Scan barcode
sapphistoire's reviews
215 reviews
Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran
4.0
I absolutely LOVED this!!! My most anticipated book of the year didn't let me down! It had me on the edge of my seat and audibly gasping at some of the plot twists! I can't wait to read everything Helen Corcoran writes in the future!
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
The writing in this is absolutely gorgeous, however nothing seemed to be happening or explained and I was confused as to what was happening for the majority of the time reading this.
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
4.0
I love love LOVE f/f historical romances! There was so much of this that resonated with me and I underlined so many parts. However, at times it felt like it dragged on too much and the writing style felt a bit too wordy. Saying that I now can't wait to read Sarah Water's other novels! (Also I have to add, the f*sting scene really caught me by surprise!)
Hopeless Romantic by Georgia Beers
3.0
I was so excited to pick up another Georgia Beers novel after reading Flavor of the Month a couple of months back. This one particularly interested me because of the whole divorce lawyer who loves rom-coms and wedding planner who doesn't believe in happily ever afters dynamic. First and foremost, I did really enjoy the wedding planning aspects. It's an area I know absolutely nothing about (except from watching countless episodes of Don't Tell the Bride) and it was really interesting to get a little peek into that world. On the same note, I wish we'd seen a little more of Leah's work life (although I understand that divorce law is very complicated and not the lightest subject to write about). Another thing I really enjoyed about this was the family and friendship dynamics. Leah's family were so sweet and supportive of each other and it's something I really love to read in lesbian romance books, as so many of us sadly don't get to see that in real life. One of Teddi's friends is also genderqueer which I was also really excited to see, as I have sadly not read of many genderqueer characters in literature. Finally, I also loved that this followed a couple that are slightly older than the normal couples I read about in romance novels (they're not that old - in their late 30s and mid 40s) so it was really refreshing!
However, I did have a couple of issues. Much the same as with Flavor of the Month, I found this to be almost painfully slow at times. I for one love character driven novels, and I don't mind if there isn't much of a plot line if the characters are great. However, I think because this does take place over a year and was quite repetitive, what with the heavy focus on the wedding planning, it did seem to drag a little bit. I also have started to get a wee bit bored of romance authors writing in a conflict about three quarters of the way into a book, especially when, in the case of this book, it could have been overcome if the characters just talked to each other!
Regardless, I did really enjoy my time reading this and I will definitely keep an eye out for Georgia Beer's other books in the future! I would also definitely recommend this to those who loved The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth!
However, I did have a couple of issues. Much the same as with Flavor of the Month, I found this to be almost painfully slow at times. I for one love character driven novels, and I don't mind if there isn't much of a plot line if the characters are great. However, I think because this does take place over a year and was quite repetitive, what with the heavy focus on the wedding planning, it did seem to drag a little bit. I also have started to get a wee bit bored of romance authors writing in a conflict about three quarters of the way into a book, especially when, in the case of this book, it could have been overcome if the characters just talked to each other!
Regardless, I did really enjoy my time reading this and I will definitely keep an eye out for Georgia Beer's other books in the future! I would also definitely recommend this to those who loved The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth!
All Men Want to Know by Nina Bouraoui
4.0
This book is utterly beautiful and haunting - in fact it's everything I wanted Rubyfruit Jungle to be. This book at its core is about growing up as a woman, in particular as a gay woman and a French-Algerian woman, and the isolation and fear that comes with it. At times it is hard to read, particularly the scenes where the authors mother return home from being abused, the constant sexual harassment of the female characters and one of the main character's friends committing suicide. However, there is still hope, and there are so many quotes that really hit home with me, including: "This place exists in a time zone of its own, inside and outside of time. We're a realm apart. We always will be. Lesbians.". This book deals with so many topics that really struck a chord with me, such as a girl's relationship with her mother and the loneliness of being a lesbian, and also how the two are linked.
My main problem with the book was the structure - it felt very disjointed and jumped forwards and backwards in time, and between countries, within one paragraph. The writing style didn't feel very natural to me either, I'm not sure if that's due to the original French text or the translation, however, I'm very interested in reading the French version and seeing how it compares.
Overall, I really adored this book and highly recommend it for anyone looking to get into autobiographical literature.
My main problem with the book was the structure - it felt very disjointed and jumped forwards and backwards in time, and between countries, within one paragraph. The writing style didn't feel very natural to me either, I'm not sure if that's due to the original French text or the translation, however, I'm very interested in reading the French version and seeing how it compares.
Overall, I really adored this book and highly recommend it for anyone looking to get into autobiographical literature.
