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sapphic_library's Reviews (279)
emotional
reflective
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:
No
A BÁNH MÌ FOR TWO is a sapphic ya romance about two teenage girls who connect over their love of street food and việt nam. lan, who works at her family's bánh mì stand and moonlights as a secret food blogger, hasn't been able to write since her father's passing. when vivi, a vietnamese-american student and devout follower of lan's writing, asks her for help to find her mother's family, the two girls find themselves exploring the streets of sài gòn and catching feelings along the way.
this was such a sweet story and i loved every part of it, but what stood out the most to me was how much i learned about vietnamese culture, history and cuisine. one of my favorite parts of reading is learning more about the world and this book was the perfect way to do that. along with that, vivi and lan's romance was so cute and i loved seeing them fall for each other, all while being on their journeys of self-discovery and growth.
read if you like:
- so much talk of delicious food
- study abroad flings
- grumpy/sunshine
thanks to netgalley and henry holt for the advanced copy!
this was such a sweet story and i loved every part of it, but what stood out the most to me was how much i learned about vietnamese culture, history and cuisine. one of my favorite parts of reading is learning more about the world and this book was the perfect way to do that. along with that, vivi and lan's romance was so cute and i loved seeing them fall for each other, all while being on their journeys of self-discovery and growth.
read if you like:
- so much talk of delicious food
- study abroad flings
- grumpy/sunshine
thanks to netgalley and henry holt for the advanced copy!
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
THIS WILL BE FUN is a fantasy rom-quest by E. B. asher (otherwise known as bridget morrissey, emily wibberley, and austin siegemund-broka) about three estranged heroes who reunite to attend the queen's wedding, only to find her fiancé kidnapped—and who better to rescue the queen's betrothed than the very people who saved the realm ten years ago?
i very rarely dabble in fantasy but the premise of this book was too intriguing not to read it and i had a blast. i would say this is a great entry-level fantasy for people who don't read a lot of it, or who want to read more but find themselves overwhelmed with world building and magic systems. i loved all the fantasy versions of real-world staples like coffee shops and magical uber. i loved elowen, vanda, beatrice, and clare, their friendships and also their respective romances.
read if you like:
- dungeons & dragons
- ella enchanted
- a lowkey shrek vibe
thanks to avon for the advanced copy! THIS WILL BE FUN comes out october 29.
i very rarely dabble in fantasy but the premise of this book was too intriguing not to read it and i had a blast. i would say this is a great entry-level fantasy for people who don't read a lot of it, or who want to read more but find themselves overwhelmed with world building and magic systems. i loved all the fantasy versions of real-world staples like coffee shops and magical uber. i loved elowen, vanda, beatrice, and clare, their friendships and also their respective romances.
read if you like:
- dungeons & dragons
- ella enchanted
- a lowkey shrek vibe
thanks to avon for the advanced copy! THIS WILL BE FUN comes out october 29.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP is an adult sapphic romance set in a picturesque small town in vermont,
where emily, a local artist, and diana, a boston businesswoman, meet on the mountainside and end up sharing a passionate night. they didn't think they would see each other again, except it turns out diana is buying emily's family inn so her grandmas can retire.
this is such a perfect, cozy romance to read in the fall and it definitely made me long for cooler temps and changing leaves!! i felt like diana and emily's chemistry is so good from the start and i loved seeing their romance build up. i felt like they were both such well-rounded characters and i loved how they figured out a way to be together that worked best for both of them.
read if you like:
- new england fall vibes
- taking care of each other while sick
- one night stand turned into feelings
thanks to the author for the advanced copy! THE VIEW FROM THE TOP comes out september 3.
where emily, a local artist, and diana, a boston businesswoman, meet on the mountainside and end up sharing a passionate night. they didn't think they would see each other again, except it turns out diana is buying emily's family inn so her grandmas can retire.
this is such a perfect, cozy romance to read in the fall and it definitely made me long for cooler temps and changing leaves!! i felt like diana and emily's chemistry is so good from the start and i loved seeing their romance build up. i felt like they were both such well-rounded characters and i loved how they figured out a way to be together that worked best for both of them.
read if you like:
- new england fall vibes
- taking care of each other while sick
- one night stand turned into feelings
thanks to the author for the advanced copy! THE VIEW FROM THE TOP comes out september 3.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DON'T LET IT BREAK YOUR HEART is a contemporary YA about love, friendship, and coming to terms with queer identity. alana and gray are lifelong best friends whose relationship went from platonic to romantic, until alana comes out as a lesbian and the pair go back to being best friends. they're still each other's person and that's all that matters, right? except when the new girl tal arrives, both of them are instantly smitten with her, and suddenly, alana isn't so sure she wants to help gray win her over anymore.
i absolutely loved this book and everything about it: alana and gray's bond, alana's exploration of her queer identity and her feelings for tal, tal shaking things up and rightfully calling out their classmate's BS, etc. this is such a tender story and i know it would've meant the world to me when i was in high school.
