I received an arc of this from the publisher via netgalley in an exchange of an honest review
3.25/5
I did enjoy some aspects of this book but some asp I received an arc of this from the publisher via netgalley in an exchange of an honest review
3.25/5
I did enjoy some aspects of this book but some aspects of it fell flat for me. I liked the discussion of white feminism and privilege but, for my taste, there wasn't enough plot. While I do enjoy character driven novels my taste for them gravitates towards in regards to relationships between characters rather than simply one character growing. I did really enjoy seeing Juliet learn and grow as a character though.
I would recommend this to people who want to make their feminism more intersectional and I especially recommend this to people who are queer Latinx. Someone who is queer Latinx would definitely take more from this story than I as a white lesbian did.
Merged review:
I received an arc of this from the publisher via netgalley in an exchange of an honest review
3.25/5
I did enjoy some aspects of this book but some aspects of it fell flat for me. I liked the discussion of white feminism and privilege but, for my taste, there wasn't enough plot. While I do enjoy character driven novels my taste for them gravitates towards in regards to relationships between characters rather than simply one character growing. I did really enjoy seeing Juliet learn and grow as a character though.
I would recommend this to people who want to make their feminism more intersectional and I especially recommend this to people who are queer Latinx. Someone who is queer Latinx would definitely take more from this story than I as a white lesbian did....more
Since it is the holiday season, I decided to throw aside my low key hatred of Christmas to read a holiday romance. Enter Carolyn for Christmas, as I don't know many holiday romances and if I am going to read one, I might as well read one that's f/f.
The story itself is really simple story. A Christmas concert brings two women with a past against each other. That element actually wasn't the biggest part of the story. Really, it took half the book for Saoirse and Carolyn to be forced to be around each other and it was for a whole different reason. The two used to be the best of friends but a falling out left a lot of hatred and bitterness.
Since this is only a novella. there isn't much time to fully develop things further but it worked for what it was. It was a simple and fun Christmas story. There was some depth to it, though that was limited to Saoirse's dad being quite homophobic. Then there was how Carolyn was raised by a single mother. It could've gone deeper but again, I wouldn't expect it to in the small amount of time there was.
The characters in this book were definitely likeable. It was mainly focussed on Saoirse and Carolyn though, and while I enjoyed both of them, I did mix them up a lot of the time. Neither had much of a distinctive voice, but that didn't make me like them less. I wish there was more around Carolyn's desire for motherhood than there was. I'm curious if Saoirse desires children and if wherever their relationship goes, whether or not children would be in their future. I would've liked to see more of them and interacting with each other specifically. But they were both likeable.
The romance was a really sweet one. This would be in the category of friends to enemies to lovers. Since they were best friends before they started to hate each other it did lead to this good tension. When we find out more about their past, them falling into a romance was nice to see. As I said, the length only allowed for so much but for what there was, I really liked it.
I would suggest this if you want a quick easy romance and are okay with a small drop of homophobic parents. That element makes it hard to recommend as a fluffy romance. But this was a nice read.
Since it is the holiday season, I decided to throw aside my low key hatred of Christmas to read a holiday romance. Enter Carolyn for Christmas, as I don't know many holiday romances and if I am going to read one, I might as well read one that's f/f.
The story itself is really simple story. A Christmas concert brings two women with a past against each other. That element actually wasn't the biggest part of the story. Really, it took half the book for Saoirse and Carolyn to be forced to be around each other and it was for a whole different reason. The two used to be the best of friends but a falling out left a lot of hatred and bitterness.
Since this is only a novella. there isn't much time to fully develop things further but it worked for what it was. It was a simple and fun Christmas story. There was some depth to it, though that was limited to Saoirse's dad being quite homophobic. Then there was how Carolyn was raised by a single mother. It could've gone deeper but again, I wouldn't expect it to in the small amount of time there was.
The characters in this book were definitely likeable. It was mainly focussed on Saoirse and Carolyn though, and while I enjoyed both of them, I did mix them up a lot of the time. Neither had much of a distinctive voice, but that didn't make me like them less. I wish there was more around Carolyn's desire for motherhood than there was. I'm curious if Saoirse desires children and if wherever their relationship goes, whether or not children would be in their future. I would've liked to see more of them and interacting with each other specifically. But they were both likeable.
