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midnightbelles's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was okay. I honestly think historical fiction/romance isn’t for me but story wise this was interesting (although their new family tree is wild). I was really into the first 1/3 of the book but once I got to the middle I got a little bored and sped through the rest of the chapters just to see how it ended. I loved the ending though and the epilogue made me really want to read the second book to see what happens between Beth and Gwen in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
angelicav95's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse and Grief
_caramel_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Misogyny
madlysoph's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was a delightful read! It was so much fun despite the unfortunate realities imposed upon the characters due to the time period. While it does have more serious moments and plot points, at the heart of it this book is a fun sapphic historical romance. Them ending up as stepsisters and with a shared half-sibling on the way does feel a bit weird, but the author both makes it work and makes it charming. This whole book is delightfully charming, the characters are bright and witty and made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion while reading. I absolutely adored Qwen and Beth, their friendship was delightful to watch blossom, and their romance even more so. The immediate obsession they have with one another is so indicative of first love (and being in one's early 20s) and is achingly sweet. Their parents are both fully fleshed-out people independent of their children and are positively adorable together. Both of them are full of heartache which they are beginning to mend with one another by the end of the book. After all we learn about Beth's mother specifically and her marriage, seeing her happy and free at the end of the book is so lovely. The marriage act subplot was clever and tied into the greater story very nicely. The third-act crisis was handled wonderfully and added to the story rather than detracted from it. I loved the extended cast of friends and family that forms by the end of the book, which sets up the sequel rather nicely, which I am highly anticipating and am at the top of the holds list for! The only "detractor" for this book was that the author tended to kind of skim over/forget about the timeline, randomly throwing in that it had been a month or a few months that had passed rather than showing it, aside from that the writing was great and I had a fun time! This is a great read and I highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Misogyny
Minor: Vomit, Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
savreads28's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Addiction, and Classism
drtx_bwt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Alcohol
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Lesbophobia and Violence
haileyhardcover's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’ve seen this book marketed as sapphic Bridgerton. Admittedly, I’ve only seen the show, not read the books, so maybe they are less spicy than the show is? In any case, I was expecting a good amount of spice and got… black pepper. 😒
(Lack of) spice aside, the time period, the drama, the goings-on of the ton, that’s all there and all too familiar for those of us who have enjoyed Bridgerton. I really liked both Beth and Gwen, and their families - especially Gwen’s cousins. It was really nice to see their relationship supported by the people who loved them, even though that wouldn’t have been likely for the time period.
I rushed through this book because I won’t have time for reading tomorrow and I didn’t want to leave anything unfinished before the new year. If I didn’t have that time limit hanging over my head, I think it probably would’ve taken me a few days to read because, though it was a sweet story, it didn’t really grip me. I took several breaks throughout the day while reading it, whereas normally, if I really love a book, I could get through one of this length in just a few hours. Still, it is worth the read and a perfectly good way to end the year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Sexual content, Rape, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Death
stardustandrockets's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was given an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was everything! I absolutely love the hijinks Gwen and Beth come up with to get their parents together so they don't have to get married themselves. Not realizing they're both queer until it's too late, this was an absolute joy of a book. Mixing my love of historical romance, queer discovery stories, and badass ladies.
The cast of characters was great. Aside from the main duo, Albie was a stand-out to me. Same with Meredith. They were both so accepting of Gwen and Beth and probably realized they had a thing for each other before they did.
I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to read the sequel!
This book was everything! I absolutely love the hijinks Gwen and Beth come up with to get their parents together so they don't have to get married themselves. Not realizing they're both queer until it's too late, this was an absolute joy of a book. Mixing my love of historical romance, queer discovery stories, and badass ladies.
The cast of characters was great. Aside from the main duo, Albie was a stand-out to me. Same with Meredith. They were both so accepting of Gwen and Beth and probably realized they had a thing for each other before they did.
I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to read the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, Homophobia, Sexism, Alcohol, Classism, and Sexual content
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
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