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night_owl_84's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very enjoyable read! There are so many fun and vibrant characters to get to know and fall in love with. The romance was very interesting and different...and kinda makes you wonder “What if?”
I haven’t read any books with a past romance concept...time travel yes...past lives no. But, I loved how their past selves impacted their present selves unknowingly. The intimate moments seemed fast paced for them in the present, but because of their past relationship it took those scenes to a deeper level of intimacy that was beautiful, but also unexpected...I don’t know if I’m expressing my feelings/thoughts adequately, but just know that it made the story amazing!
The reason why I left off a star is just because of minor interferences with some of the other characters that annoyed me, but it didn’t stop me from reading.
Overall I’d definitely recommend this one...
I haven’t read any books with a past romance concept...time travel yes...past lives no. But, I loved how their past selves impacted their present selves unknowingly. The intimate moments seemed fast paced for them in the present, but because of their past relationship it took those scenes to a deeper level of intimacy that was beautiful, but also unexpected...I don’t know if I’m expressing my feelings/thoughts adequately, but just know that it made the story amazing!
The reason why I left off a star is just because of minor interferences with some of the other characters that annoyed me, but it didn’t stop me from reading.
Overall I’d definitely recommend this one...
jathura's review against another edition
5.0
Very different from Spencer's other books, I'm always intrigued by a writer of contemporary fiction sprinkling in just a little bit of paranormal. This particular type didn't work too well for me but it didn't even matter because the supporting characters and stories ancillary to the main couple were so strong that the book was just a rich read all around.
Or maybe like Ren I'm just a sucker for artists.
Or maybe like Ren I'm just a sucker for artists.
vixdag's review against another edition
5.0
Check out my full review:
https://www.thelesbianreview.com/waiting-for-you-elle-spencer/
https://www.thelesbianreview.com/waiting-for-you-elle-spencer/
rogue_lurker's review against another edition
4.0
I've been waiting for this book - and was not disappointed. I've really enjoyed Ms Spencer's writing and she has a deft hand with humour - both through physical situations and banter. She keeps the tone light and fun and her characters are particularly engaging. There's some familiar tropes in this one but there's enough originality in their presentation that it made the overall story fresh. The story is well paced, with lots of secondary action and characters that propel the main characters and the romance along.
Lindsay Hall, recently divorced and questioning her sexuality, is a successful artist in a small town who is haunted by memories of a past life and love. When Ren Christopher blows into town to visit an old friend before she jets off to a new job in Paris, she isn't looking for a relationship, but her quirky interactions with Lindsay begin to chip away at her resolve. The romance has a good build up and the big reveal/drama isn't quite as angsty as I had expected (and a good thing ... a light bit of angst is all this needed).
There's a well developed chemistry between the two and the dialogue is bright and snappy - add to that the utter likability of the two mains and you've got a winner. The supporting characters provided an added layer of humour but they are all well developed beyond just being comic foils.
Overall, a great read.
Lindsay Hall, recently divorced and questioning her sexuality, is a successful artist in a small town who is haunted by memories of a past life and love. When Ren Christopher blows into town to visit an old friend before she jets off to a new job in Paris, she isn't looking for a relationship, but her quirky interactions with Lindsay begin to chip away at her resolve. The romance has a good build up and the big reveal/drama isn't quite as angsty as I had expected (and a good thing ... a light bit of angst is all this needed).
There's a well developed chemistry between the two and the dialogue is bright and snappy - add to that the utter likability of the two mains and you've got a winner. The supporting characters provided an added layer of humour but they are all well developed beyond just being comic foils.
Overall, a great read.
litschi's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
biblio_gabriella's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars. This was soooo lovely! Sapphics + past lives + painting = my dream. When I initially read the blurb for this book, I didn’t realize it was about past lives. But wow, I loved the past lives plot in this book. That aching longing, that sense of something missing that you can’t quite grasp, so that the only thing you can do is paint who’s haunting you...LOVE IT! Also, I need to get better at art ASAP so I can paint portraits of all these characters.
Lindsay is a soft, lovable character. She’s the human equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate. I want her to give me painting lessons for hours in that cozy studio of hers. I also love that she’s positively represented as a woman who became a mother at a young age.
