As usual with an Elle Spencer novel, it has very likable characters, and such great banter between them that you actually want to be there!

Although I was a bit worried about the past-life aspect of the story, I think it was a nice romance.

Living in the past.

Lindsay is a recently divorced artist and mother. She sells her work through a gallery her best friend, Patty, owns and operates in town. They have lived in their small town their whole lives. And that whole time, Lindsay has been thinking of a woman she knows she was in love with before her time as well as repeatedly panting the same small boy.

Ren rolls into town to stay with a long-time friend before heading overseas for a new job. She is drawn to a painting in a local art gallery. Later, she is drawn to the artist. Then, Lindsay draws Ren.

This was an ambitious story to tell. A woman who believes she was in love with a woman in a previous life only to be confronted with someone who she just feels and knows is that love of her (past)life. It was really interesting experiencing everything unfold. From the two meeting, Lindsay's reaction, and gently navigating an acquaintance without seeming like a complete crazy-person.

I love Spencer's books. They are all written so well, with great dialogue, and a good amount of drama to give me throat lumps and blurry eyes. While I really liked this one, it didn't feel like books that she has written in the past. Given the story line, I figured it would be rampant with angst. It was there, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't the telenovela level I've grown to enjoy. This seemed more calculated, mature, and tame.

I liked the relationships she had with her best friend and her daughter. The friend that Ren comes to see felt a little bit made-up for plot purposes and I was a bit bored whenever there were scenes with her. And her character didn't come through for me very well. My imagination kept switching from same-age friend of Ren to older aged friend of Ren.

Overall I did enjoy this story for the unique concept in a sea of pure romance lesbian books.

I recommend to those who like to read about romance, re-incarnation, family drama, art, ridiculous stakeouts, and safe kitchen islands.

I really enjoyed this book. The banter was very funny and the conversations and interactions between all the characters seemed genuine and real. It was really fun reading about this small town. The two main characters, Lindsay and Ren, were really great. The chemistry between the two was easy to feel. And the love they felt for their best friends was there two. Speaking of best friends, I think they are the ones that might have made this story really great, particularly Patty (which I secretly hope gets her own book). This is a fast burn with a good amount of drama. I really wish there was more about Ben Hall cause what he did was shady and I really wanted something to happen there. Anyway, this is a good read. Fans of Spencer will like it and I think those who have not read her work, or even liked her previous works, should give this one a try. It is worth the read.

Heavy, Heartfelt, Sighs…
Ren is an art expert who is taking a vacation with her BFF Deb before she starts a new job in Paris. While in town, she sees a gallery and finds an amazing painting of a boy. Lindsay has spent her life haunted by a past life memories. Her family is less than understanding and thinks she needs to leave the past in the past, and maybe start selling off those paintings of a boy she calls Timmy… When Lindsay meets Ren things get complicated….

I liked this book so much! There was so much going on! There was a mystery, a bit of history, good friends, family drama, romances that span years and lifetimes…. It’s a very emotional book too, which makes it all the better. I love, love, love being able to connect with the characters in a deep and real way. I loved that this story wasn’t just about the romance, although that was wonderful! (The sexy bits were spot on too!!) There were lots of people involved in the tale and every one of them was needed to make this story as great as it is. So many things happen during this drama to keep it moving that you won’t even notice the passage of time, you will be so immersed that you might just read the book cover to cover without even realizing it! This is another must read from Ms Spencer!!

The book was fantastic!! It was a different kind of story that Elle usually tells but it was amazing. As teenager Lindsay and her best friend Patty, after some Peach Schnapps, listen to a past life CD. Patty went to sleep but Lindsay was affected by the CD and saw herself with a beautiful woman named Roo. She ends up marrying her high school sweetheart and had a kid. They eventually divorced. Lindsay became a painter and her best friend Patty is a art dealer. Lindsay keeps painting this little boy and Roo but won't sell. After some coaching from Patty, Lindsay gives up the boy to be sold. Enter Ren Christopher. She is staying with her best friend Deb for a couple of weeks before going off to Paris. She wanders into the gallery and buys the painting. Then she goes to get a coffee and Lindsay faints when she see her. Lindsay is convinced that she is the reincarnated Roo and they start a relationship. The chemistry between Ren and Lindsay is off the charts. The secondary characters Deb and Patty are a big part of the story and they are funny. But the epilogue just tied the whole story together. This was a beautiful and moving read.

I’ve been a fan of Elle Spencer for a while now, her last two books especially are permanently located in my favorite-book list. I’m happy to tell you that her current novel, ‘Waiting for You’ is now also added to that favorites list.

