jabberbabywocky's reviews
63 reviews

their plan to get together is to have their single parents marry each other; they then live together as stepsisters, happily ever after and financially secure, if not with a little scandal among the ton.

if you're okay with that, it's a good enough story that i think shares the drama between the girls pretty well.

i rate it pretty low on the 'character complexity' scale though, because in terms of an arc and a solid change happening within either gwen or beth, there isn't much of one. it's more like they were finally able to be themselves -- which is a decent arc, but perhaps not the deep dive into historical lesbians that i would have wanted. then again, that's probably not what this book set out to do, so i respect that.

on the 'historical scale', it was very bridgerton lolol. and i do love bridgerton so this wasn't an issue for me, but what really took me out of the story a little was their first love scene, and idk they just seemed too ??? knowledgeable ??? again, personal preference, but given how they're both very new to sex and to women, everything was just a little too beautiful and perfect for me lol.

storywise, it really does hinge on how much you like the plot. there's a decent amount of 'darkness before the dawn' moments, and a sideplot about the marriage act (i haven't looked into whether this was a real thing or not), and moments where women get to stand up for their rights. these moments were fine. not earth-shattering. then again, probably not the purpose of the book.

so, okay. the purpose of the book.

i came into this book wanting to see how the author would write historical, young lesbians. and maybe i just don't know enough about this era, but it was ultimately just a so-so story for me. i appreciate the ride it took me on, but it didn't wow me or make me feel the heart flutters that other romances might. perhaps the stakes of the "we need to get our parents together" wasn't high enough for me, there was a part of me that wanted them to find another chance, to take another risk, even if it feels more impossible.

the ups and downs of their attempts to be together is solid enough to follow, but

by the time the third act comes in where they both realise that they should have just shared their struggles with their friends...like yes, i get that, but it also felt like it belittled all their agony. of course the message of "you need to ask for help from friends" is a good one, but even gwen and beth were like "don't we feel stupid?" when suddenly meredith and albie and everyone was doing a much better job of getting them together than they ever did. again, i think this would have served a higher stakes plot better.

if you want a lighthearted read, this is a good one. it's got the right amount of corny romance and bridgerton-esque drama. however, if you wanted to see a story of how love can triumph in a historical period like this (if you like gentleman jack, for instance), this may not be your cup of tea.

that being said, by the end of the book, i was surprised to find myself invested enough to want to read the sequel. seeing how bobby and james get together, just to read more about the world the author created as well, would be interesting.

Heroines of Olympus by River Bennet

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

from the start i knew it wouldn’t be accurate greek myth, so i actually had a good time just reading the adventure! and it really is the adventure that kept me going with this book. i want to see how the story ends, and i’ll be there for the sequel.

the spice scenes were pretty okay too!

But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

felt like a very long personal essay, i was missing the plot and care for the character. maybe another time i would’ve been interested, but i wasn’t in the mood.

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

first half of the book had slow pacing, felt like a lot of telling rather than showing, but the second half and the ending really picked up the pace and was done well. corny but well :’))

halfway thru i didn’t think i’d like it that much but by the end of it i was actually caught up in the will they/won’t they of it all. the first half’s pacing is the main reason for the 3.75 rating!

A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

picked this up for the retelling aspect mainly and seeing how it would change for erotica. the aesthetic choices were great!!! really loved the design of the seelie and unseelie here, translating the nutcracker canon to this new world. the rat king was disgusting and well done 😭

but the characters had to quickly, perhaps too quickly and unrealistically, develop to let the plot move forward. realistic character development was sacrified for the fast-paced plot. the sex scenes were pretty good too.

that being said i really had a lot of fun reading it !!!

please do read the content warnings. it gets very dark and gorey.

Meet Me at the Moon Tree by Shivaun Plozza

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this book was so beautiful i’m in emotional shambles

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jabberbabywocky's reviews 63 reviews

jabberbabywocky's reviews
63 reviews