Then there’s Ren Christopher (Elle Spencer’s characters have great names, hot damn!). Witty, irreverent Ren, with a larger-than-life heart and the same dark brown eyes as Lindsay’s mysterious past lover. I’m always a sucker for a brown-eyed power femme *swoons.* Ren leaps off the page from the moment she‘s introduced, and I couldn’t get enough of her!
The side characters are all lovely as well. I have a special place in my heart for Mrs. Stokely, the crotchety octogenarian with a past that no one expected. And of course, I loved the characters in the snippets of Lindsay’s past life. They beg for attention, even though we only get glimpses of them.
I really wanted to give this five stars, because the concept and characters deserve it. However, it didn’t make the cut because I thought the book was way too short! It’s only 221 pages, and good portion of those pages are dedicated to interactions between the mains and their best friends. I loved both Patty and Deb, don’t get me wrong, but I needed more Lindsay and Ren. The meet-cute (can it be called that?) also doesn’t happen until 1/4 of the way in, and while the scene was explosive, I felt like the buildup was too long. :/ So yeah, I felt like there was soooo much potential for more in-depth discussions and more sensual Lindsay/Ren scenes. Elle Spencer, can we have a sequel??
Overall, I loved the concept and characters of this book, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. (Also, shoutout to Hsinju for writing the review that made me pick this up!)
Lindsay is a soft, lovable character. She’s the human equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate. I want her to give me painting lessons for hours in that cozy studio of hers. I also love that she’s positively represented as a woman who became a mother at a young age.
Then there’s Ren Christopher (Elle Spencer’s characters have great names, hot damn!). Witty, irreverent Ren, with a larger-than-life heart and the same dark brown eyes as Lindsay’s mysterious past lover. I’m always a sucker for a brown-eyed power femme *swoons.* Ren leaps off the page from the moment she‘s introduced, and I couldn’t get enough of her!
The side characters are all lovely as well. I have a special place in my heart for Mrs. Stokely, the crotchety octogenarian with a past that no one expected. And of course, I loved the characters in the snippets of Lindsay’s past life. They beg for attention, even though we only get glimpses of them.
I really wanted to give this five stars, because the concept and characters deserve it. However, it didn’t make the cut because I thought the book was way too short! It’s only 221 pages, and good portion of those pages are dedicated to interactions between the mains and their best friends. I loved both Patty and Deb, don’t get me wrong, but I needed more Lindsay and Ren. The meet-cute (can it be called that?) also doesn’t happen until 1/4 of the way in, and while the scene was explosive, I felt like the buildup was too long. :/ So yeah, I felt like there was soooo much potential for more in-depth discussions and more sensual Lindsay/Ren scenes. Elle Spencer, can we have a sequel??
Overall, I loved the concept and characters of this book, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. (Also, shoutout to Hsinju for writing the review that made me pick this up!)
cdownes's review against another edition
2.0
I like to think I'm not influenced by ratings from other people when giving my own rating, but I do use them to determine if I want to read a book myself. This book came with good ratings and as I don't mind Elle Spencer's writing, I thought I would be in for a good read.
Unfortunately, this really didn't click for me, not even a smidge.
Unfortunately, this really didn't click for me, not even a smidge.
barbrokatrin's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve loved most of the Elle Spencer books I’ve read and this is no exception.
It’s funny, it’s light, it’s sweet and it’s steamy. I loved the relationship and friendships between all the women in the book. I found myself laughing several times while reading their banter and ribbing. Tater Tots!
Elle Spencer is one of my favorite lesfic authors and she almost never disappoints.
It’s funny, it’s light, it’s sweet and it’s steamy. I loved the relationship and friendships between all the women in the book. I found myself laughing several times while reading their banter and ribbing. Tater Tots!
Elle Spencer is one of my favorite lesfic authors and she almost never disappoints.
lezreviewbooks's review
5.0
I’m not a fan of romance stories based on people who had met in previous lives. I don’t know why but it’s a trope that makes me cringe. However, Elle Spencer is among my favourite lesfic authors so I decided to give it a go. I’m happy that I did because I really enjoyed ‘Waiting for You’.
All her adult life artist Lindsay Hall has been obsessed with a woman of her past life. Recently divorced from her husband and with a teenage daughter, the mysterious woman is in her dreams and her paintings. But when Ren Christopher appears in her small town on a short vacation before moving to Paris, Lindsay realises that the woman of her dreams might be very real…
I thought that I had a grasp on Elle Spencer’s writing style: she can produce great rom-coms such in ‘30 Dates in 30 Days‘, good dramas like in ‘The Road to Madison‘ or a mix of both like in her debut ‘Casting Lacey‘. But ‘Waiting for You’ doesn’t fit into those types of stories. In certain moments I thought I was reading a book by Ann Mac Man because of the witty, nerdy, intelligent humour and clever dialogues. Some other times, it sounded like the ridiculous situations out of Robin Alexander’s stories. A very interesting combination.
From my point of view, the problem with the reincarnation romance trope is that it’s got the potential to quickly become a melodrama and I’m not a fan. Ms. Spencer avoids this by not taking anything too seriously and with a heavy dose of humour. The flashbacks to the past are a great excuse to explore life as a lesbian decades ago when homophobia was more commonplace than nowadays. Some of those flashbacks were heartbreaking.
The main characters have amazing chemistry which Ms. Spencer exploits in and out of the bedroom. Every single character was written with such knowledge of the writing craft that they all seem to come alive out of the page. They are complex and endearing, very easy to relate to. My favourite was Mrs. Stokely, who is a colleague of Lindsay’s, an old lady with a beautiful story to tell.
Overall, a very good reincarnation romance book, another enjoyable story by Elle Spencer. 4.5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
All her adult life artist Lindsay Hall has been obsessed with a woman of her past life. Recently divorced from her husband and with a teenage daughter, the mysterious woman is in her dreams and her paintings. But when Ren Christopher appears in her small town on a short vacation before moving to Paris, Lindsay realises that the woman of her dreams might be very real…
I thought that I had a grasp on Elle Spencer’s writing style: she can produce great rom-coms such in ‘30 Dates in 30 Days‘, good dramas like in ‘The Road to Madison‘ or a mix of both like in her debut ‘Casting Lacey‘. But ‘Waiting for You’ doesn’t fit into those types of stories. In certain moments I thought I was reading a book by Ann Mac Man because of the witty, nerdy, intelligent humour and clever dialogues. Some other times, it sounded like the ridiculous situations out of Robin Alexander’s stories. A very interesting combination.
From my point of view, the problem with the reincarnation romance trope is that it’s got the potential to quickly become a melodrama and I’m not a fan. Ms. Spencer avoids this by not taking anything too seriously and with a heavy dose of humour. The flashbacks to the past are a great excuse to explore life as a lesbian decades ago when homophobia was more commonplace than nowadays. Some of those flashbacks were heartbreaking.
The main characters have amazing chemistry which Ms. Spencer exploits in and out of the bedroom. Every single character was written with such knowledge of the writing craft that they all seem to come alive out of the page. They are complex and endearing, very easy to relate to. My favourite was Mrs. Stokely, who is a colleague of Lindsay’s, an old lady with a beautiful story to tell.
Overall, a very good reincarnation romance book, another enjoyable story by Elle Spencer. 4.5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
lucyreads's review
3.0
I've been wanting to try an Elle Spencer book for a while so as soon as I saw this one up for request on Netgalley I knew I had to read it, and whilst i'm glad I did i'll admit that this wasn't quite the book for me.
I really enjoyed the writing style here and how well developed the characters were. There's actually a decent sized cast of characters here but all of them felt well-developed and explored.
The relationship was cute, although definitely a little insta-love. However, this book focuses heavily on the idea of past lives and I just could not get into that aspect which just ruined my enjoyment of the entire book.
A good book, just not for me but i'm still hoping to try more from this author in the future.
ARC copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the writing style here and how well developed the characters were. There's actually a decent sized cast of characters here but all of them felt well-developed and explored.
The relationship was cute, although definitely a little insta-love. However, this book focuses heavily on the idea of past lives and I just could not get into that aspect which just ruined my enjoyment of the entire book.
A good book, just not for me but i'm still hoping to try more from this author in the future.
ARC copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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