I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous volumes :( it was very convoluted and boring. GCC and CSZ were cute though, and I liked the bonus stories.I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous volumes :( it was very convoluted and boring. GCC and CSZ were cute though, and I liked the bonus stories. You'll definitely need to read the extras for closure on the happy ever after....more
THIS WAS SO FUNNY. Anna Dorn writes the best problematic, unhinged women ever. Bonus points because they're all lesbians/sapphic. This book read like THIS WAS SO FUNNY. Anna Dorn writes the best problematic, unhinged women ever. Bonus points because they're all lesbians/sapphic. This book read like a trashy soap opera for chronically-online Millennials and I had so much fun. All the characters are terrible, but they're fun to watch... like a train wreck. An absolute fever dream of a book, perfect for when you want to shut off your brain lmao....more
This memoir reads like lesbian pulp fiction and I was ENGROSSED. Utterly obsessed with Patricia Highsmith now, wow. This book paints a vivid picture oThis memoir reads like lesbian pulp fiction and I was ENGROSSED. Utterly obsessed with Patricia Highsmith now, wow. This book paints a vivid picture of 1950s queer NYC. I learned so many cool things:
-Highsmith dated Vin Packer, one of the most famous lesbian pulp authors (and author of this memoir) -she was also friends with Filipino writer José Garcia Villa who was apparently gay??? -she was friends with tons of queer figures from that era and I wish I could know about them all -apparently women could be barred from restaurants just for wearing PANTS. And butches could be banned from using both the female and male bathrooms. Honestly, insane that this was only 70 years ago. My grandparents were teenagers then. This is so recent and it blows my mind how much queer history has been forgotten in 2024 -gay businessmen leaving for a weekend trip to Fire Island by wearing "tighter" trousers and cardigans in ice cream colors. So funny. Grandpa gay, things haven't changed!! -another anecdote about Meaker stumbling towards her Fire Island villa at night, being frightened because she was being followed by a naked man, only for the lights to go on and both of them screaming because he didn't realize she was a woman ...more
This is genuinely one of the best romance novels I've read this year. It's a mix of genre romcom, skilled litfic prose, and women's fiction character This is genuinely one of the best romance novels I've read this year. It's a mix of genre romcom, skilled litfic prose, and women's fiction character work that is so incredibly real. Books about millennial lesbians figuring their lives out are my weakness, and this was just so well done. Her commentary was on point lmao. Though I agree with another reviewer who said this book severely lacked mascs. Like, idk how you can have a book with a dozen WLW and yet there's only one butch...
The main reason this is a 4.5 is because I felt like it was way too long. Once we hit the halfway mark, I got frustrated by the repetition. Whenever a new woman entered the picture, I wanted to shake Bette. JUST GO BACK TO RUTH!! CLEARLY SHE'S THE ONE YOU TRULY WANT!! And once I reached that point, I also realized how annoying Bette was as a person. Which is not the writer's fault. But all of her friends were 10x more interesting tbh.
That said, if you want to read more sapphic romances but don't like how the genre has been oversimplified for consumerism (ie: bare bones writing with copy paste everything), then I highly recommend Experienced. I wish more sapphic romances were like this, genuinely....more
This is an “It’s not you; it’s me” situation. The book is beautifully written with an incredible slowburn friends to lovers situation. Unfortunately, This is an “It’s not you; it’s me” situation. The book is beautifully written with an incredible slowburn friends to lovers situation. Unfortunately, it is TOO slow for my taste. I am not a fan of timeskip books wherein majority of the story takes place when the MCs are children and adolescents. I also need more romance in my… romances and there was barely any of that. A blooming friendship and lots of one-sided yearning, sure, but maybe this should have just been one book instead of a duology… I also needed more plot.
That said, Mia Darling is a really promising author. Maybe I’ll enjoy her future books if they pick up the pace.
Thank you to Gay Romance Reviews for the ARC....more
So, yes, Ocean Vuong's writing is incredibly beautiful. The story is moving, and hits harder when you realize it's autobiographical. But therein lies So, yes, Ocean Vuong's writing is incredibly beautiful. The story is moving, and hits harder when you realize it's autobiographical. But therein lies my problem with this book and with a lot of autofiction -- I don't think this really counts as a NOVEL. It lacks a lot of narrative cohesion, and at one point, it devolved into brief vignettes. I don't know why Vuong didn't choose to write a memoir or another poetry collection instead. Or it could have been an essay since he kept referencing quotes from other writers.
Vuong said that he believes fiction should raise a moral question and, well, that's all fine and good, but long-form fiction writing is an entirely different art from poetry.
Still, if I had to rate the reading experience -- 4 stars. Damn, this book hurt....more
I probably shouldn't have read this on my period because I spent the final three chapters just crying...
It took me a long time to get into this book. I probably shouldn't have read this on my period because I spent the final three chapters just crying...
It took me a long time to get into this book. Rosemary is incredibly annoying, both women are immature, and the writing is not great. I also felt like they had very little chemistry until we got halfway through the book. (Spoiler: their fifteen year feud is solved by a single conversation wherein they both learn they had a simple misunderstanding. You've got to be kidding me!!) It's a very chronically online millennial trad pub romance... But wait. It's more than that!! Specifically, I enjoyed it because it's so much more than a romance.
I loved the road trip aspect. I loved their relationship with Joe. I loved the painful reality of grieving and loving someone with a terminal illness. I loved the character development and how both women genuinely change their worst traits. I loved how this novel celebrated queer elders and queer history. I loved what it said about allowing gay people to grow old and fall in love. I loved how both heroines dealt with their parental issues and how they realized they were perpetuating their traumas. I loved the shoutout to queer kids imprinting on their English teachers.
I'm not usually a romcom girl anymore, but this novel made my cold little heart twitch. Okay, Logan and Rosemary were pretty cute at the end. I'm so proud of them....more
So… The tropes advertised here are not accurate. This is not your average bi awakening story. In fact, it’s about an asexual (demisexual?) MC who has So… The tropes advertised here are not accurate. This is not your average bi awakening story. In fact, it’s about an asexual (demisexual?) MC who has never felt attraction to anyone until he becomes close to his new roommate/best friend… and slowly learns what sexual attraction is like in the process. It is genuinely an ace book, and I think it will appeal to my friends who seek ace rep! It was so carefully done and detailed, and the MC is never pressured to define himself immediately since even he doesn’t know. It even takes him time to realize that what he’s feeling IS a crush and IS sexual attraction. It’s very interesting!
As for the bi awakening part, I don’t think that’s accurate either since at the end of the book the MC Cruz comes out as “gay” to his friends. He also mentions how he’s never felt sexual attraction to any women, and the only person he’s been attracted to is his male roommate. He panics over what labels to use and settles on gay ace. Yes, this is a mild spoiler but I don’t understand why the novel was mis-marketed to this extent. It’s otherwise pretty great!!
Beautifully Fractured is a very sweet, low angst, friends to lovers romance. It’s very very smutty but also pretty cute because MC Cruz has a kind, tenderhearted Golden Retriever personality. Love interest Liam is the grumpy (gay, family trauma, loner) to Cruz’s sunshine, but despite some bad first impressions, they develop a very soft relationship.
No, seriously, I think this could be defined as a cozy romance because of how nice everyone is. Liam came from a homophobic high school but everyone in their college and everyone in Cruz’s family is welcoming and accepting. Liam stresses out over whether or not his feelings are returned, but there is no dramatic angst, no depressing third act heartbreak. Both MCs are athletes but as the author mentioned, this isn’t actually a sports romance — just a romance between two sporty guys.
