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Chicago #2
Just Tell Her
Charlie Adams has two best friends. Ember Elliot and Hailey Grant, the woman she’s secretly been in love with since the moment they met over a decade ago. She has watched Hailey date all the wrong women and never said anything about how she wanted to be Hailey’s forever love.
Hailey Grant had a first love that she was comparing every other woman to. When that woman comes back into her life, Hailey has to get to know her again after all this time. As Hailey tries to figure out if her first love is actually her forever love, she sees something is different about Charlie.
When the two women embark on new relationships, they’ll have to finally confront their growing attraction for each other and decide if they can be brave enough to risk the most important friendship they have for possibly something more. Charlie might just be the girl who gets the girl after years of watching Hailey be miserable with other women who didn’t deserve her, and Hailey might have just had the right woman by her side this whole time.
Hailey Grant had a first love that she was comparing every other woman to. When that woman comes back into her life, Hailey has to get to know her again after all this time. As Hailey tries to figure out if her first love is actually her forever love, she sees something is different about Charlie.
When the two women embark on new relationships, they’ll have to finally confront their growing attraction for each other and decide if they can be brave enough to risk the most important friendship they have for possibly something more. Charlie might just be the girl who gets the girl after years of watching Hailey be miserable with other women who didn’t deserve her, and Hailey might have just had the right woman by her side this whole time.
Kindle Edition
First published May 25, 2018
About the author
Nicole Pyland
67 books723 followersNicole Pyland is a bestselling author of lesbian romance novels, including No After You, All the Love Songs, and the series like Chicago, San Francisco, Tahoe, Sports, Boston, and more. Since 2017, she’s published over 30 novels (not including her What Happened After shorts), and more books are on their way!
Nicole grew up in Indiana, studying English & Film and then getting a MS in Behavior Analysis and moving to California, working by day as a Head of Training at a start-up. She lives with her wife and their opinionated cat, who spends his evenings helping her write stories by occupying half the chair.
Website: nicolepyland.com
Newsletter: nicolepyland.com/newsletter
Twitter: @nicole_pyland
Facebook: @nicolepylandauthor
Nicole grew up in Indiana, studying English & Film and then getting a MS in Behavior Analysis and moving to California, working by day as a Head of Training at a start-up. She lives with her wife and their opinionated cat, who spends his evenings helping her write stories by occupying half the chair.
Website: nicolepyland.com
Newsletter: nicolepyland.com/newsletter
Twitter: @nicole_pyland
Facebook: @nicolepylandauthor
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
March 13, 2019
I’m loving this series! And Nicole Pyland is turning into a favorite author for me recently. Very entertaining..
December 30, 2018
This is one of those books where there were numerous times I wanted to bop the two main characters' heads together. It's angsty, often irritating with far too much pushing and pulling but one of those books where a better than satisfying ending is needed. It has one.
February 6, 2020
“Slow can be good. It builds anticipation.”
No lies detected. The angst was delicious. Charlie has been in love with her best friend Hailey for 10 years but never had the courage to tell her. After meeting Hailey's first love and seeing them together Charlie decides to move on and asks Hailey for a break. Now Hailey can't figure out why her best friend would do that. On top of that, she starts having non platonic feelings for Charlie. The were a couple even before they were a couple. Even when they were with their significant others they were thinking about each other. They remembered what other wore 10 years ago when they first met, doing other million romantic things together 'as friends'. Thank God the love interests were actually interesting and somewhat a challenge, it's too easy otherwise.
"You think you can’t love someone more, and then you do, and then you think that again, and again, and then you do."
Only thing I didn't like was how in the 2nd half of the book, they kept finding reasons not to be together, especially Hailey. I love her but I really wanted to scream at her for being a dumbass. Of course eventually when they got over the stupid stuff and got together, they were super adorable.
Charlie and Hailey were the reason I started Chicago series and they were definitely worth it! Nicole Pyland can write the most cliché trope in a way that it doesn't feel cliché at all.
No lies detected. The angst was delicious. Charlie has been in love with her best friend Hailey for 10 years but never had the courage to tell her. After meeting Hailey's first love and seeing them together Charlie decides to move on and asks Hailey for a break. Now Hailey can't figure out why her best friend would do that. On top of that, she starts having non platonic feelings for Charlie. The were a couple even before they were a couple. Even when they were with their significant others they were thinking about each other. They remembered what other wore 10 years ago when they first met, doing other million romantic things together 'as friends'. Thank God the love interests were actually interesting and somewhat a challenge, it's too easy otherwise.
"You think you can’t love someone more, and then you do, and then you think that again, and again, and then you do."
Only thing I didn't like was how in the 2nd half of the book, they kept finding reasons not to be together, especially Hailey. I love her but I really wanted to scream at her for being a dumbass. Of course eventually when they got over the stupid stuff and got together, they were super adorable.
Charlie and Hailey were the reason I started Chicago series and they were definitely worth it! Nicole Pyland can write the most cliché trope in a way that it doesn't feel cliché at all.
June 5, 2018
Meh. I do really like this author and will definitely be reading the 3rd book in this series. But the angst, oh the angst...it's literally dripping from every page of this book. The first book of Pyland's I read was Between the Lines and I completely loved it. That book was almost virtually angst free. However, the last 2 books i've read of hers have been extremely heavy in the angst area. So she goes from almost no angst to Angstville USA! Can we have a happy medium maybe? I mean life's too short for all that drama. I'm pretty sure I yelled several times throughout the book "How about you two stop being big babies and calm the fuck down?!?" I know, I would not be a good friend if I was in this little group. In fact, I would be kicked out i'm sure.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
May 28, 2018
Nicole Pyland officially has me as a fan. Her writing just works for me. I’ll be honest, though, and say that I didn’t like this quite as much as ‘Between the Lines,’ but my enjoyment was more than it was for her other two stories that I’ve read, so 4* here.
Charlie has been pining after her best friend, Hailey, since the moment they met 10 years ago. During this time, Charlie has watched Hailey date woman after woman, all of them terrible matches. When someone from Hailey’s past enters the picture, Charlie quickly finds her emotions in a tailspin and, in an effort to move on, separates herself from the situation in an attempt to get over her unrequited feelings.
Hailey, on the other hand, is completely oblivious to her best friend’s feelings. When Charlie suddenly starts to pull away, she doesn’t understand why and feels really bereft at the loss of their daily contact. Why is the one person who has always shared everything with her withdrawn? This loss raises some questions in Hailey’s mind as to what Charlie actually means to her...
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Charlie and Hailey and could absolutely see them as a couple way before it ever happened. The nuances of their little touches, they way they take care of one another, their every day interactions scream ‘COUPLE’...it’s just obvious to all involved, especially Ember, of course, as she is the third leg in this little BFF threesome. She has known about Charlie’s feelings for years and has watched the two of them together for the entirety of their 10 year friendship. When it’s time to plan Ember and Eva’s marriage, who else would she ask to be her maids of honor than Charlie and Hailey? Charlie’s plan to pull away from Hailey just hit a little road block, as planning a wedding in three months means spending a lot of time together whether she wants to or not.
This story is written in 3rd person from both Charlie and Hailey’s perspective. In the beginning we get background on their individual coming out stories and I was wondering at the time why we were taking this walk down memory lane. It seemed like it didn’t fit and I think that’s merely because of the way it’s written. I’m not an author or an editor, so I have no idea why it felt out of place to me, it just did. The reason behind sharing these backstories eventually becomes obvious because it is actually pertinent to the storyline. They were just fit in there in a way that didn’t flow well for me.
There are a lot of long paragraphs here, as well, and I sometimes felt like they were a little too detail heavy. I like just enough detail personally, and sometimes everything else just feels superfluous. It can make what is a really good read just seem a bit long winded at times.
Overall, this is a good read despite those two minor issues. The story is well written. Both mains are really likable, too, even though I wanted to hit them upside the head sometimes. There is a lot of push-pull and back and forth going on between Charlie and Hailey. It can be frustrating to read about, but it also came across as 100% realistic. In Charlie’s case, when she finally gets a chance at what she’s spent years pining after, the fear that comes with f’ing it all up is palpable. And for Hailey, well, she has to catch up. She has her past and her future collide and is afraid of the pressure she feels realizing that Charlie’s had strong feelings for her for a long while. Can she ever live up to 10 years of expectation?
So, yeah, there’s some angst here, but this is, in the end, a feel good story. It just touches on the real life difficulties of turning fantasy into reality. If you’ve enjoyed Pyland’s other works, I think you’ll probably enjoy this one, too.
Charlie has been pining after her best friend, Hailey, since the moment they met 10 years ago. During this time, Charlie has watched Hailey date woman after woman, all of them terrible matches. When someone from Hailey’s past enters the picture, Charlie quickly finds her emotions in a tailspin and, in an effort to move on, separates herself from the situation in an attempt to get over her unrequited feelings.
Hailey, on the other hand, is completely oblivious to her best friend’s feelings. When Charlie suddenly starts to pull away, she doesn’t understand why and feels really bereft at the loss of their daily contact. Why is the one person who has always shared everything with her withdrawn? This loss raises some questions in Hailey’s mind as to what Charlie actually means to her...
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Charlie and Hailey and could absolutely see them as a couple way before it ever happened. The nuances of their little touches, they way they take care of one another, their every day interactions scream ‘COUPLE’...it’s just obvious to all involved, especially Ember, of course, as she is the third leg in this little BFF threesome. She has known about Charlie’s feelings for years and has watched the two of them together for the entirety of their 10 year friendship. When it’s time to plan Ember and Eva’s marriage, who else would she ask to be her maids of honor than Charlie and Hailey? Charlie’s plan to pull away from Hailey just hit a little road block, as planning a wedding in three months means spending a lot of time together whether she wants to or not.
This story is written in 3rd person from both Charlie and Hailey’s perspective. In the beginning we get background on their individual coming out stories and I was wondering at the time why we were taking this walk down memory lane. It seemed like it didn’t fit and I think that’s merely because of the way it’s written. I’m not an author or an editor, so I have no idea why it felt out of place to me, it just did. The reason behind sharing these backstories eventually becomes obvious because it is actually pertinent to the storyline. They were just fit in there in a way that didn’t flow well for me.
There are a lot of long paragraphs here, as well, and I sometimes felt like they were a little too detail heavy. I like just enough detail personally, and sometimes everything else just feels superfluous. It can make what is a really good read just seem a bit long winded at times.
Overall, this is a good read despite those two minor issues. The story is well written. Both mains are really likable, too, even though I wanted to hit them upside the head sometimes. There is a lot of push-pull and back and forth going on between Charlie and Hailey. It can be frustrating to read about, but it also came across as 100% realistic. In Charlie’s case, when she finally gets a chance at what she’s spent years pining after, the fear that comes with f’ing it all up is palpable. And for Hailey, well, she has to catch up. She has her past and her future collide and is afraid of the pressure she feels realizing that Charlie’s had strong feelings for her for a long while. Can she ever live up to 10 years of expectation?
So, yeah, there’s some angst here, but this is, in the end, a feel good story. It just touches on the real life difficulties of turning fantasy into reality. If you’ve enjoyed Pyland’s other works, I think you’ll probably enjoy this one, too.
March 8, 2021
This is second in a series and there are a lot of intersections with that first one. So I recommend reading in order.
Well, I was eventually going to strike out with a Pyland story. This isn't a complete waste, so maybe strike out is a bit too harsh. Friends to lovers is a common-enough trope in romance and I was interested in how this would go. In the first story, we know that Charlie has been in love with Hailey pretty much since they met. But timing issues worked against them and, oh yeah, Charlie is a giant coward.
Dealing with emotional cowards isn't normally my thing so I was cautious going into this. Only, Pyland did some interesting development by having Hailey's first girlfriend, the woman she thought of as her true love, enter the scene. So Hailey is rediscovering her former love and that's the kick that Charlie needs. To get over Hailey. And I loved this so very much. Which is a testament to Pyland's skill with characters because this would normally have driven me nuts as a substantial part of the early novel was the two of them exploring relationships with other women.
The strongest part of this early story was how Pyland didn't shortchange the other women. So both Emma and Lena are sympathetic and interesting and their respective relationships are genuine, I think. Further, I didn't mind them being together with our leads. Indeed, I was conscious of being okay if the story had veered drastically and Charlie ended up with Lena and Hailey with Emma and that just never happens for me—particularly when you can tell (from the romance convention of being exclusively in the PoV of Charlie and Hailey) that that's not how they'll end up.
And I particularly liked the part where Charlie got up enough courage to admit that the reason she needs distance from Hailey is that she has been in love with her for so long. It isn't until about a third in, but I wasn't impatient for it, and I liked how it fell out from there with each reevaluating the important parts of their friendship.
But then things pretty much fell off a cliff for the second half of the story. One of the things I appreciate about Pyland's other books is that they don't tend to dip into unnecessary (or unearned, anyway) drama. Only that's pretty much what happens for the rest of the story. Worse, it was a back-and-forth of them trading places being the scared runner, shutting down communication and, frankly, regressing a decade in emotional maturity.
I hung on to the end in the hope that Pyland would pull it out. And she kind of does, at least insofar as I'm happy with where they ended up and I liked the resolution when it finally happened. But none of that whipsaw monkeyshine made much sense, even at the end and seems to have solely served the purpose of drawing the story out to book length.
So I'm going to give this three stars, though that's probably a generous rating, based as it is on the very odd strength of that first half. I wish I could have continued the string of four and five stars for the author, but not so much.
A note about Steamy: There are explicit sex scenes. Loads of them, and they do go on. I'd say this puts it in the upper end of my steam tolerance, but I skimmed the first and skipped all the others entirely. Seriously, they were completely gratuitous and the proof is that I didn't miss a single thing having skipped them.
Well, I was eventually going to strike out with a Pyland story. This isn't a complete waste, so maybe strike out is a bit too harsh. Friends to lovers is a common-enough trope in romance and I was interested in how this would go. In the first story, we know that Charlie has been in love with Hailey pretty much since they met. But timing issues worked against them and, oh yeah, Charlie is a giant coward.
Dealing with emotional cowards isn't normally my thing so I was cautious going into this. Only, Pyland did some interesting development by having Hailey's first girlfriend, the woman she thought of as her true love, enter the scene. So Hailey is rediscovering her former love and that's the kick that Charlie needs. To get over Hailey. And I loved this so very much. Which is a testament to Pyland's skill with characters because this would normally have driven me nuts as a substantial part of the early novel was the two of them exploring relationships with other women.
The strongest part of this early story was how Pyland didn't shortchange the other women. So both Emma and Lena are sympathetic and interesting and their respective relationships are genuine, I think. Further, I didn't mind them being together with our leads. Indeed, I was conscious of being okay if the story had veered drastically and Charlie ended up with Lena and Hailey with Emma and that just never happens for me—particularly when you can tell (from the romance convention of being exclusively in the PoV of Charlie and Hailey) that that's not how they'll end up.
And I particularly liked the part where Charlie got up enough courage to admit that the reason she needs distance from Hailey is that she has been in love with her for so long. It isn't until about a third in, but I wasn't impatient for it, and I liked how it fell out from there with each reevaluating the important parts of their friendship.
But then things pretty much fell off a cliff for the second half of the story. One of the things I appreciate about Pyland's other books is that they don't tend to dip into unnecessary (or unearned, anyway) drama. Only that's pretty much what happens for the rest of the story. Worse, it was a back-and-forth of them trading places being the scared runner, shutting down communication and, frankly, regressing a decade in emotional maturity.
I hung on to the end in the hope that Pyland would pull it out. And she kind of does, at least insofar as I'm happy with where they ended up and I liked the resolution when it finally happened. But none of that whipsaw monkeyshine made much sense, even at the end and seems to have solely served the purpose of drawing the story out to book length.
So I'm going to give this three stars, though that's probably a generous rating, based as it is on the very odd strength of that first half. I wish I could have continued the string of four and five stars for the author, but not so much.
A note about Steamy: There are explicit sex scenes. Loads of them, and they do go on. I'd say this puts it in the upper end of my steam tolerance, but I skimmed the first and skipped all the others entirely. Seriously, they were completely gratuitous and the proof is that I didn't miss a single thing having skipped them.
June 3, 2018
Oh geez I'm in trouble. Why? It's not July 12th yet, because that's when book 3 in this fantastic series is expected to be released. It's safe to say that Nicole Pyland has me hooked.
In this book we tag along with best friends Charlie and Hailey who we got introduced to in book 1. Once again this author proves she has impeccable writing skills because even during moments when I was tempted to skim certain pages, I just couldn't do it. If you read the book's blurb you know that the main characters both have new relationships that they are trying to navigate. Normally I would skim through those pages or chapters because they and whoever they're dating are not the couple that I'm interested in. This book however had me reading every single word for fear of missing anything.
It's a very long and winding road the author take you on before Charlie and Hailey finally get together but it's more than worth it. They have great chemistry together and their story is really sweet but every now and then you'll want to bash their heads together because they do not make it easy on themselves when trying to get to their happily ever after. I ended up liking this book way more than I thought and have definitely become of fan of this author and her writing style.
If you're in need of a sweet story with just a drop of angst and some super sexy moments this might be the book for you. Do however start with The Best Lines because these are not stand alone novels.
Until July rolls around I will be reading All the Love Songs until I can finally get my hands on Love Walked into The Lantern.
In this book we tag along with best friends Charlie and Hailey who we got introduced to in book 1. Once again this author proves she has impeccable writing skills because even during moments when I was tempted to skim certain pages, I just couldn't do it. If you read the book's blurb you know that the main characters both have new relationships that they are trying to navigate. Normally I would skim through those pages or chapters because they and whoever they're dating are not the couple that I'm interested in. This book however had me reading every single word for fear of missing anything.
It's a very long and winding road the author take you on before Charlie and Hailey finally get together but it's more than worth it. They have great chemistry together and their story is really sweet but every now and then you'll want to bash their heads together because they do not make it easy on themselves when trying to get to their happily ever after. I ended up liking this book way more than I thought and have definitely become of fan of this author and her writing style.
If you're in need of a sweet story with just a drop of angst and some super sexy moments this might be the book for you. Do however start with The Best Lines because these are not stand alone novels.
Until July rolls around I will be reading All the Love Songs until I can finally get my hands on Love Walked into The Lantern.
May 26, 2018
I really like this series
This was a great addition to the Chicago Series. This one is about Hailey and Charlie. If you haven't read at least the one before this one I suggest you do. It's not imperative but it will give you amount of background into all the supporting characters. This one has a lot of...I don't want to say angst or really drama...it's more of a attack and retreat. One admits something and then other runs away. Add in their own insecurities about friendship over lovers and it's makes for a delightful read :-)
This was a great addition to the Chicago Series. This one is about Hailey and Charlie. If you haven't read at least the one before this one I suggest you do. It's not imperative but it will give you amount of background into all the supporting characters. This one has a lot of...I don't want to say angst or really drama...it's more of a attack and retreat. One admits something and then other runs away. Add in their own insecurities about friendship over lovers and it's makes for a delightful read :-)
June 5, 2018
Nice addition to the series.
I really liked, I did but I could have lived without the push and pull of the MC, for moments I wanted to grab them and lock them in a room until they really talk about every fear and insecurity the may have.
The characters were great, the romance gestures got me almost crying about how sweet they were. Anyway great book. Recommended to Romance fans
I really liked, I did but I could have lived without the push and pull of the MC, for moments I wanted to grab them and lock them in a room until they really talk about every fear and insecurity the may have.
The characters were great, the romance gestures got me almost crying about how sweet they were. Anyway great book. Recommended to Romance fans
February 16, 2019
Good God.... This made me want to job into the book and slap both MC's into next week...
Its a very good book, slow burn... The only thing i don't like about the story is whole idea of 'dating' other woman while there trying to work things out in the early stages of there relationship.
Its a very good book, slow burn... The only thing i don't like about the story is whole idea of 'dating' other woman while there trying to work things out in the early stages of there relationship.
August 14, 2020
Charlie Adams has been in love with her best friend Hailey Grant for over ten years. She has watched her date all the wrong women and is convinced that Hailey does not love her more than a friend. When Hailey's first love, aka the perfect ex-girlfriend Emma Colton, is back in the picture, Charlie cannot take it anymore. She has to confess her feelings. In the meantime, Hailey has just started to feel something different for Charlie. Will the two be willing to risk friendship for a future together as lovers?
Please note that there are uses of ableist language in the book.
Apart from romance in academia, I love a good best-friend romance. I think these are the two types of romance I love most. There is something beautiful about knowing someone for a very long time as a best friend, moving on to dating, and then sharing a future together as a couple.
This is the third book in the Chicago series, and I definitely suggest reading them in order as I did. I find myself falling in love with the characters again and again. I don't know how Pyland managed to create all these amazingly fleshed out strong women, but I love that. After finishing The Best Lines , I especially looked forward to Just Tell Her because Charlie and Hailey are best friends and also Charlie has been forever pining for Hailey. But it took them years to recognize their mutual attraction, so how can their relationship be smooth?
Watching them date other people is really painful, but I like that we get to live through those times as well. Throughout the whole story, Charlie and Hailey are constantly in one-step-forward-two-steps-back situations. It was frustrating to read, yet so them. Charlie lacks the feeling of being safe. She is scared of the dark, creepy dolls, and most of all, trusting herself. Her other best friend Ember sometimes needs to run numbers for her to feel better about her decisions. And Hailey is unsure if she can ever live up to the expectations of Charlie's love. Both Charlie and Hailey have been wonderful best friends, but being involved romantically turns out to be harder than ever, even though they are obviously meant to be with each other.
The only issue I have with the story apart from editing, which I am not going to address from now on, is Hailey's ableist outburst at one point. Other than that, the book is wonderful.
Just Tell Her is an amazing story about two best friends falling in love. While both are trying to avoid their love for each other because of their own insecurities and it is so frustrating to read, I love how both Charlie and Hailey are incredibly romantic. Their date plans, loving gestures, and how well they know each other just warm my heart. I will definitely revisit this book for its romance. After my third Pyland book, she is now officially on my auto-read author list.
Please note that there are uses of ableist language in the book.
Apart from romance in academia, I love a good best-friend romance. I think these are the two types of romance I love most. There is something beautiful about knowing someone for a very long time as a best friend, moving on to dating, and then sharing a future together as a couple.
This is the third book in the Chicago series, and I definitely suggest reading them in order as I did. I find myself falling in love with the characters again and again. I don't know how Pyland managed to create all these amazingly fleshed out strong women, but I love that. After finishing The Best Lines , I especially looked forward to Just Tell Her because Charlie and Hailey are best friends and also Charlie has been forever pining for Hailey. But it took them years to recognize their mutual attraction, so how can their relationship be smooth?
Watching them date other people is really painful, but I like that we get to live through those times as well. Throughout the whole story, Charlie and Hailey are constantly in one-step-forward-two-steps-back situations. It was frustrating to read, yet so them. Charlie lacks the feeling of being safe. She is scared of the dark, creepy dolls, and most of all, trusting herself. Her other best friend Ember sometimes needs to run numbers for her to feel better about her decisions. And Hailey is unsure if she can ever live up to the expectations of Charlie's love. Both Charlie and Hailey have been wonderful best friends, but being involved romantically turns out to be harder than ever, even though they are obviously meant to be with each other.
The only issue I have with the story apart from editing, which I am not going to address from now on, is Hailey's ableist outburst at one point. Other than that, the book is wonderful.
Just Tell Her is an amazing story about two best friends falling in love. While both are trying to avoid their love for each other because of their own insecurities and it is so frustrating to read, I love how both Charlie and Hailey are incredibly romantic. Their date plans, loving gestures, and how well they know each other just warm my heart. I will definitely revisit this book for its romance. After my third Pyland book, she is now officially on my auto-read author list.
April 24, 2022
3,5 stars
I liked this way less than the previous book. Mostly because of Hailey. I can't help it, I just strongly dislike her. I preferred Charlie, which balanced it out a bit.
As far as romances go, I'd rate this one "a bit better than average".
I liked this way less than the previous book. Mostly because of Hailey. I can't help it, I just strongly dislike her. I preferred Charlie, which balanced it out a bit.
As far as romances go, I'd rate this one "a bit better than average".
July 25, 2021
It's been days since I read this one and I'm honestly still thinking about Charlie and Hailey. I really enjoyed this book.
July 2021 Reread:
I loved Charlie and Hailey so much that they never truly left my mind, so I just had to read this again to revisit them. And now I'm more certain that this pair is categorized now in my head as one of my favorite couples.
As much as it was frustrating to see Charlie and Hailey go through their push and pulls before finally getting together, it all felt real and not forced—like you know that these actions are what these characters would do in certain situations. It was all so believable it kind of hurt me too.
Charlie is amazing and so is Hailey, and there's honestly so many things to love about them. But my favorite thing is their relationship—even before the admission of feelings and getting together. I really love their love.
July 2021 Reread:
I loved Charlie and Hailey so much that they never truly left my mind, so I just had to read this again to revisit them. And now I'm more certain that this pair is categorized now in my head as one of my favorite couples.
As much as it was frustrating to see Charlie and Hailey go through their push and pulls before finally getting together, it all felt real and not forced—like you know that these actions are what these characters would do in certain situations. It was all so believable it kind of hurt me too.
Charlie is amazing and so is Hailey, and there's honestly so many things to love about them. But my favorite thing is their relationship—even before the admission of feelings and getting together. I really love their love.
