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A review by librariangeorgia
Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved the concept of this book and while I did enjoy reading it, there were some things that annoyed me too much to enjoy it fully.
I found it quite fast paced - too much so in some places, especially when it jumped between time periods and it felt like you'd missed a chunk of the story. The writing wasn't great in the sense of that there wasn't a lot of exploring emotions, the sex scenes weren't great (it was basically 2 paragraphs and then it moved on to something else), the reactions were either underwhelming or over the top.
It really niggled at me when romance books were called 'sexy books' - to me it was as if they were talking about a mills and boon novel (a stereotype, i know, but they are known for their 'filthiness'). There were other things that the wording just wasn't quite right and it came off as either super cringy or just not realistic at all.
I hated how much of the storyline the demolition took up - I know it's a key part of linking the main characters but it was very repetitive with how often it was mentioned. Especially with how much it negatively impacted Jane and Rosie's relationship. And the fact that Jane was painted as the heroine, yet the whole situation is her fault in the first place - why?!
However, I loved Jane and Rosie as a whole (despite all their imperfections)! They are both absolute disasters and i'm living for it. Jane was very businesslike with the hint of niceness at the beginning so it was really nice to see her loosen up by the end of the book. Their relationship was quite the rollercoaster with all the conflict (too much at times) but i'm really happy with how the book ended.
I can see why this isn't everyones cup of tea - I feel like the concept of author/bookstore owner relationship made me enjoy it that little bit more. I'm also slightly bias when it comes to sapphic romance novels ...
I found it quite fast paced - too much so in some places, especially when it jumped between time periods and it felt like you'd missed a chunk of the story. The writing wasn't great in the sense of that there wasn't a lot of exploring emotions, the sex scenes weren't great (it was basically 2 paragraphs and then it moved on to something else), the reactions were either underwhelming or over the top.
It really niggled at me when romance books were called 'sexy books' - to me it was as if they were talking about a mills and boon novel (a stereotype, i know, but they are known for their 'filthiness'). There were other things that the wording just wasn't quite right and it came off as either super cringy or just not realistic at all.
I hated how much of the storyline the demolition took up - I know it's a key part of linking the main characters but it was very repetitive with how often it was mentioned. Especially with how much it negatively impacted Jane and Rosie's relationship. And the fact that Jane was painted as the heroine, yet the whole situation is her fault in the first place - why?!
However, I loved Jane and Rosie as a whole (despite all their imperfections)! They are both absolute disasters and i'm living for it. Jane was very businesslike with the hint of niceness at the beginning so it was really nice to see her loosen up by the end of the book. Their relationship was quite the rollercoaster with all the conflict (too much at times) but i'm really happy with how the book ended.
I can see why this isn't everyones cup of tea - I feel like the concept of author/bookstore owner relationship made me enjoy it that little bit more. I'm also slightly bias when it comes to sapphic romance novels ...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol