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kazen's review
2.0
I picked up this story because it's from a LGBTQIA+ publisher that I love and because it's an f/nb romance. How often do you see that? It's a short story so I won't say much beyond the jacket copy.
The good:
- The author is LGBTQIA+, and I think this is the first romance I've read with an intersex protagonist.
- Roz is misgendered often, being addressed as he when they use they/them pronouns, but it's usually corrected quickly on the page.
- The story is set in Sweden in 1996, something I haven't seen before.
The not-so-good:
- The writing and plot are confusing. We're introduced to lots of people quickly and given the barest of connections between them - mother, best friend, older sister.
- Some past events are alluded to but glossed over. It turns out this is the second in a series but I didn't realize that until after I finished.
- Little attention is paid to the where. Conversations feel like they're floating, not anchored to a space. I started assuming location - the best friend is a fellow bus driver, so they must be at the depot, I guess. And so on.
- The conflict, which revolves around Roz having to go back to America at the end of the semester, is sloppily handled.
A quick read thanks to its length, and I love seeing a f/nb relationship on the page, but it could have been much better.
Thanks to Nine Star Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy.
The good:
- The author is LGBTQIA+, and I think this is the first romance I've read with an intersex protagonist.
- Roz is misgendered often, being addressed as he when they use they/them pronouns, but it's usually corrected quickly on the page.
- The story is set in Sweden in 1996, something I haven't seen before.
The not-so-good:
- The writing and plot are confusing. We're introduced to lots of people quickly and given the barest of connections between them - mother, best friend, older sister.
- Some past events are alluded to but glossed over. It turns out this is the second in a series but I didn't realize that until after I finished.
- Little attention is paid to the where. Conversations feel like they're floating, not anchored to a space. I started assuming location - the best friend is a fellow bus driver, so they must be at the depot, I guess. And so on.
- The conflict, which revolves around Roz having to go back to America at the end of the semester, is sloppily handled.
A quick read thanks to its length, and I love seeing a f/nb relationship on the page, but it could have been much better.
Thanks to Nine Star Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy.
tanouska's review
4.0
I say this with almost every short story/novella I read, but I want more! The character building was very nice, interesting personalities too and it made me want to read more about them ^^ (While it was no problem to read this as a standalone, I guess this means I will need to buy part one of the series too, since I bought this one without realising it was a part two and I do want more of it :D )
corrie's review
4.0
Little X (book 2 in A Tinsel and Spruce Needles Romance) by Elna Holst is a sweet, angst free little romance story set in Sweden. It is 1996. Sofie Andersson is ready to spread her wings. She is 21, driving the bus around Malmö and about to move into her first apartment. She has one good friend, a great mom and an older sister so perfect she’s way out of her league. Then said sister introduces her to a handsome stranger at a party, the same handsome stranger she met on her bus a few days before and has occupied her mind ever since.
f/nb
Themes: Sweden 1996, driving the bus, leaving the nest, Christmas is coming, American exchange student, available on Scribd.
4 Stars
f/nb
Themes: Sweden 1996, driving the bus, leaving the nest, Christmas is coming, American exchange student, available on Scribd.
4 Stars
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