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itskenzcarter's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fairly good book and an easy read. The story had slow moments, and one of the main characters (Rosie) was difficult to like at times. It’s nice to read a queer romance. This book had its flaws, but ultimately, I think it was cute. Don’t expect the queer novel of the year out of this book. Just read to enjoy. It could’ve been better and could’ve been condensed in areas, but it was still enjoyable!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Cursing
bookswithmaia's review
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Death of parent
embee09's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
minyoonhwi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Misogyny and Alcohol
the_vegan_bookworm's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the premise of this story, but the execution was really lackluster for me. The conflict felt overly drawn out and like it would keep being resolved and then a problem again, which made it hard to feel invested as the story went on. There were also several smaller conflicts always going on, so it was tough to feel invested in each of them throughout the story.
The sex scenes were also boring, from my perspective. Some of the choices (like blacking out or the scene fading to black) felt like the author trying to get out of writing the racy content.
- "Brie" with no last name feels like a really odd choice for a pen name. I feel skeptical that a publisher would say okay to that.
- I hate landlords and gentrification, so I was into the idea of a person recognizing the immorality of that kind of work and pursuing different avenues of labour. But it felt like the author wanted to say "oh but they're just doing their job", despite making the negative impacts of those professions a central conflict. Even Amy effectively says "we only renovate buildings and honestly, if that upsets Rosie, don't date her". After we spend an entire book looking at how those renovations price people out of their city, cut families off from the neighborhoods they've lived in all their lives, and threaten small businesses???? What about that is morally neutral?? Why is Rosie suddenly okay with that??
- The George thing comes completely out of left field in a bad way. I think if the conflict was better planned earlier in the story, you wouldn't need this additional villain to make the point clear.
- Brie quits her job, because she wants Rosie to like her and not because the things she does for work hurt people. That feels like a really problematic approach. Brie also doesn't like her work, but it feels obvious that the actual thing driving her to quit is wanting this relationship with Rosie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Alcohol, and Sexism
3readingcircus's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
jackiie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexual content
athenathestorier's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It was a simple cozy lesbian romance with protagonists in their 30s. And dare I say that it felt like it? The way that they handled their needs and emotions were so mature. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic was prevalent but understated - with an awareness that circumstances made them enemies, not each other.
It also had a potent since of relatability - as a book lover, as a writer, and as someone who's just trying to make their way in the workforce. In fact, the book both served as a lovely romantic escape, and a subtle motivator for my life after closing the book. A rather meta reminder that there's life to tackle once you close the book.
Something else that stood out was the fact that one of our protagonists, an extremely avid book lover, was an extrovert. I, myself, am deeply introverted but I am all too aware that there's a common assumption that extroverts aren't big readers. That they have other things to do. So this was quite refreshing and appreciated.
It also had a potent since of relatability - as a book lover, as a writer, and as someone who's just trying to make their way in the workforce. In fact, the book both served as a lovely romantic escape, and a subtle motivator for my life after closing the book. A rather meta reminder that there's life to tackle once you close the book.
Something else that stood out was the fact that one of our protagonists, an extremely avid book lover, was an extrovert. I, myself, am deeply introverted but I am all too aware that there's a common assumption that extroverts aren't big readers. That they have other things to do. So this was quite refreshing and appreciated.
Possibly inspired by "You've Got Mail" (if I'm understanding that acknowledgements page correctly), I was also reminded in style of the Fandom Hearts series by Cathy Yardley (which is one of my favorite romance series).
Favorite Quotes:
"Books spoke to her on a soul-deep level. They had the power to change lives when someone saw themselves represented on the page for the first time, and nothing made her happier than helping a customer find that connection."
"Sometimes I feel more comfortable with myself behind a keyboard than in person."
"But when she finished the book and put it back on her shelf, she was all alone in her bedroom."
"Her online crush, her real-life crush, and the woman who'd crushed her dreams were all the same person, and her mind was still struggling to snap all the pieces into place."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Sexism, and Alcohol
analenegrace's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received this book in a book swap, and I hadn’t heard of the author before, but I’ll definitely be reading Rachel Lacey’s others! This book was fun and easy to pace through, making it a great vacation read. I love that it's about a bookstore owner, although I was pretty wary going in knowing it was about a landlord, but I loved and related to Jane’s character a lot. It was well-written, and the characters felt really realistic, making their relationship nice to read about!
Jane’s character was especially intriguing as her work is complicated; while landlords are not inherently evil, the actions of her father's business are bad, and I did wish that we had maybe reached that conclusion a little bit more rather than just the “alls well that ends well” conclusion to the bookstore location plot. Jane’s choice to leave her job and comfort zone to pursue her goal as an author was great, although it felt like the characters were moving in together way too fast, same with saying I love you. I tend to prefer characters whose romance feels a bit more realistic in their speed.
Usually, my least favorite trope is any of sort of hidden identity because it leads to the miscommunication trope, which is just awful, but Rosie and Jane were such good communicators for the most part that it was fantastic. Jane choosing to tell Rosie who she was rather than keep it from her was not what I expected but was highly appreciated. The characters felt their feelings strongly, and I enjoyed that they were lesbians and comfortable in saying lesbian because too many WLW romances choose to skirt around the word lesbian like it is dirty rather than many people’s identities.
I also really enjoyed the way the side characters were written, and I’m very interested in the possibility of a Gracie/Lia book which it felt like the author was hinting at! All in all, a good read by an author who writes well and isn’t afraid of lesbian!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
fqirykisscs's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent