What do you think?
Thighs Wide Shut
When Emma hits her quarter-life crisis and moves back to the city where she went to college, she finds herself neighbors with the boy whose heart she broke five years earlier in this heartfelt and witty second-chance debut romcom.
Emma thought her late twenties couldn’t get more complicated after she quit her teaching job and moved across the country to figure out what comes next. Her new life in Boston is filled with more than enough to worry a basement apartment full of disorganized boxes, a resistance to finding love, a medical condition that holds her back from putting herself out there, and on top of it all she hears a familiar voice from the apartment above …Harrison.
Emma hasn’t seen Harrison since an explosive fight ended their college friendship and closed the door on anything more between them—and now she can hear the details of his active dating life one floor above her. Emma only has herself to blame; her inability to be vulnerable with Harrison drove him away, and now, he’s a guinea pig-owning pediatric nurse in a well-decorated apartment. Harrison has grown into someone else, but those old feelings are, somehow, stronger than Emma remembers.
Despite the opportunity of a second chance with Harrison, Emma remains wary of romance until she figures out how to manage the painful and involuntary pelvic floor contractions caused by her condition, so she doesn’t have to fear physical intimacy. She hopes to avoid ever having to open up emotionally about the condition – but can she learn to let her loved ones in?
Equal parts humor and heart, Thighs Wide Shut is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt their body is a barrier to their happiness and a charming exploration of the beauty of allowing vulnerability to take the lead.
Emma thought her late twenties couldn’t get more complicated after she quit her teaching job and moved across the country to figure out what comes next. Her new life in Boston is filled with more than enough to worry a basement apartment full of disorganized boxes, a resistance to finding love, a medical condition that holds her back from putting herself out there, and on top of it all she hears a familiar voice from the apartment above …Harrison.
Emma hasn’t seen Harrison since an explosive fight ended their college friendship and closed the door on anything more between them—and now she can hear the details of his active dating life one floor above her. Emma only has herself to blame; her inability to be vulnerable with Harrison drove him away, and now, he’s a guinea pig-owning pediatric nurse in a well-decorated apartment. Harrison has grown into someone else, but those old feelings are, somehow, stronger than Emma remembers.
Despite the opportunity of a second chance with Harrison, Emma remains wary of romance until she figures out how to manage the painful and involuntary pelvic floor contractions caused by her condition, so she doesn’t have to fear physical intimacy. She hopes to avoid ever having to open up emotionally about the condition – but can she learn to let her loved ones in?
Equal parts humor and heart, Thighs Wide Shut is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt their body is a barrier to their happiness and a charming exploration of the beauty of allowing vulnerability to take the lead.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 stars
I don’t know how to feel about this one.
The main character, Emma, has vaginismus and that features heavily in the story. I liked that aspect. It’s an important topic, it affects many women, and it should be talked about more. I can’t comment on how accurate the representation was, but it felt quite well done to me.
It’s just... this didn’t really feel like a romance. I know next to nothing about the love interest, Harrison, I don’t know how/why they fell in love at university, and they barely spent time together as a couple. Most of this story dealt with her vaginismus, her lack of trust and horrible communication skills, and her thinking about how she wants to be with Harrison but then pushing him away again.
Emma, as a main character, was frustrating and annoying. I just never warmed to her. She’s still stuck on Harrison, the guy from university, whom she could’ve been with already had she not ruined their relationship years ago. And I understood why that happened in university, that made sense to me. I actually thought it was a valid reason and a great set-up for a second chance romance. It’d have tied everything together, her working on her vaginismus and at the same time working on her views on sex and her trust and communication issues.
But then none of that really happened in a satisfying way? She had these outdated views on sex and intimacy, which we were told stem from her going to high school in Miami and receiving the worst sex ed possible. And that became my biggest issue with this story.
At first, I kind of liked this angle, even though I found it a bit strange that she’s like 28 now, had friends who told her multiple times in this book that she’s wrong and that sex is way more than “P in V” as she so eloquently put it and that she should finally let go of these notions. She also knew how to read and had access to the internet but still thought that penetrative sex is the only way to have sex and that’s also all any man could ever want?? Okay..
But I was willing to go with it because I wanted to see her get over it, I wanted the character development. I wanted her to let go of this before getting with Harrison who would obviously be the perfect man. But she didn’t really. She still thought like that way later in the story even though her best friend talked to her about it multiple times? And then it felt kind of weird ngl. Why are you holding on to that? At a certain point it just made me uncomfortable reading about how if a guy can’t stick his dick in her, he can’t possibly want her because that’s all any guy wants.
It maybe would have made sense to me if she’d had a bad encounter with some guy who might have said some shit like that, but that didn’t happen. So while I did understand why she would be very insecure about her condition as a student, who just found out about it, I really didn’t understand why she still believed all of that 10 years or so later. This also became an issue with Harrison again, and she pushed him away because of it AGAIN. That was so frustrating.
And yeah, basically immediately after she’s like oh no, I ruined everything, but no worries, I’m going to fix it because surprise I trust him completely now.
I didn’t care anymore at that point, it didn’t feel genuine, just fabricated to give the story its mandatory HEA.
So yeah, idk about this one. Maybe it’s more enjoyable for someone who isn’t as bothered about the way the mc talks and thinks about sex throughout the whole book. I just couldn’t get over it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
__
Next up on my list of arcs ✨🤭
I don’t know how to feel about this one.
The main character, Emma, has vaginismus and that features heavily in the story. I liked that aspect. It’s an important topic, it affects many women, and it should be talked about more. I can’t comment on how accurate the representation was, but it felt quite well done to me.
It’s just... this didn’t really feel like a romance. I know next to nothing about the love interest, Harrison, I don’t know how/why they fell in love at university, and they barely spent time together as a couple. Most of this story dealt with her vaginismus, her lack of trust and horrible communication skills, and her thinking about how she wants to be with Harrison but then pushing him away again.
Emma, as a main character, was frustrating and annoying. I just never warmed to her. She’s still stuck on Harrison, the guy from university, whom she could’ve been with already had she not ruined their relationship years ago. And I understood why that happened in university, that made sense to me. I actually thought it was a valid reason and a great set-up for a second chance romance. It’d have tied everything together, her working on her vaginismus and at the same time working on her views on sex and her trust and communication issues.
But then none of that really happened in a satisfying way? She had these outdated views on sex and intimacy, which we were told stem from her going to high school in Miami and receiving the worst sex ed possible. And that became my biggest issue with this story.
At first, I kind of liked this angle, even though I found it a bit strange that she’s like 28 now, had friends who told her multiple times in this book that she’s wrong and that sex is way more than “P in V” as she so eloquently put it and that she should finally let go of these notions. She also knew how to read and had access to the internet but still thought that penetrative sex is the only way to have sex and that’s also all any man could ever want?? Okay..
