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A review by aliu6
Gold by E.J. Noyes
5.0
4.5 stars
Following a horrific crash in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Aspen Archer has never skied competitively again. Not only did the crash steal her confidence, but it also caused her fiancee to leave her. Years later, Aspen spends her days coaching tourists at various ski resorts around the world, trying not to let the pain and anxiety overtake her. When she meets Cate Tierney after giving a lesson to her daughter, the attraction between the two women is instant. But Cate has past hurts of her own and is reluctant to start anything serious with Aspen. Will Aspen and Cate find love, or is the fear from the past too hard to overcome?
cw: abusive past relationship, past drug addiction, self harm (by side character, briefly mentioned), parental deaths (briefly mentioned), homophobic bullying (briefly mentioned), descriptions of severe injuries
Ah, E.J. Noyes did not disappoint. This was a really great read.
The Characters: The story is told from Aspen's point of view, so we get more of her backstory. She's really likable and down-to-earth, but she also has some issues to sort through. It was great to watch Aspen's growth throughout the book. Cate is more mature and sophisticated, and she's kind of like that childhood crush that you have on the girl who's a few grades older because you think she's really cool. Even so, as we get to know Cate more through Aspen, we see that she has her own insecurities. Both MCs are well-rounded and real. The side characters are also great, especially Cate's daughter, Gemma.
The Romance: I really enjoy age gap romances, and Cate and Aspen are about 8 years apart. Despite the gap, they are really well-suited for each other, and their chemistry is obvious. I love all the sides to their romance that we got to see, from the longing, to the sweet, cute moments, to the angst, to the hot sex.
The Plot: Besides the romance, the story mostly centers on Aspen's road to recovery, which, as I said before, is great to watch. I found the book to be really engaging and nothing ever dragged or felt rushed.
The Writing: Great, as usual. I liked how I could get a feel for Aspen's voice through her narration. The dialogue was also great, very realistic and served to move the plot forward.
Other notes: I took off .5 stars because as great as the book was, I didn't experience the 'wow' factor where I just had to keep reading. Also, I'm hard up about giving out a full 5 stars.
All in all, this was an engaging and well-executed story. Definitely check this out if you haven't already.
Following a horrific crash in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Aspen Archer has never skied competitively again. Not only did the crash steal her confidence, but it also caused her fiancee to leave her. Years later, Aspen spends her days coaching tourists at various ski resorts around the world, trying not to let the pain and anxiety overtake her. When she meets Cate Tierney after giving a lesson to her daughter, the attraction between the two women is instant. But Cate has past hurts of her own and is reluctant to start anything serious with Aspen. Will Aspen and Cate find love, or is the fear from the past too hard to overcome?
cw: abusive past relationship, past drug addiction, self harm (by side character, briefly mentioned), parental deaths (briefly mentioned), homophobic bullying (briefly mentioned), descriptions of severe injuries
Ah, E.J. Noyes did not disappoint. This was a really great read.
The Characters: The story is told from Aspen's point of view, so we get more of her backstory. She's really likable and down-to-earth, but she also has some issues to sort through. It was great to watch Aspen's growth throughout the book. Cate is more mature and sophisticated, and she's kind of like that childhood crush that you have on the girl who's a few grades older because you think she's really cool. Even so, as we get to know Cate more through Aspen, we see that she has her own insecurities. Both MCs are well-rounded and real. The side characters are also great, especially Cate's daughter, Gemma.
The Romance: I really enjoy age gap romances, and Cate and Aspen are about 8 years apart. Despite the gap, they are really well-suited for each other, and their chemistry is obvious. I love all the sides to their romance that we got to see, from the longing, to the sweet, cute moments, to the angst, to the hot sex.
The Plot: Besides the romance, the story mostly centers on Aspen's road to recovery, which, as I said before, is great to watch. I found the book to be really engaging and nothing ever dragged or felt rushed.
The Writing: Great, as usual. I liked how I could get a feel for Aspen's voice through her narration. The dialogue was also great, very realistic and served to move the plot forward.
Other notes: I took off .5 stars because as great as the book was, I didn't experience the 'wow' factor where I just had to keep reading. Also, I'm hard up about giving out a full 5 stars.
All in all, this was an engaging and well-executed story. Definitely check this out if you haven't already.