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ker0wyn's review against another edition
3.0
Teeth achingly sweet in an overly engineered sort of way, with pockets of drama that felt abrupt and uncharacteristic. I love this story in theory-- sweet trans woman finds fellowship through roller derby and love with a sassy lady-- I just didn't totally buy it in execution.
moonstrucksue's review against another edition
3.0
The protagonist Tina has certainly joined the league of characters I've come to adore and respect.
She made me teared up, her arc did it for me. That's how emotional, and good it is. I just sadly couldn't enjoy its full potential. I will cite the fact that it dragged at some point, and I don't particularly ship the otp which is one of my usual requirement for a favorite.
Overall, I would recommend Roller Girl within a heartbeat. Most of my friends love it! It guts me that the community reviews for this are filled with transphobia and fetishization of same sex couples.
She made me teared up, her arc did it for me. That's how emotional, and good it is. I just sadly couldn't enjoy its full potential. I will cite the fact that it dragged at some point, and I don't particularly ship the otp which is one of my usual requirement for a favorite.
Overall, I would recommend Roller Girl within a heartbeat. Most of my friends love it! It guts me that the community reviews for this are filled with transphobia and fetishization of same sex couples.
horrorbutch's review against another edition
4.0
Tina has gone through a divorce a while ago, shortly after transitioning. Her girlfriend, Lisa, was straight and it just didn't work out. Since Lisa always took care of her and fixed things Tina is stuck in a limbo, not quite sure what to do now. When she meets Joe, the plumber/derby trainer, she quickly finds herself falling for her. However, Joe's past will force them to keep their relationship under wraps and Tina does not feel comfortable with that at all.
I loved that there was absolutely no transphobia in the story, that was really nice to read. Tina is misgendered once, but other than that, she passes and doesn't face any transphobic harassment. Also, this is not a story about transitioning, it's a story about life after transition. Of course, both kinds of stories are needed, but I enjoyed the focus of this story. There is also a nonbinary child, Tommy, who uses they/them pronouns, who meets Tina in the end of the novel. That was one of my favorite scenes, it was lovely and sweet and showed how important representation can be.
I adored the side characters. Lauren is Tina's derby-wife, a term that is used to good partners on the field. She is straight but absolutely supports Tina's and Joe's relationship. There's also Jeremy, a guy Tina trains as personal trainer. He's really supportive of her and she of him, their relationship is really nice. Then there's Elvis, Tina's dog. I absolutely adore him, he's so cute. Apparently, some other side characters appear in other books of the series, but as I never read them I can't judge that.
Personally, I found the sex scenes well written, but as the relationship felt rushed to me, I didn't really feel them. I would have liked some more build up. Then there was also the "our relationship has to be secret bc ~reasons~" which bothered me. We got a bit of a better reason for Joe's reluctance quite late in the story, but by then I was already too annoyed at all the fighting and misunderstandings. I still enjoyed their romance, but I could have done with quite so much conflict.
I don't care much for Roller Derby, but the story made it sounds really interesting, so that was not really a problem for me. I also would have loved some more background on Tina, which wasn't really there.
In the end, I have to say I liked the story, but it was nothing exceptional. It has great representation and I adore the characters, but the relationship sadly didn't really work for me.
I loved that there was absolutely no transphobia in the story, that was really nice to read. Tina is misgendered once, but other than that, she passes and doesn't face any transphobic harassment. Also, this is not a story about transitioning, it's a story about life after transition. Of course, both kinds of stories are needed, but I enjoyed the focus of this story. There is also a nonbinary child, Tommy, who uses they/them pronouns, who meets Tina in the end of the novel. That was one of my favorite scenes, it was lovely and sweet and showed how important representation can be.
I adored the side characters. Lauren is Tina's derby-wife, a term that is used to good partners on the field. She is straight but absolutely supports Tina's and Joe's relationship. There's also Jeremy, a guy Tina trains as personal trainer. He's really supportive of her and she of him, their relationship is really nice. Then there's Elvis, Tina's dog. I absolutely adore him, he's so cute. Apparently, some other side characters appear in other books of the series, but as I never read them I can't judge that.
Personally, I found the sex scenes well written, but as the relationship felt rushed to me, I didn't really feel them. I would have liked some more build up. Then there was also the "our relationship has to be secret bc ~reasons~" which bothered me. We got a bit of a better reason for Joe's reluctance quite late in the story, but by then I was already too annoyed at all the fighting and misunderstandings. I still enjoyed their romance, but I could have done with quite so much conflict.
I don't care much for Roller Derby, but the story made it sounds really interesting, so that was not really a problem for me. I also would have loved some more background on Tina, which wasn't really there.
In the end, I have to say I liked the story, but it was nothing exceptional. It has great representation and I adore the characters, but the relationship sadly didn't really work for me.
larissa19's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great! I hope to see more like it in the future!
lienwynvarras's review against another edition
3.0
Out of the whole Lake Lovelace series, this was the book I wanted to read the most. I actually read two whole chapters before realising that I should probably start with the first two books because there were so many references to people and events I didn't know. And, as suspected, it was indeed easier to start from the beginning and I recommend that you do as well.
Unfortunately, this was the book I liked the least out of the series. I've been trying to put my finger on why and I think it's because the main relationship was given very little time. Tina is a busy woman and she had clients to train, friends to meet, and training for the roller derby, so the romance felt quite rushed. There wasn't much depth in the emotions between Tina and Joe because they weren't given enough time to talk and really get to know each other. I mean, I was still rooting for them, but I think this book would have benefited from being a little longer. Maybe then the romance would have felt more believable.
Even so, I still enjoyed it. Tina was a lovely main character and I liked watching her grow more confident as the book progressed. And, not going to lie, I teared up when she talked to Thomas there at the end. Those kinds of scenes will get me every time. Overall, I think Lauren was my favourite, though. I really liked her.
So yeah. Not quite what I wanted, but still good. It was nice to read not only a F/F book, but one with a trans woman.
Unfortunately, this was the book I liked the least out of the series. I've been trying to put my finger on why and I think it's because the main relationship was given very little time. Tina is a busy woman and she had clients to train, friends to meet, and training for the roller derby, so the romance felt quite rushed. There wasn't much depth in the emotions between Tina and Joe because they weren't given enough time to talk and really get to know each other. I mean, I was still rooting for them, but I think this book would have benefited from being a little longer. Maybe then the romance would have felt more believable.
Even so, I still enjoyed it. Tina was a lovely main character and I liked watching her grow more confident as the book progressed. And, not going to lie, I teared up when she talked to Thomas there at the end. Those kinds of scenes will get me every time. Overall, I think Lauren was my favourite, though. I really liked her.
So yeah. Not quite what I wanted, but still good. It was nice to read not only a F/F book, but one with a trans woman.
gloomreads's review
4.0
3.5 stars, rounded up for transfemme main character, general progressive thinking, and roller derby.
A good, quick read. Hot in a couple of spots, dramatic in others, but overall it's a nice sports-involved story with a happily ever after. There are definitely some areas where it could be improved, but this overall is a good time, and I'd recommend it.
I'll open this with saying I'm trans, although a different direction from Tina, and a derby player myself. I was interested in this from the second I heard about it (and read it very shortly after learning it existed!) and while I don't think I was exactly disappointed, I also don't think I was impressed. This review is lengthy, and I acknowledge that I have difficulty turning off the part of my brain that thinks "how would I have written/edited this differently", and I think a lot of that probably comes through in my review.
On roller derby: The game has changed a fair bit since 2016, but much of the stuff in here still rings true. Core rules are still accurate, and the quick blurb explaining game play was sweet and concise, too. Felt easily understandable for folks that don't already know derby, which is always nice.
That said, a team of ~6 people does not a bouting-ready team make, and I think that there was also some more high-level terminology (like seeds, and referring to the MC's team as being a part of an overarching league) that felt a bit muddy when compared with the rest of the accessibility level of the book.
I found myself raising an eyebrow at how quickly Tina excelled at derby (with the exception of jumping the sandbags) and would have liked to see more, there. Yes, she was formerly a pro athlete, but derby is an intense contact sport, and her seemingly prodigal talent almost felt like it took away from what the game is, in a way. Now that I'm mentioning it, I also don't think the sandbags issue ever came back up again, which feels like a missed opportunity, but then again I also think it may have felt too cherry-on-top cheesy for Tina to land an apex jump that quickly, too, so I don't know if there's winning there for me.
On the characters: Honestly, I think these were all probably okay given that this is a book contained in a universe and they likely exist to others in other media besides Roller Girl, but I DID find myself losing track of who was who because there were so many different side characters. I think that there were a few that we got to know and understand in a nice way (Tina, Joe, and Lauren, specifically) but I don't think I could successfully list off all of the other characters and their relation to Tina if I tried. Lauren was cute, and I would have loved to see a little more of her and Tina interacting individually.
On the romance: The sex scenes in this were hot, and I liked the characters' chemistry, but the romance itself felt extremely rushed. It is likely due to the overall pacing of the book feeling off, but it was strange to see Tina fall so quickly for Joe.
Is it the lesbian experience?
Sure, maybe a little bit, sometimes.
But I would have liked to see something different, I think. I would have liked to see a little bit more exploration into what it's like to date after prior long-term romances, especially ones where you came out as queer/trans.
I would have loved to see more trepidation and care from Tina, and less of her being grouchy and offended (and honestly, a little bit high school) about Joe trying to play it careful, especially given the fact that they have a power dynamic at play to be mindful of!
I felt like their whole thing was too fast, and too convenient, and the few falling out incidents they had felt predictable and immature. The passage of time in the book seemed to have it just skip multiple months at a time without acknowledgement, and it made it really difficult to believe the progression of their romance and their feelings until whatever month it was was mentioned, and I was able to adjust to catch up.
Another area that I think was lacking was more of a conversation between Tina and Joe about Tina being trans, or more internal monologueing about Tina's transition at all. We don't learn that she's gotten bottom surgery until after the first sex scene, which is splitting hairs but is a detail that felt like an oversight. Every single character hearing that Tina is trans and going "oh, sick, carry on" is wonderful and a dream, but especially given the nuanced conversation/experience of gender in the world (AND within roller derby as a whole over the last decade), I feel like more could have been done. Even just on the romantic level, I would have liked to see more. We could have had Tina explaining things to Joe, an opportunity for some education beyond a passing reference to dilators, things like that, and I personally felt like it was a series of missed chances.
I will say, though, I loved the progressiveness of this story as a whole. I liked Tina talking to Thomas at the end, I loved the way they handled her gender in the interview, I loved all of the queer relationships. Especially noting that this book is nearly a decade old, it feels really cool to have seen such forward thinking, and in a lot of ways I think that at least somewhat makes up for the story as a whole feeling Too Right.
Overall, I think the story would have benefitted from some overall structure changes. There were storylines that didn't feel necessary to me (although, again, I haven't read the other Lovelace books) and the whole thing felt a little too picture perfect fantasy predictable. But it was a good read, and an easy one, and I'd probably recommend it to friends in spite of my complaints.
A good, quick read. Hot in a couple of spots, dramatic in others, but overall it's a nice sports-involved story with a happily ever after. There are definitely some areas where it could be improved, but this overall is a good time, and I'd recommend it.
I'll open this with saying I'm trans, although a different direction from Tina, and a derby player myself. I was interested in this from the second I heard about it (and read it very shortly after learning it existed!) and while I don't think I was exactly disappointed, I also don't think I was impressed. This review is lengthy, and I acknowledge that I have difficulty turning off the part of my brain that thinks "how would I have written/edited this differently", and I think a lot of that probably comes through in my review.
On roller derby: The game has changed a fair bit since 2016, but much of the stuff in here still rings true. Core rules are still accurate, and the quick blurb explaining game play was sweet and concise, too. Felt easily understandable for folks that don't already know derby, which is always nice.
That said, a team of ~6 people does not a bouting-ready team make, and I think that there was also some more high-level terminology (like seeds, and referring to the MC's team as being a part of an overarching league) that felt a bit muddy when compared with the rest of the accessibility level of the book.
I found myself raising an eyebrow at how quickly Tina excelled at derby (with the exception of jumping the sandbags) and would have liked to see more, there. Yes, she was formerly a pro athlete, but derby is an intense contact sport, and her seemingly prodigal talent almost felt like it took away from what the game is, in a way. Now that I'm mentioning it, I also don't think the sandbags issue ever came back up again, which feels like a missed opportunity, but then again I also think it may have felt too cherry-on-top cheesy for Tina to land an apex jump that quickly, too, so I don't know if there's winning there for me.
On the characters: Honestly, I think these were all probably okay given that this is a book contained in a universe and they likely exist to others in other media besides Roller Girl, but I DID find myself losing track of who was who because there were so many different side characters. I think that there were a few that we got to know and understand in a nice way (Tina, Joe, and Lauren, specifically) but I don't think I could successfully list off all of the other characters and their relation to Tina if I tried. Lauren was cute, and I would have loved to see a little more of her and Tina interacting individually.
On the romance: The sex scenes in this were hot, and I liked the characters' chemistry, but the romance itself felt extremely rushed. It is likely due to the overall pacing of the book feeling off, but it was strange to see Tina fall so quickly for Joe.
Is it the lesbian experience?
Sure, maybe a little bit, sometimes.