That said, due to their young ages (college freshmen) they read annoyingly young to me (oh no, signs of aging). At one point the book became pure smut so like lol this is kinda repetitive. And the love confessions were kinda cringe… I’m sorry. Otherwise, I’m pleasantly surprised by this and I think it will find its audience! As long as they are corrected by the advertising.
Thank you to Gay Romance Reviews for providing me with the ARC. ...more
I've been craving another Sad Girl Litfic book recently and this hit all the spots. MC Noelle goes on vacation to the remote isle of Bute, supposedly I've been craving another Sad Girl Litfic book recently and this hit all the spots. MC Noelle goes on vacation to the remote isle of Bute, supposedly to work on her next book of poems, but really she's just running away from her life and herself. She stays at an inn owned by a quirky old woman and immediately befriends the only other guest, a vampire called Moses.
This is a gorgeously written, slow-paced character-driven novel. I loved the beautiful descriptions of desolate Scotland. Noelle and Moses befriend each other by telling the other about the people in their lives, and it is both revelatory and cathartic. Noelle is a repressed bisexual or a repressed self-hating lesbian (I'm not sure which) with extreme mommy issues and Catholic trauma. This book genuinely brought me to tears with how bleak Noelle's head could be — and in her refusal to accept herself. Yes, she and Moses get sexually involved but frankly there's nothing romantic or sexy about it. He is physically disgusting, and I couldn't feel the attraction at all (later it's revealed that she has a self-harming habit of sleeping with men she doesn't even like whenever she has a crush on a woman, which heavily points towards her being a lesbian with comphet). But really, Moses's presence is just a vehicle for Noelle to finally become unblocked from all the things she's hiding from herself.
And really it all points to three things: her mother abandoned them, she was a heavily repressed Catholic, and couldn't accept that she was queer.
But the ending offers light at the end of the tunnel, with Noelle taking a step towards healing. This book is haunting and atmospheric, with incredibly deep emotional cuts. A fantastic reading experience for me — but I have to warn you that it's not for everyone. It's not a romance. It's not a cute quirky read. It's not even a sapphic novel, not really. But it left me crying in bed!...more
Hmmm I'm glad I own a copy, as a gay Catholic, but I think the execution left much to be desired. First of all, the poems were incredibly random and aHmmm I'm glad I own a copy, as a gay Catholic, but I think the execution left much to be desired. First of all, the poems were incredibly random and arranged without rhyme or reason. I thought the narrative was building up to something (maybe at the end, it built up to the resurrection) but in the end I felt just as unmoored as the beginning. The writing was also a mixed bag. Some passages were incredibly beautiful while most of it felt like the author hitting the enter key randomly; you know that hyper online poetry style without rhythm? This was an interesting compilation of Christian references turned homoerotic but after a while, the repetition made it lose its appeal. It just went on for much too long — what poetry book has over 400 pages?? - without much transformation throughout the manuscript. Maybe I would've enjoyed this more if it were more coherent, less random, and if it solidified the retelling aspect of the narrative. That said, the author clearly created something very unique and experimental, and I'm glad publishing is making space for this....more
Marginalized authors reclaiming the cosmic horror genre is my favorite thing. Jordan Hawke's Widdershins series was my introduction to the queer equivMarginalized authors reclaiming the cosmic horror genre is my favorite thing. Jordan Hawke's Widdershins series was my introduction to the queer equivalent, but Providence Girls is another lovely sapphic, feminist addition.
Dante's writing is so beautiful, wow. The romance between Azzie and Vin went by kinda fast but it was so sweet and emotional. A good chunk of the book involves hurt/comfort, sickfic, and slice of life cottagecore sapphic shenanigans. But after a while, I honestly got bored of all the sweetness and light. Thankfully, this is a cosmic horror book, and things get freaky really fast. But the horror isn't really in the monsters or old gods from the deep. All those monsters are human (or, close to human). All those monsters are loved. As Dante retells the Lovecraft canon from the perspective of the women and monsters, we realize they were merely victims to all this violence and trauma. And holy hell, there is a lot of trauma in our MCs's pasts. The real villains here are the human men.
