So this one falls into the category for me where the book is good but the narrators did not work for me. So I actually liked one of the narrators but So this one falls into the category for me where the book is good but the narrators did not work for me. So I actually liked one of the narrators but because I didn't like the other one I had to speed this narration speed up and that made the narrator that I did like too fast. But the narrator that I didn't like talk to slower and so I needed her voice to be faster. I realize I could have gone in every time the narration changed and changed the speed of my book but that just does not work with the way I listen to audiobooks. I tend to listen to them at work and I am always busy so pausing to change the speed is not something that's feasible and I decided to just suck it up and deal with it.
I ended up liking the book itself for the most part. I didn't love it but I did like the organic growth of their relationship and how both characters had their own things to deal with with their family and their own mental health and physical health. I feel like some of the really important conversations were left off page by the time they got into a relationship but I'm not super mad about that. I think my main critique for the book itself is that it's too long. And I think some of that is based on my own dislike of the narrators and the fact that I felt like I was listening to this for days.
Anyways, take my review with a grain of salt. If you like a rivals to lovers sapphic romance, you will probably enjoy this one. There are a few explicit scenes on page but you can skip them without missing anything. I actually skipped one of them and it didn't seem all that important. That's my own issues with body dysphoria and vaginas but if you are a fellow person who struggles sometimes with explicit content, just know that you can definitely skip them without it ruining the book or taking too much away from the book.
Black lesbian MC with depression, Black Bisexual MC with carpal tunnel...more
Well I was in the mood for a fat romance and this certainly fits the bill. There are certain books of Talia hibbert's that I love and will reread all Well I was in the mood for a fat romance and this certainly fits the bill. There are certain books of Talia hibbert's that I love and will reread all the time and then there is this book in this series that are just not turning out to be favorites. It's not that they're bad they're just not as good as I know she can write.
This book has fake dating and insta love as tropes and I like both of those normally but I just didn't feel the connection between the two. I don't know if it's because we don't get that 6 weeks / 6 month period (I cant remember how long it was) where they get to know each other and that happens before they go to the holiday event thing that requires the fake dating or just because the book is 200 pages. Some authors can handle a 200-page book and bring you on a journey and some authors can't.
I love that we had a queer male main character and a fat black female character. The representation is good The depth of writing not so much....more
Elf x Orc queer trans smut wasn't on my 2024 bingo card but I here I am.
But honestly this book is so much more than really exceptionally good smut. IElf x Orc queer trans smut wasn't on my 2024 bingo card but I here I am.
But honestly this book is so much more than really exceptionally good smut. It's about this elf prince who is kidnapped by this orc leader in hopes of ransoming off and bargaining with the king. Except the orc overestimated how much the king would want the elf back and how annoyingly bratty the elf would be. And the elf overestimated how much he would enjoy living with the orcs and having the freedom which sounds counterproductive since he's being held prisoner essentially.
The two of them very slowly begin to trust each other and to see the goodness in each other even though they've been told their entire lives how terrible the others are. The elf is able to embrace himself and his true calling and to find a place where he actually fits in in the orc is able to find someone to provide for and show his community that leading by example is the most important thing there is.
I don't know how to explain how great this book is. If you don't mind explicit scenes in books, I highly recommend this one. The descriptions of everything are really exceptional but I especially love the descriptions of the top surgery scars. Truly beautiful. 10/10 recommend...more
Wow. This series took over my entire week of reading. I spent a minute rereading the first and second books and then dove had first into this one. I lWow. This series took over my entire week of reading. I spent a minute rereading the first and second books and then dove had first into this one. I loved it. I know that there's a little bit of mixed reviews about the ending of this series but I thought it was incredibly well done. I loved all of the different perspectives as always and even though I do wish that there had been more of a focus on all of the highlighted relationships and not just the one, I did still enjoy this one a lot. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it and there were moments where my boss laughed at me because I just stood there for a minute and had to process what I heard as I was listening to them at work.
