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wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Such a fun, heartfelt queer romcom!
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was how complex and nuanced the characters were. They felt like real, complicated people with real, complicated pasts. Even the side characters had complexity, especially Claire's daughter Ruby who is one of the most realistic child characters I've ever read. I found Delilah particularly relatable, in all of her spiky, petty glory. Claire was so lovely too, just a sweet woman trying to do the best for everyone and struggling with parenting. I loved how tender and vulnerable Claire and Delilah were with each other, even when they thought it was just temporary and casual. Surprisingly steamy for a romcom too, especially a sapphic one.
It was also interesting to see Delilah reexamine her memories of the past and realise they may just be a bit unreliable, that she and Astrid were just stuck in a loop of miscommunication and hurt feelings. I thought it was done really well (aside from the part where Delilah reads Astrid's diary — that felt like such a violation of her privacy).
There were a couple of things that bothered me — the diary reading, how much of the plot of this sapphic romance ultimately centred around a cishet man and a really terrible (borderline caricature-ish) one at that, the whole bet situation. But ultimately this was such a fantastic romance! Reminded me a lot of Book Lovers by Emily Henry with the small-town bookshop/sisters-at-odds vibes, but executed way better (in my opinion).
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was how complex and nuanced the characters were. They felt like real, complicated people with real, complicated pasts. Even the side characters had complexity, especially Claire's daughter Ruby who is one of the most realistic child characters I've ever read. I found Delilah particularly relatable, in all of her spiky, petty glory. Claire was so lovely too, just a sweet woman trying to do the best for everyone and struggling with parenting. I loved how tender and vulnerable Claire and Delilah were with each other, even when they thought it was just temporary and casual. Surprisingly steamy for a romcom too, especially a sapphic one.
It was also interesting to see Delilah reexamine her memories of the past and realise they may just be a bit unreliable, that she and Astrid were just stuck in a loop of miscommunication and hurt feelings. I thought it was done really well (aside from the part where Delilah reads Astrid's diary — that felt like such a violation of her privacy).
There were a couple of things that bothered me — the diary reading, how much of the plot of this sapphic romance ultimately centred around a cishet man and a really terrible (borderline caricature-ish) one at that, the whole bet situation. But ultimately this was such a fantastic romance! Reminded me a lot of Book Lovers by Emily Henry with the small-town bookshop/sisters-at-odds vibes, but executed way better (in my opinion).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood, Pregnancy, Cancer, Violence, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
hobbithopeful'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A charmingly delightful queer romantic comedy about learning to trust again, and what happens when you return to your home town. You guys this book had me all in my feels for real! (I ugly cried so much reading this!)
Delilah Green has made a life for herself in New York, and has gotten very practiced at casual hookups and flings, never one to try to have a real relationship after a bad heartbreak. With her stepsisters' wedding coming up, she must travel back to her hometown and confront her past in a place where she was never accepted.
Claire needs to get laid. Badly. The sexy lady she approaches at the bar is just what she needs, only it turns out she is none other than her best friend and bride to be, Astrid's, wicked stepsister, and so totally off limits.
Between wedding events and plotting over how to break up the bride and groom (yes really), the two begin to get very close. Seriously y'all...the SPICE in this book! Someone fetch me a fan and a glass of iced tea because it got steamy. The chemistry and banter between Claire and Delilah was so thrilling to read, and I loved watching their story evolve, as well as each of them grow.
Delilah so perfectly encapsulated the results of being misunderstood and neglected as a child. Astrid is on the other end of the spectrum, with her being the results of an overbearing and over critical Mother. Blake handled so well what happens when two siblings go through having a difficult childhood, and how resentment and misunderstanding can build over time into a twisted and ugly monstrosity.
My only complaint about this book is I wish someone had smacked around Isabel just a little bit. (Okay...a lot!) I wanted a full on rage scene with lots of slapping and maybe even some hitting with a fish.
A must read for lovers of queer books, or fans of a good love story. I can't wait to read the next book!
Delilah Green has made a life for herself in New York, and has gotten very practiced at casual hookups and flings, never one to try to have a real relationship after a bad heartbreak. With her stepsisters' wedding coming up, she must travel back to her hometown and confront her past in a place where she was never accepted.
Claire needs to get laid. Badly. The sexy lady she approaches at the bar is just what she needs, only it turns out she is none other than her best friend and bride to be, Astrid's, wicked stepsister, and so totally off limits.
Between wedding events and plotting over how to break up the bride and groom (yes really), the two begin to get very close. Seriously y'all...the SPICE in this book! Someone fetch me a fan and a glass of iced tea because it got steamy. The chemistry and banter between Claire and Delilah was so thrilling to read, and I loved watching their story evolve, as well as each of them grow.
