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Love at Knockdown #2
Shake Things Up
Three people, one road trip, and so many queer feelings. A polyamorous romance about changing your life.
Allie and Matt’s happy open relationship means they’re both free to find hookups. When Allie gets duped by a date, though, she’s found with someone else’s cheating boyfriend. Ugh!
Meeting Noelle by helping her leave the guy isn’t the night Allie expected, but after the women bond over drinks and a seriously dysfunctional tape gun, Allie’s hesitant to say goodbye. It’s weird; she doesn’t normally like-like people who aren’t Matt.
Matt’s questioning whether he’s entirely straight, and he hopes to find answers on his and Allie’s impending road trip. But he’s cool with bringing her new maybe-crush along, especially since he and Noelle keep finding things in common. And staring into each other's eyes.
Noelle lost her demanding job right before her boyfriend cheated, and she’s looking for the next one—preferably back home in the Midwest. Allie’s fumbling charm and Matt’s flirtatious humor, however, make her wonder if her life compass needs fixing.
Late-night talks on Texas highways, first kisses, and hotel confessions might change a lot... but only if there’s a next step for Noelle that isn’t leaving.
SHAKE THINGS UP is a queer polyamorous road trip romance novel about unexpected sapphic crushes, geeks falling in love, bisexual awakening, coming out in adulthood, honoring relationships that don’t fit the traditional mold, and finding the people who will support you completely in living as your full self. You can also expect tipsy bowling, hella flirting, cheerful faux-bickering, bi-pan solidarity, F/F and M/M love scenes, and a warm and optimistic polyam HFN.
Content warnings are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.
Cover Artist: Laya Rose
Allie and Matt’s happy open relationship means they’re both free to find hookups. When Allie gets duped by a date, though, she’s found with someone else’s cheating boyfriend. Ugh!
Meeting Noelle by helping her leave the guy isn’t the night Allie expected, but after the women bond over drinks and a seriously dysfunctional tape gun, Allie’s hesitant to say goodbye. It’s weird; she doesn’t normally like-like people who aren’t Matt.
Matt’s questioning whether he’s entirely straight, and he hopes to find answers on his and Allie’s impending road trip. But he’s cool with bringing her new maybe-crush along, especially since he and Noelle keep finding things in common. And staring into each other's eyes.
Noelle lost her demanding job right before her boyfriend cheated, and she’s looking for the next one—preferably back home in the Midwest. Allie’s fumbling charm and Matt’s flirtatious humor, however, make her wonder if her life compass needs fixing.
Late-night talks on Texas highways, first kisses, and hotel confessions might change a lot... but only if there’s a next step for Noelle that isn’t leaving.
SHAKE THINGS UP is a queer polyamorous road trip romance novel about unexpected sapphic crushes, geeks falling in love, bisexual awakening, coming out in adulthood, honoring relationships that don’t fit the traditional mold, and finding the people who will support you completely in living as your full self. You can also expect tipsy bowling, hella flirting, cheerful faux-bickering, bi-pan solidarity, F/F and M/M love scenes, and a warm and optimistic polyam HFN.
Content warnings are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.
Cover Artist: Laya Rose
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2022
21 people are currently reading
852 people want to read
About the author
Skye Kilaen
19 books374 followersSkye Kilaen is a bi author who writes contemporary & science fiction romance that is sometimes polyamorous, focusing on sapphic stories, queer M+F, and bi and pan main characters.
She also sends out a monthly newsletter highlighting new & recent self-published and small press queer romances that look particularly promising but might fly under the radar. Sign up on her website, your TBR will thank you!
Skye currently lives in Austin, Texas because it has so many libraries and breakfast tacos.
She also sends out a monthly newsletter highlighting new & recent self-published and small press queer romances that look particularly promising but might fly under the radar. Sign up on her website, your TBR will thank you!
Skye currently lives in Austin, Texas because it has so many libraries and breakfast tacos.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
February 14, 2022
Throuple.
The queer stories that Skye Kilaen writes are really diverse and they are not always sapphic, which means I'm not always interested in what she writes. But I wanted to give this a shot out of curiosity since I already started on this series and I wanted to know how it feels like when the main characters are in an open relationship and with a man no less.
I'm not going to lie, this was weird for me. I don't understand the appeal of an open relationship, nor polyamory, nor having a male partner so I struggled at first. But I must credit Kilaen because I didn't dislike the idea as the story went on. Matt is so nice and non-threatening that I actually like him. He and Allie have a really solid long term open relationship that works and it's more quiet love than the passionate one between the two women that develops on a road trip they all take when they become friends after Allie got caught making out with Noelle's cheating boyfriend.
Matt generally leaves Allie to pursue her spark with Noelle on the road trip even though he also clicks with Noelle, to explore his sexuality on his own, but the twosome relationship develops into a polyamorous one eventually.
If anyone is curious to check this out, there is ff sex and mm sex only, nothing hetero. And if you have specific triggers, do check out the author's detailed content warnings at the start of the book.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The queer stories that Skye Kilaen writes are really diverse and they are not always sapphic, which means I'm not always interested in what she writes. But I wanted to give this a shot out of curiosity since I already started on this series and I wanted to know how it feels like when the main characters are in an open relationship and with a man no less.
I'm not going to lie, this was weird for me. I don't understand the appeal of an open relationship, nor polyamory, nor having a male partner so I struggled at first. But I must credit Kilaen because I didn't dislike the idea as the story went on. Matt is so nice and non-threatening that I actually like him. He and Allie have a really solid long term open relationship that works and it's more quiet love than the passionate one between the two women that develops on a road trip they all take when they become friends after Allie got caught making out with Noelle's cheating boyfriend.
Matt generally leaves Allie to pursue her spark with Noelle on the road trip even though he also clicks with Noelle, to explore his sexuality on his own, but the twosome relationship develops into a polyamorous one eventually.
If anyone is curious to check this out, there is ff sex and mm sex only, nothing hetero. And if you have specific triggers, do check out the author's detailed content warnings at the start of the book.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2022
I believe this is my first contemporary polyam romance, and I loved it!
Previous books in the Love at Knockdown series were about Allie’s sisters—Vivi (pan) with Finn (lesbian) in Get It Right and Nora with Will (pan) in Knock Me Down . In Shake Things Up, we get to spend more time with Allie (33, pan), her long-term partner Matt (31), and a new person Noelle (26, bi). Allie and Matt are in an open relationship, and when Allie almost slept with Noelle’s then-boyfriend, thinking she had Noelle’s approval, Allie ends up taking Noelle under her wings after the latter loses her living space and job in the same day. With Allie and Matt going on a road trip to a music festival soon, they plan on leaving Noelle to housesit. Or... they can take her with them.
This was so cute and funny and adorable! I love the companionship between Allie and Matt, who felt a little like best friends–with-benefits. They have open communications, and through their interactions, it is clear that they trusted each other deeply. With the addition of Noelle, neither Allie nor Matt felt threatened in any way, which depicts their open relationship wonderfully. I love that the kind-of cold Allie, who is an actuary but that doesn’t play a huge role in the story, is soft for Noelle. And Matt is so much fun! He is a doctor and his character arc is mainly about him figuring out his sexuality while forming a friendship with Allie. And Noelle has an Instagram page where she posts staged photos of her LEGO figurines!
Are they a throuple? Not quite, but each pair in this group has their own dynamics, and I really appreciated how their partnership works together. I adored the characters, especially Matt (oops, I’m playing favorites here). There are also cameos of other familiar characters, including Nora, Will, Vivi, Finn, and Oliver.
The next book in the series is going to be a queer m/f fake-dating romance featuring Oliver and his long-time crush. I cannot wait to spend more time with Kilaen’s characters as they are always so sweet and wonderful to get to know!
content warnings on author’s website
I received a digital review copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Previous books in the Love at Knockdown series were about Allie’s sisters—Vivi (pan) with Finn (lesbian) in Get It Right and Nora with Will (pan) in Knock Me Down . In Shake Things Up, we get to spend more time with Allie (33, pan), her long-term partner Matt (31), and a new person Noelle (26, bi). Allie and Matt are in an open relationship, and when Allie almost slept with Noelle’s then-boyfriend, thinking she had Noelle’s approval, Allie ends up taking Noelle under her wings after the latter loses her living space and job in the same day. With Allie and Matt going on a road trip to a music festival soon, they plan on leaving Noelle to housesit. Or... they can take her with them.
This was so cute and funny and adorable! I love the companionship between Allie and Matt, who felt a little like best friends–with-benefits. They have open communications, and through their interactions, it is clear that they trusted each other deeply. With the addition of Noelle, neither Allie nor Matt felt threatened in any way, which depicts their open relationship wonderfully. I love that the kind-of cold Allie, who is an actuary but that doesn’t play a huge role in the story, is soft for Noelle. And Matt is so much fun! He is a doctor and his character arc is mainly about him figuring out his sexuality while forming a friendship with Allie. And Noelle has an Instagram page where she posts staged photos of her LEGO figurines!
Are they a throuple? Not quite, but each pair in this group has their own dynamics, and I really appreciated how their partnership works together. I adored the characters, especially Matt (oops, I’m playing favorites here). There are also cameos of other familiar characters, including Nora, Will, Vivi, Finn, and Oliver.
The next book in the series is going to be a queer m/f fake-dating romance featuring Oliver and his long-time crush. I cannot wait to spend more time with Kilaen’s characters as they are always so sweet and wonderful to get to know!
content warnings on author’s website
I received a digital review copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 25, 2022
Honestly this was adorable! After reading Get It Right last year and really enjoying it, I was really looking forward to the follow up. Additionally, I've mentioned before in reviews that I think I know more queer poly couples or throuples in real life than I've read books about similar relationships. And when I read 150-200 books a year, that should say something about the kind of book coming out a lot of the time. So I was really excited to shake things up for a bit. Pun intended.
Shake Things Up follows Allie, Matt, and Noelle. Allie and Matt have an open relationship- where they can pursue hookups with other people with each other's consent. When Noelle walks in on Allie with her husband, Allie is outraged on Noelle's behalf- leading her to offer Noelle a place to stay in her and Matt's apartment while Noelle regroups her life. But a roadtrip later the three of them become even closer to reimagining their situation.
I really dug this! While my girlfriend and I are personally monogamous, as I mentioned I know and care for many people in my life who are not. I know one throuple and a lot of my friends are Poly. So seeing that represented was really nice- I was really happy to see a romance like this.
I loved all the characters. Allie was wonderful, and I loved how someone who doesn't like people opened up to Noelle well. And Noelle was sooo sweet. What I didn't expect was to like Matt so much. He was so lovely and so warm. As a person who reads primarily lesfic, there aren't a lot of books I read with men as main characters, but the couple times there are, I find that I tend to really like them. (But that's probably related to fictional men being better than real ones). But I bonded with all three characters well. And as a character reader that is great.
As for lesfic readers, just so everyone knows, there isn't any m/f sex scenes in this book. There are just some f/f and some m/m, in case people were wondering.
I thought this was a fun read with some great characters, and I'm really into this series by Kilaen. 4.5/5
Shake Things Up follows Allie, Matt, and Noelle. Allie and Matt have an open relationship- where they can pursue hookups with other people with each other's consent. When Noelle walks in on Allie with her husband, Allie is outraged on Noelle's behalf- leading her to offer Noelle a place to stay in her and Matt's apartment while Noelle regroups her life. But a roadtrip later the three of them become even closer to reimagining their situation.
I really dug this! While my girlfriend and I are personally monogamous, as I mentioned I know and care for many people in my life who are not. I know one throuple and a lot of my friends are Poly. So seeing that represented was really nice- I was really happy to see a romance like this.
I loved all the characters. Allie was wonderful, and I loved how someone who doesn't like people opened up to Noelle well. And Noelle was sooo sweet. What I didn't expect was to like Matt so much. He was so lovely and so warm. As a person who reads primarily lesfic, there aren't a lot of books I read with men as main characters, but the couple times there are, I find that I tend to really like them. (But that's probably related to fictional men being better than real ones). But I bonded with all three characters well. And as a character reader that is great.
As for lesfic readers, just so everyone knows, there isn't any m/f sex scenes in this book. There are just some f/f and some m/m, in case people were wondering.
I thought this was a fun read with some great characters, and I'm really into this series by Kilaen. 4.5/5
March 24, 2022
First of all, thank you to the author and Booksirens for the ARC!
To be honest, I don't have much to say other than I LOVED IT. The three of them are so precious and I'm jealous of their relationship.
It's 4 stars leaning towards 4.5 :)
To be honest, I don't have much to say other than I LOVED IT. The three of them are so precious and I'm jealous of their relationship.
It's 4 stars leaning towards 4.5 :)
February 16, 2022
Delightfully queer! This wonderful road trip romance stars Matt and Allie, a couple in an open relationship, and Noelle, a woman who gets laid off and broken up with in the same day and needs a change of pace (to shake things up, so to speak). She embarks on a road trip with her new friends Matt and Allie, and along the way they discover that all three of them may be falling for each other. I especially appreciated all the details about the city of Austin and the large, inclusive supporting cast, and all three main characters felt distinctive and developed. It’s such a treat to find well-written polyamorous relationships.
Disclosure: I am friends with the author and received an advance copy. This book comes out March 22, 2022.
Disclosure: I am friends with the author and received an advance copy. This book comes out March 22, 2022.
March 13, 2022
Love at Knockdown #2. This one had three lead characters and once I had them sorted out to my satisfaction everything flowed.
Allie and Matt are comfortable in an open relationship with mutually agreed hookups. Then Allie is confronted by Noelle (her latest hookup turns out to be a cheating liar and Noelle's boyfriend) and oops, a disastrous first meeting spawns a tiny spark between the two women. Add to that a fleeting connection between Noelle and Matt when the two meet. Matt is second guessing his own sexuality and thinks he may be bi. Noelle knows she is bi. Allie is trying to figure out her own feelings towards Noelle and what it means with Matt. But hang on, there's an upcoming road trip planned and Noelle is invited to go with them. It could turn out to be quite enlightening with so much emotion to be sorted through and Noelle fielding potential job offers (she'd been laid off on the same day she caught her ex cheating). Who's comfortable with who, which city will win out, Chicago or Austin? Nicely rounded out likeable characters, humor, heat and a HEA?
