Don't Go There

by Kate Genet

Teresa probably wouldn't admit she's in hiding from her own life; she simply feels that being back in her tiny home town will keep her out of trouble. Spending her days painting, she's turned her back on more than her past, she's let go of all her hopes and dreams for the future and while this new life is a struggle, she's determined not to let anyone tempt her into changing course. But Scarcity wants to know her - Teresa's the only other lesbian in this tiny dot on the map after all, and Scarcity's position in life feels increasingly precarious. She's coming of age and coming out into a world that seems more hostile than welcoming. Things at home aren't all they could be and the more experienced Teresa might be able to offer her a helping hand, and a safe place in which Scarcity can truly be herself. Teresa's frightened of her though. The girl stirs up too many feelings in her, and she doesn't want to be reminded of needs that are going unfulfilled. It would be much easier if Scarcity would just leave her alone - on her own, Teresa can't repeat her worst mistakes. Unfortunately, what she's doing can barely be called living, and when Scarcity insists on being part of her life, Teresa may have to re-evaluate everything she thinks she knows about herself and the choices she's made. Who knew desire could be so complicated?

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2013

Reviews

[Harrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 2 stars are only because Fliss was an awesome character. This could've been really good book if not for the age thing. Even though there wasn't a huge age difference, I just couldn't get over the fact that Fliss was 17.

[Joc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult story for me to rate because of the content. I would happily have given it four stars for the writing and parts of the story but I really struggled with Scarcity/Fliss being a 17-year-old. Theresa is not much older at 25 but she has a house, a car and a career. For me, for the story to work as a romance the characters need to have a semblance of equality in the relationship and in order for that to happen they need to have some control over themselves and their future.

Fliss is still in school when the story starts but there is a good chance she is not going to pass. She lives with her abusive, homophobic older brother where she has no power and no money besides what he gives her (her parents being dead). She only has one friend who is no longer allowed to see her since she came out. She has no part time job or full time job, no desire to study and no interests except for playing her guitar and composing songs. The problem is she lives in a small town with no outlet for her music (and what seems like no desire to get herself out there either).

Any relationship she develops with Theresa would make her entirely reliant on her for food, income, shelter (because her brother would kick her out) and transport. Not romantic at all.

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was neat to read a lesbian fiction both by an author from somewhere and set in a place I hadn't read before (at least not lesbian fiction). Though, granted, I did not immediately catch on to where exactly I was on earth. And it was only in the author afterword that I realized I was in New Zealand. Though I had fairly quickly realized I was in that area of the world. I just thought I was in Australia. Before I realized one of the main characters moved from Sydney back to her home town, I was wondering why the other main character was talking so funny.

Right, so. I hadn't read this author before, though I had two other of her works on my maybe pile. Neither of those two being straight forward contemporary lesbian fiction, like this book here.

This book here stars broken 25 year old painter and an abused 17 year old school student. The painter is quite depressing and drinks a lot. The 17 year old, despite her circumstances, is a lot more upbeat than you would expect. Being mostly friendless, constantly bullied by other members of her school, and constantly abused by her brother (mental and physical, but not sexually).

Oddly, considering our massive age differences and places in life, I rather liked the 17 year old Fliss. And, strangely, Teresa's personality . . . well, no not necessarily personality. Just something about her that reminded me greatly of someone I know. Which, in itself is strange and rarely if ever happens.

This had something in it that is the reason why I've yet to actually read one of the other books I've got on my maybe pile. That other book starts off with a woman and man in a sexual episode. This one doesn't have that, but it does have multiple sexual scenes that I frankly wanted no part of. As in, both in that other book, and in this one, those scenes were not between the main characters. They were sex making and not love making, and I just do not/did not want to read that. So, that's one negative with the book. To a certain extent, that's the main one.

ETA: I don't normally comment on covers, but I will this time. I like the cover on the edition I read. All other editions, though, have a different cover. Which looks, to me, like it might be a cover on a vampire book, maybe lesbian vampire, but still vampire. There are no vampires in this book. One woman is leaning over another like she is about to bite into her. And the cover appears to be written in blood.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read other reviews - they are so right... who knew set in New Zealand, almost all about sex, not making love, the age of the schoolgirl (17) was slightly unnerving but assured to be OK in New Zealand etc etc. But for all that, I enjoyed it. Damn close to a ?!Really!? though.