This story has all of the wonderful traits that I’ve come to expect from Ms. Spencer’s novels. It is interesting, different, and believable even with the idea of characters from past lives meeting again. The characters themselves become real to the reader. I’m sure I could go to Salt Creek and meet Ren, Lindsey, Patty, Deb, and even Mrs. Stokely at Deb’s coffee shop, “You Mocha Me Crazy”. The striking humor that I expect to see in Ms. Spencer’s books is front and center in this story as well, along with the angst that she uses to break your heart as you read. Don’t worry, she does a good job of mending those broken hearts as well.
‘Waiting for You’ is a fitting addition to Ms. Spencer’s catalog. I’m happy to be able to recommend it to all who love a book that is full of laughter, tears, and a great deal of love.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I requested this book from Netgalley with the hopes that it would be another cozy romance book that I could nestle into on the weekend, my attention from it unwavering. A lot of that hope was based upon the fact that last year I read and adored another book by this author. But honestly, I found this new release by Elle Spencer to be just… perfectly okay.


After a vivid spiritual experience, Lindsey Hall is convinced she has a long-lost love from another life. She’s carried these memories with her years with the expectation that she’ll never find someone that compares to that love she felt in a dream. Least of all in Salt Creek, the small town she’s grown up in, where the gay population is small. Is it a complete fluke that the first time she paints a still life portrait of her lover from a past life, that a woman who happens to look just like her painting visits her small hometown the next day? Lindsey can’t decide if she’s woken up in an episode of Stranger Things, but she’s helpless to stop this stranger from taking an interest in her when she’s the living embodiment of her long-lost love.

This book was really hard to rate personally, because I felt quite neutral about it. My mediocre rating and perception of Waiting For You isn’t because I found faults in it, but rather that my taste in romance at the moment doesn’t align with what this book had to offer. I’d wish that was something I’d realised before I read this book.

As a 23 year old, I’ve realised that I just don’t get as much enjoyment from reading about characters that are in their 30s, and are either married, divorced and/or have children. This book really takes you through the life of a divorcee with a grown child in a small town. It was hard to ignore those factors when they were such a large part of the story and romance. For now, I think I’m going to save all these books for when I’m closer to this age and can relate more to that demographic.

Also, the past loves trope doesn’t appeal to me either. Whilst I’d absolutely say I’m a hopeless romantic, I also think that the pragmatic part of me just can’t get behind this trope, particularly in a contemporary setting. To the authors credit, Lindsey and Ren have considerable chemistry. Although it developed quickly for my taste, their bond is both sweet and respectful. It’s hard to see a relationship like that as anything other than being really wholesome. I also think readers who like stories about characters at this stage of life, will also respect the fact that it simultaneously reads very realistically, whilst also being a romance that is good for escapism.

I still really love and recommend Casting Lacey by this author, a fake dating romance between two actresses that is somewhat of a hate to lover banter-y filled romance. Regardless of what I feel about this particular book, Elle Spencer is a fluent writer and her books possess a casual charm and witty dialogue that always sparks a bit of joy from me. I’m sure a lot of readers who enjoy sapphic romance about mature women will no doubt enjoy this book too.

An enjoyable read, my first by the author , a fast easy read. Something that doesn’t require any real thinking and leaves you smiling. Cute characters, a bit far fetched but quirky.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I've never read something quite like this. Lindsay, since she was a teen, has dreamed about a little boy and a woman, Roo. She is convinced that she knows them from one of her previous lives. Then, she meets Ren (who is in town having a quick visit with a friend), and Lindsay faints because Ren is the spitting image of Roo.

It goes about as you'd expect with the back and forth, but, in the case of this novel (unlike others), there was also a very cool underlying push and pull of the past lives stuff.

Oh,and there was my favorite lesfic subplot of the year so far, that of Mrs. Stokley. She was such a great character and I really sorta want her story as a lesbian romance now too. Her character really hooked me (I'd love a Patty, Lindsay's BFF, story too).

And, I may or may not (hint: I did) have given this whole novel an extra star because it was set in small town Massachusetts, and that part of the novel was gotten mostly correct too. Always a big positive in my estimation. Staties!!

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

This book was a little challenging to get into at the beginning because it mostly dealt with past life experiences of a teenage girl. I’m so glad I persisted in reading on because the book is incredibly interesting. The two main characters are Lindsay, a single mother with a teenage daughter. Lindsay is an artist who has a business of portrait painting. She also paints two portraits of a young boy and a woman she believes she knew from a previous life. The other main I’d Ren a lawyer on holiday in the town Lindsay lives as she awaits time to go to Paris for a job.
When the two women meet deep sparks fly as both women are deeply attracted to each other. For Lindsay, Ren is the women she believes she met in her previous life.
Besides the mains, the cast of secondary characters is superb, they range from teenagers, an old school teacher, and two school mates of Lindsay. At times the dialogue is extremely humorous. There is a bit of heat in the story as well. This book is well written with a fantastic plot an interesting characters. I highly recommend it.

3.75 Stars. This was better than I expected. I have been off to a slow start with Spencer (shocking I know). I thought The Road to Madison was a mess and I’m listening to Casting Lacey right now and I’m still undecided. So I went into this book cautiously to say the least, but I’m happy to admit that this was an enjoyable read.

My first thought about this book was that I was pretty shocked how low angst this was for Spencer. I actually got this book because I have been in the mood for angst and I know Spencer can sometimes go overboard with it. That was not the case here. There is some yes, but comparing it to Spencer’s other books this has like half the angst she normally puts in.

Besides being a sweet mid to low angst romance, this also had some comedy. I have mixed feelings on that. Some lines were really funny and clever, which put a smile on my face, others not so much. There were a few times that the characters were laughing at their own jokes which set my eyes rolling so hard I was afraid they’d pop out of my head. And sometimes the jokes were so darn corny. No offence to Spencer but sometimes reading her characters reminds me of 12 year old boys. But to balance that out there were a few actual laugh out loud moments I enjoyed.

While this story is really about insta attraction and connection, I was happy with how good the chemistry was. The characters were both likeable so it helped. That was a big plus about this book, the whole cast of characters was well done. There was an old retired teacher that was a hoot, some teenage characters that were well done, and best friend characters that had their own personality and depth even if one was slightly annoying.

I think my biggest issue ended up being the length. This book really could have used another chapter or two. There just was not much time for the ending. I hate rushed endings and this felt too rushed. I don’t mind that it was more HFN than HEA. I don’t need everything tied up in a bow, I just wanted more so I could really believe in the ending.

Out of the 2 and a half finished Spencer books, this is the best I have read by so far. There are a few things about her style I still don’t really click with, but I was happy with this read. It was a feel good romance that mostly put a smile on my face. I was hoping for a little more angst, but I do like that Spencer mixed it up so I can’t really complain. I suspect most Spencer and rom-com fans will enjoy this too.

I really enjoyed reading this. I loved the characters and the settings surrounding them. I could not put it down. Thanks for the advanced copy.

From the minute I started reading this book, I could not put it down until I finished reading. It was that good! I have truly come to enjoy how well Elle Spencer is able to write such compelling stories. Lindsay & Ren as main characters were very relatable. And the secondary characters such as Patty, Deb, Mrs Stokely, Brook & Corey just added more texture to the story.
Lindsay believes in past lives and when she meets Ren, she truly believes that she has met her before and that they have a deep connection. However, Ren is on her to Paris to start a new job and is not aware of how deeply connected Lindsay feels to her. Is it possible for fate to bring two people together in different life times?

This was an enjoyable read. I loved all of the characters in the book - main and secondary and I loved the storyline. Lindsay and Ren were both likeable as people and their instant attraction was easy to imagine. I loved the storyline with Mrs Stokely which made me feel warm and gushy! I also liked the tenderness between the generations. The only downside would be that the ending felt a bit rushed - I really, really liked the ending but felt I would have liked a bit more time spent on it.

A great read that I didn’t want to put down

I had mixed feelings about this book.

Waiting for you features Lindsay, a portrait artist, once teenaged mother of a now teenaged daughter and a woman who believes she has had a past life and love with a woman named Roo.

Ren is a lawyer visiting her best friend Deb for a couple of weeks before she takes a job in Paris. Both women are single, beautiful and attracted to each other even though Lindsay faints at the sight of Ren.

I read a short story by Spencer in the Hot Ice anthology and really enjoyed it. Loved the witty banter which reminded me of a Brayden read. Waiting for you is filled to the brim with witty banter. I was beginning to think the old curmudgeon in me couldn’t deal with all the cutesy conversations and nicknames until Lindsay and Ren shared some hot scenes together and I had hopes for a terrific romance with a sweet secondary storyline.

I wasn’t crazy about the way the two mains handled the inevitable conflict. Say one thing, doing the opposite didn’t help. The two seemed oceans apart. The rushed ending was unfortunate.

3.5 Stars

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

It’s not my favorite book of Elle’s but let’s be honest... Casting Lacey would be a hard book for anyone to follow. But I enjoyed this one. It was hilarious in a lot of sections and I was laughing my butt off! The story was great, the writing was great and I really liked both MC’s. Actually, I liked this book way more than I originally thought! Buy it!

When we picked up this book we expected parallel stories across two lifetimes. That is what the synopsis suggested. But though there is a flash of past life, this story remains firmly in the contemporary timeline with two awfully winsome ladies falling in love with each other.

Lindsay Hall And her rather kooky best friend, Patty, kind of chase the paranormal in their teens. After rounds with Ouija boards and the like, they get ahold of past-life regression hypnosis CDs and while Patty sleeps through them, Lindsay has a deeply impactful experience. She 'sees' a dramatic moment of two girls in love with each other being torn apart. She knows one of them (Katie) is her but has no idea who the other girl, Roo, is. Making a poor choice right after the regression, teen Lindsay's life is changed when she becomes pregnant.

Present day Lindsay is a successful and in-demand portrait artist. She is divorced and has a teenaged daughter, Brook. Patty owns an at gallery, is still kooky, still her best friend and still kind of holding a candle for Lindsay. After years of having dreamt of her, Lindsay finally paints Roo.

Ren Christopher's best friend, Deb lives in the same town as Lindsay and owns a popular coffee shop. Deb is Ren's safe place and home, so before moving to Paris for a new job, Ren arrives in town to spend a couple of weeks withDeb and her family.

At the first sight of Ren, Lindsay embarrassingly faints. Rather quickly, Ren and Lindsay get to know each other better and find an undeniable attraction.

This book is so much fun to read. The dialogues are fun and funny. Ditto the situations and the cast of characters -- including Brook, Deb and Patty. At the same time, no one is a one-dimensional jester or comic relief. They are all well-rounded people who add to the goings-on in wonderful ways.

The whole past life angle was frankly quite unnecessary and forced. It particularly felt that way because Lindsay is not overly angsty about it. She is funny, cool, quite adorable -- and very, very present. Lindsay's fainting may have been because of Roo but her relationship with Ren is never driven by a past life hangover. The second reason that the past life angle seemed unnecessary was because we never get to know how Ren feels about it or how she deals with it. However, this angle is used to create the conflict in the relationship (we felt that this one could've done without any conflict. Their parting was already inevitable with Ren's imminent move to Paris. But well).

Both, Lindsay and Ren are so, so attractive. The ending was kind of hurried and didn't have any lead up but the two ladies are just so lovely that we found ourselves not caring about shortfalls in the plot or pacing -- we were just happy that they got together.

This is definitely recommended: lovely ladies, excellent chemistry, great supporting cast and high fun factor in the writing.

Do you believe in past lives?

Having stumbled on a CD that gave teenage Lindsay a glimpse into her past life brought on more than a decade long of reliving memories of a name and face until she met the person in her dreams, present day, Ren, in the flesh.

Are you destined to fall in love with the same person in another life?

Present day Lindsay, a divorcee with a teenage daughter, had the opportunity of a lifetime to uncover and pursue the mystery of the person who has haunted her dreams but are they meant to be together again in this lifetime?

The story has a refreshing theme for f/f romance and intriguing to say the least. A solid read for readers who are seeking for a different genre. Would have loved to see the author sharing more of the ladies’ love that has transpired over the two lives.

Waiting for you was amazing! Lindsay and Ren were wonderfully written. Their romance was a fully realized relationship. The hilarious, witty, outrageous dialog…I just could not stop laughing. OMG the vagina naming conversation----to die for! Not only was the main storyline wonderful, but I loved how much was packed into this story. Mrs. Stokely, Deb & Corey, Katie & Roo, Brooke, I mean even Sir Barksalot! I laughed, I cried, I fanned my face(hot, sexy scenes) I mean come on! Elle Spencer is becoming one of my favorite writers!

Elle Spencer is one of my favourite authors and she doesn't disappoint with this one. Her storyline was quite intriguing in that it deals with the afterlife which is not something that I believe in but her sense of humour is in full force in this book. This book doesn't have the same amount of angst as in her previous books but Spencer has amped up the humour and the witty repartee between the characters. The humour is a constant from start to finish which makes reading the dialogue is such a pleasure. There is strong interaction with the sub characters and they play an important part in the story and are completely likeable. The main characters are warm, funny and of course, drop dead gorgeous. There's not much to dislike with this book. Another winner.