Skye's storylines are never mundane and this one is no exception.
I rec'd a copy through Booksprout and this is a completely voluntary, unbiased review.
Allie and Matt are comfortable in an open relationship with mutually agreed hookups. Then Allie is confronted by Noelle (her latest hookup turns out to be a cheating liar and Noelle's boyfriend) and oops, a disastrous first meeting spawns a tiny spark between the two women. Add to that a fleeting connection between Noelle and Matt when the two meet. Matt is second guessing his own sexuality and thinks he may be bi. Noelle knows she is bi. Allie is trying to figure out her own feelings towards Noelle and what it means with Matt. But hang on, there's an upcoming road trip planned and Noelle is invited to go with them. It could turn out to be quite enlightening with so much emotion to be sorted through and Noelle fielding potential job offers (she'd been laid off on the same day she caught her ex cheating). Who's comfortable with who, which city will win out, Chicago or Austin? Nicely rounded out likeable characters, humor, heat and a HEA?
Skye's storylines are never mundane and this one is no exception.
I rec'd a copy through Booksprout and this is a completely voluntary, unbiased review.
January 28, 2022
This may honestly be my favorite romance I ever read!!! The characters are so good and so much fun, and I LOVE the multiple povs and how it moves back and forward between the three of them, how each of them is struggling and dealing with personal things, and then how they're developing their relationship together!!!
I LOVE the romance between the three of them so much!!! How the book establishes Matt and Allie so well, and they're just so much fun and their chemistry and easiness is perfect, and the book and author knows how important communication is (always, but in a polyam relationship even more) and I love them so much!!! And then Noelle fitting so well with them both, as a couple, but also individually, and it makes this story so good, you get to see their strength as three and in any of the duos!!!
I also really appreciate the balance the book strikes - most polyam books I've read have a bit too much smut for my liking in books, here it's perfect, a few scenes that had to the story, but not overwhelming. And then the balance with friendship, romance, character development and then the exciting plot that is a road trip!!!! It was so much fun to see them in a car together, forced to know each other better and better, and Noelle fitting into their love of music!!!! Also the secondary characters are really fun and add fun glimpses and makes me looking forward to reading more of this series!!!
I really can't recommend this enough!!! It was beautiful and adorable and just made me so happy!!!! I couldn't put it down, and I read it in two days!!!! This is the polyam and queer rep we need and want in the world, and this just made me feel seen!!!! And then I also appreciate this writer's care for including content warnings in the beginning, and I'll be reading more of her books!!!! Just so GOOD!!!!
(I received this book through Book Sirens in exchange of an honest review :) )
I LOVE the romance between the three of them so much!!! How the book establishes Matt and Allie so well, and they're just so much fun and their chemistry and easiness is perfect, and the book and author knows how important communication is (always, but in a polyam relationship even more) and I love them so much!!! And then Noelle fitting so well with them both, as a couple, but also individually, and it makes this story so good, you get to see their strength as three and in any of the duos!!!
I also really appreciate the balance the book strikes - most polyam books I've read have a bit too much smut for my liking in books, here it's perfect, a few scenes that had to the story, but not overwhelming. And then the balance with friendship, romance, character development and then the exciting plot that is a road trip!!!! It was so much fun to see them in a car together, forced to know each other better and better, and Noelle fitting into their love of music!!!! Also the secondary characters are really fun and add fun glimpses and makes me looking forward to reading more of this series!!!
I really can't recommend this enough!!! It was beautiful and adorable and just made me so happy!!!! I couldn't put it down, and I read it in two days!!!! This is the polyam and queer rep we need and want in the world, and this just made me feel seen!!!! And then I also appreciate this writer's care for including content warnings in the beginning, and I'll be reading more of her books!!!! Just so GOOD!!!!
(I received this book through Book Sirens in exchange of an honest review :) )
January 29, 2022
I received an early copy from the author for review purposes. I am also friendly with the author on social media. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Comprehensive CNs are available in the front Matter and can also be found here: https://skyewritesromance.com/books/s...
Shake Things Up is a delightful warm hug of a book! I love the way Skye does her characters and the nuance and care to them. Matt and Allie are in an established open relationship and when Allie realizes her most recent fling was not in an open relationship, she sides with Noelle and helps her get packed up and offers her a place to stay. I loved the fun road trip vibes as well as the interpersonal relationships and the friendship and attraction between Noelle and Allie, Allie and Matt, and Matt and Noelle. I also loved Matt’s questioning and reunderstanding of himself after realizing he’d had a crush on his friend, Kyle. Him navigating his feelings while also seeing his support for Allie, and Allie’s care towards him was all so lovely and wonderful. All around a super sweet story that brought me much joy!
