I loved that this book is set in Edinburgh, being from Scotland myself! From parks, cafes and restaurants, to the sea and the University where Brodie studies, the settings our main character found herself in were diverse and always kept my interest.

I also appreciate the author giving a description to every character, no matter how small a part they played in this novel. This made the world so much more vivid for me, with so many unique character descriptions.

I loved the funny and stressful situations Brodie found herself in before the realisation fully set in that she had been bitten; with Brodie plodding along trying to make sense of everything, whilst trying to maintain her grades and friendships.

I wish we had gotten more of the main love interest during the first half of the book. I think it could have good if she went to the University alongside Brodie, so there would have been more ways to bring them together and develop feelings. It would have made for some interesting experiences for Brodie in class and in the hallways, trying to navigate her new senses.

I feel like the impact of their soul bond situation could have been a lot better if it was established what it meant for them; the feelings, emotions, protectiveness, jealousy etc that it could have brought on, as I was just left a little confused. I didn't connect to their relationship as much as I wanted to, especially due to the love interest being mostly absent for the first half of the book, insisting on keeping Brodie safe. And Brodie was sleeping with other people.

Unfortunately, her sleeping with so many random people at every turn made me feel disconnected from her character, as I feel like there could have been a stronger motive for her. I think the intention was for it to be her primal desires, but this wasn't mentioned much, and Brodie just did whatever she wanted. I think her character is a very complex one, with a lot of blocked out emotions and trauma. I did like her character, but found it hard to be emotionally connected to her when she wasn't taking time to process situations.

Part of the tone of this book was fun, with elements of the absurd and lots of comedy. But it was also wrapped in grief, and there was a clear hollowness in Brodie's life. Towards the end of the book, things got very dark and serious, with a much larger conflict than just Brodie wrestling with her new werewolf life. I didn't really expect this side of the book, given the fun title and colourful book cover. I still enjoyed the book and thought it was very well written, but the darker turn threw me off for a bit, and makes my review feel a little disjointed, as I'm not sure what to focus on. There is a lot of sensitive topics in this book, and a lot more 'trigger warnings' may be needed.

This book is advertised as a steamy sapphic romance, and it's definitely steamy! It's not as 'sapphic' as I would have liked/expected it to be given the blurb. Brodie is Bi, and a lot of the spice involves men. On top of that, the majority of the spice isn't even with the love interest, who I just wish was more included. We end up not really knowing a lot about her at all, but she was such a cool character!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this!

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review*

“Since I can remember, I’ve loved reading. Who wants real life when you can live in a different world?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

What you’ll find in this book:
- Paranormal Romance
- Sapphic Romance
- Hidden Identities
- Will They Won’t They
- She’s a Hot Mess
- Traumatic Pasts
- Found Family
- Werewolves
- Stereotypical Uni Life
- She Gets Bitten in the Libraries Romance Section

This book is complete chaos (and I mean that in a good way), somehow balancing between being light and not taking itself too seriously, while at the same tackling some serious situations having that heavier air about it. In all honesty it felt like this book was trying to capture the essence of stereotypical university student life and it does do that in an effective manner that works alongside the paranormal aspect and Brodie’s traumatic past. Having said all that I really enjoyed the book, and in all honesty wanting to know who the werewolf is that bit Brodie was a massive driving factor for me, I NEEDED to know.

What starts off as seemingly being a fairly straightforward story, begins to twist and turn more and more as the story progresses providing some reveals that I didn’t see coming but worked so well to provide a different dynamic. We begin our story getting to know Brodie and her backstory, and what brought her to Edinburgh university to study English Literature. You get the sense for how Brodie blames herself for the tragedy in her past, and that she doesn’t fully have a true sense of who she is. As the book goes on with all the crazy situations Brodie finds herself in when thrust into the world of the paranormal after being bitten by what turns out to be a werewolf in the university libraries romance section. We follow Brodie as she tries to navigate who she is an what she wants, all while trying to keep her head above water when it comes to her course and university life. Like I mentioned previously the question throughout most of the story becomes who is the werewolf that bit Brodie, and what is holding Brodie back from embracing her true self?

Brodie is a hot mess, especially at the beginning. I honestly can’t say I would handle the bananas situations she finds herself in much better, but she certainly creates unbridled chaos for herself as she tries to work everything out. The found family dynamic between her closest friends provides the strong relationships that are a thread through the story and again a key part of typical university life. The “will they won’t they” back and forth is wonderfully frustrating, and works alongside the characters and their personalities to provide an entertaining paranormal sapphic romance.

I loved this! Great characters - especially Autumn - and an exciting plot line. For those who like their spice gentle, this will do it for you I think. No macho stuff, which I much prefer! Recommended.