hmmmm this book was a major roller coaster for me between oh for the love of god shut UP (1 star) and awwwww wait she is discovering herself and i’m so proud but also how did we get here (4.5 stars). so that being said, i have landed on a solid three. 3.5 i suppose but rounded down for the shitshow (sorry not sorry) that the first quarter of this book was. GOOD GOD i wanted to claw my eyes out.

then we got some character development, even though it seemed like serena was a walking red flag, a basket case, and set in standing in her stupidly stubborn ways. beth started growing, and i think it was surprisingly enough, the tantra experience, that convinced me of this.

in that delicate middle section of the book where i wavered in my opinion of it, there was a odd imbalance between “wow this book is out of my comfort zone but in a good way” and “oh my lawd the second hand embarrassment is so bad, i want to melt into this airplane seat.”

also girl (narrator), learn punctuation, for someone who yaps endlessly on journalism careers and marketing (shut UP we don’t need that many details) please learn how parentheses work

and then the ending….eh?? it was all too happy, too tied up, and im not saying im a HEA hater BUT the evan and beth instant intimacy ugh. okay lemme break this down. im very happy we got to witness her “transformation,” and i suppose that opens the door to enhanced sexuality. i mean of course it does. but so soon?? and so bluntly after an ENTIRE book of her saying she didn’t want it?? like okay i get it. BUT strong emotional connection is important for her to feel safe, right? SO WHY TELL ME WHY is she so instantly aroused by this man she had a crush on years ago, who hasn’t reached out in two years and whom she has been on TWO DATES with. high key only one?? idk that doesn’t qualify as a strong emotional connection to me and it screwed the whole plot over in my mind.

WAIT BRING THE THERAPIST BACK WE DIDNT GET TO SAY BYE!!!

**quotes i enjoyed**

“push yourself but don’t force yourself”

“i was a frickin’ elephant at the birth of jesus!”

“ive never understood why people say they see fireworks. i just felt like i was as safe as i could possibly be” - THIS. this made the book exceptional. TLDR; wacky plot, weak side characters, strong fmc and THIS QUOTE. that’s all :)

The only real good that came out of reading this book was maybe a better understanding of demisexuality. Overall the story was okay. I just couldn’t get into all the things that were happening between the two friends.

I think “That’s What She Said,” is meant for a different audience than me. I didn’t want to DNF so I did read it all. The pacing felt off and the characters felt like caricatures sometimes with how absurd their actions were. Also, the description of the book was misleading and I assumed this would be a friends to lovers situation but one of the two main characters is straight (and demisexual).

That's What She Said by Eleanor Pilcher is the kind of book that feels like a chaotic brunch with your besties—equal parts heart, humor, and scandalous confessions. Beth’s Sexual Odyssey List is pure gold, from awkward speed-dating to sex therapy, all with Serena, her hilariously no-filter BFF, cheering (and meddling) from the sidelines.

The friendship? A glorious hot mess. The humor? Chef’s kiss. And the representation? A+ for tackling demisexuality with honesty while keeping it fun. It's like emotional growth wrapped in a sitcom episode. This heartfelt, laugh-out-loud debut drops April 15, 2025, and trust me, it’s worth the pre-order. Thank you, @NetGalley, for this gem!

I couldn’t really connect with the characters. They were really dependent on one another and it was a bit annoying. Overall though, it was a decent coming of age story. It felt a bit YA, even though it may be targeted for an older group.

A story about best friends navigating life in their late 20s including career challenges, relationships and sexual orientation. I enjoyed that this novel was told from dual POV so the reader could experience the emotional and internal thought for both Eleanor and Beth. I also thought the author did a beautiful job capturing the cross roads in life we sometimes approach and the raw and honest conversations we sometimes need to have with our loved ones.

I was slightly disappointed with how slow the pace of this novel was and some of the "conflicts" the characters faced felt juvenile and had me rolling my eyes. I don't know if that was the age of the characters but some of the conflicts were blown way out of proportion. However, I felt the dialogue was done extremely well and I enjoyed the happily ever after ending 🥰

Thank you Avon for the ARC!

This was a fun debut about two best friends/roommates as they navigate early adulthood, relationships, and sexuality. It's rare to see demisexual representation as a central focus! Though it was a little heavy-handed (ex. inserting statistics about the percentage of people who are demisexual in dialogue) it was handled thoughtfully.

I felt that the writing style was a bit too much "telling instead of showing" and I sometimes had to check the chapter header again to remind myself which character perspective I was reading. But this was still a cute read and I'd recommend to anyone looking for ace spectrum representation.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was pretty slow, but I did finish it. However, I really didn't like any of the characters. The main two, Beth and Selena, were roommates and frankly had a pretty dysfunctional and codependent friendship. The best thing about the book was the ending, and how things were tidied up in the epilogue.

While I went into That's What She Said expecting more of a rom-com vibe, I left appreciating this coming of age and friendship tale. I loved following Beth's journey navigating her demi-sexuality and her gaining more confidence in her friendship with Serena. Enjoyed the writing and journey that Eleanor Pilcher took us on with the main characters.

I really struggled to connect with these 2 characters. They felt like stroppy teenagers rather than late 20s. Good to see demisexual and queer representation but I dragged myself through reading this and felt too old for this book despite being in my early 30s. Beth and Serena sounded identical in the writing. This felt like a sex (or lack of) chat with no real substance or plot. I think so much more could have been done with this concept but it fell flat.

Worth the read! If for the sake of ‘something different’ alone tbh.

I usually love dual POV novels but thought this one felt a tiny bit repetitive. Nooothing wrong with that, but I guess it was more of a ‘true pov’ than I was expecting like it felt like recounting the facts.

Anywho- I still appreciated the way the way the book brought up navigating the relationship itself. As someone who once dated their roommate lol I smirked at some of the stuff that was brought up and some of the references.

I felt like it was a good cleanse read for in between longer series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

DNF at about 10%. The amount of dialogue and the opening scene wasn’t compelling to me. The characters seem alright, but I wasn’t connecting with any of it.

This book is about two queer friends navigating their sexualities and relationships.

I thought I'd love it, but unfortunately just couldn't really get into it. I definitely appreciate the demisexual rep, and the care with which the author tried to address queerness through multiple lenses, as well as the complexities of female friendships. But the writing style just didn't work for me. I liked that this was written as humourous and lighthearted, instead of being heavy and trauma focused as queer lit often is -- because queer joy should be represented too. But I feel like in that process, the book became a bit too kitschy maybe? The conversations felt a bit overdone and overexplained, and lacking some depth. I think overall it just felt tonally confused and that made it hard for me to really care about the story or the characters, even if I was rooting for them in principle.

This book was hard for me to get into. The dual POV wasn’t something I was expecting and it made it difficult to attach to either character. I wish it was a singular POV from Beth, it would have given more weight to her frustrations with her friend and Beth’s growth through the book. Not a bad read, but not one I’m going to revisit again.

On a positive note, I loved how the demisexual representation was done. It’s rare to see a romance that considers an aspect of asexuality with grace and care.

That’s What She Said
By Eleanor Pilcher
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Category: Self Discovery

They say never become roommates with your best friend, in that it doesn’t always end well.

The storyline is something different from other books. I liked that the book didn’t end up as a friends-to-lovers, as I had gone into this assuming it would. I enjoyed that both relationships were a type of queer relationship. Overall, I didn’t quite vibe with the book. I’m just not into following along on someone’s ‘sexual awakening’. I feel like at points in the story there was too much, and other times not enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the Advanced Copy.

An entertaining and wonderfully British read on close friendship and demisexuality that was just the right amount of cheesy and over-the-top.

I appreciated the excellent representation - I've read a few books featuring broadly asexual characters yet none who were explicitly demisexual, examined in such a personal way and how it affects all relationships in the life of main character Beth. Despite focusing on what can potentially be a serious topic, the narrative remains light-hearted at the same time without painting either Beth's or outgoing sex-positive BFF Serena's lifestyles as better or worse.

Although there are romantic themes and storylines throughout, most of the focus remains on the close opposites-attract friendship - a refreshing take considering the themes of opposing sexualities and related experiences.

I enjoyed the humour so much I ended up finishing this faster than expected. As a British person living in the US I appreciate this didn't appear to be awkwardly edited for American readers, keeping it relatable and often slightly nostalgic throughout. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a light-hearted yet informed read on demisexuality and female friendship.

Cheers to NetGalley for the eARC!

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Yay for queer-platonic relationships! Boo for being too handhold-y and having two PoV characters that read exactly the same.

I will be posting on my Instagram closer to the publication date as well. Instagram.com/noellereadsbooks
4.5 stars ✨
Thank you to NetGalley, Eleanor Pilcher, Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!
That's What She Said is written from the dual POV of best friends Serena and Beth. It all starts out with Beth's "sexual odyssey" into exploring her demisexuality and fear of sexual intimacy. This journey takes Beth on many paths including a tantra retreat (one of my favorite parts of the book). All the while, Serena is facing her own struggles with running to sexual intimacy and away from emotional intimacy. This journey is not without its ups and downs. Their friendship will be tested and new relationships will form. Overall, this book is a great look into demisexuality, and I recommend you check it out.

Thank you to Eleanor Pilcher, NetGalley, and Harper Collin’s for the ARC read of this book, all opinions are my own.

That’s What She Said follows two women as they flourish out of the early twenties lifestyle into a more adult life. Beth and Serena are two best friends who met in college and live together in London. I feel like their relationship is very true to a natural relationship progression and shows the good and the bad of adapting into a more people conscious way of living, I actually see a lot of the same growth and development between them that I saw between my best friend and I as we grew and that very much helped me connect with the book.

I will say this book has probably touched on relationships and their development more honestly and naturally than any other book I have read. You get to see the MCs struggle with conflict resolution, communication breakdowns, and selfish thoughts preventing them from being the best person they could be for their best friend. It felt natural and like a situation you would see in every day life.

The storyline was good. I enjoyed watching how two people who view intimacy differently grew and learned through the book. The authors touches on everything you could think would happen in this type of relationship, also showing the right way and wrong way to go about it.

As someone who identifies on the asexuality spectrum it is nice to feel seen and represented in a book. It felt thoroughly explained and was never used as the butt of a joke or given any negative connotation. This includes when some a fight happens and not nice things are said, but spoilers, darling.

All in all I loved the basics of the book, the four stars come in where it was just not the type of writing style I enjoy. I like a little more action and excitement but this was an absolutely lovely coming of age novel but with very little excitement.

“That’s What She Said,” by Eleanor Pilcher follows the friendship of Serena and Beth. Two friends who are total opposites, but you know what they say, opposites attract. Beth, a demisexual is taken on a wild ride by Serena who is looking for an article to write. Through a bunch of crazy antics, the reader falls in love with both characters. You grow to appreciate the difference in narratives, and I loved seeing the growth and change.

One thing I struggle with, and this is me as a reader, is when books make current day references. I think it forces the book to stay in a very constrictive category. The references made sense, and were funny however. Like we all understand, the Bridgerton references, and if you don’t… stop reading this review and get on Netflix!

I really appreciated Eleanor’s style it was very conversational and I appreciated how each character had their own voice.