Book Review: Catch and Cradle

I feel like we don’t have enough New Adult sapphic stories around what is a shame because I love New Adult stories so it’s no surprise that I jumped at the chance to read Catch and Cradle, a fun New Adult F/F romance set in Halifax that takes us behind the scenes of their UNS Women’s Lacrosse team to watch Becca, the teams captain, and Hope, one of their star players, come together.

I loved all the layers we saw of Hope and Becca. The book did a great job showing us their hopes, dreams, motivations and fears. That made it easy to root for them and their relationship. We can see how they are perfect for each other, but there’s also room for them to grow as individuals.

The story is sweet but also sexy and as a sports lover it was great to get a glimpse into a sport I’ve never paid much attention to like lacrosse.

Book Review: The One To Hold Your Hand

The One To Hold Your Hand tells is the story of Reese and Bette. Their friendship, their falling out and their second chance at love. The sentence that gives name to the book was used several times trough the book, and every time it pulled at my heartstrings.

I loved the way we got to see Reese and Bette long story together, their evolution from childhood friends to teenage loves and their reconnection as adults.

Besides the romance, the favorite part of this book for me was the way it handled the sensitive topic of loss and grief.

I would have loved to see a bit more of Reese and Bette after the get back together as adults, most of the book as focused on their journey as childhood friends but an extra couple chapters of them as adults at the end would had been nice.

Book Review: Flipped by Caitlin Ryan

Flipped is a delicious look at the behind the scenes of a popular HGTV-style reality show, full of drama, passion, and love. 

As a big fan of reality shows and celebrity love interests, this book caught my eye from the premise. Molly wins a competition to have her house flipped by famous married duo Flick and Kim, and of course sparks fly the minute she meets Flick in person, but secrets on both ends force them to stay apart. 

Book Review – Juliet Takes a Breath

I love comics and graphic novels, one about a Queer, brown, latina? The moment I saw this, I jumped at the chance to read it. I’ve had the original novel on my radar for a while but haven’t gotten around to read it so I can’t compare between the two, but I don’t think is necessary. I believe every format adds something to a story and can be an avenue for different people to find the work. With Gabby Rivera’s experience writing for Marvel’s America it only makes sense to offer Juliet Takes a Breath as a graphic novel, and I’m glad they do.

Book Review: Ritu Weds Chandni

This book aimed at kids 5-7 years old and coming December 2020 is a great, sweet read, and a beautifully illustrated work. Not only does it handle topics of acceptance, homophobia, traditions, but also gives kids a clear acceptance and love message.

When I saw this gorgeous book was available for review at NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I’ve been a voracious reader since I was 4 years old. I would go to the library every day since I started school, even though people didn’t believe me when I said I could actually read. That’s why I kind of have a soft spot for kids’ books.

Book Review: Twice Shy by Aurora Rey

I was slow to warm up to Amanda and Quinn, but by the end of the book I was invested in them and rooting for them. The premise of the story was what captivated me in the first place. Having complicated and messy feelings for an ex. Falling for the familiarity of someone who already knows you, loved you even if it’s not the best idea. How hard it is to allow yourself to heal and love again after a bad break up.

Seeing Amanda and Quinn navigate divorce, how to handle your ex, your new partner having kinds, was also welcome. It think divorce, sharing custody of kids has become more and more common so it’s interesting to see it explored.

I enjoyed the inclusion of Amanda’s kids as central to the story. Loved to hate Mel, the ex, and even warmed up to her by the end of the book. Amanda and Quinn were a great couple I was happy to see succeed. The way they resolved their conflict by being honest, vulnerable, having open communication, was great.

There was a wide arrange of side characters, I didn’t necessarily connect with a lot of them. But it was nice to see both main characters have a full life outside of the couple. The attempt at racial diversity with a Chinese side character felt a little off. It had barely a couple scenes. If the author wanted to include more diversity, I would have liked to see the character more developed, give it more dimension than just name dropping them. It was even more jarring because none of the other characters are described or made explicitly non-white.

In general I felt like the book started a little slow, while we got to know more of the characters, but once it picked up about one third into the book it became a captivating fast paced read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Book Review: Empty Without You – The Intimate Letters Of Eleanor Roosevelt And Lorena Hickok

I found this work thanks to an Autostraddle article highlighting excerpts from the letters used in the book. Which I highly also recommend you read. Even if you don’t get the book, the article will give you a look into the correspondence Eleanor Roosevelt exchanged with Lorena Hickok, and the nature of their relationship.

However, I don’t think those excerpts are the most valuable part of the book. If you decide to read it, you will get a glimpse into the minds and relationship between these two women, but the work the author does to show us the historical context of the letters, both in relation to Eleanor and Lorena’s relationship, as well as a more global political and historical setting is an added value from the book.

Book Review: Girl, Serpent, Thorn

It may sound superfluous, but the first thing I have to say about this book is that the cover is absolutely gorgeous. It’s beautiful, it grabs your attention. If I saw this book in a book store I would immediately grab it and try to see what it is about from the cover alone.

That ability to hook you from the start extends to the words as well. from the prologue I was already invested and dying to read all of it.

Book Review: Then & Now by Monica McCallan

When I decided to start writing Book Reviews on this blog in an effort to share with more people the amazing and wide array of sapphic books available, I knew one of my first reviews would be about Monica McCallan. She introduced me to the world of contemporary lesbian romance books, and I can’t thank her enough.

But we will get back to that later, let’s focus on her books first. I debated about which one to talk about and settle for Then & Now. It wasn’t the first book by this author than I read, and it’s not her most recent work as she is incredible prolific and I, instead, take ages to get around to do the things I want to do. But it is my favorite, so far, from her.

Book Review: The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif

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Before delving into the book itself, as this is my first time writing a book review, I want to point out that it’s just my perception as a reader. I’m not a professional critic nor do I want to be. I’m just a lesbian woman that has always loved reading and recently has started focusing most of her reading time into stories with LGBT characters as protagonists. 

There are so many great books out there telling all kinds of stories and focusing on diverse and LGBT characters, I feel grateful every time I find one and If my humble opinions can help someone find their next book to read, I’m happy. 

Now, as for the Athena Protocol. I found this book because I follow the author Shamim Sarif in Social Media since she wrote and directed two classic lesbian movies, I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen. These movies also have their novel version wrote by Shamim.