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nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
My rating for In My Dreams is a low three stars. It was very readable, I learned a lot, and I thought the flashback scenes were very effective, though there were some gaps. However, I was annoyed by everyone's assumptions during the final chapters and I thought the resolution was very (realistically too) quick.
Spoiler
do you honestly think Harry and Evie would break lockdown to run away together? No one questioned this?jugglingpup's review against another edition
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
Edit: spoke with the author this morning (5-13-21), turns out the wrong definition was only in the beta read copy and was fixed before the final version was released. It is still odd that an ace author had to have people point it out before it was fixed, but it was fixed.
The author hooked me up with a free copy for joining her mailing list!
I am in an ace support group and I am a total book nerd, so when an ace author was talking about her book and was offering up a free copy I volunteered and explained I write reviews. She had run out of books, but then she was giving away free copies in her mailing list so I got really excited again. I NEEDED an ace romance novel so badly.
This was almost a five star read for me. The only issues I had were around ace rep. The definition of asexual was given incorrectly multiple times by the main character. She equated not wanting sex with being ace, which is not what being ace is about. Being ace is about sexual attraction, not desire. The author then had other characters come in and say the right definition, but then the MC hunkered down and said it wrong AGAIN later in the book. I am so annoyed. This could have been five stars, I wanted it to be five stars because ace romance matters. Ace rep matters so much. As an ace that is not sex repulsed this just made me sad. So many ace resources and rep are about being sex repulsed and putting everything down to not wanting sex when that isn’t being ace. I was hoping for rep that allowed me to exist and that an ace author would get the definition of ace correct.
That being said, I loved that the MC was sex repulsed because of how the main love interest respected her. There are never an issue there and I just adored that. It was nice that aphobia was addressed, but it was more a past trauma instead of it being excused by the MC in a current situation. It gave some depth to the characters and made the romance that much sweeter. I didn’t like how the best friend was constantly trying to force the MC into a relationship with other aces, it felt like she just really didn’t get that aces can be happy with someone even if that someone is allo. It made me annoyed at the best friend quite often.
There were some chapters that were a bit preachy, but they were not long and they were more about giving hope to the MC that relationships could work, so I just read them and moved on. They didn’t hurt the story since they were few and far between. The romance was a bit rushed, which is an almost every romance novel complaint of mine. They hadn’t seen each other and years and were magically in love and had no issues? Felt a little too perfect. I needed a bit more adjustment period. I wanted the love to feel more real. Don’t get me wrong I read this in one sitting and I ate the sweetness up. It was complete fluff and I am here for it. I think I just wanted a bit more, it felt so short. I enjoyed it so much. I am just looking for ways to make it a bit longer so I could enjoy it longer.
Overall, if the definition of ace had not focused on desire to have sex (which is 100% not part of the definition of ace) then this would have been my favorite fluffy romance I have read this year.
Edit: spoke with the author this morning (5-13-21), turns out the wrong definition was only in the beta read copy and was fixed before the final version was released. It is still odd that an ace author had to have people point it out before it was fixed, but it was fixed.
The author hooked me up with a free copy for joining her mailing list!
I am in an ace support group and I am a total book nerd, so when an ace author was talking about her book and was offering up a free copy I volunteered and explained I write reviews. She had run out of books, but then she was giving away free copies in her mailing list so I got really excited again. I NEEDED an ace romance novel so badly.
This was almost a five star read for me. The only issues I had were around ace rep. The definition of asexual was given incorrectly multiple times by the main character. She equated not wanting sex with being ace, which is not what being ace is about. Being ace is about sexual attraction, not desire. The author then had other characters come in and say the right definition, but then the MC hunkered down and said it wrong AGAIN later in the book. I am so annoyed. This could have been five stars, I wanted it to be five stars because ace romance matters. Ace rep matters so much. As an ace that is not sex repulsed this just made me sad. So many ace resources and rep are about being sex repulsed and putting everything down to not wanting sex when that isn’t being ace. I was hoping for rep that allowed me to exist and that an ace author would get the definition of ace correct.
That being said, I loved that the MC was sex repulsed because of how the main love interest respected her. There are never an issue there and I just adored that. It was nice that aphobia was addressed, but it was more a past trauma instead of it being excused by the MC in a current situation. It gave some depth to the characters and made the romance that much sweeter. I didn’t like how the best friend was constantly trying to force the MC into a relationship with other aces, it felt like she just really didn’t get that aces can be happy with someone even if that someone is allo. It made me annoyed at the best friend quite often.
