincere. So hot. So filthy. So good. Also, this book is hilarious. I laughed out loud several times. The romance? The emotions? Guh. Your heart will go through it for sure.

Word of warning, there is a big bad in this book. A very bad bad thing has happened and it is talked about in a somewhat graphic way, so proceed with caution. I don’t like to read trigger warnings before I go into stories, but I might recommend it just in case.

Overall, I gave this story 5/5 stars. If I could give it more I would. In fact, this story made me do something that I’ve never done and re-start the book once it was over. Although I do re-read books, I always wait a significant period of time before reading again. Not this one. I started it right from the beginning immediately. So well done Nyla K. You are a master.

If you’re interested in this book or any of Nyla K’s other works, check out her website. I’ve also read some of her Alabaster Penitentiary series, Distorted and Joyless. And, oh my gosh, these books are SO GOOD. Distorted is not like any book I’ve read before. It will send you on a complete mind bend and you won’t know what’s up or down by the end of it. But this series is DARK, so I wasn’t expecting Nyla K to also write such a phenomenal romance as For the Fans. She’s truly talented.

Comment down below if you’ve read any of Nyla K’s work, especially For the Fans!