bookishmillennial's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless of the lack of stars. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
I haven’t read a book with a love triangle in a LONG time and I should have known by the cover, but this story pleasantly surprised me! 😍
The quick premise is that Zora owns a bookstore in DC, and one of her favorite big time authors is the guest of honor for a bookstore event. Lawrence, mystery crime thriller novelist, immediately takes a liking to Zora and asks her out for drinks after the event. Zora -who would love to write a romance novel one day- is understandably excited to get to know an author she admires and to possibly date him, because he seems like the whole catch! Plus, her meddling and curious grandma continues to bother her about giving her great-grand babies lol!
During the event though, Zora also meets Reid, who is best friends with Lawrence but seems grumpy and arrogant. He invites Zora to speak at his school, since he is an educator and fellow aspirational writer👀 With the consent of both men, Zora continues to date them both to play the field and figure out who is a better fit. This reminded me a lot of “Because I Said So” because it felt so clear to me who Zora would choose, but I knew she had to get their on her own!
I would say the steam is about 3/5 & this was another big clue as to who Zora would end up with, because the way men behave in bed tells me SO MUCH about how that translates into them as emotionally intelligent partners!
I never ever thought I’d enjoy a love triangle book, ever, and here Taj McCoy is making a liar out of me 😂 I appreciated Zora’s passion for the book community, for inspiring young readers, her zest for unpacking mystery, & her convictions! I appreciated that she really knew herself and trusted her gut. Her dynamic with her best friend Emma and her grandma was one of the highlights personally for me though; they had me cracking up and I could feel the play and care they shared with each other.
One last thing — the food descriptions!!!! I’m so hungry. All of the food sounded delectable and I need an accompanying recipe book 😂
I haven’t read a book with a love triangle in a LONG time and I should have known by the cover, but this story pleasantly surprised me! 😍
The quick premise is that Zora owns a bookstore in DC, and one of her favorite big time authors is the guest of honor for a bookstore event. Lawrence, mystery crime thriller novelist, immediately takes a liking to Zora and asks her out for drinks after the event. Zora -who would love to write a romance novel one day- is understandably excited to get to know an author she admires and to possibly date him, because he seems like the whole catch! Plus, her meddling and curious grandma continues to bother her about giving her great-grand babies lol!
During the event though, Zora also meets Reid, who is best friends with Lawrence but seems grumpy and arrogant. He invites Zora to speak at his school, since he is an educator and fellow aspirational writer👀 With the consent of both men, Zora continues to date them both to play the field and figure out who is a better fit. This reminded me a lot of “Because I Said So” because it felt so clear to me who Zora would choose, but I knew she had to get their on her own!
I would say the steam is about 3/5 & this was another big clue as to who Zora would end up with, because the way men behave in bed tells me SO MUCH about how that translates into them as emotionally intelligent partners!
I never ever thought I’d enjoy a love triangle book, ever, and here Taj McCoy is making a liar out of me 😂 I appreciated Zora’s passion for the book community, for inspiring young readers, her zest for unpacking mystery, & her convictions! I appreciated that she really knew herself and trusted her gut. Her dynamic with her best friend Emma and her grandma was one of the highlights personally for me though; they had me cracking up and I could feel the play and care they shared with each other.
One last thing — the food descriptions!!!! I’m so hungry. All of the food sounded delectable and I need an accompanying recipe book 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent and Toxic friendship
thirdeyeangel23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
5.0
How is this book not getting more hype??? I don’t usually enjoy love triangle plot points, but this was so well done! Zora is a 35 year old bookseller who is devoted to her job and community. After booking an appearance from her long-time favorite author, the two hit it off and show interest. But there is also the author’s broody and slightly rude best friend. And although he didn’t make the best first impression, Zora finds herself wanting to know more. This book has so many aspects that I loved. A curvy, 35 year old FMC who has solid relationships and ties with her community. Amazing dating representation and ethical non-monogamy. And this story is all things bookish girly without being cringey or cliché. This is my favorite work from Taj McCoy and I hope we see more like this to come!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny
callidoralblack's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
danileah07's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexism
librarybookscene's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Death of parent
amberinpieces's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
zombiezami's review against another edition
3.75
The love interests seemed a little flat and idealized, but I thought the story was cute overall. I felt like Emma and the Grandmother may as well have been the same person because they wouldn't stop talking about how fine the love interests were, and how much the protag should date them on that reason alone. Also, granny constantly repeating how she wanted Zora to have kids got very annoying, very fast, but that was perhaps the point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Sexual content
Moderate: Outing, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy, Medical content, Car accident, Police brutality, Cancer, and Body shaming
kimib79's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I can't imagine why she thinks Lawrence is a decent person. He is slick and fake from the word "go".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
jaz_gets_literary's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Zora, a bookshop owner, ends up in a love triangle between her favorite author, Lawrence and his best friend, Reid. Zora isn’t keen on the idea of dating them both but the guys are okay with it because they’ve done it before. That’s red flag #1 for me lol. She focused on her bookshop but with her grandmother pressuring her for great-grand babies she decided to date the best friends. She’s leaning more towards one guy when a shocking secret gets revealed that changes everything. Will Zora even find her happily ever with either of the men.
While I liked that Zora, her friend Emma, and grandmother have such a close relationship and that there were there to help guide her through the ups and downs up dating two guys. At times, it was overbearing. I don’t believe anyone should be asking about when you’re having children every time they see you.
While Reid didn’t make the best impression on Zora when they first met, in the end you understand exactly why he did and I don’t fault that against him. Also, I appreciate the author showing a Black male character being vulnerable in front of a whole he’s dating in the African American history museum scene. We need more books with Black male characters showing their vulnerability. I do feel like Zora was way too hard on him with the how can I trust you bit. He literally legally could not tell you and now you think he’s lying about any and everything. But Lawrence literally lied about something on the first date and you were willing to be okay with it. BFFR! <<Sidenote: Did anyone else think that a certain character has something else going on in Atlanta other than book events or what it just me?>>
The book was full of representation. A Black curvy female lead character. A Black male high school English teacher. A Black male author who writes intelligent strong Black female characters, bi rep, several Black owned businesses, in the metro D.C. area.
This was time reading a book by Taj McCoy. I’ve heard nothing but good things about her debut book Saavy Sheldon Feels Good As Hell and after finishing this book I look forward to reading more of her work. Thank you Hear Our Voices Tour and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Car accident
purplepenning's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
A little messy, a little mysterious, and as much a foodie rom-com as it is a bookish one. It didn't end up working for me but I knew going in that it featured a love triangle — one of my least favorite tropes — so I'm not going to rate it low for doing what it said it would do. In addition to the foodie and bookish vibes, you'll find Black D.C. community, a hilarious girl and granny group, and very frank and steamy conversations and depictions of sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gaslighting and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Sexism, and Hate crime
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