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jazzyjbox's review
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? It's complicated
4.75
A cute and fluffy romance about a mixologist diving into her first polyamorous relationship.
Divorced before age 27, Mel is working as a bartender when she meets a striking woman named Bebe who is giving off seriously flirtatious vibes. And then meets Bebe's genderqueer wife Kade. Mel explores polyamory while preparing for a drink concoction competition to hopefully win money to put towards her dream of owning a bar.
This was super lighthearted and fluffy with a few spicy scenes and a great introduction to polyamory. I loved the balance between the romance and Mel's goals. The book is broken into a 3-part romance between Mel and Bebe, Mel and Kade, and then all three of them. This is my second read by TJ Alexander and definitely won't be the last!
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
Divorced before age 27, Mel is working as a bartender when she meets a striking woman named Bebe who is giving off seriously flirtatious vibes. And then meets Bebe's genderqueer wife Kade. Mel explores polyamory while preparing for a drink concoction competition to hopefully win money to put towards her dream of owning a bar.
This was super lighthearted and fluffy with a few spicy scenes and a great introduction to polyamory. I loved the balance between the romance and Mel's goals. The book is broken into a 3-part romance between Mel and Bebe, Mel and Kade, and then all three of them. This is my second read by TJ Alexander and definitely won't be the last!
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
deepbutdazzlingdarkness's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first poly romance novel I’ve ever read, and I absolutely loved it. All of the negotiation, the weirdness between Mel and Kade at first, the super hot sex! Upon starting the book, I was delighted to discover that it’s a f/f/nb couple, and it was incorporated really well. The drama and conflict wasn’t over the top, and it totally made sense that they would struggle when navigating a relationship between 3 people with different hang ups and issues and levels of comfort with each other. The world felt so joyful and lived in and I just love books that really celebrate being queer. <3 I’m also not much of a drinker anymore, but I loved reading about all of Mel’s cocktail creations! Also the cover is GORGEOUS and is the main reason I was originally drawn in and I’m so glad I was!
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
haleydear's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
What a great book! Really enjoyed the concept and the inclusivity in this book a lot!
Mel was a lovable but jaded bartender and she’s seen and been through some shit! So when Bebe sits in her area, she can’t help but be attracted to her until Bebe’s wife enters the bar and Mel is left questioning if the flirting was real.
Bebe and Mel start a relationship as Bebe is poly and Mel starts navigating that with some bumps in the road. When Mel finally accepts that she loves Bebe and pursues it more romantically then enters Kade. Kade and Mel get stuck in a snowstorm together and express feelings. Back home continues the complexities of navigating polyamory, friendships, and work.
We have a great sub-plot with the drink completion in which Mel tries to figure out the perfect drink for the competition while being supported by her friends and lovers.
This was a great romantic, thoughtful, and spicy read that I absolutely loved! This is the first I’ve ready by this author but I’ll be looking at their other books for my next reads as well!
Cheers!
I was provided an ARC copy of this book from Atria Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mel was a lovable but jaded bartender and she’s seen and been through some shit! So when Bebe sits in her area, she can’t help but be attracted to her until Bebe’s wife enters the bar and Mel is left questioning if the flirting was real.
We have a great sub-plot with the drink completion in which Mel tries to figure out the perfect drink for the competition while being supported by her friends and lovers.
This was a great romantic, thoughtful, and spicy read that I absolutely loved! This is the first I’ve ready by this author but I’ll be looking at their other books for my next reads as well!
Cheers!
I was provided an ARC copy of this book from Atria Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
mweis's review against another edition
3.25
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I really enjoyed Alexander's Second Chances in New Port Stephen when I read it last year so I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of this year's release. I was even more thrilled when I saw that this was a poly romance centering a jaded bartender.
Overall, I think this was a fun summer read. I envisioned reading this poolside with a fancy cocktail the whole time and honestly, I think that's how this book is meant to be read. Mel is a jaded bartender that we meet at work where she's getting flirty vibes from a customer and she's into it. Then she finds out this customer, Bebe, is married and her and their wife Kade are in an open relationship. What follows is Mel navigating a relationship with Bebe (and later Kade) and an exploration of how expansive love can be.
I really liked the discussion around polyamory and how important communication is, not just when you have multiple romantic partners but in any situation. You can see that as the book progresses both in conversations Mel has and with the evolving guidelines written out as major changes to the relationship occur. I also loved Kade a whole heck of a lot.
I also really enjoyed all the cocktail talk. Throughout the book, Mel is working on perfecting a signature cocktail for a competition and Alexander definitely knows how to write food, drinks, and flavors.
I do think Alexander fell a little too deep into teaching about polyamory. Yes, a lot of it is important because Mel is new to the concept and as a traditionally published romance many readers are probably new to the concept as well. But I think sometimes the explanation took over the actual plot of the story. I also struggled with Mel's friendship with Daniel. We know from the start that they're close but we never actually see them being close. To be honest, Mel is kind of a shitty friend to him for most of the book and then it's "solved" super quickly with a one-line recognition that relationships take work.
I really enjoyed Alexander's Second Chances in New Port Stephen when I read it last year so I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of this year's release. I was even more thrilled when I saw that this was a poly romance centering a jaded bartender.
Overall, I think this was a fun summer read. I envisioned reading this poolside with a fancy cocktail the whole time and honestly, I think that's how this book is meant to be read. Mel is a jaded bartender that we meet at work where she's getting flirty vibes from a customer and she's into it. Then she finds out this customer, Bebe, is married and her and their wife Kade are in an open relationship. What follows is Mel navigating a relationship with Bebe (and later Kade) and an exploration of how expansive love can be.
I really liked the discussion around polyamory and how important communication is, not just when you have multiple romantic partners but in any situation. You can see that as the book progresses both in conversations Mel has and with the evolving guidelines written out as major changes to the relationship occur. I also loved Kade a whole heck of a lot.
I also really enjoyed all the cocktail talk. Throughout the book, Mel is working on perfecting a signature cocktail for a competition and Alexander definitely knows how to write food, drinks, and flavors.
I do think Alexander fell a little too deep into teaching about polyamory. Yes, a lot of it is important because Mel is new to the concept and as a traditionally published romance many readers are probably new to the concept as well. But I think sometimes the explanation took over the actual plot of the story. I also struggled with Mel's friendship with Daniel. We know from the start that they're close but we never actually see them being close. To be honest, Mel is kind of a shitty friend to him for most of the book and then it's "solved" super quickly with a one-line recognition that relationships take work.
mlglenn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thanks to TJ Alexander, Atria, and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.
This was a fun, sweet, and spicy romance that made me want to go have a cocktail. I think that, while fun and interesting, the cocktail making contest was more of a distraction and so minor to the plot that it could have done without and been just as good if not better. As it was, it felt crammed in to the last 10ish percent.
POV: single third person omniscient
You can expect: bartender FMC, lawyer FMC, artist MC, snowed in, forced proximity, learning to love again, polycule.
Rep: lesbian MC, queer MC, nonbinary MC, gay side character, polyamory, throuple
Spice: 3/5
This was a fun, sweet, and spicy romance that made me want to go have a cocktail. I think that, while fun and interesting, the cocktail making contest was more of a distraction and so minor to the plot that it could have done without and been just as good if not better. As it was, it felt crammed in to the last 10ish percent.
POV: single third person omniscient
You can expect: bartender FMC, lawyer FMC, artist MC, snowed in, forced proximity, learning to love again, polycule.
Rep: lesbian MC, queer MC, nonbinary MC, gay side character, polyamory, throuple
Spice: 3/5
ajt87's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
3.5
dhatislandbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
4.0
Another poly romance that was a fun time! We meet Mel, a mixologist with dreams of opening her own bar, as she begins dating and falling in love with Bebe. Bebe is in a open, poly relationship with her wife, Kade, who Mel also eventually falls for (👀), and we follow the three as they embark on this new dynamic together.
It was interesting seeing Mel navigate her first poly relationship! I loved the fast burn between Mel and Bebe while simultaneously watching the slow burn unfold between Mel and Kade. Both couple’s dynamics were drastically different, but so intriguing that I was never interested in one relationship more than the other. I also loved the emphasis on open communication, honesty, and consent within the relationships. It was so refreshing to see!
I was also surprisingly engrossed in the cocktail competition portion of the story. Even though you see the resolution coming from a mile away, the focus on the competition never felt unbalanced with the rest of the plot because Mel’s passion for mixology shines throughout.
I wish we got to explore a bit more about Kade and Bebe’s personal lives, since I really liked them as characters, so I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of these three in the future!
You can tell that Alexander really treats all of their topics with care and I’m looking forward to reading more from them!
gmd316's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Almost too fluffy for me - very little conflict but I liked the characters a lot
bbop14's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and TJ Alexander for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A very cute read. Loved the characters. I like that the book is split into 3 parts. The progression of Kade & Mel's relationship was a little sudden I thought? But after the initial change in their relationship I liked them together.
A very cute read. Loved the characters. I like that the book is split into 3 parts. The progression of Kade & Mel's relationship was a little sudden I thought? But after the initial change in their relationship I liked them together.