A Chapter on Love is a second chance romance - or at least a second shot at romance since the two main characters didn't actually have a romantic relationship when they first met at summer camp. NiK has moved on from a bad relationship and is settling in as a manager of a bookstore when Lee (Leslie) walks in - the same Leslie who was the camp counselor that she had been attracted to when she was 17. There were elements that I liked in the book - the build of the relationship and Lee's character. But there were elements that didn't work as well - Nik wasn't as engaging and her actions/reactions due to baggage irked me. There were some repetitive bits and more tell than show. As this is a debut novel, Webber shows a lot of promise and I look forward to seeing what she does with her next book

This was a wonderful read, and I enjoyed seeing the romance between Lee and Jannika bloom. The secondary characters were also well-constructed.

Stevie‘s review of A Chapter on Love by Laney Webber
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 12 Feb 19

While I’m a fan of romances with at least one older protagonist, I’m always a little wary of those in which the feelings, if not the relationship, started when the younger protagonist was both a young adult and in a subordinate position to the older one. On the other hand, I love bookstore romances and so was prepared to conquer my worries over the origins of our heroines’ involvement in order to read about their own love of books and the physical places where books are sold.


Eighteen years ago, seventeen-year-old Jannika Peterson was in training to be a camp counsellor for the Girl Scouts of America when she met experienced counsellor Lee Thompson and developed a massive crush on the older (though not that long out of higher education) woman. Although Lee was aware of Jannika’s feelings, and liked the young woman a lot, she never gave any sign that she reciprocated them. At the end of the summer, the pair went their separate ways – after Jannika had sent an embarrassing love letter – and their paths never crossed again. Now Jannika is managing a bookstore in the small town where her aunt lives, and Lee is about to start a new job as a manager at the local State Park.

The two women have had their fair share of heartbreak over the years: Jannika’s last long-term relationship ended when she caught her girlfriend cheating on her, and Lee’s wife died in a car accident under circumstances Lee believes to be her fault. When their paths cross, the two are nonetheless keen to renew their friendship, and both discover the attraction that was there all those years earlier has matured into something that could go a lot deeper. Of course there are obstacles in the way: Jannika worries the bookstore might get sold from under her, and also feels as if she needs to get closure from her ex before she can try trusting Lee, while Lee worries that Jannika’s impulsive tendencies might lead to her running risks and breaking Lee’s heart all over again.

At times I got a little frustrated with all the wariness going on, possibly compounded by the contrasting secondary romance in which Jannika’s closeted best friend is finally trying to be more open about herself to her parents and neighbours. The background characters were mostly delightful – I particularly loved the book group organisers and the various customers Jannika manages to match up with their perfect next book – while Jannika’s ex was believably unlikeable. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the author’s next book.

Grade: B

The main characters, Jannika and Lee, are what makes this book remember a crush from long ago that turns into reality years down the road. Does it always work out for everyone involved? This book will answer the question for these two women and it has quite a lot of twists and turns throughout that will keep you reading.

In A Chapter on Love, the two main characters first meet as camp counselor and camper then again 17 years later. Both Lee, a park ranger (a favorite trope of mine) and Nik, a bookseller, fatefully end up in each other’s path as adults and sparks reignite.

I really liked Lee and felt that hers was the more well rounded character. Nik was okay but there were aspects of her that either spoke of her flightiness or deeper issues. Hate ex’s in stories and kept thinking that Nik’s behavior hinted that she still was stuck on the old gf. Part of me did not want Lee and Nik together, especially after Nik’s shenanigans at the end. Maybe I just wanted more Lee in the narrative since she was my favorite. But there were also parts that were very good, interactions between the two that did make you believe they were falling in love.

Overall, a good book and I would be curious about the author’s next one to see what she does.

I found the book very slow.

The attraction was instant between both Jannika and Lee, but I felt there was something missing, the story was a little bit limp.

Wasn't a page turner for me.

"Lee had replayed the sequence of events more times in the past eighteen years than she would ever admit to anyone."

This romance novel unravels beautifully. Lee and Jannika met years ago at a summer camp. They never dated but there was a strong attraction. They went their separate ways and years later they stumbled upon each other and the flames instantly reignited. Is the illusion greater than the desire to be with the actual person or can they be more than just a fantasy/fling?

"It has been one thing to dream about meeting Leslie again, another to be with her."

I enjoyed the way the author told the story of each character's life. The vulnerabilities and hesitancy to get into a relationship are quite relatable. In addition, there's the family dynamic, career demands, past relationship trauma threatening any possibility of dating, and building sexual chemistry. The family support was nice to read, especially how fearful it is for some people to open up to their families in regards to their sexual orientation for fear of not being accepted. This book was a light easy read. There was nothing I didn't enjoy about the book. I was happy and finished it in about 3 days. I recommend this book.

Jannika is the manager of a local book store in New Hampshire. She supposedly has a special ability to match readers with the perfect books. But, she's not great with pairing herself with women.

Lee was a camp counselor of Jannika's 18 years previous and when Lee moves to New Hampshire from Maine they meet again when Lee is brought to the bookstore to participate in a book group.

They're both older and single. Although they do both also have baggage because of previous relationships and both are still healing.

They're reunited and slowly start falling for each other. Not quite continuing from when they were at camp, because thankfully nothing happened between the twenty-four year old and the 17 year old in the past.

I do wish that we'd had more of Lee and Jannika's time at summer camp. There was one time when we went back to that time instead of just hearing about it in a third hand way, and if they'd actually 'gone' to the past a little more it would have been awesome.

It was a fun book. Lots of library talk and tons of good New Hampshire/Maine stuff too!

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

A book store, great bedroom romance, and an old crush renewed what more can anyone ask for. Love love love it. The chemistry is right from the beginning just gets better as the story goes on.

3 stars. This book was about Jannika Peterson, a manager at a local bookstore in New Hampshire, who has a way of being able to pair people up with the perfect books. When Lee Thompson walks into one of her book clubs, she can't believe her luck. Jannika and Lee went to camp together 18 years ago, where Jannika or Nick trailed Lee around all summer and confessed her love to her. Lee is now damaged, her wife had died and she had transferred from Maine to New Hampshire so she can take a Park ranger job that isn't as active. They both cannot deny their attraction and start to spend time together.

The characters in this book moved awfully fast and I did not really like it. There was a lot of good moments in this book, but it was not all good. The drama near the end seemed a little forced and I feel like it was there just to add something extra to the book. I know these characters both knew each other a long time ago, but they both just accepted the relationship and went fast into it once they got to know each other. It was not surprising, but I like a little more tension. I would probably recommend this.

This is an interesting story about a young girl managing a used bookstore which is unlike any used bookstore or new bookstore that I've ever come across in my life. What I liked about it is the bookstore served a needed function in the community. Jannika is the woman who runs the bookstore, she had a very difficult life growing up and was made to feel that she was never good enough in her mother's eyes . She worked hard working to put herself through community college to get her degree. The only family member Jannika was ever close to is her aunt who continues to play a big part in her life.
One night at the bookstore while the women were entering for the book club meeting, in walks a new member by the name of Lee. When she walked in the store she and Jannika made eye contact and nodded to one another in recognition. Jannika and Lee knew each other from camp when Jannika was 17 and 18-year-old. Both women developed a deep and strong attachment when they were at camp, but that was 18 years ago. Can these two women reconnect now or is there just too much that's different between them to make a smooth sailing reconnection?

This is a well written book that kept me interested in the story from the first page to the last, I highly recommend this book.

Jannika Peterson and Lee Thompson met years ago when Lee was Jennika's camp counsellor. At the time each of them was somewhat taken with the other but seeing as Lee was a little older and in a position of authority nothing ever transpired between the two. Years later when Jannika found out her long term lover was having an affair she moves to New Hampshire where she found her dream job, working as a manager of a used book store. Lee works as a park ranger and has just moved to the area for a new position as park manager at Watt’s Lake State Park. Lee is still grieving for her wife who died in a traffic accident. Both have their own baggage but neither can deny the attraction that’s still between them. This is a good story that I found was a little too slow paced and I found a lot of the story was repetitive. Not a bad read but could have been a bit better.I have a feeling that Ms Webbers next book will be better so I look forward to reading and following her work. All in all a pretty good read.
ARC via NetGalley

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I was a little disappointed in this book. The plot sounded interesting, but the way the story unfolded felt very unrealistic to me. The writing itself was fine, and the story moved along at a good pace. Overall, I found it very hard to believe the story, or to relate to the characters. They came together so quickly - even though they'd known each other previously, they hadn't been close, and as adults, they were together in a flash. The groundwork was there, but story just needed some further molding.

This book has been a bit strange in its development. At first, the story seems to be heading towards a romance in which the two protagonists meet again after several years and try a relationship that in the past could not happen, since one of the protagonists, Jannika, was seventeen and the other one, Lee, was a monitor at the summer camp where they were together. After this initial approach, the story goes meandering with the insecurities of both, especially Jannika, who has a kind of trauma due to the bad relationship with  her mother and the lack of a father figure. Supposedly, the fact that she is of Swedish descent also makes her prone to a lack of emotional communication in her relationships. Lee is apparently more emotionally stable, but then she also has her demons.

The problem for me has been that the transitions between a story apparently aimed at this romantic relationship that resumes after some years and the issues that are intermingled and create such wavering, are not very coherent and at times seem a bit forced and a little exaggerated.

Because of this, the book has not been entirely to my liking, but it is not a waste of time to read it either

3.5 stars This book was hard for me to review. On one hand, it has a great writing style with vivid and realistic descriptions of small town life and the natural environs. On the other side, it was a bit dull for me. I know it's not a thriller killer book and that's fine. I like a good romance. And this is a good romance. I was just hoping for a little more.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jannika is picking up the pieces of her life after a breakup. She has her dream job managing a bookstore, she's got a book group, she's trying to date again. Then, one day her teenage crush and camp counselor Lee Thompson shows up in her shop and her carefully pasted together life is thrown off course in the best possible way. They have a chance at love that they didn't have when they were younger. They might not be ready for love but love might be ready for them.

I liked this book, but it didn't quite get to loving this book. It was hard to pinpoint a specific reason to be honest. I think sometimes it felt like the scenes were a little unbelievable - describing something in more detail than someone from that POV might actually be able to know. It meant I felt a little far away form the story and the characters and I didn't quite connect fully. Jannika and Lee as well, I felt like the characters were just missing that little oomph to give them great depth so that I can connect to them as individuals and to their relationship. They were really interesting characters though, they had pretty good backstory and different careers.

I loved the descriptions of books, they were like their own character themselves. The chemistry was steamy and really well done. The story idea and the connection between Lee and Jannika so many years later was super sweet. I loved it.

I enjoyed this for sure. A good debut novel. I will definitely be reading future books by this author.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about Nick and Lee, two women who once met years ago at a Girls Camp. Lee was the counselor and Nick was the assistant counselor. After a chance meeting, the two find that there is a spark that they can't deny. Will their past relationship, or current situations prevent them from being together?


This story was a well written story, that provided the reader with a lot of conflict/drama to keep them entertained.

I was given an ARC of this story, for my honest feedback. It has in no way changed my opinion about this story.

A small town, quirky townspeople and a quaint secondhand bookstore. The perfect read for a rainy weekend.

Jannika manages the towns bookstore, her dream job. Nick also had the uncanny ability to recommend people the right book for them

She's totally thrown off when her youth crush, camp counselor Lee shows up at the book club meeting. 18 years ago Nik had an unrequited crush on Lee which never went away.

Lee is still dealing with the death of her wife and is also thrown off by meeting again with Nick. The two will have to overcome their own baggage or mostly Nick will have to deal with baggage to give the two of them a chance.

A solid 3.5 stars.

In A Chapter on Love, the two main characters first meet as camp counselor and camper then again 17 years later. Both Lee, a park ranger (a favorite trope of mine) and Nik, a bookseller, fatefully end up in each other’s path as adults and sparks reignite.

I really liked Lee and felt that hers was the more well rounded character. Nik was okay but there were aspects of her that either spoke of her flightiness or deeper issues. Hate ex’s in stories and kept thinking that Nik’s behavior hinted that she still was stuck on the old gf. Part of me did not want Lee and Nik together, especially after Nik’s shenanigans at the end. Maybe I just wanted more Lee in the narrative since she was my favorite. But there were also parts that were very good, interactions between the two that did make you believe they were falling in love.

Overall, a good book and I would be curious about the author’s next one to see what she does.