Comprehensive CNs are available in the front Matter and can also be found here: https://skyewritesromance.com/books/s...
Shake Things Up is a delightful warm hug of a book! I love the way Skye does her characters and the nuance and care to them. Matt and Allie are in an established open relationship and when Allie realizes her most recent fling was not in an open relationship, she sides with Noelle and helps her get packed up and offers her a place to stay. I loved the fun road trip vibes as well as the interpersonal relationships and the friendship and attraction between Noelle and Allie, Allie and Matt, and Matt and Noelle. I also loved Matt’s questioning and reunderstanding of himself after realizing he’d had a crush on his friend, Kyle. Him navigating his feelings while also seeing his support for Allie, and Allie’s care towards him was all so lovely and wonderful. All around a super sweet story that brought me much joy!
April 15, 2022
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I was in the mood for something to cheer me up, for something light and sweet, and I'm so glad I picked this book up! This was exactly what I wanted and needed.
Shake Things Up is a story about Matt and Allie, who've been a couple for ages, and are happy in their open relationship. When Allie goes on a date with a guy, and his girlfriend shows up, it's an unpleasant surprise, to say the least. Noelle, who just got fired and cheated on, actually becomes friends with Allie, trusting that she didn't know Noelle was unaware of her boyfriend's actions. Becoming fast friends Matt and Allie invite Noelle on their road trip. On said road trip, many emotions arise - Allie and Noelle are getting closer, and Matt is unpacking some complex emotions regarding his sexuality.
As I mentioned already, I really really enjoyed this book. This is definitely a slice-of-life story, so if you're looking for something more exciting plot-wise this is not your story. If you're, however, looking for a fun story about a queer polyam couple getting together - you're in the right place. I enjoyed the characters, they were all well-rounded. And even though the book's written in the third person you can easily distinguish them, they all have distinct "voices", so to speak.
I loved reading about these characters! They were all so fun and interesting. I loved the dynamic, of Matt and Allie's relationship, how they are each other's favorite people and how they understand and support each other. I loved how they're pretty much polar opposites but fit so well together. I loved, loved their relationship - they communicate so well and I really enjoyed reading about a healthy relationship. I also enjoyed how Noelle fit with them. I thought she was a great character on her own, too. I liked how Matt's process of figuring out his sexuality was portrayed, the doubting and the "I never knew this isn't very straight of me" felt very familiar. I also loved the support from Allie's family, it made the whole book feel warm and welcoming.
I liked how regular and real the characters seemed. The author did a good job of making them seem like real people you may know - they were all multi-faceted. One of my biggest pet peeves in contemporaries (and books in general) is when characters have one singular defining trait or characteristic, but this book didn't do that. For example, Allie is a "tough" girl, working a corporate job - but she is not cold, and is very soft with Noelle, and in general very understanding. Matt is a doctor, which seems very serious, but he is also into geeky stuff and just very sweet overall. And Noelle, who at first seems like someone who will settle for less than she deserves, but actually loves her moms, Legos and is just looking for something she's passionate about.
Also just to mention, this book features a couple of sex scenes, that I also thought were done great. They are not too long or overly graphic, but I really enjoyed them.
My slight complaints I have are that the writing at the beginning was a bit stilted and stiff - and here I specifically mean when the characters were first introduced. I felt like that was done a bit too matter-of-factly, but I've had no issues later on in the book. For example, when Allie and Noelle meet I feel like we're given a definition of what polyamory is - but I understand why that was included.
My second complaint is not really a complaint, as it didn't really bother me but I want to mention it - the pacing is really fast in terms of the majority of the book taking place over the course of one week. I say I had no issue with it because the relationship between the characters didn't feel insta-lovey - I think the author did a great job with differentiating what is attraction and what are genuine feelings, and how everyone developed them at their own pace.
Overall, I'm really glad I picked this book up and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's interested!
I was in the mood for something to cheer me up, for something light and sweet, and I'm so glad I picked this book up! This was exactly what I wanted and needed.
Shake Things Up is a story about Matt and Allie, who've been a couple for ages, and are happy in their open relationship. When Allie goes on a date with a guy, and his girlfriend shows up, it's an unpleasant surprise, to say the least. Noelle, who just got fired and cheated on, actually becomes friends with Allie, trusting that she didn't know Noelle was unaware of her boyfriend's actions. Becoming fast friends Matt and Allie invite Noelle on their road trip. On said road trip, many emotions arise - Allie and Noelle are getting closer, and Matt is unpacking some complex emotions regarding his sexuality.
