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auteaandtales's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
4.5
My first Anita Kelly book and I’ve been missing out! The writing was so warm and engaging, everything felt so real, and I love that the author let us spend some extra time getting to know people and having intimate moments not just with the main characters but with the other characters, as well. This isn’t something I read a lot in romances and I loved that. Everyone was so caring and full of love for each other with empathy and compassion.
There’s stuff like figuring things out later on in life such as your sexuality and a career change, which I love! I hate that we have to know who we are and what we want so early on in life and things don’t realistically work out like that, a lot of the time. I especially loved the asexual rep. I rarely see it in adult romances and it brought so much joy to my heart.
Alongside that, there’s also rep for chronic migraine sufferers, nonbinary people, depression, lesbians and foster parents! With some heavier themes, also, that involve addiction and parental neglect. It was heavy but very well handled.
There was also lots of emphasis on consent, in all contexts, and about how whoever you are is whoever you are and it’s all okay.
All in all, a mostly comforting read that made me feel loved and supported with some heavier topics that were handled with all the respect they should have been handled with. I can’t wait to read more from Anita Kelly!!
There’s stuff like figuring things out later on in life such as your sexuality and a career change, which I love! I hate that we have to know who we are and what we want so early on in life and things don’t realistically work out like that, a lot of the time. I especially loved the asexual rep. I rarely see it in adult romances and it brought so much joy to my heart.
Alongside that, there’s also rep for chronic migraine sufferers, nonbinary people, depression, lesbians and foster parents! With some heavier themes, also, that involve addiction and parental neglect. It was heavy but very well handled.
There was also lots of emphasis on consent, in all contexts, and about how whoever you are is whoever you are and it’s all okay.
All in all, a mostly comforting read that made me feel loved and supported with some heavier topics that were handled with all the respect they should have been handled with. I can’t wait to read more from Anita Kelly!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Addiction
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Abandonment, Addiction, and Medical content
septi's review against another edition
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
sarrie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
TL;DR: Slow but satisfying romance of two women helping each other (but not fixing each other), and falling in love.
How You Get the Girl is the third and final (?) book in the series by Anita Kelly that began with Love and Other Disasters. This one follows Julie, London’s twin sister, as she meets and then begins to work with her teen idol. Elle is a former pro basketball player who has distanced herself from the sport but finds herself caught up helping Julie with a high school team.
This was a very slow read, Anita’s books always are for me, but the slow burn and payoff of the end is well worth it. Julie and Elle both have struggles they work through in this one in what felt like genuine ways. Julie doesn’t know who she is in a way, she has never had a relationship and is looking to find herself. Elle has reoccurring deep bouts of depression and migraines and is still learning to deal with that and the trauma that came with her time as a pro on the court.
Both women’s developments were believable and in the end it was a deeply satisfying story. Even more so for me, as someone who lives in Tennessee and wishes I saw good queer rep (any good rep really) of natives. I truly enjoyed this one, and if you enjoy Anita’s books I definitely recommend this one (though I think perhaps Something Wild and Wonderful, which comes before this one, is still my favorite).
4 out of 5 Nutritional Grains
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Child abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Drug abuse
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