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Any Way the Wind Blows
Callie lives on the road, trading labor for food and lodging through a farm work-exchange program. She's perfectly content with the life she's created, but it is shaken up when she meets Jo, a mechanic and sister of Callie's latest boss.
For the first time, Callie begins reconsidering the choices she's made. But Jo's life is far more complicated than her own and as family tensions rise, they threaten to pull Callie in, and her growing bond with Jo might not be reason enough to stay.
For the first time, Callie begins reconsidering the choices she's made. But Jo's life is far more complicated than her own and as family tensions rise, they threaten to pull Callie in, and her growing bond with Jo might not be reason enough to stay.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 23, 2016
235 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 10, 2016
*3.5/5
I received a copy of this ebook from Netgalley
Finally, I was able to find a sweet and wonderful piece of fiction about an ace character. Callie identifies as asexual & aromantic, and even though this story is really short, it is so engaging and does such a perfect job showing how ridiculously easy it would be to include more ace characters in books. The evolving relationship between Jo and Callie was so nice to read, and so unbelievably sweet. My main problem with this novelette was that I wished the story overall could have been longer, because I wanted to be able to watch both Jo and Callie develop even further. Thoroughly charming, and so exactly the type of story I want to see more of.
I received a copy of this ebook from Netgalley
Finally, I was able to find a sweet and wonderful piece of fiction about an ace character. Callie identifies as asexual & aromantic, and even though this story is really short, it is so engaging and does such a perfect job showing how ridiculously easy it would be to include more ace characters in books. The evolving relationship between Jo and Callie was so nice to read, and so unbelievably sweet. My main problem with this novelette was that I wished the story overall could have been longer, because I wanted to be able to watch both Jo and Callie develop even further. Thoroughly charming, and so exactly the type of story I want to see more of.
April 3, 2016
Callie meets Josephina "Jo" Zepeda, a mechanic and ex-army, saving from the unwanted advances of Aaron. Everyone in Jo's life thinks her best option of being with someone is to be with Aaron but she doesn't think the same. Callie ends up working for Jo's older brother, Mark, through FarmShare, an agricultural tourism program, in exchange for food and lodging.
I liked both characters and thought they were quite interesting. There were characters that I disliked, which is what I'm sure the author intended. I never read about asexual individuals and I thought the author could've delved into that a bit more if it was a longer story.
I thought Callie and Jo's story was sweet and I enjoyed their moments together.
Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-eD
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked both characters and thought they were quite interesting. There were characters that I disliked, which is what I'm sure the author intended. I never read about asexual individuals and I thought the author could've delved into that a bit more if it was a longer story.
I thought Callie and Jo's story was sweet and I enjoyed their moments together.
Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-eD
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2016
4-4.5 stars
I really loved this book. It's a sweet story about a ace character written in an endearing and heartwarming way. I wish it was longer, but then again it doesn't really need to, it is just a sweet and short story about diverse characters written in a great way.
The main characters are well developed even though it is such a short little book and are definitely my favorite part of this story. The conversation between them flows very naturally in my opinion. The other characters may be a bit exaggerated but not overly so.
Overall this is a very cute and fluffy book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
I really loved this book. It's a sweet story about a ace character written in an endearing and heartwarming way. I wish it was longer, but then again it doesn't really need to, it is just a sweet and short story about diverse characters written in a great way.
The main characters are well developed even though it is such a short little book and are definitely my favorite part of this story. The conversation between them flows very naturally in my opinion. The other characters may be a bit exaggerated but not overly so.
Overall this is a very cute and fluffy book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
December 26, 2016
I really enjoyed this short story! What I am most impressed by is how Carlin Grant was able to create such complex and diverse characters in such a short period of time. The story was so well rounded and the characters and their relationship so well developed that it really didn't need to be any longer.
There are so few stories with asexual and/ or aromantic characters and this just showed how easy it can be to include them.
Definitely recommend!
There are so few stories with asexual and/ or aromantic characters and this just showed how easy it can be to include them.
Definitely recommend!
November 13, 2016
More aro, ace and aro-ace people in books, please!
November 13, 2017
I got a free copy of this ebook in a giveaway. Not my usual kind of read, with the "roaming woman learns how to settle down when she falls in (this time platonic) love" sort of plot. Pretty good, though. And I do appreciate a book that talks about that particular brand of female friendship that isn't quite sexual or romantic but has more depth than just a simple friendship. I'm not asexual myself but I've been there.
