Scan barcode
door's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
justinejustreads's review against another edition
5.0
This book was everything
I don't think I'll ever forget all of the ways this book made me feel. Emotional. So emotional. I wanted to wrap Isabel and Derek in cotton wool these guys had it so rough. They were the perfect gift to each other after life kicked both of their a**es. I need an epilogue 5 years in the future with dogs and babies and Bryan updates. I hardly ever care about that sort of thing. All the stars.
I don't think I'll ever forget all of the ways this book made me feel. Emotional. So emotional. I wanted to wrap Isabel and Derek in cotton wool these guys had it so rough. They were the perfect gift to each other after life kicked both of their a**es. I need an epilogue 5 years in the future with dogs and babies and Bryan updates. I hardly ever care about that sort of thing. All the stars.
kekela717's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, especially Isabel's journey. It was handled with such kindness and gentleness that it made me as a reader feel safe because I could trust that she would be alright in the long run, even if it took some time. I appreciated the affirmations that her journey and story were her own to share as she wished, on her own terms and when she was ready. I haven't read many stories with a bisexual heroine who was just starting out on this process of self-acceptance and love and seeing her be embraced by her found family (along with Derek's) was everything I wanted for her. I also really loved the way Isabel was able to see and appreciate all the things in Derek that he struggled to see for himself, they were really able to show the other person the best sides of themselves and it made for a truly beautiful partnership.
Thank you to Skye for providing an eARC!
Thank you to Skye for providing an eARC!
jrv45's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
emeliestegbornblixt's review
5.0
Tell Me Anything was a deeply meaningful and deeply personal reading experience for me. Even though the specifics of our experiences are different, Isabel's experience of struggling under the threat of being outed to her conservative (read: bigoted) family felt relatable to me in a way that made it impossible to put down this book once I had started it.
It is full of queer angst and queer hope. The depiction of biphobia (in both straight and queer contexts) is saddening and enraging - and unfortunately all too realistic. This story made me sit with some of my most painful past and current anxieties, while wrapping me in a cozy blanket and handing me a cup of hot chocolate. The stressful aspects of the plot are well balanced with comforting moments of, you know... people taking care of people they care about. And of course everyone's favorite trope: queer found family.
Some specific things I loved:
- While Derek provides comfort, help, support and even saves Isabel in various different ways over the course of the story, he is not the sole person she turns to in every situation. And while she learns to accept help from him she doesn't become dependant on him (this relates to both material forms of help and emotional support).
- Did I mention queer found family? Because queer found family.
- Sometimes queers behave badly. Sometimes they behave badly in ways that are tied to their queerness in one way or another (read: trauma). And maybe, just maybe, they get to heal and find various kinds of love after all of that. Maybe people are worthy of love and new beginnings even if they did something bad at some point.
- This story is aggressively bisexual. Often with a focus on biphobia and bi-erasure, so it's not always a great time, but I still appreciate it so much. The way Derek has zero patience for it is lovely to read.
- As someone who as become increasingly bored by sex scenes in m/f romance I really loved the sex in this for some reason?
I really don't know how to put into words what this story meant to me, and I'm not sure my love of it says anything about whether anyone else would like it. It's one of those reading experiences when something speaks to you on a level that renders you incapable of critical analysis of it. Well, maybe not incapable, but I honestly don't want to try and find out either way.
eArc provided by the author
It is full of queer angst and queer hope. The depiction of biphobia (in both straight and queer contexts) is saddening and enraging - and unfortunately all too realistic. This story made me sit with some of my most painful past and current anxieties, while wrapping me in a cozy blanket and handing me a cup of hot chocolate. The stressful aspects of the plot are well balanced with comforting moments of, you know... people taking care of people they care about. And of course everyone's favorite trope: queer found family.
Some specific things I loved:
- While Derek provides comfort, help, support and even saves Isabel in various different ways over the course of the story, he is not the sole person she turns to in every situation. And while she learns to accept help from him she doesn't become dependant on him (this relates to both material forms of help and emotional support).
- Did I mention queer found family? Because queer found family.
- Sometimes queers behave badly. Sometimes they behave badly in ways that are tied to their queerness in one way or another (read: trauma). And maybe, just maybe, they get to heal and find various kinds of love after all of that. Maybe people are worthy of love and new beginnings even if they did something bad at some point.
- This story is aggressively bisexual. Often with a focus on biphobia and bi-erasure, so it's not always a great time, but I still appreciate it so much. The way Derek has zero patience for it is lovely to read.
- As someone who as become increasingly bored by sex scenes in m/f romance I really loved the sex in this for some reason?
I really don't know how to put into words what this story meant to me, and I'm not sure my love of it says anything about whether anyone else would like it. It's one of those reading experiences when something speaks to you on a level that renders you incapable of critical analysis of it. Well, maybe not incapable, but I honestly don't want to try and find out either way.
eArc provided by the author
lillist's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars - A safe, comforting, warm hug for the soul
Do you need a really comforting read with a guaranteed happy ending? With queer found family and populated by people who are proper adults who treat each other with respect? Then this one might be just the read for you!
