thekissballad's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
I wanted to enjoy this more, but still enjoyed it enough to give it a little higher than a middle rating. 3.5.
This book is very politics heavy, and not always in an obvious way. I get that it's necessary, but I felt it often overtook everything else going on.
I sometimes felt the plot was as lost as Amy was. That's all I can say without spoilers.
But otherwise I enjoyed the romance, the wedding dramatics, and the found family support throughout.
This book is very politics heavy, and not always in an obvious way. I get that it's necessary, but I felt it often overtook everything else going on.
I sometimes felt the plot was as lost as Amy was. That's all I can say without spoilers.
But otherwise I enjoyed the romance, the wedding dramatics, and the found family support throughout.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
laketwentytwo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia and Homophobia
tetedump's review
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Outing
gracedunne's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Terminal illness
corkspork's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
I liked that it was set in Tulsa (and down the street from where I live). Doesn't paint Tulsa in a great light but I had to remind myself that 1) it was set 10 years ago and 2) although I don't knowingly associate with bigots, I also don't have to worry about encountering them in public since I'm cisgendered and straight. Definitely made me think. Reason for the lower rating is that I thought the actual love story was kinda thin. There's just not enough detail to make me believe the main characters made such a close and lasting connection in the amount of time that passed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
bookishmillennial's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
General disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. Thus, no stars doesn’t indicate that the book wasn’t worthy of any starred system. It just means I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all, even if the lesson is that I’m a ho for the smut, recognizing a genre/book/author is not for me, or confronting my own mommy/daddy issues lol. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Happy reading! Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial
I really enjoyed this romcom! Though it was published in 2022, it's set in the 2010's before gay marriage was federally legal/recognized in the U.S. I think that's important because it's not something I think about often now in 2023. Amy, our main character, works at a bakery called Daily Bread, which is owned by a religious, conservative woman who then fires Amy when she finds out Amy is queer. Amy also moonlights at the local gay bar Ruby Red, and eventually begins dating Charley, who just moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma from Austin, Texas. Amy is described as "forever cursed to be cute," and "more of a girl next door" than a "hot lesbian you'd happily ruin your life for."
I love the impact of Charley introducing herself with her pronouns (she/her) to Amy! I haven't spent much time in Tulsa, let alone in 2012 (??) but the way Susie writes this is so powerful! It's such a small thing to do, but you can tell it means everything to Amy, proving to be a brave space somewhere that Amy is not fully out yet.
Amy loves weddings and again, this felt relevant for 2023's zeitgeist because I am someone who does pride myself on trying my best to put my money where my mouth is (i.e. I don't support JKR or any other problematic author, I have so many choices/privileges in choosing authors who have not caused harm). However, Amy is constantly confronted by others in the queer community as to her love and support for the wedding industry. During a time when gay people could not marry the ones they love and/or reap the benefits of marriage (i.e. health/medical reasons, insurance, etc.), Amy has to really examine whether or not this is something she can continue supporting and trying to create a business out of. I love this nuance, and I appreciate the dialogues she has with multiple people about this throughout the book. That's why I do feel this is moreso a coming of age story with romance splashed in.
The steam is 1/5, fully closed door with some heavy petting before he door closed haha. Anyway, I will absolutely continue to read from Susie Dumond in the future.
I really enjoyed this romcom! Though it was published in 2022, it's set in the 2010's before gay marriage was federally legal/recognized in the U.S. I think that's important because it's not something I think about often now in 2023. Amy, our main character, works at a bakery called Daily Bread, which is owned by a religious, conservative woman who then fires Amy when she finds out Amy is queer. Amy also moonlights at the local gay bar Ruby Red, and eventually begins dating Charley, who just moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma from Austin, Texas. Amy is described as "forever cursed to be cute," and "more of a girl next door" than a "hot lesbian you'd happily ruin your life for."
I love the impact of Charley introducing herself with her pronouns (she/her) to Amy! I haven't spent much time in Tulsa, let alone in 2012 (??) but the way Susie writes this is so powerful! It's such a small thing to do, but you can tell it means everything to Amy, proving to be a brave space somewhere that Amy is not fully out yet.
Amy loves weddings and again, this felt relevant for 2023's zeitgeist because I am someone who does pride myself on trying my best to put my money where my mouth is (i.e. I don't support JKR or any other problematic author, I have so many choices/privileges in choosing authors who have not caused harm). However, Amy is constantly confronted by others in the queer community as to her love and support for the wedding industry. During a time when gay people could not marry the ones they love and/or reap the benefits of marriage (i.e. health/medical reasons, insurance, etc.), Amy has to really examine whether or not this is something she can continue supporting and trying to create a business out of. I love this nuance, and I appreciate the dialogues she has with multiple people about this throughout the book. That's why I do feel this is moreso a coming of age story with romance splashed in.
The steam is 1/5, fully closed door with some heavy petting before he door closed haha. Anyway, I will absolutely continue to read from Susie Dumond in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
daralexandria's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
sage_alexandra's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
amandalorianxo's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I think this was mismarketed as a romcom when really this is more of a contemporary novel with romance as a subplot. I blame the cartoon cover also for steering the rom com agenda. This is supposed to take place in 2013/2014 but in all honesty- I feel like this could have taken place in 2022/2023. What threw me off was the random people saying their pronouns. I vaguely remember people not doing that in 2013/2014- again that’s more of a current 2020’s norm. I also didn’t fully believe in the romance between Amy & Charley. Amy definitely embodies an anxious attachment style while Charley seems more avoidant. A lot of showing, not telling. Maybe if the story didn’t have such long chapters & more clear edits, this might have been better received.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Cancer
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
While this book seemed sometimes ready to tackle radical topics (like how marriage is not the route to queer liberation, or howto reconcile people we love working in unethical industries like oil), it always seemed to end up on a note of maintaining the status quo. As a reader, it sometimes made me wish they hadn't brought the topics up in the first place.
I liked all of the characters, but I would have liked higher stakes between Charley and Amy. Charley's wishy-washy behaviour made it hard for me to get invested, even though they seemed like a nice enough pairing.
I liked all of the characters, but I would have liked higher stakes between Charley and Amy. Charley's wishy-washy behaviour made it hard for me to get invested, even though they seemed like a nice enough pairing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Infidelity and Cancer