Act Two: A Sapphic Second Chance Novella

by Rochelle Wolf

Sometimes love is worth rewriting—is it time to move their love from the wings and onto center stage?

Gabriella Adams has done her best to forget it all.

It’s been a year since her whirlwind situationship with Jenna Daniels—the theater actor that managed to sneak backstage into her heart—ended and she’s ready to move on. Gabriella refuses to linger on lost feelings for an old flame and is set on making the most of her newfound singleness…and she’s been doing amazing, thank you very much.

But when Jenna shows up unexpectedly hoping to be friends again, it throws Gabriella for a loop. She wasn’t expecting an encore on their relationship and as old feelings resurface, Gabriella has to decide whether there was a deeper reason for their split, or if it was distance and the wall she’s always had around her heart that drove them apart. Are they ready for their next Act to begin?

Act Two is a standalone, 20,000-word novella, sapphic second chance romance featuring a Toronto setting, theater nerdiness, and a guaranteed HEA!

Perfect for fans of:
• Sapphic romances
• Second chance romance
• Canadian/Toronto Settings
• All the theater puns
• Short, sweet romances

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Adult, Queer

76 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2024

About the author

Rochelle Wolf is a Toronto-based queer writer, interested in warm love stories and books that feel like a hug. They have perfected the art of making their special interest (books) their entire career. Formerly a librarian, they now run their own book editing business. When they’re not reading or writing, they enjoy watching reality TV shows and traveling. To learn more, please visit their website, www.rochellewolf.com.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Act Two is a cute, feel-good second chance story. It begins a year after Gabriella and Jenna have separated and serves to reunite them for a chance at sharing the feelings they never revealed to one another before. It is a quick and easy read that feels like something somewhere between a vignette and a short story. Little angst, a few intimate scenes, and sweet dialogue. The main characters were both distinct and likable. Not a bad time, but just okay for me.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Meg ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

genuinely what was the point

[cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute but underdeveloped. i know it was just a novella but surely there was more room to develop the characters and the relationship

[Henriette]

Sweet f/f novella
This is a sweet novella set in Toronto - no big drama: just sweet love. Perfect if you just want to relax and have a nice time. The story starts when Jenna contacts Gabriella again after a former break-up and a second chance romance with a pinch of found family takes its course. The background could have been fleshed out more, but the novella is meant to be a quick and pleasant love story to while away the afternoon as it should be.
The novella is set in Toronta, CA, und since Jenna is a singer we get a nice dose of the theatre world. Well written and a good debut.

I received an ARC via booksirens. The review is left voluntarily.

[Ambur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable! This was a sweet Sapphic romance with a hint of spice that left me with the biggest smile on my face! The perfect quick read to help boost your mood. :)

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

This was a sweet and simple novella that wasn’t too complicated or too deep, but just a nice little story about women who’d got a second chance at love. There wasn’t much drama and it felt nicely paced.

Unrevealed feelings caused Gabriella and Jenna to separate in the past, but after Jenna’s comeback to the city, they reconnect and explore their relationship.

A fast read and good after heavier books.

[gabs ⛤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lesbians be marrying months later
REAL🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

[Christine Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute second chance sapphic romance! I loved the Toronto setting, and seeing Gab and Jenna reunite and fall in love again. If you are looking for an adorable F/F novella with some spice, def check this one out.

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a novella so there isn't time to dig deep. I didn't feel short changed or I was missing anything. It's a sweet, angst free romance. A bit like overhearing a couple on a bus. You hopefully hear enough that the present makes sense, and bonus you get a bit of an epilogue. I enjoyed it.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I'd love to give the author a huge thank you for allowing me the opportunity to Beta read this novella 🩷

This was a super sweet sapphic romance; I feel that it's quite difficult to get the pacing of a short story correct, but it was pulled off brilliantly. They made it so easy to root for the two main characters, and I enjoyed the gorgeous romantic vibes that it gave off.

Based off this novella, I'd be extremely excited to read more works by Wolf!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Act Two is a short but sweet as pie second chance story about Gabriella, a tech manager, and Jenna, an actress who has returned to Toronto after a year away. The story is told from Gabriella’s perspective, and her best friends, the side characters, are wonderful. Gabriella and Jenna clearly care for each other and have a desire to reconnect and communicate with each other in ways they weren’t able to during their first go around.

It’s a little short (it is a novella after all), but I found myself wishing it was a bit longer and more fleshed out. It also would have benefitted from one final pass through a proofreader, as there are a few errors throughout. There are places where there’s a word missing, one place where there are two words where it seems Wolf wasn’t sure what to go with and both were left, that sort of thing. That said, all of my very minor complaints are things that are fixable or can be developed, and the quality and natural flow of the writing overall was great. I look forward to reading the next story!

I received a free ARC from the author through BookSirens, but my review is unbiased.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short and sweet read with a very cute cover and fun theatre-inspired title.

However, I didn’t feel enough connection to the characters or chemistry between Gabriella and Jenna to become truly invested in their romance. More interiority and voice might’ve helped with the former, and additional breadcrumbs about their romantic past together might’ve helped with the latter. I also felt like the couple got back together and stayed together too easily. Had they been more reluctant to risk their hearts for their second chance at love or shown significant character growth that made them seem ready to finally make their relationship work, their HEA would’ve felt more earned.

The spice was largely told, not shown, so this may be a good book for readers who prefer romances that don’t go into nitty gritty sexual specifics. It's also perfect for anyone wanting a low-angst read.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Sophia-Rose Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance romance? Sapphic characters? A good setting? Heck yeah! What I liked about this story were the relatable characters and the fact that it was an overall happy story. There isn't a huge heartbreak or some sort of very traumatic past. The novella was easy to read, and the characters were adult enough to talk about their feelings/ wants/ etc.


What I wasn't a huge fan of was that--while this was second chance romance and the characters already knew each other--it felt kinda like insta-love, and we didn't get to spend that much time with them to get to know the characters better in detail. I thought we spent too much time with friends and talked about the relationship without being in the relationship.

Overall, such a cute story!

[Alston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a quick read! I am not one for second chance tropes however I thought it was executed perfectly. It gave you enough of the backstory without over shadowing the new relationship progression. I rated it 4/5 stars as it was good however the last chapter jumped too far in the future that I was left wanting more context of what happened in the time jump. It’s was a lovely ending just wishing there was an epilogue of what happens with the couple in the future and also the other characters storylines.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jennifer MD Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Act Two" is focused on letting readers savor the emotions that come with unsteady relationships - anxiety, giddiness, second-guessing, anticipation. Ms. Wolf's strengths lie in crafting adorable characters and an easy-going, conversational style of prose. There is no plot in this novella outside of the relationship, which you experience from within Gabriella's perspective, and yet I was still left with some unresolved questions. Overall I think Ms. Wolf shows a lot of promise and "Act Two" is a sweet treat. I'm hopeful she'll keep writing and continue growing stronger.

[Noriboo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly quick read of about 80pages in which we follow Jenna and Gabriella as they rekindle their relationship.
The story is told in first person pov, from Gabriella's perspective.
There are no big highs and lows, as they both communicate maturely with each other. There's a couple of door half open steamy scenes.
Good story if you're looking for a romantic palate cleanser with minimal angst.

•••

I received an ARC from the author. My opinions are my own.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet heart warming 2nd chance novella, just what I needed to warm me up on cold day on the couch. Gabriella (Gabby) & Jenna reconnecting & having that 2nd chance to communicate their feelings properly this time round. But now I need more and I want to hear about their wedding & how they will navigate the long distance?

Great lil read.

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

[Amanda Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and Booksirens for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really cute and quick read. However, I wish we had more context about their past relationship. Also the ending seemed a bit rushed. But I did overall like the story. I just wish that it was a bit longer. I probably would have connected with the characters better.

[Sasha Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick. Read this in one hour. As far as ARCs go, it was well written grammatically, but there wasn’t much story wise. I wish there had been more development. It felt, honestly, like real life. Just two ladies who lost and found one another, voila. No build up or anything. It’s sweet, but I want more from my fiction, usually.

[Tiendara Sathananthan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a really cute low spice wlw story. I enjoyed it very much. I wish there was a bit more background to get to know the characters and their history in the first third of the story. The rest of the story was perfect and I liked the ending.

I received an e-ARC for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was no difference between text messages and regular inside thoughts / narration. Also no indication who's texting Gabriella or Jenna.
Seeing everyone happy is disgusting. (in a kind way. I just prefer angst.)
I thought lesbians moving fast was an inside joke we were all in on???? Hellooo

[Teghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really charming novella about two women getting a second chance. I don't normally enjoy second chance romances, but this one worked for me. I also loved it being set in Toronto and the theatre district of Toronto - it was neat to know the places and locals on the page.

I did get an arc copy of this from the author in exchange for review.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

i struggle to see what the point of this was. i had no feelings for either character whatsoever. i get that it's a novella, but being less than 100 pages is no excuse for me to read a romance and feel absolutely nothing / not care at all about the relationship. also, where were the stakes? i couldn't find them under all of those references to mean girls.

[Rikki Ziegelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author & BookSirens for the ARC!

This is a cute, sapphic, theatre-centric novella that will have lesbians giggling and kicking their feet. I wish it had more context, as it’s a second chance romance and I wish I knew more about the first chance. But it’s cute and a quick read!

[Hayden (bookish.hayden) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god did I ever love this!! everything about this book, from the characters to the Toronto setting, to the wonderful romance all just made me so so happy. Novellas can be tough because they’re so short and if you don’t click with the characters it can sometimes be a slog, but I could not put this down, it was so captivating!!

thank you to the author of the advanced reader copy!!

[Tamara Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for love and happy endings

What a cute little love story. Not long so an easy read, and characters are loveable so easy to warm too. I was invested, so I wanted more, but if you want all the warm and fuzzies, this is for you

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful read, the main couple is adorable and they have a fun friend group. Light angst, with a good balance of fluff and spice. Definitely would recommend!
*I received this copy in exchange for an honest review

[H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweetly low-stakes sapphic romance with some genuinely laugh-out-loud funny lines. I'm really looking forward to more from Rochelle Wolf.

[letty]

💀💀💀💀

[Meera · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!