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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
El is trying to have a wild year. Despite being stuck in a dead end job, living with a room mate she hates, and being hopelessly in love with her best friend, this is going to be her year. Which is how she ends up buying and moving into a house in the country with said best friend and two other friends, the newly christened Lavender House.
This book felt like everything I should love in a book. It sounds like a dream, right? Queer friends moving into a home together, raising chickens, and making lovely friends with the neighbors in their amazing open village. I loved the parts of the book that focused on the friendships and village life. It was utterly charming, and I don't think I could ever get enough.
Unfortunately, I found the romance between El and Ray almost painful to read. El just seemed to lack agency, and I genuinely had no idea if Ray was 1) so oblivious that I wonder if she's even actually friends with El or 2) aware of El's feelings and stringing her along. I really mostly leaned towards 2, which made me almost angry when they ended up actually getting together. Especially because El seemed to stumble into most everything that happened in the book. Just because she is risk-averse doesn't mean she can't make moves towards what she wants; I think it would have been more satisfying if she had learned enough from her experience building Lavender House to actually start going towards what she wants, instead of everyone having to bring opportunities to her.
This book felt like everything I should love in a book. It sounds like a dream, right? Queer friends moving into a home together, raising chickens, and making lovely friends with the neighbors in their amazing open village. I loved the parts of the book that focused on the friendships and village life. It was utterly charming, and I don't think I could ever get enough.
Unfortunately, I found the romance between El and Ray almost painful to read. El just seemed to lack agency, and I genuinely had no idea if Ray was 1) so oblivious that I wonder if she's even actually friends with El or 2) aware of El's feelings and stringing her along. I really mostly leaned towards 2, which made me almost angry when they ended up actually getting together. Especially because El seemed to stumble into most everything that happened in the book. Just because she is risk-averse doesn't mean she can't make moves towards what she wants; I think it would have been more satisfying if she had learned enough from her experience building Lavender House to actually start going towards what she wants, instead of everyone having to bring opportunities to her.
I really really liked this. Honestly, who hasn’t wanted to pack it all up and move to a queer commune at some point? The romance is a slow burn, but the unrequited love was portrayed excellently. I might’ve teared up a couple of times even. Life is hard sometimes. The themes of friendship, community, and chosen family really stood out. And I love Jamie with my whole entire heart. 4.5 stars.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
reflective
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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
I was really excited for this book based on the premise. But we didn't get to know the characters enough to care what happened to them. The potential was there, but the execution fell flat.
Sweet story, good characters, not very much focus on the commune but I still liked it