But I would have liked to see something different, I think. I would have liked to see a little bit more exploration into what it's like to date after prior long-term romances, especially ones where you came out as queer/trans.
I would have loved to see more trepidation and care from Tina, and less of her being grouchy and offended (and honestly, a little bit high school) about Joe trying to play it careful, especially given the fact that they have a power dynamic at play to be mindful of!
I felt like their whole thing was too fast, and too convenient, and the few falling out incidents they had felt predictable and immature. The passage of time in the book seemed to have it just skip multiple months at a time without acknowledgement, and it made it really difficult to believe the progression of their romance and their feelings until whatever month it was was mentioned, and I was able to adjust to catch up.
Another area that I think was lacking was more of a conversation between Tina and Joe about Tina being trans, or more internal monologueing about Tina's transition at all. We don't learn that she's gotten bottom surgery until after the first sex scene, which is splitting hairs but is a detail that felt like an oversight. Every single character hearing that Tina is trans and going "oh, sick, carry on" is wonderful and a dream, but especially given the nuanced conversation/experience of gender in the world (AND within roller derby as a whole over the last decade), I feel like more could have been done. Even just on the romantic level, I would have liked to see more. We could have had Tina explaining things to Joe, an opportunity for some education beyond a passing reference to dilators, things like that, and I personally felt like it was a series of missed chances.
I will say, though, I loved the progressiveness of this story as a whole. I liked Tina talking to Thomas at the end, I loved the way they handled her gender in the interview, I loved all of the queer relationships. Especially noting that this book is nearly a decade old, it feels really cool to have seen such forward thinking, and in a lot of ways I think that at least somewhat makes up for the story as a whole feeling Too Right.
Overall, I think the story would have benefitted from some overall structure changes. There were storylines that didn't feel necessary to me (although, again, I haven't read the other Lovelace books) and the whole thing felt a little too picture perfect fantasy predictable. But it was a good read, and an easy one, and I'd probably recommend it to friends in spite of my complaints.
pennyaimes's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a big fan of this one! Setting aside the "I'm reading this because I'm desperate for trans rep" books and the non-romance books, there's really only about 4 books on my trans heroines list, all from cis contemporary romance authors who usually write cis characters.
Of those four, Vanessa North takes the biggest risk in putting the camera squarely behind her trans heroine's eyes, and she does a fantastic job of portraying navigating the early days of reinventing herself and recovering from a marriage that had grown comfortable some ways even if it stopped working in others.
Also it's a f/f book and as a woman married to a woman I'm partial.
I've seen criticism that this has a bit of an afterschool special quality to the trans rep, which I can agree with, but I think it represents an accurate estimate of where the general audience is! If anything I applaud Vanessa North for taking on the topic of trans athletes fearlessly.
Of those four, Vanessa North takes the biggest risk in putting the camera squarely behind her trans heroine's eyes, and she does a fantastic job of portraying navigating the early days of reinventing herself and recovering from a marriage that had grown comfortable some ways even if it stopped working in others.
Also it's a f/f book and as a woman married to a woman I'm partial.
I've seen criticism that this has a bit of an afterschool special quality to the trans rep, which I can agree with, but I think it represents an accurate estimate of where the general audience is! If anything I applaud Vanessa North for taking on the topic of trans athletes fearlessly.
gorgonine's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars*
Pros: Tina is a compelling protagonist and her struggles were what kept me reading the book. Roller derby is also one of the very few sports I have any interest in reading about so yay. All the platonic relationships in this book were beautiful and I will be here forever for Tina and Lauren being bros. Girl bros? Friends, either way.
Cons: The romance was mediocre at best.
Pros: Tina is a compelling protagonist and her struggles were what kept me reading the book. Roller derby is also one of the very few sports I have any interest in reading about so yay. All the platonic relationships in this book were beautiful and I will be here forever for Tina and Lauren being bros. Girl bros? Friends, either way.
Cons: The romance was mediocre at best.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED this. A fast, fun and really sweet read. I got romance, I got friendship, I got character growth, and a really engaging story. I don't know jack about roller derby, but the plot was definitely interesting enough to keep me going (hell yeah, women in sports). And in any case, it was the characters and interpersonal relationships that I was here for. I came to love Tina in such a short amount of time!!! Same with Joe. They are just two great ladies, and reading about them falling in love and working out their issues and getting horizontal was just lovely.
(I do wish it was a liiiiiiitle bit longer but, you know. Novellas! What'll you do.)
(I do wish it was a liiiiiiitle bit longer but, you know. Novellas! What'll you do.)