But I was willing to go with it because I wanted to see her get over it, I wanted the character development. I wanted her to let go of this before getting with Harrison who would obviously be the perfect man. But she didn’t really. She still thought like that way later in the story even though her best friend talked to her about it multiple times? And then it felt kind of weird ngl. Why are you holding on to that? At a certain point it just made me uncomfortable reading about how if a guy can’t stick his dick in her, he can’t possibly want her because that’s all any guy wants.
It maybe would have made sense to me if she’d had a bad encounter with some guy who might have said some shit like that, but that didn’t happen. So while I did understand why she would be very insecure about her condition as a student, who just found out about it, I really didn’t understand why she still believed all of that 10 years or so later. This also became an issue with Harrison again, and she pushed him away because of it AGAIN. That was so frustrating.
And yeah, basically immediately after she’s like oh no, I ruined everything, but no worries, I’m going to fix it because surprise I trust him completely now.
I didn’t care anymore at that point, it didn’t feel genuine, just fabricated to give the story its mandatory HEA.
So yeah, idk about this one. Maybe it’s more enjoyable for someone who isn’t as bothered about the way the mc talks and thinks about sex throughout the whole book. I just couldn’t get over it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
__
Next up on my list of arcs ✨🤭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2026
TL;DR: A tender, funny second-chance romance with great vaginismus representation, painfully relatable late-20s angst, and a swoony guinea-pig-dad hero. Emotional, validating, and very easy to root for—even when the characters are getting in their own way.
Full Review: Emma’s back in Boston after five years, and her new upstairs neighbor just happens to be Harrison—the man whose heart she broke. Emma is determined to do better this time. Especially when it comes to sticking with her pelvic floor therapy for vaginismus. She’ll do anything… except be honest.
This book hits a few different chords for me. First, I loved the representation of vaginismus. You can really see how deeply it’s affected Emma over the years, and that’s exactly why this kind of representation matters. We all carry our own baggage, and seeing a story centered on this experience made me feel so much empathy for people who live with this condition. It was handled with a lot of care and humanity.
On top of that, the weight of your late 20s is such a universal struggle. Twenty-seven is a hard age. You’re technically an adult, but it still feels like the world expects you to have everything figured out overnight.
Emma’s late-20s crisis was incredibly relatable and, honestly, really validating. Your 20s are freaking hard.
And the romance? Freaking precious. Glasses-wearing, guinea-pig-dad with dimples? Be serious. The tension between Emma and Harrison is undeniable, and you can’t help but root for both of them to grow into themselves as adults and find their way back to each other. Some of the self-inflicted problems did get on my nerves—but in a very real way. Sometimes we really are our own worst enemies.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Full Review: Emma’s back in Boston after five years, and her new upstairs neighbor just happens to be Harrison—the man whose heart she broke. Emma is determined to do better this time. Especially when it comes to sticking with her pelvic floor therapy for vaginismus. She’ll do anything… except be honest.
This book hits a few different chords for me. First, I loved the representation of vaginismus. You can really see how deeply it’s affected Emma over the years, and that’s exactly why this kind of representation matters. We all carry our own baggage, and seeing a story centered on this experience made me feel so much empathy for people who live with this condition. It was handled with a lot of care and humanity.
On top of that, the weight of your late 20s is such a universal struggle. Twenty-seven is a hard age. You’re technically an adult, but it still feels like the world expects you to have everything figured out overnight.
Emma’s late-20s crisis was incredibly relatable and, honestly, really validating. Your 20s are freaking hard.
And the romance? Freaking precious. Glasses-wearing, guinea-pig-dad with dimples? Be serious. The tension between Emma and Harrison is undeniable, and you can’t help but root for both of them to grow into themselves as adults and find their way back to each other. Some of the self-inflicted problems did get on my nerves—but in a very real way. Sometimes we really are our own worst enemies.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2026
first and foremost, i have to give hayley fleming her flowers for this title. i love a clever title, and this one is what originally caught my eye when i first wanted to read this book! i also really appreciate that it’s funny while still expressing one of the most prevalent sentiments of the story. often times i feel like one is sacrificed for the other.
but anyway, let’s get to the meat & potatoes here: the actual story behind the punny title. this review was another case where i didn’t have the easiest time figuring out my rating — while i found the book itself to be lacking in some areas, one of the few i really enjoyed was the representation found here. the main character, emma, has vaginismus, and dealing with this condition has wreaked havoc on her life, particularly her self-confidence and romantic relationships (and, in harrison’s case, her friendship-turned-potential-romance). i didn’t know much about this condition before reading emma’s story, so i can’t speak to the actual accuracy of its portrayal, but i feel as though i learned a lot! i felt like its impact on her life was realistic, and she wasn’t magically healed by harrison’s presence — i appreciated that it took time and commitment to her therapy in order to make progress in a realistic fashion.
speaking of harrison, though, did that dude have any interests outside of emma and (supposedly) pediatric nursing? i feel like flat stanley had more depth than this guy. it’s really a shame, because i feel like even emma’s best friend got more opportunity to express herself than he did. i still don’t really understand why he chose to be a pediatric nurse instead of a lawyer like his parents, nor do i have any idea why the guy chose to have a guinea pig. i don’t really know who he is at all outside of being someone who’s madly in love with emma, and has been for years. while i’m certainly someone who will always support the agenda of “men should be seen and not heard”, if you must have a man in your story… maybe give him some characterization. just a thought!
overall, i’m still giving this a decent rating because i always want to encourage positive representation in the books i read. while i felt like harrison could use some fleshing out (and emma was a touch quirky for me at times), i think it’s important to pay attention to characters that are different from ourselves, and for that reason, this story still provided me with something valuable.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
but anyway, let’s get to the meat & potatoes here: the actual story behind the punny title. this review was another case where i didn’t have the easiest time figuring out my rating — while i found the book itself to be lacking in some areas, one of the few i really enjoyed was the representation found here. the main character, emma, has vaginismus, and dealing with this condition has wreaked havoc on her life, particularly her self-confidence and romantic relationships (and, in harrison’s case, her friendship-turned-potential-romance). i didn’t know much about this condition before reading emma’s story, so i can’t speak to the actual accuracy of its portrayal, but i feel as though i learned a lot! i felt like its impact on her life was realistic, and she wasn’t magically healed by harrison’s presence — i appreciated that it took time and commitment to her therapy in order to make progress in a realistic fashion.
speaking of harrison, though, did that dude have any interests outside of emma and (supposedly) pediatric nursing? i feel like flat stanley had more depth than this guy. it’s really a shame, because i feel like even emma’s best friend got more opportunity to express herself than he did. i still don’t really understand why he chose to be a pediatric nurse instead of a lawyer like his parents, nor do i have any idea why the guy chose to have a guinea pig. i don’t really know who he is at all outside of being someone who’s madly in love with emma, and has been for years. while i’m certainly someone who will always support the agenda of “men should be seen and not heard”, if you must have a man in your story… maybe give him some characterization. just a thought!
overall, i’m still giving this a decent rating because i always want to encourage positive representation in the books i read. while i felt like harrison could use some fleshing out (and emma was a touch quirky for me at times), i think it’s important to pay attention to characters that are different from ourselves, and for that reason, this story still provided me with something valuable.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2026
as frustrating as this could be at times i rly loved
August 12, 2026
I read this and loved it and you should read it because you’ll love it too :)))
To learn more though….substack incoming
To learn more though….substack incoming
March 4, 2026
3.5 stars! I have mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand, I truly appreciated the central theme and Emma’s experience with vaginismus. I knew almost nothing about this condition before reading, and I found it refreshing to see women’s health explored so openly in fiction. Sex education—especially when it comes to women’s bodies—feels incredibly lacking. In public school, all I really remember learning was a long list of STDs. Everything else—periods, menstrual cycles, hormones, reproductive health, birth control—I’ve had to learn on my own. So many women grow up not fully understanding their own bodies, and I loved that this book shed light on something that deserves more conversation and awareness.
That said, the execution felt lacking in some areas.
I love fully developed characters, and I don’t feel like we truly got to know Harrison. We’re told he doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents—but why? Is it only because he didn’t want to become a lawyer like them? And if so, what shaped his desire to become a pediatric nurse instead? There was so much potential for depth there that just wasn’t explored.
I also wanted more context around Harrison and Stephanie’s breakup. We’re given a reason for why their relationship ends, but it felt a bit underdeveloped. Stephanie and Emma didn’t spend much time together before everything shifted, and I would have loved a clearer understanding of Stephanie’s perspective. I’m all for trusting a gut instinct, but the emotional fallout felt rushed, and I found myself wanting more depth in that moment.
Emma’s career arc also left me wanting more. She quit teaching because she didn’t love it the way she thought she was supposed to—but she clearly thrives when hosting book clubs and talking to students about banned books. It felt like there was an opportunity for her to discover a career path that still involved literature without being a traditional public school teacher. While the story focused heavily on her personal healing and relationship with Harrison, her professional uncertainty didn’t feel fully resolved.
And then there was Macy texting Emma about helping surprise Jo… and nothing came of it. It felt like a loose thread that didn’t lead anywhere.
Overall, I loved the topic of this book. Vaginismus and women’s health deserve more visibility in fiction, and conversations about sex and our bodies shouldn’t feel taboo. But despite the strong premise, there were several loose ends that left me with unanswered questions. I honestly would have loved another 100 pages—especially to give Harrison more depth and to tie everything together more fully.
On one hand, I truly appreciated the central theme and Emma’s experience with vaginismus. I knew almost nothing about this condition before reading, and I found it refreshing to see women’s health explored so openly in fiction. Sex education—especially when it comes to women’s bodies—feels incredibly lacking. In public school, all I really remember learning was a long list of STDs. Everything else—periods, menstrual cycles, hormones, reproductive health, birth control—I’ve had to learn on my own. So many women grow up not fully understanding their own bodies, and I loved that this book shed light on something that deserves more conversation and awareness.
That said, the execution felt lacking in some areas.
I love fully developed characters, and I don’t feel like we truly got to know Harrison. We’re told he doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents—but why? Is it only because he didn’t want to become a lawyer like them? And if so, what shaped his desire to become a pediatric nurse instead? There was so much potential for depth there that just wasn’t explored.
I also wanted more context around Harrison and Stephanie’s breakup. We’re given a reason for why their relationship ends, but it felt a bit underdeveloped. Stephanie and Emma didn’t spend much time together before everything shifted, and I would have loved a clearer understanding of Stephanie’s perspective. I’m all for trusting a gut instinct, but the emotional fallout felt rushed, and I found myself wanting more depth in that moment.
Emma’s career arc also left me wanting more. She quit teaching because she didn’t love it the way she thought she was supposed to—but she clearly thrives when hosting book clubs and talking to students about banned books. It felt like there was an opportunity for her to discover a career path that still involved literature without being a traditional public school teacher. While the story focused heavily on her personal healing and relationship with Harrison, her professional uncertainty didn’t feel fully resolved.
And then there was Macy texting Emma about helping surprise Jo… and nothing came of it. It felt like a loose thread that didn’t lead anywhere.
Overall, I loved the topic of this book. Vaginismus and women’s health deserve more visibility in fiction, and conversations about sex and our bodies shouldn’t feel taboo. But despite the strong premise, there were several loose ends that left me with unanswered questions. I honestly would have loved another 100 pages—especially to give Harrison more depth and to tie everything together more fully.
July 24, 2026
This debut novel by Hayley Fleming delves into a topic that I’ve rarely heard about before and most certainly never seen written about in a romance novel. Vaginismus is a condition that causes the pelvic floor muscles to tense up and make it painful for any insertion such as a tampon, medical device or penetrative sex. I’ve never really heard much about this condition and it was handled in such a way to provide meaningful insight while also allowing our main character to work through the emotional aspects of the syndrome.
Emma and Harrison develop a deep friendship that they both feel a connection that may go deeper but they don’t explore that until the last night of college. Emma never shares her condition with him even though he is studying to become a nurse and could possibly have a better understanding of what she’s experiencing.
I felt like Harrison was fully within his rights to be angry with Emma about her refusal to open up to him. I think there were times when I felt Emma’s immaturity or her lack of communication was enough to put me off reading this book but I hung in there and felt their arc came to a beautiful conclusion. I loved the authors personal story and appreciated that she wanted to bring awareness for others about this condition and do it with sensitivity and care. I recommend this one!
Emma and Harrison develop a deep friendship that they both feel a connection that may go deeper but they don’t explore that until the last night of college. Emma never shares her condition with him even though he is studying to become a nurse and could possibly have a better understanding of what she’s experiencing.
I felt like Harrison was fully within his rights to be angry with Emma about her refusal to open up to him. I think there were times when I felt Emma’s immaturity or her lack of communication was enough to put me off reading this book but I hung in there and felt their arc came to a beautiful conclusion. I loved the authors personal story and appreciated that she wanted to bring awareness for others about this condition and do it with sensitivity and care. I recommend this one!
July 14, 2026
I thought the premise here really sounded interesting, but it just didn't live up to what I was hoping for.
To start, our main character, Emma is kind of the worst? She's stuck in a state of arrested development, is actively lusting over/trying to be with someone who is in a relationship, is hiding things from everyone who cares about her, and drops her best friend (who she moved to be closer to) once a guy starts to show interest in her. She talks a lot about her college days and you really would've felt she was still a late teen/early 20-something based on her behavior.
Then there's her love interest, Harrison, who may even be worse than Emma. He's not fully formed. I can't tell you anything about his personality or his likes and dislikes other than his parents are divorced, his mom is a borderline depressive, and both his parents are very disappointed that he became a pediatric nurse instead of a lawyer. Oh and the moment his estranged best friend of five years shows up he kicks his girlfriend to the curb.
And their romance? It did't make any sense. He's clearly extremely hurt by how they left things in college and repeatedly tells her he doesn't want anything from her but then they're flirting and doing more? There was no chemistry or actual build up.
I had SO much trouble actual visualizing these characters. I couldn't picture them in my head...they were just there.
I thought the vaginismus hook of the book was fairly well done (though maybe it's just me, but I feel like Emma let that just sit on the backburner for far too long) and I do applaud the author for writing about something so personal to her and so unknown.
Overall, not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Dial Press for the ARC.
To start, our main character, Emma is kind of the worst? She's stuck in a state of arrested development, is actively lusting over/trying to be with someone who is in a relationship, is hiding things from everyone who cares about her, and drops her best friend (who she moved to be closer to) once a guy starts to show interest in her. She talks a lot about her college days and you really would've felt she was still a late teen/early 20-something based on her behavior.
Then there's her love interest, Harrison, who may even be worse than Emma. He's not fully formed. I can't tell you anything about his personality or his likes and dislikes other than his parents are divorced, his mom is a borderline depressive, and both his parents are very disappointed that he became a pediatric nurse instead of a lawyer. Oh and the moment his estranged best friend of five years shows up he kicks his girlfriend to the curb.
And their romance? It did't make any sense. He's clearly extremely hurt by how they left things in college and repeatedly tells her he doesn't want anything from her but then they're flirting and doing more? There was no chemistry or actual build up.
I had SO much trouble actual visualizing these characters. I couldn't picture them in my head...they were just there.
I thought the vaginismus hook of the book was fairly well done (though maybe it's just me, but I feel like Emma let that just sit on the backburner for far too long) and I do applaud the author for writing about something so personal to her and so unknown.
Overall, not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Dial Press for the ARC.
August 15, 2026
3.5⭐️A debut that is clearly so personal to the author has to be celebrated for its bravery and authenticity!👏🏼The vaginismus representation was great and made Emma so easy to root for. That being said, I think Harrison’s character needed more development beyond his love for her.
Summary:
Emma’s quarter-life crisis at 27 is a doozy - she quit her teaching job in Florida and moved back to Boston (where she went to college) to support and work alongside her best friend, Jo, (who just took over her parents’ coffee shop) only to find that living in the unit above her basement apartment is Harrison Carter, the one who got away… because she broke his heart. He’s now a guinea pig-owning pediatric nurse in a well-decorated apartment and her old feelings for him are coming back stronger than ever before. She and Harrison were the absolute best of friends in college with the potential for so much more, but a devastating fight on the night of their graduation five years ago ended their friendship and the hope of anything more between them. Emma was diagnosed with vaginismus at 17 and in addition to it having kept Emma from ever putting herself out there in the dating world, it was the primary reason why she eventually pushed Harrison away. Her difficult relationship with her own body and the way intimacy has always brought her pain made it seem impossible to tell him or be that open and vulnerable with anyone. But now this feels like a second chance! She is determined to *Do Better* and feels like she shouldn’t lead him on until her pelvic floor therapy progresses to the point where she can better manage the painful contractions so she doesn’t have to fear physical intimacy. If anyone could ever be patient and supportive enough to be a true partner as she works through her body’s limits, it’s Harrison. She can’t rewrite the past, but if she can finally open herself up to him, they could be closer than they ever were before - true soulmates.
Spoilery thoughts…
The self-conflict between Emma and her body was really the heart of this story - the way her vaginismus is described and how it weighed on her for years has me feeling nothing but empathy and care for the people who live with this condition. While her vaginismus was not a relatable struggle for me, the way Emma was navigating being a late 20-something starting over and figuring it all out but feeling like your falling behind was suuuuper relatable.
Emma felt like her body was a barrier to her happiness and the vaginismus representation really helped me understand her character. She was quirky and self-deprecating, if a little self-sabotaging. Her friendship with Jo was a highlight for me (did her best friend get more development than the MMC?????👀) and I would love to see more of her relationship with Macy… maybe their own book?🤞🏼
Emma and Harrison could both be their own worst enemies at times, but there definitely was a sense of depth to their connection, even if it was sometimes chalked up to ‘history’ and ‘college memories’ and wasn’t all on-page beyond a flashback or a random shared experience. For me, Harrison’s character arc did not get the development it needed. He is either painted as a pushover for his mom or simping over Emma and a POV chapter could’ve helped get inside his head and learn his deeper feelings, motivations, and desires. The ‘five years ago’ chapter was crucial to understanding their friend-breakup, but I wanted more! What were those five years like for him? We know he was devastated because of comments from his mom, but getting an inner monologue from him or even having him open up to her more about the ways he has grown and changed and hoped and tried would’ve been special.
Memorable moments and quotes:
- The dictionary of facial expressions was cute and original.😄🤨😟😏😧🥰
- ‘I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about intimacy. Or rather, the fact that I’m not able to have it. It’s similar to being horny all the time, but not really, because I’m dealing with conflicting desires to have sex and also not to be in pain, which would require me not to have sex. So do I want to have sex, or do I not want to have sex? I don’t know, but the word “sex” appears in my brain a lot.’🧠
- The IRONY on page 152 of Harrison admiring the way Emma faced her problems head-on, when in fact the problem that kept them apart is still one she’s keeping a secret.😣
- “I’m your biggest fan, Em.” “Even now?” “Even now.”☺️
- FIRST KISS on pg. 202!!! “Shut up and kiss me, idiot. This is the best kiss of my life and you’re ruining it.”😋“Best kiss of your life, huh? … Mine, too.”💋
- This MISCOMMUNICATION trope is one for the ages! He assumed she was only into casual one-night stands in college because she sarcastically answered him without correcting his assumptions when in fact she is a virgin.🤯
- ‘I wish I could say I know his body as well as I know his mind, but that wouldn’t be true. This body is as new to me as a stranger’s but a hundred times more exciting and a thousand times more special.’🙃
- ‘That’s the thing about accidentally falling in love with your best friend. It happens slowly, over years – four years, in this case – and you don’t realize it’s happened until you wake up one day and realize you know everything about them. You’ve gone from asking how they’re feeling to knowing instinctively how they feel. You’ve created a whole dictionary of their facial expressions and you have the whole thing memorized. You’re suddenly only cracking jokes you know they’ll laugh at because you’ve accidentally learned the ins and outs of their sense of humor… You’ve learned they love you in a more than platonic way, and you’ve realized you love them in a more than platonic way too, even though you lied to yourself and to them about it, and you’ve realized they definitely know you’re lying.’💜
- Harrison: “I can’t imagine my life without you, and I shouldn’t have waited until now to tell you. You mean the entire world to me. And I don’t understand it, but you make me feel like myself. Like when I’m with you, that’s who I really am. That’s the truest version of Harrison.”🥹
- ‘So what if my vagina is tight? It’s overprotective. It’s just choosy about what it lets inside… Me, too, I suppose. Much like my vagina, I’ve always been picky about who I open up to.’🤭
- Visiting him studying abroad and she realizes… (1) My feelings were justified, because (2) Soulmates do exist, and (3) I had one.😍
This slow-burn slow-burned until literally the last page! It was an interesting choice to leave off where it did, but Emma is still a work in progress and the epilogue shows she has a true partner in love and life with whom to navigate her vaginismus.
Summary:
Emma’s quarter-life crisis at 27 is a doozy - she quit her teaching job in Florida and moved back to Boston (where she went to college) to support and work alongside her best friend, Jo, (who just took over her parents’ coffee shop) only to find that living in the unit above her basement apartment is Harrison Carter, the one who got away… because she broke his heart. He’s now a guinea pig-owning pediatric nurse in a well-decorated apartment and her old feelings for him are coming back stronger than ever before. She and Harrison were the absolute best of friends in college with the potential for so much more, but a devastating fight on the night of their graduation five years ago ended their friendship and the hope of anything more between them. Emma was diagnosed with vaginismus at 17 and in addition to it having kept Emma from ever putting herself out there in the dating world, it was the primary reason why she eventually pushed Harrison away. Her difficult relationship with her own body and the way intimacy has always brought her pain made it seem impossible to tell him or be that open and vulnerable with anyone. But now this feels like a second chance! She is determined to *Do Better* and feels like she shouldn’t lead him on until her pelvic floor therapy progresses to the point where she can better manage the painful contractions so she doesn’t have to fear physical intimacy. If anyone could ever be patient and supportive enough to be a true partner as she works through her body’s limits, it’s Harrison. She can’t rewrite the past, but if she can finally open herself up to him, they could be closer than they ever were before - true soulmates.
Spoilery thoughts…
The self-conflict between Emma and her body was really the heart of this story - the way her vaginismus is described and how it weighed on her for years has me feeling nothing but empathy and care for the people who live with this condition. While her vaginismus was not a relatable struggle for me, the way Emma was navigating being a late 20-something starting over and figuring it all out but feeling like your falling behind was suuuuper relatable.
Emma felt like her body was a barrier to her happiness and the vaginismus representation really helped me understand her character. She was quirky and self-deprecating, if a little self-sabotaging. Her friendship with Jo was a highlight for me (did her best friend get more development than the MMC?????👀) and I would love to see more of her relationship with Macy… maybe their own book?🤞🏼
Emma and Harrison could both be their own worst enemies at times, but there definitely was a sense of depth to their connection, even if it was sometimes chalked up to ‘history’ and ‘college memories’ and wasn’t all on-page beyond a flashback or a random shared experience. For me, Harrison’s character arc did not get the development it needed. He is either painted as a pushover for his mom or simping over Emma and a POV chapter could’ve helped get inside his head and learn his deeper feelings, motivations, and desires. The ‘five years ago’ chapter was crucial to understanding their friend-breakup, but I wanted more! What were those five years like for him? We know he was devastated because of comments from his mom, but getting an inner monologue from him or even having him open up to her more about the ways he has grown and changed and hoped and tried would’ve been special.
Memorable moments and quotes:
- The dictionary of facial expressions was cute and original.😄🤨😟😏😧🥰
- ‘I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about intimacy. Or rather, the fact that I’m not able to have it. It’s similar to being horny all the time, but not really, because I’m dealing with conflicting desires to have sex and also not to be in pain, which would require me not to have sex. So do I want to have sex, or do I not want to have sex? I don’t know, but the word “sex” appears in my brain a lot.’🧠
- The IRONY on page 152 of Harrison admiring the way Emma faced her problems head-on, when in fact the problem that kept them apart is still one she’s keeping a secret.😣
- “I’m your biggest fan, Em.” “Even now?” “Even now.”☺️
- FIRST KISS on pg. 202!!! “Shut up and kiss me, idiot. This is the best kiss of my life and you’re ruining it.”😋“Best kiss of your life, huh? … Mine, too.”💋
- This MISCOMMUNICATION trope is one for the ages! He assumed she was only into casual one-night stands in college because she sarcastically answered him without correcting his assumptions when in fact she is a virgin.🤯
- ‘I wish I could say I know his body as well as I know his mind, but that wouldn’t be true. This body is as new to me as a stranger’s but a hundred times more exciting and a thousand times more special.’🙃
- ‘That’s the thing about accidentally falling in love with your best friend. It happens slowly, over years – four years, in this case – and you don’t realize it’s happened until you wake up one day and realize you know everything about them. You’ve gone from asking how they’re feeling to knowing instinctively how they feel. You’ve created a whole dictionary of their facial expressions and you have the whole thing memorized. You’re suddenly only cracking jokes you know they’ll laugh at because you’ve accidentally learned the ins and outs of their sense of humor… You’ve learned they love you in a more than platonic way, and you’ve realized you love them in a more than platonic way too, even though you lied to yourself and to them about it, and you’ve realized they definitely know you’re lying.’💜
- Harrison: “I can’t imagine my life without you, and I shouldn’t have waited until now to tell you. You mean the entire world to me. And I don’t understand it, but you make me feel like myself. Like when I’m with you, that’s who I really am. That’s the truest version of Harrison.”🥹
- ‘So what if my vagina is tight? It’s overprotective. It’s just choosy about what it lets inside… Me, too, I suppose. Much like my vagina, I’ve always been picky about who I open up to.’🤭
- Visiting him studying abroad and she realizes… (1) My feelings were justified, because (2) Soulmates do exist, and (3) I had one.😍
This slow-burn slow-burned until literally the last page! It was an interesting choice to leave off where it did, but Emma is still a work in progress and the epilogue shows she has a true partner in love and life with whom to navigate her vaginismus.
August 1, 2026
Emma is back in town after quitting her job and deciding to change her life. What she didn't know was that the noisy upstairs neighbor is her college best friend and first love.
This was a fun second change/ friends to lovers romance that tackles a important topic: vaginismus. I didn't know anything about this condition and, after some research, I think the author handled the topic very well. I really enjoyed how enlightening it was and I was surprised that as a woman I never heard about this condition in my life.
That said, this book had some problems.
I feel like Emma, our main character, was annoyingly lost in her own mind and mostly felt juvenile for her age. She was stuck between thinking about wanting sex and not wanting to have it, over and over again, is an awful friend to her best friend (that she moved closer to help her with her business) and processed to mostly ignore her once the MMC showed interest. She was also always trying to please the young coworker but never really putting an effort into being her friend, lusting for all the male attention she could get, even if it came from a man in a relationship.
Also, Harrison, the MMC, felt barely formed. I can't tell you one thing about him, besides that his parents are divorced and his mom is bit controlling. I also don't know why they feel in love in college, because we barely saw their relationship. The romance was barely there and their chemistry wasn't great. They had mostly no communication between them, even as adults, and when they did communicate I felt like it was blown out of proportion and solved way too fast.
In the beginning, I also enjoyed the creation of the dictionary by Emma for Harrison's expressions, it was cute, but after a while it was boring and too repetitive.
There were also loose treads in the story, like the surprise birthday party for the friend which we never saw.
I would mark this book as a mostly YA and change the age of the characters, because that's how it felt.
This was a fun second change/ friends to lovers romance that tackles a important topic: vaginismus. I didn't know anything about this condition and, after some research, I think the author handled the topic very well. I really enjoyed how enlightening it was and I was surprised that as a woman I never heard about this condition in my life.
That said, this book had some problems.
I feel like Emma, our main character, was annoyingly lost in her own mind and mostly felt juvenile for her age. She was stuck between thinking about wanting sex and not wanting to have it, over and over again, is an awful friend to her best friend (that she moved closer to help her with her business) and processed to mostly ignore her once the MMC showed interest. She was also always trying to please the young coworker but never really putting an effort into being her friend, lusting for all the male attention she could get, even if it came from a man in a relationship.
Also, Harrison, the MMC, felt barely formed. I can't tell you one thing about him, besides that his parents are divorced and his mom is bit controlling. I also don't know why they feel in love in college, because we barely saw their relationship. The romance was barely there and their chemistry wasn't great. They had mostly no communication between them, even as adults, and when they did communicate I felt like it was blown out of proportion and solved way too fast.
In the beginning, I also enjoyed the creation of the dictionary by Emma for Harrison's expressions, it was cute, but after a while it was boring and too repetitive.
There were also loose treads in the story, like the surprise birthday party for the friend which we never saw.
I would mark this book as a mostly YA and change the age of the characters, because that's how it felt.
August 11, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!
January 31, 2026
Considering how prevalent it is, you'd think more books would talk about vaginismus. I appreciated the weaving of a very real condition that plagues women into a traditional friends to lovers trope. I could have lived without the talking dilators, but I enjoyed this read.
July 13, 2026
3.25⭐️ Emma is back in Boston after she left her teaching job, facing a bit of a quarter-life crisis. She’s working in a friend’s coffee shop, not knowing what she wants to do, when she finds out her upstairs neighbor is her college best friend, and the one that got away, after she left without telling him why. Will they be able to get back their friendship back? Will Emma finally be able to open up about why she left?
This was a fun second-chance, friends to lovers romance with a name I simply couldn’t resist, that tackles the topic of vaginismus. I had never heard of this, so I did some research, and despite not having any experience with it, it seems like the author did a good job of representing the difficulties it comes with. I was surprised to learn just how common it can be, less surprised about how little is known and how hard Emma has struggled to understand and get help (women’s healthcare, am I right?🙃). I love when a romance tackles some heavier themes, giving depth and reality to what might otherwise just be light and fluffy (which I also love, but aren’t always realistic) story. What I didn’t love was the complete lack of communication - one of my biggest pet peeves in a book (but I guess there wouldn’t be much of a story if they just talked to each other😂). Emma is so uncomfortable in her own skin, but does manage to be very open about it with JoJo and actually navigates her doctors visits impressively. Despite years of having challenges, and her approach often feels so juvenile/immature. While I enjoyed the writing style and quality, I had to double check her age and to see if it was a YA novel, because she just felt so young. I think it was important to highlight the importance of a healthy education, as her lack of clearly contributed to her case definitely having a significant physiological component. It’s hard to believe as someone who didn’t experience that, but the current state of our country/world proves education is far from adequate or equal. We are supposed to believe that Harrison was her best friend for all four years of college, inseparable, but the topic of vaginismus never once came up? I don’t know… I can appreciate how it could be difficult to talk about, but I just wanted to believe in the friendship that was described to us, the intensity of their bond, and have a hard time believing it never came up - in college of all places. They so clearly love each other, and their chemistry was evident as soon as they ran into each other as adults. That said, boy has major issues of his own! I enjoyed seeing them work through their own things, specifically realizing doing it for each other was never going to be the solution. I feel strongly we need to be whole before we can be part of a healthy relationship, and don’t love a dependent solution.
I had a lot of fun reading this one! I laughed a lot, loved the representation and the resolutions both separately and together. I think both Emma and Harrison have some growing up to do, but like them together. I will definitely be recommending this one, but with the caveat that it reads more new adult than more mature (despite some mature moments and themes), so readers can have more realistic expectations as to where they are at in their lives. I think it could make for a great book club book, as there are lots of conversations starters!
Thank You to NetGalley, Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, and author Hayley Fleming, for the eARC of Thighs Wide Shut!
This was a fun second-chance, friends to lovers romance with a name I simply couldn’t resist, that tackles the topic of vaginismus. I had never heard of this, so I did some research, and despite not having any experience with it, it seems like the author did a good job of representing the difficulties it comes with. I was surprised to learn just how common it can be, less surprised about how little is known and how hard Emma has struggled to understand and get help (women’s healthcare, am I right?🙃). I love when a romance tackles some heavier themes, giving depth and reality to what might otherwise just be light and fluffy (which I also love, but aren’t always realistic) story. What I didn’t love was the complete lack of communication - one of my biggest pet peeves in a book (but I guess there wouldn’t be much of a story if they just talked to each other😂). Emma is so uncomfortable in her own skin, but does manage to be very open about it with JoJo and actually navigates her doctors visits impressively. Despite years of having challenges, and her approach often feels so juvenile/immature. While I enjoyed the writing style and quality, I had to double check her age and to see if it was a YA novel, because she just felt so young. I think it was important to highlight the importance of a healthy education, as her lack of clearly contributed to her case definitely having a significant physiological component. It’s hard to believe as someone who didn’t experience that, but the current state of our country/world proves education is far from adequate or equal. We are supposed to believe that Harrison was her best friend for all four years of college, inseparable, but the topic of vaginismus never once came up? I don’t know… I can appreciate how it could be difficult to talk about, but I just wanted to believe in the friendship that was described to us, the intensity of their bond, and have a hard time believing it never came up - in college of all places. They so clearly love each other, and their chemistry was evident as soon as they ran into each other as adults. That said, boy has major issues of his own! I enjoyed seeing them work through their own things, specifically realizing doing it for each other was never going to be the solution. I feel strongly we need to be whole before we can be part of a healthy relationship, and don’t love a dependent solution.
I had a lot of fun reading this one! I laughed a lot, loved the representation and the resolutions both separately and together. I think both Emma and Harrison have some growing up to do, but like them together. I will definitely be recommending this one, but with the caveat that it reads more new adult than more mature (despite some mature moments and themes), so readers can have more realistic expectations as to where they are at in their lives. I think it could make for a great book club book, as there are lots of conversations starters!
Thank You to NetGalley, Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, and author Hayley Fleming, for the eARC of Thighs Wide Shut!
August 5, 2026
This book made me feel so seen in so many different ways, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Emma is a 27-year-old woman (same) who's stuck at a point in her life where a majority of her former classmates are doing Adult Things like getting married or having children, while she's in limbo in a new job in a new city (same, minus the new city and new job). She reunites with her former college friend (fling?) Harrison, and immediately I could tell these two were gonna have CHEMISTRY.
The way Emma discovers who her new upstairs neighbor is was quite funny and a little bit of a shock to her system, but overall I think it was a pretty realistic coincidence! She and Harrison had some stiff interactions towards the start of the book, and I could tell things didn't end on the best note (we learn more about that in a later chapter and their history, which I loved getting to know), and their conversations slowly going from awkward "hello"s to more of a flowing, causal vibe was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Harrison himself, however, was not my favorite MMC. I felt like he was pretty flat and played the victim card a few times. He had his moments (like when he first put on his glasses!), but overall I think I would've loved him more if he didn't act the way he did when he and Emma were at their Big Moment in the last third of the book.
This book also had such good women's health representation, and I could tell Hayley did her research (as well as her own experiences, from reading the author's note at the end!), and I really enjoyed the candid conversations between Emma, Harrison, and Emma's best friend Jo (slay girlie pop) about Emma's vaginismus and overall anxiety when it comes to her health.
The storyline and plot flowed nicely enough, though there were some moments where I found myself bored and hoping some action happened sooner rather than later. The timeline of the book also got a bit muddled, but I didn't think that was necessarily the most important part of the book.
I also wasn't a big fan of the footnotes explaining Harrison's facial expressions, and I found myself taken away from the story every time an asterisk was present. Hayley (the author) explained his facial expressions well enough in the actual writing that I felt they just weren't necessary, but c'est la vie!
This was a pleasant debut novel, and it was an easy read to breeze through in a couple days! I'm looking forward to what Hayley publishes next!
Emma is a 27-year-old woman (same) who's stuck at a point in her life where a majority of her former classmates are doing Adult Things like getting married or having children, while she's in limbo in a new job in a new city (same, minus the new city and new job). She reunites with her former college friend (fling?) Harrison, and immediately I could tell these two were gonna have CHEMISTRY.
The way Emma discovers who her new upstairs neighbor is was quite funny and a little bit of a shock to her system, but overall I think it was a pretty realistic coincidence! She and Harrison had some stiff interactions towards the start of the book, and I could tell things didn't end on the best note (we learn more about that in a later chapter and their history, which I loved getting to know), and their conversations slowly going from awkward "hello"s to more of a flowing, causal vibe was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Harrison himself, however, was not my favorite MMC. I felt like he was pretty flat and played the victim card a few times. He had his moments (like when he first put on his glasses!), but overall I think I would've loved him more if he didn't act the way he did when he and Emma were at their Big Moment in the last third of the book.
This book also had such good women's health representation, and I could tell Hayley did her research (as well as her own experiences, from reading the author's note at the end!), and I really enjoyed the candid conversations between Emma, Harrison, and Emma's best friend Jo (slay girlie pop) about Emma's vaginismus and overall anxiety when it comes to her health.
The storyline and plot flowed nicely enough, though there were some moments where I found myself bored and hoping some action happened sooner rather than later. The timeline of the book also got a bit muddled, but I didn't think that was necessarily the most important part of the book.
I also wasn't a big fan of the footnotes explaining Harrison's facial expressions, and I found myself taken away from the story every time an asterisk was present. Hayley (the author) explained his facial expressions well enough in the actual writing that I felt they just weren't necessary, but c'est la vie!
This was a pleasant debut novel, and it was an easy read to breeze through in a couple days! I'm looking forward to what Hayley publishes next!
September 13, 2026
I probably wouldn’t have given this book five stars if it wasn’t about vaginismus, but almost no books are about vaginismus, and I have vaginismus, so the book is five stars.
Much like Emma, I was diagnosed with vaginismus my freshman year of college after a few awkward, embarrassing, and painful sexual experiences. Much like Emma, I have spent the subsequent X amount of years ignoring it. Avoiding PT, procrastinating my stupid nightly stretches, hiding my dilators in a random drawer, letting my lube expire (did you know that lube can expire?) etc. The depiction of not only the physical aspect of vaginismus, but the mental aspect was incredibly well done in this book. The way that Emma is avoiding everything about her vaginismus, including avoiding telling Harrison about it, spoke to me and my experiences so deeply.
Like, was this a great novel? Probably not, I dunno. It was a silly cheesy romance book! It had its annoying moments that grated on me. But it was also really funny (seriously, I laughed out loud many times) and heartfelt, and quite honestly, a silly cheesy romance book about vaginismus would have been huge for me when I was younger — scratch that, IS huge for me NOW. All of the anxieties that I’ve shared were so well integrated into the book that I almost didn’t notice that they were my vaginismus-adjacent anxieties until I was crying in my break room at work! Feeling unfuckable? Check! Convinced that any man (slash person) would never be able to get over the “her vagina doesn’t work” hurdle? Check! Wanting to fix yourself before you feel worthy of love? Hahaha, Check!!! It was so lovely to read this all as part of a larger story, and not be the one explaining it to a friend who doesn’t really understand but is nodding along anyway.
Anyways, kudos. I really think this was a job well done. It’s going into my personal hall of fame of books that are super important to me. Thank you so much for it.
Much like Emma, I was diagnosed with vaginismus my freshman year of college after a few awkward, embarrassing, and painful sexual experiences. Much like Emma, I have spent the subsequent X amount of years ignoring it. Avoiding PT, procrastinating my stupid nightly stretches, hiding my dilators in a random drawer, letting my lube expire (did you know that lube can expire?) etc. The depiction of not only the physical aspect of vaginismus, but the mental aspect was incredibly well done in this book. The way that Emma is avoiding everything about her vaginismus, including avoiding telling Harrison about it, spoke to me and my experiences so deeply.