read if you like:
- queer coming-of-age stories
- parks and rec "this is my boyfriend" meme
- the half of it
thanks to netgalley and feiwel & friends for the advanced copy! DON'T LET IT BREAK YOUR HEART comes out august 27.
i absolutely loved this book and everything about it: alana and gray's bond, alana's exploration of her queer identity and her feelings for tal, tal shaking things up and rightfully calling out their classmate's BS, etc. this is such a tender story and i know it would've meant the world to me when i was in high school.
read if you like:
- queer coming-of-age stories
- parks and rec "this is my boyfriend" meme
- the half of it
thanks to netgalley and feiwel & friends for the advanced copy! DON'T LET IT BREAK YOUR HEART comes out august 27.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
BRIDESMAID UNDERCOVER is a fun, lighthearted romance about everly plum, a bridesmaid for hire who agrees to help hardy hopper, one of the business's investors, to get back his college girlfriend after she returns from abroad. what follows is a truly chaotic and hilarious series of events and honestly, i don't remember the last time i laughed so much at a book. everything about hardy and everly was absolutely perfect: their nicknames, disguises, banter, and emails, the way their friendship blossomed into love, and all the appearances from characters from other books just made it all the better.
read if you like:
- goofy and unserious mmc
- fmc who matches his energy
- so much chaos and shenanigans
thanks to hambright PR for the advanced copy! BRIDESMAID FOR HIRE comes out august 20.
read if you like:
- goofy and unserious mmc
- fmc who matches his energy
- so much chaos and shenanigans
thanks to hambright PR for the advanced copy! BRIDESMAID FOR HIRE comes out august 20.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
HERS FOR THE WEEKEND is a fake dating sapphic romance and the third installment in the CARRIGAN'S CHRISTMASLAND series. the story follows tara, an uptight lawyer/southern belle who finds herself in a bit of a pickle when she's invited to her ex-fiancée's wedding and claims she's bringing her serious girlfriend as a plus one. holly, tara's barista and longtime crush, offers to step in and pretend to be tara's girlfriend for the wedding to get out of going home for the holidays. after all, tara only dates women she can marry and holly has sworn off relationships, so it's the perfect arrangement.
i really wanted to love this story and i was enjoying it up until the third act, where it all kind of fell apart for me. the connection between tara and holly needed more build up to feel believable and it felt like their issues were just too insurmountable for them to put them aside and be together. both of them needed a lot of work and a lot of therapy before they could be even slightly ready for a romantic relationship. it really bothered me that holly was essentially shunned after the third act breakup, despite the fact that they were both pretty bad to each other, just because it was all of tara's friends who were part of the carrigan's crew.
overall, it was still a fun read and i loved all the character's from carrigan's and their goofy, chaotic dynamic. the found family aspect of it was so enjoyable and i'm definitely still planning on reading the first two books in the series.
read if you like:
- kitschy christmas inns
- chaos and shenanigans
- found family
thanks to netgalley and forever for the advanced copy! HERS FOR THE WEEKEND comes out august 27.
i really wanted to love this story and i was enjoying it up until the third act, where it all kind of fell apart for me. the connection between tara and holly needed more build up to feel believable and it felt like their issues were just too insurmountable for them to put them aside and be together. both of them needed a lot of work and a lot of therapy before they could be even slightly ready for a romantic relationship. it really bothered me that holly was essentially shunned after the third act breakup, despite the fact that they were both pretty bad to each other, just because it was all of tara's friends who were part of the carrigan's crew.
overall, it was still a fun read and i loved all the character's from carrigan's and their goofy, chaotic dynamic. the found family aspect of it was so enjoyable and i'm definitely still planning on reading the first two books in the series.
read if you like:
- kitschy christmas inns
- chaos and shenanigans
- found family
thanks to netgalley and forever for the advanced copy! HERS FOR THE WEEKEND comes out august 27.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
PRINCE OF THE PALISADES is a queer YA romance about jadon, prince of îles de la rêverie, who finds himself exiled to the united states after a video of him talking about his nation's prime minister goes viral. his parents, king simon and queen ava, send him to california with the instructions not to return home until he manages to clean up his image and earn the respect of the citizens of rêverie. but his time in exile makes him question who he is and who he wants to be, and when he finds himself falling for reiss hayes, a pink-haired classmate from his private school, jadon wonders whether being himself is simply enough.
i love julian winters's writing and this book was no exception. the story was engaging and exciting, and following jadon as he comes to terms with what he wants and what's important to him was captivating. the romance between jadon and reiss was so sweet and i loved how things played out for them at the end. and throughout it all, the message about taking a stand and speaking up for what you believe in was so important and so necessary.
read if you like:
- royalty romances
- queer friend groups
- coming-of-age stories
thanks to netgalley and penguin teen for the advanced copy! PRINCE OF THE PALISADES comes out august 20.
i love julian winters's writing and this book was no exception. the story was engaging and exciting, and following jadon as he comes to terms with what he wants and what's important to him was captivating. the romance between jadon and reiss was so sweet and i loved how things played out for them at the end. and throughout it all, the message about taking a stand and speaking up for what you believe in was so important and so necessary.
read if you like:
- royalty romances
- queer friend groups
- coming-of-age stories
thanks to netgalley and penguin teen for the advanced copy! PRINCE OF THE PALISADES comes out august 20.
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
MORBIDLY YOURS is a cozy romance set in galway, ireland, about a shy mortician and the larger-than-life animator escaping her past who moves in next door. it has its lighthearted moments while also dealing with heavier subjects like grief and workplace harassment. callum and lark are complete opposites, but their differences don't stop them from becoming friends and forming a connection. so when callum shares with lark that he needs to marry by 35 in order to keep his family undertaking business, she offers to help him find the one. but when more-than-friendly feelings start to surface between them, callum and lark struggle to ignore their mutual attraction to keep their focus on their objective.
this was such a great romance and i really loved how callum and lark's relationship developed from platonic to romantic. i also am very much a fan of the "just to get it out of our systems" micro trope and it was particularly good in this book. overall, i had a great time and i can't wait to see what fairbanks does next!
read if you like:
- demisexual rep
- opposites attract
- he falls first
thanks to netgalley and putnam for the advanced copy! MORBIDLY YOURS comes out august 20.
this was such a great romance and i really loved how callum and lark's relationship developed from platonic to romantic. i also am very much a fan of the "just to get it out of our systems" micro trope and it was particularly good in this book. overall, i had a great time and i can't wait to see what fairbanks does next!
read if you like:
- demisexual rep
- opposites attract
- he falls first
thanks to netgalley and putnam for the advanced copy! MORBIDLY YOURS comes out august 20.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
RULES FOR GHOSTING is a queer paranormal romance about ezra, a reluctant clairvoyant who finds himself working in his family's funeral home, where he most definitely does not want to be. and to make things worse, he starts seeing the ghost of his neighbor's husband—the same neighbor who happens to be very cute and very interested in ezra.
i went into this book anticipating a fun romcom, but this book was a lot heavier than i had expected it to be. that being said, i still absolutely enjoyed every second of it. i loved the found family ezra had in his roommates (and the queer culture of it all, living with your ex-boyfriend who you're still friends with). ezra and jonathan had great chemistry and i loved seeing their relationship develop, though i felt like we didn't spend enough time in the early stages of it. but overall, it was still a very enjoyable read and i had a great time!
read if you like:
- jewish family dynamics
- queer found family
- the cutest dog named sappho
thanks to netgalley and dell for the advance copy. RULES FOR GHOSTING comes out august 20.
i went into this book anticipating a fun romcom, but this book was a lot heavier than i had expected it to be. that being said, i still absolutely enjoyed every second of it. i loved the found family ezra had in his roommates (and the queer culture of it all, living with your ex-boyfriend who you're still friends with). ezra and jonathan had great chemistry and i loved seeing their relationship develop, though i felt like we didn't spend enough time in the early stages of it. but overall, it was still a very enjoyable read and i had a great time!
read if you like:
- jewish family dynamics
- queer found family
- the cutest dog named sappho
thanks to netgalley and dell for the advance copy. RULES FOR GHOSTING comes out august 20.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
MARRIAGE AND MASTI is a friends to lovers romance that had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire time. this is the third installment in nisha sharma's IF SHAKESPEARE WERE AN AUNTIE trilogy; you can read it on its own (which is what i did) but you'll want to immediately go back to read the first two books. as a friends to lovers girlie™️, i absolutely loved this and will be shouting about it from the rooftops.
veera and deepak have been friends for years, but she's been pulling away from him ever since he got engaged to another woman. when deepak finds out his engagement is over—on social media, no less!—he meets up with veera and her twin sister, sana, who have been traveling the world while working on starting their own business. after some alcohol-fueled hijinks, veera and deepak wake up to find themselves married. but when deepak suggest that they stay married, as it might be the answer to their career problems, veera is torn between following her ambitions or guarding her heart.
read if you like:
- she falls first, he falls harder
- accidental marriage (of convenience)
- shakespeare inspired
thanks to avon for the advanced copy! MARRIAGE & MASTI comes out august 27.
veera and deepak have been friends for years, but she's been pulling away from him ever since he got engaged to another woman. when deepak finds out his engagement is over—on social media, no less!—he meets up with veera and her twin sister, sana, who have been traveling the world while working on starting their own business. after some alcohol-fueled hijinks, veera and deepak wake up to find themselves married. but when deepak suggest that they stay married, as it might be the answer to their career problems, veera is torn between following her ambitions or guarding her heart.
read if you like:
- she falls first, he falls harder
- accidental marriage (of convenience)
- shakespeare inspired
thanks to avon for the advanced copy! MARRIAGE & MASTI comes out august 27.