Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

So, wie du bist: Roman | Die LGBTQI+-RomCom des Jahres: »Pride and Prejudice« meets »The L Word: Generation Q« | »Warm, witzig und wundervoll!« Alexandria Bellefleur, Bestsellerautorin von »Written in the Stars« by Camille Kellogg

16 reviews

joensign's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

This was a delightful take on a Pride and Prejudice retelling with lots of interesting references to modern queer culture and interesting twists to the original story. A really great read!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

micaelacccc's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

attolis's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

the_lesbrarian's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Just as You Are is a Pride and Prejudice-inspired romance about a late 20s fluff-piece writer 
working at a failing queer magazine as she finds herself falling for the rich, cold woman who is helping keep the magazine alive. 
The novel delves lightly into gender expression and butch identity and is one of few lesbian romcoms where both leads are somewhere on the masc-identifying spectrum. An old-fashioned feel-good, comforting love story. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.0

I'm am so dumb. I just liked the cover and the fact that I saw (it's more complicated than that in the narrative but I'm judging books by covers here) a romance with butches. It took my 50 pages to put together the Pride and Prejudice references, but once I got that I was in. It's fun, it's stupid, it's heartfelt, and has a fun layer of meta in both the journey of the character and the references. I had a really great time.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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

3.75

THE QUEER EXPERIENCE!

Kellogg builds a comprehensive story around a queer magazine on the brink of closure. While discussing topics of gender expression, how dating works in the big city, an enemies to lovers plot line that you can't help routing for and friendships that ebb and flow through it all.

I think so many queer folks will see themselves in this novel. There is wonderful representation across the board.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

queenkath32's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful reflective 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

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lettuce_read's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

frantically's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful fast-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

2.0

A good retelling a good story does not make.

Can you believe sapphic representation has gone so far lately?? We're getting our own toxic relationship stories 🥲

Okay, first the positives: I loved how unapologetically queer everything was — we stick together and that was shown here beautifully. There's also good starting thoughts about lesbian/sapphic gender expression and how sometimes we put ourselves back into heteronormative relationship norms by being obsessive about whether someone's a butch or a femme.

I really struggled with this, I'm sad to say. Liz wasn't developed enough at all as a main character and while Daria was developed, it wasn't in a positive sense. There's so much telling and not showing especially when it comes to their relationship. Suddenly they're confessing feelings for each other and there was just no build up to it. Daria gets her little redemption arc but she just seems to be two completely different people from the start of the book to the end.

The drama annoyed me a lot too — there's consequences for a mistake that Liz made but it's not even her fault! Suddenly she's out here apologizing to everyone for being a terrible friend but she's not even the one who made a mistake in the first place, it infuriated me so much.

So — nice butch representation, love myself a queer found family but the plot just wasn't it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings