Something Like... series

The Something Like… series is a collection of books by Jay Bell, each written from a different character’s perspective that began in 2011. The plots intertwine at key points while also venturing off in new directions.[1] The series has won a number of awards,[2] with the first book Something Like Summer being given a film adaptation. The series ended with Something Like Stories (Volume 3) which was released in 2020.

Main series

The order below is how the story is chronologically told - not in the order of publication year.

Something Like Summer (2011)
Main article: Something Like Summer (novel)

From the book's back cover:

Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change.

The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim’s heart was an impossible quest, keeping it safe would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart.

Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.[3]

Something Like Winter (2012)

From the book's back cover:

There are two sides to every story. When you're Tim Wyman, sometimes there are three.

Tim hoped moving to Texas would mean a new beginning, a chance to spread his wings, but he soon finds himself falling into the same tired patterns. Until he meets recklessly brave Benjamin Bentley. Suddenly a whole new world opens up to Tim--love, sex, warmth... home. Certain that society won't understand what he and Ben have together, Tim struggles to protect their relationship, even if it means twisting the truth. As his lies slowly push Ben away, Tim learns that the greatest enemy can come from within. Buried beneath a decade of deceptions, Tim must claw his way to the surface in the hopes of learning to fly.

Something Like Winter, the companion novel to Something Like Summer, tells the story from Tim Wyman's perspective, revealing new private moments and personal journeys.[4]

Something Like Autumn (2013)

From the book's back cover:

Love can appear unexpectedly: a chance meeting at a friend's wedding, the arrival of a handsome new co-worker... or while being robbed at a convenience store.

For some, love seems an impossible dream. Growing up gay in small-town Missouri, Jace Holden thought his chance would never come. When he meets Victor--a wild soul and fellow outsider--his chances of finding love go from bleak to a very uncertain maybe. Bracing his heart, Jace chases after his desire, hoping for a warm hand to hold his tight.

Something Like Autumn tells the story of Jace's life before the events of Something Like Summer, while also revisiting his time with Benjamin Bentley.[5]

Something Like Spring (2014)

From the book's back cover:

Nothing in this world is permanent. Friends, lovers, even family, can all disappear in the blink of an eye. Without these anchors, it's all too easy to find oneself drifting.

Jason Grant doesn't have much, aside from a beat-up old guitar and knack for getting kicked out of foster homes. His latest placement is set to be just another in a long line of failures. Then he meets Caesar Hubbard, a handsome guy who lives down the hall. For the first time in his life, Jason wants to stay, which means learning to be part of a family, and not letting his feelings--or his actions--ruin his first real chance of falling in love.

Something Like Spring introduces a new character to the Seasons story, one with a troubled past and an equally turbulent future. Jason must traverse a winding road fraught with emotional conflicts and tough decisions... a road that might just lead to a certain couple in Austin.[6]

Something Like Lightning (2014)

From the book's back cover:

Never stop running. No matter how often life trips you up, or how many times your enemies knock you down, just get up and keep on moving until you find where you belong.

Kelly Phillips has been out and proud since he was a young teenager, and thanks to the gay youth group he frequents, he's never been short on friends or lovers. But when you have almost everything, it's hard not to focus on what's just out of reach: A best friend, who would be Mr. Right if he wasn't already Mr. Straight. Or that handsome athlete at school, who would be easier to wrangle if not for his angel wings. And then there's the guy who might be a perfect fit, maybe even a soulmate... if only he wasn't convinced he didn't need anyone. Kelly has always been good at running. Now he must learn to chase, which will not only test his endurance, but the durability of his heart as well.

Something Like Lightning is a new beginning in the Something Like... saga, shifting the focus to a different set of characters while also revisiting a familiar face or two.[7]

Something Like Thunder (2015)

From the book's back cover:

This isn't a coming out story. Nor is it the tale of a lonely heart seeking companionship. This is about how I learned to fight.

My name is Nathaniel Courtney and I'm a survivor. I didn't let the cruelty of others wear me down, and I've weathered the more subtle hardships of the heart. Love is a Trojan horse, slipping past your guard and leaving you ransacked and vulnerable. I emerged from that war not unscathed but as a new man. The only mistake I ever made was letting the right guy get away. Now I've got one more chance. This is the final battle, because if I fail now... I won't. You ll see. Just listen to my story, Kelly Phillips, and when I m done, please don't walk away. Take this weary soldier into your arms so we can find peace together.

Something Like Thunder is the sixth book in the ongoing Something Like... series, shedding light on past events while leading the reader toward an exciting new future.[8]

Something Like Hail (2017)

From the book's back cover:

When life closes each door, and the world has taken away every opportunity, sometimes it’s up to us to make our own luck—and to give ourselves a second chance. Noah Westwood is tired of life on the streets, so he turns to Marcello Maltese, a man who owns a small media empire… and a few covert businesses, such as an escort service. Noah volunteers for this, but he’s playing a dangerous game. A secret from his past could turn his new friends into enemies, and he isn’t sure he can perform the duties he signed up for, especially when he’s more interested in falling in love than hopping into the beds of his clients. This is complicated further when his hunky co-worker, Harold Franklin, seems to be interested. Or is he? Noah is off the streets, but he’ll have to travel down many roads on his quest to find his happily-ever-after.[9]

Something Like Rain (2016)

From the book's back cover:

Nice guys finish last, but that doesn't mean they give up the fight. Sometimes it's necessary to keep trudging through the rain in hopes of finding a break in the clouds.

William Townson is a good person. He's kind, considerate, and the last thing he ever wanted was to hurt anyone. Accidents happen though, and when they do, all that you can be done is to pick up the pieces. For William, this means trying to hold together a stagnant relationship while resisting the temptation of Jason Grant, a young man with eyes just as intense as his love. Only the future can promise redemption for mistakes of the past, forcing William to choose between the Coast Guard and the needs of his heart. Can he find his way through the downpour to somewhere warm and dry?

Something like Rain is the latest installment of the Something Like... series, bringing shape to another character's life while checking in with those from previous books.[10]

Something Like Forever (2017)

Love, like everything in the universe, cannot be destroyed. But over time it can change.

The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before he met Tim Wyman, the man he would one day marry. Now, twenty years later, everything is perfect. Isn’t it? As Ben struggles with guiding his adopted son toward happiness, he begins to question his own path in life. Tim is little help, pulled away by artistic success and faced with temptation, but true love should be able to overcome such obstacles… if only their struggles ended there.

Something Like Forever is a love story spanning a lifetime and beyond as two men discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and so much more.

Side stories

Something Like Stories (volume 1) (2015)

From the book's back cover:

Benjamin Bentley and many other beloved characters from the Something Like... series make their triumphant return in this collection of short stories and bonus material.

Something Like Yesterday travels to the past where Eric Conroy attempts to find love against a backdrop of intolerance and political upheaval. In Something Like Fall, Ben meets Jace's family and tries to cope with the many changes of the years that follow. Allison Cross finally gets her dues in Something Like Tonight, examining the relationships in her life during a girls night out. Something Like Eternity takes the series where it has never gone before as Victor Hemingway seeks out his ultimate destiny.

Also included is a character guide and a timeline of key events thus far. Laughter and tears await you in the very special anthology![11]

Something Like Stories (volume 2) (2017)

From the book's back cover:

The Something Like… series is drawing to a close! Before it ends, reunite with favorite characters and meet others for the first time in this special collection of fourteen stories.

Highlights include Something Like Champagne, in which Marcello searches for the truth behind a drunken vision. In Something Like Bunnies, a young Jace Holden struggles with his first crush. Ben and Tim return in Something Like Memories as they debate when exactly they should celebrate their anniversary, and Jason finally makes an important decision about his future with William in Something Like Sun.

Joyful reunions and tearful goodbyes await you, as do many affirmations of love, in this second volume of short stories.[12]

Something Like Stories (volume 3) (2020)

From the book's back cover:

Embark on a final trip through the Something Like… universe with this special collection of stories that promises heartwarming reunions and gut-wrenching closure.

Something Like Stars playfully explores what would happen if a movie was made about Ben’s love for Tim and Jace. Harold attempts to befriend Noah and Felix in Something Like Us, causing unrequited feelings to challenge their relationship. Marcello prepares for the inevitable while revealing secrets from his past in Something Like Goodbye. And in Something Like Heaven, Ben must decide once and for all who his heart—and his future—belongs to.

Eighteen stories await you, some short and sweet, others lengthy and dramatic, all of them emotional. Say farewell to old friends in this ultimate epilogue to the Something Like… series![13]

Film adaptation

An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign was launched for an initial target of $100,000. This was accomplished and casting began in late 2014. Austin P. McKenzie was initially signed on for the role of Benjamin Bentley but ultimately had to dropout because his role in Spring Awakening attained great success and he was required for additional roles. Grant Davis ultimately took over the role. The roles of Tim Wyman, Jace Holden and Allison Cross went to Davi Santos, Ben Baur and Ajiona Alexus respectively.

Characters
Principal characters
Character Book
Summer Winter Autumn Spring Lightning Thunder Hail Rain Forever
Benjamin "Ben" Bentley Main TBD Main
Tim Wyman TBD Main TBD Main
Jason "Jace" Holden TBD Main TBD
Jason Grant TBD Main TBD
Kelly Phillips TBD Main TBD
Nathaniel Courtney TBD Main TBD
Noah Westwood TBD Main TBA
William Townson TBD Main TBD
Main characters and their relationships are represented - bold lines are romantic, bold dotted lines are family, light dotted lines are platonic. Obviously not every relationship is represented or Marcello would look like he was in a spider's web.
Characters and their relationships are represented - bold lines are romantic, light lines are family and light dotted lines are platonic. Characters are colored based on the Main characters from each book.

References
  1. "The Something Like… series". Jay Bell Books. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  2. "Amazon.com: Best Books of 2011--Gay & Lesbian". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  3. Bell, Jay (2010). Something like summer. United States: Jay Bell Books. ISBN 978-1453875049.
  4. Bell, Jay (2012). Something like winter. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1479261727.
  5. Bell, Jay (2013). Something like autumn. Jay Bell Books. ISBN 978-1484814772.
  6. Bell, Jay (2014). Something like spring. Jay Bell Books. ISBN 978-1494430917.
  7. Bell, Jay (2014). Something like lightning. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1500831950.
  8. Bell, Jay (2015). Something like thunder. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1511774932.
  9. Bell, Jay (2017). Something Like Hail. Jay Bell Books. ISBN 978-1548535087.
  10. Bell, Jay (2016). Something Like Rain. Smashwords Edition. ISBN 978-1310978449.
  11. Bell, Jay (2015). Something Like Stories - Volume One. Jay Bell. ISBN 978-1311634009.
  12. Bell, Jay (2015). Something Like Stories - Volume Two. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1543058475.
  13. Bell, Jay (2020). Something Like Stories - Volume Three. Independently Published. ISBN 979-8643855477.
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