3.75 ⭐️

A super cute multiverse romp with a quest of self acceptance, identity and hope woven through.

This was just delightful! I was in need for a lighthearted read and this pulled through but it also pulled at my heartstrings. Priscilla and Marlowe just want to feel like they belong in the world they’re living in, living a life they love and feeling good enough in themselves. These two have some unresolved history and tension and when their old high school drama teaches goes missing they have to put their animosity aside and help bring him back into their own reality.

The romance. I loved their back and forth. The bickering and banter was A+ and I loved seeing little glimpses of their history (this was done well. Sometimes I feel like dual timelines stilt the pace but with the use of multiverses we get to see how things played out without feeling like the plot was slowing down). This is slowburn so we really get to know both Priscilla and Marlowe before they enter into anything intimate which I adored.

The sex. There’s one brief explicit intimate scene and it was done well, it fit the tone of the book and the characters. I did think at one point this was going to be strictly closed door but I was glad for that scene as It really added to the overall emotion and relationship between them.

The writing. Super engaging and fun while I would say the first 50% is fast paced we really slow down after it and I think it was needed. I also really appreciated that this is a dual pov romance, we don’t normally get that in sapphic romances and it always tends to leave me not feeling as connected to one character but it wasn’t the case here. MORE DUAL POV SAPPHIC ROMANCES PLEASE!

The only issue I had was that the stakes felt super low even given the super tense and loopy premise, I understand that it wasn’t trying to be hectic or angsty though and I feel like it was more my own issue than the books.

Overall a fun twisty time and I cannot wait to read more from Bridget.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for sending me the arc. All opinions are my own

4.25 ⭐️ A fun, silly, lighthearted letter to romance that I absolutely gobbled up. I knew I was going to have the best time when I finished up reading the authors note at the start.

While this book takes inspiration from acotar, —with a fantasy novel that heavily parodies it woven in between chapters— and almost every other romance novel that has come before it, there’s something unique and oddly originally about it.

We follow Joonie, a fanfic writer and hopeless romantic who is down on her luck in her personal life yet knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to say goodbye to anyone who isn’t meeting her standards ie. They don’t live up to her book boyfriend Ryke. In a stroke of luck her favourite author of her favourite fantasy series does a quick Q&A and tells the world that Ryke actually exists, and he’s based on a guy she knew in college. Armed with the very small lot information given, Joonie proceeds to new York in search of IRL Ryke. Things obviously don’t go to plan, starting with the fact that Joonie has been saddled with taking her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush Nico along for the ride. Chaos ensues and it’s the wildest, funniest yet comforting read I’ve read in a while.

The romance. While I would say this leans more into lit fic territory especially at the start, the romance is still the focal point. I do wish we got a little more development but I can understand that this is a pretty fast paced book and we are more so following Joonie on her journey in discovering herself.

The sex. There’s technically two explicit scenes in this book, while one happens in the fantasy novel we follow at the end of each chapter, the other is between the main couple Joonie and Nico. I think they were written well, they both were different given the different genres that they were existing in and didn’t feel over the top. I do wish we got more build up when it came to Joonie and Nico’s but again it’s fast paced and we needed to get back to the plot.

The writing is what really pulled me in here. Iman is so funny and quick with her writing that she had me CACKLING in the first chapter. Usually I would probably dislike the kind of fmc Joonie is but I found her incredibly endearing and I was able to look past her stalking ways and just root for her to get her HEA. This was entirely due to Imans writing and her ability to craft a character that has flaws (and is self aware about them) but is just so likeable!!!

Just a feel good read that romance readers will be able to pick up and see at least one aspect of themselves between the pages. Thoroughly enjoyed and will be picking Iman up again for sure!

3.75⭐️

If you’re looking for a full blown sapphic romance I’m not sure you’ll get that here as this reads definitely more in the lines of lit fic with a dash of romance until about 70% and then a full tilt into the romance that feels almost rushed in the last 30-20%.

This is very main character heavy which I didn’t mind at all, we follow musician Cubby and her band as they try to break out and make a name for themselves after Cubbys ex boyfriend and bandmate Connor dumps them to go solo (in every aspect of the word) luckily she has her band to lean on and her best friend Darcy by her side. Things get complicated though and Cubby and Darcy having been best friends for years hook up and have to navigate growing feelings. Of course more drama ensues which leads Cubby to fake date another band member Harry so that the band can soar to new heights because parasocial fans just loooove to hook onto something!

The romance doesn’t ramp up until the end there’s a lot of tip toeing around Cubby and Darcy’s hook up which frustrated me. What I also found frustrating was that due to the fact Harry and Cubby were fake dating the times they kissed (tbh it almost felt like they kissed more than the main couple in this) the author describe it in a way that Cubby seemed to enjoy it sometimes and other times felt nothing which continued my confusion throughout on what Eddings was trying to have readers feel towards Harry and Cubby. Ultimately the back and forth left very little time to explore the actual main relationship in the book and sadly it felt underdeveloped and rushed.

The sex. Really enjoyed the explicit scenes in this it felt like they fit the tone of the book and the characters. I’m mostly a slowburn girl when it comes to the sex in the book I read so skeptical on whether I would enjoy the early hook up. I didn’t mind it.

The writing. I really enjoyed Eddings writing it was so griping and hooked me in immediately. I will say there was pacing issues in the middle just due to the lack of communication between the main characters and the back and forth fighting they had going on but the writing remained compelling and I enjoyed the single pov from Cubby.

Overall I’d definitely recommend this with the caveat that it’s more a character driven story from Cubby’s point of view than a full blown romance. I’ll definitely pick up more from Eddings