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A review by foiblesandfiction
Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone
5.0
My favorite contemporary romance of the year! Sweet Talk is an original, heartfelt romance that will cause long bouts of swooning and uncontrollable laughter. Proceed with caution when reading in public spaces. Thank you to Headline Eternal for the review copy!
Jessie has turned herself upside down and inside out for her family over and over again, and this time she’s left her life behind to help her terminally ill pops who has moved in to a care facility. One night in her pops’ kitchen with just her insomnia and a slice of chocolate cake for company, her phone alerts with a random text from her crush, Eliot. Soon they’re sharing phone calls and inside jokes and personal secrets, but the one thing she can never share is who she really is because if Eliot knew the truth then he’d want nothing to do with her. Can Jessie overcome her fears, or will their sweet talk end in broken hearts for them both?
“Loyalty doesn’t mean making it so nothing bad ever happens to the person you love. And it definitely doesn’t mean sacrificing yourself in the process.”
I love a good romance and I’m not afraid to admit it. As a frail old lady (yes, I’m only 29 but sometimes my ankles hurt when I stand after sitting for too long, okay?) who’s been married for ten years, a book that can give me that ache in my gut and the need to hide my goofy smile in the couch cushions is a blessed thing. And this book gave me all those feels.
The dialogue was really what made this book shine. It was so witty, so genuinely funny, that I couldn’t control the laughter erupting from my mouth every thirty seconds or so. The back and forth dialogue really cemented the chemistry between Jessie and Eliot, and it made the characters’ relationships and connections so much more believable for its heart and humor.
“You use dating websites?”
“No, I don’t actually. I don’t have anything against them, but I prefer to meet dudes the old-fashioned way.”
“Bars?”
“Monster truck rallies.”
I also really enjoyed and connected with the characters themselves. It was so enjoyable to read about characters who put a spin on those you typically find in the contemporary romance genre. Jessie was kind and sensitive and giving, and she also was covered in tattoos that were covered by the leather jacket she wore while riding her motorcycle. Eliot was traditionally attractive and strong and successful, and he was also artistic and gentle and insecure about his neurodivergence. Jessie can arm wrestle a bear and Eliot lines his slippers up next to his perfectly made bed. Eliot also drinks a surprising amount of orange juice but that is neither here nor there. What is relevant is that both main characters were genuine and heartfelt and I ended the book feeling like I’d made two new friends, friends who’d I had also voyeuristically creeped on during their vulnerable moments but that is also neither here nor there.
“Having feelings for someone isn’t about expecting them to be . . . anything, really. It’s about knowing somebody. And liking them for who they are.”
I do have to say that I was so so sooo ready for some spice and unfortunately there wasn’t any. Some kisses, some snuggling, all of which were incredibly adorable. But I was so in love with Eliot too (watch out, Jessie) that I was excited to see how he’d get down in the sack, especially because one does not often get to read about male characters in this genre who are aware of their privilege and as dismayed by men as women are. I’m sure he would have been giving and intimate and lovely, but alas, there was no sexy time so I’m left to my own imagination.
If you’re a fan of Lyssa Kay Adams and Sally Thorne, of heartfelt romance with vulnerable characters and a dash of funny, then you’ll love this book too. I promise you won’t be disappointed, just be sure to let me know when you’re done so we can swap sexy Eliot fancition.
Jessie has turned herself upside down and inside out for her family over and over again, and this time she’s left her life behind to help her terminally ill pops who has moved in to a care facility. One night in her pops’ kitchen with just her insomnia and a slice of chocolate cake for company, her phone alerts with a random text from her crush, Eliot. Soon they’re sharing phone calls and inside jokes and personal secrets, but the one thing she can never share is who she really is because if Eliot knew the truth then he’d want nothing to do with her. Can Jessie overcome her fears, or will their sweet talk end in broken hearts for them both?
“Loyalty doesn’t mean making it so nothing bad ever happens to the person you love. And it definitely doesn’t mean sacrificing yourself in the process.”
I love a good romance and I’m not afraid to admit it. As a frail old lady (yes, I’m only 29 but sometimes my ankles hurt when I stand after sitting for too long, okay?) who’s been married for ten years, a book that can give me that ache in my gut and the need to hide my goofy smile in the couch cushions is a blessed thing. And this book gave me all those feels.
The dialogue was really what made this book shine. It was so witty, so genuinely funny, that I couldn’t control the laughter erupting from my mouth every thirty seconds or so. The back and forth dialogue really cemented the chemistry between Jessie and Eliot, and it made the characters’ relationships and connections so much more believable for its heart and humor.
“You use dating websites?”
“No, I don’t actually. I don’t have anything against them, but I prefer to meet dudes the old-fashioned way.”
“Bars?”
“Monster truck rallies.”
I also really enjoyed and connected with the characters themselves. It was so enjoyable to read about characters who put a spin on those you typically find in the contemporary romance genre. Jessie was kind and sensitive and giving, and she also was covered in tattoos that were covered by the leather jacket she wore while riding her motorcycle. Eliot was traditionally attractive and strong and successful, and he was also artistic and gentle and insecure about his neurodivergence. Jessie can arm wrestle a bear and Eliot lines his slippers up next to his perfectly made bed. Eliot also drinks a surprising amount of orange juice but that is neither here nor there. What is relevant is that both main characters were genuine and heartfelt and I ended the book feeling like I’d made two new friends, friends who’d I had also voyeuristically creeped on during their vulnerable moments but that is also neither here nor there.
“Having feelings for someone isn’t about expecting them to be . . . anything, really. It’s about knowing somebody. And liking them for who they are.”
I do have to say that I was so so sooo ready for some spice and unfortunately there wasn’t any. Some kisses, some snuggling, all of which were incredibly adorable. But I was so in love with Eliot too (watch out, Jessie) that I was excited to see how he’d get down in the sack, especially because one does not often get to read about male characters in this genre who are aware of their privilege and as dismayed by men as women are. I’m sure he would have been giving and intimate and lovely, but alas, there was no sexy time so I’m left to my own imagination.
If you’re a fan of Lyssa Kay Adams and Sally Thorne, of heartfelt romance with vulnerable characters and a dash of funny, then you’ll love this book too. I promise you won’t be disappointed, just be sure to let me know when you’re done so we can swap sexy Eliot fancition.