This book is definitely not your typical romance. But while I may have been expecting something different, I still very much enjoyed the story. Edi may not have wanted to take a break as her fiancé asked for but she decides she might as well take advantage of it. What happens during that break is less about romance and more about personal growth. I loved watching Edi bloom as a woman supported by her fantastic group of girlfriends. And while the ending wasn’t quite what I expected, it was definitely satisfying.

3 Stars.

This book took me some time to get into, but around 40% it became a bit more exciting to read, in my opinion.

Edi has been with Rowan, practically, forever, so their engagement is no surprise. They have always been a constant in each other's life. While they start planning for their wedding, Rowan starts thinking (with the help of his father) that maybe there are other experiences (read: girls) out there that he wants to explore. Before committing himself to forever to Edi, as they've already been committed since childhood, basically, he wants to see what else is out there. He comes up with a plan that they both can stay engaged but have 3 months to "take a break" and explore the options that are out there. This sounds like a nightmare to Edi, but in her mind she either says yes or she spends her life with him knowing that he wanted to sleep with other girls.

So Edi says yes, and Rowan goes straight into it. It's easy for him - this is something that he truly wanted. Nevermind the fact that he already cheated on Edi before, so he's had more experience than she did. Edi has no idea how to date, how to meet anyone, so she goes to her best friends for help. She still doesn't know if she actually wants to date other people, but she allows her friends to make her a dating profile and give her some tips.

Edi goes on a series of dates. One of these dates is with a man who says that a woman with a penis would be "next-level deception," so... casual transphobia that is just disregarded. She keeps wearing out her engagement ring, even thought about doing so on dates, and she's just a mess. But then she keeps running into this woman, when she's trying to figure out how to meet people, when she goes on a work excursion, and there is slight flirting (she thinks? she has no idea!), so she calls her.

The way this book was written makes it sound like it is a sapphic romance, that she meets a woman and it changes a lot for her and makes her want to question her engagement. While there's some small sapphic romance details, it's not heavy. I don't think it was as advertised, which is what I was really interested in, so it was a bit of a miss for me.

Edi does take the break to really pay attention to herself and really focus more on her, since she's not having to make the decisions for both her and Rowan anymore. It feels like there's a lot of just moving past moments that could be crucial plot points, if they were developed that way. Another thing that felt kinda messy were the flashbacks. There was just a chapter with a "Before" heading, and I had to piece together exactly what "before" was, especially since it seemed like it could range from months ago to years ago. The use of them did make sense, as we got an insight into the past that was necessary, but execution could've been a bit better.

The characters were pretty one-dimensional, but there was some growth in Edi along the story. The true love, here, is the friendship. Edi's friends are supportive and loving, but don't take any shit. They're all slightly different with who they are and what they want in life, but do tend to blend together at times.

Overall, it was enjoyable, but the description did make it sound very different. We get to see Edi's journey through finding herself and being herself, which is a gem, but it's heavily diluted by Rowan and their relationship, when the blurb (and the cover) make it seem like it's more of a sapphic romance.

I have mixed feelings on this book. Like many other reviewers have mentioned this is not a romcom, it's a breakup novel, which i didn't actually mind it just wasn't what i was expecting. I enjoyed reading the book but there was never a point were I really wanted to read it, i kind of had to force myself to sit down and pick up my kindle.
Things that i did enjoy:
- Edi as a character, i just really like her
- Faith, Edi's friend, i honestly would not have been mad if they had ended up together
- When Edi finally dumps Rowan, he was a complete and utter dick
The bottom line is: if you want to read a romcom this is not the book for you, but it is a good book.
Thankyou to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Really good read! I liked the vibe of this book and it kept me entertained and I finished it quickly. I do think it may have been described wrong, and it's more of a coming of age/sexuality story than an lgbt romance. The ending was a little too realistic for me, and I really wanted a more Rom Com story.
I did love the humor in the the story, and all of Edi's friends were hysterical

TW: transphobia, homophobia
A sometimes sweet but at times very problematic story that touched on many topics but explored none fully, and included white characters exclusively.

There were some funny and cute moments in this book but some...statements... really left a bitter aftertaste. An example for that would be when the protagonist was on a date with a man, she went through one of her dating apps, her phone dropped and her date saw a dick pick of someone on said app. Edi (the protagonist) then goes on to say "I mean, obviously, that's not mine" (why obviously?) to which her date replies "Well, that's a relief. That would be next-level deception".... and Edi literally does not care that he said this at all???? Being transphobic wasn't a dealbreaker but that he went on dates with other women was. Something else I thought was weird was when Edi told her friends, she couldn't pick only one of them to be her maids of honor because that would be "the sort of shit the patriarchy wants". How? Like, that seemed very much like performative feminism, something that goes to repeat itself on and on throughout the book. Something else that bugged me was when Edi told her fiancé she didn't want to sleep with him because she was on her period and said that it was a lie "every woman" told "at one time or another" as if it was normal? If she has to pretend to be on her period for her fiancé to not sleep with her, then there is genuinely something wrong there. Also, I hated how Edi had a queer best friend but was still with her very much homophobic boyfriend/ fiancé, who constantly tells Edi she has to be straight and that being straight is the only "normal" option. He also mentions that you "turn" gay and even though she diasgrees, Edi stays with him the whole time and wants to "just leave it".

Also, I expected something completely different from this book. It seemed like a fluffy, wlw romcom but there was like 10% of the book that was just about Edi and her love interest spending time together. I did not feel much chemistry between them and I also did not feel like Edi really liked her. There was still times I did like the two of them together, especially Edis love interest, though.

This could have been a book about exploring ones sexuality but this topic was talked about too little and too superficially. This could also have been about a break up but there was only one chapter about it, really. Maybe this could have been a romantic story but the love interest was introduced far too late in the story, there was not enough of both Edi and the love interest together and no genuine feelings came across for me- from either of them.

All in all, everything positive about this book is overshadowed by all the problematic things and because I couldn't forget about them, I couldn't enjoy this book.

🫖 BOOK REVIEW 🫖

PUB DATE: MARCH 2022

Synopsis: Edi Parcell thought she had life all planned out, so when her childhood sweetheart proposes a three-month break to date other people, she’s shocked. Unexpectedly back on the dating scene after years with the same guy, this is the first opportunity Edi’s had to think about what she really wants from life – and love.
When she meets Winifred, her world is turned upside down. She never expected to have feelings for someone else, but now she’s met Winifred she can’t stop thinking about her. As the months pass, Edi is shocked to realise she’s not sure she wants her old relationship back at all – not now there’s Winifred…

Review: So my initial thoughts for this book were much more negative than they are upon finishing. There were lots of people to keep track of and a rollercoaster of a timeline. But I think the backstory was important so I understand why it was there. Eventually though it all just blended together seamlessly and I couldn’t put it down. The perfect LGBTQ rom com, featuring an MC still discovering her sexuality, and a lot of empowering feminism. If this was the authors first first-com, excuse me while I got read the entire backlist of psychological thrillers. (New fave author for you @whiskersandwords__ 😏)

My sincerest thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This is an own voices review.

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookstagram #tbr #reading #bookstack #bookpile #rainbowshelves lgbt #queer #queerreads #sapphic #sapphicbooks #igreads #readingcommunity #bisexualpride #bibliophile #ownvoices #lgbtbooks #lgbtbookstagram #queerfiction #discoveredunder10k #fiction #bookworm #bookaddict #readingcommunity #bookish #aussiebookstagrammer

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC! Here's my honest review.

Overall this was a decent read.

The story focuses on Edith (Edi) and her longtime childhood boyfriend/newly appointed fiancé, Rowan. They're officially engaged for a short time before Rowan proposes a break where they see other people for a few months to make sure that they're not rushing into marriage. Upon Edi reluctantly agreeing Rowan jumps into the dating field leaving Edi to begin to rethink everything about their relationship.

As soon as he proposed the break I was so angry on Edi's behalf. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I was yelling at my phone, "WHY WOULD YOU PROPOSE IF YOU WERENT SURE??!!" I absolutely hated Rowan. He's just a bundle of red flags and every time she mentioned something else that he did I wanted Edi to break up with him more and more. Despite this I really enjoyed getting to see Edi grow and become more confident in herself and I absolutely loved the relationship she had with her friends. I wish I had such supportive friends to be completely honest. I also really liked how this book ended, I like seeing people decide to focus on themselves instead of a relationship especially when they haven't had a chance to do so before.(I won't lie, I'm still rooting for Edi and her to officially get together but I completely understand and respect the decision that Edi did make)

This book isn't really a RomCom (more like coming of age), there isn't as much romance as I was expecting and the moments that were romantic seemed a little fast paced. There were a lot of flashbacks as well or fade to black moments where I wished there were more details too but I enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the advanced copy to review.

I think this book’s biggest problem is that the marketing is super off. I would not classify this as a rom-com. What romance there is in the book is lacking. Overall, it was a pretty dull read.

This book was marketed as a Sapphic, post-break-up rom-com. It failed in all regards. This is about Edi and Rowan breaking up and Edi’s friends supporting her. There was little romance with Edi and Fred and even then, it was sparse and lacked chemistry. The plot was slow to the point that this book was borderline dull. Overall, this book was underwhelming, disappointing and the marketing was a lie. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A case of bad advertising?
The cover, the blurb, and the title all scream sapphic romcom. But this is actually more of a literary novel about coming into terms with your sexuality, celebrating friendships, and of course, a break up. The writing was easy to read and is very British. I even had people with voices with the British accent in my head. Structurally, the plot is sound but the characterization felt a little off.

I might have enjoyed it more if it had been marketed to me properly.

3.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed reading this--it would have been 4 stars if i didn't think, based on the marketing, that it was going to be a rom-com. It felt more like a queer 20something coming of age, which i LOVE, with a really strong cohort of feminist friends which i always want, but it didn't feel like a romance novel. Also i appreciate the consistent reminders that heterosexual men bring women down.

Going into this book, I was definitely expecting something along the lines of a woman who thinks she's straight and is engaged to a long-term boyfriend meeting another woman who sweeps her off her feet and causes her to reassess everything. While that isn't an entirely incorrect description of this book, I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the focus was actually on Edi and her friends. This book was a love story and I firmly stand by that, but it was a love story about female friendships (and what better kind is there?). I won't deny that a part of me was hoping Edi would fall madly in love with Fred and leave Rowan for her, but I'm not mad about her breaking up with both Rowan and Fred and deciding to focus on herself first.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the advanced copy to review.

I couldn't stop reading it! I really like where the story was going for Edi but wanted more of Edi and Fred in the book.

I don’t agree with classifying this book as a romcom.
Is there a book category for coming of age when the characters are actually all already ‘of age’? Finding yourself, power of friendship etc etc. If this book had been sold to me as a general contemporary fiction story, I would have gone in with different expectations and enjoyed it far more. Don’t get me wrong, there is a dating plot line in here, it just doesn’t seem to be the main focus of where the story goes.

I am here for Edi, and her journey. I am *more than* here for her group of friends. They all bring their own perspectives - with group chats, gossip, nights out and in - they are awesome and I loved them. Every one should be so lucky as to have a ride or die group like that.

Now Rowan. Rowan was a collection of red flags that I spent more time wishing I could set on fire with the power of my mind than anything else.

Because of my reaction to him (and his family, honestly) it was a bit hard for me to get into the book at the start. But I kept on reading, and before the half way point I started to really enjoy it and I *am* glad I continued to read on. It’s a very interesting story.
(but I still wouldn’t call it a romcom)

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ digital for the advance copy to review

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader's copy of this from NetGalley and HQ Digital and passed the couple of issues I had with it, this book made me laugh out loud. The synopsis had me initially thinking that Edi and Rowan would break up just a few pages or chapters in. That we would meet Edi's new love interest and that we would watch her grow into her sexuality. AKA the perfect sapphic story. 80% in they were still together, shutting each other out emotionally until they finally did break up, and I was frustrated. As a reader, you spend more time with Edi and her friends instead of Edi with Fred. Luckily, Edi and her friend group were funny and quick-witted, making the book thoroughly more enjoyable. 

While this book could’ve been such a fun sapphic rom-com, it ended up being kind of disappointing. Not that I was rooting for someone who flirted with Edi even after seeing her engagement ring. Furthermore, Rowan and his friends (except Monty sometimes) were assholes. Especially Rowan, who was a homophobic and transphobic asshole, so having him there throughout the entire book was unpleasant and annoying. He ruined the book for me. 

Overall, I thought this book was well-written but poorly executed and marketed. It could've been so much more, and the author could've pushed Fred and Edi's story instead of anything related to Rowan. I still have a lot of hope for Charlotte Barnes' other releases, so I'm not giving up just yet.

I found this book was slow to start but after a few chapters the story gets going with a rather interesting twist. The way the author has written the story from Edi's perspective makes you feel empathy in her situation. As someone who married her high school sweetheart, the questioned faced in this story are ones I have previously worried about, whether I would be enough for my husband, however unlike this couple, me and my husband have never thought about a hall pass. This story is easily relatable and a good read.i think my only downside would be the amount of friends Edi has. I understand the role of faith and lily and Betty to a certain extent however I couldn't warm to molly and cora.

This is not a sapphic romance, it's a story of a really bad break up between a man a woman who have been together since children. It also has an open relationship kind of strange which I personally didn't enjoy.
The wlw "romantic" plot doesn't start until the middle of the book and it's kind of not enough for me.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc, here is my honesty review.

I don’t like this book. I was expecting more of a sapphic romance but was let down. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and everything about this felt like filler. Nothing really happened and I was bored throughout most of the story.

The romance is poorly devolved and I don’t understand why they fall for each other.

Also, this book is very British and usually I love books with British people, but I couldn’t stand it here. This story is also very white.

The plus side of this story is Edi realizing she should prioritize herself and her friendships.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HQ for the eARC!

While the premise is pretty standard—engaged childhood sweethearts take a break to explore their options, thus realizing there's more to life and love than each other—what sold me was the chemistry between Edi and Rowan in the first couple chapters. It was so good that I found myself thinking, "Why in the world would I want them apart?" I actually had to check the summary to make sure this wasn't a second chance romance! Talk about a strong start...

But inevitably, we start to see the cracks in their relationship—and boy, does the author drag it out deliciously. We begin to see just how incapable Rowan is of owning up to his actions. We slowly how emotionally stunted and self-conscious Edi is. We realize pretty quickly just how ill-suited a match they truly are, and that's when the fun really begins.

This book is about love (Rowan and Edi) and romance (Edi and Fred), sure, but what it really comes down to, in my opinion, is friendship—the relations we have with others AND with ourselves. You know the saying, "treat yourself the way you would treat a friend"? That's exactly what Edi learns by the end of the book. With support and guidance from her friends and Fred, she's able to move past her anxieties and acknowledge so many things: her sexuality, her self-worth, her right to stay no; by the end, she learns to treat herself with kindness and respect, and that is such a beautiful thing.

And speaking of friends.... I fucking loved them! Like, where is MY Faith? I desperately need her to talk me through LGBTQIA+ dating apps lol. She, Betty, Cora, Lily, and Molly were all great in their own ways, and altogether the perfect support system for Edi. Color me jealous! Oh, and I can't forget Ian and Monty! Boys, just because your friend is a dick doesn't mean you have to roll with it. The way they refused to hide Rowan's bullshit was great and Monty was such a sweetheart for repeatedly checking in with Edi. This whole cast of friends made this book funnier, crasser (LOL), and ultimately way more lovable.

And speaking of loving it, I really only have a few critiques.
1) Despite their chemistry, the beginning and subsequent setup of the "break" took a bit long. We don't even meet Fred until what, 37% in?
2) Fred is basically a manic pixie dream girl character. Her role as Edi's lesbian love interest only really serves to heal Edi by reframing understanding of both relationships and her sexuality (i.e., the fact that you don't need to label it). We don't ever truly get to know Fred beyond her art and interior design preferences, and her feelings for Edi beyond attraction are nonexistent. To an extent, I'm sure it's because she's very liberal—I mean, she shares that her last hookup was married—but it felt a bit unrealistic for Fred to be SO happy go lucky about their relationship. Who knows, maybe I'm just too much of a monogamist to understand...?

Overall, this was a really fast and fun read, less of a romance and more of a new adult coming-of-age "finding your identity" story that had me laughing, scoffing, tearing up, the works. Solid 4 out of 5 stars, ★★★★☆

This book was less of a romcom and more of a story about friendship and self discovery. It was painful to read through so many pages of Rowan’s behavior, and unfortunately Edith’s friend group had so many characters that didn’t get enough time to fully develop that they all became interchangeable in my mind. I kept asking, “which friend is this?” until I gave up on trying to keep track of them. Winifred was a little too perfect to be a compelling love interest, and so many of her moments were glossed over that I felt like I missed the important development of their relationship.
Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.