Enough time has passed since Keiran's marriage ended when she comes out as pansexual, so she begins to start dating again. Her entry into the dating world isn't a smooth one, but thankfully her best friend Penelope is always there to dust her off and lend an ear. But as time goes by, Keiran finds herself looking forward to breaking down the dates with Penelope more than the dates themselves, and she finds herself looking at her friend in a whole new light. Will she eventually swipe right on the right person or has the right person been by her side all along?

I always really enjoy Tagan Shepard's books and this one was no exception. To me this wasn't particularly spicy and exciting but it was the perfect cozy winter afternoon read. The characters were lovely, intelligent, and interesting. I enjoyed the slow burn of their new-found romantic relationship and they had good cozy chemistry together. It's always hard to get just the right balance in a friends to lovers romance, if it happens too fast to be believable, but I think the pacing was perfectly done here.

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

Got an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I tried with this one. I really wanted to like it but only got about 50 pages before giving up. Just not my taste I guess.

Swipe Right is a decent romance.
If you don't like spoilers, don't read the blurb.
But since most do, those spoilers made me sad. I would have preferred to not have known.
Kieran's looking to date, and starts online dating.
What follows is a cute rom-con.
I enjoy that Kieran's pansexual, thus dates a range of people, and results in a lot of laughs.
It's a long road before she finds her person, so hang in there.

This story has not been entirely to my liking although the plot was promising. I think it was due to the lack of feeling since the story is detailed in a very aseptic way. The two protagonists have problems of different kinds, which are important and serious enough. These problems are explained very slowly, little by little throughout history, when some of them could have been exposed much earlier and perhaps the story would have made more sense. Because many of the protagonists' reactions make sense only when you know why they have acted like this.

And that the story was told from the point of view of one of its protagonists and in the first person, did not benefit the complete understanding of things either.

It also didn't help that it was very, very predictable, I think for everyone except Kieran.

This was a well-written book, with some interesting characters. Kieran and Pen were both intriguing, I found Kieran super relatable and enjoyed reading about her woes of online dating. I liked that there were so many non-binary characters and it was great to learn about EDS which I hadn't heard of before. My only complaint is that Kieran's many dates dragged on too long, leaving very little space for the romance between the two leads to develop. Kieran had her big revelation way too quickly in my opinion, and the chapters after that felt rushed. Having the big penny-dropping moment happen halfway through the story rather than towards the end would have improved the development of the romantic storyline. Having said that, it was still a well-written and enjoyable read.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I need more books like this to be sure! Lesbian picture that is absolute best it had everything used for room in the main character that could kick ass.

A brilliant rollercoaster of a ride… I read this book in one sitting in less than a day and loved every minute of it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book definitely made me feel very thankful I was not on the online dating scene! For the majority of the book, we follow Kieran and her many disastrous dates while getting to know her and her best friend, Pen. Some of the dating horror stories in this blew me away, but they were definitely engaging and entertaining!

Although the blurb gives the HEA away, I still enjoyed this novel and getting to know the two main love interests. Pen particularly, as although we get to know her, I kept hoping I'd see more. I couldn't quite picture her or really understand her, which was a little frustrating as the novel centres around their friendship and then their relationship development. Meanwhile, I could picture Kieran in my head clearly and I think that's why I was particularly attached to her and her romantic life.

I enjoyed reading lightly of polyamorous relationships and pansexuality. I really enjoyed this novel due to the slow development of the relationship between our mains, as well as the realistic element to the story. Sometimes it is the best friend that's perfect for you, but crossing that barrier is tough when there's so much riding on it.

A great romance, with Shepard becoming a firm favourite lesfic author for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bella Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Every other early review has warned readers not to read the blurb as it gives too much away. I agree - don't read the blurb. Just know that this is about a pansexual woman who has been through a divorce and a breakup but is now ready to dip her toe in online dating. She goes through a series of dates that end horribly before finally finding true love.

The story is interesting enough to hold my interest as the dates are disasterously funny and I love the diversity of dates that comes about because Kieran is pansexual. This is a slow-burn because Kieran takes a long time sorting her feelings out, but once she had her aha moment, she's confident and decisive. I would have liked the story better though, if the dates hadn't taken up so much of the book. Because if Kieran had made sense of her feelings sooner, the MCs could have had more time to work through their issues together.

Pen is a constant figure in Kieran's life as the best friend. Her character has plenty of layers that needed peeling back and she has a lot of hidden feelings but I feel like I only started to understand her towards the end and it wasn't enough for me.

Overall, it's not a bad book but I would have loved it more if the MCs had gotten together earlier.

Kieran Hall did marry her highschool sweetheart but when it ended in divorcee was the same time Kieran knew she was pansexual. So how was she to find romance when she never felt like ‘romance’ was in her life plans. Because that is exactly what she wanted even when she spent much of her time living a life that revolved around friends and family. But she did get lonely sometimes. But how to meet new people her age.
Leave that to her best friend Penelope who pushes Kieran to at the very least try using a dating app. Even though she knows that this method won’t work she kept trying because that was another way to spend time with Pen. It’s when someone else points out what the problem is she realizes she just never thought of Pen that way. Until now.
Ms Shepard has given us a book that you can’t stop reading. Why I don’t know. I didn’t particularly like either of the main characters. It’s at this time I was reading just to read. Not as good as I’d hoped but still a nice little read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bella Books

4 Stars

“Swipe Right” is a rom-com-esq, friends-to-lovers romance that was quick and fun to read.
Kieran is single and finally ready to start dating again. Being in her mid-thirties, it’s not as easy for her to find dates so she turns to online dating with the help of her best friend, Penelope (Pen.)

This was very cute and had me laughing out loud several times. Kieran goes through several dates and has very different experiences each time. She’s pansexual so we see dates with lesbians, cis men, and non-binary folks. Each disastrous date was that way because of circumstances or personality issues, it was never about the orientation/identity of that person and that was a refreshing take.

This story is told Kieran’s pov so I felt like I got to know her really well. She’s ready to move on from her last relationship but doesn’t really know how to go about doing it. She gets her best friend, Pen, to help her set up an online profile since she figures Pen knows her better than anyone. Kieran’s got a sense of humor but also comes across a little bit desperate but also just wants to meet the right person and can sometimes be impatient about it. She’s not sure the right person is out there but she has to keep looking, in part to Pen’s nudges. Kieran and Pen meet up after every date to discuss the date what went wrong and this seems to be the highlight of their night.

Unlike Kieran, Pen wants nothing to do with relationships. She has EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and doesn’t want to be a burden to someone else. She’s happy with her many hookups and friends-with-benefits. I liked Pen quite a bit. She seems funny, kind, and sure of herself, especially when it comes to other women. I do wish we had gotten to know her a bit better. A lot of her scenes involved her hitting on/being with other women and I wanted more substance from her. Kieran and Pen are pretty different but they respect one another and try to be there for each other as much as possible.

While I really liked Kieran in the beginning, it did lessen a bit as the story went on. She spends a good amount of time whining and crying over things I didn’t see a reason to whine or cry about. Luckily, she has Pen there as a shoulder to cry on. Kieran is oblivious to things and is even called out about it and it still takes someone else to point out what everyone else clearly sees. I found her acceptance of this light bulb moment to be a little quick for her. Her realization was a little unbelievable in that I expected her to sit and think about it for longer than she does.

My only other real complaint is that I do wish there was maybe one less date. The story started dragging a bit and then I think the ending felt kind of rushed. I would’ve liked more out of the relationship and less about dating woes. The epilogue was a nice touch, especially since you don’t see our couple as a couple for long.

All the above comes down to I really liked my first foray into Tagan Shepard’s writing. This was fun and funny and has some heart as well.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me laughing by the end of the first page. It’s not a comedy but the relationship between Kieran and Pen includes hilarious moments.

The decision to date again hasn’t come easily to Kieran, after a couple of years of protecting herself following two painful break-ups. But she’s ready. And who better than her best friend Pen to help her set up a profile on a dating app? No one knows her better, no one understands her better. And Pen is always there for her after each bad date. In fact, those after-date moments with Pen become Kieran’s favourite part of the whole dating thing. If Kieran is looking for a relationship, Pen, on the other hand, is more into hookups and fuck buddies. She’s however always ready to ditch any of them when Kieran needs her.

When I read a book set in the world we live in (ie, not sci-fi, or fantasy…), I want to be able to trust that what the author writes about is real. If the author has no personal experience with the topic they choose to write about, I want to be able to believe they did their research or had sensitivity readers or both, depending on the topic. That allows me to relax entirely into the book and let my feelings take over. In this book, it meant learning about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition Pen lives with and which explains a lot about why she acts the way she does. I liked the way Tagan Shepard wrote it in the story, the way it affects Pen and her relationships, especially with Kieran.

The story is told from Kieran’s point of view, and when the reader first meets her, she’s not at her best, which makes it a bit hard to like her at the beginning. As the story unfolds, she gets more and more relatable. Pen, by contrast, is immediately likeable as we see her through Kieran’s eyes. She’s strong, she’s kind, she’s sexy.

There are a few very moving scenes between the two friends but one of the most poignant doesn’t involve Pen, at least not directly: Kieran’s coming-out as pansexual to her then-husband is sad and real and empowering at once. Beyond that scene, I liked the pansexual representation a lot, as well as the diversity of potential partners Kieran meets. Even if most of the dates went wrong, the people’s identity was never the reason why it did.

One of the things I love best with the friends to lovers trope is that authors have to make me believe that friendly touches are really chemistry filtering between the characters unbeknownst to them, or at least to one of them. For the major part of this book, Kieran marvels at Pen’s soft skin, relaxes in her arms after a bad date, can’t get a comforting kiss on her forehead out of her mind. Then when she realises the reason she feels so good with Pen isn’t friendship at all but love, she revisits all these tiny moments which, in hindsight, tell the whole story. Shepard writes these really well. As the reader, we know what is going on even if the character doesn’t, and the line between plausible and eye-roll-worthy is thin. Shepard stays on the right side of the line. The culmination comes in several steps, a first kiss that is at once tender and hungry, a first time and another first time, each hotter than the one before.

The pace is okay for most of the book but there’s a slump in the middle. Keep reading, the characters are worth it. And don’t read the official blurb, it gives away too much.

Also, it’s not a huge flaw but it surprised me: in one scene, Kieran gets all snobby about sloppy penmanship, which feels completely out of character. Not only does she come across as a kind person, but she’s also very aware of hidden disabilities, thanks to being friends with Pen, so how come it doesn’t cross her mind that bad penmanship could be something other than distraction? She should see the way I write…

There are also a few very well-written secondary characters which, even if they don’t play a big part, add a lot to the story. I loved Kieran’s colleague Arthur, Abby the bartender/artist, Ashley, and even Pen’s father, despite his very short appearance.

Tagan Shepard writes sweet stories with deeper meaning cleverly hidden beyond the romance. Swipe Right is another enjoyable and satisfying read.

ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.

This was a unique story about life in the online dating world from the perspective of a divorced young woman, Kieran, who wants to find a relationship after her second partner cheated on her. She gets help creating a dating profile from her best friend, Penelope, aka Pen. The dates that Kieran experiences range from laugh out loud funny, to disturbing, to heartbreaking when she thinks that she will never find her special person. Eventually Kieran realizes that she is in love with Pen who doesn’t do relationships. Due to a chronic illness, EDS, Pen makes it clear to women that she is only interested in a one night stand so she doesn’t burden anyone.

This book presents different people across the spectrum from pansexual to non-binary to lesbian. It also focused on the solid friendship that Kieran and Pen had developed long before they fell for each other. 3.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man, the lovely world of online dating! I personally have had good experiences, but I've also had friends like Kieran with TERRIBLE luck. I loved the horror stories in this book, and really looked forward to each date knowing how bad it would be. I'm a masochist, apparently.

Pen, "don't call me Penelope", was an enigma to me. I struggled at times believing that she could have feelings for Kieran with the way she acted with other women but I reminded myself that some people just aren't into monogamy. I'm with Kieran on this one, and it's hard to change my romantic notion, but some people are wired differently. I feel like the ending of this book really helped me understand Pen better, and appreciated the extra followup.

Speaking of Pen, I would be remiss to not mention how nice it was that we didn't have a "perfect" human health-wise. I had never heard of the disease she had, and found the way that it was described and dealt with wonderfully done. The fact that Pen didn't want it to be a focus point with Kieran, but also had to clearly change her life because of it, showed me the balance that people with chronic illnesses need to deal with every day.

Overall, I really like this book and felt like it was unique enough to remember it in a few months.

This was my first book by Tagan Shepard, I'd heard from her others and went into this one with high expectations. In all honestly, they were not completely met, but it was still a very enjoyable, light read that is easy to recommend. (Don't read the blurb though!)

I had quite a few chuckles being in Kierans head leading up to and during the embarrassing dates she has to endure. The writing style is easy going, flows nicely and you can relate to the emotions and feelings Kieran goes through after trying to find love again. I also loved the inclusivity of this book and how it shows in the different dates in a completely natural way.
My main issue was with Pen, as one of the main characters and Kierans best friend she wasn't all that fleshed out which made me not really connect to her. Towards the end of the book it seemed like Shepard wanted to give more depth to her character but that was a little bit too late in my opinion. I did learn a lot more about EDS though and I like that, it's always good to become more aware of certain things and as far as I can tell the writer did a good job portraying people with this syndrome.

3,5 stars for being getting me to laugh and enjoy this lighthearted road towards love.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

My first book by Tagan Shepard was pretty good! Shepard is an author I've heard about several times but never got around to reading myself. So when I saw her new book become available for ARCs a couple weeks ago, I jumped at it.

And it was fun! This book follows Kieran Hall who is unhappy with her dating life. So when her best friend Penelope suggests she join a dating app then helps her make it, all kinds of shenanigans happen. And Pen is always there to hear about them. And Pen always being so close might lead Kieran to discover things about her friend she wasn't always expecting.

I need to get a thought out of the way first. Pen's looks are described as "short and choppy brown hair" and "big green eyes and a face that looks like it could be a decade younger than 35". And Pen is notably a player and has never had a stable relationship. Is this Shane McCutchen? Just with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? I ask absolutely not out of criticism, I am a certified Shane stan- I just absolutely could not get Kate Moennig out of my head whenever Pen was on page.

This book was really fun. It was rather funny watching all the dating disasters Kieran gets herself into time and time again was amusing (Though as someone who met my partner via online dating- I gotta say it's really not THAT bad).

I feel like this book does Pansexual representation really well. And has a lot of nonbinary characters in it that Kieran shows interest in, even if many are comedic fodder along her dating journey- but it's never their identity being the reason why and I appreciated that. And Kieran did really date many different types of people. I thought it was all done well. Also this book has nice representation for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. I had heard of it before, but showing the realities of living with something like that was pretty powerful.

I do have a criticism in the fact that if you read the blurb of this book you will know exactly what is going to happen. Like it's not even easy to guess. Many romance novels follow a set of tropes- and we love them for that. But this book really does just put it in front of you. It's a fun ride but I felt literally no err of mystery or suspense in this read as to what will happen next.

Also with knowing pretty much exactly what was going to happen, when everything did finally fall into place at the end, it all seemed rather rushed. I feel like Kieran could have one fewer date before her realization- and that would have left more room for other feelings to develop and be thought out.

This was a pretty fun book. I enjoyed it and laughed several times- but I do wish there was a little more to it as well. 3.5/5

I saw this book a bit ago when I was checking out some of Bella Books upcoming releases. I really enjoy friends-to-lovers relationships, especially when one of them is a bit oblivious. I was intrigued and really wanted to read this book. I was lucky enough to be able to request and receive a copy from Netgalley.

Kieran is finally feeling like she can try for another relationship, and she decides to use apps. She enlists helps from her friend Pen to create a profile for her. She gets responses and goes on a date that goes badly, and she meets with Pen to commiserate with after. This keeps going on: bad date, then meet with Pen where Kieran is looking forward to the meetings with Pen more than the actual dates. She has to look at her friendship with Pen differently when one of her dates poses the idea that she might have feelings for her friend.

I really liked Kieran and Pen. The two of them had a great and solid friendship with each other. Kieran was a very nice character who had insecurities that were realistic and well-portrayed. She was written as a character that I genuinely cared about. I wanted her to go on a good first date and I was annoyed with her dates when they turned out to be less than ideal. Pen just sounds amazing. It’s clear that she cares about Kieran and her other friends. She’s honest and true and I really liked her as a character. It was also interesting to see a character with Ehler-Danlos Syndrome. I’ve never heard of that before, but it added an interesting dynamic with Pen.

I really enjoyed the bad dates that Kieran went on. They seemed, at times, almost comically bad but it was entertaining and kept me invested. I also liked wondering how the date was going to screw up. The bad dates made for good side characters as did the friends. I wouldn't mind learning more about Abby, Marlene, and Charlie. (Just to clarify, not necessarily as a threesome. I just want to know more about them in general.)

The biggest problem with this book is that it’s missing development points. Someone points out that Kieran has feelings for Pen and, in like ten minutes, she’s fully comfortable and behind that idea. There was a piece of their dynamic that we were told about in the epilogue that would have been much better if it had been included in the story. I just feel like if there had been more pages and chapters, that this book could have been amazing. It just feels like key development points in Kieran and Pen’s relationship was left out.

My other issue was kind of a minor one, but it seemed like at times Kieran just started thinking about her past with no actual lead up. It wasn’t horrible or anything, it just didn’t feel like there was a purpose and we were just being given backstory to have backstory.

This book is good, but it could have been better. I wish there had been more development, but there was enough given history with Pen and Kieran that I wasn’t feeling as though the relationship was unfounded. If you want a simple book with a happy ending, go for it.

As readers, we all have our handful of authors that the publication of a new book is an EVENT in our lives. Off the top of my head, Kris Bryant, Lee Winter, and Emily Noyes are on my list. Once I hear of a scheduled book release for those authors (and there are others as well), I begin to look forward to that date and make plans to read it as soon as I get my hands on it. You know the type, you can't WAIT to read it, then you're sad when it's over. Well, Tagan Shepard has now made my list. I was blown away by both of her books last year (And Then There Was Her and Queen of Humboldt). She literally has never written the same book twice and I love that.

I never read a blurb by my favorite authors, so other than this being about online dating (duh, Swipe Right) I had no idea about the rest of it. I was so worried about "spoiling" the surprise that this is a friends-to-lovers story. Imagine my surprise JUST NOW when I read the blurb and learned it's not a secret! Kieran's best friend Penelope actually has a genetic condition that has led her to make the decision to never get into a relationship (I love her disclaimer). I had never heard of EDS so it was fascinating to learn about it. Also interesting to me is how dating apps work.

Tagan Shepard's writing style is so lyrical and lovely and lush that it just draws me in immediately. I love first person and it really works here as we get to experience all the disappointment Kieran feels every time one of her dates is a disaster. This could have been a listing of faux humorous situations, and I'm so glad it wasn't. Her dialogue is witty without being like a sitcom script. Within the lovely writing, Shepard parcels out Pen's back story in increments that resulted in this being unputdownable for me.

The cover of this book is quite eye-catching but it doesn't serve the purpose of the story for me. This isn't your standard pithy light-hearted romance, and the cover suggests. And I'm so glad it isn't. This one will be standing near the top for me at the end of 2021 when I look back on my favorites of the year.

I'm so bad at reading blurbs I sometimes end up with books that really aren't for me. So I made myself a promise, pay attention when reading the blurb. That immediately backfired for me with this one, it gives the entire book away. So please refrain from reading the blurb. I repeat: STAY AWAY FROM THE BLURB! The blurb is like a trailer of a comedy movie that already has all the funniest jokes in it, leaves nothing to discover.

Kieran is taking some careful steps back into the dating world. She sets up an online dating profile, or rather her best friend Pen sets it up for her. Kieran is pan so her dates are really varied, I like this, but it does drag a little in the middle of the book. Very early on you see where it is heading, but it just takes forever and ever to get there. And it's not the nice tension and anticipation, it's the boring kind where you think just get on with it. The dates are fun, sometimes funny and cringe-worthy, the message exchanges are flirtatious, but I find that it all falls a bit flat. Pen is such a player, but we don't really get to know her, I feel we don't really get to know any of the characters, not even Kieran and the story is written from her POV in first-person. I do like the dynamic between Pen and Kieran, I don't fully understand it, but you get tidbits of how it all came to be that make it fun.

As with a previous book I read by Shepard I appreciate the writing style more than anything. The characters are fun enough, but it all just drags on a bit too much for to say I really enjoyed this book. It was an ok read, but not amazing, 3.25 stars.

The only other book I read by this author was Across the Dark Horizon and I loved it. I wanted to like this book just as much, but there were some parts that I felt fell short.

Kieran, 37, only had two relationships but both did not end well. She was tired of being single. Her best friend, Penelope, helped create a profile for her on Swingle. Those dates also did not end well, but Penelope was always there afterwards to make Kieran feel better about herself.

Pen never wanted a relationship. She hooked up with women for one time only and made sure they were aware of her rules before the hookup. However, Pen also had friends with benefits including a married couple. Sometime the women met with Pen together and other times met Pen separately. Kieran also thought her friend was super attractive, but they were best friends and seemingly never thought of each other any other way.

I liked the characters at the beginning and felt the friendship was balanced. But as the story continued, Kieran became more needy and less likable. I also didn’t like how the characters connected. It felt kind of forced, and I especially didn’t care for the way their acknowledgment of love came about. It just sort of happened. I think this part could have been developed better.

I did enjoy the diversity of the characters. I also enjoyed learning about the chronic illness that was a part of Pen’s life, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The scenes where Pen explained not only her history with this disease, but also her mother’s, were very heartfelt. Anyone living with a chronic illness will find these scenes very relatable. They were well written and emotional engaging. This was my favorite part of the story.

The author writes well and I look forward to other books by her. I enjoyed the humor interspersed throughout the story and this added to its entertainment value.


I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.