The plot is straightforward: Isabell is bi, but not out, and her boyfriend moves out of their (expensive as hell) appartment while she is away from home. Now she has to deal with being left very unexpectedly while being stuck with an appartment she cannot really afford and no health insurance. Also, her Ex blackmails her into putting up with all of this, otherwise he would tell her parents. And Isabell is absolutely terrified of her conservative family finding out that she is bi. At this point Derek comes into her life and can see right away that she is not in a good place at all - and he isn't really either, although for very different reasons. And so we follow them as they grow closer while dealing with the present and coming to terms with the past.
I really, really liked this queer romance! It is always a joy to read books that are populated with responsible, considerate adults who have their shit (mostly) together. Even those who act like utter jerks might be just having some serious issues of their own (which is not an excuse at all, as is made very clear).
Both Isabel and Derek are real sweethearts and you cannot help but root for them. Their friends and found family are also great characters that round the story out well. Fundamentally, this is a SAFE story. There's no belittling, no disrespect, no petty meanness. And that is just sooo comforting.
One little aspect that prevented me from giving this one 5 stars is the fact that the plot is advanced more than once by convenient coincidences and that there is a little bit of manufactured drama in the shape of avoidable misunderstandings. I don't usually read romance though, so those might be common (and possibly expected) tropes.
There was something else that made immersion a bit difficult but it is not at all the author's fault: it was pretty hard to imagine that coming out as bisexual could be a life-destroying desaster. Being from a pretty liberal country it is rather unfathomable that parents could break off contact with their child over something like this. I have no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the story, it just makes immersion more difficult.
These nitpicks aside I can recommend Tell me Anything to absolutely anyone who might enjoy romance with a queer twist. There is apparently going to be a second book focussing on another character and I cannot wait to read that one as well!
I have received an advance review copy from the author and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you so very much!
Do you need a really comforting read with a guaranteed happy ending? With queer found family and populated by people who are proper adults who treat each other with respect? Then this one might be just the read for you!
The plot is straightforward: Isabell is bi, but not out, and her boyfriend moves out of their (expensive as hell) appartment while she is away from home. Now she has to deal with being left very unexpectedly while being stuck with an appartment she cannot really afford and no health insurance. Also, her Ex blackmails her into putting up with all of this, otherwise he would tell her parents. And Isabell is absolutely terrified of her conservative family finding out that she is bi. At this point Derek comes into her life and can see right away that she is not in a good place at all - and he isn't really either, although for very different reasons. And so we follow them as they grow closer while dealing with the present and coming to terms with the past.
I really, really liked this queer romance! It is always a joy to read books that are populated with responsible, considerate adults who have their shit (mostly) together. Even those who act like utter jerks might be just having some serious issues of their own (which is not an excuse at all, as is made very clear).
Both Isabel and Derek are real sweethearts and you cannot help but root for them. Their friends and found family are also great characters that round the story out well. Fundamentally, this is a SAFE story. There's no belittling, no disrespect, no petty meanness. And that is just sooo comforting.
One little aspect that prevented me from giving this one 5 stars is the fact that the plot is advanced more than once by convenient coincidences and that there is a little bit of manufactured drama in the shape of avoidable misunderstandings. I don't usually read romance though, so those might be common (and possibly expected) tropes.
There was something else that made immersion a bit difficult but it is not at all the author's fault: it was pretty hard to imagine that coming out as bisexual could be a life-destroying desaster. Being from a pretty liberal country it is rather unfathomable that parents could break off contact with their child over something like this. I have no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the story, it just makes immersion more difficult.
These nitpicks aside I can recommend Tell me Anything to absolutely anyone who might enjoy romance with a queer twist. There is apparently going to be a second book focussing on another character and I cannot wait to read that one as well!
I have received an advance review copy from the author and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you so very much!
althea's review against another edition
4.0
I say it every single time I read one of her books but Skye Kilaen has never let me down and this was no exception! I am super passionate about queer m/f books and I absolutely adore when both parties are queer so this was such a great read for me! It's very much a hurt/comfort romance and I think it worked really well as the two characters could really relate to each other, and seeing them grow and begin to love each other in such a healthy way with really great boundaries was so wonderful. In typical Skye Kilaen style, the side characters were, once again, so loveable and the found family aspect was so great, especially since we don't see that all too often in contemporary romance. Something that I found to be so great, even though it was so miniscule a detail, was the mentioning of dental dams with regards to safe sex - I don't think I've ever seen them mentioned in a book before and I'm 100% here for the normalisation of them! Overall I absolutely adored this book and all the nuanced explorations of bisexuality and biphobia both from within and outside the queer community, and I'm really looking forward to what Skye releases next, as well as the sequel to this novella!
Thanks to the author for providing me an eARC copy - all thoughts are my own!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
Thanks to the author for providing me an eARC copy - all thoughts are my own!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
rubyelizabethrambles's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thewhitneyd's review
5.0
A great queer story about healing, romance and loving yourself
Isabel returns home from a family trip to find her boyfriend had left her in a pricey apartment, stuck with the remaining lease. They'd struggled with her admission that she was bi, and it seemed as though he was threatening to tell her family unless she finished out the lease.
Isabel continues to struggle, meeting Derek- who is
Isabel returns home from a family trip to find her boyfriend had left her in a pricey apartment, stuck with the remaining lease. They'd struggled with her admission that she was bi, and it seemed as though he was threatening to tell her family unless she finished out the lease.
Isabel continues to struggle, meeting Derek- who is