Book Review: Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

Never Ever Getting Back

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Never Ever Getting Back 〰️

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

I loved this book, but I did think it had some flaws. Nothing major. I loved the writing. Gonzales never disappoints with her writing and great characters. And having the setting be a reality TV show was super cool. I felt like I was finally let in on the behind-the-scenes of one of these shows, which was cool. A lot of research went into making this seem legit. (Unless Gonzales was on a reality show and wrote from experience. I don't think so, but I don't feel like looking that up).

As always, I love an excellent sapphic romance. I'm all here for that. It's why I picked up this book. And once Maya and Skye finally got together, it was adorably magical.

However, I feel like the romance didn't build up very well. They were both so intent on their Jordy revenge, with just a few small lines here and there, that they might be attracted to each other as more than friends. (I love good enemies to lovers trope, and this one was top-notch). But, they went from friends who may think a cute thought about the other on occasion to full-out making out every chance they get and falling madly in love super fast. I love their relationship, don't get me wrong, but it happened too fast, or rather, it didn't build properly. But if you put that bit aside, there was still chemistry between the two leads, so it still worked out great in the end. (I shipped them the entire time and wanted more).

I will admit I didn't entirely like Maya at first and would have preferred having more POVs from Skye's perspective, but she grew on me. And so did the story. It became much more than a revenge plot. And I love the friendship between all the girls on the show. Each with a unique story and was fun to read, despite how short or long some of them lasted.

All in all, this was still a fantastic read, and if you love the author's previous books, you'll also love this one.

Book Review: Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Before I begin, is it just me, or did Leah gain weight since the first book, and I didn't notice? Like, maybe I missed it in Simon's book, but I had no idea she was a plus-size character. I love the body representation; I just must not have noticed that in her character description cause when I was reading this book, I was a bit thrown off by her being a bigger girl. But she owns it, and I love that.

Anyway, that aside, I loved this book. I love a good sapphic romance. Also, I love the bi representation. We need more of that in media, I think.

Leah did come off a bit too teen antsy for me, but that's her character, so Albertalli nailed that. I would have liked to see her do a bit of the nerdy stuff she's always telling us about than just, well, telling us she's into nerdy things. My inner nerd needs it. But still, I enjoyed reading her much more than Molly in book two. She felt more fleshed out as a character.

One nitpick I will say, however, is that Leah telling Abby she can't be a little bi and that she has to label herself properly irked me. It's Abby's choice on how she wants to be labelled. If Abby is only 5% into girls and 95% into guys, she's still bi. No one should tell you how you identify.

That being said, this was a cute read and a worthy sequel to Love, Simon. It was nice to see the OG cast again, and fun to read little cameo's to characters in the second book. This book was a much better fit for the Simonverse than book two. (Which, it being a sequel and featuring the main cast again, wasn't hard to do).

Book Review: Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan

Melt With you

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Melt With you 〰️

Okay, my poor gay heart needs more of Dugan's writing now. I finished this book in like a day, and I loved every second.

Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan

Dugan (from the two books of hers that I have read so far) is a master of the enemies-to-lovers trope. I mean, Fallon and Chloe were besties but then became "enemies" before becoming friends and more again, but still!

I loved the narration of Fallon. She's got such a great personality to read. She expressed such a range of emotions that made me feel the same right along with her. She was admittedly a bit frustrating to read at points about telling Chloe how she felt, but even she admitted her faults, so I guess that's okay in my books haha. Besides, if she did follow Jami's advice (sound advice, great friend, by the way, we all need a Jami in our lives) and told Chloe her true feelings and just talked it out, we wouldn't have had a novel.

I love the whole road trip thing, and Chloe was so sweet in her side adventures to show how much she cared for Fallon. It made my gay heart melt. (Pun intended).

These two characters were compatible, even with their flaws. They were relatable and so well written, and I enjoyed reading about their journey. Also, gotta love a good "only one-bed" trope done right.

If you are looking for a great sapphic read, this book is worth it. It will melt your heart into gooey goodness.

Book Review: Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

Some Girls Do

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Some Girls Do 〰️

I saw someone recommend this book on Twitter and decided to give it a go. Boy, am I glad I did. I need all the queer books by this author now, please.

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

This book made me feel all the feels from start to finish, and I couldn't put it down. I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope. It was executed perfectly. I loved Morgan's and Ruby's personalities. Both were written so strongly, and each was a unique and exciting character. I wish there were more of these two, but alas, this book seems to be a standalone. Which, fine, but I still want more.

I will say, though, at the start, I wondered why they felt so strongly for each other besides "she's hot." Both girls were from such opposite worlds. But as I read on, I could feel the chemistry.

I love Ruby's coming arc, and I love Morgan learning to accept the world around her. And Ruby's big moment in her final pageant was *chef's kiss*. (And let's not forget Tyler, who speaks truth bombs about consent and is a really cool guy. I would have liked to see more of him, to be honest).

I loved every character and story beat—great pacing and writing. If you're looking for a great YA sapphic romance novel, this is an excellent pick for you. Thank you, random Twitter user, for posting about this book.