In fact, my first instinct was to be annoyed at how quickly the two MCs form a relationship, but then I thought about it and to be honest, I fall in deep and kind of queer friendships even faster than I fall in love/lust, so. I guess it's realistic!
Anyways I thought it was a good book, a light read with a simple plot about two women falling for each other and facing a world that judged them for their choices and their sexuality.
In fact, my first instinct was to be annoyed at how quickly the two MCs form a relationship, but then I thought about it and to be honest, I fall in deep and kind of queer friendships even faster than I fall in love/lust, so. I guess it's realistic!
Anyways I thought it was a good book, a light read with a simple plot about two women falling for each other and facing a world that judged them for their choices and their sexuality.
December 6, 2018
If I'm being completely honest, this really was more of a 3.5. Which seems harsh compared to other book ratings I've given, but I'm trying to be a bit more critical these days. There were several typos that an editor should've caught before this was published, and the writing itself didn't blow me away. The plot was a little predictable, but I do have to give it some credit for having aro ace characters in a queerplatonic relationship. You don't see many of those and I'm sure that many aro aces are glad this book exists because of the representation. As an ace person myself, albeit not aro, I appreciated it, but Let's Talk About Love spoiled me. Maybe because I'm not aro this didn't resonate as much with me, and I found myself never really relating to either of the ace characters? I don't know, I just wish I could've enjoyed this more than I did.
May 8, 2019
As someone that has lived the FarmShare (or FarmShare equivalent) life, I really appreciated this book existing in the first place. The temporary lifestyle, combined with the occasional person you meet that makes you want to stay, is something really well described here that took me back.
The aro ace component of the story, to me, was really well done. My ace partner appreciated the passages I sent to them about Jo realizing they are ace, and the difficulty of coming to terms with that when you've been told you can't be anything but romantic and sexual your whole life.
I really enjoyed the book and look forward to other works from this author!
The aro ace component of the story, to me, was really well done. My ace partner appreciated the passages I sent to them about Jo realizing they are ace, and the difficulty of coming to terms with that when you've been told you can't be anything but romantic and sexual your whole life.
I really enjoyed the book and look forward to other works from this author!
December 13, 2016
*3.5/5
April 15, 2016
2.5 stars
This story is told in first person and from both Callie and Jo’s point of views, so you get to know the characters reasonably well.
Jo is a mechanic who did a stint in Iraq and Callie lives on the road, working as a farm hand. Early on in the story it comes to light Callie is Asexual and Aromantic, in other words the idea of being sexually or romantically attracted to another person is foreign to her. With that said she is more than capable of friendship, so her and Jo quickly become close friends.
Jo’s family go to pains to hook her up with Aaron, something Jo wants no part of. Through her friendship with Callie she realizes she too is A-romantic, which deepens their friendship. One could say they fit together like two peas in a pod.
For me the story lacked any depth. It was ‘nice’ but nothing grabbed me and pulled me in. The epilogue jumps two years ahead and with so much missing information I didn’t find myself endeared by what unfolded.
The amount of grammatical errors, the overuse of the word just, along with poor sentence structure, didn’t help an already lackluster plot.
I know I see errors more than others but some of these were glaring! For example – “I just I watched to oil drain.” And this sentence, “…pulling my curls into neater pigtail braids than usual, even bothering to shave and put on a necklace.” This reads like the woman had facial hair, maybe she did? But if I was to hazard a guess she was referring to shaving body hair.
It’s the first story I’ve read which I’d call, acquaintances to friends. While it didn’t grab me, readers who don’t need any form of romance and/or little conflict in their stories, might enjoy this story more than I did.
Copy received in exchange for an honest review
This story is told in first person and from both Callie and Jo’s point of views, so you get to know the characters reasonably well.
Jo is a mechanic who did a stint in Iraq and Callie lives on the road, working as a farm hand. Early on in the story it comes to light Callie is Asexual and Aromantic, in other words the idea of being sexually or romantically attracted to another person is foreign to her. With that said she is more than capable of friendship, so her and Jo quickly become close friends.
Jo’s family go to pains to hook her up with Aaron, something Jo wants no part of. Through her friendship with Callie she realizes she too is A-romantic, which deepens their friendship. One could say they fit together like two peas in a pod.
For me the story lacked any depth. It was ‘nice’ but nothing grabbed me and pulled me in. The epilogue jumps two years ahead and with so much missing information I didn’t find myself endeared by what unfolded.