Like, was this a great novel? Probably not, I dunno. It was a silly cheesy romance book! It had its annoying moments that grated on me. But it was also really funny (seriously, I laughed out loud many times) and heartfelt, and quite honestly, a silly cheesy romance book about vaginismus would have been huge for me when I was younger — scratch that, IS huge for me NOW. All of the anxieties that I’ve shared were so well integrated into the book that I almost didn’t notice that they were my vaginismus-adjacent anxieties until I was crying in my break room at work! Feeling unfuckable? Check! Convinced that any man (slash person) would never be able to get over the “her vagina doesn’t work” hurdle? Check! Wanting to fix yourself before you feel worthy of love? Hahaha, Check!!! It was so lovely to read this all as part of a larger story, and not be the one explaining it to a friend who doesn’t really understand but is nodding along anyway.
Anyways, kudos. I really think this was a job well done. It’s going into my personal hall of fame of books that are super important to me. Thank you so much for it.
September 16, 2026
2.5 ⭐️ i loved the women’s health rep here !!! this rep is so so important, and i know it will resonate with many. the thought, care, & insight from fleming were evident. unfortunately, i didn’t really enjoy much else 🫠 for most of the story, the characters oscillated between being insufferable, boring, and immature. so did their relationship, even tho i felt for them and their situation. the chemistry between emma & harrison was nearly nonexistent, which for a friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance (all tropes i love!!) is wiiiild. where was the tension? the banter? the yearning?? i also struggled with the inner monologue and dialogue. there just wasn’t much for me to connect to or become emotionally invested in. i thought an immersive read would help… it did not. in fact, the audiobook may have made it worse. not necessarily a “bad” book, just not for me.
July 28, 2026
Second chance romance between two frenemies who now live in the same building after a long time has passed after not seeing each other.
Communicating as adults is hard enough but trying to rekindle a friendship after a break is such a rough part of life and this book really encapsulates that. Emma and Harrison are such wonderful characters that met in college, had a beautiful friendship that eventually was broken by Emma keeping a secret that is totally valid in hindsight but overall detrimental to their friendship. I loved watching these two reconnect throughout the book and also the way that everyone around them was also enthralled by these two orbiting each other. There were so many moments that made me laugh, Emma is hysterical in her thoughts and feelings and how she categorizes Harrison on the daily. Overall I had a great time reading this one.
Communicating as adults is hard enough but trying to rekindle a friendship after a break is such a rough part of life and this book really encapsulates that. Emma and Harrison are such wonderful characters that met in college, had a beautiful friendship that eventually was broken by Emma keeping a secret that is totally valid in hindsight but overall detrimental to their friendship. I loved watching these two reconnect throughout the book and also the way that everyone around them was also enthralled by these two orbiting each other. There were so many moments that made me laugh, Emma is hysterical in her thoughts and feelings and how she categorizes Harrison on the daily. Overall I had a great time reading this one.
September 8, 2026
I liked the integration of vaginismus in the plot. I have heard of it before but it was interesting to read a character with it and go through trials and tribulations. That said, I found Emma to be quite annoying. I know she built up her condition in her head and refused to seek help but, come on, the entire plot of the book could have been avoided by her just telling her supposed best friend what she has, even before feelings were involved. She was supposed to be late-20s??? I would expect this from someone in their early-mid-20s and in the end, I was rooting for Harrison to just walk away.
August 16, 2026
This one felt a bit too cheesy for me, but I plowed through because of the topic it was on. I feel like there are ZERO books that talk about sex being painful so I am glad this author went there! Romance books are SO unrealistic when it comes to sex so 👏
I didn’t enjoy the story very much but did enjoy the main character’s process of going to pelvic floor therapy and the gyno and all of the up and down emotions I felt when reading because it felt easy to relate.
I didn’t enjoy the story very much but did enjoy the main character’s process of going to pelvic floor therapy and the gyno and all of the up and down emotions I felt when reading because it felt easy to relate.
September 14, 2026
Idk if anyone who hasn’t gone through it really knows how hard it is to show up for yourself in the form of therapy, physical therapy, doctors, relationships and more while having to be extremely vulnerable mentally and physically. This book made me cry my eyes out and would really recommend to anyone trying to understand more about pelvic floor conditions and health. I immediately bought a copy for my pts office
June 4, 2026
This was cute, and I really enjoyed it. Some of the medical stuff was interesting but repetitive, so I was able to get through the book pretty quickly. And I feel like the MCs kept having the same confrontations over and over again, and I’m not sure how they actually moved past their problems. But I was still engrossed in the story.
August 11, 2026
This maybe does not deserve a place among my other three star reads which, for the most part, are genuinely good books that didn’t work for me in particular or books that worked for me in particular but weren’t generally good books. This book mostly did not work for me, but gets the extra star for the few and far between places where it really did.
July 19, 2026
3.5
I’m still somewhat undecided about this book. What drew me in was the location (Boston - I love reading books that take place in the city where I live) and the unique subject matter surrounding the romance novel. To say that I found this book to be educational is an understatement. While I appreciated learning about Emma’s condition, I found her behavior to be extremely juvenile throughout the book, at times making me question whether Emma and Harrison should end up together given the amount of growth that Emma needed to achieve.
Overall, the book was well written and was educational but the main characters needed to be less juvenile in order for this to read like an adult novel vs YA. I will say that Jo was a very well written side character!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I’m still somewhat undecided about this book. What drew me in was the location (Boston - I love reading books that take place in the city where I live) and the unique subject matter surrounding the romance novel. To say that I found this book to be educational is an understatement. While I appreciated learning about Emma’s condition, I found her behavior to be extremely juvenile throughout the book, at times making me question whether Emma and Harrison should end up together given the amount of growth that Emma needed to achieve.
Overall, the book was well written and was educational but the main characters needed to be less juvenile in order for this to read like an adult novel vs YA. I will say that Jo was a very well written side character!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 2, 2026
I mean wow it makes me want to cry tears of joy that people I learned calculus with now have fiancées who write adorable vaginismus romance novels
(the plural is inaccurate here, this has only happened once so far)
(the plural is inaccurate here, this has only happened once so far)
January 21, 2026
Everyone read this book!!
August 1, 2026
A patient with vaginismus told me to read this book and that’s the kinda midwife I am 🫡
August 12, 2026
Good book about a difficult subject. Thank you for writing it.
August 14, 2026
Wait guys I really enjoyed this!! It reminded me a lot of a little buzzed which I read earlier this year, would def recommend
August 28, 2026
I love that this book does so much to bring awareness to vaginismus and promote pelvic floor physical therapy through the female main character. A sweet rom com!
September 1, 2026
4/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️
1/5 🌶️
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews