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joanna1905's review against another edition
4.0
Another great read from Jae! Jae truly writes fantastic, heartwarming lesbian romances and I find myself loving each one I pick up!
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
4.0
I very much enjoyed this sweet, slow-burn romance - exactly what I expect and hope for with a Jae novel.
If you're a fan of cameos from previous books - within and without the series being read - you'll love this one. I, however, am not but it didn't take away too much from my enjoyment of the overall story. Jae's skill at creating characters who are real and flawed really shines for me in this book. Ashley and Sasha also had great chemistry. And I've also got a good guess as to which characters we might see as the MCs of a future book. Not a bad thing!
If you're a fan of Jae's work, you'll definitely enjoy Not the Marrying Kind.
1/18/24 - listened to the audiobook and I think I enjoyed the story more the second time around.
If you're a fan of cameos from previous books - within and without the series being read - you'll love this one. I, however, am not but it didn't take away too much from my enjoyment of the overall story. Jae's skill at creating characters who are real and flawed really shines for me in this book. Ashley and Sasha also had great chemistry. And I've also got a good guess as to which characters we might see as the MCs of a future book. Not a bad thing!
If you're a fan of Jae's work, you'll definitely enjoy Not the Marrying Kind.
1/18/24 - listened to the audiobook and I think I enjoyed the story more the second time around.
sterling_sapphic_reads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the second book in the Fair Oaks series. I listened to this series back to back and found it to be just a REALLY good series that explores queer romance in a small-town in the midwest and some of the challenges that are still presented in this area of the country.
The story is set in a small town in Missouri, where Ashley and Sasha find themselves working together for the town's first lesbian wedding. Despite their initial impression of each other and their differences, they soon discover a deep connection that draws them closer together.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is Ashley's journey towards self-acceptance. Her fear of coming out and the potential repercussions for her family and business are portrayed with raw emotion, making her character both relatable and in the end, inspiring. Sasha's patience and kindness towards Ashley add depth to their relationship, highlighting the importance of understanding but also understanding boundaries and knowing what you do and don't want in relationship dynamics.
Jae's writing is engaging and heartfelt, with rich character development that brings Ashley, Sasha, and the town of Fair Oaks to life. The themes of bakery romance and foodie delights provide a delightful backdrop to the story, adding to the overall charm of the narrative. Did I crave baked goods the whole time I listened to this book?? Yes, yes I did.
I loved seeing Holly and Leo living out their HEA in this book.
There's a lot of healing from the harshness of life in this book from past transgressions and hurts to heavy losses. Jae does an incredible job with these real-life, real-world circumstances and weaves them into fiction in a digestible fashion as a relatable portrayal of the healing journey.
I particularly enjoyed Angela Dawe's narration of this book, which was fantastic. Her voice brought the characters to life and added an extra layer of emotion to the story.
This wonderful slow-burn romance with Jae's amazing talent and writing style, with its engaging characters, heartfelt storyline, and Angela Dawe's excellent narration, is great for fans of romance and LGBTQIA+ fiction.
The story is set in a small town in Missouri, where Ashley and Sasha find themselves working together for the town's first lesbian wedding. Despite their initial impression of each other and their differences, they soon discover a deep connection that draws them closer together.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is Ashley's journey towards self-acceptance. Her fear of coming out and the potential repercussions for her family and business are portrayed with raw emotion, making her character both relatable and in the end, inspiring. Sasha's patience and kindness towards Ashley add depth to their relationship, highlighting the importance of understanding but also understanding boundaries and knowing what you do and don't want in relationship dynamics.
Jae's writing is engaging and heartfelt, with rich character development that brings Ashley, Sasha, and the town of Fair Oaks to life. The themes of bakery romance and foodie delights provide a delightful backdrop to the story, adding to the overall charm of the narrative. Did I crave baked goods the whole time I listened to this book?? Yes, yes I did.
I loved seeing Holly and Leo living out their HEA in this book.
There's a lot of healing from the harshness of life in this book from past transgressions and hurts to heavy losses. Jae does an incredible job with these real-life, real-world circumstances and weaves them into fiction in a digestible fashion as a relatable portrayal of the healing journey.
I particularly enjoyed Angela Dawe's narration of this book, which was fantastic. Her voice brought the characters to life and added an extra layer of emotion to the story.
This wonderful slow-burn romance with Jae's amazing talent and writing style, with its engaging characters, heartfelt storyline, and Angela Dawe's excellent narration, is great for fans of romance and LGBTQIA+ fiction.
andelock's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
It is always somewhat heartbreaking to read about people who are still in the closet, but Jae managed to give Ashley moments of joy and tenderness as she explored her feelings towards Sasha.
lyko100's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
piazelda's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
yasmine24's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
smartie_chan's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
CW: Homophobia, Acephobia, Amatonormativ Language, Outing, Sexual Content, Past Suicide/Death of a Family Member
2.5 / 5 Stars
Sooooo.
Let me get this off of my chest first, because the part were I'm angry will be longer than the part were I'm not: The romance itself was nice and the characters grew on me over time, but the way this book loki hates on queers that are still in the closet felt like a punch in the gut. So, let's begin this by quoting the summary:
Ash has decided that staying in the closet is safer than risking her heart again.
Which ... you know... is just a straight-out lie. Ash isn't in the closet because she got her heart broken. So why is that sentence there? And why will we find more of those things the deeper we get into it all?
Answer: Because the book wants you to really believe that the person in the wrong: is Ash. :)
The narrative tells us - subltly... and with a sledgehammer - that being closeted is shameful, hurtful to others, a burden, cowardly & a testament to your lack of love for and to your partner.
It's actually something that her FRIENDS! tell her to her face. There are multible scenes in the book, where the FRIENDS!! - I feel like I have to put this in all caps, cause I gasped out lout at some stuff that came out of some of their mouths - are just the worst. Like, no my girl, you're not supportive right now. You're just an ass.
What exactly do I mean by that?
Well.
Characters make their contempt of Ash being closeted known by making snide comments coupled with bitter tones and intense, hostile looks, where she's told - repeatedly - that by remaining in the closet she cannot possibly have any semblance of happiness or success or fulfillment or truth in her life. Like, at all. Also implying that love is the only thing that could possibly bring her any of those things. I have like, 30 quotes marked in my kindle, but one of the few that made me the angriest was possibly this one:
"You'll just do to Sasha what you did to Holly? Damn Ash."
No, context doesn't make the character look less like an arse, I'm afraid. :)
So why do I hate that one so much? Multible reasons. Because apparently, Sasha & Holly had no autonomy over getting involved with someone who isn’t out, as if they aren’t responsible for their active choice to be in that relationship, as if closeted queer folks aren’t allowed to have romantic/sexual relationships. It also showed me that that so-called 'friend' didn't give a rats-arse about Ash's feelings to begin with. Deciding instead to reduce her being in the closet to being a testament of her love for someone. Which is kinda very insensitive and manipulative. Because - of course - anything Ash could be facing when she comes out, including losing her parents, after having lost her sister to suicide, is totally worth it, so she can get the "love"of someone who doesn’t think she was worthy or good enough while stil being closeted. :)
People tend to have very good reasons to as to why they aren't out, or why they are only out to a few chosen people. Like, oh, I don't know, for reasons of PROTECTION AND SAFETY maybe, but what would I know about it. It's not like those were the reasons why I was in the closet for so long. Haha :D
I could even go so far as to excuse Sasha, cause she comes from a place of past pain and hurt and abandonment issues, which we never really explore and just kind of throw in there to have an excuse for the way she behaves. But her friends? Leo? Holly? No excuses.
It's sad, because being in the closet can be hard and it certainly isn't always the bestest place to be in, but when the best thing you can say about a book that heavily centers on a closeted person is that AT LEAST they didn't get outed against their will, then that speaks a lot about the way the book views a certain part of its community.
There's an ace character in this one, and I'd usually say something about her, but she's not saving how I feel about this book in the slightest. So just know: She's there, being as judgemental as the rest.
It's a shame, cause I can see the book I could have liked beneath the layers of Anti-Closeted stuff, and if I just ignored all the way so many chapters make me uncomfortable, I could have even enjoyed myself, but alas. I can't. So that's why were here.
Final Thoughts
Didn't have the bestest of times, to say the least.
2.5 / 5 Stars
Sooooo.
Let me get this off of my chest first, because the part were I'm angry will be longer than the part were I'm not: The romance itself was nice and the characters grew on me over time, but the way this book loki hates on queers that are still in the closet felt like a punch in the gut. So, let's begin this by quoting the summary:
Ash has decided that staying in the closet is safer than risking her heart again.
Which ... you know... is just a straight-out lie. Ash isn't in the closet because she got her heart broken. So why is that sentence there? And why will we find more of those things the deeper we get into it all?
Answer: Because the book wants you to really believe that the person in the wrong: is Ash. :)
The narrative tells us - subltly... and with a sledgehammer - that being closeted is shameful, hurtful to others, a burden, cowardly & a testament to your lack of love for and to your partner.
It's actually something that her FRIENDS! tell her to her face. There are multible scenes in the book, where the FRIENDS!! - I feel like I have to put this in all caps, cause I gasped out lout at some stuff that came out of some of their mouths - are just the worst. Like, no my girl, you're not supportive right now. You're just an ass.
What exactly do I mean by that?
Well.
Characters make their contempt of Ash being closeted known by making snide comments coupled with bitter tones and intense, hostile looks, where she's told - repeatedly - that by remaining in the closet she cannot possibly have any semblance of happiness or success or fulfillment or truth in her life. Like, at all. Also implying that love is the only thing that could possibly bring her any of those things. I have like, 30 quotes marked in my kindle, but one of the few that made me the angriest was possibly this one:
"You'll just do to Sasha what you did to Holly? Damn Ash."
No, context doesn't make the character look less like an arse, I'm afraid. :)
So why do I hate that one so much? Multible reasons. Because apparently, Sasha & Holly had no autonomy over getting involved with someone who isn’t out, as if they aren’t responsible for their active choice to be in that relationship, as if closeted queer folks aren’t allowed to have romantic/sexual relationships. It also showed me that that so-called 'friend' didn't give a rats-arse about Ash's feelings to begin with. Deciding instead to reduce her being in the closet to being a testament of her love for someone. Which is kinda very insensitive and manipulative. Because - of course - anything Ash could be facing when she comes out, including losing her parents, after having lost her sister to suicide, is totally worth it, so she can get the "love"of someone who doesn’t think she was worthy or good enough while stil being closeted. :)
People tend to have very good reasons to as to why they aren't out, or why they are only out to a few chosen people. Like, oh, I don't know, for reasons of PROTECTION AND SAFETY maybe, but what would I know about it. It's not like those were the reasons why I was in the closet for so long. Haha :D
I could even go so far as to excuse Sasha, cause she comes from a place of past pain and hurt and abandonment issues, which we never really explore and just kind of throw in there to have an excuse for the way she behaves. But her friends? Leo? Holly? No excuses.
It's sad, because being in the closet can be hard and it certainly isn't always the bestest place to be in, but when the best thing you can say about a book that heavily centers on a closeted person is that AT LEAST they didn't get outed against their will, then that speaks a lot about the way the book views a certain part of its community.
There's an ace character in this one, and I'd usually say something about her, but she's not saving how I feel about this book in the slightest. So just know: She's there, being as judgemental as the rest.
It's a shame, cause I can see the book I could have liked beneath the layers of Anti-Closeted stuff, and if I just ignored all the way so many chapters make me uncomfortable, I could have even enjoyed myself, but alas. I can't. So that's why were here.
Final Thoughts
Didn't have the bestest of times, to say the least.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Outing and Homophobia
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Death, and Suicide
jazzle_dazzle's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25