Scan barcode
courts_p's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
abbytenge's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kn1231's review
3.0
3.5 Stars: I liked this story. While the ending didn’t seem rushed, it also felt a bit rushed (not sure if that makes any sense, but I am going with it. My one main compliant is that I really didn’t feel like the Katherine stuff was resolved. What happened when Emily quit? What was Katherine’s reaction to Emily and Alex being together? What was happening with Katherine now? Was Katherine still with Madison? I wanted these answers, but did not get them so the story fell a bit short to me. I wanted Emily and Alex to “pop off” on Katherine, and I wanted to read all about it. With all of those unanswered questions, I feel a second book is warranted as there is so much story that could be told.
angieinbooks's review
2.0
Had I known this was a book about a sex party, I probably wouldn’t have read it. It’s there, I guess, in the blurb, but I thought I was going to be reading about a weekend with friends—new and old—where casual sex may be at play. A full sex party with 9 women was a suprise. Damn that incredibly cute cover that made me want to read this book! But consenting adults can do whatever they want. And consent was definitley stressed in this novel.
So anyway, Emily, a chef who’s recently separated from her wife and currently squatting on her best friend’s couch, has been invited to an all-expenses paid, weekend sex party in Aspen one her clients in throwing. This is defintely not something Emily has ever done before, and it’s not something she knows if she can do, especially since she hasn’t had sex in years. Not to mention the fact that all her client's friends are socially and economically out of her league. But her best friend convinces her a weekend of no-strings-attached sex is exactly what she needs to move forward with her life.
On her flight to Aspen, Emily is seated next to Alex, a gorgeous butch woman who is exactly Emily’s type. Alex is charming and sexy but she’s also a giant dork and Emily can’t help but be a little smitten, which is why she accepts Alex’s number, even if she has no intention of ever using it. But when their flight is diverted to Denver due to a snow storm, Emily accepts Alex’s offer to drive a rental up the mountain so they can both get to Aspen. And they both fall a little more, even though they both know they’ll never see each other again. Until they do, of course. Because Alex, it turns out, is also a guest at the Aspen sex party, a fact Emily discovers in an incredibly awkward and shocking way.
So things aren’t exactly as they seem. And things are definitely not going the way Alex would like them to. But the fact remains that they’re both at this sex party, so maybe it’s not all bad? Things happen (they are at a sex party, after all) and feelings happen and life continues to happen. Look, Emily and Alex are cute and both deserve good things and healthy relationships, but I was a little meh on them, to be honest. There were a lot of feelings at play for two people who really weren’t in a place for those feelings to manifest in the way they do. I don’t know. Even with a brief time-jump in the end, it still felt incredbily fast. In the end, it just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t emotionally connected to their love story, and that’s what I’m ultimately here for.
A note about the discussions on Emily’s ex: Obviously the relationship wasn’t serving Emily and she’s dealing with a lot of hurt and trauma from the experience and I get that. She was right to get out of that relationship. But at no point does Clevenger consider the fact that Cass may be asexual and there seemed a lot of judgment about her lack of sex drive that felt really uncomfortable to me. And while I don’t expect Emily to be able to think kindly of Cass two months after leaving her wife (especially with how it went down), I did expect more from Clevenger here. I’m not suggesting Emily and Cass belonged together or that Cass is a good person, but the complete annihilation of Cass’s character based on the fact that she wasn’t particularly sexual felt kind of gross. This would have been a 3-star read for me, but I'm docking an entire star because this part just did not sit well with me.
So anyway, Emily, a chef who’s recently separated from her wife and currently squatting on her best friend’s couch, has been invited to an all-expenses paid, weekend sex party in Aspen one her clients in throwing. This is defintely not something Emily has ever done before, and it’s not something she knows if she can do, especially since she hasn’t had sex in years. Not to mention the fact that all her client's friends are socially and economically out of her league. But her best friend convinces her a weekend of no-strings-attached sex is exactly what she needs to move forward with her life.
On her flight to Aspen, Emily is seated next to Alex, a gorgeous butch woman who is exactly Emily’s type. Alex is charming and sexy but she’s also a giant dork and Emily can’t help but be a little smitten, which is why she accepts Alex’s number, even if she has no intention of ever using it. But when their flight is diverted to Denver due to a snow storm, Emily accepts Alex’s offer to drive a rental up the mountain so they can both get to Aspen. And they both fall a little more, even though they both know they’ll never see each other again. Until they do, of course. Because Alex, it turns out, is also a guest at the Aspen sex party, a fact Emily discovers in an incredibly awkward and shocking way.
So things aren’t exactly as they seem. And things are definitely not going the way Alex would like them to. But the fact remains that they’re both at this sex party, so maybe it’s not all bad? Things happen (they are at a sex party, after all) and feelings happen and life continues to happen. Look, Emily and Alex are cute and both deserve good things and healthy relationships, but I was a little meh on them, to be honest. There were a lot of feelings at play for two people who really weren’t in a place for those feelings to manifest in the way they do. I don’t know. Even with a brief time-jump in the end, it still felt incredbily fast. In the end, it just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t emotionally connected to their love story, and that’s what I’m ultimately here for.
A note about the discussions on Emily’s ex: Obviously the relationship wasn’t serving Emily and she’s dealing with a lot of hurt and trauma from the experience and I get that. She was right to get out of that relationship. But at no point does Clevenger consider the fact that Cass may be asexual and there seemed a lot of judgment about her lack of sex drive that felt really uncomfortable to me. And while I don’t expect Emily to be able to think kindly of Cass two months after leaving her wife (especially with how it went down), I did expect more from Clevenger here. I’m not suggesting Emily and Cass belonged together or that Cass is a good person, but the complete annihilation of Cass’s character based on the fact that she wasn’t particularly sexual felt kind of gross. This would have been a 3-star read for me, but I'm docking an entire star because this part just did not sit well with me.
lovbug's review
5.0
you see, i've read plenty of butchfemme books where i'd be clenching my teeth screaming crying throwing up because that should've happened to ME. but this one, wow. i couldn't even hate the femme because she was hashtag #REAL but still. THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME.
sophie_sciuto's review against another edition
emotional
3.75
this was a really nice read! the explicit scenes were done well and emotional too. I didn't hate the miscommunication in this one and thought the ending was realistic as well, not too insta-lovey.
chickenquesadilla's review
3.75
wasn’t a huge fan of the miscommunication and manipulation esp from katherine. not gonna lie emily annoyed me too with her hot n cold behaviour towards alex. AND the smut was maybe a 2 for me. all in all an alright story.