heyspaghetti's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
hhushaw's review against another edition
3.0
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. This was a sweet romantic read. I had an issue with the secondary character of Chris. Usually I love secondary characters and they make the book for me. With Christ though I found myself rolling my eyes and getting more annoyed, I ended up skipping all the pages that he was featured in. I really do not know what was it about him that irritated me but it made reading some parts more like a chore. Overall I really liked Taylor and the change that Julia encountered through the book.
amcheri's review
2.0
This one is an anomaly. I've really enjoyed all previous reads by Aurora Rey but this one never clicked. I mostly liked Taylor but Julia was another story. The dishonesty and non-communication issues killed it for me. It's not often I don't believe the couple would have a HEA but I don't see this one working without some couple's therapy...
elvang's review against another edition
5.0
Julia comes home to work in her family’s winery when her eight year marriage ends, her ex wife choosing her personal trainer over Julia. With her self esteem at an all time low she decides to trust her dating app and find some women interested in good times and happy for now dating. She soon discovers she needs a wingman and Taylor, someone she’s known since highschool, agrees to help bail her out when needed. Problem is Taylor has loved Julia from afar since tenth grade. What’s a girl going to do when she finds she enjoys spending more time with Taylor than she does with the weird assortment of women she’s been trying to date.
I caught myself smiling while I was reading this book. Always a good sign. Julia’s homecoming, while awkward for her, turns out to be a warm and welcoming one. Taylor makes her transition home better by lending a helping hand, an ear and a chance for Julia to vent about her past mistakes. This book is a second chance of sorts since Taylor has been attracted to Julia for years but the focus is on their butch-femme relationship, a dynamic Aurora Rey writes with confidence. Taylor is so well drawn. Rey understands the fragile ego of a butch, the uncertainty behind the bravado. She’s an encourager and a gentlewoman around Julia, courteous and thoughtful and yes, a tiger in bed. All the things Julia needs after the bashing her self esteem took at the hands of her ex wife. It was a pleasure watching their relationship grow and mature.
I am impressed with the growth I’ve seen in Rey’s writing since her debut novel Winter’s Harbor. I won’t hesitate to read everything she writes now. Her books are a pleasure to read.
4.5 stars
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
I caught myself smiling while I was reading this book. Always a good sign. Julia’s homecoming, while awkward for her, turns out to be a warm and welcoming one. Taylor makes her transition home better by lending a helping hand, an ear and a chance for Julia to vent about her past mistakes. This book is a second chance of sorts since Taylor has been attracted to Julia for years but the focus is on their butch-femme relationship, a dynamic Aurora Rey writes with confidence. Taylor is so well drawn. Rey understands the fragile ego of a butch, the uncertainty behind the bravado. She’s an encourager and a gentlewoman around Julia, courteous and thoughtful and yes, a tiger in bed. All the things Julia needs after the bashing her self esteem took at the hands of her ex wife. It was a pleasure watching their relationship grow and mature.
I am impressed with the growth I’ve seen in Rey’s writing since her debut novel Winter’s Harbor. I won’t hesitate to read everything she writes now. Her books are a pleasure to read.
4.5 stars
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
We all knew where this was going, yet I couldn't put it sown. I had forgotten how much sex there is in Aurora Rey novels, but I still enjoyed it.
gmzzn's review against another edition
4.0
This was absolutely adorable. It felt like one of those light romcom movies, and despite being kinda predictable (there's pretty much only their relationship developing, then hesitation to get together, then a lot of sex, the main conflict that lasted only a little bit and was really obvious) I really enjoyed it!
Taylor is an angel and she supported Julia with absolutely everything, and it was great seeing Julia develop from the sad, recently divorced woman, from the start of the book, to the strong and confident lady by the end of it. I think their relationship dragged on a little bit, because it was... really simple for them to just get together, since they obviously were into each other, but well.
There were also some random perspective changes in the middle of the chapters, like it suddenly jumped from Julia's thoughts to Taylor's, but I don't think it was terribly confusing or hard to keep up.
Overall I think, despite feeling it took a bit too long with their domesticity only (it's cute, but we need the drama!), this book was quite enjoyable and sweet. A fun, light read, especially now when everything else in the world is a mess. It's good to disconnect from the bad things, and the fact there's literally no lgbtphobia here was just... great. More universes without bad things, please!
thanks netgalley & publisher for this eARC!
Taylor is an angel and she supported Julia with absolutely everything, and it was great seeing Julia develop from the sad, recently divorced woman, from the start of the book, to the strong and confident lady by the end of it. I think their relationship dragged on a little bit, because it was... really simple for them to just get together, since they obviously were into each other, but well.
There were also some random perspective changes in the middle of the chapters, like it suddenly jumped from Julia's thoughts to Taylor's, but I don't think it was terribly confusing or hard to keep up.
