Out of the Blue

by Rachel Lacey

Love when you least expect it…

Alicia Benton is not a people person, but beneath the prickly exterior, she’s hiding a tender heart. When she’s fired from her job for refusing to suck up to a difficult client, Alicia flees to her friend’s beach house so she can deal with the fallout alone. There’s just one problem. The beach house is already occupied…by the woman Alicia’s harbored a secret crush on for years.

Clare Lavoie is sunshine personified. She’s borrowed her friend’s beach house for the weekend to check an item off her bucket list: to see an endangered sea turtle nest. When Alicia barges in on her vacation, Clare’s surprised but not disappointed. She’s glad for the unexpected company, even if it’s the last thing Alicia wants.

What follows is a weekend of disastrous flirting, a magical moment on a moonlit beach, and perhaps even love…out of the blue.

Out of the Blue was previously published as part of the 2022 Love on Location anthology.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Adult, Short Stories

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2023

About the author

Rachel Lacey is an award-winning contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She's been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in the mountains of Vermont with her family and a variety of rescue pets.

Reviews

[John Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice short story about two young women finding love over a weekend at a friend's island beach cottage. With a fun dog and a turtle laying eggs in the sand, what's not to like. 3.5 stars

[Tierney Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming not-really-friends to lovers, grumpy-sunshine short story set in a beachhouse. Sea, sand, dog, turtles, secret crush, failed flirting, and taking a chance are all in this fun mix. Low on angst, high on nice, read it at the beach and enjoy 😀

[Emmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opposites attract in this sapphic novella and I couldn’t get enough. Alicia secretly harbored a crush on Clare for years and now the two were going to spend some time together in a beach house. Alicia and Clare were adorable! I really liked that Clare tried to draw Alicia out of her shell, but also understood and respected her boundaries. Alicia had her insecurities and was antisocial, which made her relatable to me. I'd give her a hug if she were real and I wasn’t so antisocial. Overall, it was sweet, a little spicy, and their love story made my heart happy. I recommend giving this one a read.


😠☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine
🏖️ Introvert/Extrovert 
🐬 Dual POV

[Cindy Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the heels of being fired from her job, Alicia travels to an island off the coast of the Carolinas to spend a week alone in her best friend's beach house. But, as it turns out, she's not alone. Clare, the best friend of Alicia's friend's wife, is there and the two must spend the next few days together.

In this short, forced proximity story, two women with very different personalities end up making it work. Alicia is blunt and off-putting, with little self-esteem that makes her think nobody can put up with her. Clare is bubbly and way too easily convinced to deal with work issues on her vacation.

This was a difficult needle to thread in a short story. I would have needed much more time to get to know these two, especially Alicia.

[Guerunche · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicious short!

I really enjoyed this opposites attract grumpy/sunshine short story! It’s perfect for when you don’t have time for a full novel, but want something akin to dessert. More like this, please and thank you! Definitely a fan of Rachel Lacey’s work.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sneeze of a book that is both sweet and very short. Kept me amused thought.

[jd!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆

this was the perfect read for me rn, short and sweet. plus those summery vibes cause I'm on holiday rn🙏🏽

[Judy - JC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hit rock bottom. That's what happened to Alicia Benton. She’s difficult too. She needs to escape to decompress so her friend lend her house beach.. things get interesting when she arrives and finds out that the house has been lend to another person not a stranger but an acquaintance, Clare.

Clare has a golden retriever personality, and she insists Alicia enjoy the time while she's in the house. One thing leads to another and.. we get a HEA.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It was such a cute short read! Opposites attract, forced proximity, holiday romance, Grumpy x Sunshine and a spicy scene thrown in there for good measure! It’s written in 3rd person with 2x POV’s. 65 pages of goodness! So go give it a read, I love all of Rachel’s books that I’ve read and this was no different.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely adorable HEA quick read.

[ToriLovesHea’s · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Was. Delightful. A little sapphic kink novella that featured two total opposites that have always crushed on each other having to share their mutual friend’s beach house for a weekend and searching for sea turtle nests (respectf of the turtles space, obvi) was perfect. I liked that Alicia is a prickly pear cactus and Clare is an absolute sweetheart who can’t say no to her overbearing coworkers. Because I think they’re a perfect foil for each other! Softness and toughness mixing together into an incredibly sweet (and spicy) relationship that was so cute I had to go fight a wild panther to rebuild my street cred afterward. Loved.

Plus the gesture of love in the end was so cute. 🥹
Sweet sapphic babies

[Lez_be_readin_ya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alicia and Clare's story is beautifully written and I really enjoyed it, it was funny and cute, I loved how Alicia had a massive crush on Clare going in but Clare had no idea.

The two made me happy when they finally got together, although Alicia was a little silly in the middle after their night together, however, they were meant to be, and I loved the ending. Also, Rue (Clare's dog) was so adorable too.

Recommend short story 👌

Star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating. 🔥🔥🔥

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This was super cute and sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Alicia is blunt and not a people person at all and Clare is a ray of sunshine and the two of them are staying at the same beach house for the weekend. I really enjoyed their relationship and chemistry. I loved that Clare liked Alicia exactly how she was. They were adorable together. This is such a light and fluffy read and the ending was great. A fun read.

[mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am counting this short story as a book towards my goal given how tumultuous my reading schedule has been

with that said, i love rachel lacey. this was so cute and has ignited my want to read more soon. i should’ve known she’d do it for me!!!

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun! A bit shorter than I had hoped, but I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. And any story with a puppy is my kind of story! Oh, and turtles!!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

A sweet novella … there is someone for everyone so don't sell yourself short and take a chance when it's offered, especially a chance on love!