The amount of grammatical errors, the overuse of the word just, along with poor sentence structure, didn’t help an already lackluster plot.
I know I see errors more than others but some of these were glaring! For example – “I just I watched to oil drain.” And this sentence, “…pulling my curls into neater pigtail braids than usual, even bothering to shave and put on a necklace.” This reads like the woman had facial hair, maybe she did? But if I was to hazard a guess she was referring to shaving body hair.
It’s the first story I’ve read which I’d call, acquaintances to friends. While it didn’t grab me, readers who don’t need any form of romance and/or little conflict in their stories, might enjoy this story more than I did.
Copy received in exchange for an honest review
May 19, 2017
This book was a liberating read. The protagonist, Callie, lives an untethered life, working as a laborer for a farm work-exchange program. She's satisfied with her travels, but when she meets Jo, a local mechanic and the sister of her newest boss, there's a connection that's worth exploring before she passes through this town.
One strong message that I loved from this novel was that the best reason to be in a relationship is because you want to, and 'why not' isn't good enough. From the start of the novel Jo is pressured to date someone by her friends and family, and she's clearly not feeling it. I spent the whole time cheering for this quiet, badass army veteran not to give in. Good things are worth waiting for, and they might come in unexpected forms.
I also love that this novel focuses on a connection between two people where romance and sex don't define their relationship. Callie identifies as asexual and aromantic. Jo respects this. While there is conflict in the story, it was exciting to read a book that not only has an asexual protagonist, but has a happy ending.
As a short novella, this was a great taste of something new.
One strong message that I loved from this novel was that the best reason to be in a relationship is because you want to, and 'why not' isn't good enough. From the start of the novel Jo is pressured to date someone by her friends and family, and she's clearly not feeling it. I spent the whole time cheering for this quiet, badass army veteran not to give in. Good things are worth waiting for, and they might come in unexpected forms.
I also love that this novel focuses on a connection between two people where romance and sex don't define their relationship. Callie identifies as asexual and aromantic. Jo respects this. While there is conflict in the story, it was exciting to read a book that not only has an asexual protagonist, but has a happy ending.
As a short novella, this was a great taste of something new.
January 4, 2017
This was a cute, short read, perfect for a quiet day off work and went down a treat with some banana bread and a mug of green tea. While some of the themes could be kind of heavy, the not-romance (platonic romance? someone comment if there's a better term for this) carries it all through nicely. Which is to say that although the characters face some adversity, the story remains sweet rather than angsty.
The pacing was nice and steady throughout, and the main characters were well fleshed out. Callie and Jo worked very well together. I probably would have liked the ending to be a little more fleshed out, but it worked and was just enough to leave me happy. This book was pretty much exactly what I wanted from a Queerplatonic short.
The pacing was nice and steady throughout, and the main characters were well fleshed out. Callie and Jo worked very well together. I probably would have liked the ending to be a little more fleshed out, but it worked and was just enough to leave me happy. This book was pretty much exactly what I wanted from a Queerplatonic short.
March 27, 2016
Got this as a free ARC from Netgalley. This was my first time reading about asexuals. Found it interesting. One thing I disliked about the book was the "instant love" that is in so many romance booxs, even though there was no sex. I did like the explanation of the main characters life, how she traveled from town to town. All in all a good short story, liked the friendship between the two girls. Might read this author again.
April 14, 2016
This was an enjoyable story. Having Callie be asexual was an interesting and unusual twist. I am not sure if I have ever read a book with an asexual character. I think that choice worked well in this story. I liked how the author addressed the concept of romance and love in a non-sexual attraction/relationship.
I received a copy of the ebook from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
I received a copy of the ebook from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
May 15, 2016
This book is the whole (if tiny) package!
It has racial diversity, asexuality, feminism, and a wonderful female friendship to top it all off!
I'm actually disappointed that it's not longer, because Callie is probably the closest I'll get to seeing myself represented on the page.
It has racial diversity, asexuality, feminism, and a wonderful female friendship to top it all off!
I'm actually disappointed that it's not longer, because Callie is probably the closest I'll get to seeing myself represented on the page.
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May 30, 2020
May 21, 2016
3 1/2 STARS.
I love seeing an asexual relationship!! I didn't realize what that could look like until this little book. I'm so glad to have read this
I love seeing an asexual relationship!! I didn't realize what that could look like until this little book. I'm so glad to have read this
September 17, 2024
(two aromantic asexual main characters (Callie, Jo), in f/f QPR (queerplatonic relationship))
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews