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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This was so so cute. Celeste and Gemma dated for over a year in college, then suddenly and unexpectedly lost touch, and Gemma moved on to date a man. Years later, Gemma finds herself newly single (and dumped) and also put on a work assignment with Celeste, whom she never expected to see again. The second hand romance that unfolds is heartfelt, sometimes hilarious, and infused with local area details and culture that I loved.
The San Francisco Bay Area references are top notch, especially with so many Korean culture highlights. I'm all about the instagrammable cafes that Celeste and Gemma visit. I also really enjoyed the workplace aspect of this as Celeste and Gemma are forced to work together on a series of interviews / photoshoots. I absolutely melted when Celeste and Gemma interviewed the older sapphic couple and everything that came up with that. The Asian Queer Immigrant feelings are so good in this. The feelings between Gemma and Celeste, however, are somewhat lackluster. I enjoyed their ending but didn't find myself hardcore rooting for them.
The San Francisco Bay Area references are top notch, especially with so many Korean culture highlights. I'm all about the instagrammable cafes that Celeste and Gemma visit. I also really enjoyed the workplace aspect of this as Celeste and Gemma are forced to work together on a series of interviews / photoshoots. I absolutely melted when Celeste and Gemma interviewed the older sapphic couple and everything that came up with that. The Asian Queer Immigrant feelings are so good in this. The feelings between Gemma and Celeste, however, are somewhat lackluster. I enjoyed their ending but didn't find myself hardcore rooting for them.
I found it especially jarring that, while Gemma's POV is in first person and sounds approachable and inviting, Celeste's POV (which is infrequent) is entirely in third person, and sounds cold and detached from the events rather than giving a unique perspective into Celeste's point of view. This is even more pronounced on audio with the chosen narrators for this book. Natalie Naudus is absolutely darling with her narration as Gemma and it is full of inflection and emotion. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy Catherine Ho's narration as Celeste. It felt flat and detached and made Celeste seem like a very unapproachable character. I think I found myself really disliking Celeste based on the narration alone, or maybe it was the third person POV combined with the flat narration? I wish this book had been entirely from Gemma's POV, as Celeste's chapters felt like they took away from an otherwise darling story.
I received a free copy of this book from Forever Publishing, and a free copy of the audio from Hachette Audio. Thank you both! Thoughts are my own.
3.5 š
Cute second chance romance!
I enjoyed the plot, side characters and Gemma & Celesteās character growth however I do feel like it was missing something.
I also wasnāt the biggest fan of Celesteās POV being in 3rd person and it threw me off a bit but I wouldnāt say itās a reason to not read.
Thank you Hachette Audio & NetGalley for the ALC!
Cute second chance romance!
I enjoyed the plot, side characters and Gemma & Celesteās character growth however I do feel like it was missing something.
I also wasnāt the biggest fan of Celesteās POV being in 3rd person and it threw me off a bit but I wouldnāt say itās a reason to not read.
Thank you Hachette Audio & NetGalley for the ALC!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Thank you to @hachetteaudio for providing me an early copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
First of all, whatās not to love about that cover?? I just think itās so pretty! š
As for the inside of the book: I enjoyed it!
Gemmaās fiancĆ© just broke up with her after a 7 year relationship, and sheās also just happened to be put on a project with her ex-girlfriend (who ghosted her back when they were in college). But with so many hurt feelings all around, they really shouldnāt try to rekindle anythingā¦right?
A cute second-chance romance where theyāre teamed up on a project to interview couples. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the long term romantic relationships of the interviewees with Celesteās detest of love after some *personal* stuff. The book also delves into Celesteās difficulty with being a queer woman in Korean society, and how thatās definitely had an impact on her.
I really enjoyed the ending, and the lead-up and circumstances that led to it (including therapy š).
Overall a quick and cute little read (with plenty of spice! š„)!
Audiobook notes: Natalie Naudus was as fantastic as ever, and I also really enjoyed Catherine Hoās narration as well! š
What this book is giving:
ā
Sapphic Romcom
ā
Dual POV (1st AND 3rd person š)
ā
Second Chance
ā
Workplace
ā
Korean/Korean-American Culture
ā
Project about Love
Rating:
āļøāļøāļøāļø / 5
š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø / 5
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, this was a good book, though possibly a little underwhelming. It features the quiet, almost-shy but not quite girl, making herself smaller to fit into a man's world. Which is a very common struggle for closeted queer women and/or bisexual women. Well, let's face it, women in general. So I like that representation and the fact that the character recognised that and worked on herself to move past those issues. It was very mundane at times, the day-to-day drudgery was a lot to endure. I felt like I could have been reading about one of my friends... Which was nice but I always wanted a little more excitement or tension.
The cultural aspects really drew me in. Representing queer women of color was a major wow factor for me because it just doesn't happen much. It was great to see that.
What I hated, though, was the use of the word "Sapphic" in the dialogue between the two leads. It was prolific. even so far as referring to people as "Sapphics". Which fine... it's not inaccurate, but as a queer woman with many queer friend this just isn't a descriptive term that comes up in casual conversations. I might refer to a book, or movie as Sapphic if I were recommending it. But I certainly wouldn't say I was going on a double date with my wife and our sapphic friends. Maybe the authors circle of queer friends does this? But it just felt like he was prodded in there at any opportunity.
It's a great afternoon read if you are looking for something the pass a day or two without the sure to throw your book in a fit of emotion or don't want something that will make you cry. It was emotionally neutral and predictable in a comforting way.
The cultural aspects really drew me in. Representing queer women of color was a major wow factor for me because it just doesn't happen much. It was great to see that.
What I hated, though, was the use of the word "Sapphic" in the dialogue between the two leads. It was prolific. even so far as referring to people as "Sapphics". Which fine... it's not inaccurate, but as a queer woman with many queer friend this just isn't a descriptive term that comes up in casual conversations. I might refer to a book, or movie as Sapphic if I were recommending it. But I certainly wouldn't say I was going on a double date with my wife and our sapphic friends. Maybe the authors circle of queer friends does this? But it just felt like he was prodded in there at any opportunity.
It's a great afternoon read if you are looking for something the pass a day or two without the sure to throw your book in a fit of emotion or don't want something that will make you cry. It was emotionally neutral and predictable in a comforting way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Abandonment
Moderate: Biphobia, Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
Firstly, I really appreciated Natalie Nauduās narration. She captured so much of Gemmaās emotions, and I was hooked right from the start. That said, I ended up feeling a bit confused about the overall direction of the book.
Iāve never read a book that shifts POV styles like this (except outside of fantasy maybe) and even then, the switch usually happens more consistently. Here, the change from Gemmaās first-person POV to Celesteās third-person POV was jarring every time. I couldnāt quite figure out why, but I never adjusted fast enough before it shifted again. It was like suddenly going over a tiny bump during a smooth ride every time.
The biggest issue for me was that Celesteās POV didnāt always feel necessary. Actually, I can almost ignore her POV chapters. Since the story was so focused on Gemma and her life events, Celesteās chapters felt more like a filler. It made me feel conflictedāeither make her a fully developed character, or donāt include her POV at all. They were gonna rehash everything to one another, anyway!
On top of that, Iām not sure if it was the source material or the delivery, but Catherineās narration for Celeste came off very robotic. I thought maybe it was just the contrast between the POV styles, but the narration itself lacked tonal inflection, which made Celeste feel flat and surface-level. Some pauses were also oddly timed, like the sentence had ended, but then it would continue, which gave it a bit of a ācorporate narrator reading a romance bookā vibe.
Still, there were things I really enjoyed. The little love stories from the interviews Gemma and Celeste conducted were sweet, and I loved the parts with Gemmaās friends and her reflections on her heritage as a bi Korean woman from a traditional Christian family. The romance itself was light and heartfelt in places. Even though they only properly reconnect romantically about halfway through the book, most of the deeper emotional development happens near the end. It makes sense for the story, and I appreciated the honest conversations once they finally addressed their past. That said, their nostalgic walk down memory lane sometimes felt like it overshadowed the present, which made the current timeline feel a bit lackluster.
Itās an easy read overall with low angstādefinitely works as a palate cleanser. Grateful to have had the chance to review the ALC. Huge thanks to Hachette Audio for the copy via NetGalley!
Iāve never read a book that shifts POV styles like this (except outside of fantasy maybe) and even then, the switch usually happens more consistently. Here, the change from Gemmaās first-person POV to Celesteās third-person POV was jarring every time. I couldnāt quite figure out why, but I never adjusted fast enough before it shifted again. It was like suddenly going over a tiny bump during a smooth ride every time.
The biggest issue for me was that Celesteās POV didnāt always feel necessary. Actually, I can almost ignore her POV chapters. Since the story was so focused on Gemma and her life events, Celesteās chapters felt more like a filler. It made me feel conflictedāeither make her a fully developed character, or donāt include her POV at all. They were gonna rehash everything to one another, anyway!
On top of that, Iām not sure if it was the source material or the delivery, but Catherineās narration for Celeste came off very robotic. I thought maybe it was just the contrast between the POV styles, but the narration itself lacked tonal inflection, which made Celeste feel flat and surface-level. Some pauses were also oddly timed, like the sentence had ended, but then it would continue, which gave it a bit of a ācorporate narrator reading a romance bookā vibe.
Still, there were things I really enjoyed. The little love stories from the interviews Gemma and Celeste conducted were sweet, and I loved the parts with Gemmaās friends and her reflections on her heritage as a bi Korean woman from a traditional Christian family. The romance itself was light and heartfelt in places. Even though they only properly reconnect romantically about halfway through the book, most of the deeper emotional development happens near the end. It makes sense for the story, and I appreciated the honest conversations once they finally addressed their past. That said, their nostalgic walk down memory lane sometimes felt like it overshadowed the present, which made the current timeline feel a bit lackluster.
Itās an easy read overall with low angstādefinitely works as a palate cleanser. Grateful to have had the chance to review the ALC. Huge thanks to Hachette Audio for the copy via NetGalley!
I really liked this at first but at about 85% I was ready to DNF.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
I really wanted this one to work, but it just didn't. I think my biggest issue is that no work was done to give me a reason to care about our main characters. Everything has been really surface level and honestly I find myself wanting to know more about the friends which is sad. I also had an issue with the biphobic commentary made by Celeste in the beginning. I'm 45% into the book and there's been only one serious conversation between the FMCs which is not only incredibly frustrating as reader, but it also means there's been so space to redeem Celeste's biphobic commentary. The initial instance happened in her head, but if that's actually how she feels, you figure it might come up in conversation. At 45% I should feel marked progress in their second chance romance. Even if they aren't together, I should feel like we're learning about the growth they've had since they were apart or a change in behavior that caused their separation in the first place and it's just not there. These two are meant to be almost 30 and I feel like I'm reading about college freshmen with the way they're acting.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love in Focus is a really sweet second chance sapphic romance for Gemma and Celeste who dated for a year in college. Celeste breaks things off with Gemma and then ghosts her without any explanation.
After almost 10 years of no contact and Gemma coming out of her broken engagement, Gemma and Celeste reconnect on a work project. Itās clear that neither are 100% over each other and this book explores that connection.
While this was good and I enjoyed it, I wish Lyla Lee would have dug in a little more because at times, this book comes across as too superficial. I also didnāt love the choice for Gemma to be written in first person and Celeste on third person. I listened to the audiobook and while both narrators did a great job, I really enjoyed Natalie Naudus who narrated Gemma.
One last comment I had to make is that both MCs are in their late twenties and the multiple comments towards aging feel a little premature. I wouldnāt have batted an eyelash if they were late 30s but come on! My baby sister is 29 and I would never think to mention how aged someone looks cos sheās a baby. Itās even mentioned about the ex boyfriend like she hasnāt seen him in ages.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for the opportunity to listen and provide a review.
After almost 10 years of no contact and Gemma coming out of her broken engagement, Gemma and Celeste reconnect on a work project. Itās clear that neither are 100% over each other and this book explores that connection.
While this was good and I enjoyed it, I wish Lyla Lee would have dug in a little more because at times, this book comes across as too superficial. I also didnāt love the choice for Gemma to be written in first person and Celeste on third person. I listened to the audiobook and while both narrators did a great job, I really enjoyed Natalie Naudus who narrated Gemma.
One last comment I had to make is that both MCs are in their late twenties and the multiple comments towards aging feel a little premature. I wouldnāt have batted an eyelash if they were late 30s but come on! My baby sister is 29 and I would never think to mention how aged someone looks cos sheās a baby. Itās even mentioned about the ex boyfriend like she hasnāt seen him in ages.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for the opportunity to listen and provide a review.