May 30, 2018
Nightlight Cereal
I absolutely love this series! As much as these two going back and forth a lot frustrated the hell out of me and I wanted to yell for them to just stop already, I get it. I could only be so lucky to find this kind of love in my life. This is my favorite book of the series which is saying a lot. I would have easily finished it a lot sooner, if I didn’t have that pesky job (which I actually enjoy). Anyway, I whole heartedly recommend this book, let alone the entire series! Already preordered #3!
I absolutely love this series! As much as these two going back and forth a lot frustrated the hell out of me and I wanted to yell for them to just stop already, I get it. I could only be so lucky to find this kind of love in my life. This is my favorite book of the series which is saying a lot. I would have easily finished it a lot sooner, if I didn’t have that pesky job (which I actually enjoy). Anyway, I whole heartedly recommend this book, let alone the entire series! Already preordered #3!
September 3, 2023
Love Nicole Pyland Books! I don’t think there has been one I didn’t love. Most of them I listened on Audible so please continue putting more of your books and series there. You always pick great narrators as well. Fell in love with Hayley and Charlie. They can be frustrating but the pay off is so worth it. This is a must listen/read. Pyland never lets you down. Definitely one of my top 5 favorite sapphic authors. All her characters stay with me long after the story is over. Keep these sapphic authors writing by buying their books and Audible’s. There are so many out there and more authors keep coming out. Always use my credits on sapphic authors. Give this one a try it’s a winner for sure ❤️
March 22, 2019
3.5 rounded up because in the end this was a decent read....but wow the main characters, which I actually like better than Eva and Ember in the first installment,were just ridiculous. It went on a little too long IMO.
August 9, 2018
Complicated moments
I love the characters in general. there were scenes I enjoyed reading. The main issue is every time I wanted to take the chance to feel their relationship grow, there was another set back in their relationship. Never given the chance to fall in love with them falling in love. I couldn't feel the emotion. Too much drama.
I love the characters in general. there were scenes I enjoyed reading. The main issue is every time I wanted to take the chance to feel their relationship grow, there was another set back in their relationship. Never given the chance to fall in love with them falling in love. I couldn't feel the emotion. Too much drama.
October 17, 2018
Love these Chicago series - Class! Virtuoso performance. Bravo!
July 9, 2019
Well written story with a robust cast of interesting secondary characters. However, after the main characters get together and then tear themselves apart a number of times that aspect of the story becomes more than a little tiresome. At a certain point the reader may conclude that both women need therapy more than they need a girl friend.
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November 18, 2022Just Tell Her
I loved this story by Nicole Pyland. Amazing chemistry and strong friendships. I love the series are based on a group of friends. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I loved this story by Nicole Pyland. Amazing chemistry and strong friendships. I love the series are based on a group of friends. I look forward to the rest of the series.
October 6, 2023
Push and pull..but i like it 😁
September 10, 2020
A very long time to wait for Charlie to be recognized by Hailey as a potential. Not many would wait that long. Still a good story
January 9, 2023
I hadn't planned on reading this because i knew it was someone who had been pining away for 10 years - so i assumed it would be a will she / won't she type of book. But then i read Chicago #3 (Love walked into the lantern) which i enjoyed a lot. That leads to the What Happened After, so anyway - i decided to check in on Hailey and Charlie before i started the afterword.
Gotta be honest, i DNF the epilogue. At this point, i don't care about either of these people. Not totally true, I wished Charlie would get an HEA with someone other than Hailey. I mean I don't see this relationship working out. The writing is very compelling and i am surprised i read as much as i did.
I guess that sounds harsh - I didn't hate everything about this book. I did like the beginning part, Charlie finally telling Hailey was a great moment. And their initial first date was another great moment. Hailey's friends telling her what a jerk she was, that was a great moment. Everything after that was not my kind of book.
Gotta be honest, i DNF the epilogue. At this point, i don't care about either of these people. Not totally true, I wished Charlie would get an HEA with someone other than Hailey. I mean I don't see this relationship working out. The writing is very compelling and i am surprised i read as much as i did.
I guess that sounds harsh - I didn't hate everything about this book. I did like the beginning part, Charlie finally telling Hailey was a great moment. And their initial first date was another great moment. Hailey's friends telling her what a jerk she was, that was a great moment. Everything after that was not my kind of book.
July 7, 2018
I really love Nicole Pyland's books. I blow right through them (which sucks) and love each one so far. I was a little worried about this one though because right when you think the couple is finally on their way to being endgame, something comes up and manages to muck up their progress. The thing that makes me absolutely love these books though is the unique way Pyland writes her characters actual relationship out in the book rather than have some angst and unnecessary conflict, and then make up right before the epilogue. I love seeing the couple get together before the 50% mark and the rest is them figuring out how to be together and just literal fluff and domestic cuteness that I cannot get enough of. You don't see that a whole lot in the popular lesbian books, in my experience, its mostly attraction, avoiding/denial, finally get together, something shitty happens, ignore/try to forget the other person for like 20 pages and then reunite in the last freaking chapter. Then in the epilogue its like they are the picture perfect of married life with beautiful children, but we never see the journey they took to get there.
