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Oaktown Girls #4
Revealed
From the author of the best-selling Oaktown Girls series. There are times in life when we must reveal who we truly are ... or we cannot have the love we crave. "Starkly realistic and involving, Revealed excels..." - California Bookwatch Tenika Cummins, the co-owner of Oakland's Driven garage, wants to become a mother. But first, she must reveal a long held secret she's kept from everyone ... including her wife. Will she resolve her past? Or won't she? Rosalind, an Asian-American tech lesbian, is ready for a real relationship when she meets her love-at-first-sight crush, Monroe. However, first she must come out to her homophobic, evangelical parents who've sacrificed everything for her. But will they disown her if she does? Meanwhile Monroe, who is non-binary, must file for a new gender marker and name change to truly begin a new life with Rosalind. And that means confronting their own mother in court. Three deeply engrossing stories of love, loss and the power of owning your truth interweave in this fourth book in the Oaktown Girls series. It's all about owning who you are ... even when the risks are huge. An inspiring page turner from the Oaktown Girls.
- GenresRomance
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2020
25 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Falter
16 books131 followersSuzanne Falter is an author, speaker, blogger and podcaster who has published both fiction and non-fiction, as well as essays. She also speaks about self-care and the transformational healing of crisis, especially in her own life after the death of her daughter Teal. Her non-fiction books also include How Much Joy Can You Stand? and Surrendering to Joy . Suzanne is also the host of podcast Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women.
Suzanne’s essays have appeared in O Magazine, The New York Times, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha and Thrive Global among others. Her fiction titles include the Oaktown Girls series of lesbian romances, and the romantic suspense series, Transformed. Her non-fiction work, blog, podcasts and her online course, Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women, can be found at suzannefalter.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
She lives with her wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Suzanne’s essays have appeared in O Magazine, The New York Times, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha and Thrive Global among others. Her fiction titles include the Oaktown Girls series of lesbian romances, and the romantic suspense series, Transformed. Her non-fiction work, blog, podcasts and her online course, Self-Care for Extremely Busy Women, can be found at suzannefalter.com and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.
She lives with her wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 19, 2020
Revealed is the fourth book in Suzanne Falter’s Oaktown Girls series, and it’s another addictive read. Although there is a new romantic plotline introduced in this one, this book is best enjoyed if you’ve read the prior books. As a lot of the focus is on the characters from the prior books, you could feel a bit lost without the knowledge.
With Revealed, we get to see what is rarely given in books – the things that happen after people find their happiness. We get to see that there is more drama and emotion, we get to see how life continues to throw curveballs, and this had me powering through the book in no time at all. I loved returning to our characters, seeing more of them, getting more of their life, and I could not get enough. Add in the variety of issues handled in Revealed, and I could not put the book down.
All in all, Revealed was a great addition to the Oaktown Girls series.
With Revealed, we get to see what is rarely given in books – the things that happen after people find their happiness. We get to see that there is more drama and emotion, we get to see how life continues to throw curveballs, and this had me powering through the book in no time at all. I loved returning to our characters, seeing more of them, getting more of their life, and I could not get enough. Add in the variety of issues handled in Revealed, and I could not put the book down.
All in all, Revealed was a great addition to the Oaktown Girls series.
Read
March 10, 2020Oaktown Girls by Suzanne Falter is a four volume romance series following several lesbians and one non-binary character in Oakland as they explore and deepen their relationships. While the first volume focuses mainly on Kate and Lizzy, there are more point of view characters added as the series progresses, eventually having 8 main point of view characters.
One of the strengths of Oaktown Girls is this sense of a strong lesbian community. Lizzy and Temika run a garage together, and it becomes a hub. All the main characters are connected in some way, and you get the sense of them forming an always-expanding family. They are different ages and at different points in their relationships, which makes the community feel vibrant. Even the peripheral characters--customers, employers, the villain of the series--are lesbians. I also appreciated that Temika, Delilah, and Lizzy are middle-aged: a demographic that doesn't always get represented in romance novels.
The characters are all multi-faceted and flawed, which can sometimes prove frustrating: I lost sympathy for Kate in the first book, while Lizzy's attitude in the second volume rubbed me the wrong way. As I continued reading, though, I realized that this wasn't a matter of them not being written well, but that the characters themselves made bad decisions: they weren't always the people I wanted them to be. And I respect that, especially when each character's flaws and strengths are completely different from each other.
One ongoing theme in this series had to do with self-help and spirituality. It began with statements like “This is the thing about the human race, Lizzy. We always get what we need in this life." and "If it truly meant to be, it would simply happen. That’s just how the Universe worked." I'll be honest, this isn't a philosophy that appeals to me. I'm also surprised to have that sentiment co-existing with some of the truly horrific things that happen over the course of the series (check out the trigger warnings section for details). Once I finished the first volume, I saw in the author's biography that she has published self-help books, which explains the tone.
From the second book onward, the series becomes more spiritual, not just general self-help sentiments. Sally is introduced, who is a psychic character whose visions are confirmed by the text. She speaks to angels and believes in goddesses. By the end of the series, it seems like everyone believes in goddesses, hears voices occasionally, and are constantly getting sudden epiphanies about what they must do right now--which can seem very convenient to the plot.
Overall, although the spiritual aspect wasn't something I connect with, I really enjoyed this series. It's fun and surprising. The first book is about two rival lesbian garages, including a cartoonishly evil villain, with a romance blossoming across these rival camps. Who can resist that? A psychic character was definitely a curveball, but so was the corporate espionage subplot in the third book. I never knew what would happen next. Sometimes it's about a developing romance, sometimes it's about the threat of deportation and having to live in a sanctuary church and the isolation that causes. The last book really wrapped up the series, giving each relationship a relevant milestone, and I appreciated the family that had formed between them.
Unfortunately, I did have some issues with the series, including some things I think are worth having content warnings for. Firstly, although it was fun to have a villain to rail against in the first book, Mindy's rage and single-mindedness is ascribed to her brain injury, which I didn't feel great about. We did have a few chapters from her perspective, and because she really seems to be driven entirely by spite, with no positive qualities, it wasn't particularly compelling to read from her perspective.
Later in the series, we get the point of view of a non-binary character. I appreciate this addition, and I believe this was done with the best of intentions, but the representation here fell short. Monroe's gender identity is sometimes fetishized: "Monroe’s wan countenance was maddeningly, alluringly non-gender-specific" and "Non-binary. Not choosing male or female. Monroe was somewhere deliciously in between. Instantly, Rosalind began to blush crimson with the alarming realization that she’d been instantly aroused." Awkwardly, Monroe is also referred to in-text and by characters as "a 'they'" constantly. As in: "she’s not a she— she’s a ‘they’" and "She’d never even considered being with a non-binary person. A ‘they.’" Similarly: "Can I really bring home a non-binary?"
Monroe is also constantly misgendered by people, and their gender is often discussed as being somewhat tragic: doomed to always be misgendered, and as undesirable. The text establishes that Monroe is being read as a woman by seemingly everyone around them. It also includes their birth name. Their mother is determined to misgender them, saying “You were born a girl, and you’ll always be a girl, Sarah. As if I should have to remind you.” As I mentioned, I really believe that this was meant to be a positive depiction, but it missteps frequently, including lines like: "Just like Cher refused to call Chastity Chaz back in the day." At a different point, a sex worker is referred to as a "transvestite." I'm disappointed, because I think Monroe could have been a really great addition to this story, with a little reworking. I think it would have helped if there were any other trans characters, even minor characters, so that Monroe wouldn't have to be the only representation of trans or non-binary people.
Oaktown Girls is a series that never failed to surprise me. I became emotionally invested in the growing cast of characters, and I appreciated seeing them become a chosen family. Like the characters it portrays, this series is flawed, but it is also compelling and enjoyable. Just be prepared to roll with the punches, because you never know where it will go next.
Content warnings: violence and death, including a murdered child, traumatic injury of a child, witnessed suicide of a child; PTSD; internalized homophobia and parental homophobia; casual mention of drunk driving; anti-sex work sentiments (and pro-police sentiments)
Review originally posted at the Lesbrary.
One of the strengths of Oaktown Girls is this sense of a strong lesbian community. Lizzy and Temika run a garage together, and it becomes a hub. All the main characters are connected in some way, and you get the sense of them forming an always-expanding family. They are different ages and at different points in their relationships, which makes the community feel vibrant. Even the peripheral characters--customers, employers, the villain of the series--are lesbians. I also appreciated that Temika, Delilah, and Lizzy are middle-aged: a demographic that doesn't always get represented in romance novels.
The characters are all multi-faceted and flawed, which can sometimes prove frustrating: I lost sympathy for Kate in the first book, while Lizzy's attitude in the second volume rubbed me the wrong way. As I continued reading, though, I realized that this wasn't a matter of them not being written well, but that the characters themselves made bad decisions: they weren't always the people I wanted them to be. And I respect that, especially when each character's flaws and strengths are completely different from each other.
One ongoing theme in this series had to do with self-help and spirituality. It began with statements like “This is the thing about the human race, Lizzy. We always get what we need in this life." and "If it truly meant to be, it would simply happen. That’s just how the Universe worked." I'll be honest, this isn't a philosophy that appeals to me. I'm also surprised to have that sentiment co-existing with some of the truly horrific things that happen over the course of the series (check out the trigger warnings section for details). Once I finished the first volume, I saw in the author's biography that she has published self-help books, which explains the tone.
From the second book onward, the series becomes more spiritual, not just general self-help sentiments. Sally is introduced, who is a psychic character whose visions are confirmed by the text. She speaks to angels and believes in goddesses. By the end of the series, it seems like everyone believes in goddesses, hears voices occasionally, and are constantly getting sudden epiphanies about what they must do right now--which can seem very convenient to the plot.
Overall, although the spiritual aspect wasn't something I connect with, I really enjoyed this series. It's fun and surprising. The first book is about two rival lesbian garages, including a cartoonishly evil villain, with a romance blossoming across these rival camps. Who can resist that? A psychic character was definitely a curveball, but so was the corporate espionage subplot in the third book. I never knew what would happen next. Sometimes it's about a developing romance, sometimes it's about the threat of deportation and having to live in a sanctuary church and the isolation that causes. The last book really wrapped up the series, giving each relationship a relevant milestone, and I appreciated the family that had formed between them.
Unfortunately, I did have some issues with the series, including some things I think are worth having content warnings for. Firstly, although it was fun to have a villain to rail against in the first book, Mindy's rage and single-mindedness is ascribed to her brain injury, which I didn't feel great about. We did have a few chapters from her perspective, and because she really seems to be driven entirely by spite, with no positive qualities, it wasn't particularly compelling to read from her perspective.
Later in the series, we get the point of view of a non-binary character. I appreciate this addition, and I believe this was done with the best of intentions, but the representation here fell short. Monroe's gender identity is sometimes fetishized: "Monroe’s wan countenance was maddeningly, alluringly non-gender-specific" and "Non-binary. Not choosing male or female. Monroe was somewhere deliciously in between. Instantly, Rosalind began to blush crimson with the alarming realization that she’d been instantly aroused." Awkwardly, Monroe is also referred to in-text and by characters as "a 'they'" constantly. As in: "she’s not a she— she’s a ‘they’" and "She’d never even considered being with a non-binary person. A ‘they.’" Similarly: "Can I really bring home a non-binary?"
Monroe is also constantly misgendered by people, and their gender is often discussed as being somewhat tragic: doomed to always be misgendered, and as undesirable. The text establishes that Monroe is being read as a woman by seemingly everyone around them. It also includes their birth name. Their mother is determined to misgender them, saying “You were born a girl, and you’ll always be a girl, Sarah. As if I should have to remind you.” As I mentioned, I really believe that this was meant to be a positive depiction, but it missteps frequently, including lines like: "Just like Cher refused to call Chastity Chaz back in the day." At a different point, a sex worker is referred to as a "transvestite." I'm disappointed, because I think Monroe could have been a really great addition to this story, with a little reworking. I think it would have helped if there were any other trans characters, even minor characters, so that Monroe wouldn't have to be the only representation of trans or non-binary people.
Oaktown Girls is a series that never failed to surprise me. I became emotionally invested in the growing cast of characters, and I appreciated seeing them become a chosen family. Like the characters it portrays, this series is flawed, but it is also compelling and enjoyable. Just be prepared to roll with the punches, because you never know where it will go next.
Content warnings: violence and death, including a murdered child, traumatic injury of a child, witnessed suicide of a child; PTSD; internalized homophobia and parental homophobia; casual mention of drunk driving; anti-sex work sentiments (and pro-police sentiments)
Review originally posted at the Lesbrary.
April 27, 2020
Outstanding series
I found this entire series to be excellent. It's well-written, and the characters, situations, conflicts, emotions, and resolutions felt real and authentic.
The use of multiple couples entwined in multiple story lines which intertwine and impact on each other is unusual and is beautifully done. The resulting complexity and variety helps the series avoid the formulaic feel and predictability that characterizes so many F/F romance novels.
Also, the inclusion of diverse characters is great, as is the use of their stories to familiarize the reader with the issues and positives they deal with and experience in life. And I loved that the stories revolve around a woman-owned, woman-run auto repair shop. Why isn't there one of those in my town?