[Katie Facey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the cutest short love story ❤️
Although I love that it was a short story, I do wish it were longer :)

[TheCornerReads aka Libby (Libs) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute little romance novella ❤️

[Rey Hawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was so cute and hot i’m blushing

[⁀➷ Heisy ˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia estuvo bien pero no más de ahí, la verdad es que no me creí mucho el como se enamoraron en un solo fin de semana (aunque se conocieran de antes). Olvidé el nombre de las dos pero bueno, la más seria pues… No entiendo como la otra se pudo enamorar.

[HB.]

Sweet & simple

[Siddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a warm, loving short story. Direct, abrupt Alicia has arrived at her friend’s beach house to be alone. Bubbly Clare is already there. They are double booked at the beach house they borrow individually from mutual friends. Alicia has had a crush on Clare for a long time, but this situation pushes them together.
This is a simple story, but well written with lots of heart.

[Iris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a critical reader; a contrarian by nature, and this book has unleashed my wrath.
Okay, it's not that serious, but this novella isn't good, and I'm starting to think the issue is Rachel Lacey herself.

This is the second (or third???) book by this author that I've read, and let me tell you, they just keep getting worse. There is no show, only tell. There is no nuance, genuine emotion, or believable development of plot or character. There are only overt and overlarge declarations of love and a pubescent desire for gratuitous nudity and sex. Where is the chemistry? Where is the steam? Where is the love? I don't believe anybody or anything when they simply say that they love something. SHOW ME you love it. Dance when something exciting happens to you; sing when you're eating your favorite food. Fucking light up when the woman you love is looking at you! You don't get any of these things in a Rachel Lacey book (or just this one, fine. I won't condemn her entire repertoire just yet. But I've little hope for improvement.)

Alicia and Clare are cardboard cutouts of people. They have nothing remotely interesting about them, and because of this they don't have a genuine connection or even interest in each other you can root for. Alicia mentions to the reader that she's had a crush on Clare for a while. Clare later clarifies that she has never been interested in Alicia before, but she's hot, so why not? It was all so shallowly crafted.

Obviously I was displeased with this book, and I don't think anything could have improved it save having someone else entirely write it. But that seems a tall ask. If you're bored and desperate to read something WLW, this is quick and easy. But I warn you, you will be left wholly unsatisfied.

2/5

[Paola Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- CUUUTTEEE! 🥰 🐢
.
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Sooooo I saw that the author @rachelslacey posted this book is currently free on Amazon and I saw sea turtles in her post so I was SOLD! (If you know me in real life, you know my love for turtles and sea turtles) Besides seeing that it was a sapphic love story and SOMEHOW involved sea turtles, I went in blindly. 😬
.
.
This is not my first read by this author and have enjoyed other reads! This cute little short story was so stinking cute. 🥰 Of course as a reader it’s predictable from the beginning, but that doesn’t take away from the story! I found myself smiling a lot and relating to Alicia!
I adore Clare and Alicia and this was just what my queer heart needed today. 🥰✨
The way the sea turtles tied into the story was great! It felt so visual while reading!
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If you enjoy short reads, sapphic love stories, and a some spice; check out “Out of The Blue” 🌊🐢🏳️‍🌈

[Luna Challis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially intended this to be my last book(?) of 2025, but I've been busy and I've had little time to read recently. Instead, it's my first of 2026, and it's a good one to start with. It's a charming little opposites-attract rom-com with another exceptional spicy scene, likely on the same level as Meet Me at Midnight. It's too short and has many of the issues I mentioned in my last review, but I really enjoyed it. I love Lacey's use of their different perspectives, and the two characters here are fun to explore. Their development is natural and I was certainly rooting for them to get together. There's a few contrivances that were unfortunate but I don't think they soured my enjoyment too much. I've got a script to work on so I'll leave this here, but with how many Rachel Lacey books there are on Kindle Unlimited, this certainly won't be the last time I talk about her.

[D.R. Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Lacey's novel "Out of the Blue" recently wowed me. It follows Alicia, a woman recently fired from her job. She escapes to her friend's beach house to cope. When she arrives, she finds Clare, another friend of her friend, also staying there.

I won't spoil anything, but Alicia already knows Clare.

The characters in this book are well-developed, and their interactions are believable. Rachel Lacey does an excellent job of creating relatable dialogue.

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a heartfelt romance with great characters and an engaging plot. "Out of the Blue" is one of my favorite books!

[Andietrue · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️I love a quick novella—and love Rachel’s writing—this one was a cute read. The premise had legs and in another life could’ve shone as a full‑length. Clare’s sunshine energy and Alicia’s grumpier edge make for a fun opposites‑attract pairing, but I felt I wanted more background on Alicia to give the story deeper emotional weight.

Still, it’s a sweet holiday‑fling‑to‑forever vibe with a lovely setting, a meaningful gift moment, spice around a 2, and a satisfying happy ending. Plus bonus points for a cute dog!

A cosy, charming read—I just wished it had more room to breathe.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful grumpy sunshine short story about two women finding love. Alicia and Clare are interesting characters, their romance is charming, and the eroticism is very hot.

I do wish this was a longer story, with greater development of their personalities and histories, including secondary characters. Plot points like their careers and meddling friends could be intriguing but they’re left unanswered.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and fun. Two friends end up a bit closer than expected (is the “one beachhouse” trope a thing?) and end up wondering if there’s anything more, there. They each have their issues though it’s mostly Alicia’s insecurity that gets in the way. They almost end up leaving as friends just as they arrived… almost.

It was a cute story with a cute dog, turtles, and some sweet and funny scenes. There wasn’t a whole lot of time, but it was still apparent how Alicia grew on Clare. Nicely done.