The romance was a really sweet one. This would be in the category of friends to enemies to lovers. Since they were best friends before they started to hate each other it did lead to this good tension. When we find out more about their past, them falling into a romance was nice to see. As I said, the length only allowed for so much but for what there was, I really liked it.
I would suggest this if you want a quick easy romance and are okay with a small drop of homophobic parents. That element makes it hard to recommend as a fluffy romance. But this was a nice read....more
I think the best way to describe Cameron's The Girl Next Door is as a quiet summer romance. Not a lot arc provided by publisher through netgalley
3.5/5
I think the best way to describe Cameron's The Girl Next Door is as a quiet summer romance. Not a lot really happens, the focus being on the characters more than anything. The story focusses on Iris returning to her hometown after being unable to afford living in Boston, and she reconnects with her next door neighbour, Jude. They strike up a newfound friendship and later a romance, partially finding solace in the other being the only other queer person they know in the tiny beach town they grew up in.
The best way to describe the Girl Next Door is as something simple. There isn't much conflict at all in the book. Other than Iris being desperate to move back to the city and Jude rejecting her own feelings for Iris due to personal tragedy.
I would say overall I enjoyed this book. It's an easy to read romance. There were a few things that didn't work for me. I personally don't think the chemistry wasn't developed enough for there to be satisfaction when they finally kiss. The conflict they are both experiencing also almost takes a backseat where I don't think it could've impacted the plot as much as it could've.
I also felt that when we found out about Jude's tragedy, it was an emotional whiplash. I think it would've worked better if we the audience had found out about it sooner than we had. That's more of a personal gripe as I don't like it when tragedy from the past is just thrown on me as a reader. I think knowing about it sooner would've made Jude's intentions make more sense rather than it being treated as a footnote when she has come to terms with the tragedy. I think that took away from the book and the wider potential to Jude's character.
I'm happy to see Chelsea M. Cameron get a traditionally published sapphic book as I've read and enjoy all of her f/f books. I will continue to read her books, but I don't think this is exactly a standout in her catalogue. I would still recommend it as I see people enjoying this more than I did. If you're a fan of quiet romances, I would recommend it. If you're a fan of Cameron, I would also recommend it.
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Sapphicathon: A book you got for free
Merged review:
arc provided by publisher through netgalley
3.5/5
I think the best way to describe Cameron's The Girl Next Door is as a quiet summer romance. Not a lot really happens, the focus being on the characters more than anything. The story focusses on Iris returning to her hometown after being unable to afford living in Boston, and she reconnects with her next door neighbour, Jude. They strike up a newfound friendship and later a romance, partially finding solace in the other being the only other queer person they know in the tiny beach town they grew up in.
The best way to describe the Girl Next Door is as something simple. There isn't much conflict at all in the book. Other than Iris being desperate to move back to the city and Jude rejecting her own feelings for Iris due to personal tragedy.
I would say overall I enjoyed this book. It's an easy to read romance. There were a few things that didn't work for me. I personally don't think the chemistry wasn't developed enough for there to be satisfaction when they finally kiss. The conflict they are both experiencing also almost takes a backseat where I don't think it could've impacted the plot as much as it could've.
I also felt that when we found out about Jude's tragedy, it was an emotional whiplash. I think it would've worked better if we the audience had found out about it sooner than we had. That's more of a personal gripe as I don't like it when tragedy from the past is just thrown on me as a reader. I think knowing about it sooner would've made Jude's intentions make more sense rather than it being treated as a footnote when she has come to terms with the tragedy. I think that took away from the book and the wider potential to Jude's character.
I'm happy to see Chelsea M. Cameron get a traditionally published sapphic book as I've read and enjoy all of her f/f books. I will continue to read her books, but I don't think this is exactly a standout in her catalogue. I would still recommend it as I see people enjoying this more than I did. If you're a fan of quiet romances, I would recommend it. If you're a fan of Cameron, I would also recommend it.
This was cute, I can say that for sure. Although I did find the plot a tab bit dull and I also felt the end of this book was rushed. I liked the charaThis was cute, I can say that for sure. Although I did find the plot a tab bit dull and I also felt the end of this book was rushed. I liked the characters and the romance. It was kind of forgettable though.
Merged review:
This was cute, I can say that for sure. Although I did find the plot a tab bit dull and I also felt the end of this book was rushed. I liked the characters and the romance. It was kind of forgettable though....more
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