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A review by overallshowman
Shake Things Up by Skye Kilaen
5.0
Rating: 5 stars
Verdict: I now want my own lego people… and my own Allie and Matt.
Review:
Shake Things Up is a love letter to queer people, especially queer people who are comfortable with the idea of open relationships and polyamory (Allie, one of the MCs, stressed the difference between the two!). It centers around long-term couple Allie and Matt, and their road trip with Noelle, a woman the former met in a rather awkward situation involving a cheating ex. Allie and Matt's relationship is open for hookups, and never have they fallen in love with someone else outside each other, so the addition of a charming blonde woman from Chicago started to shake things up indeed. Everyone has their personal dilemma they need to solve, and I do think all of them got proper resolutions in the end.
I read this book as a standalone, which means this is my introduction to the author and that I came in blind. I don't know what I expected, but I am pleasantly surprised with how well I've connected with these characters. At some point, I started to struggle with which among them I was more attracted to, and in the end, I decided I just wanted to be the fourth person in their throuple! Told through three perspectives, their voices all seemed distinct to me as a reader. I grinned and laughed with these characters, and when they reached the angsty part? I found myself physically hurting for them as well, which is weird, considering they knew Noelle for a week! That's another factor I love: There's no talk about “true love” or “the one”. It's all about giving love a chance, no matter how temporary, no matter in what form. Everything is lighthearted and wholesome, which isn't exactly what I always look for in books, but this was a welcome change.
The circumstances in which two of the main characters met and how quickly things escalated seem off for me, surely, but I'm not here to critically criticize a book that felt like a comforting embrace to my queer self. I just think that this is what living in the dream queer world would feel like. The downside, however, is the fact that this book is so white (and the author makes sure you know that they're white). That's not an issue for me even though I'm Asian, but it could be for some people, so it's better you know that before you pick this up.
Overall, I just love how queer this book is. I know this is always said among queer books, but the integration of queerness here felt very natural to me. Noelle has two mothers, Allie has a pansexual sister (who I believe is the main character of Book #1) and her other sister is dating another pansexual man, and Matt is… doing Matt things, which you should know when you read this book. I said when because you will be reading this book! I recommend this if you're queer and looking for a new comfort read. If you're a WLW and you want to read this, I do think it could get annoying if you read this through a strictly lesbian lense because there's a chance you could single out Matt (who is lovely, by the way) and you don't want to do that. When reading this, I hope you keep your mind open about polyamory and bisexuality, and pansexuality! It's also really short; I read it in one sitting, which I probably shouldn't have because I already miss these characters. Give this book a try since you won't be losing anything anyway. Now, excuse me as I check out the other installments.
I received a digital review copy for free through BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Verdict: I now want my own lego people… and my own Allie and Matt.
Review:
Shake Things Up is a love letter to queer people, especially queer people who are comfortable with the idea of open relationships and polyamory (Allie, one of the MCs, stressed the difference between the two!). It centers around long-term couple Allie and Matt, and their road trip with Noelle, a woman the former met in a rather awkward situation involving a cheating ex. Allie and Matt's relationship is open for hookups, and never have they fallen in love with someone else outside each other, so the addition of a charming blonde woman from Chicago started to shake things up indeed. Everyone has their personal dilemma they need to solve, and I do think all of them got proper resolutions in the end.
I read this book as a standalone, which means this is my introduction to the author and that I came in blind. I don't know what I expected, but I am pleasantly surprised with how well I've connected with these characters. At some point, I started to struggle with which among them I was more attracted to, and in the end, I decided I just wanted to be the fourth person in their throuple! Told through three perspectives, their voices all seemed distinct to me as a reader. I grinned and laughed with these characters, and when they reached the angsty part? I found myself physically hurting for them as well, which is weird, considering they knew Noelle for a week! That's another factor I love: There's no talk about “true love” or “the one”. It's all about giving love a chance, no matter how temporary, no matter in what form. Everything is lighthearted and wholesome, which isn't exactly what I always look for in books, but this was a welcome change.
The circumstances in which two of the main characters met and how quickly things escalated seem off for me, surely, but I'm not here to critically criticize a book that felt like a comforting embrace to my queer self. I just think that this is what living in the dream queer world would feel like. The downside, however, is the fact that this book is so white (and the author makes sure you know that they're white). That's not an issue for me even though I'm Asian, but it could be for some people, so it's better you know that before you pick this up.
Maybe when you met people who fit with you, it felt like this.
Overall, I just love how queer this book is. I know this is always said among queer books, but the integration of queerness here felt very natural to me. Noelle has two mothers, Allie has a pansexual sister (who I believe is the main character of Book #1) and her other sister is dating another pansexual man, and Matt is… doing Matt things, which you should know when you read this book. I said when because you will be reading this book! I recommend this if you're queer and looking for a new comfort read. If you're a WLW and you want to read this, I do think it could get annoying if you read this through a strictly lesbian lense because there's a chance you could single out Matt (who is lovely, by the way) and you don't want to do that. When reading this, I hope you keep your mind open about polyamory and bisexuality, and pansexuality! It's also really short; I read it in one sitting, which I probably shouldn't have because I already miss these characters. Give this book a try since you won't be losing anything anyway. Now, excuse me as I check out the other installments.
I received a digital review copy for free through BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Ko-fi | Carrd