Don't come in here looking for an ordinary kinky romance. Yes, there is some monsterfucking but it's mainly a character study in trauma recovery. Also, I'm kinda salty that we spent the whole book thinking it's going to be a tragic ending for the two women, only for the epilogue to go "jokes on you! They lived happily ever after for 15 years afterwards!" then why make me so SAD, damn it. ...more
I don't remember anything about this book except the plot twist ending OTL lmaoI don't remember anything about this book except the plot twist ending OTL lmao...more
Today we learned Seong-Jae is a kinky power vers and was potentially a power bottom with Aanga Amen. I love how stunned Malcolm is about the whole thiToday we learned Seong-Jae is a kinky power vers and was potentially a power bottom with Aanga Amen. I love how stunned Malcolm is about the whole thing lmao his brain definitely stopped working once he realized what his sweet awkward black cat boyfriend is really into
NOW YES MALCOLM PLEASE MEET MAMA AND PAPA YOON!!! MEET THE IN-LAWS ALREADY!!
On a more serious note, am I right in reading the subtext that Sila is potentially related to the Golden Ratio Killer??? That's one messed up gene pool man....more
So beautifully written, utterly hypnotic, melancholy and mysterious. It isn't for everyone but it had me captivated. Still, I agree with most reviewerSo beautifully written, utterly hypnotic, melancholy and mysterious. It isn't for everyone but it had me captivated. Still, I agree with most reviewers; the first half is much stronger and more interesting than the second. I also have very many questions about the ending, but I guess it makes sense given how badly the MC was grieving. Loneliness makes you do strange, desperate things....more
When we first met Aanga in Season One, I was instantly intrigued. I don't like love triangles but I do love the jealousy trope so seeing Malcolm jealoWhen we first met Aanga in Season One, I was instantly intrigued. I don't like love triangles but I do love the jealousy trope so seeing Malcolm jealous over Seong-Jae's ex-boyfriend FBI agent who's definitely not over him was delicious :P
Seong-Jae, just admit you have a type for dangerous older men. This is so funny. My boy collects red flags like they're about to be discontinued lmao.
That said, I'm immediately obsessed with Season Two! I love the new overaraching serial killer. I love the new location and setting. I love the new characters. I love the new dynamics introduced, and I love how this adds a new layer to the central romance. This new guy is chilling and gives me total Hannibal Lecter vibes. We love to see it.
Btw, someone tell Cole McCade that Nepal is in South Asia. Not Southeast Asia....more
What a stunning, emotional, beautiful and mysterious end to season one ❤️
As you can tell, Criminal Intentions has been the book series of my heart thWhat a stunning, emotional, beautiful and mysterious end to season one ❤️
As you can tell, Criminal Intentions has been the book series of my heart this year. Malcolm and Seong-Jae are THAT couple and sweeping everyone else in the romantic suspense slowburn realm out of the water
Admittedly season one was not perfect — it was kinda frustrating how much filler we had near the end, after they got together. I feel like a few books could’ve been combined into one to make them more substantial. Luckily I switched to Kindle Unlimited when I reached the halfway point so I could save money. But the series finale was really satisfying with all the reveals about Seong-Jae’s past, and him and Malcolm’s relationship upgraded finally after truth comes to light. I also enjoy Anjulie and Gabi’s growing closeness. Admittedly I dont really care about the Sade and Jason plotline, but eh, they’re easy enough to skim through.
Also I just realized, with how sensitive Seong-Jae is about formality and not being called his given name by just anyone, why doesn’t his sister use honorifics with him and call him big bro in Korean? What immigrant Asian family lets that slide lol
Anyway, even if the series is not perfect, I genuinely had so much fun reading it. It’s bingeable and so brainrot worthy. Thank you, Cole McCade! I’m diving into season 2 now. ...more
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