Anyways, I love these books :D
Anyways, I love these books :D
April 30, 2020
Fucking loved it...
It's probably in my top 3 romance book..
I love everuthing abut this book..
The main characters,the supporting characters r well written..
This is my first book in the series,now I'm probably gonna read the prequels n the sequels too
It's probably in my top 3 romance book..
I love everuthing abut this book..
The main characters,the supporting characters r well written..
This is my first book in the series,now I'm probably gonna read the prequels n the sequels too
July 18, 2024
There's no semblance of communication which to be fair, given the title, I should have expected. There are also like, no men in this book. Which is fine, but it's to the point that it's distracting.
July 21, 2020
I have read all of Pyland's books. I used to do this for a handful of authors, but she's on unlimited... Still I only do this for a handful of unlimited authors. I think a lot are self published, and I think about half of the lesfic are not written well, have horrible grammar and story structure. More than half are probably rewritten fanfic, and the ones of those that are written well... Have proper story structure, just seem immature or something. A lot are like: there is a good idea there and maybe if they took some writing classes for a couple years... I used to like writing, but have no patience to write even 2k words, but I feel like I could write better than some of the unlimited authors if I took the time (tho I did take creative writing and journalism classes). So then with the small percentage left that could be published, they're good enough in all areas... I don't always like the premise, or their writing style, or it's in first person. So suffice to say, the chances of me finding a writer I like enough to wait for the release dates of her books is rare. Pyland is that good. My favorite author on unlimited with Anna Stone... So still top ten all around. I've even bought a few of her books.
All of her books are written well. There's a couple I don't like, but they were still written well. Her books are romantic, the leads always have great chemistry. They are always really likable. She writes sex scenes really well, and I think they all have more than one... I'm talking about all her books but they're similar in style but since I don't remember them all, I'll get to this book...
This is my favorite by pyland, which makes it one of my favorite lesfics. I love bff turned gf. The protagonists are extremely likable. There's just the right amount of angst. The sex scenes are phenomenal, really sexy. There's some jealousy, which I love. It's really romantic, really romantic... Probably a little more than most her books. Pyland writes book series. Almost all of her books are in a series with each book in the series focused on a different couple. This is book two from the Chicago series, but you don't have to read the first to understand it. I recommend it. If you like this one, you'll like the one before it. Another thing pyland does is write a follow up book at the end of each series. No other author that I know of does this. Each book focuses on a couple, so the final one.. Say it's book five, there's been four previous books, of four couples... Book five will have a follow up of each couple, like 25% of the book will focus on a couple. Like a long epilogue. The one in this series is a few years down the line... It's a way to revisit the characters and see their extra, extra happily ever after. It's awesome. And if you have a hard time leaving favorite characters like me, it's a way to get closure.
All of her books are written well. There's a couple I don't like, but they were still written well. Her books are romantic, the leads always have great chemistry. They are always really likable. She writes sex scenes really well, and I think they all have more than one... I'm talking about all her books but they're similar in style but since I don't remember them all, I'll get to this book...
This is my favorite by pyland, which makes it one of my favorite lesfics. I love bff turned gf. The protagonists are extremely likable. There's just the right amount of angst. The sex scenes are phenomenal, really sexy. There's some jealousy, which I love. It's really romantic, really romantic... Probably a little more than most her books. Pyland writes book series. Almost all of her books are in a series with each book in the series focused on a different couple. This is book two from the Chicago series, but you don't have to read the first to understand it. I recommend it. If you like this one, you'll like the one before it. Another thing pyland does is write a follow up book at the end of each series. No other author that I know of does this. Each book focuses on a couple, so the final one.. Say it's book five, there's been four previous books, of four couples... Book five will have a follow up of each couple, like 25% of the book will focus on a couple. Like a long epilogue. The one in this series is a few years down the line... It's a way to revisit the characters and see their extra, extra happily ever after. It's awesome. And if you have a hard time leaving favorite characters like me, it's a way to get closure.
April 27, 2019
I am a fan of the Chicago series and highly recommend reading all of the books and in order. Unfortunately, I did not do that and so some of the inherent dramatic tension didn't work for me as I already knew more of some character's future than I was supposed to at that point. So, be patient. It will be worth it.
Of the books in this series, this was my hands-down favorite. It was the first one I read in the series and so, in my resolve, to read entirely in order I managed to read it twice. I liked it even better on the re-read. I think that is pretty high praise for any book. I like this one the best because the characters, their world, and their situation are very well-drawn. They are vivid and real and stay with you (at least with me) long after you put down the book.
I have not read very much lesbian erotica, but there is one sex scene in this book that has stayed with me. In my opinion, it somewhat defies the laws of physics, but that doesn't stop me wishing it could happen. Trust me, you'll know it when you get to it.
The one criticism I have of this series is that it is most obviously being written in haste and that shows. There are enough typos, wrong tense choices, and confusing references to trip a person up and pull them out of the story every now and then. I wish the people involved with end-stage production would take a little more care and be mindful that good writing requires attention to detail and to craft. The stories and the people in them deserve better.
One of the pulls of romance (at least for me again) is the fantasy aspect where all the characters say what's really on their minds, everyone is each other's soulmate, and no one stops (very long) to reconsider over-the-top romantic gestures. As one who has not experienced any of these things very often (or at all) in real life, I find it extremely satisfying to feel that things "worked out" for these characters. This book delivers on all of those requirements.
