A review by prettycloud
Between the Lines by Sally Malcolm

Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.

I think I might just be allergic to contemporary romance? The field is rather thin for LGBT+ histrom, so I've been trying to branch out, but this wasn't doing it for me. The characters were compelling, the book was hot, I was glad to have a neurodivergent MC, but the conflict felt a bit too manufactured. Like it could've been resolved by two conversations at most. Family conflicts can be like that, so I'm not saying it's unrealistic, but it was frustrating to me. Also the falling in love takes place over a matter of days, which is not enough for me. Ultimately DNF'ed for that—like especially for a prickly main character who's been burned before, I don't want to hear the L word until at least a month of trading vulnerabilities. (I can deal with fonder feelings and the beginnings of something in a fortnight time-frame, but this was verging a bit close to instant soulmate territory for my liking, esp when one of the protags had such low self-esteem. Like, "falling in love" after a few days when you think so ill of yourself is a recipe for a toxic dynamic). Maybe this book navigates these treacherous waters well, and maybe I'm being too harsh bc it's not my preferred setting/vibe, but I'd rather not stay to find out.