Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Read Between the Lines

Hea. Oddly very few and minor conflicts, I kept waiting for the worst to happen, but then it didn't. Kind of annoying how the relationship kept yo yoing together and apart.

Content Warnings

libraryghost's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

decklededgess's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? Yes

3.0

trigger warnings: gentrification, eviction, emotionally distant family, death of parent

This was so tense and so cute. I love when the dual irl enemies digital besties with a crush is done well. This was so spectacular. Their animosity was so valid bc like I too hate gentrifying ass corporate landlords. I liked how the conflict was deeply rooted in morality and appreciated that the resolution wasn't one of "accept your flaws" but "distance yourself from something that is unequivocally bad."

Jane's sister was a bit of a shit though for getting mad that Rosie was hating on corporate landlords??? Like what, you want people to just LET gentrification happen?? Like the helplessness and "it is what it is" attitude towards some really armful corporate practices was really reckless and annoying. If you're going to tackle issues like that you better be on the right side of the argument or the charm of the romance is lost.

Overall a solid story if I ignore the gentrification nonsense.

Content Warnings

cosmicsapphic's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

librariangeorgia's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved the concept of this book and while I did enjoy reading it, there were some things that annoyed me too much to enjoy it fully.

I found it quite fast paced - too much so in some places, especially when it jumped between time periods and it felt like you'd missed a chunk of the story. The writing wasn't great in the sense of that there wasn't a lot of exploring emotions, the sex scenes weren't great (it was basically 2 paragraphs and then it moved on to something else), the reactions were either underwhelming or over the top.

It really niggled at me when romance books were called 'sexy books' - to me it was as if they were talking about a mills and boon novel (a stereotype, i know, but they are known for their 'filthiness'). There were other things that the wording just wasn't quite right and it came off as either super cringy or just not realistic at all.

I hated how much of the storyline the demolition took up - I know it's a key part of linking the main characters but it was very repetitive with how often it was mentioned. Especially with how much it negatively impacted Jane and Rosie's relationship. And the fact that Jane was painted as the heroine, yet the whole situation is her fault in the first place - why?!

However, I loved Jane and Rosie as a whole (despite all their imperfections)! They are both absolute disasters and i'm living for it. Jane was very businesslike with the hint of niceness at the beginning so it was really nice to see her loosen up by the end of the book. Their relationship was quite the rollercoaster with all the conflict (too much at times) but i'm really happy with how the book ended.

I can see why this isn't everyones cup of tea - I feel like the concept of author/bookstore owner relationship made me enjoy it that little bit more. I'm also slightly bias when it comes to sapphic romance novels ...

Content Warnings