kharlan3's reviews
180 reviews

The narrator was fine for the main character and for Leone but was terrible for the other voices (Jamie, the badminton friends, Sean, the moms, etc). The book had some weird presumably Australian-isms. 
The prose is partly weird because it’s an Australian author writing a book set in the us without someone picking out all the weird turns of phrase that these people would never say. (“Singlet”, “trash our rubbish”, “salami pizza”) The other thing that’s getting to me is that it’s 3rd person, but the kind with insight only into one persons thoughts, but the narration says things about the POV character that he’d clearly never think like “…letting his dimples come out to play”. It’s one thing for the POV character to be obsessed with the love interest’s dimples but it’s weird for the prose to be obsessed with the POV character’s dimples.
In what world do basically stranger roommates cook all meals and do laundry for each other right away? In what world is a gay guy not even a little scared for his safety to kiss his either straight or deeply closeted roommate? When was this supposed to be set (who brings their music to the roller rink on a thumb drive? Leone is taking taxis not Ubers or Lyfts?) In what world does Theo not have any concern about “am I gay? Does this make me gay?” 

Gotta be honest, this one was tough for me but IDK why. It felt like the book was pretty (maybe unintentionally) fatphobic- lots of negative descriptions of fat people. overall, it just felt really long in a way i struggled with.

College senior Cassie hooks up with an older woman Erin, and only afterward discovers that the woman was her best friend’s mom!

I did not expect this to work for me. But somehow it did! The forbidden-ness of the relationship and the looming threat of Erin’s daughter finding out about the relationship create a sense of anxiety that managed to not take away from the sexy, fun, and effective description of falling in love despite all best intentions. The pacing can feel weird at times, as this book doesn’t follow the exact structure you may expect from a romance novel. 

Overall, I would recommend this book- come for the steamy sex and undeniable chemistry, stay for the chosen family and self discovery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an eARC in return for an honest review!

Queerly Beloved is the story of Amy, a lesbian in Tulsa, Oklahoma who starts a bridesmaid-for-hire business after getting fired from her job at a Christian bakery, and falls for a new transplant to town, the beautiful Charley.

Ultimately, I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s definitely cute, and the ending ties up very neatly. I liked reading a queer romance novel set in Tulsa, and the bridesmaid-for-hire business of the protagonist creates some interesting internal conflict. I also loved Amy’s relationship with her mom and with her chosen family, and the wedding shenanigans were intriguing. My main issue with the book is the romantic lead, Charley: I felt like I didn’t get to know her at all beyond her being beautiful and put together. She doesn’t seem to have any flaws or any three dimensionality. This means that the third act breakup doesn’t feel tied to the actual characters or plot. Parts of the book were definitely cute, but I wanted more.

I was pretty invested in Amy’s relationship with her best friends, so when her relationships with them and with Charley falls apart all at the same time, it didn’t make a ton of sense to me that she let whole months go by (without the time seeming particularly devastating) before making up with them.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an eARC in return for an honest review!

Maggie is trying to decide which of three love interests (her female best friend, her male ex, or the intriguing new girl in town) to take to her quince. She ends up doing a photography project through Instagram to help her decide.

I’m not sure what about this book didn’t work for me. On paper, it seems like one I’d enjoy, but I think I wanted some more depth. I was intrigued by the conflict, and her feelings for each person are compelling. Sometimes YA books have an issue where I feel like they’re trying harder to do good representation than to tell a story, and I think this fell into that a little bit. 

When this comes out on audio, I’ll happily give it another chance in that format.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!

The book opens with Rob blackmailing Marian in letter format because her husband is actually legally married to someone else, leaving her marriage (and her best friend Percy's inheritance) in peril.  

Things I loved:
-Grumpy f/sunshine m!
-It gave me fluttery feelings
-All the sex is

non-penetrative

but it doesn't feel any less sexy and lovely, indeed I thought it was more sexy and lovely to have actual conversations about what kind of sex to have!
-The consent-seeking is so completely explicit and clear and non-awkward
-I adore characters that accidentally rescue animals
-Lovely to see Percy and Kit again
-The characters feel real- both have flaws

like Rob's claustrophobia and Marian's irritation about the market and both of their traumas

- but they also have amazing competences like Marian's snarky competence and Rob's impressive capacity for fondness.
-The letters! They're lovely and convincing and lovely.
-Found family

Unlike many romance series (including most of Cat Sebastian's others), you would really want to read The Queer Principles of Kit Webb first before reading this- they take place in overlapping timelines and this would completely spoil Kit Webb's twists and probably make less sense without it.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an eARC in return for an honest review!