Of the books in this series, this was my hands-down favorite. It was the first one I read in the series and so, in my resolve, to read entirely in order I managed to read it twice. I liked it even better on the re-read. I think that is pretty high praise for any book. I like this one the best because the characters, their world, and their situation are very well-drawn. They are vivid and real and stay with you (at least with me) long after you put down the book.
I have not read very much lesbian erotica, but there is one sex scene in this book that has stayed with me. In my opinion, it somewhat defies the laws of physics, but that doesn't stop me wishing it could happen. Trust me, you'll know it when you get to it.
The one criticism I have of this series is that it is most obviously being written in haste and that shows. There are enough typos, wrong tense choices, and confusing references to trip a person up and pull them out of the story every now and then. I wish the people involved with end-stage production would take a little more care and be mindful that good writing requires attention to detail and to craft. The stories and the people in them deserve better.
One of the pulls of romance (at least for me again) is the fantasy aspect where all the characters say what's really on their minds, everyone is each other's soulmate, and no one stops (very long) to reconsider over-the-top romantic gestures. As one who has not experienced any of these things very often (or at all) in real life, I find it extremely satisfying to feel that things "worked out" for these characters. This book delivers on all of those requirements.
July 4, 2018
I liked it. Nothing in here seemed so far fetched that it left me dazed and confused.
Definitely frustrated with a good portion of this read, but it would be hard to explain. Yes, it was frustrating... but no, I don't regret it?
The characters were pretty real in many ways. Physical reactions and emotional reactions were pretty on point. Like I said, it's hard to explain.
It was all the little things the author added to the environment and how people interacted with it that was pretty amazing. The world and characters felt fleshed out, without going overboard. Ember and Eva didn't lose themselves in the wake of a new romance; I liked that they weren't really dulled down to make room for the new story as supporting characters.
Life is flipping messy, and this story didn't shy away from that. Nothing that happened struck me as absolutely improbable. It was refreshing. The plot felt planned out and stable, instead of a weird mix of chaos and whimsy.
Charlie and Hailey are truly two sweet characters and very much "human".
HEA and recommended to those who can handle a PG13 rated poly relationship for about 48%(?) of the book.
*Note* Poly relationships are perfectly healthy if it's what all consenting adults in the relationship(s) want. In this case it was more a way to figure out which route these women wanted to take. This was not intentional polyamory on anyone's part. It was today's version of casual dating with a twist of "she loves me, she loves me not".
Definitely frustrated with a good portion of this read, but it would be hard to explain. Yes, it was frustrating... but no, I don't regret it?
The characters were pretty real in many ways. Physical reactions and emotional reactions were pretty on point. Like I said, it's hard to explain.
It was all the little things the author added to the environment and how people interacted with it that was pretty amazing. The world and characters felt fleshed out, without going overboard. Ember and Eva didn't lose themselves in the wake of a new romance; I liked that they weren't really dulled down to make room for the new story as supporting characters.
Life is flipping messy, and this story didn't shy away from that. Nothing that happened struck me as absolutely improbable. It was refreshing. The plot felt planned out and stable, instead of a weird mix of chaos and whimsy.
Charlie and Hailey are truly two sweet characters and very much "human".
HEA and recommended to those who can handle a PG13 rated poly relationship for about 48%(?) of the book.
*Note* Poly relationships are perfectly healthy if it's what all consenting adults in the relationship(s) want. In this case it was more a way to figure out which route these women wanted to take. This was not intentional polyamory on anyone's part. It was today's version of casual dating with a twist of "she loves me, she loves me not".
December 1, 2023
Oh, yeah. Secretly pining for a decade and then has to watch as an old flame comes back into the picture and that just might put the whole thing to rest for good? So my thing. I mean, this still manages to be fun rather than gut-wrenching, so there’s room for still more tension and angst, but just like I’m not always in the mood for too light, I’m not always in the mood to be on my knees begging for things to be resolved, and I think this hit the sweet spot in the middle.
If there’s one disappointment, it’s that Ember didn’t draw up a wall-spanning calculation for how they should resolve things. I mean, I know she was distracted by other matters, but still, it would have been well-received. :) OK, also the air mattress was a bit of a bummer, because come on, secretly pining for a decade and then stuck in a room with one bed? Yes, please! You know tropes are there because we love them, right?
All right, so… the setup was awesome, the tension level was just right, the What Happened At Midnight date was amazing, Hailey slowly realizing where she had been all along was wonderful, the ending was super-sweet… yeah basically this was totally my thing.
If there’s one disappointment, it’s that Ember didn’t draw up a wall-spanning calculation for how they should resolve things. I mean, I know she was distracted by other matters, but still, it would have been well-received. :) OK, also the air mattress was a bit of a bummer, because come on, secretly pining for a decade and then stuck in a room with one bed? Yes, please! You know tropes are there because we love them, right?
All right, so… the setup was awesome, the tension level was just right, the What Happened At Midnight date was amazing, Hailey slowly realizing where she had been all along was wonderful, the ending was super-sweet… yeah basically this was totally my thing.
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