Like the Taylor Swift song of the same name, How You Get the Girl is sweet, cute, lighthearted, and irresistible (to me, at least).
I absolutely adoreLike the Taylor Swift song of the same name, How You Get the Girl is sweet, cute, lighthearted, and irresistible (to me, at least).
I absolutely adored the first book in this series, 2022’s Love & Other Disasters (it’s on my shelf!). I didn’t like 2023’s Something Wild & Wonderful as much. I was worried about how I’d feel about this book but it turns out I shouldn’t have been because from the very start I fell in love with the amazing cast of characters and Anita Kelly’s absolutely hypnotizing dialogue and effortless storytelling.
This is a cute love story about a queer high school basketball coach who meets her childhood idol and crush via one of her players and somehow their lives slowly but surely become enmeshed via high schooler antics and interference, genuine care and concern for one another as human beings, holiday meet-ups, cats (just cats), “practice dates” (yeah, sure), and basketball (because of course).
The spice level is rather low but that’s absolutely fine because the chemistry and cuteness is off the charts. The romance is absolutely swoon-worthy because Julie and Elle are absolutely next-level sweet, sometimes clueless, and absolutely needed an intervention a time or two.
There is a lot to be said for mental health concerns and LGBTQIA+ rep in high school sports in this book too, and that was a great topic to see handled well. Kelly also tackles the topic of labels and identity and I thought the way it was written about in this book was not only intelligent but very moving.
This was another Anita Kelly winner. Loved it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I knew within the first few chapters that The Stars Too Fondly was going to be a five star read. By the end of the book I knew it was going to be a boI knew within the first few chapters that The Stars Too Fondly was going to be a five star read. By the end of the book I knew it was going to be a book I needed on my shelf, a book I was going to scream about, and is 100% going to be on my top ten list at the end of the year. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, and as of the-book-before-this-one, I’ve read 315 books so far this year.
There’s a line in the blurb: “So, here’s the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn’t mean to steal this spaceship.”
SAY LESS. PLEASE.
Sapphic space adventure rom-com with a strong found family component, a swoony star-crossed love story, and a diverse cast? Are you kidding me right now with some of my all-time favorites vibes all vibing in the same book?
Debut author Emily Hamilton seriously sat down and wrote a book that does what few books do to me more and more: Make me long for extra stars, because if I could rate this book six stars I totally would.
The book pulls you in from the start, with Hamilton’s ragtag group of queer twenty-somethings who just want to peek inside an abandoned spaceship and see what they can glean about the mystery of what happened to the entire crew, who disappeared with a flash of light on launch day. You know what they say: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. They messed around and now they get to find out why it may not be such a good idea to go poking around in strange, abandoned spaceships. Or maybe it’s the stars aligning just right and this was meant to happen.
The story is engaging, propulsive, emotional, romantic, poetic, and so well-crafted I wish I could shake Emily Hamilton’s hand and thank her in person. I cried more than once and I couldn’t tell you how much I love these characters. I just vibed with this book on every level. Can’t recommend it enough.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
This is where I say, “It isn’t the book, it’s me”. It’s not necessarily Dykette or author Jenny Fran Davis’ fault in any way that I find myself ratingThis is where I say, “It isn’t the book, it’s me”. It’s not necessarily Dykette or author Jenny Fran Davis’ fault in any way that I find myself rating this book so poorly. As a matter of fact, It’s likely Jenny Fran Davis’ talent as a storyteller that kept me hanging on just enough to even finish this book, because I almost DNFd it more than once.
Before anyone tries to burn me in effigy, please let me explain.
When I requested to read this book I was very excited to read it, because of the blurb. That’s part of the problem: I feel for the blurb. The blurb isn’t a lie, but it certainly plays down certain aspects of the novel and exaggerates others. I knew we were getting into a book about queer couples and that the book took place at the upstate New York house of two lesbians. I didn’t know this book was going to be deeply steeped in dyke and butch discourse and terminology, none of which I understood. Yes, I realize that’s a “me” problem. The blurb also makes this book sound much more seductive and salacious than it actually felt to me, and it greatly exaggerates Sasha’s role toward the end of the book. I really feel robbed of what I thought I was getting.
I realize a lot of this book “not being for me” is due to my passing privilege. I am a proudly open and out polyamorous bisexual, but I’m cisgendered in the day to day and very femme when I go out at night. While I’ve known dykes, butch lesbians, other femmes, and am related to other members of the queer community, I don’t know lesbian or dyke culture well enough to say that I could pick up on half of the terms, references, or importance of the currents of discourse the characters in the story were having. There was no room for me to feel anything but confused or exasperated for the vast majority of the book: Whether it was about how these people treat one another or it was about pop culture references I was probably too busy raising my kids at the time they happened to understand.
I did enjoy Davis’ writing style. She does have a keen eye for satire and barbed wit. While I may not have enjoyed some of the more visceral and colorful descriptions Davis used in this book there’s no denying they are employed to great effect.
I feel a bit embarrassed for being a member of the queer community and yet not knowing a thing about a corner of it. My ex-spouse is transgender and pansexual, so I’ve educated myself pretty damn solidly on those topics so I can support her in her new life. My older kid is gender fluid and bisexual and is still trying to decide which pronoun fits best or if they all fit just fine. My younger son is asexual, and if he’s happy then that’s all I want. Yet I picked up a queer lit book and found myself completely perplexed.
I don’t regret reading the book at all. I just wish I could say I knew what was going on in it. But that’s on me and my own ignorance–not the book.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Owing to personal policy regarding book reviews three stars or lower, this review will not appear on any bookseller or social media website.
File Under: Just Not For Me/Lesbian Romance/LGBTQ Fiction/LGBTQ Romance/Literary Fiction/OwnVoices/Women’s Fiction ...more
First, a note for Sara Cate: I have been here from the beginning of SPC with you and I have been honored to have reviewed every single title of this sFirst, a note for Sara Cate: I have been here from the beginning of SPC with you and I have been honored to have reviewed every single title of this series as a member of your street team. Thank you for creating the SPC for all of us readers and inviting us in. It’s been a pleasure.
I have to say that I had my doubts when Sara announced there would be two more books added to the SPC lineup from the original four expected books. While I didn’t like The Highest Bidder as much as everyone else did, I absolutely loved Madame. It ripped me apart and then put me back together and then I sobbed like a baby at the end (actually, there were a couple of places here and there in the book where I teared up, too).
While this book generally feels like a mix of Eden St. Claire’s story and a general send-off for the SPC series as whole, it never feels like these two matters are just being mushed together for matters of convenience. It feels very organic, like it was meant to happen like this. After all, none of the characters of the SPC are getting any younger, and this book takes place two years after the events at the end of Mercy (book four, if you’re keeping track). All the founding SPC members have settled down in one way or another. Most of them don’t even come into the club anymore. Eden, the Madame who’s been a fixture at SPC since day one, is still there almost every night, working to support her and her son. Does she have control issues? Why yes. Even more so, she has trust issues. I can relate.
Sometimes, life happens though, and even Eden St. Claire can make a mistake. Like getting in a little too deep with a submissive named Clay. She was in too deep before she knew it and Clay was in love. She wasn’t ready for him and she cut the thread between them. She’s felt the ghost of him ever since.
Now, at the beginning of this book, Clay has a new girlfriend named Jade and he’s crazy about her, but she can’t give him everything he needs and part of his heart still belongs to Eden. Jade may be younger and a touch naive, but she knows Clay is hiding a part of himself from her. After a chance run-in with Eden and her son at a movie theater, Jade wants to know who Eden was to Clay, and once she knows a piece of the puzzle all Jade wants is to know more so she can make Clay happy.
So much of this book is focused on a very important point about any relationship, but it’s something that’s essential about BDSM relationships: You can’t just pick up a riding crop and start dominating your partner because you want to make them happy (or vice-versa). You have to want to do things for yourself, to make yourself happy. You can’t fake confidence. You can’t fake dominance. You can’t fake happiness. If you don’t actually want to dominate your partner, you can’t force yourself to. You have to want it for yourself. It has to make you feel good to be that person for them.
Another salient point this book makes is that communication in any relationship at all is key. Especially when everything is falling apart and when everyone is feeling their worst. That’s when it's most important to stand up, say something, and be honest. People can misunderstand things so easily when they’re already down or upset. If you aren’t open and honest with the ones you love, they could slip through your hands and you’ll never regret anything more.
I loved both Eden and Jade in this book. I didn’t like Clay as much. I found him to be a little too much of a privileged man child who didn’t understand boundaries or ethics, but I admired how much he loved Jade and Eden. I definitely identify with Eden, with my control and extreme trust issues.
Eden’s story is touching, as is her evolution as a person and a domme. Seeing her find her place in love and at SPC was a spicy, lovely read. I’m going to miss this series so much but I know I’ll always have at least two copies of every book in the series to keep me happy. You won’t regret reading this book.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Alphabet Soup Romance/Book Series/Contemporary Romance/Erotica/Kink and BDSM Friendly/Lesbian Romance/LGBTQ Romance/Polyamorous Romance/Sex Club/Sex Worker/Spice Level 3 ...more
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