Bliss

by Amy DeMeritt

For most, an instant attraction to a potential partner on the first date brings hope and excitement. But for Callie, it causes the past to rear its ugly head and causes her to act out of character, nearly costing her a chance at the kind of love she wants and deserves.

Alex, however, is cautiously patient, knowing her best friend wouldn’t have set her up with an awful person. Little by little, the ice melts and they begin to understand why their mutual friend thought they’d be good together. Sharing a similar past with manipulative exes is the least of those reasons but does help them to understand each other.

As their relationship begins to feel solid, and love blossoms anew in their hearts, the past comes crashing back into their lives again. Literally.

For most, having an ex become temporarily dependent upon your girlfriend would cause one to have doubts, fears, and maybe experience jealousy. But Callie knows how Alex’s ex was in their relationship, and how wonderful Alex is in theirs. Callie isn’t going to allow the past to jeopardize her chance at happily ever after with Alex, not again.

With the support of their best friends, and trusting in their love and fidelity, helping Alex’s ex helps all three heal from the past and experience hope and excitement for the future.

Genres: Lesbian

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2025

About the author

Amy DeMeritt is an author of Sapphic romance and an occasional poet. She is a lover of the arts, coffee and tea, a day of sitting on the beach watching the waves crashing against the shore, and good books and music to get lost in. (A good thunderstorm is one of her favorite forms of music.)

Amy takes inspiration from every experience in life and gives her imagination full reign to take a small detail and expand it into an intricate tale. Weaving experience, interests, and even pushing the boundaries of personal comfort, Amy’s stories take a reader on a journey of varying emotions and the joys and trials of love, romance, and growing as an individual, all of which are embodied in an entertaining plot with complex characters.

Reviews

[cloverxheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐
The romance and characters definitely deserve 5 stars and I was enjoying the first 200 pages immensely.
But then the part with Alex's ex started and I wasn't interested whatsoever.
It was a very interesting and unique choice to make for this book, but sadly I believe it was the wrong choice.
I did appreciate how supportive Callie was though.
I would've been content to read a hundred more pages of them just being a cute couple and going on dates.
But because we didn't get that at all in the last 100 pages I felt like the book should've been longer to give us more of them being a happy and domestic couple.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was okay but probably didn’t need to be as long as it was. the two women are pretty secure in their relationship early on and there’s no real angst to contend with so it makes the last 50% of the book basically pointless.

[Michelle Schuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bliss

As usual, Amy DeMeritt sets off happy endorphins upon finishing her book.
The excellent chemistry starts off strong and continues to grow throughout the story.
I enjoy reading the well-developed characters, as well as the secondary ones. The friends and other characters added to the story nicely. I have enjoyed each of DeMeritt's contemporary romances that I've read. I will continue to follow her in the future and look forward to any new release that comes our way.

[Shannon Luchies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alex meets Callie for a blind date... then Callie acts like a flaming asshole.

Nild gripe: Alex forgives Callie both too easily and quickly. With how dickish Callie was, I didn't buy it.

We do find out Callie had a awful ex, but yeah. OK, so did Alex, and you'll note she's not a mean girl.

The romance is well written, and i liked the friends Jocelyn and Hannah. But yeah, still can't get over how ick Callie was.

2.5 stars out of 5.

[Gina L · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Exciting Feel Good Read!

I love Amy DeMeritt’s standalone books. This one was just a sweet over all good story about honesty in a new relationship. As time goes by everyday life has changed for two people who have been hurt by past loves. Forced together on a blind date, one that did not start too well but ultimately changing for the better. A must read if you’re a fan.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love at first sight

Well maybe not at first sight but pretty close. Alex and Callie are adorable together, the love they build in such a short time is a dream come. Bumps along the way but happily ever after is within sight! 5 🌟

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I’ll be honest: the way Callie acted in the beginning was almost a dealbreaker for me. If this had been written by anyone other than DeMeritt, I probably would’ve dropped it. But I trust her, so I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did… mostly.

Alex is a very typical DeMeritt protagonist: basically perfect, endlessly thoughtful, and impossible not to like. I love that kind of character, but I’ve definitely read a few too many variations of her at this point. That said, once I got past the rocky intro, Callie and Alex were genuinely sweet together.

It was surprising that so much of the story ended up focusing on Alex helping her ex recover from a traumatic car crash. I actually liked that shift. It gave the story more emotional weight, and Callie’s support through all of it was a highlight. Still, I can’t fully let go of how jarring Callie’s behavior was early on. I know it was meant to be out of character, but it still left a red flag impression I couldn’t totally shake.

Overall, another feel-good story from DeMeritt that makes the world feel a little kinder, even if it stumbled out of the gate.