[Angie Engles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful read with lots of sincerity and raw emotion, Don't Go There (more than aptly titled) handles the love story and other potentially sensitive issues with a very impressive delicacy. Looking back at what I Kindle highlighted, I see that the most stark and striking passages all relate to the novel's central theme of knowing what is love and what is not and how (sometimes, no matter how hard you struggle) some feelings just cannot be fought. This kind of stuff may happen far more often in fiction than real life, but it's no less wonderful for it...I hope Kate Genet continues to write more romances as her first foray into the genre is top-notch! :)

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told in third person and from dual point-of-view. It is equally Scarcity’s story as it is Teresa’s, on the sense that a lot of the story is about their separate lives while Teresa keeps the much younger Scarcity, AKA Fliss, at arm’s length.

Being a kiwi gal myself (residing in New Zealand) I was really looking forward to reading a book set in my home country, however it took until around the 87% mark before I even discovered where the story was set. I’ll suffice to say there’s really not a lot about N.Z. in the plot. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; just don’t expect to read much about the country.

Bruno, the German Shepard, makes a great secondary character, he plays a huge part, and dog lovers will be in heaven.

I think this is the first book I’ve read where one of the main characters, Teresa, has explicit on-page sex with three different people. Again this isn’t a bad thing, she was a free agent, but something new to me.

I understood her reluctance to let Fliss in, given her youthful age, seventeen, but again having grown up in N.Z. it didn’t push any buttons for me. The age of consent is sixteen, and due to Fliss’ home life the girl had to grow up extremely fast. In fact, at times I found her actions and words more mature than twenty-five-year-old Teresa.

Speaking of Fliss’ home life, her brother Adam, a cop at that, is a character I hated with a passion. I wanted to rip his balls off and feed them to him. Be warned readers, this book contains violence.

Teresa is also dealing with a nasty break-up, so there’s a sense of mystery, wondering what went wrong between her and Jane. The reveal of such turned me off her character. Lucky for Teresa, Fliss didn’t have the same reaction as I did and happily explained Teresa’s actions away. Kudos to Teresa for taking ownership of her actions.

As mentioned above there’s explicit content in this story. People who are fans of strap-on sex will be in for a treat. Is that a spoiler? I don’t think so.

Summary, I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by this no longer new-to-me author.

Copy provided in exchange for an honest review

[Lizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

It might have been okay but I couldn't get over the fact that it was a romantic love story between a 17 year old and a 25 year old. I know the age of consent where it was written is 16 but the younger girl played such a teen mindset and sounded so young that it felt gross to me. If this had been between two adults and not what clearly read like an adult and a child it could have been good but that dynamic took this story way out of the "romance" realm.

[Gaelle Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this novel in my kindle for a long time now. It's really too bad I didn't read it sooner because I have really enjoyed it a lot. The characters, the hidden pain for both of them, and the need to love and be loved. I could understand Teresa's reluctance but I'm really glad she came around. I'm glad for Fliss and for her. I would love to read more about them in the future. I will, for sure, read more of Kate Genet.

[Arn · Rating 2 out of 5]

First part's too long, same things get repeated a million times, the middle is nonexistent with a couple of sentences recalling their time together and suddenly they're in love.

Furthermore none of the issues were explored or finalized properly. What happened to her brother? What went wrong in her previous relationship? What did she paint previously and how successful she was at it and did she ever get back to it. No satisfying epilogue either. They get together and that's it.

[Geo (rain) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars.It was well-written and interesting. There was a bit of an age difference between the protagonists which I'm fine with, but I think the main one, Scarcity, was a bit young, although that's only in number because as it usually happens, your experiences may make you mature faster, and that's what happens to her.

Overall I think their relationship was well done, it felt honest and also not rushed. And I enjoyed seeing it develop. It was very entertaining.

[killyourname · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't wrap my head around the trend where, in couples with an age difference where one partner is a teenager, the older one is always a messed-up woman who can't get her life together until the very end of the story. How can I be sure they won’t end up as a dysfunctional couple and that the older woman won’t screw things up? Once more. Why can't someone like Mellie be one of the main characters?

[Wayne Spiceland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Kelli Jae Baeli has written such a fine review of Don’t Go There that I’m going to forgo my usual detailed (too wordy?) analysis and suggest your read what Jae’s written. Instead, I’ll just address a few points I feel are important.

First, let’s get the whole “I don’t care for romance novels” disclaimer out of the way. I usually enjoy romance as a side element in other genres such as speculative fiction, urban fantasy, mystery or thrillers, but not as the central focus; writers like Gerri Hill, Kim Baldwin and Andi Marquette come to mind. Radclyffe, too, I s’pose. Baxter Clare. From Genet’s standpoint, I understand the decision to turn to writing romance. A writer wants her work to be read, after all. Well, bought and read, which is as it should be. And, obviously, there’s a much greater market for romance with lesbian characters – pleeease don’t say “lesfic”, cos I tend to shoot first and ask questions later – than some other genres, niches withing a niche, so to speak.

The selfish part of me was sorry to see Kate turn to other forms of fiction than the ones I’ve so much enjoyed. Then, it hit me: it isn’t the genre that makes her writing so special, it’s the great characters and her narrative style that I love. As I once wrote about another writer, Andi Marquette, I think, Kate Genet could write in any damn genre she pleased and it would be just as good. So, ignoring that “don’t like romance novels” thing, I read Don’t Go There and I’m very, very glad I did.

The two principals are as good as any characters Genet has ever written about. Scarcity is immediately engaging, but, despite comments by others that Teresa is not very likable early on in the story, I sensed an underlying complexity and vulnerability about her that also quickly captured my interest (and heart). One of my main objections to romance qua romance is the static nature of the characters; the romance itself, rather than the characters, is the story’s sole raison d’etre. Here, the emphasis is on the characters and each exhibits considerable growth, changes which wouldn’t have been possible had they not come into each other’s lives.

The other true pleasure in reading any book by Kate Genet is her extremely readable, fluid narrative style. Elsewhere, I’ve referred to that style as spare. If that sounds like criticism, it’s anything but. What I mean by spare is that there’s nothing extraneous in her writing. Every word is there because it needs to be there. That doesn’t mean the writing is arid. though; there’s plenty of vivid description of setting, of character, of action and emotion. There’s just no fluff, no filler. Kate knows how to tell a story and finds just the right words to do it effectively.

Some readers have reacted negatively to Scarcity’s relative youth, one even calling the romance “gross.” I didn’t see it that way, at all. Sure, Scarcity’s only seventeen, but the events of her life, her parents’ deaths and the verbal and physical abuse at the hands of her brother, have forced upon her a maturity beyond her years. She seems very self-aware, aware of who she is and of what she wants from life. Also, her ability to sense Teresa’s inner pain and recognize that she has the potential to help Teresa heal suggests emotional development beyond that of the older woman. Yeah, Scarcity acts like a kid, at times, but, then, in real life, so do people two or three times as old.

Certainly, this is a coming-of-age story for Scarcity. In a sense, though, it’s about self-discovery for Teresa, too. Or, rather, about her allowing to blossoming of the part of herself she’s been denying. By embracing who she is rather than denying it, Scarcity seems more of a well-adjusted adult than Teresa. Her lack of experience sexually doesn’t keep her from being mature in other ways. Lots of young people are wise beyond their years while many adults, chronologically speaking, have, as Giles said to Wesley in the Buffy epi ”The Prom,” “the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone.”

So, at the outset, I said I’d try to curb my characteristic verbosity. Ya see how well that turned out, right? It’s just that when I feel strongly about something, as I do about Kate Genet’s writing, I have a hard time stopping the word flow. I want to say everything I can to make you, the reader of my comments, want to read something I found enjoyable and edifying. In short, Don’t Go There is a terrific, well-told, perfectly paced story with great characters, fine writing and a slowly blooming romance that’s realistic rather than starry-eyed. Oh, and with a dog anyone would love.

[Megzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hesitated between 2 and 3 stars. I chose 3 because despite the fact that I didn't like the story, I have to admit there were some good things about it. Some potential, if you will.

What I liked about it:
- The idea behind the story: Scarcity's heartbreaking story, Teresa's introvert personality
- The sex scenes: yeah, I didn't expect them to be this hot, and it's always a plus
- The writer's intention: there WERE indeed a lot of emotions in this story

But it wasn't nearly enough for me.

What I didn't like about it:
- The age difference: Scarcity is 17, Teresa is 25. I'm not against these kinds of relationship but between 17 and 25 your life can be drastically different, and the main problem is, I don't think Scarcity is really mature for her age, she behaves and thinks like a 17 year old (despite what the writer is trying to convey) and it annoyed the hell out of me. Also, when Teresa refers to her as "kid" for most of the story, it kind of turns you off....
- The pace of the story: it's soooo slow, nothing happens during more than half of the book, and then everything happens all at once, and it's hardly realistic
- The romance: the love between the girls is, to me, absolutely inconceivable. The age is one thing, and the other thing is that there is absolutely no spark, no chemistry, and they talk about falling in love after what seemed like only a handful of encounters and conversations (which we don't really read about)

The writing is not too bad, and the dialogues are okay, but I just don't think this book is deep enough. If the writer had taken her time to really work on characterisation, on the dynamics between the girls, on how their relationship grew from friendship to love, it would have gone a long way.

[Neko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this within two sittings which means it tickled my fancy!

The story takes place between two woman in a small city within NZ..It's sort of a coming of age story for one character and then for the other it's to learn to 'let go' and actually trust yourself - that you can do things right. There is an AGE difference between the characters and to some people that might put them off but I remember being in a similar situation so maybe that's why it hit home with me.

The story tells about trust, love, affairs, risk, betrayal, abuse, friendship and a whole bunch of other things that make the plot interesting and a page turner.

My only thing that irked me was the reference to 'The L Word'...I dunno exactly why it grated on me but it felt like it could of been kept out of story...It's you know you're a lesbian because you liked The L Word and you wanted your hair/clothes to look like Shanes..Again, this is just my opinion and it doesn't change anything with how I enjoyed the story overall.

I believe I will be keeping an eye on Kate Genet stories!

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cover :- 4 stars
Sex/steaminess :- 4 stars
Story line :- 4 stars
Characters :- 4 stars
Overall rating :- 4 stars

Personal rating :- 4 stars

Book Pairing:- F/F
Did it give me a book hangover :- No
Is this a review book or personal read :- Personal read

Why I chose this book?

I have read a short version of the story and wanted to know how the author had expanded it.

What I liked about this book.

* I nice feel good story with angst and grit.
* The writing flowed well.
* The characters were easy to connect too.

What I didn't like about this book.

Nothing was really wrong with the story.

Would I read more from this author?

Yes

Would I recommend this book?

Yes

[Ameliah Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely First!
This was the first romantic novel written by Ms Genet and a really well written book.

The characters were interesting and the story good. It was different than anything I've read, as one of the characters is much younger than I am use to. In some ways it made the story that much more sweet. A reward for all they had endured.

It was very easy to become drawn into this drama. At every turn of the page I expected their secret would be discovered and worried about what would happen to them. How could this ever end on a good note? I just didn't see how....fortunately Ms. Genet did see.

This was a great way to spend a day.
Thank you Ms. Genet.

[Loek Krancher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I was immediately drawn into the story. It touch my heart and it has no dull moments. Sometimes it was tough because of the physical abuse but that was only a small part of the story. I loved Fliss and I loved the way she deals with the issues of Teresa. I loved the sensual tension, the passion and of course the sex scenes. It was a great story to read and I can recommend it to everyone.

[Naomi Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

it was a little hard to get into but once I did I didn't put it down until I finished it. so glad I didn't delete this book when I thought I just wasn't going to like it. I Will be looking it for this author other works immediately.

[Joelenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen this book for a while but for some reason i never bought it. Well im glad I finally did. I really enjoyed this book. The age difference didn't bother me. I do hope there is a sequel though. I feel like there is still a lot of story for Teresa and Fliss to tell.

[Glenn Hefley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look forward to reading more

The author suggested that this was her first book based on just the relationship. She even says that she was worried about it . She had nothing to worry about and did a great job . It's a great example of a good romance

[Crim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the rating, I can say one thing in favor of this book: it shows its hand early on with the completely cliched gay bashing. What you see is what you get. Not a bad read after adjusting one's expectations.

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

She went there! Lmao