The Secret Ingredient’s premise appealed to me because it has two chefs falling in love in a small town. I expected a fun comfort read and was pleasantly surprised when it delivered more than that, especially through one of the leads, Adah. Adah Campbell’s excited for a fresh start with her son, Pete, in South Bay, Maine. After working her way up from greasy spoons to fine dining restaurants in Chicago over the last decade, … Continue reading The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher →
Every year around the holiday season, I see people squee about Love, Actually and I’m reminded all over again how much I hate half of it and how meh I feel about the rest of it. But then I remember Lindy West’s infamous takedown of it and I don’t feel alone. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I heard about Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema. Its recap-style … Continue reading Shit, Actually by Lindy West →
Vera “Nick” Nicholson is an underpaid and overworked lawyer. After nearly seven years, she’s still at the bottom of the ladder at Turner, Witherspoon, Anders, and Tyler, PA. (*slow clap* for the initialism of her employer’s name, which is the first sign that this romcom often has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.) One day, Nick is given a weird job: tracking down a missing Mercedes-Maybach S560 belonging to one of the firm’s top … Continue reading The Big Tow by Ann McMan →
Despite being Canadian, I’ve never gotten into hockey. (Don’t tell my government. I don’t want my citizenship revoked.) And yet, I’m excited every time I see a new f/f hockey romance announced. I enjoyed the first 60% or so of this one, but unfortunately it didn’t hold up after that point, leaving me disappointed. Caro Cassidy is a retired professional hockey player in Chicago who’s been to a few Olympics. Now, she spends her days … Continue reading Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer →
Content warnings: recent death of alcoholic parent, several references to euthanizing shelter animals I’ve enjoyed all three of Anna Burke’s books so far, which take place in settings where I would last for no longer than a week, if I’m being generous. In order, they are: A dystopian climate fiction with lesbian pirates and terrifying giant squids A lyrical, dark f/f reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast A super-queer Robin Hood retelling, which was also … Continue reading Spindrift by Anna Burke →
I was ready to adore this book. It has an age gap between the two leads, one of them is a movie star, and the blurb gave me Notting Hill vibes. Seriously, check out this blurb: Movie star Jessica Lambert is in danger of burning out. Returning to London for the premiere of her latest film, she’s recognised everywhere she goes. When she runs away through the streets of London, she’s taken in by the … Continue reading Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton →
As a Canadian, my little ears perk up whenever I hear about an f/f romance that has anything to do with Canada. So, when I saw that Hairpin Curves is a road trip romance that takes the characters from Florida to Quebec, I said “Oh yes, please and thank you!” Although we see very little of them in Canada, I still enjoyed parts of this story because the angst is low, which is my speed … Continue reading Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters →
Tara and I loved The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, a slow-paced f/f romance that is a standalone novel in the “Feminine Pursuits” series by Olivia Waite. I (Carrie) raved about The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics so I was very excited for this book. Although you don’t have to have read that book to enjoy this one, you’ll recognize one of the main characters, Agatha, if you have. Agatha Griffin is a printer … Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite →
I’ve been following Mikki Kendall for years on Twitter and appreciated all the knowledge she’s shared for free on that hellscape of a platform. So I was more than a little excited when Hood Feminism dropped earlier this year. Because I’ve been following her for so long, I don’t know that any of the concepts in it were entirely new for me, but I learned a lot because of the time and attention given to … Continue reading Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall →
Before this year, I didn’t pay attention to YA fiction releases. Frankly, I didn’t think they would speak to me, since I haven’t been part of the target demographic in more than 20 years. After having spectacular luck with The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea, You Should See Me in a Crown, and now Girl, Serpent, Thorn, I am here to eat my words because these three are some of the best books I’ve … Continue reading Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust →
CW: racism, homophobia The first time I saw this cover, I fell in love. Then I read the blurb and knew I had to have it. Check it out: Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their … Continue reading You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson →
