Sew Into You: Luna Sea Plaza Book One

by Amity Malcom

I never expected the person I would fall in love with at the young age of seven would be my best friend, let alone another female. Yet as our friendship flourished over the years, I found myself drawn to only one person and somehow, she found herself equally as drawn to me. We shared many firsts together, until one day I woke up and she was gone without a trace, taking my heart along with her when she went. I left my heart in Luna Harbor when I was forced to moved as a teen nearly ten years ago, and though I was taken away from home through no fault of my own, I’ve spent every day working on getting back to the coastal Florida town and back into the arms of the only woman I’ve ever loved. I don’t even know if she still lives in town, don’t know if she’ll want to see me. But after everything I’ve gone through to get back home, I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try. Sew Into You is a sapphic contemporary romance full of second chances at first love, an adorable cat named Taylor Swift, a pot smoking grandma, and a supporting cast of characters undeterred by societal constructs of what a relationship should look like.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Second Chance, Lesbian, Queer, Lesbian Romance

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2023

About the author

Amity Malcom writes books about people, sex, and people having sex. Her books are full of humor and heat that she only wishes she possessed in real life the way her characters do on page.

When she isn’t procrastinating on her next manuscript by devouring romance books at an unhealthy pace, you can find her exploring Washington DC alongside her wife, planning extravagant vacations she’ll never be able to afford, and trying with haste to pet every animal on the planet.

Only four awards away from winning an EGOT, Amity is proud to be a champion of underrepresented relationships and loves to celebrate queer joy in all its various forms.

Reviews

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance!🐧🐧&#x1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEW INTO YOU by Amity Malcolm is a remarkably upbeat novel, a story that raised my spirits and rendered me happy just from reading it, right on throughout. Generally I don't choose Romance or HEA, but when I learned SEW INTO YOU is a Second Chance Romance, following the "Disappearance" of one of the Protagonists, I determined to give it a try [even though I also don't do second chances], and I had a great time! So here I am, voracious reader of Horror, Sci Fi, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, and Paranormal: stoned in love [pun definitely intended] with a feel-good Sweet Sapphic Romance!!

Romance, me?!!

All Kudos to author Amity Malcolm for SEW INTO YOU's Inclusivity, embracing of the LGBTQ+ continuum, her incredibly exquisite utilization of imagery, the emotional content, the Characterizations, the capacity of many of the characters to embrace their openness and vulnerability, to acknowledge their humanity and simultaneously to rise above that humanity, to learn, to grow, to think, to feel: to include.

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start, but the text messages in chapter two I didn’t quite get ‘cos I wasn’t sure who was who behind the names. It did tie into information given in the previous chapter, but I didn’t retain it, as was information in passing, rather than interactions.
I’m interested but 20% in, not enthralled. I think tension is missing. I know they were each others first love, and neither was able to move on from that, but I don’t know what the barrier will be.
“Rut our bodies together” is a phrase I have never read in a romance novel, and to be honest, not one I hope to read again!
30% in and still no tension. The pre first chapter, so well done, seems to be the only tension. This is the sunshine part of the book…… I’m not sure it is enough. At 33%, it appears, not with the romance, but with background. On paper this is not fully resolved.
35% in to the book and I still don’t like the group text messages. I am not much clearer on who everyone is, but more than that, they are, especially after chapter 12, incongruous. There has been a heartfelt chapter about the past, emotional and heartbreaking, then possibly something intended as light relief, that for me is jarring rather than relieving.
The sex scene just over half way didn’t work for me, as I found it a bit more masculine than my taste, I also I found some of the wording at odds with the sentiment. (Personal choice obviously!) The same with 75% in and beyond.
The lack of tension, or upcoming pitfalls means the flowery declarations of love, although reading as heartfelt fall in to the “a bit too much for me”. category. While I am sure in real life these declarations may be what many dream of, and perhaps I am too far away from the first rush of first love.
If you want a spicy, cannabis positive love story then this is possibly for you. It wasn’t for me.
I’ve rated it 3 as I think the book was wrong for me rather than the book was wrong. For personal taste it would be less than that.

[Silver Jenkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny and lovely story. This book is a second chance romance and I really love them. I love the relationship between Esme and Imogen, but I have the feeling that everything happen too fast. They are acting like nothing bad happen in the past, for the first half of the book they ignore it and they don't even talk about it. And I think that is an important issue that needed to be handle since the beginning.

About the timeline, I was a little confuse sometimes. You are reading a chapter and suddenly is a month and half later.

Grandma Birdie is the best character, by far. The relation between Esme and their parents broke me and it was so sad.

And all the weed message made me feel bad while I was reading it... I didn't like the message and I don't considere it funny.

Besides that I considere that you should read it to form an own opinion

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it should be noted that this is outside of my usual reads. I wanted to *try* a Sapphic book again, so I requested the ARC based on the ADORABLE artwork.

If you like...
Friends to lovers
Second chance romance
No drama/angst
A light read with a tiny bit of spice
... This book is for you.

I think this book is sweet and the writing is nice.

This book just isn't for me, and that's okay.

[Briana Handerhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Amity for the ARC copy of her book that is coming out June 5th.

Let me just start by saying how much I loved this from chapter one. It had fun parts, silly parts, and emotional parts. Early on, we see a representation of children knowing who they are at a young age and learning about their identities.

The difficult subject of coming out is dealt with and greatly impact Esme. She has to learn to come to love herself and her identity despite her family’s hateful nature.

On a lighter note, this book was so fun and the banter was amazing. I loved the group chat between plaza owners and how they interacted with one another. They are a kooky bunch of neighbors turned family.

My biggest qualm is that it was difficult to keep characters straight at times. There are a lot of side characters and businesses all interacting at once. It was easy to get lost in who was with which business.

Finally, and maybe my favorite part of this ARC experience, was the opportunity to interact with other ARC readers and with Amity via chat. It definitely gave me more insight into Amity’s though process, things to look forward to, and other readers interpretation.

[Lez_be_readin_ya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC, it was an honour to read 🤩

What a great book, the relationship between Esme and Imogen was beautiful and I was rooting for them throughout. I enjoyed the storyline and the dynamics between all the characters. They fall in love very young and are pulled apart due to unforeseen circumstances, however, their love is strong.

10 years later Esme returns to Luna Harbour for her job and wants nothing more than to rekindle to love and relationship she had with Imogen, with the past looming over her head will she get the girl? You'll have to read to find out.

I loved Grandparents Birdie, she is hilarious! I really enjoyed the Luna Sea Plaza group chats they were brilliant it was a nice insight into the other characters, I enjoyed the relationships and dynamics of them all. I enjoyed this book and recommend it for sure.

Release date June 5th.

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

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

I got this book for free from Stuff Your Kindle Day and what a find!

All the individual characters really come to life with so much humour and love in this adorable, sexy, and genuinely touching sapphic love story that features tons of found family. The book doesn't shy away from the reality of the situation of being queer in America, and in Florida especially, but just as it gets heavy, it brings it back in with all the love. Immy and Esme have my heart.
My only critiques are that there are a lot of side characters that can be difficult to keep track of, though thankfully even with my being unable to keep track of who was who for the smaller side characters, it didn't really matter all that much, and some of the jokes were written like they were the funniest scenes on the planet when a joke was simply fine/silly, and made the scene feel strangely exaggerated.
That aside however, this is such a sweet, fun read and now I want to read more from this author.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a beautiful, sweet, perfect baby angel of a story. I absolutely adored hanging out with the crew at Luna Sea Harbor.

Imogen and Esme’s love story is nothing short of inspiring. From childhood best friends to lovers. A beautiful WLW second chance romance.

This book is filled with so much to love from Birdie(the most iconic pot smoking grandma to ever exist), a cat named Taylor Swift and a plaza full of quirky besties.

I loved so many things about this book but my favorite is the voice and strength Amity gives both Esme and Imogen. I think Amity crafted absolutely lovely characters in this story and I loved how passionate Esme and Imogen were on creating such a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Beautiful.

Please read this book if you enjoy:
-Sapphic/WLW
-Strong FMCs
-beachy vibes
-iconic pot smoking grandmas
-cats (specifically cats named Taylor swift)
-second chance romance
-best friends to lovers
-small town romance
-frequent use of GIFs in conversation
-dancing queen
-Dual POV

My fave quote: (listen, I spit out my water for this one)

“You can’t just eat me like a dang little Debbie snack cake and expect me to recover so quickly.”


Thank you SO SO SO much to Amity Malcom (@amitymalcomwrites ) for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC.

Pub Date: June 05, 2023

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, a big THANK YOU to Amity Malcom for the ARC of her incredible book, "Sew Into You." I absolutely adored the diverse, inclusive group of characters that make up the small business owners of Luna Sea Plaza.

MCs Imogen and Esme were childhood sweethearts torn apart at 16 & reunited ten years later. While Imogen seems, at times, too good to be true, I love how dedicated she is to Esme and the unconditional love they possess for each other. Also, who doesn't love a pot-smoking grannie, polyamorous sex shop owners, and a curmudgeonly man who is secretly a softy?

If you enjoy a spicy second-chance sapphic romance brimming with diversity and inclusivity, you'll absolutely adore "Sew Into You."

[jazmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was cute! there wasn’t a real conflict which made it a bit boring for my taste, but it was good overall! i absolutely love grandma birdie! the spice scenes were a bit much for my liking, but that’s okay! overall, i loved this and i love gays :,)

[Danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one! At first I was a bit concerned it wasn’t going to be a book I’d enjoy but I can honestly say by the end of the 1st chapter I fell in love with t the book and didn’t want to put it down!!!!

[Pippa Lear · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️
Just a really sweet story 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[Shawna S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Thank you for this ARC copy. This is the book you wanna read when you want a sweet, funny, a bit spicy, small dark turn book.
Who would think that at a young age you meet your best friend. Who you soon find out you feel more for. Then, as an adult, you later reconnect and find this is your soulmate. That is the story of Esme and Imogen. It's kind and sweet how they hold feelings for each other through their young lives. The cast of secondary characters around them own shops in the center called Luna Sea. All have great pun like names for their shops and are funny and could have been bigger in the story for me. Hopefully, more stories will come on them.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Amity for providing me with an arc. I thoroughly enjoyed the background characters in this book. They were funny. The banter throughout the story kept covering some difficult things from being too heavy, but didn’t retract from the serious nature. I found the book to stay overly lighthearted, which I enjoyed. The relationship between Esme and Imogen was very wholesome, very sweet and very consistent.

[Teagan-jayde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable. The full circle aspect of the entire storyline was sweet too.

[Bethany (Bee_TheBibliophile) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book is so adorable, I HAD to request an ARC of it to see what it was all about. Sew Into You is a sweet, pretty low angst second chance love story.

Imogen and Esme meet when they’re really young and become best friends. Then, as they grow up, their friendship turns into sexual discovery and love, even in their teenage years. But they’re torn apart and spend 10 years without any communication. Thanks to Esme’s job, they both end up back in the same town and have a second chance to connect and rekindle their relationship.

Their relationship is cute but I felt like it relied too heavily on their prior knowledge of each other. They’d been apart for 10 years but it felt like neither of them had changed much or had anything new about themselves for the other to learn, which felt really unrealistic. I also was dying over Esme not opening up to Imogen about what pulled her away and what she’d been through. That’s a huge part of her life and it was just ignored for a long time. Imogen and Esme are really vocal about their feelings for each other but at times it bordered on too much - it was all really sweet and understanding and loving but was missing some of the substance I was craving.

All of the Luna Sea Plaza shop owners were a fun addition but I wanted more of an introduction to them before the text messages started - I had a hard time remembering who was who and connecting the dots. Though I loved all of the puns and clever shop names…I mean what could be better than a punny plaza full of punny shops? I’d go there if it was real!

[Destiny]

DNF @ 59%

[Mindy Decker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to push myself through this book. It was very generic and just not really my normal speed. I need more to the plot than just love.

[Paris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just fell flat for me. I see the potential here but I couldn’t engage with the characters or the writing style.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

▪️About this book:
-Lesbian and Bi Rep
-Second Chance Romance
-Found Family
-Dual POV
-Beach Vibes
-Childhood Friends
▪️ Thoughts:
Sew Into You was truly a wonderful and amazing read when I finished this book my heart felt so happy for Imogen and Esme I had happy tears because they are just so great together.🥹💖
This will for sure be an emotional read where you will get a lot of laughter, a found family that cares for one another immensely, and horrible experiences that leads to not feeling worthy of love.
Imolde is such a sweet person to everyone and especially to Esme. She met Esme when she was 7 years old and from that moment Esme brought so much happiness to her life she longed to be close to her any way she could. They were inseparable becoming the best of friends, until one day Esme was gone.
While Esme was gone she had gone through some horrible and very sad things no teenage girl should go through. When Esme finally found her way back to Luna Harbor ten years later she is beyond determined to see Imogen again because she is her everything and the only girl she ever loved.
Their connection and love for one another, you could feel it instantly while reading. They were made to be together and it broke my heart they were separated, but when they reunited it was as if no time passed and they were back to being the best friends and soulmates they were ten years ago.
So many great side characters in this book I loved so many of them. The community and found family they have built to care and protect one another is so heart warming to read about. Esme gets to feel loved by all of them and Imogen makes her see she is more than worthy of love and affection.
Sew Into You has a fantastic HEA that had me tearing up because of how beautiful it was seeing how Imogen and Esme built their life together. This is a new to me author and when I read the blurb I just had to read this book immediately, I highly recommend this read you will not be disappointed!💖💕
▪️Quotes:
💬 I’m determined to make her mine because in all honesty, she never stopped being mine in the first place.
💬 “My sweet Esme, when are you going to learn that you are exactly what I’ve always wanted, exactly what I’ve always deserved. I am worthy of your love in the same very way you are worthy of mine. I love what we have, what we’re building together.”

[Katy Paden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was apprehensive because of the cover on this one, but was specifically recommended this book as I was looking for something sapphic but low angst, funny, and romantic. This hit all the points pretty well! It was very cute and the writing was much better than I anticipated as I felt the cover was very amateur-looking. I also don't think the cover accurately depicts Esme at ALL.

The book was very cute and the writing made it easy to read, but it was almost too little angst. There was really no real conflict at all the whole time. However, the couple was adorable, their friends were fun, and the chemistry was very believable. Also, as a proud cannabis-user, I loved how pot-positive this book was! I rarely ever see it depicted so honestly and in such an accepting way. It is a part of life for many of us, I enjoyed reading a book with no negative biases towards it.

Overall I enjoyed this book and want to read the next in the series about Maeve and her men. I enjoyed the cast of characters, and even though a few of them I had trouble remembering who exactly they were because there was a lot, it really felt like a community. The world building was done well for such a short book.

I honestly am oscillating between 3 and 4 stars on this one, so lets call it 3.5. While I enjoyed it for a quick read, I felt it could have had a little more depth and substance. But if you're wanting just fluff and 97% good vibes, this is the book! I also felt the beginning (the prologue and chapter 2 in particular), as well as the last chapter and epilogue were quite info-dumpy. That gets boring and if it had been any more of that in the beginning, I may not have continued. I understand that the info was important for the story, I just prefer when that is mixed in with the story and not just boring chunks of back story. But again, I overall enjoyed this one.

[K_IndieWoods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sew Into You is an adorable second chance romance starring two best friends that formed an instant connection from the tender age of 7. Esme was the new girl and as her teacher introduced her to the class, Imogen was transfixed, mesmerized by springy yellow curls. When Imogen is asked to share her desk that first day, she happily accepts knowing this girl was sent here to be her best friend. From that day on the girls were inseparable, until the horrible day that Esme's family ups and disappears. It's been ten years since these two were torn apart, but some people are so significant to your world they never leave your heart.

I loved this sweet story full of some of the funniest characters I've ever read. When Esme returns the girls quickly reconnect. The lives they've lived apart were as different as night and day. Imogen's love and loyalty are without fail and now is a time for healing. This story is one of recovery, acceptance, strength and support. Author Amity Malcom tackles important topics such as anxiety, parental abuse, the medicinal merits of marijuana and above all living your authentic truth. My favorite thing about Sew Into You is the fabulous community in which it takes place. There was so much fun built in with a cast of characters who know how to live life to its fullest.

Thank you to Amity Malcom for adding me to her ARC team. She offered a fun community page for her early readers to connect as they ventured into this book. Amity is building the same community in real life that she offers up in her book.

I received a review copy from the author. This is my honest opinion and I am choosing to leave it here voluntarily.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! Have you ever just sat in the afterglow of a warm fuzzy book before? I totally am. This book left me in a better mood than when I started it. I didn’t know I needed to read this book today. Sew Into You, by author Amity Malcom, is a wonderfully sweet sapphic romance. This is my first book by this author, but I have fallen in love with her characters and look forward to more books from the Luna Sea community.

In this book:
-Dual Point of View
-Second Chance Romance
-Best Friends to Lovers
-Found Family
-Sapphic Romance
-Small Town
-Pro 420
-LGBTQIA+
-Diverse and Inclusive Cast of Characters

Imogen and Esme’s love is something I could only hope to have one day. The two began their love story as kids, exploring their sexuality and loving each other until Esme disappeared without a trace one day before finding her way back to Luna Harbor ten years later. Luna Sea Plaza is packed full of unique stores and hilarious characters. Sometimes it was hard keeping them straight, but the banter between them in group chat had me snorting out loud. There was some pretty difficult subject matter surrounding the coming out of Esme that broke my heart, but to see the growth of her character through those ten years she was gone to the current day is inspiring. Having Imogen love her and support her unconditionally had my heart in a vise. Grandma Birdie was a riot, I love her to death and hope to be like her when I grow up!

Thank you to Amity Malcom for gifting me an eARC of Sew Into You. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jessica Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🐈⛳🚬🧵🏳️‍🌈

This book has it all. Friends to lovers, second chance love, found family, lgbtqia+ pride community, cannabis positive (very weird/great to see considering it's illegal in 🇳🇿) queer rep (bisexual FMC, lesbian FMC, Polyamorous side characters, plus many more.) SPICE, and humourous one-liners. But it also shows the importance of acceptance, determination and what true love looks like.

This book is both funny and sad. Funny, because of the community love throughout the book, but also because of the dynamics of each other characters. Imogen, and her quirky 'Miss Frizzle' outfits, Esme and her pot-positive High Tide shop, and love for Imogen, Grandma Birdie and her hippie, pot-smoking self, Taylor Swift - the cat, not the person - and the way the community looks after it. Even Campbell and his grumpy self, you learn to love. (I have a feeling he might feature in another book as a main...) The interactions between everyone is so golden.

But as I said this book is also sad because not everyone has a great coming out story and this book is mostly about the ramifications of that for Esme, and her journey to getting back with Imogen.

Get ready to laugh out loud, cry and get flustered because this book really has it all.

Thank you to Amity for a copy of the ebook. This review in left voluntary. (P.S. This book really did help me laugh after tragedy so really, thank you, Amity).

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a feel good sapphic romance, with a little bit of heartbreak (so completely worth it), then this is the book for you! Imogen and Esme knew each other once upon a time…but when Esme disappears from Esme’s life as a teen, will she ever see her again?

Imogen is co-owner of The Grateful Thread with her grandmother, which is part of the Luna Sea plaza. Each store owner is fairly fun, and accepting of everything the little touristy town has to offer…except for one. When a cannabis shop rolls in (pun fully intended), will it be just what’s needed? Or will Imogen be hurt by the new shop manager?

Cue Esme, the shop manager for High Tide. She hasn’t seen Imogen in a decade, and has no idea how well she’ll take the news of her return. She’s been through it in life, but opening this shop could be her redemption. No one knows why she left town, and she still has to come to full terms with it all.

The story does skip some brief periods of time, but also gives you a bit of time to imagine the small things that happen in the in-between weeks and months. I really liked how all of the side characters (aka shop owners, managers and employees) worked into the story. Each one had their memorable piece, and that isn’t always easy to do with storytelling. This book absolutely made me want to read more by Amity as well. Go grab yourself a copy of Sew Into You now!

[Paris Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just adored this book. It follows Imogen and Esme, who are torn apart as teenagers but find their way back together when they both end up with shops in Luna Sea Plaza.
I cried several times reading this, so it's an automatic 5 stars as this rarely happens for me. I felt so moved both by the story Esme shares of her life away from Immy (check your content warnings friends), and was struck by how horribly familiar it would feel to so many people. I also cried over the sheer amount of love between these two women, and how they are undoubtedly soulmates.
I loved all the characters so much. I think this author is so good at giving her characters growth within the plot, but also`leaving them more to do once it ends. It makes her characters so real and I feel like I can imagine them living out their life together, up to being old women sat out on the porch. I also loved the hints we got of the side characters, making me really excited to see their stories play out.
I got very kitsch vibes for the aesthetic of this book, both with the setting of a beach plaza in Florida, and the 50s style of Immy (incredibly similar to my own style, may I add). It was a gorgeous balance of serious issues and cutesy kitschy love. It was also some of the most romantic- but still hot- spice I've read.
Bring on the rest of Luna Sea Plaza !

[Carrie West · Rating 3 out of 5]

“From what I can attain, I think she plays for your team.”
-Grandma Birdie

“Eh, we both know I can give you more than any man ever could. Reusable totes included.”
-Esme

“You can’t just eat me like a dang Little Debbie Snack Cake and expect me to recover so quickly!”
-Imogen

First off, Taylor Swift? With a title like this, the cat not being named Haley Williams or Paramore seems like a missed opportunity. Just my two cents. 😉

Secondly, with the Frizz? No way!

When Imogen and Esme finally meet again, the squeals that came from me were obnoxious. No regrets! That scene played out in my head in slow motion with a full studio audience squealing and clapping along. There is a chance that a photo of that was taken for my stories because Oh. Em. Gee!!!

So many great things in this book. Including eccentric Grandma Birdie, the punny names of the shops, and the group chat. Also, reusable totes. 🤦🏽‍♀️ That one spoke to my soul!

Overall, cute read. It would be great for a vacation read by the water, or a stormy night curled up in the couch. It was a little too much like a Hallmark movie for me. By that I mean everything worked out. There wasn’t any angst that kept me on the edge of my seat. Both characters had issues, but they were either quickly resolved or put aside to deal with later. It was all too neat. Where was the tension? Where was the apprehension?

[the_bookworm_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

👭🏻Very good sapphic story!! I enjoyed getting to know the lovely mc’s Immy & Esme, and their found family! Very sexy, steamy and spicy scenes, as the mc’s have a ton of history and are madly in love with one another! But will it work after a decade has gone by???

⚠️ Be sure to read the triggers! Everything below is quoted strictly from Goodreads and the Author Note in book!

“Sew Into You is a sapphic contemporary romance full of second chances at first love, an adorable cat named Taylor Swift, a pot smoking grandma, and a supporting cast of characters undeterred by societal constructs of what a relationship should look like”

“While a work of fiction, Sew Into You touches on many realities that face the LGBTQIA+ community on a daily basis. Throughout the story, you will find themes of *religious trauma* as well as * familial abandonment.* Please always consider your mental health when starting any book. The Luna Sea Plaza series takes place in a fictional not-so-distant future where cannabis has been legalized for recreational use. If you disagree with *cannabis use* for medical or recreational use, this is not the series for you.”

P.S. Came back to add, I am still thinking about this book and bumping up to a 4.5⭐️

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars

"Oaken: Brown chicken brown cow!
Hollis: What the actual f**k?
Oaken: ...
Maeve: Do you mean "bow chicka wow wow?"
Oaken: Well, that makes significantly more sense."

A cosy (and mildly spicy) LGBTQ+ romance told from the dual perspectives of its main characters, Imogen and Esme.

Both the main and supporting characters are varied, vibrant and off-the-wall, but also lovable in their own ways. It was great to read a love story set against a backdrop of a real community, where neighbours are friends (and so forth).

This story does explore and highlight some of the darker sides to being part of the LGBTQ+ community, such as familial rejection and conversion "therapy", but it only touches on this to give depth to the character's backstory and veers away from diving too deep into what's an incredibly painful and sensitive issue for many.

Some of the dialogue was a little cheesy, but I loved how this sat within the narrative and with the characters themselves. If you enjoy found family romances, then this is a great one for you!

Thank you to the author and publisher for a complimentary copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessie Kellerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this! I normally read fantasy/romantasy but have been wanting to add in more fiction with romcoms and quick reads to break up the intensity the genre tends to bring. I used to read more books like this when I was younger but strayed away the older I got. Time to bring it back!

I am a sucker for second chance romance AND best friends to lovers! Some of the best tropes honestly. Thrown in the fact that it is sapphic and I. Am. IN!

This book is also Dual POV which always makes me happy because I am nosey and just LOVE to know what is going on in the heads of the other character(s).

I also don't normally love when a book has a lot of pop culture references, but it wasn't as jarring in this story and actually helped me to understand the characters more. It added a lot of cutesy fun-ness throughout and loved that certain mentions (*cough* the cat *cough cough*) are brought up throughout, giving them a bit more meaning.

All in all, a beautiful story that I can totally see myself returning to in the future. I would LOVE some stories with the other tenants of Luna Sea Plaza! In the mean time, I might have to go see what else Amity has in store for readers!