I am constantly in awe of authors who are able to weave such epic fantasy stories that span multiple books and it's just so complicated and complex to even comprehend creating the story....more
Why am I so skeptical all of a sudden. I feel like no book is satisfying me lately. This was an enjoyable sapphic summer camp read and I liked it but Why am I so skeptical all of a sudden. I feel like no book is satisfying me lately. This was an enjoyable sapphic summer camp read and I liked it but I also feel apathetic about it at the same time. I think this is a me problem but whatever.
Also, I don't generally like when one of the characters is famous or social media famous. I feel like it's often exaggerated and in this book it did not fit at all. Like there's mentions of Priya being featured in magazines but then no one knows who she is. I feel like it was an element that threw me off for most of the book and one that my little brain latched on to and couldn't shake....more
Natalie Naudus has been one of my favorite audiobook narrators for years now and when I found out that she was coming out with her own queer contemporNatalie Naudus has been one of my favorite audiobook narrators for years now and when I found out that she was coming out with her own queer contemporary YA book narrated by herself, I needed to read it immediately. Apparently, folks around me haven't caught on that this brilliant narrator released a book because I was able to get it from my library immediately but I hope that that changes and that there becomes a huge wait for this because it is worth it. I really hope that people see this book for the celebration of queer Joy and queer coming out and queer discovery that it truly is....more
I feel like this book has an audience but I'm not sure that I was it. This book is definitely for people who want a simple romance without a lot of deI feel like this book has an audience but I'm not sure that I was it. This book is definitely for people who want a simple romance without a lot of depth. And there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you need a book that you can just fly through without using a brain cell and this book is that. It is cute and you're going to end with a smile on your face. It is not a bad book but there are some problems that I just can't stop thinking about now that I finished.
First there's literally no scenes in a bookstore so I'm not sure why that's the cover art.
Second don't tell me you're on a podcast and then literally have the podcast be a small itty bitty baby snippet of the book. I wanted angst and enemies and drama. I didn't want someone overreacting and storming out only to just be coddled back.
Third, where are the flaws in the man? Men are just not this perfect. For me it actually kind of ruins a romance book when the love interest has no flaws. I get that men in real life are not that great as a whole but to just make them perfect kind of waters down the romance for me. I want realistic human features and flaws not picture perfect.
Now I did love that we had bi for bi representation and there is a fantastic on page conversation about bierasure. However, there are two points in this book where there's a secondary character who uses the term puts the A in Ally and the main characters realize that this is problematic but they don't actually specify why. I think that there was a great opportunity there to really highlight and celebrate that the A stands for asexual aromantic and agender and that it does not stand for Ally. Pride is not for allies. You are not included in the acronym.
My last thought is that how is this book so white? Where are the people of color? Also where are the other queer people? I don't know it was just a palette cleansing book honestly and one that I think could be a lot better than what it is....more
and so long!! This is by far the longest book in the series and I was living for it. I am so in love with this little gOH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!
and so long!! This is by far the longest book in the series and I was living for it. I am so in love with this little group of queer found family and this historical fictional town. I love them so much. This one follows Gerry and I was so excited to see her get her book. I've loved her since the very beginning and her independence and tenacity is something that I couldn't wait to see incorporated into a romance.
Then we have Basil and holy wholesome hunk of a man. He is thoughtful and kind and so concerned with making sure that his half siblings are cared for and have what they need that he thinks that he can't be in a romance at the moment. But he is so enthralled by Gerry even though he has no idea about magic at all and that is Gerry's entire life.
The pining and the meddling and the healing oh my god it's just so perfect. If you have not started this series what are you even doing. They are all available as audiobooks and I highly recommend them. I will say that even though I like both narrators, I did not like the voice that The feminine narrator used for Gerry. I loved her narration voice and I wish she had used that for Gerry as well and not this weird high pitched tone. But it wasn't enough to turn me off this book because I love them all so much.
I am absolutely dying for another Pip book and honestly I didn't think I'd ever say this but I would pretty much kill for a John book too at this point. Kick Veronica to the curb and let's see some growth man. Also in the author's note the idea of having all of Basil's siblings get books brings me so much joy and I'm like screaming with excitement because that's so many more books and I just get to stay in this little fictional historical queer normative town forever and ever and ever and ever. I don't ever want to leave.
Also forgot to mention Gerry is demiromantic and Basil is pansexual and I LOVE m/f queer books. Also Basil's best friend is a queer trans woman. There is an absolutely unending list of queer representation in the series So I'm just adding what this book adds to the table but just know that there's demisexual rep, aromantic, trans, bi, gay, nonbinary, pan, etc. Literally everything. It's amazing....more
Oh I don't know what to do. I really love the slutty bisexual energy and I think that this book had so much potential to be fabulous but instead of reOh I don't know what to do. I really love the slutty bisexual energy and I think that this book had so much potential to be fabulous but instead of really embracing these individual characters traits and characteristics there was a lot of generalizing and most of it made me very uncomfortable as an asexual person. It just felt non-stop honestly. They talk about how everyone becomes bisexual when they go to Europe, how anyone would want to sleep with so-and-so if they had the chance, how everyone would take this opportunity to fuck, how no one would ever deny themselves that opportunity etc and because this book is half food/wine and half sex I just didn't like it. I also feel like there's a lot of generalizations made about Europe. Like Europe is not this holier than thou continent. It is a collection of countries all with different laws and they're not always nice to queer people So to just assume that every European is queer is wild to me. Like even the idea that only queer people would go on a European food and wine tour... I don't even know what to do with that. I want to be surrounded by queer people as much as the next person but I think that anyone who is reading with their brain knows that that's not a realistic expectation.
Overall I did like Kit and I liked Theo and the secondary characters were fine. I feel like the characters themselves didn't pack as much of a punch as CMQ's books normally do. In their past three books I have wanted to be a part of that friend group but this one I don't think I would want to. It felt so sex obsessed that I don't even know what they were doing on that tour besides fucking.
I also started this as a digital arc because I was so excited about it that I wanted to just read it even if I didn't have an audiobook and I stalled out at about 20% after a month. And then I got an ALC and decided to give it a shot. The narration is great honestly and I did power through it in a day or two but part of that is because I wanted it to be done. I'm not sure I would have finished it if it was any other author. I had such high expectations for another CMQ book but they just were not met....more
I don't know if it's because we already knew the characters but I liked this one a lot more than the first book. Well I still had a lot of struggles wI don't know if it's because we already knew the characters but I liked this one a lot more than the first book. Well I still had a lot of struggles with the narrator for Tristan, I felt like I was better able to manage that this time around. Maybe it's because I knew he was going to be narrating it going into it or just that this story worked a little better for me.
I really liked the element of the fae in this book and the magical system seemed a little bit more developed. I'm hoping we get another book that dives into some of the selkie culture and lore.
If we do get a third book, I can confidently say this book does not suffer from second book syndrome. It is engaging and interesting on its own and has its own set of conflicts to solve and new characters added to the mix....more
I hate that I'm saying this but I think I'm gonna have to add Daniel Henning to the list of narrators I avoid. More often than not, he pretty much ruiI hate that I'm saying this but I think I'm gonna have to add Daniel Henning to the list of narrators I avoid. More often than not, he pretty much ruins the books for me and this was one of those instances. Thankfully, he only narrates one of the three POVs but that meant I was cringing through Tristan's POV and ultimately not really immersing myself in the story.
I liked the three MCs a lot and I love the idea of this book. I'll put some more cohesive thoughts in my review for the second book (because yes I read that one too) and leave this as is. Let's just say, this is one I'd recommend you read vs listen to (which is honestly a shame because the narrators for Leo and Aziza are really great)...more
Muslim sapphic best friends share a haunted hotel room? Count me in! This is exactly the type of horror and thriller books I like. It is creepy withouMuslim sapphic best friends share a haunted hotel room? Count me in! This is exactly the type of horror and thriller books I like. It is creepy without being terrifying. The ending is super eerie and I love that. All in all this was a solid book and one that I would recommend!
Queer historical fiction books that take place in the 1950s to 1990s always hit me a lot harder than queer historical fiction thaOh my god. My heart.
Queer historical fiction books that take place in the 1950s to 1990s always hit me a lot harder than queer historical fiction that takes place before that. I think a lot of it is that I know how close they were to being able to at least love without going to jail and even though things still suck for queer people we have so much more freedom to be ourselves and express ourselves publicly. Knowing that these characters would probably still be alive and would've been able to experience loving out loud makes my heart ache. Like I get so teary just thinking about it.
I adore this book. I loved every second of it. I loved the two characters and I loved the flip-flopping of their perspectives and different parts of the book. I loved all of their queer friendships and really the celebration that queer people have always been here and we will always be here no matter how much society and laws and politics try and tear us down.
I especially loved and appreciated the focus on the celebration of queerness and a time when it was illegal and the effort that went into historical accuracy and showing that Queer people can be happy and were happy and will be happy.
I don't have any complaints about this book. Not a single one. I don't know why I waited to read it when I read the rest of Cat Sebastian's books and loved them all.
This was so fun! I didn't read the summary bc I auto request all Sophie Gonzales' books so I was a bit surprised at the fanfiction element but I reallThis was so fun! I didn't read the summary bc I auto request all Sophie Gonzales' books so I was a bit surprised at the fanfiction element but I really liked it. I loved the friends to enemies to lovers and I especially loved the aroace best friend. Please give me more aspec characters and aspec normative language in all queer books!...more
I didn't know much about this one going into it and I have not read any other books by this author so I dDark academia sapphic vampires. Count me in.
I didn't know much about this one going into it and I have not read any other books by this author so I didn't have any expectations necessarily. At first it started out as a sapphic taboo dark academia vibe and then bam! vampires.
One day I'll get better at reading reviews before I start books but it was not today.
I liked this book. I liked the characters and some of the buildup of the vampire element. I do think that there was room for growth especially regarding the fantastical vampire element but as a whole it was a pretty good book.
I did really enjoy that pretty much anyone who has mentioned more than once is queer in some way shape or form and I appreciated that a lot. This book is set in the 1970s which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't but it does mean that the queerness is a little bit publicly understated but within interpersonal relationships it's talked about freely.
I think this might be my favorite book so far this year. I loved literally everything about it.
Chaotic bisexual FMC, midsize Samoan MMC.
I love a cinI think this might be my favorite book so far this year. I loved literally everything about it.
Chaotic bisexual FMC, midsize Samoan MMC.
I love a cinnamon roll hero and Matt fits the bill perfectly. I also love characters who recognize that they need to do work before they can commit to anything and I appreciated Lane putting in the work.
All of it was perfect. The new cover is even more perfect....more
After really LOVING D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding I had really high hopes for this one and most of those expectations were met.
We've got two badasAfter really LOVING D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding I had really high hopes for this one and most of those expectations were met.
We've got two badass Black sapphic MCs, one a fat lesbian stud and one a midsize bisexual femme. They've been best friends for three years and their friendship is unmatched. That energy had me fucking cheesin for the first 40% of this book. Like I was stupid grinning for the first half. I loved it.
I love the way Cyn talks about music and Jucee and I especially loved the way Jucee loved on her son Amani and talked about food. I swear if some of those restaurants aren't already real things, they definitely should be.
Cyn is a Grammy winning music producer and Jucee is an exotic dancer.
When one night their friendship energy turned sexual, things got a little rocky. Neither one wanted to risk their friendship for a little sex.
While I still really enjoyed this whole book, I do feel like some things were missed. I don't hate the miscommunication trope but it's not my favorite either and a ton of this could've been solved if they just actually said what they meant instead of expecting the other to read their mind.
I'm gonna withhold any detailed spoilers or any of my other thoughts for now and will add on when I do a reread after it's released.
What I will say is that this one should definitely be on your radar, especially if you're into friends to lovers. The representation is also unmatched since I know a lot of y'all got bingo cards to fill up.
It's rare for me to read a digital book in it's entirety so quickly and that is always a good sign for me. I finished this one in about 24 hours. I literally couldn't stop. I would try and do something else and then come back for just one more chapter. Jucee and Cyn are both strong emotional women with lots of feelings even if they try to hide some of them and I really genuinely enjoyed their story.
I'll 100% be doing a reread via audio when this releases. Thanks to netgalley and Harlequin Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own. 4.5 stars...more
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