Delilah so perfectly encapsulated the results of being misunderstood and neglected as a child. Astrid is on the other end of the spectrum, with her being the results of an overbearing and over critical Mother. Blake handled so well what happens when two siblings go through having a difficult childhood, and how resentment and misunderstanding can build over time into a twisted and ugly monstrosity.
My only complaint about this book is I wish someone had smacked around Isabel just a little bit. (Okay...a lot!) I wanted a full on rage scene with lots of slapping and maybe even some hitting with a fish.
A must read for lovers of queer books, or fans of a good love story. I can't wait to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Infidelity
the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, Bullying, and Cancer
abookwormspov's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
ksuazo94's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
Minor: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Death of parent
aseel_reads's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
4.0
This was sooo very cute, and I liked how they resolved the main conflict
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
aileron's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cancer and Infidelity
karelovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
nyree42's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
3.5
Would have been a near perfect queer romance if Delilah had not been the type of person who used people for one-night-stands. That was triggering for me to read about, although I appreciated the deep insights into her psychology as to why she did that. On that note, I didn't like how another character who was in a fairly happy relationship kept telling her single friends to "get laid." "Just sex" is a myth. Even for a one-night-stand there can be a lot of complicated emotions and an unpleasant aftermath.
So no, I can't blindly accept promotions of promiscuity because... it just doesn't make anyone happy in the end. That - and the excessive amounts of alcohol consumption - are why I've only rated this 3.5 stars.
Aside from that letdown, this story was very sweet, genuine, spicy and messy in all the right ways, just like any good romantic relationship.
So no, I can't blindly accept promotions of promiscuity because... it just doesn't make anyone happy in the end. That - and the excessive amounts of alcohol consumption - are why I've only rated this 3.5 stars.
Aside from that letdown, this story was very sweet, genuine, spicy and messy in all the right ways, just like any good romantic relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Infidelity
abi2xoxo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This was a good book. When I brought this book I was told by the lady behind the counter that everyone that had read it said their life had changed. She informed me she had in fact read it and she really loved it. That made me very excited to read it. Let's get into the pros and cons, shall we...
pros:
- Delilah's trauma and her story all felt real, I think we have all felt lonely and as if no one loved us. I didn't experience what Delilah did as a child but I understood her and it felt so real and raw.
- I felt so bad for Astrid as soon as this story starts, I mean her mother is an ass.
- Josh is a character I fell in love with too. I know he has been unreliable and for a while we aren't supposed to like him, but I just found myself liking him and wanting to know more about his side of things every time he was mentioned.
- Claire is such a good mother. Her character truly spoke the words of single mothers who have unreliable baby daddies! She was so patient with Ruby and she is such a loveable character.
- Honestly, I could talk about each character one by one but I will summarise by saying I loved Ruby and her creativity and Iris' love and loyalty.
- The love blossomed in a real way. It wasn't too quick and it wasn't horribly slow. It just felt real. The spicy scenes were written in a way that didn't sexualize lesbian love and I just loved that. I fell for their love and want it for myself! I am so lonely! hahaha ]
- It is from both of the lady's perspectives which I just love, love, love!
cons:
- Astrid was annoying! I don't know what else to say! I understand everything she went through but she was a little annoying throughout!
- I was disappointed we never saw more of Isabel and I would have liked that to be explored more.
- I know we got it sometimes in the book but I wish we had seen Delilah take more photos. She always wrote about the nature photos she takes but we never really got to see her take on or how she felt at that moment.
pros:
- Delilah's trauma and her story all felt real, I think we have all felt lonely and as if no one loved us. I didn't experience what Delilah did as a child but I understood her and it felt so real and raw.
- I felt so bad for Astrid as soon as this story starts, I mean her mother is an ass.
- Josh is a character I fell in love with too. I know he has been unreliable and for a while we aren't supposed to like him, but I just found myself liking him and wanting to know more about his side of things every time he was mentioned.
- Claire is such a good mother. Her character truly spoke the words of single mothers who have unreliable baby daddies! She was so patient with Ruby and she is such a loveable character.
- Honestly, I could talk about each character one by one but I will summarise by saying I loved Ruby and her creativity and Iris' love and loyalty.
- The love blossomed in a real way. It wasn't too quick and it wasn't horribly slow. It just felt real. The spicy scenes were written in a way that didn't sexualize lesbian love and I just loved that. I fell for their love and want it for myself! I am so lonely! hahaha ]
- It is from both of the lady's perspectives which I just love, love, love!
cons:
- Astrid was annoying! I don't know what else to say! I understand everything she went through but she was a little annoying throughout!
- I was disappointed we never saw more of Isabel and I would have liked that to be explored more.
- I know we got it sometimes in the book but I wish we had seen Delilah take more photos. She always wrote about the nature photos she takes but we never really got to see her take on or how she felt at that moment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content