The Secret of You and Me by Melissa Lenhardt
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Over the past year I've been reading more and more romance books, which for a fantasy lover is really unlike me, and I can definitely say this is one of the best I've read! The characters were so real and so gritty and I was so invested in them and all their relationships. I absolutely loved Sophie and her self-discovery, both coming to terms as being a lesbian and dealing with her alcoholism. Nora was so completely herself throughout the whole novel and I loved how confident she was (and that fact that she's a translator made me so excited!!). I also really loved the atmosphere of this book - Melissa Lenhardt has captured small town vibes perfectly!! Of course, my favourite part of this was the romance - I loved the yearning and the desire between Sophie and Nora, I wanted them so badly to be together! I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait to purchase myself a copy!
Glorious Day by Skye Kilaen
5.0
I really enjoyed this novella and I think fans of Once & Future and Girls of Paper and Fire would really love it too! I've been dying to read an f/f princess and bodyguard book for the longest time, so when I saw this I requested it on Netgalley straight away! Although this book is very short, it is very complex - there is so much political intrigue crammed into so few pages. I did really enjoy the plot and worldbuilding in the novella but regarding the romance I feel that it could have benefited from being a full length novel, as I felt the characters slightly underdeveloped at times (and I'd just love more of the world!). Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and would highly recommend!
The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
5.0
At first I didn't think I'd love this book as much as everyone else but now all I can think about is the ending of the book and I can't stop crying!!!
Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter
4.0
The book follows our main character Lily who has always felt like she is in her twin sister, Daisy's, shadow - she's fat and has never received the same attention from other people her age that Daisy gets as she is seen as the 'less pretty' twin. She's hopefully heading off to Leeds after the Summer to do an art history degree but at the same time is scared to leave her best friend Cassie behind. One night, she meets Cal and the two instantly form a connection, but he also happens to be Daisy's crush, which complicates matters even more.
I want to preface this review by saying that this book is absolutely adorable! It's set in a small seaside town where our main character works in a small ice cream stand by the beach, and as someone who lives near several seaside towns, it's not only an accurate depiction of this, but just the best Summer vibes, in my opinion!
I absolutely loved Lily as our main character. She's a fat girl who is in love with her body and unapologetically proud of who she is, and as a fat woman myself, I wish I could've had this representation when I was growing up. Lily's passion for art was so lovely to see and her fears of painting people because it's like revealing your innermost feelings about them felt so real and relatable to me, even as a not arty person! Cassie, her best friend, was so much fun! She sews her own clothes from old scraps of fabric (we love a sustainable queen) and doodles the people who buy ice cream from her family's ice cream stand. Seeing their friendship grow through the book was so cute and I loved how they always rooted for each other! I also really loved Cal - he's one of the most genuinely kind and caring male characters I've read in a long time. The way he reassured Lily about her body and how he loved her was really something I needed to read and I'm so happy that young girls will finally get to be able to read it while they're growing up too.
This didn't seem like a plot heavy book to me, which I really don't mind, I'm a character driven book kinda gal anyway, but the little plot twists (hello Señor Mango Sorbet!) had me audibly gasping! The complicated, yet healthy, family relationships in this book was also something I really loved - Lily and Daisy's mum was so sweet! Of course, the book deals with fatphobia, biphobia and xenophobia, which I think was dealt with very well. The fatphobia, for me, was quite difficult to read at times, but really showed how, what may seem like insignificant phrases to other people, can be really hurtful to fat people. Although, as a lesbian, I can't speak for the bi representation, I did love the slow burn friends to lovers romance. Saying that, although you could see hints of it before Lily realised her own feelings, the 'realisation' that she is bi and in love with her best friend felt very sudden to me. But, as a friends to lovers stan, I'm willing to let it slide!
Overall, I really, really loved and appreciated this book and I'm so shocked by how underrated it is (cue me never shutting up about it again!). I cannot recommend it enough for a cute, Summer read that also deals with some hard hitting topics in an accessible and respectful way!
I want to preface this review by saying that this book is absolutely adorable! It's set in a small seaside town where our main character works in a small ice cream stand by the beach, and as someone who lives near several seaside towns, it's not only an accurate depiction of this, but just the best Summer vibes, in my opinion!
I absolutely loved Lily as our main character. She's a fat girl who is in love with her body and unapologetically proud of who she is, and as a fat woman myself, I wish I could've had this representation when I was growing up. Lily's passion for art was so lovely to see and her fears of painting people because it's like revealing your innermost feelings about them felt so real and relatable to me, even as a not arty person! Cassie, her best friend, was so much fun! She sews her own clothes from old scraps of fabric (we love a sustainable queen) and doodles the people who buy ice cream from her family's ice cream stand. Seeing their friendship grow through the book was so cute and I loved how they always rooted for each other! I also really loved Cal - he's one of the most genuinely kind and caring male characters I've read in a long time. The way he reassured Lily about her body and how he loved her was really something I needed to read and I'm so happy that young girls will finally get to be able to read it while they're growing up too.
This didn't seem like a plot heavy book to me, which I really don't mind, I'm a character driven book kinda gal anyway, but the little plot twists (hello Señor Mango Sorbet!) had me audibly gasping! The complicated, yet healthy, family relationships in this book was also something I really loved - Lily and Daisy's mum was so sweet! Of course, the book deals with fatphobia, biphobia and xenophobia, which I think was dealt with very well. The fatphobia, for me, was quite difficult to read at times, but really showed how, what may seem like insignificant phrases to other people, can be really hurtful to fat people. Although, as a lesbian, I can't speak for the bi representation, I did love the slow burn friends to lovers romance. Saying that, although you could see hints of it before Lily realised her own feelings, the 'realisation' that she is bi and in love with her best friend felt very sudden to me. But, as a friends to lovers stan, I'm willing to let it slide!
Overall, I really, really loved and appreciated this book and I'm so shocked by how underrated it is (cue me never shutting up about it again!). I cannot recommend it enough for a cute, Summer read that also deals with some hard hitting topics in an accessible and respectful way!
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
4.0
Soraya is cursed to be poisonous to the touch and so is hidden away from everyone but her family and closest friend. She lives in a separate part of the palace with just a beautiful rose garden to keep her company. At the start of the novel Soraya is extremely timid, terrified to even go near another living creature for fear of accidentally killing them, but as the novel continues we get to see her grow and flourish into quite a morally grey character. Relatively early on in the book Soraya accidentally kills a beetle and from there we see her struggling with her curse. Not long after, Soraya kills a human for the first time and her inner battle becomes ever apparent, as she struggles with fearing who she is, dealing with the power she holds as a result of it, and learning to love herself regardless. Because of this, Soraya is one of the best female fantasy character's I've read in a long time. I also really loved Parvaneh, the parik. Parvaneh is kept prisoner at the start of the book and offers to help Soraya rid herself of her curse in return for some help herself. I was intrigued by Parvaneh from the start, and particularly by the politics surrounding the parik and their relationship with other divs. In the second half of the book we see a more flirty, almost sultry side of Parvaneh which I really loved (hello new fictional crush!) and the scene in the forest was so beautiful - I was underlining so many passages, I was so enthralled by it!
Of course, I also have to mention the romance. Soraya is bisexual and is attracted to both men and women in the novel (although it doesn't explicitly say that she is bi). At first it seems like the book is going to be a romance between Azad and Soraya, which initially I wasn't even opposed to, but it is actually a beautiful, quite slow burn f/f romance that is absolutely full to the brim with longing. Although at first I did think that the romance came a little out of nowhere, the love that Soraya and Parvaneh have for each other was so sweet that I couldn't help falling in love with them as a couple! They made each other feel seen and were so loyal and caring towards each other that it was almost impossible not to be rooting for them.
The influence of Persian mythology throughout the novel was so refreshing in ya fantasy, and was one of the reasons I was originally drawn to the book. However, I wish that there had been some more world-building and a little more time given to develop the plot and characters. In this sense, I feel like the book could have benefited from being split into two separate books instead of being just over 300 pages long. That being said, I did really enjoy the book for what it was (I think I would've loved it even more if I hadn't put it on hold for a week!) and I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for Melissa Bashardoust's future works!
Of course, I also have to mention the romance. Soraya is bisexual and is attracted to both men and women in the novel (although it doesn't explicitly say that she is bi). At first it seems like the book is going to be a romance between Azad and Soraya, which initially I wasn't even opposed to, but it is actually a beautiful, quite slow burn f/f romance that is absolutely full to the brim with longing. Although at first I did think that the romance came a little out of nowhere, the love that Soraya and Parvaneh have for each other was so sweet that I couldn't help falling in love with them as a couple! They made each other feel seen and were so loyal and caring towards each other that it was almost impossible not to be rooting for them.
The influence of Persian mythology throughout the novel was so refreshing in ya fantasy, and was one of the reasons I was originally drawn to the book. However, I wish that there had been some more world-building and a little more time given to develop the plot and characters. In this sense, I feel like the book could have benefited from being split into two separate books instead of being just over 300 pages long. That being said, I did really enjoy the book for what it was (I think I would've loved it even more if I hadn't put it on hold for a week!) and I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for Melissa Bashardoust's future works!