This book, more than the earlier books in the series, explores diversity in the spiritual realm as well. I'm not religious, but I appreciated the way this book touches on, with clarity and objectivity, the impact on various characters' lives of different religions, including Catholicism, fundamentalist Christianity, and mysticism - and in the previous book, Unitarian Universalist practice.
Throughout the series, I encountered occasional editing oversights (more in this book than in the previous three) but the storytelling was so good that these few errors served as only minor distractions.
All in all, I found this series to be an outstanding collection of compelling reads. I highly recommend it.
I found this entire series to be excellent. It's well-written, and the characters, situations, conflicts, emotions, and resolutions felt real and authentic.
The use of multiple couples entwined in multiple story lines which intertwine and impact on each other is unusual and is beautifully done. The resulting complexity and variety helps the series avoid the formulaic feel and predictability that characterizes so many F/F romance novels.
Also, the inclusion of diverse characters is great, as is the use of their stories to familiarize the reader with the issues and positives they deal with and experience in life. And I loved that the stories revolve around a woman-owned, woman-run auto repair shop. Why isn't there one of those in my town?
This book, more than the earlier books in the series, explores diversity in the spiritual realm as well. I'm not religious, but I appreciated the way this book touches on, with clarity and objectivity, the impact on various characters' lives of different religions, including Catholicism, fundamentalist Christianity, and mysticism - and in the previous book, Unitarian Universalist practice.
Throughout the series, I encountered occasional editing oversights (more in this book than in the previous three) but the storytelling was so good that these few errors served as only minor distractions.
All in all, I found this series to be an outstanding collection of compelling reads. I highly recommend it.
February 13, 2020
Once again we are able to follow the lives of Oaktown Girls in this forth book in the series. This is a delightful finish to an excellent series.
Lizzy and Tenika have overcome the problems with Mindy and are happily running their garage Driven. However there is lots going on in their friends lives.
Can Sally and Frankie solve their problem? Then there is Rosalind who has her own problem. Will she find the answers she seeks? What about Delilah and Tenika? Is Sally able to advise Delilah? Not forgetting Monroe. Will they ever find happiness?
Lots of questions here, will the right answers be found?
Once more Suzanne Falter has written with great understanding. Lots of emotions are at play. Plenty of love and humour too.
An excellent read.
Lizzy and Tenika have overcome the problems with Mindy and are happily running their garage Driven. However there is lots going on in their friends lives.
Can Sally and Frankie solve their problem? Then there is Rosalind who has her own problem. Will she find the answers she seeks? What about Delilah and Tenika? Is Sally able to advise Delilah? Not forgetting Monroe. Will they ever find happiness?
Lots of questions here, will the right answers be found?
Once more Suzanne Falter has written with great understanding. Lots of emotions are at play. Plenty of love and humour too.
An excellent read.
November 1, 2020
Believe in faith.
I loved every thing about this story from lizzy and Katehow they meet an fall in love trying too save lizzy and T garage from a crazy person.sally and Frankie also Monroe and Roselin Frankie having A trauma emergency and she meet Sally who is a Medium tell everybody what is going too happen too them in the future. Roselin came out too her parents and Monroe change they so that they can be treated how they feel and rule themselves as gender x.
I loved every thing about this story from lizzy and Katehow they meet an fall in love trying too save lizzy and T garage from a crazy person.sally and Frankie also Monroe and Roselin Frankie having A trauma emergency and she meet Sally who is a Medium tell everybody what is going too happen too them in the future. Roselin came out too her parents and Monroe change they so that they can be treated how they feel and rule themselves as gender x.
February 17, 2020
This is #4 (and the finale?) in the Oaktown Girls Series. Another storyline that grabs you and is best appreciated if the previous books are read before this one. The intermingling stories of the featured three couples are lifelike, emotion filled with turmoil and humour - love, life and the promise of good things to come.
I recommend with 5 stars.
I recommend with 5 stars.
April 20, 2020
Good series ending
If this ends up being the final book in this series, I doubt it could've been executed better. But if it's not, (which is my secret most longed-for desire!) the future will no doubt be an evolved, expanded, adventurous & amorous experience… just like these four books already were.
If this ends up being the final book in this series, I doubt it could've been executed better. But if it's not, (which is my secret most longed-for desire!) the future will no doubt be an evolved, expanded, adventurous & amorous experience… just like these four books already were.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews