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Alice Rue Evades the Truth
In this sapphic homage to While You Were Sleeping, a down-on-her-luck receptionist is mistaken as the girlfriend of a comatose man and doesn’t have the heart to come clean to his devastated family—even when she starts falling for his sister.
“Nostalgic and witty, this romance is for everyone who yearned with the fire of a thousand suns, only to find true love in the unexpected. A swoony, tender delight.” –Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
Alice Rue has never spoken to her longtime crush Nolan Altman, but when she saves his life one night in their office building, the EMTs tell his family that Alice is Nolan’s girlfriend. She wants to set the record straight, but Nolan’s in a coma, and if the family feels comforted by the idea of Nolan having his “girlfriend” by his side for what might be his last moments, isn’t it kinder to go along with it? At least for now?
After all, the Altmans are impossibly nice and supportive, and there’s something about Nolan’s sister, Van, that makes Alice feel more seen and understood than she has in years. The local news names her a hero. Her boss finally starts treating her well. Alice even starts to remember what it’s like to have a family. She knows it’s wrong to lie, but it's easy to convince herself that she's doing the right thing by evading the truth.
What she can’t avoid, however, is her growing chemistry with Van. Alice must decide if she can unravel this tangle of lies in order to salvage her chances with the woman who just may be the love of her life--especially if Nolan wakes up. Warm, witty, and full of heart, this debut romcom is a love story for pessimists who secretly hope for their own happily ever after.
“Nostalgic and witty, this romance is for everyone who yearned with the fire of a thousand suns, only to find true love in the unexpected. A swoony, tender delight.” –Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
Alice Rue has never spoken to her longtime crush Nolan Altman, but when she saves his life one night in their office building, the EMTs tell his family that Alice is Nolan’s girlfriend. She wants to set the record straight, but Nolan’s in a coma, and if the family feels comforted by the idea of Nolan having his “girlfriend” by his side for what might be his last moments, isn’t it kinder to go along with it? At least for now?
After all, the Altmans are impossibly nice and supportive, and there’s something about Nolan’s sister, Van, that makes Alice feel more seen and understood than she has in years. The local news names her a hero. Her boss finally starts treating her well. Alice even starts to remember what it’s like to have a family. She knows it’s wrong to lie, but it's easy to convince herself that she's doing the right thing by evading the truth.
What she can’t avoid, however, is her growing chemistry with Van. Alice must decide if she can unravel this tangle of lies in order to salvage her chances with the woman who just may be the love of her life--especially if Nolan wakes up. Warm, witty, and full of heart, this debut romcom is a love story for pessimists who secretly hope for their own happily ever after.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2025
46 people are currently reading
10185 people want to read
About the author
Emily Zipps
2 books68 followersI've started tracking my reading, as of 2024, on StoryGraph! You can find my updated reads there.
Zipps grew up in southern California, and has lived all over the US. She has lived the following tropes: friends-to-lovers, I swear this is platonic handholding, mutual pining, and, of course, there was only one bed. When not writing about women kissing each other, Zipps loves to watch women's sports, make color-coded spreadsheets, and try new non-alcoholic beers. Zipps lives in New Mexico with her wife and their dog who looks like a coyote and likes to chase roadrunners.
Instagram: emilyzipps
Zipps grew up in southern California, and has lived all over the US. She has lived the following tropes: friends-to-lovers, I swear this is platonic handholding, mutual pining, and, of course, there was only one bed. When not writing about women kissing each other, Zipps loves to watch women's sports, make color-coded spreadsheets, and try new non-alcoholic beers. Zipps lives in New Mexico with her wife and their dog who looks like a coyote and likes to chase roadrunners.
Instagram: emilyzipps
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews
October 28, 2025
Oh my, this was such a fun read. So entertaining and so engaging.
Yay for chronic illness representation!
This will always be a major selling point for me, and I am pretty happy with the way it was done here.
Alice has recently saved the life of a man she works with, and the man’s family is under the impression that she is dating their son and could not be more excited and grateful for her heroic efforts.
she goes along with this, pretending to be his girlfriend, and spending countless hours with his mom and his sisters. But that’s okay because she will tell them the truth eventually, right? Or so she hopes.
Things get more complicated once she falls for his sister, Van.
Now she must come clean without losing the woman of her dreams.
This story here! So good. I loved it.
It did stress me out a little bit! Alice was kind of self-sabotaging the whole time and I was anxious for things to just finally work out.
When things did work out though? I was so happy.
Van is such a likeable character.
From her expressing how she felt about her ex-girlfriend always trying to make her be “a man”, because she is more masculine leaning. To her chronic illness and how it would grow to affect her life- I just really felt so much for her.
I will say that Alice bothered me just a little bit. While I understood her trauma surrounding illness because of her parents, she acted if Van’s illness meant she was inevitability going to become a shell of her former self.
I sort of feel like she was bordering on ableism here. I'm not sure if thats the best word for it. But I definitely felt really weird, and I think the extent to which she took it to felt extreme.
To my delight, she had someone talk some sense into her. Which really turned things around. Once she changed her mindset I was able to like her character a lot more.
Overall, very nice story, Very good writing. I really enjoyed this!
A huge thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group | Dial Press Trade Paperback and author Emily Zipps, for providing me with the eARC of “Alice Rue Evades the Truth”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: October 28th, 2025
Yay for chronic illness representation!
This will always be a major selling point for me, and I am pretty happy with the way it was done here.
Alice has recently saved the life of a man she works with, and the man’s family is under the impression that she is dating their son and could not be more excited and grateful for her heroic efforts.
she goes along with this, pretending to be his girlfriend, and spending countless hours with his mom and his sisters. But that’s okay because she will tell them the truth eventually, right? Or so she hopes.
Things get more complicated once she falls for his sister, Van.
Now she must come clean without losing the woman of her dreams.
This story here! So good. I loved it.
It did stress me out a little bit! Alice was kind of self-sabotaging the whole time and I was anxious for things to just finally work out.
When things did work out though? I was so happy.
Van is such a likeable character.
From her expressing how she felt about her ex-girlfriend always trying to make her be “a man”, because she is more masculine leaning. To her chronic illness and how it would grow to affect her life- I just really felt so much for her.
I will say that Alice bothered me just a little bit. While I understood her trauma surrounding illness because of her parents, she acted if Van’s illness meant she was inevitability going to become a shell of her former self.
I sort of feel like she was bordering on ableism here. I'm not sure if thats the best word for it. But I definitely felt really weird, and I think the extent to which she took it to felt extreme.
To my delight, she had someone talk some sense into her. Which really turned things around. Once she changed her mindset I was able to like her character a lot more.
Overall, very nice story, Very good writing. I really enjoyed this!
A huge thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group | Dial Press Trade Paperback and author Emily Zipps, for providing me with the eARC of “Alice Rue Evades the Truth”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: October 28th, 2025
November 5, 2025
I liked this one, but didn’t love it.
While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite 90s romcoms so conceptually this book is a knock out, but in execution it missed the mark in a few places.
I did love the messy, emotional, chaotic vibes, and the big, loud family - but everything felt a bit too surface level. The characters only really had 1-2 defining traits and honestly I could recall a single one of them once it came time to write this review. The book deals with lots of emotional topics, and again it felt like we only got surface level exploration. I wanted more.
The romance had potential and there were some great chemistry moments, but overall it lacked the level of tension, banter, and chemistry I enjoy.
The biggest let down was the casual fat-phobic comments. I do understand that these were internal thoughts from Alice and she is going through some serious self-esteem issues. That said, I don’t want to read them. I hear and see enough of this is real life.
I’d say if you’re really excited about sapphic While You Were Sleeping re-telling, maybe give it a try.
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite 90s romcoms so conceptually this book is a knock out, but in execution it missed the mark in a few places.
I did love the messy, emotional, chaotic vibes, and the big, loud family - but everything felt a bit too surface level. The characters only really had 1-2 defining traits and honestly I could recall a single one of them once it came time to write this review. The book deals with lots of emotional topics, and again it felt like we only got surface level exploration. I wanted more.
The romance had potential and there were some great chemistry moments, but overall it lacked the level of tension, banter, and chemistry I enjoy.
The biggest let down was the casual fat-phobic comments. I do understand that these were internal thoughts from Alice and she is going through some serious self-esteem issues. That said, I don’t want to read them. I hear and see enough of this is real life.
I’d say if you’re really excited about sapphic While You Were Sleeping re-telling, maybe give it a try.
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
May 8, 2025
A lovely book full of lovely characters. Alice Rue is deeply lonely, significantly traumatized, and in need of some serious TLC. The Altmans are an overwhelming, beautiful, realistic family that is exactly what Alice needs. My favorite part of this book was Alice’s slow journey towards healing, aided by her relationships with every character in the book. I loved the Altmans, Alice, Isabella and her children, and Frankie most of all. This book had a ton of emotional depth, many layers, and all of it worked together to create a relationship that readers can believe in. Books that center an abundance of complex female characters like this one does are always worth a read in my opinion. Give Alice Rue a shot and I bet you’ll love her!
Huge thanks for the eARC!
Huge thanks for the eARC!
Did not finish
December 17, 2025dnf 20% i just don't care❤️🩹
April 29, 2025
i absolutely adore while you were sleeping. this past holiday season, i watched it for the millionth time with my girlfriend, and i vividly remember discussing with her that the only way to make that movie more perfect would be to make jack a butch lesbian instead (this is true about almost anything). i’d like to personally shout out emily zipps for hearing my prayers and making this dream come true!!
something that’s so important to me about the movie is the quiet depth and emotion it contains — lucy’s quiet grief, her loneliness, the community and long-lost family ties she finds in the callaghans. sandra bullock is lightning in a bottle, and she’s hard to live up to. but this book does it! i felt that same quiet anguish in alice’s life, the utter isolation of having very few words to describe what you’re feeling — and no one to say it to, even if you could. being adrift by yourself for so long, feeling like you’re lost in the middle of the sea, only to stumble across salvation and dry land when you least expect it. the reasons for alice’s accidental ruse are convincing and sympathetic, which isn’t an easy task. but zipps achieves it, nevertheless!
i only had one small problem with this book — i cringed a little every time alice described herself as overweight, because every time, she listed it out as something bad and undesirable alongside other negative impressions she had of herself (such as dowdy, frumpy, etc). i understand that alice does not have a very good self image here, and it’s definitely a larger problem in our society that contributes to this perception. it still bums me out when something that is a neutral descriptor — fat — is treated as something negative. i hope we can all collectively move away from that mindset.
overall, i had a great time reading this! i’m so pleased that it ended up as both a wonderful homage and a fresh spin on the movie. i’m so excited to see more butch representation these days, too — i’m always looking for more! i can’t recommend this one enough, especially as the holidays roll around later this year.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
something that’s so important to me about the movie is the quiet depth and emotion it contains — lucy’s quiet grief, her loneliness, the community and long-lost family ties she finds in the callaghans. sandra bullock is lightning in a bottle, and she’s hard to live up to. but this book does it! i felt that same quiet anguish in alice’s life, the utter isolation of having very few words to describe what you’re feeling — and no one to say it to, even if you could. being adrift by yourself for so long, feeling like you’re lost in the middle of the sea, only to stumble across salvation and dry land when you least expect it. the reasons for alice’s accidental ruse are convincing and sympathetic, which isn’t an easy task. but zipps achieves it, nevertheless!
i only had one small problem with this book — i cringed a little every time alice described herself as overweight, because every time, she listed it out as something bad and undesirable alongside other negative impressions she had of herself (such as dowdy, frumpy, etc). i understand that alice does not have a very good self image here, and it’s definitely a larger problem in our society that contributes to this perception. it still bums me out when something that is a neutral descriptor — fat — is treated as something negative. i hope we can all collectively move away from that mindset.
overall, i had a great time reading this! i’m so pleased that it ended up as both a wonderful homage and a fresh spin on the movie. i’m so excited to see more butch representation these days, too — i’m always looking for more! i can’t recommend this one enough, especially as the holidays roll around later this year.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 28, 2025
Update 10/28/25: Reposting my review to celebrate that today is publication day!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for sending me an ARC of Alice Rue Evades the Truth in exchange for an honest review.
The Goodreads description of this book tells you everything you need to know about the story, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.
With its positioning as a “sapphic homage to While You Were Sleeping,” you’ll know from the start the broad strokes of what’s going to happen in Alice Rue Evades the Truth. You’re right there with Alice as she keeps failing to correct the Altmans’ wrong impression about her non-existent relationship with Nolan because she seems to be the one thing giving them hope about him. And that’s before she realizes that she’s falling head over heels for Van, the butch woman of Alice’s dreams.
But it’s the details that make Alice Rue Evades the Truth so compelling. Alice’s painful past, and her loneliness, makes it very believable that she would keep risking getting closer to the Altmans and their loving family life that she’s never experienced. The experience Alice had caring for both of her dying parents adds a very realistic layer of depth to her fears about starting a relationship with Van, even as she hates herself for her choices. Alice is an entertaining narrator, snarky and funny in her inner monologue and descriptions.
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is a slow burn of a story, but an utterly charming one. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Highly recommended.
Alice is pretty sure that this is one of the biggest mistakes in human history, slotting in right after “let’s try this capitalism thing,” but before low-rise jeans.
…
But Alice shakes her head, cutting Van off without a word. She’s not sure why this is the thing, why of all of the times Van has taken care of her, has gone out of her way for her, this is the one to put Alice over the edge, but it is. It’s like Alice was only supplied with a finite number of times she could say no to Van, and, without realizing, she’d used up the final stash last night.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for sending me an ARC of Alice Rue Evades the Truth in exchange for an honest review.
The Goodreads description of this book tells you everything you need to know about the story, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.
With its positioning as a “sapphic homage to While You Were Sleeping,” you’ll know from the start the broad strokes of what’s going to happen in Alice Rue Evades the Truth. You’re right there with Alice as she keeps failing to correct the Altmans’ wrong impression about her non-existent relationship with Nolan because she seems to be the one thing giving them hope about him. And that’s before she realizes that she’s falling head over heels for Van, the butch woman of Alice’s dreams.
But it’s the details that make Alice Rue Evades the Truth so compelling. Alice’s painful past, and her loneliness, makes it very believable that she would keep risking getting closer to the Altmans and their loving family life that she’s never experienced. The experience Alice had caring for both of her dying parents adds a very realistic layer of depth to her fears about starting a relationship with Van, even as she hates herself for her choices. Alice is an entertaining narrator, snarky and funny in her inner monologue and descriptions.
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is a slow burn of a story, but an utterly charming one. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Highly recommended.
June 17, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this arc!
✦ 3, mini-Van and Alice take Portland, stars ✦
I’m an absolute sucker for 90’s romcom’s and ‘While you were Sleeping’ is a top 3 (only beaten by #1: You’ve got Mail, and #2: Sleepless in Seattle). Every Christmas, I make my Fast and Furious loving husband sit down and watch it with me. After 9 Christmas’ together, you’d think he might’ve suffered enough, but the sweet soul he is-still obliges me. Granted, he makes me watch ‘Die Hard’ after, so maybe he isn’t so selfless after all…Of course, he has to watch me drool over Bill Pullman (in a league of his own, for sure) and Sandra Bullock (whew, the Miss Congeniality of my heart)…so maybe it all evens out in our house lol.
I love me some bi-girly representation. I usually see bisexual characters relegated to the sexually-promiscuous-best-friend-role, but Alice Rue Evades The Truth takes my people from sideline-extras to rom-com stars.
There were parts I enjoyed, and other parts I had a hard time with. I found the story very sweet, and what interesting characters!
There are so many BIG topics in this book, and I’m not sure any of them are fleshed out enough to matter. Grief from losing parents, misgendering of a female who looks masc over fem, family dynamics shifting after coming out, the diagnosis/reveal of a life changing disease. Huge things! Amazing opportunities for not only an expanded reading experience, but room to educate as well. I felt entertained at times, but I never felt immersed in Alice Rue. I think that’s why this didn’t hit very hard for me. I wasn’t forced to look at the parts, inside me, this connected with. To be blunt, there was decidedly a lack-of-depth.
The above critique aside, the sexy times were written in my least favorite way…vague. Not closed-door, not explicit, just oddly nondescript. If an author isn’t comfortable writing smut- that’s totally okay! But, the reader can very much tell lol. Sapphic love deserves just as much sexual attention as its heterosexual cousin. I could not even tell you the number of Sapphic books I’ve read that have veiled intimacy, and why? It’s maybe a silly thing to get annoyed by, but I just want the same energy across the board.
✦ 3, mini-Van and Alice take Portland, stars ✦
I’m an absolute sucker for 90’s romcom’s and ‘While you were Sleeping’ is a top 3 (only beaten by #1: You’ve got Mail, and #2: Sleepless in Seattle). Every Christmas, I make my Fast and Furious loving husband sit down and watch it with me. After 9 Christmas’ together, you’d think he might’ve suffered enough, but the sweet soul he is-still obliges me. Granted, he makes me watch ‘Die Hard’ after, so maybe he isn’t so selfless after all…Of course, he has to watch me drool over Bill Pullman (in a league of his own, for sure) and Sandra Bullock (whew, the Miss Congeniality of my heart)…so maybe it all evens out in our house lol.
I love me some bi-girly representation. I usually see bisexual characters relegated to the sexually-promiscuous-best-friend-role, but Alice Rue Evades The Truth takes my people from sideline-extras to rom-com stars.
There were parts I enjoyed, and other parts I had a hard time with. I found the story very sweet, and what interesting characters!
There are so many BIG topics in this book, and I’m not sure any of them are fleshed out enough to matter. Grief from losing parents, misgendering of a female who looks masc over fem, family dynamics shifting after coming out, the diagnosis/reveal of a life changing disease. Huge things! Amazing opportunities for not only an expanded reading experience, but room to educate as well. I felt entertained at times, but I never felt immersed in Alice Rue. I think that’s why this didn’t hit very hard for me. I wasn’t forced to look at the parts, inside me, this connected with. To be blunt, there was decidedly a lack-of-depth.
The above critique aside, the sexy times were written in my least favorite way…vague. Not closed-door, not explicit, just oddly nondescript. If an author isn’t comfortable writing smut- that’s totally okay! But, the reader can very much tell lol. Sapphic love deserves just as much sexual attention as its heterosexual cousin. I could not even tell you the number of Sapphic books I’ve read that have veiled intimacy, and why? It’s maybe a silly thing to get annoyed by, but I just want the same energy across the board.
April 29, 2025
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For anyone who loved the movie, "While You Were Sleeping", this is just that but sapphic and more fun. The plot is messy, the romance is sweet, and the characters are likeable (except Nolan). I loved meeting the Altmans, they were such a fun bunch and it's easy to understand why Alice is so drawn to them.
As far as the romance, Van is such a sweetheart, I was rooting for her from their very first meeting. The complicated situation Alice is involved in, coupled with another complication leaves her pushing Van away, which I wasn't super a fan of. However, all ends well for the couple in the end, and their relationship is adorable.
Overall, this book is emotional and chaotic in the best way, and I'd reccomend giving it a try. 4.8/5 rounded up.
For anyone who loved the movie, "While You Were Sleeping", this is just that but sapphic and more fun. The plot is messy, the romance is sweet, and the characters are likeable (except Nolan). I loved meeting the Altmans, they were such a fun bunch and it's easy to understand why Alice is so drawn to them.
As far as the romance, Van is such a sweetheart, I was rooting for her from their very first meeting. The complicated situation Alice is involved in, coupled with another complication leaves her pushing Van away, which I wasn't super a fan of. However, all ends well for the couple in the end, and their relationship is adorable.
Overall, this book is emotional and chaotic in the best way, and I'd reccomend giving it a try. 4.8/5 rounded up.
November 25, 2025
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is maybe the perfect book for someone looking for a heartwarming Christmas romcom without it being overly Christmasy. Not unlike its inspiration, While You Were Sleeping, I guess, which is a movie I can watch any time of the year but feels best placed around Christmas?
Alice Rue borrows a lot from While You Were Sleeping, i.e. Alice saves the life of a man, Nolan, she's never spoken to but has crushed on for years and his family is told that Alice is his girlfriend, a ruse Alice doesn't correct because she's suddenly surrounded by this man's wonderful family. And family is something Alice wants more than anything. Well, until she meets Nolan's sister, Van, who is even more handsome than her brother.
The novel is not a 1:1 remake of the movie, and I liked some of the changes Emily Zipps makes in this novel. I won't go into those for reasons of spoilers. But some things didn't quite land either. To be honest, I wanted more Marie. And I think a glimpse into Alice really dealing with her trauma would have been nice, too.
But this is heartwarming and charming and exactly the book I wanted to help usher in the Christmas season.
Alice Rue borrows a lot from While You Were Sleeping, i.e. Alice saves the life of a man, Nolan, she's never spoken to but has crushed on for years and his family is told that Alice is his girlfriend, a ruse Alice doesn't correct because she's suddenly surrounded by this man's wonderful family. And family is something Alice wants more than anything. Well, until she meets Nolan's sister, Van, who is even more handsome than her brother.
The novel is not a 1:1 remake of the movie, and I liked some of the changes Emily Zipps makes in this novel. I won't go into those for reasons of spoilers. But some things didn't quite land either. To be honest, I wanted more Marie. And I think a glimpse into Alice really dealing with her trauma would have been nice, too.
But this is heartwarming and charming and exactly the book I wanted to help usher in the Christmas season.
July 5, 2025
In a modern retelling of “While You Were Sleeping,” Alice has a two year long crush on Nolan Altman, a rich lawyer in the building where she works as a night receptionist. She just hasn’t spoken to him yet. Then, he collapses right in the lobby, and she performs CPR which ends up saving his life.
The EMT mistakes Alice as Nolan’s girlfriend, and soon his entire family believes it too. Since Nolan is in a coma, they are thrilled to hear he has a girlfriend and she reluctantly agrees to spend Hanukkah with them. It’s only a matter of time before Alice falls in love with his big family. Since both of her parents died from long term illnesses, Alice talks herself into the charade so she can be around a big family again.
And then there is Nolan’s sister, Van. Alice can’t deny the chemistry between them. But is she somehow cheating on her fake boyfriend Nolan by having feelings for Van?
Like the movie, this book takes place over the holidays, which has a lot of opportunities for togetherness and nostalgia. Instead of Chicago, the novel takes place in Portland. And I truly appreciated the fresh story and so many more mature and serious elements of this version. Alice and Rue had great chemistry, and the minor characters are very memorable and add a lot of comic relief.
“This is the worst idea anyone has ever had, but also already the best thing that’s ever happened.”
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC. Book to be published 10/26/25.
The EMT mistakes Alice as Nolan’s girlfriend, and soon his entire family believes it too. Since Nolan is in a coma, they are thrilled to hear he has a girlfriend and she reluctantly agrees to spend Hanukkah with them. It’s only a matter of time before Alice falls in love with his big family. Since both of her parents died from long term illnesses, Alice talks herself into the charade so she can be around a big family again.
And then there is Nolan’s sister, Van. Alice can’t deny the chemistry between them. But is she somehow cheating on her fake boyfriend Nolan by having feelings for Van?
Like the movie, this book takes place over the holidays, which has a lot of opportunities for togetherness and nostalgia. Instead of Chicago, the novel takes place in Portland. And I truly appreciated the fresh story and so many more mature and serious elements of this version. Alice and Rue had great chemistry, and the minor characters are very memorable and add a lot of comic relief.
“This is the worst idea anyone has ever had, but also already the best thing that’s ever happened.”
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC. Book to be published 10/26/25.
November 26, 2025
(Rounded up from 4.5)
I expected to love this sapphic retelling of While You Were Sleeping, and I did! It was cute, cozy, sweet and actually much more wholesome than I expected, with the main character's backstory of losing her parents, the rest of her family, and then falling in love with this whole family, as well as the sister of the man they think she's in love with.
Delightful and a great time!
I expected to love this sapphic retelling of While You Were Sleeping, and I did! It was cute, cozy, sweet and actually much more wholesome than I expected, with the main character's backstory of losing her parents, the rest of her family, and then falling in love with this whole family, as well as the sister of the man they think she's in love with.
Delightful and a great time!
November 30, 2025
This book was such a blessed escape from reality- so fun! I spent all day reading it by the fire. Silly, engaging, colorful writing style with characters that make you feel apart of the family. Such a chaotic mess that keeps you guessing about / praying for what will happen… I hope somebody turns this into a movie asap!!!
September 23, 2025
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second time recently I’ve read a queer rewrite of a beloved 90s/00s romcom and while I have my own quibbles with this format (just write fanfiction, for the love of god) I don’t really have anything against it as long as it’s well-written. However, this is also the second time I’ve read one of these rewrites in which significant changes are made to the premise in what I can only assume is an effort to avoid copyright infringement but which results in the book making absolutely no sense and creating negative implications that resonate through the entire story.
In the original While You Were Sleeping, the nurse overhearing “I was going to marry him” is a perfectly constructed misunderstanding that the audience gets to watch play out in real time. In this book, Alice says nothing in front of the paramedic and neither she nor us are present for what he communicates to the family. Why does he think she’s the girlfriend when she’s a) at her workplace b) doesn’t go to the hospital with Nolan and c) doesn’t say she’s his girlfriend or anything even remotely interpretive? Just a bizarre way to set up the story.
Another important element of While You Were Sleeping is that there is a very good reason Lucy can’t tell the family the truth about the misunderstanding. Not only is she concerned about the grandmother’s health problems, she has their family friend to back up this concern and help her out of jams. I think having a character within the family who knows about the misunderstanding and encourages the main character to keep lying is absolutely ESSENTIAL in this kind of story— without it present in this book, Alice looks absolutely insane and thoughtless. She makes some weak excuses about how sad they’ll be, but without a co-conspirator, she has no real reason to keep up the ruse beyond her being, at best, a doormat and, at worst, a psychopath.
This is a smaller issue, but I also really don’t understand the change of making Nolan such an unrepentant asshole. The original movie threads such a great needle of him being somewhat of a flaky dick, but when Lucy was foisted on him he was enthusiastic about wanting to be a better person. In this version we get a misogynistic Elon Musk finance bro, which a few years ago wasn’t AS bad but that’s basically shorthand for being a MAGA guy now, which kind of makes Van’s interest in Alice odd. If I was a disabled queer person (and I am) who knew my brother was conservative, I’d be really suspicious of anyone who was dating him (which oddly enough, Jack is more suspicious of Lucy than Van is of Alice! Strange!) Once again, the seemingly slight changes this book makes break the premise entirely.
I personally think that as minor as these details may have seemed to the author, they are fundamental to making this story work. It’s genuinely egotistical to me to take a beloved rom-com and chop up the story to make it your own and think you can just discard important plot elements. They were included in the original for a reason! They matter to the story! If you’re going to cut them you have to replace them with your own details, not just omit the scenes completely! I’m not even saying this as a lover of the original movie, I just find this kind of adaptation so lazy! Archive of our Own is RIGHT THERE!
It’s a shame because the writing is very competent. Van as a love interest is incredibly sexy and I loved her but she’s also too perfect so I would have liked to see some complexity thrown in there. I think this author has the chops to write their own story! I’m truly saddened they chose to mess with one that already existed.
This is the second time recently I’ve read a queer rewrite of a beloved 90s/00s romcom and while I have my own quibbles with this format (just write fanfiction, for the love of god) I don’t really have anything against it as long as it’s well-written. However, this is also the second time I’ve read one of these rewrites in which significant changes are made to the premise in what I can only assume is an effort to avoid copyright infringement but which results in the book making absolutely no sense and creating negative implications that resonate through the entire story.
In the original While You Were Sleeping, the nurse overhearing “I was going to marry him” is a perfectly constructed misunderstanding that the audience gets to watch play out in real time. In this book, Alice says nothing in front of the paramedic and neither she nor us are present for what he communicates to the family. Why does he think she’s the girlfriend when she’s a) at her workplace b) doesn’t go to the hospital with Nolan and c) doesn’t say she’s his girlfriend or anything even remotely interpretive? Just a bizarre way to set up the story.
Another important element of While You Were Sleeping is that there is a very good reason Lucy can’t tell the family the truth about the misunderstanding. Not only is she concerned about the grandmother’s health problems, she has their family friend to back up this concern and help her out of jams. I think having a character within the family who knows about the misunderstanding and encourages the main character to keep lying is absolutely ESSENTIAL in this kind of story— without it present in this book, Alice looks absolutely insane and thoughtless. She makes some weak excuses about how sad they’ll be, but without a co-conspirator, she has no real reason to keep up the ruse beyond her being, at best, a doormat and, at worst, a psychopath.
This is a smaller issue, but I also really don’t understand the change of making Nolan such an unrepentant asshole. The original movie threads such a great needle of him being somewhat of a flaky dick, but when Lucy was foisted on him he was enthusiastic about wanting to be a better person. In this version we get a misogynistic Elon Musk finance bro, which a few years ago wasn’t AS bad but that’s basically shorthand for being a MAGA guy now, which kind of makes Van’s interest in Alice odd. If I was a disabled queer person (and I am) who knew my brother was conservative, I’d be really suspicious of anyone who was dating him (which oddly enough, Jack is more suspicious of Lucy than Van is of Alice! Strange!) Once again, the seemingly slight changes this book makes break the premise entirely.
I personally think that as minor as these details may have seemed to the author, they are fundamental to making this story work. It’s genuinely egotistical to me to take a beloved rom-com and chop up the story to make it your own and think you can just discard important plot elements. They were included in the original for a reason! They matter to the story! If you’re going to cut them you have to replace them with your own details, not just omit the scenes completely! I’m not even saying this as a lover of the original movie, I just find this kind of adaptation so lazy! Archive of our Own is RIGHT THERE!
It’s a shame because the writing is very competent. Van as a love interest is incredibly sexy and I loved her but she’s also too perfect so I would have liked to see some complexity thrown in there. I think this author has the chops to write their own story! I’m truly saddened they chose to mess with one that already existed.
Read
October 15, 2025I loved this book! While You Were Sleeping is my favorite romcom so I loved getting my hands on a sapphic version. I adored both Alice and Van and thought they were perfect for each other. The found family element was so fun especially with Van’s younger sister and aunt. I loved them and Alice’s cousin so much.
This book explores some heavy topics, but I really appreciate the way everything was handled. Make sure to read the authors note at the end and the fun little extras there.
I listened to the audiobook and, wow, did Mia Hutchinson-Shaw crush this execution. I loved her delivery on an already voice-y story and definitely recommend the audiobook.
Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for a copy of this eARC and PRH Audio for a copy of the ALC.
This book explores some heavy topics, but I really appreciate the way everything was handled. Make sure to read the authors note at the end and the fun little extras there.
I listened to the audiobook and, wow, did Mia Hutchinson-Shaw crush this execution. I loved her delivery on an already voice-y story and definitely recommend the audiobook.
Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for a copy of this eARC and PRH Audio for a copy of the ALC.
November 7, 2025
thank you to NetGalley and Random House | The Dial Press for the advanced digital copy.
right in time for the holiday season, this book is available now.
--
there's something really satisfying about watching a romcom walk the line between homage and originality, and this book does it with a surprising amount of finesse. alice rue evades the truth is a sapphic retelling of while you were sleeping, and it doesn't really try to reinvent the wheel nor does it need to. emily zipps manages to stick close to the emotional beats and cozy charm of the original while adding just enough fresh material to make it feel contemporary, heartfelt, and queer in all the best ways.
alice rue is a receptionist who saves her longtime crush's life and, through a mix-up, ends up pretending to be his girlfriend while he lies unconscious in the hospital. the emotional core of the story isn't really about nolan, the man in the coma, it's about alice, her complicated sense of self-worth, and the strange, comforting family she finds in the altmans. most of all, it's about van, nolan's butch sister, who gradually becomes the real love story in alice's life.
the romance itself is soft and slow-burning. van is warm, grounded, and immediately lovable, and it's not hard to see why alice is drawn to her. the chemistry builds in the background as alice struggles with the lie she's living inside and the fear of what will happen when the truth inevitably comes out. the stakes feel emotional rather than dramatic, which makes the eventual payoff feel earned rather than explosive. it's not about twists or chaos, it's about letting yourself want things, even if you're not used to being wanted.
the book also touches on heavier themes, especially around chronic illness, caretaking, and body image. van's chronic illness is handled with care, and her conversations about what it means to be seen as desirable when you're navigating disability were some of the most powerful in the book. on the other hand, alice's internal monologue around her weight was a lot harder to sit with. while it's believable that she would struggle with self-esteem, the constant self-flagellation and equation of fatness with unworthiness started to feel both unexamined and repetitive. there's a difference between portraying internalized fatphobia and simply letting it stand unchallenged, and unfortunately the book sometimes strayed too close to the latter. without a narrative arc to resolve or soften these beliefs, they ended up sitting heavy on the page.
that said, the emotional resonance of alice's journey still lands. she's a character who has been through a lot of grief and isolation, and her desperate desire to be wanted by a family even under false pretenses is both deeply sad and incredibly human. she's a bit of a mess, but she's trying. and the book knows how to wring heart from that messiness without tipping into melodrama.
overall, this was a charming, slightly bittersweet read that balances a classic romcom premise with tender sapphic romance and some thoughtful moments of emotional honesty. not perfect, but definitely memorable.
right in time for the holiday season, this book is available now.
--
there's something really satisfying about watching a romcom walk the line between homage and originality, and this book does it with a surprising amount of finesse. alice rue evades the truth is a sapphic retelling of while you were sleeping, and it doesn't really try to reinvent the wheel nor does it need to. emily zipps manages to stick close to the emotional beats and cozy charm of the original while adding just enough fresh material to make it feel contemporary, heartfelt, and queer in all the best ways.
alice rue is a receptionist who saves her longtime crush's life and, through a mix-up, ends up pretending to be his girlfriend while he lies unconscious in the hospital. the emotional core of the story isn't really about nolan, the man in the coma, it's about alice, her complicated sense of self-worth, and the strange, comforting family she finds in the altmans. most of all, it's about van, nolan's butch sister, who gradually becomes the real love story in alice's life.
the romance itself is soft and slow-burning. van is warm, grounded, and immediately lovable, and it's not hard to see why alice is drawn to her. the chemistry builds in the background as alice struggles with the lie she's living inside and the fear of what will happen when the truth inevitably comes out. the stakes feel emotional rather than dramatic, which makes the eventual payoff feel earned rather than explosive. it's not about twists or chaos, it's about letting yourself want things, even if you're not used to being wanted.
the book also touches on heavier themes, especially around chronic illness, caretaking, and body image. van's chronic illness is handled with care, and her conversations about what it means to be seen as desirable when you're navigating disability were some of the most powerful in the book. on the other hand, alice's internal monologue around her weight was a lot harder to sit with. while it's believable that she would struggle with self-esteem, the constant self-flagellation and equation of fatness with unworthiness started to feel both unexamined and repetitive. there's a difference between portraying internalized fatphobia and simply letting it stand unchallenged, and unfortunately the book sometimes strayed too close to the latter. without a narrative arc to resolve or soften these beliefs, they ended up sitting heavy on the page.
that said, the emotional resonance of alice's journey still lands. she's a character who has been through a lot of grief and isolation, and her desperate desire to be wanted by a family even under false pretenses is both deeply sad and incredibly human. she's a bit of a mess, but she's trying. and the book knows how to wring heart from that messiness without tipping into melodrama.
overall, this was a charming, slightly bittersweet read that balances a classic romcom premise with tender sapphic romance and some thoughtful moments of emotional honesty. not perfect, but definitely memorable.
January 29, 2026
A lot of my enjoyment stemmed from the drama and messiness of the plot rather than the actual relationship that was developing. Alice being an occasionally anxious, compulsive liar was honestly hilarious, relatable and did wonders for the story. That's not to say I didn't like her and Van together, I really did. I think their relationship was absolutely cute and I loved how they interacted with each other.
October 24, 2025
I am so incredibly picky about my romances that I stopped reading so many of them, because it was such a struggle for me to find enough of them where I truly felt an emotional connection to the characters falling in love. But this one brought me ALL THE FEELS.
I mean, I was reading it at the office on my breaks and I couldn't keep a dopey smile off my face because of how cute Van and Alice were together. I was worried too because While You Were Sleeping was absolutely my favorite movie as a lonely high school kid who related hard to Sandra Bullock's character. And when I saw While You Were Sleeping but make it sapphic??? I was like I am so in.
The other thing about this book was you may not appreciate it if you have a hard line against cheating, lies and emotional betrayals. I normally don't care for emotional betrayals but I didn't mind this one because of how Alice came clean and her motivations were understandable. Plus Alice and Nolan never actually dated, it was cheating on an imaginary relationship, but she did get caught in a massive lie as the chaotic bisexual that she is.
At first I thought it was a little too on the nose with the movie but it had enough divergent paths. It's set in Portland, Oregon instead of Chicago, and as an Oregonian myself, I can tell the author has actually been there. It had the same love for the city that the movie did. Alice, the FMC, is a receptionist who has a massive crush on a man from the 14th floor whom she's never actually spoken to. She saves his life and in the mixup she is confused by an EMT as his girlfriend.
But she is swept up into his chaotic and loving family and especially his sister, a hot butch lesbian named Van. Like the movie, she falls for his family first, and then Van, who's a physical therapist with MS.
I really loved the tender ways in which Van just took care of Alice, things like remembering what she needed and making her feel seen. That made me fall in love with their heat-filled forbidden romance. I also appreciated how the author has MS and wanted to create a character with MS who could find her happy ending too. It was very realistic how Alice struggled with her diagnosis after losing her childhood to caretaking for her parents.
To me these characters also didn't feel like token representation but authentic, lovable hot messes with dimensions and flaws. I find myself going back to the thought that I really understood all their motivations for the decisions they made.
These two definitely had me giggling and kicking up my feet. And no silly miscommunication stunts other than the one big lie, which again, was realistic.
I really just loved Alice and Van and all their messy complications. Those are the romances I love best, messy characters who make each other's lives better.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I mean, I was reading it at the office on my breaks and I couldn't keep a dopey smile off my face because of how cute Van and Alice were together. I was worried too because While You Were Sleeping was absolutely my favorite movie as a lonely high school kid who related hard to Sandra Bullock's character. And when I saw While You Were Sleeping but make it sapphic??? I was like I am so in.
The other thing about this book was you may not appreciate it if you have a hard line against cheating, lies and emotional betrayals. I normally don't care for emotional betrayals but I didn't mind this one because of how Alice came clean and her motivations were understandable. Plus Alice and Nolan never actually dated, it was cheating on an imaginary relationship, but she did get caught in a massive lie as the chaotic bisexual that she is.
At first I thought it was a little too on the nose with the movie but it had enough divergent paths. It's set in Portland, Oregon instead of Chicago, and as an Oregonian myself, I can tell the author has actually been there. It had the same love for the city that the movie did. Alice, the FMC, is a receptionist who has a massive crush on a man from the 14th floor whom she's never actually spoken to. She saves his life and in the mixup she is confused by an EMT as his girlfriend.
But she is swept up into his chaotic and loving family and especially his sister, a hot butch lesbian named Van. Like the movie, she falls for his family first, and then Van, who's a physical therapist with MS.
I really loved the tender ways in which Van just took care of Alice, things like remembering what she needed and making her feel seen. That made me fall in love with their heat-filled forbidden romance. I also appreciated how the author has MS and wanted to create a character with MS who could find her happy ending too. It was very realistic how Alice struggled with her diagnosis after losing her childhood to caretaking for her parents.
To me these characters also didn't feel like token representation but authentic, lovable hot messes with dimensions and flaws. I find myself going back to the thought that I really understood all their motivations for the decisions they made.
These two definitely had me giggling and kicking up my feet. And no silly miscommunication stunts other than the one big lie, which again, was realistic.
I really just loved Alice and Van and all their messy complications. Those are the romances I love best, messy characters who make each other's lives better.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 10, 2026
okay, this was a goddamn delight.
while you were sleeping is one of my fav sandra bullock romcoms, and to take the bones of that story and make it SAPPHIC PERFECTION, absolutely slaps, 100% amazing decision, no notes, really. this is (i think?) a debut novel and i will be SAT if there is a next bc i loved the writing, here. i loved that this was a romance, but it also so wonderfully, covered the famlilial relationships, loneliness, degenerative disease , and really lovely writing, add one of my all time favorite narrators? IT WAS SUCH A GOOD READ. i'm so glad that i read this one slower. 100% rec and iiii also want to own this one in physical, i think.
while you were sleeping is one of my fav sandra bullock romcoms, and to take the bones of that story and make it SAPPHIC PERFECTION, absolutely slaps, 100% amazing decision, no notes, really. this is (i think?) a debut novel and i will be SAT if there is a next bc i loved the writing, here. i loved that this was a romance, but it also so wonderfully, covered the famlilial relationships, loneliness, degenerative disease , and really lovely writing, add one of my all time favorite narrators? IT WAS SUCH A GOOD READ. i'm so glad that i read this one slower. 100% rec and iiii also want to own this one in physical, i think.
July 5, 2025
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is an enjoyable romance that remains grounded and realistic despite its premise. Alice, herself, is such an interesting character, constantly informed by her trauma and messy decisions whereas Van is the dreamy love interest with a friendly family that comes to save her from her shitty life.
Alice Rue is a weird one to review because on one hand it has one of the better representation of a butch love interest that I have seen with Van being a well-rounded character not defined by her physical strength and is allowed moments of emotional weakness but on the other hand it falls into the same pitfalls as many other sapphic romances do mainly a constant association between butchness and sex appeal and a weird narrative around gender expression.
It's actually quite easy to tell in a romance when a character says something misguided, whether it's meant to be a character flaw to be worked on throughout the story or if they're just the author's mouthpiece. For example, Alice's reaction to Van having MS is a significant part of the final conflict, and Alice is meant to work through those feelings, despite a misguided initial reaction that may be perceived as ableist by some. Whereas, when Van is victim of a lesbophobic/transphobic microaggression, Alice's reaction is that butchness shouldn't be judged but drooled over. Van's role is to be a hot butch. "Are butch characters more than just "hot mascs"?" is a common concern of mine when reading butch romance and in many way Alice Rue Evades the Turth accomplishes so much more with Van than other books I've read but at the same time, this type of comments are so disappointing, especially since the book does not gloss over Van's butchness, it's constantly brought up. In a similar manner, Van opens up about the pressure of feminine expectations placed on her by her mother and this is meant to be an emotional heart-to-heart conversation. In the next scene, Alice visits her childhood home and finds a picture of an unhappy Van in a cheerleader's outfit and teases her about it. It's meant to be perceived as a playful joke to reinforce the connection between the characters but it's quite jarring coming right after the previous scene, like way to press on an open wound, Alice.
Alice Rue is a weird one to review because on one hand it has one of the better representation of a butch love interest that I have seen with Van being a well-rounded character not defined by her physical strength and is allowed moments of emotional weakness but on the other hand it falls into the same pitfalls as many other sapphic romances do mainly a constant association between butchness and sex appeal and a weird narrative around gender expression.
It's actually quite easy to tell in a romance when a character says something misguided, whether it's meant to be a character flaw to be worked on throughout the story or if they're just the author's mouthpiece. For example, Alice's reaction to Van having MS is a significant part of the final conflict, and Alice is meant to work through those feelings, despite a misguided initial reaction that may be perceived as ableist by some. Whereas, when Van is victim of a lesbophobic/transphobic microaggression, Alice's reaction is that butchness shouldn't be judged but drooled over. Van's role is to be a hot butch. "Are butch characters more than just "hot mascs"?" is a common concern of mine when reading butch romance and in many way Alice Rue Evades the Turth accomplishes so much more with Van than other books I've read but at the same time, this type of comments are so disappointing, especially since the book does not gloss over Van's butchness, it's constantly brought up. In a similar manner, Van opens up about the pressure of feminine expectations placed on her by her mother and this is meant to be an emotional heart-to-heart conversation. In the next scene, Alice visits her childhood home and finds a picture of an unhappy Van in a cheerleader's outfit and teases her about it. It's meant to be perceived as a playful joke to reinforce the connection between the characters but it's quite jarring coming right after the previous scene, like way to press on an open wound, Alice.
May 17, 2025
Before I get into my review of “Alice Rue Evades The Truth”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC!
You know whenever you’re in the middle of a book and it’s so good you dread when it will end? That’s what this book did to me. I loved how much the emotions swayed in this book, so much so; that I was fully laughing and crying at the same time.
The chemistry between Van and Alice was just delightful. The tension became so palpable I was screaming at my Kindle, “Please just kiss already!”
This is one of the few books that I arc review that I will be pre-ordering and be re-reading until I have the book memorized.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You know whenever you’re in the middle of a book and it’s so good you dread when it will end? That’s what this book did to me. I loved how much the emotions swayed in this book, so much so; that I was fully laughing and crying at the same time.
The chemistry between Van and Alice was just delightful. The tension became so palpable I was screaming at my Kindle, “Please just kiss already!”
This is one of the few books that I arc review that I will be pre-ordering and be re-reading until I have the book memorized.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 18, 2025
I'm not saying I'm the biggest While You Were Sleeping fan in the world, but surely I'm in the top 10 list of lesbians obsessed with the movie. That is my comfort movie. My movie that makes me think "maybe love is real." And perhaps even the inspiration behind my own 23k fanfic for a certain ship of mine (coughs). All this to say Alice Rue Evades the Truth had a lot to live up to, starting with selling me on the lie that kickstarts the entire plot. It's a difficult lie. So much of While You Were Sleeping leans on the fact that Sandra Bullock is so lovable as Lucy — give that role to a lesser actress and the whole movie falls apart. But Alice Rue Evades the Truth isn't a movie, and the only thing the story can rely on is the writing.
Alice, in my opinion, isn't so much "lovable" as she is pitiful, but it's a level of pitiful that keeps from being either ridiculous or unbelievable. You understand how Alice has gotten into the rut of her life. If you've ever worked a job with a shitty schedule you know exactly how soulcrushing it can be and how easy it is to become trapped. Add on Alice's personal tragedies, and her betrayal is far from irredemable. It helps that Van — her real love interest and Jack stand in — has been genderbended with consideration for what that means. Van is a masc woman and pays the price for it. Her relationship with her family, how she behaves around Alice, her feelings toward her brother... all of it is affected by this switch and adds a new dimension to the romance. A reveal later on in the story just compounds it all. Van isn't just sweet and perfect — she has her own problems, her own worries, her own fears that make her just as in need of love and support as Alice is. For all I love While You Were Sleeping, Jack's happiness is somewhat of an afterthought to me. It's Lucy who I want to see loved and appreciated, Lucy who tugs at my heartstrings, and Lucy who I'm cheering for at the end. In Alice Rue Evades the Truth, I'm as invested in Van getting a happy ending as I am with Alice.
Now, the main reason this isn't quite a 5-star rating for me is that this is a book with a lot of characters, and they didn't all quite leap off the page. It's one thing to juggle a large cast in a movie and quite another to do it in a book. The two (or three?) older men in the Altman family were so unmemorable that I don't even know how many of them there were. Alice's friends were likewise a nebulous blob outside of her coworker (but even she was barely on my radar). Alice's cousin has a husband whom I, mere days after finishing the book, don't remember if Alice meets. It's a bit rough in that sense as these characters aren't Shopkeeper #5 but friends and family of Alice and Van. They shouldn't feel so lifeless, but they do.
Still, I had a great time with this book, and it joins a small but mighty list of contemporary sapphic fiction that I didn't cringe DNF after one chapter (I'm sorry! I'm extremely sensitive to silly stereotypes and one-dimensional characters!), so that definitely counts for something.
***Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an eARC of this book.***
Alice, in my opinion, isn't so much "lovable" as she is pitiful, but it's a level of pitiful that keeps from being either ridiculous or unbelievable. You understand how Alice has gotten into the rut of her life. If you've ever worked a job with a shitty schedule you know exactly how soulcrushing it can be and how easy it is to become trapped. Add on Alice's personal tragedies, and her betrayal is far from irredemable. It helps that Van — her real love interest and Jack stand in — has been genderbended with consideration for what that means. Van is a masc woman and pays the price for it. Her relationship with her family, how she behaves around Alice, her feelings toward her brother... all of it is affected by this switch and adds a new dimension to the romance. A reveal later on in the story just compounds it all. Van isn't just sweet and perfect — she has her own problems, her own worries, her own fears that make her just as in need of love and support as Alice is. For all I love While You Were Sleeping, Jack's happiness is somewhat of an afterthought to me. It's Lucy who I want to see loved and appreciated, Lucy who tugs at my heartstrings, and Lucy who I'm cheering for at the end. In Alice Rue Evades the Truth, I'm as invested in Van getting a happy ending as I am with Alice.
Now, the main reason this isn't quite a 5-star rating for me is that this is a book with a lot of characters, and they didn't all quite leap off the page. It's one thing to juggle a large cast in a movie and quite another to do it in a book. The two (or three?) older men in the Altman family were so unmemorable that I don't even know how many of them there were. Alice's friends were likewise a nebulous blob outside of her coworker (but even she was barely on my radar). Alice's cousin has a husband whom I, mere days after finishing the book, don't remember if Alice meets. It's a bit rough in that sense as these characters aren't Shopkeeper #5 but friends and family of Alice and Van. They shouldn't feel so lifeless, but they do.
Still, I had a great time with this book, and it joins a small but mighty list of contemporary sapphic fiction that I didn't cringe DNF after one chapter (I'm sorry! I'm extremely sensitive to silly stereotypes and one-dimensional characters!), so that definitely counts for something.
***Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an eARC of this book.***
October 6, 2025
"While You Were Sleeping" is one of my favorite movies, its my comfort film and one I go back to time and time again, so when this was marketed as a "sapphic homage to While You Were Sleeping, a down-on-her-luck receptionist is mistaken as the girlfriend of a comatose man and doesn’t have the heart to come clean to his devastated family" I was ready to dive in.
Alice Rue is trudging through life, she has never really gotten back into the swing of living. She works nights and rarely sees anyone outside of work. We her crush drops in the middle of the night and she has to give him CPR she is mistaken for his girlfriend. Try as she might she can't seem to convince his family that she isn't his girlfriend she gets pulled into their orbit. As she spends more time with the family she finds it harder to come clean and then there is Van..
Van.. her fake boyfriends lovely sister, is everything she is looking for, someone caring, someone who really sees her and celebrates her. Only her family still thinks she is attached to Van's brother. Watching Alice navigate her history, trauma, and her ability to work through those in a very human way was a such a treat.
I enjoyed this so much, a book to pick up at anytime of the year. And the longing is delicious. Such a fun read with depth! Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced readers copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Alice Rue is trudging through life, she has never really gotten back into the swing of living. She works nights and rarely sees anyone outside of work. We her crush drops in the middle of the night and she has to give him CPR she is mistaken for his girlfriend. Try as she might she can't seem to convince his family that she isn't his girlfriend she gets pulled into their orbit. As she spends more time with the family she finds it harder to come clean and then there is Van..
Van.. her fake boyfriends lovely sister, is everything she is looking for, someone caring, someone who really sees her and celebrates her. Only her family still thinks she is attached to Van's brother. Watching Alice navigate her history, trauma, and her ability to work through those in a very human way was a such a treat.
I enjoyed this so much, a book to pick up at anytime of the year. And the longing is delicious. Such a fun read with depth! Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced readers copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 23, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for an advanced reader copy of Alice Rue Evades the Truth by Emily Zipps. Described as a sapphic homage to While You Were Sleeping, this debut novel features lonely Alice Rue, who witnesses her work crush collapse and gives him CPR. When paramedics mistake her for his girlfriend, she doesn’t correct them. Shortly thereafter, orphaned, friendless Alice is caught up in his warm family and a web of lies. She has an instant connection with her crush’s sister, Van. And as the story unfolds, Alice is forced to confront her past trauma and the reasons for why she is ingratiating herself into the family of a stranger.
I wanted to love this 90’s romcom retelling, but the execution fell a bit short for me. I struggle with relationships built on lies, poor communication and insta-love, so it took me some time to warm up to the story. The book touches on a number of difficult subjects, including death of a parent, chronic illness, and the after effects of coming out to your family, but they weren’t explored with a lot of depth. I did enjoy several of the ancillary characters, especially Van, her dog Frank, and her outspoken younger sister Maria. And I rooted for Van to get her happy ending. Readers who enjoy sapphic romance and 90’s nostalgia should check this book out. 3/5⭐️
I wanted to love this 90’s romcom retelling, but the execution fell a bit short for me. I struggle with relationships built on lies, poor communication and insta-love, so it took me some time to warm up to the story. The book touches on a number of difficult subjects, including death of a parent, chronic illness, and the after effects of coming out to your family, but they weren’t explored with a lot of depth. I did enjoy several of the ancillary characters, especially Van, her dog Frank, and her outspoken younger sister Maria. And I rooted for Van to get her happy ending. Readers who enjoy sapphic romance and 90’s nostalgia should check this book out. 3/5⭐️
September 2, 2025
2.5 ˖⁺‧✮
as the story started i was really into the plot! i loved how everything turned out and the was alice was just thrown into this random situation. she also seemed like a people pleaser with the whole, i’ll keep faking, situation. i was adoring her character until her main love interest didn’t appear.
i just didn’t like how the matched. there was no tension or chemistry or vibes between them. as separate people, yes, but as a couple ? idk
they were blunt with each other and even hot scenes weren’t making it better.
here comes also that forbidden romance? in a way it was… but i was so confused with how alice acted, i feel like it would be pretty easy to just, break up… the guy also didn’t seem super in love, so why was she holding for so long?
maybe i just didn’t understand the book as much as others? i’m not sure
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Dial Press Trade Paperback for e-arc.
as the story started i was really into the plot! i loved how everything turned out and the was alice was just thrown into this random situation. she also seemed like a people pleaser with the whole, i’ll keep faking, situation. i was adoring her character until her main love interest didn’t appear.
i just didn’t like how the matched. there was no tension or chemistry or vibes between them. as separate people, yes, but as a couple ? idk
they were blunt with each other and even hot scenes weren’t making it better.
here comes also that forbidden romance? in a way it was… but i was so confused with how alice acted, i feel like it would be pretty easy to just, break up… the guy also didn’t seem super in love, so why was she holding for so long?
maybe i just didn’t understand the book as much as others? i’m not sure
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Dial Press Trade Paperback for e-arc.
September 14, 2025
I mean, we’ve all been there. You save a man with CPR and his family mistakenly thinks you’re his girlfriend. And instead of correcting them you just go along with it. But while he’s in a coma things get even more complicated when you end up with a crush on his sister instead. His very hot, very butch sister. Tale as old as time.
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is a very entertaining sapphic romance that obviously has a wild premise. But I think that Emily Zipps does a great job at grounding the story in the characters and creating believable excuses for why Alice gets so wrapped up in the lies. Alice lost both of her parents when she was younger so she’s enjoying being a part of this big, loving family unit.
The romance between Alice and Van was excellent. There’s a lot of great tension because Van thinks that Alice is currently dating her brother. I loved the ways that Alice truly saw Van and what things made her uncomfortable with her family. And I appreciated that there were some very messy elements with Alice's character that she had to work through before she and Van got their HEA.
Definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of sapphic romances with wacky premises. The characters are completely fleshed out and have their own personal journeys in addition to a wonderful romance together.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is a very entertaining sapphic romance that obviously has a wild premise. But I think that Emily Zipps does a great job at grounding the story in the characters and creating believable excuses for why Alice gets so wrapped up in the lies. Alice lost both of her parents when she was younger so she’s enjoying being a part of this big, loving family unit.
The romance between Alice and Van was excellent. There’s a lot of great tension because Van thinks that Alice is currently dating her brother. I loved the ways that Alice truly saw Van and what things made her uncomfortable with her family. And I appreciated that there were some very messy elements with Alice's character that she had to work through before she and Van got their HEA.
Definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of sapphic romances with wacky premises. The characters are completely fleshed out and have their own personal journeys in addition to a wonderful romance together.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 27, 2025
Alice Rue Evades the Truth is such a great debut novel! It tells a raw and tender story about a girl healing from her trauma while getting caught up in some silly hijinks along the way. The pacing is realistic and slow, with moments of cringe-worthy awkwardness that felt so authentic. I especially loved the portrayal of a big family that’s only semi-accepting of their gay daughter. that’s very relatable to me personally and I thought it was done well.
My only slight hiccup was with Alice’s inner monologue at times. Do I like when people assume labels for others? No. Seeing the word “butch” used so often to describe an androgynous woman who hadn’t defined herself that way yet was tough for me to read. I know it was meant as a compliment – “hottest butch I’ve ever seen” and all – but I think using more descriptive writing to convey that vibe to the reader, rather than outright saying “butch” repeatedly, would have had a bigger impact.
I also wish some storylines had been closed- like, will the brother ever forgive her? Does he stay douchey and mad forever? I need closure!
Other than that, I absolutely loved the rest of the book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy sapphic fall read. Thank you so much for the ARC!
My only slight hiccup was with Alice’s inner monologue at times. Do I like when people assume labels for others? No. Seeing the word “butch” used so often to describe an androgynous woman who hadn’t defined herself that way yet was tough for me to read. I know it was meant as a compliment – “hottest butch I’ve ever seen” and all – but I think using more descriptive writing to convey that vibe to the reader, rather than outright saying “butch” repeatedly, would have had a bigger impact.
I also wish some storylines had been closed- like, will the brother ever forgive her? Does he stay douchey and mad forever? I need closure!
Other than that, I absolutely loved the rest of the book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy sapphic fall read. Thank you so much for the ARC!
November 20, 2025
This was an amusing romcom. Getting with the hot butch sister of your pretend comatose boyfriend is such a great premise. I will always support gay people being extremely messy and borderline immoral. I thought Alice and Van were cute together as well. However, there were certain elements that kept taking me out of the story.
I’m not a big of super insecure main characters. Alice compares herself to and talks about other people’s appearances a LOT, and it annoyed me after a while. The weird disrespect of other women just because they were “hot and skinny,” despite being normal and nice people. The throwaway comment about Isabella looking older than her age after having kids. It just all felt unnecessary.
I also don’t understand why the Altmans had to be portrayed as homophobic. The whole point of Alice lying to them was because they were so sweet and she wanted to be apart of the family. I don’t see how that urge was still so strong after witnessing the way they treated Van. I felt like that whole dynamic could have been removed.
I’m not a big of super insecure main characters. Alice compares herself to and talks about other people’s appearances a LOT, and it annoyed me after a while. The weird disrespect of other women just because they were “hot and skinny,” despite being normal and nice people. The throwaway comment about Isabella looking older than her age after having kids. It just all felt unnecessary.
I also don’t understand why the Altmans had to be portrayed as homophobic. The whole point of Alice lying to them was because they were so sweet and she wanted to be apart of the family. I don’t see how that urge was still so strong after witnessing the way they treated Van. I felt like that whole dynamic could have been removed.
Read
January 6, 2026my irl book club 'mixed stacks & endless snacks' has very quickly become one of my favourite days of the month, & it feels so good to finally be hitting our stride with scheduling & book selections! this month, we read 'alice rue evades the truth' by @emilyzipps and this was very easily our best discussion yet! this book was so fun, especially for those who love both queer love stories & 90s romcom classics (this one's a 'while you were sleeping' inspired story!).
what made this discussion shine was being able to chat with emily for the second half of our discussion, and ask her questions not only about the book (what does frank REALLY look like?!), but also the personal pieces that went into creating these characters, and the process of getting this debut published. thank you so much emily for your insightful responses to our questions!
what made this discussion shine was being able to chat with emily for the second half of our discussion, and ask her questions not only about the book (what does frank REALLY look like?!), but also the personal pieces that went into creating these characters, and the process of getting this debut published. thank you so much emily for your insightful responses to our questions!
October 28, 2025
This is an ARC review thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Random House.
This book was gifted to me since the publisher thought I would like this based on a previous NetGalley ARC rating I provided. I had zero expectations but man…let me tell you! I ate this book up! LITERALLY finished in a day! It makes me want to watch While You Were Sleeping now to compare. BUT honestly, the story was just *chefs kiss.* This is not my usual genre but I fell in love. It truly shows that love conquers all and even those with chronic illnesses deserve a chance at love. It has lies, family bonding, trauma, and so much more in this book. By far one of my favorite reads this year! The depth to this story is just AMAZING
This book was gifted to me since the publisher thought I would like this based on a previous NetGalley ARC rating I provided. I had zero expectations but man…let me tell you! I ate this book up! LITERALLY finished in a day! It makes me want to watch While You Were Sleeping now to compare. BUT honestly, the story was just *chefs kiss.* This is not my usual genre but I fell in love. It truly shows that love conquers all and even those with chronic illnesses deserve a chance at love. It has lies, family bonding, trauma, and so much more in this book. By far one of my favorite reads this year! The depth to this story is just AMAZING
July 3, 2025
Sapphic While You Were Sleeping romance between a night shift receptionist with baggage just getting through the day and the sister of the man she saved whose whole family thinks they were dating.
Pros: I really enjoyed Alice’s background and establishment as a character; it was really interesting to read about her life and struggles and how those impacted who she became as an adult. They also make for very interesting dynamics with the rest of the Altmans. Zepps takes some serious issues and topics and confronts how they may realistically affect a person while still balancing the fact that this is a relatively light hearted romance. The Altmans as a whole are so charming and funny and sweet it’s easy to see how Alice fell in love with them all. The author’s pacing and her writing are strong, and I really enjoyed both the narration and Alice’s strong inner voice.
Some criticisms: I wish this had happened over a longer period of time. I had a hard time believing Alice had developed such strong feelings for Van and others within a three week period, and the way she talks about them after less than a month just made me cringe sometimes. I felt like I was reading about a woman with a parasocial attachment to people she barely knows who really should just be going to therapy.
Additionally, Van and Alice’s interactions are so primarily just narrating their past traumas to each other without really getting to know each other? And they only have maybe half a dozen one on one interactions on page at that. In all, I didn’t really get the whole deep emotional connection they were supposed to have. It felt more like Alice was in love with the idea of Van, just like she had been with Nolan, than the actual woman.
TLDR: Zipps is a strong writer and I’d like to see her on a different concept! This isn’t my favorite plotline honestly, but I got auto-approved for the arc, and I probably will read more from this author if there is a concept I like!
I was sent a free digital arc of this book; the review is honest.
Pros: I really enjoyed Alice’s background and establishment as a character; it was really interesting to read about her life and struggles and how those impacted who she became as an adult. They also make for very interesting dynamics with the rest of the Altmans. Zepps takes some serious issues and topics and confronts how they may realistically affect a person while still balancing the fact that this is a relatively light hearted romance. The Altmans as a whole are so charming and funny and sweet it’s easy to see how Alice fell in love with them all. The author’s pacing and her writing are strong, and I really enjoyed both the narration and Alice’s strong inner voice.
Some criticisms: I wish this had happened over a longer period of time. I had a hard time believing Alice had developed such strong feelings for Van and others within a three week period, and the way she talks about them after less than a month just made me cringe sometimes. I felt like I was reading about a woman with a parasocial attachment to people she barely knows who really should just be going to therapy.
Additionally, Van and Alice’s interactions are so primarily just narrating their past traumas to each other without really getting to know each other? And they only have maybe half a dozen one on one interactions on page at that. In all, I didn’t really get the whole deep emotional connection they were supposed to have. It felt more like Alice was in love with the idea of Van, just like she had been with Nolan, than the actual woman.
TLDR: Zipps is a strong writer and I’d like to see her on a different concept! This isn’t my favorite plotline honestly, but I got auto-approved for the arc, and I probably will read more from this author if there is a concept I like!
I was sent a free digital arc of this book; the review is honest.
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