Overall I think, despite feeling it took a bit too long with their domesticity only (it's cute, but we need the drama!), this book was quite enjoyable and sweet. A fun, light read, especially now when everything else in the world is a mess. It's good to disconnect from the bad things, and the fact there's literally no lgbtphobia here was just... great. More universes without bad things, please!
thanks netgalley & publisher for this eARC!
mjsam's review against another edition
4.0
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a nice, sweet romance. The MCs are Julia, who is returning to her hometown to work at the family winery after a bad break-up of her long term romance. She was a bit of a doormat in the previous relationship and her ex cheated, so she has self-esteem issues. Taylor is a furniture maker who had a crush on Julia back when they were in school.
The two meet up again, and there’s instant chemistry but Julia wants to play the field after her break-up and Taylor’s more of a commitment type. Not gonna lie, I found the first part of the book where Julia was dating other people a bit tedious, just because it’s obvious it would amount to nothing and some of the date scenarios seemed a bit contrived, so it felt like a waste of time. But the scenes between the two leads and their growing friendship were very sweet.
Julia also finds her feet in other areas and discovers a knack for photography. Taylor is supportive of everything Julia does, and is a real sweetheart. Julia’s self-esteem issues get a bit tiresome after awhile, but I did like that she kept pushing herself. There’s also some good supporting characters, especially the two MC’s siblings and a nice circle of friends.
Their relationship unfolds over a period of time and in a nice believable way. Once they get to sexy times, there’s also a bit of light bdsm type stuff in their sexual relationship. Towards the end we have a bit of manufactured angst, but the resolution is sweet, and pretty swift, so it didn’t bog the story down. This is probably a 3.5, but I’m rounding up.
This is a nice, sweet romance. The MCs are Julia, who is returning to her hometown to work at the family winery after a bad break-up of her long term romance. She was a bit of a doormat in the previous relationship and her ex cheated, so she has self-esteem issues. Taylor is a furniture maker who had a crush on Julia back when they were in school.
The two meet up again, and there’s instant chemistry but Julia wants to play the field after her break-up and Taylor’s more of a commitment type. Not gonna lie, I found the first part of the book where Julia was dating other people a bit tedious, just because it’s obvious it would amount to nothing and some of the date scenarios seemed a bit contrived, so it felt like a waste of time. But the scenes between the two leads and their growing friendship were very sweet.
Julia also finds her feet in other areas and discovers a knack for photography. Taylor is supportive of everything Julia does, and is a real sweetheart. Julia’s self-esteem issues get a bit tiresome after awhile, but I did like that she kept pushing herself. There’s also some good supporting characters, especially the two MC’s siblings and a nice circle of friends.
Their relationship unfolds over a period of time and in a nice believable way. Once they get to sexy times, there’s also a bit of light bdsm type stuff in their sexual relationship. Towards the end we have a bit of manufactured angst, but the resolution is sweet, and pretty swift, so it didn’t bog the story down. This is probably a 3.5, but I’m rounding up.
night_owl_84's review against another edition
5.0
Wow!
This is my first time reading a book written by Aurora Rey....why did I wait so long? I’ve noticed her books before when browsing the Kindle store but never had the funds at the time to make a purchase. After reading The Last Place You Look I now own a total of 3 books written by Aurora Rey!
I fell in love with Taylor after her first scene! Wow this woman is amazing!
There’s so much growth and development with these characters that are inspiring. I definitely connected with both main characters on certain things and it got me thinking about my own life.
Usually I’m not a fan of the “player” type...I was afraid the wingman situation was going to last longer than it did. I seriously wanted to cover my eyes at some of those date scenes but then I would’ve missed out on what had happened and what Julia learned from the encounter.
I loved how the main characters valued communication and didn’t run away from having vulnerable conversations. Even when there was misunderstandings they took a moment to process and then came together to understand what the truth of the matter was.
I also loved how encouraging they both were. Both had areas in their life to improve upon and they encouraged each other to make positive changes that would push them into living their best life! It was truly beautiful!
The story and writing is fantastic! I’ve added it to my re-read list and can’t wait to go back to it but I have so many other books to read...
This is my first time reading a book written by Aurora Rey....why did I wait so long? I’ve noticed her books before when browsing the Kindle store but never had the funds at the time to make a purchase. After reading The Last Place You Look I now own a total of 3 books written by Aurora Rey!
I fell in love with Taylor after her first scene! Wow this woman is amazing!
There’s so much growth and development with these characters that are inspiring. I definitely connected with both main characters on certain things and it got me thinking about my own life.
Usually I’m not a fan of the “player” type...I was afraid the wingman situation was going to last longer than it did. I seriously wanted to cover my eyes at some of those date scenes but then I would’ve missed out on what had happened and what Julia learned from the encounter.
I loved how the main characters valued communication and didn’t run away from having vulnerable conversations. Even when there was misunderstandings they took a moment to process and then came together to understand what the truth of the matter was.
I also loved how encouraging they both were. Both had areas in their life to improve upon and they encouraged each other to make positive changes that would push them into living their best life! It was truly beautiful!
The story and writing is fantastic! I’ve added it to my re-read list and can’t wait to go back to it but I have so many other books to read...