A review by judeinthestars
Don't Cry for Me by Rachel Lacey

5.0

Don’t Cry for Me was my first ever Rachel Lacey book, the one that made me fall in love with her characters and stories and the overall loveliness of her books. I love them all but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. Reacquainting myself with Josie and Eve, with Kaya and Adam, with the theatre kittens, was pure pleasure.

Listening to an audiobook when you already know the book is completely different from discovering the story through narration, anticipation is added to the mix. In this case, having recently experienced Lauren’s story – who, when I first read this book, was “just” a secondary character, one who was important to the story but not one the reader knew much about – increased the anticipation and brought even more feelings. Lori Prince‘s narration is a little uneven but there are a lot more things I love about it than not. I know a lot of listeners associate her with comedy but to me, she truly shines in drama. I have a weakness for unexpected vulnerability and she breaks my heart in those moments.

And, of course, now I want a kitten. 4.5⭐️

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4.5* – Who doesn’t love an ice queen? Eve Marlow has good reasons to protect her heart, and herself in general, and that no-nonsense you-do-what-you-have-to-do quality has come in very handy in her job as a TV personality helping faltering small businesses flourish. Not even the iciest of ice queens, however, can leave newborn kittens to die in a trash can on the street. Yet there’s a difference between not wanting them to die and taking responsibility for them, especially when she has to focus on getting her show renewed, with less than a week to find the ideal candidate to save the current season.

Josie Swanson’s life is all about rescuing kittens but since her father’s death a couple of years ago, she’s been killing herself trying to keep the bar he loved, the bar she grew up in, afloat. When Eve, whose show she loves, comes to her for help with the abandoned kittens, sparks fly, not all in a pleasurable way.

This story gave me all the feels. It has most of everything I love in a romance: sweet but complex characters, hardships to overcome, cute kittens (I like puppies too, and most creatures, but kittens, you know…), overpowering attraction, angst… It’s instalust and almost instalove but the way the story is told makes complete sense. Eve’s reasons for trying to resist Josie’s charm (and her ever colour-changing hair) are coherent, despite the undeniable chemistry. And the whole kitten arc is delightful.

The only reason I’m giving it 4.5* and not the whole 5* is that there’s a little too much head-hopping and a few wobbly sentences, but not enough to lessen my enjoyment of this book. It’s the first one in a new series and I know I write this often, but I really can’t wait for book 2, [b:It's in Her Kiss|50267449|It's in Her Kiss (Midnight in Manhattan, #2)|Rachel Lacey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|75187947], announced for September 15th. While this was my first novel by Rachel Lacey, her previous f/f romance, [b:Lost in Paradise|41010851|Lost in Paradise (Stranded, #2)|Rachel Lacey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541895751l/41010851._SY75_.jpg|63987138], was released last year and is going on my TBR list right away.

I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars