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jcxjab's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
wow. what do i say? this book captivated me immediately. the writing leaves you wanting to know ever little detail of every incident that happened in this small town setting. i’m speechless. i loved all of this. i think more representation about queer stories and adults is needed and lenhardt did just that.
nora and sophia were lovers as teenagers, something i’ve experienced myself, and it’s hard especially when there’s an expectation. i loved it. although i did find the story to drag on a little bit too much. but at the same time i felt as if when you thought things would be resolved, they simply weren’t and the problems expanded. i loved the messiness of this book. huge trigger warnings, check tags.
edit: this book is written by a straight woman. updated review: 2.0
nora and sophia were lovers as teenagers, something i’ve experienced myself, and it’s hard especially when there’s an expectation. i loved it. although i did find the story to drag on a little bit too much. but at the same time i felt as if when you thought things would be resolved, they simply weren’t and the problems expanded. i loved the messiness of this book. huge trigger warnings, check tags.
edit: this book is written by a straight woman. updated review: 2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Outing
jgolando's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia
lucyhargrave's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Rape, Violence, Islamophobia, and War
charnyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
gothbaby's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There aren’t words beautiful enough to adequately describe what this book made me feel. How this book made me feel. That could ever explain the pieces of me that now exist within the pages of The Secret of You and Me, between Nora’s and Sophie’s tentative glances and touches and dance around one another, between their lips as they whisper.
I wish I could experience this story for the first time all over again. I wish I could map out my own love and hope and fears for Nora and Sophie and feel it all over again, a million times over. I just knew, from Jane Austen’s quote, that I would love this book unconditionally.
I will always cherish the way this book made me feel: all the passages I reread for the butterflies and the heart racing, all the times I stopped myself and contemplated starting the book again from the beginning just so it wouldn’t end. I loved it, I loved it, I loved it.
I wish I could experience this story for the first time all over again. I wish I could map out my own love and hope and fears for Nora and Sophie and feel it all over again, a million times over. I just knew, from Jane Austen’s quote, that I would love this book unconditionally.
I will always cherish the way this book made me feel: all the passages I reread for the butterflies and the heart racing, all the times I stopped myself and contemplated starting the book again from the beginning just so it wouldn’t end. I loved it, I loved it, I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Car accident
gtrue21's review against another edition
3.5
This isn’t my favorite queer romance, but it feels very realistic. The constraints of living in a small conservative town and not being able to realize your identity until later in life is a very real thing for a lot of LGBTQIA+ folks, and at the same time, sometimes you just want them to be happy without having to deal with oppression and societal expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
tigerlilliereads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuassion this story centers around a small town in Texas where two best friends fell in love as teenagers but then were separated for a range of reasons. When Nora returns to her small town with small views for the funeral of her father she has to contend with the past she was trying so hard to run away from.., whereas Sophie has to come to terms with what she really wants.
A story about true identity, acceptance, trust and lies, family, small towns and ultimately love.
I sped through this book, the characters are complex and real, the story - one of heartbreak and desperation. I loved how the main characters were in the midst of their lives, how that made everything more realistic and yet more complicated for them. Despite some spiteful characters, the story is one of hope and hope for anyone out there who is scared to show their true selves or has to hide from others.
The only thing I would say is that the couple dynamic and constant arguing, sniping at each other doesn’t give a positive light on the relationship, but considering the circumstances.., they both come with a lot of baggage and I think that’s the biggest point of this… coming out later on in life comes with a lot more baggage.
A story about true identity, acceptance, trust and lies, family, small towns and ultimately love.
I sped through this book, the characters are complex and real, the story - one of heartbreak and desperation. I loved how the main characters were in the midst of their lives, how that made everything more realistic and yet more complicated for them. Despite some spiteful characters, the story is one of hope and hope for anyone out there who is scared to show their true selves or has to hide from others.
The only thing I would say is that the couple dynamic and constant arguing, sniping at each other doesn’t give a positive light on the relationship, but considering the circumstances.., they both come with a lot of baggage and I think that’s the biggest point of this… coming out later on in life comes with a lot more baggage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
marx's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
this book is better written than 90% of f/f romance novels (not a high bar) but the plot is completely unbearable. just want to mention the extremely funny fact that the book constantly alludes to the ex-military protagonist’s career in a Shadowy American Intelligence Agency without revealing what she actually does for work. folks, the deep state is infiltrating our lesbian fiction.
(also there are no sex scenes in this. booooo hissss)
(also there are no sex scenes in this. booooo hissss)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Not all of this is handled sensitively ESPECIALLY the racismnotimetoread's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
it was decent, dragged on for a while very dramatic/cheesy at times, the characters were fine, i felt for them but it didn’t really pull me in. The conflict becomes repetitive after a while and the resolution isn’t super satisfying and also very cheesy. But i knew what i signed up for, i don’t mind the cheesiness, for me the issue was the plot/conflict moving way too slow.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Homophobia
cleo_wylde's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Islamophobia