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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
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:
No
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
N/A
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Abby Craden did a great job with the narration of Not Just Gal Pals. It’s sweet, low angst, and has cute pets. I enjoyed the small-town fall feel and I liked the premise. I liked Jenny, and the side characters were nice and all. That said, for whatever reason this one just didn’t do it for me. I felt like I got a bit of whiplash at the end with how quicky things turned and then turned again, and I found Blake to be…pretty boring, to be honest. I don’t know. It’s not a bad book and I don’t regret reading it, but it’s not one I’ll pick up again.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was honestly a very charming sapphic romance, realistically exceeded my expectations given I basically chose it because the cover looked like the same style as some others I enjoyed 😅. Guaranteed happy ending as required by genre, not super spicy (borderline slow burn, not too many scenes) but enjoyable, and there was some teasing writing working up to those scenes. Characters felt fairly three-dimensional (not the most ever but definitely enough) and lovable, if sometimes very "useless lesbian" 😅. One of the main characters actually reminded me of myself and was giving almost neuro-spicy vibes (which were completely misinterpreted, as you might expect) for whatever that's worth. My least favorite plot point, the third act breakup, was at least foreseen, and not overly drawn out, thankfully. Not too painful either. Pacing was good too, felt like the character development was spread nicely thru the duration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Alcohol
Car accident is super minor and no injuries, barely even counts
This book was perfectly adorable. But considering fall and sapphic romances are two of my favorite things, I am not surprised. If that wasn’t enough to make me love it then throwing in mentions of Taylor Swift and Pride and Prejudice definitely did. Low angst and moments of humor. Will seek out this author again in the future. 4.5/5
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.