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My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner

Another queer romance by Meryl Wilsner! I was super excited about this one just from the cover. A plus-sized MC is rare. And to have nonbinary representation too! Exciting! That said, “My Best Friend’s Honeymoon” didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Personally, I’m not a fan of romance books that involve a main character just breaking up with someone. It creates too many passages of a romance between two people to be focused on someone else. Elsie ends her engagement when he tries to spring a surprise wedding on her but since the honeymoon is nonrefundable, he is nice enough to suggest Elsie takes her best friend, Ginny, with her instead. The inevitable comparisons between Ginny and her ex, Derrick are plentiful enough to be annoying. Especially during sex. Even though they’ve been best friends for years, I found the no-questions-asked, immediately sleeping together after one statement a bit unbelievable. I did like that sex was looked at in a healthy way and lots of consent was given even after multiple times. Though the romance and plot felt a bit predictable, I still enjoyed the read. The book had lots of spice and some less typical sex, too, than you’d expect from reading Wilsner’s other books.

Overall, you can’t lose reading a Meryl Wilsner book. Even if this isn’t one of my favorites of theirs, the book is still a fun ride. Maybe I had too high of specific hopes for this book. It’s still a good read even if I’ll recommend “Mistakes Were Made” first.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC!

POV: third person, present tense, two POVs

Spice: 🔥🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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Bed and Breakup by Susie Dumond

“Bed and Breakup” by Susie Dumond is a sweet, small-town, romance novel about Molly, a stained glass artist, and Robin, a chef, who accidentally see each other (seven years after separating) at the bed and breakfast they own. While attempting to go on their separate lives, being back in the comfort of Eureka Springs and in the place they built together, their romance rekindles.

I enjoyed the slightly slow-burn aspect of the romance and how each character opened up to show their insecurities about what went wrong in the past. I’m not a huge fan of two people promising to keep sleeping together casually when they obviously are not keeping it casual. But in this case, with their history, it made more sense. I enjoyed the experience of them relearning everything about each other and why they love each other. However, I will say the sex scenes fell flat and were basic and fast.

Another aspect I found myself wanting more from was the ending. SPOILER ALERT: They essentially renew their vows together (as they never actually got divorced) and the author doesn’t even show their dialogue for that scene! The book felt like a build-up to this moment and then it was just paraphrased over. So, I ended the book feeling like I was missing out.

Another thing that has nothing to do with the writing is the cover. I love the art on the cover and the references to things in the book, such as the title being in stained glass and the hummingbirds representing the name of the inn, the Hummingbird. My issue is the inn itself. The inn was clearly described as having four floors, or three with a livable attic. To have such specific details and then to miss that was odd to me.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to sapphic romance readers, especially fans of Ashley Herring Blake or Haley Cass.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the digital ARC!

POV: first person, present tense, two POVs

Spice: 🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli

“Amelia If Only,” by Becky Alberta is a slow-burn YA novel about a Jewish high schooler, Amelia, who drags her friends on a road trip to meet her favorite YouTuber. Though she thinks she has a crush on him, she ends up meeting and befriending him and realizes her crush is her best friend, Natalie.

By slow-burn, I mean she doesn’t realize her crush until way into the book (at least 80%). Though interspersed throughout the book are her subtle thoughts of her actually falling for Natalie. The book is a sweet YA novel that has an adorable group of friends who are all queer and deeply care for each other. Amelia is a jokester and as the book is in first person, the humor comes across on the page even in her thoughts.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to any readers looking for a YA romance, especially if looking for bisexual or Jewish representation.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the digital ARC!

POV: first person, present tense

Spice: 0/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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Hollywood Hearts by Toni Logan

“Hollywood Hearts” by Toni Logan is an enemies-to-lovers romance about a fairly famous actress, McKenzie, who unknowingly falls for a paparazzo, Rylee. I was skeptical about this setup as I, like McKenzie, have negative feelings for paparazzi. I wasn’t sure how Rylee could be depicted as a good person and paparazzi at the same time. And how the issue of celebrity and paparazzi could be resolved.

I thought the book was a cute romance and had some interesting side characters as well. My main issue was the pacing. Over halfway through the book Rylee and McKenzie had barely interacted. So when they did finally get together, their feelings felt rushed and underrepresented in the pages. I wish the book had spent more time on them together and explored more of the conflict that could arise from a celebrity dating a paparazzi.

Overall, “Hollywood Hearts” has an interesting premise but did feel like it could be fleshed out more thoroughly. I did enjoy the read and had a good time with it. If you’re a fan of celebrity romances, I would recommend checking this out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the digital ARC!

POV: 3rd person, past tense, two POVs

Spice: 🔥🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid

Lesbian Hunger Games meets The Last of Us!!

“Fable for the End of the World” by Ava Reid is a post-apocalyptic and dystopian story in the same vein as “The Hunger Games” but with zombie-like creatures called Wends. In the place of New Amsterdam (located in current New York), a single corporation, Caerus, controls every aspect of society, including debt. Once a person goes beyond 500,000 credits of debt, they are nominated for a televised spectacle called the Gauntlet. The debtors can appoint a family member to compete in the Gauntlet instead. Caerus raises and trains “Angels,” young killers, to hunt down those nominated in the Gauntlet, called Lambs. The book is split between the POV of an Angel, Melinoë, and the Lamb, Inesa. Inesa’s mother secretly racked up debt and then gave up her daughter to the Gauntlet.

The setting and world of “Fable for the End of the World” is fascinating. A frightening outlook that feels all too real for our own world to fall into. The real-world references in lakes and places underscore how close we are to falling into the same world of despair due to selfish corporations, a growing divide between classes, and a landscape marred by climate change. Inesa and Mel are on opposite ends of the divide, but we will learn that despite having credits and recognition, Mel is just as oppressed as Inesa. Having both POVs grants the reader the ability to be with each character as they discover themselves through each other and learn to disregard the prejudice taught to them through their life circumstances. Despite the gloomy setting and plot, moments of sweetness and hope squeeze through. The longing and yearning between Inesa and Mel is lovely to read through. Ava Reid does a great job of encapsulating the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they go from enemies to lovers.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how the people and place names were well thought out and often referred to Greek mythology. Of course, interspersed with enough real-world references to make it jarring and unsettling.

As I often feel with good books, I wish this one was longer. The setup was intriguing and I would love to read more about other people in the world and to dive deeper into the corporation and the world, such as more about the Wends. I hope a sequel is in the works!

Even though this book is YA, I think any adult could find value in reading this. The story is engrossing and complex. I loved the sapphic aspect as well, and I think anyone interested in sapphic novels would enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

POV: 1st person, present tense, two POVs

Spice: 0/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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The Art of Unmaking by Parker Lennox

“The Art of Unmaking” by Parker Lennox is a wonderful historical fiction novel about two women from opposite sides of the art world. Clara is trapped in a traditional school, traditional values, and traditional expectations. And Evelyn belongs to a world promising innovation, illumination, and freedom. The book reminisces of Gentleman Jack in Evelyn’s critique of normality and her pushing the usual boundaries of what’s expected of women and Portrait of Lady on Fire with its dive into artistry and creation paralleling a burgeoning relationship.

Lennox does a wonderful job of illustrating the artworks and life of Clara and her society with just her words. I was enthralled and fascinated every step of the way. I could picture the foggy streets just as much as the impasto paintings they created together.

The book was filled with yearning and longing both for a destiny and a person beyond expectation. These themes feel so valid and relatable even 100 years later. I got goosebumps from the pining and the chemistry.

The only thing about this novel I wish I could change is its scope and length. Only 268 pages and easily consumed (but not easily forgotten). I want to dive deeper into this world and the relationships held within. I could easily see this being a series, but I would have loved to read 600 pages.

As an art history nerd, this book scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. I highly recommend “The Art of Unmaking” to book and art lovers in addition to those who love romance and fantasy.

Bonus! In addition to the beautiful cover, the book includes a lovely piece of art depicting Clara and Evelyn that I can imagine they would be proud of.

POV: 1st person, past tense

Spice: 🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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The Roommate by Claire Forsythe

“The Roommate” is a sweet, slow-burn* sapphic romance. Featuring “straight” Jess and freshly single Sydney. They meet on a train under unrelated, distraught circumstances. For Jess, she realizes her attraction to a woman for the first time. Sydney, however, falls head over heels right off the bat. They end up serendipitously meeting once again when Sydney takes over a room in Jess and her bestie (Chloe’s) apartment.

For first impressions, however, I have to say that the book's cover is terrible and doesn’t represent the quality of this book at all. The cover looks like two childish cartoon dolls. The art looks amateurish and unprofessional. I personally would be embarrassed to be holding this book in public. (Thank god for kindles). PLEASE, I beg, get different cover art for this book before it's released.

Otherwise, I enjoyed “The Roommate.” The book does a good job of taking a popular trope (“and they were roommates”) and making it special and unique. The meet-cute was exciting and fun, and the longing between the two characters felt palpable.

One aspect I disliked was how long the main character, Jess, took to break up with her boyfriend. Her avoidance and discussion of him did feel like it went on too long and became repetitive. Additionally, I feel like the book wrapped up too quickly. I know it’s common in romance novels for the big breakup to occur towards the end, and then they reunite and solve everything right before the end of the book, but I guess I was hoping for something different. Especially since I felt like this book had a lot to offer, especially not necessarily falling into the formula of other books.

I enjoyed the found family aspect of Jess’s work family and Sydney’s close relationship with her sister. I think that Jess and Sydney had a lot of chemistry and when they finally got together, it was a fun relief.

I would recommend this book to any reader of sapphic romance. It’s fun and quirky! A fast read for a cozy night.

P.S. “Slow burn” gets an asterisk because the book itself is fairly short but in the book itself it takes about 3/4 of the way for even a kiss to happen.

POV: 3rd person, past tense

Spice: 🔥🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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All For Her: Forbidden Romance Novellas

"All For Her" contains three different stories by three different authors. They all share a common theme of a woman falling for someone “forbidden” for various reasons. In “Her Boss’s Wife” by Gun Brooke, a young assistant to an attorney is in love with his wife, who he is in the process of divorcing. In “Her Therapist’s Daughter” by J.J. Hale, a woman falls in love with her therapist's daughter. In “Her Brother’s Girlfriend” by Aurora Rey, a woman is in love with her brother’s girlfriend of ten years.

Since these are all short stories, it is expected that these are fast-paced. While each one was interesting and could have been expanded, I appreciated the short form. I do miss the fleshing-out a full-length book could have given these characters. I think the authors did well on each one and it serves as a good intro piece to each of them. The stories all had a good combo of romance, spice, and plot tucked into the short stories.

My one complaint is the cover. The cover doesn’t represent three stories, and I personally am not a fan of photography on covers. I also prefer covers that don’t look like you’re reading erotica in public.

I would recommend this to any sapphic romance reader especially if one is looking for bite-sized reads.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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On Her Terms by Amy Spalding

“On Her Terms” by Amy Spalding features the POV of Clementine, who just broke up with her long-term boyfriend, Will. She is reintroduced to an acquaintance, Chloe outside of her first attempt at entering a queer bar. Chloe saves her from a few men harassing her. They come up with a fake dating scheme to appear more adult or settled in life with their friends and family.

Like the other books in the “Out in Hollywood” series, this can be read as a standalone novel. Though a few characters make appearances such as Ari and Nina from the first novel, “For Her Consideration” and Sadie from “At Her Service."

While I loved the previous two books in the series, this one felt like it was lacking something for me. Mostly, the chemistry between Clementine and Chloe felt off and not as romantic. I didn’t feel sparks. I barely felt like the two of them could be friends. I found myself thinking Clementine had more chemistry with Chloe’s friends than Chloe. I even felt more chemistry between Clementine and Sadie, yikes. Perhaps one of the obstacles to their chemistry was how often Clementine thought of and discussed Will, her ex. I get their relationship existed for the majority of her life, but by the end of the book, I was sick of her constant thoughts of comparing Chloe to him or thinking about how different her life was without him. Another aspect that bothered me was the way Clementine thought about fake dating. At one point, she even mentions disliking the trope when she’s reading novels. The inclusion of the trope in this book felt too meta and as though the author was trying to convince the reader that, yeah, maybe this book was a fake-dating trope, but it’s okay because it’s not like those other books!

One aspect of the book I did appreciate was again having a plus-sized MC and the positive body representation. I also appreciated the found family feeling of each woman’s friend groups, even though Clementine’s friends didn’t seem like the greatest people at first.

While the book honors the romantic endings of the previous two novels in the series, this one sits at the bottom of my list. Even with my critiques, the book was enjoyable. I will still recommend the series to fans of sapphic romance.

POV: 1st person, past tense

Spice: 🔥/3

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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All Fired Up

My ARC from NetGalley review:

"All Fired Up" is a very fitting title for a book filled with sparks and heat! While an adorable and enjoyable romance, it has its fair share of spice. It’s short enough to enjoy in one evening, which is both good and bad because I wanted more! Nic and Kira have great chemistry, and it is simply adorable to put a fire-starting scientist and a firefighter together. I enjoyed the double entendre with the title and the chemistry between the characters. Usually, I avoid first person and present tense out of personal preference but I decided to go for it anyway. Despite my preference, I enjoyed the author’s voice and found myself forgetting the perspective. I also found the touch of humor to be well done, especially with the quippy remarks from the characters just for the reader. As someone who has lived in the setting of the book, Seattle, I enjoyed the little pieces of familiarity. I do wish that the city itself was more present in the setting and locations more fully fleshed out. Overall "All Fired Up" is a great read and a fun feel-good queer romcom that I would recommend to any reader regardless of sexuality.

POV: 1st person, present tense

Spice: 🔥🔥/3

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5