Rue: Standalone women’s fiction, first-time love in the big city

by Amy Q. Barker

For fans of standalone women’s fiction, love triangles, and the irresistible allure of first-time love, follow Rue’s captivating journey to happily ever after.

Rue Cavendish is blind, beautiful, and smart. Living independently in San Francisco, she’s learned to master her lonely existence amid the bustling city life.

When she meets a handsome stranger in the bar where she works as a lounge singer, she decides to take a chance at love. How will she navigate this new chapter in her life and what will be the consequences of her bravery?

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance

Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

About the author

Amy Q. Barker is a best-selling author of women’s fiction and romance. Her love stories are filled with heart, humor, and second chances. Amy was raised in a small town in Western New York State and now lives on a lake in Indiana with her husband. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys reading, kayaking, and hiking.

To connect with her:

www.amyqbarker.com
Instagram: @amyqbarker_author
Facebook: amy.barker.9003

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via the author.

Rue is a beautifully written story about a woman (Rue) who has been blind since birth. Rue has an interesting back story and is an interesting character to read about. Rue is set in her ways due to unconfidence, poor life experiences and her disability but is happy in her life as it is until a chance encounter let's her meet a handsome younger man called Josh Quinn.
Josh pursues Rue and Rue slowly let's her guard down with him and goes with the flow of where their encounter takes them.
I'm unsure still of how I feel about Josh Quinn's character.
The other part of this story is based on Kevin and Alyssa.
Kevin and Alyssa are married and Alyssa has become breaking away from their relationship to pursue another man. Kevin feels the distance between them and is confused and hurting. Kevin, Alyssa, Rue and Josh all become intersected within each others lives and I was happy with the ending of this story in relation to the main character Rue.

[Judith Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an insightful story about a lounge singer in San Francisco. Captivating!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique, intriguing story which captured my attention at the cover, and wouldn't let go long after the final page. Rue was a captivating character, which really moved me as a reader, it was easy to get lost in her mind, and watch her grow throughout the story.
I can't say the same for the other characters, though. I really didn't like any of them. But because Rue was such a beautifully developed character, I read the book to its entirety.
Definitely a change of pace from my usual books, a pleasant change, nonetheless. Highly recommended for those seeking something a bit different, with a whole lot of personality.

[Sacha Fortuné · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacha's Book Reviews Blog

For this book, the author reached out to request a review via my website. I liked the sound of it, so I was happy to read and review.

The Premise
Rue is working as a singer at a bar when she is swept off her feet by an admirer who leaves her a huge tip. Her blindness has been a hindrance to her love life, and she has been afraid to let herself get hurt or to be vulnerable around others, especially men. But Josh’s persistence quickly wears her down, and their romance soon blossoms into what Rue never imagined would be in her life: love. Josh’s days of being a “player” seem to be over when he meets Rue, but his coworker Alyssa won’t accept that Josh has found someone special. Alyssa is a force to be reckoned with — a force that ran right over her quiet, nerdy husband Kevin, who now recognises their marriage may be beyond repair. At the intersection of these four lives, can any of these relationships survive?

The Pros
I read this in a few sittings over a couple of days, and it was easy to get lost in the characters. Primarily we see the events through Rue’s eyes, with some aspects of Josh, Kevin and even Alyssa slipping in at times. It was refreshing to read about a character like Rue, who is very resilient and independent despite her blindness. Her emotions are captured so well, with moments of trauma, heartbreak, and triumph. I liked that there was a range of experiences we see: her fear at being in new spaces, her sense of being overwhelmed by touch, her frustration at her family, her anger at Alyssa’s “mean-girl” intimidation, and so much more — and yet, she was also able to joke about her blindness in a light way to others. Her support network was amazing — apart from her friend Vy, there were also acquaintances who went out of their way to explain things visually for her, and that was such a nice touch.

The Cons
I really liked this novel a lot, but in terms of the pacing, there were moments with long introspective sections focusing on one character, and then other parts where a large chunk of time was so condensed that we only learn of what happened months later. For instance, I wished we’d gotten to see Rue and Josh’s attempt at reconciliation (and Alyssa’s interference) in the “here and now” present, rather than only experience it after the fact; and when Rue finally does find real love, I wish we’d gotten to see a bit more of that develop nearer to the middle rather than at the end. I wanted to keep on reading, but sadly it was over!

Conclusion
This was a lovely, complicated but beautiful women’s fiction/romance novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed having a character that we could admire, and understand a point of view from someone who would usually be marginalised in society due to her blindness. At no point did the author forget that our protagonist is blind, and the tiny nuances and casual mentions brought life to Rue’s story. If you may have ever wondered about a blind person falling for a sighted person, this is a great novel that you should read. I would recommend to other readers, especially adult female readers who need a good book to curl up to!

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This review also appears on my blog. Visit to read more of my reviews: Sacha's Book Reviews Blog

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[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful Story

This was a beautiful story. It had lots of details and was hard to put down. Amy is a wonderful writer.

[Kathy Chellgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great first book by Amy Q Barker! I’m excited to read what she publishes next!

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It was the author's first novel. I really enjoyed reading about Rue and discovering all the modern technology that can help a visually impaired person navigate through the world today! It probably wouldn't be a book I would pick on a normal day, since it included a lot of sexual encounters. I'm normally all about crime! LOL But it was very interesting. It had a nice ending.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story!

[Reading Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review. Rue is a blind lounge singer who lives in San Francisco. There are many fascinating details about how she navigates her life as a blind person. I thought that this part of the book was interesting. One night when Rue is singing, a man named Josh Quinn walks in, and seems to have an instant attraction to Rue. Rue, whose life is rather structured, is not quite sure what to make of Josh at first. However, she eventually decides to let her walls down and gets close to Josh. There is also another story that is running parallel to this one, which focuses on two characters named Kevin and Alyssa. Kevin and Alyssa are a married couple, who were once madly in love, but now, Alyssa is distant and Kevin isn't quite sure why. Eventually Rue and Josh's lives will intersect with Kevin and Alyssa's lives. My thoughts: my favorite parts of this book were the parts where Barker described Rue's life. I thought Barker did a great job of portraying what Rue's life was like in a way that made her seem genuine. As the main character, naturally, she was the most developed. I also thought that Kevin was a pretty decent guy, and he was the only other character in the book that I liked. I did not care for Josh, and I really didn't care for Alyssa. I think part of this is that I don't think cheating is okay in any circumstance, and I certainly did not like the way that Alyssa treated her husband. There is a great deal of tension that builds up between Josh and Rue, and I didn't like how their situation played out. This made me feel unsatisfied with the plot's central conflict and the ending. I have read a lot of romance books over the last year, and there are certain tropes that I tend to stay away from; cheating is one of them so, admittedly, I may not have been the most ideal reader for this book.

[Carol D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written love story about a blind woman who has become set in her ways of going through life alone. Even dreaming of meeting someone who won’t take advantage of her vulnerable situation is too good to be true. The descriptors are so well done that the ‘wormy smell’ of rain reminded me of my childhood in Seattle. Learning how a blind person sees the world was a intriguing and fascinating.

Early on I became invested in the main character Rue, as she lets go of her sedate, structured world in favor of the unknown around the corner. A truly delightful story.

[Tanya R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to #AmyQBarker for providing me with this #gifted copy of Rue.

I loved that the main character was blind and that the reader gets to see into normal every day tasks that she does with little to no issues. For me, any of these items would be almost impossible for me to do if I couldn’t see. Even though this wasn’t the main part of the story, it was actually very humbling for me.

As the story begins and the love interest is introduced, I wasn’t sure how to feel. On one hand, he seems like a great guy – a great catch. On the other hand, he also seems like a player. I can’t stand guys like this!

I was really eager to keep reading to determine which way it was going to go. And I’m so glad I did. It was an interesting read and I was very surprised by the ending.

For readers that like Romance’s that don’t have a clear path to the end of the story, you should pick this one up. It’s very entertaining.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skimmed this. When you realize how it is going to end within the first few chapters and the language in the sex scenes makes you laugh, you skim the rest of the book to see if you were right. Glad it was cheap!

[Kristy McWethy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be a sweet little Hallmark love story but a third of the way in it’s blatantly obvious that is not the case. I have a hard time not finishing a book, but I had to put this one down. The more I read, the less I like it. Glad it was free.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different. Didn't like Josh from the beggining. Figured the other two would eventually get together but then that's too glossed over and the other parts go on and on for too long. Writing is also different.

[Carolina Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how it developed the different characters and I got to know them all individually. Rue is lovely and the whole story is real and raw. Really enjoyed it and would recommend

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.