Laurelhurst

by Lucie Wierzynski

She left Los Angeles burned out, bruised by ambition, and certain that quiet would save her.
Seattle gave her rain, distance, and a woman who was precise with her words and even more precise with her actions.

Laurelhurst is a slow-burn sapphic romance set against the muted beauty of the Pacific Northwest — grey water, mountain passes, border towns, and moments of stillness that stretch long enough to matter. Moving between hotel rooms, border crossings, and quiet nights, the story follows a woman learning to trust steadiness after years of survival.

Sensual, observant, and deeply felt, this is a love story for readers who’ve mistaken intensity for connection — and are brave enough to want something quieter, truer, and harder to walk away from.

63 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 24, 2025

Reviews

[Autumn Aria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucie's writing style reminisces me of the poetic proses not dissimilar to Eva Baltasar which focuses on the inner life of the narrator. The thoughts and feelings whether in calm or in turmoil belies the exterior quiet and tranquil qualities of the narrator.

The story focuses on the interactional dynamics of the two women, navigating through emotional trajectories defined from past experiences and relearning and recalibrating the current path to realign in the present to a single bond of trust, expectations and inclusivity and perhaps love. Only time will tell.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Loved this… Beautiful literary fiction about the female lead and discovering a new love. Very short gay fiction. Wonderful work and I will be following works by this author, thank you. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher. 6 out of 5.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurelhurst was a slow and calming read, different from what I’m used to. I liked to follow the main character thoughts while navigating this new life and new love. K was more confusing to me though, as if the character was a bit flat or unrealistic. It was a good and different short read overall.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space to breathe

Really good, solid writing. For anyone needing a palate cleanser after too much drama or too much sweetness. Holds its place, giving one room to breathe.

[Sue Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

definitely a slow burner

about learning how to trust again and taking it slow....

really wasnt sure about this one but as it was a novella its a quick read and the setting sounds lovely and the peace that k can give seems to healing

[Sam]

Short read and I am not sure if it is a lovely love story and finding oneself or a story of heartbreak and growth.
This book left me a little confused, maybe the in the best way. I don’t know.
It’s a good read, I just couldn’t tell you where it falls ont he spectrum of happily ever after.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, a detailed exploration of a soft, self assured slow burning love between two women. It is a very interesting style of writing, but wrote very well. The story focus is on two women one who is recovering from a previous relationship and heady lifestyle of LA moved to Seattle and meets K. K is an altogether different type of women that our narrator is used too. Safe, comfortable, no games, we see the unfolding of the relationship. This is a gentle read, but I would not say it was a great romance as more a slow and quiet development of learning to trust and be a peace with each other. There is no real feel of passion or burning desire and at times they do feel quite odd with each other. Also it is incredibly short which I was not expecting, I would have liked a bit more but I do feel the end in itself is a reassuring nod to their hopeful future.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exceptional. The writing was brilliant and that’s the high point of this novella. This story flowed very well. It felt like something a bit different, in a way that I really liked. I will revisit this author, no question. There was a lot done with the page count, with this novella feeling a lot longer than it actually was (in a good way).

Throughout the first two-thirds of this novel I was positive that it was going to be an easy 5-stars. The last third gives me pause, however. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t expect how military this novel was going to get and it just didn’t quite connect with me. The ending left a bit to be desired as well, in my opinion, as it wasn’t particularly satisfying to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.