There were some chapters that were a bit preachy, but they were not long and they were more about giving hope to the MC that relationships could work, so I just read them and moved on. They didn’t hurt the story since they were few and far between. The romance was a bit rushed, which is an almost every romance novel complaint of mine. They hadn’t seen each other and years and were magically in love and had no issues? Felt a little too perfect. I needed a bit more adjustment period. I wanted the love to feel more real. Don’t get me wrong I read this in one sitting and I ate the sweetness up. It was complete fluff and I am here for it. I think I just wanted a bit more, it felt so short. I enjoyed it so much. I am just looking for ways to make it a bit longer so I could enjoy it longer.
Overall, if the definition of ace had not focused on desire to have sex (which is 100% not part of the definition of ace) then this would have been my favorite fluffy romance I have read this year.
obviously_lene's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.75
itsjustkatereading's review against another edition
3.0
2.5* I was super excited to find out about this, so I’m devastated to say it just didn’t do much for me. It was sweet enough but the pacing was incredibly off, I found the way the side characters treated polly and her asexuality somewhat uncomfortable and, to be totally honest, I felt like I was reading a unpolished draft.
That being said, it was a quick read and refreshing to see a romance novel with an asexual protagonist, I just wish I’d loved it as much as I’d hoped.
TW: aphobia
That being said, it was a quick read and refreshing to see a romance novel with an asexual protagonist, I just wish I’d loved it as much as I’d hoped.
TW: aphobia
owlishly_reading's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
foxxie52's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
While I enjoyed reading a book where the main character is Ace, I wasn't overly enamoured with this book. The characters lack depth, the story is a bit wooden and a lot of it was just meh. I DID relate to the things Polly felt, particularly about being called selfish, I just wish we had experienced a bit more of that part of her backstory.
kizzabell's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.5
wintersorbit's review
1.0
With a cute illustrated cover, I expected this romance novel to be sweet and happy. Unfortunately, it focuses heavily on acephobia and negative asexual stereotypes. I'm glad the author got to explore her own experience with asexuality in this book, but if the length is about 130 pages, I think it's important to strike a good balance between happier and angstier moments. Polly, one of the main characters, has had terrible experiences in past relationships with allosexual men, which has resulted in a massive amount of baggage and internalized acephobia. Other people around her are at times ignorant about her sexuality, but because of her own insecurities she often lets that go unchallenged, which led to there being quite a bit of textbook acephobia from side characters that I really didn't enjoy being subjected to.
The romance in general also just feels rushed. One page Polly and Harry are still deeply insecure about pursuing a relationship, but a few pages later they're declaring their undying love for another... I hate that. The fact that they're estranged childhood and secondary school friends meant that they both already had feelings for the other at the start of the book, which meant this book was missing the romantic feelings build-up that I usually love so much.
I also briefly want to touch upon the weird, vaguely misogynistic comments that were present throughout the book about other women's make-up, bodies and things like showering routines. Harry at some point literally thinks about how fast Polly is with taking a shower, unlike other women he knows and I just want to know, why? Polly is also jealous of other women that Harry flirts with or has flirted with and seems to shame them for wearing make-up or comments about them being skinnier than her, and the way this was done just felt slightly off to me.
All in all, I was so happy I'd found a whole series of romance books with ace main characters, but this first installment was a massive disappointment. I'm so glad other asexual readers have found comfort in these stories, but for me the amount of acephobia was not properly balanced out with happier romantic moments, especially for a book that's quite short. I wouldn't recommend it, personally.
Content warnings: acephobia (from past partners, friends, and a past therapist), gun violence, threat of terrorist attack, family member having a heart attack, dubiously consenual sex (referenced), past family death by car accident, mention of the coronavirus pandemic
The romance in general also just feels rushed. One page Polly and Harry are still deeply insecure about pursuing a relationship, but a few pages later they're declaring their undying love for another... I hate that. The fact that they're estranged childhood and secondary school friends meant that they both already had feelings for the other at the start of the book, which meant this book was missing the romantic feelings build-up that I usually love so much.
I also briefly want to touch upon the weird, vaguely misogynistic comments that were present throughout the book about other women's make-up, bodies and things like showering routines. Harry at some point literally thinks about how fast Polly is with taking a shower, unlike other women he knows and I just want to know, why? Polly is also jealous of other women that Harry flirts with or has flirted with and seems to shame them for wearing make-up or comments about them being skinnier than her, and the way this was done just felt slightly off to me.
All in all, I was so happy I'd found a whole series of romance books with ace main characters, but this first installment was a massive disappointment. I'm so glad other asexual readers have found comfort in these stories, but for me the amount of acephobia was not properly balanced out with happier romantic moments, especially for a book that's quite short. I wouldn't recommend it, personally.
Content warnings: acephobia (from past partners, friends, and a past therapist), gun violence, threat of terrorist attack, family member having a heart attack, dubiously consenual sex (referenced), past family death by car accident, mention of the coronavirus pandemic
caitlin1599's review
4.0
Was it the best written most amazing book ever? No. But did it have the most amazing ace rep and make me feel the most seen and validated EVER? YUP.