As I mentioned already, I really really enjoyed this book. This is definitely a slice-of-life story, so if you're looking for something more exciting plot-wise this is not your story. If you're, however, looking for a fun story about a queer polyam couple getting together - you're in the right place. I enjoyed the characters, they were all well-rounded. And even though the book's written in the third person you can easily distinguish them, they all have distinct "voices", so to speak.
I loved reading about these characters! They were all so fun and interesting. I loved the dynamic, of Matt and Allie's relationship, how they are each other's favorite people and how they understand and support each other. I loved how they're pretty much polar opposites but fit so well together. I loved, loved their relationship - they communicate so well and I really enjoyed reading about a healthy relationship. I also enjoyed how Noelle fit with them. I thought she was a great character on her own, too. I liked how Matt's process of figuring out his sexuality was portrayed, the doubting and the "I never knew this isn't very straight of me" felt very familiar. I also loved the support from Allie's family, it made the whole book feel warm and welcoming.
I liked how regular and real the characters seemed. The author did a good job of making them seem like real people you may know - they were all multi-faceted. One of my biggest pet peeves in contemporaries (and books in general) is when characters have one singular defining trait or characteristic, but this book didn't do that. For example, Allie is a "tough" girl, working a corporate job - but she is not cold, and is very soft with Noelle, and in general very understanding. Matt is a doctor, which seems very serious, but he is also into geeky stuff and just very sweet overall. And Noelle, who at first seems like someone who will settle for less than she deserves, but actually loves her moms, Legos and is just looking for something she's passionate about.
Also just to mention, this book features a couple of sex scenes, that I also thought were done great. They are not too long or overly graphic, but I really enjoyed them.
My slight complaints I have are that the writing at the beginning was a bit stilted and stiff - and here I specifically mean when the characters were first introduced. I felt like that was done a bit too matter-of-factly, but I've had no issues later on in the book. For example, when Allie and Noelle meet I feel like we're given a definition of what polyamory is - but I understand why that was included.
My second complaint is not really a complaint, as it didn't really bother me but I want to mention it - the pacing is really fast in terms of the majority of the book taking place over the course of one week. I say I had no issue with it because the relationship between the characters didn't feel insta-lovey - I think the author did a great job with differentiating what is attraction and what are genuine feelings, and how everyone developed them at their own pace.
Overall, I'm really glad I picked this book up and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's interested!
June 13, 2022
Maybe some part of her had known she needed to shake things up.
3.5 stars. A very cute poly romance that was super refreshing to read, but somehow left something to be desired? It involves Noelle, a woman who gets laid off the day she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her; Allie, a poly woman who realises that the guy she was about to hook up with lied to his girlfriend about it; and Matt, Allie's boyfriend who is going through his own bisexual awakening. The story revolves around the three of them becoming friends and growing closer on a road trip to a music festival. There's attraction along all three lines of the triangle, though most of the romance in the book is Allie/Noelle and Allie/Matt; with the former getting just a bit more page time. It's a really sweet romance and I liked it a lot, but something about the writing left me a little cold. I always felt really distant and removed from the characters, and idk if it's because I was a tad tired when I finished the book, but I kept having to reread lines for clarity. I felt like we kept slipping into different style of writing, and none of them worked perfectly? Very possibly just a me thing.
Nevertheless, I really liked all the characters, and this was just so fun and sweet. Kudos.
January 3, 2023
it was...... fine
the characters were nice, and i liked how they communicated well, but idk, nothing was fun??
i guess i expected to Feel more, and was just mostly bored
also i felt like sometimes the book overexplained stuff, like it’s for the hets. some dialogue feels like a lecture on sexuality instead of being about queer bonding and sharing of experiences.
the characters were nice, and i liked how they communicated well, but idk, nothing was fun??
i guess i expected to Feel more, and was just mostly bored
also i felt like sometimes the book overexplained stuff, like it’s for the hets. some dialogue feels like a lecture on sexuality instead of being about queer bonding and sharing of experiences.
March 23, 2022
"I read a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy from BookSirens of, ‘Shake Things Up’ (Love at Knockdown #2) by Skye Kilaen. I am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review.” This book does contain F-F and M-M sexual contact. Skye took me everywhere and touched on many points in the LGBTQIA. This is queer, erotic, provocative, and lovely road trip based on open communication. Matt and Allie in a long-term open relationship meet Noelle (just out of a relationship with cheating boyfriend) and take a week-long road trip for a concert. This is their journey and what a journey it is including polyamory, pan-bi, forced proximity, road trip, open relationships, friends to lovers, and slow burn. Skye Kilaen takes on a trip with people who love and express love as love and as sexuality. The book is a one-sitting read at least for me. It is funny cute and filled with discovery. Skye Kilaen has done it again creating another hit with this series with all three entries, Knock Me Down, Get it right, and now Shake Things Up. The shared romance draws you in and does not let go. I am looking forward to the next entry. 5 stars
May 7, 2023
This was a fun, quick poly instalove read - it was great to see all the good communication between Allie, Noelle and Matt.
February 1, 2022
I intended to go to bed 2 hours ago, but I couldn’t put this down.
Twitter may be a hellsite most of the time, but it brought me to so many great writers I wouldn’t have found otherwise. I don’t know how else I would have found Skye Kilaen, an absolutely delightful queer self published author who should be more widely read.
Shake Things Up is the second in her Love at Knockdown series and I feel like I’ve been eagerly anticipating it forever, but probably only about a year, what is time? We meet Noelle just after she’s been laid off from her job at a start-up. She’s been working non-stop, so maybe a week to relax won’t be so bad. But when she gets home, she finds her boyfriend with his hand up another woman’s skirt. This is not going to go the way opening like this often go.
Allie thought she had texted with the jerk’s girlfriend and gotten her ok to sleep with him. As soon as she realizes Noelle has no idea what’s going on she shifts into supportive protector mode, booting the now ex-boyfriend out and helping Noelle pack. The two bond over a terrible packing tape dispenser and drinking the jerk’s expensive scotch. Allie is pansexual (attraction not dependent on gender identity or expression) and Noelle is bi. Allie’s longtime partner, Matt, has assumed he was straight, but now questions that. Allie and Matt’s relationship is open. There’s flirting at the queer owned coffee shop, a road-trip, and lots of communication.
All three of them are trying to work through their individual life challenges. Noelle needs a new job, but she also needs to think about what kind of life she wants outside of work. Allie is trying to decide if Noelle is a road-trip fling, or someone she wants to build a relationship with. Matt is trying to understand his shifting identity and grieving the loss of a friendship that might have meant more than he realized. They are such lovely characters and so concerned with each other as human beings. I knew very quickly where I wanted them to end up, and watching them get there was a really nice way to spend a few hours.
Shake Things Up is the second in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I love the way Skye Kilaen writes. She is very gentle with her characters, even when they are going through it. And she is kind and respectful of her readers. She does a great job of providing content warnings, and if you are interested in looking at any of her other books (contemporary romance, sci-fi, and post-apocalypse), her website is a treasure trove of information and excerpts.
Shake Things Up is out March 22. I received this as an advance reader copy from the author. My opinions are my own and voluntarily given.
Twitter may be a hellsite most of the time, but it brought me to so many great writers I wouldn’t have found otherwise. I don’t know how else I would have found Skye Kilaen, an absolutely delightful queer self published author who should be more widely read.
Shake Things Up is the second in her Love at Knockdown series and I feel like I’ve been eagerly anticipating it forever, but probably only about a year, what is time? We meet Noelle just after she’s been laid off from her job at a start-up. She’s been working non-stop, so maybe a week to relax won’t be so bad. But when she gets home, she finds her boyfriend with his hand up another woman’s skirt. This is not going to go the way opening like this often go.
Allie thought she had texted with the jerk’s girlfriend and gotten her ok to sleep with him. As soon as she realizes Noelle has no idea what’s going on she shifts into supportive protector mode, booting the now ex-boyfriend out and helping Noelle pack. The two bond over a terrible packing tape dispenser and drinking the jerk’s expensive scotch. Allie is pansexual (attraction not dependent on gender identity or expression) and Noelle is bi. Allie’s longtime partner, Matt, has assumed he was straight, but now questions that. Allie and Matt’s relationship is open. There’s flirting at the queer owned coffee shop, a road-trip, and lots of communication.
All three of them are trying to work through their individual life challenges. Noelle needs a new job, but she also needs to think about what kind of life she wants outside of work. Allie is trying to decide if Noelle is a road-trip fling, or someone she wants to build a relationship with. Matt is trying to understand his shifting identity and grieving the loss of a friendship that might have meant more than he realized. They are such lovely characters and so concerned with each other as human beings. I knew very quickly where I wanted them to end up, and watching them get there was a really nice way to spend a few hours.
Shake Things Up is the second in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I love the way Skye Kilaen writes. She is very gentle with her characters, even when they are going through it. And she is kind and respectful of her readers. She does a great job of providing content warnings, and if you are interested in looking at any of her other books (contemporary romance, sci-fi, and post-apocalypse), her website is a treasure trove of information and excerpts.
Shake Things Up is out March 22. I received this as an advance reader copy from the author. My opinions are my own and voluntarily given.
March 24, 2022
This is too cute! I picked this up from Twitter and I’m so glad I did. It’s full of feeeeeeeelings (and I love that Allie agrees with me - ew feelings!), and cuties being cute and supportive, and road trip fun, and just so much and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Noelle is a total cutie pie and I love her crush on Allie and Matt. But I also love how realistic this felt, especially on her relationship with Matt, and how not everyone moves at the same pace or experiences things in the same way. That was so lovely to see. You see too many books where everyone just head first and this isn’t totally that which is wonderful.
We also see some ups and downs of polyam / consensual non monogamous relationships. I really liked how Allie and Matt navigated theirs and how it quite clearly worked for them, but also how Noelle coming along messed with things a bit. And Matt having his own feelings drama. I just enjoyed it.
I will say that I feel Allie may be grey-romantic (or demi?) but it’s not said on page. I just got that vibe and would have happily seen that explored a little.
All in all a totally lovely read. 4 stars.
Noelle is a total cutie pie and I love her crush on Allie and Matt. But I also love how realistic this felt, especially on her relationship with Matt, and how not everyone moves at the same pace or experiences things in the same way. That was so lovely to see. You see too many books where everyone just head first and this isn’t totally that which is wonderful.
We also see some ups and downs of polyam / consensual non monogamous relationships. I really liked how Allie and Matt navigated theirs and how it quite clearly worked for them, but also how Noelle coming along messed with things a bit. And Matt having his own feelings drama. I just enjoyed it.
I will say that I feel Allie may be grey-romantic (or demi?) but it’s not said on page. I just got that vibe and would have happily seen that explored a little.
All in all a totally lovely read. 4 stars.
July 20, 2022
I absolutely love the set up of Shake Things Up! I can honestly say I have never read something like this before! Noelle is having the worst day. She's just been laid off from her job, and when she gets back to the apartment she shares with her boyfriend, she finds him with another woman! But that woman, Allie, thought she had been talking to Noelle previously and that they were in an open relationship, so she turns on the cheating scum boyfriend as well! Now Allie is helping Noelle pack up her things and offers her a place to stay. Talk about drama!
While Shake Things Up has an amazing premise, it didn't fully work for me. For one, the writing was kind of confusing. It's in third-person and alternates between Noelle, Allie, and Matt (Allie's partner), but Noelle and Allie sound exactly the same, so I'd have to reread some parts multiple times to figure out who was doing/saying what. Matt's POV felt disconnected, and almost added as just a way to get in another plot point, which is him discovering his bisexuality. I liked Matt, but the romance is more between Noelle and Allie, so I didn't find him necessary.
I did enjoy Shake Things Up. It's nice to see more polyamorous relationships in Romance, and definitely lovely to see openly bisexual characters (and those just figuring it out). I just wish the story had been easier to follow and maybe faster paced, as it took forever for anything to happen.
Read more at Pinkadot Pages.
While Shake Things Up has an amazing premise, it didn't fully work for me. For one, the writing was kind of confusing. It's in third-person and alternates between Noelle, Allie, and Matt (Allie's partner), but Noelle and Allie sound exactly the same, so I'd have to reread some parts multiple times to figure out who was doing/saying what. Matt's POV felt disconnected, and almost added as just a way to get in another plot point, which is him discovering his bisexuality. I liked Matt, but the romance is more between Noelle and Allie, so I didn't find him necessary.
I did enjoy Shake Things Up. It's nice to see more polyamorous relationships in Romance, and definitely lovely to see openly bisexual characters (and those just figuring it out). I just wish the story had been easier to follow and maybe faster paced, as it took forever for anything to happen.
Read more at Pinkadot Pages.
March 29, 2025
It was really nice to finally read a polyamorous romance that was actually about the dynamics of the relationship and I thought that part was well done. The characters were sweet, they all had their own relationships with each other and I was rooting for them to get together.
However it did suffer from being just too polite? Like a whole internal thing of someone justifying why they use bi instead of pan and a lot of going out of the way to mention sexualities and gender. While I appreciate the effort it makes it seem more like tokenisation than true representation and honestly breaks the story.
However it did suffer from being just too polite? Like a whole internal thing of someone justifying why they use bi instead of pan and a lot of going out of the way to mention sexualities and gender. While I appreciate the effort it makes it seem more like tokenisation than true representation and honestly breaks the story.
September 23, 2022
Thank you, but no thank you.
March 29, 2022
The first book of this author’s I ever picked up was Get it Right, the first in this series, and that prompted me to binge, uh, pretty much everything else by her. So of course I was ridiculously excited for the next book in the series and even more excited when I heard it was a polyam road trip romance! While this is the second in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
After getting fired from her job, the last thing Noelle needs is to walk in on her boyfriend making out with another woman. Except Allie, the other woman, turns out to be lovely, grabbing her water and helping her pack up her few boxes of things. Allie can’t deny that some of the reason she’s helping Noelle out is pity. But even more, she’s drawn to her in a way she can’t explain and hasn’t experienced before. And interestingly enough, her partner Matt is drawn to her, too. Before long, their initial suggestion of her house-sitting while they take a road trip to a festival doesn’t seem like enough. But will the road trip shake things up for all of them in a good way?
I loved all of the characters. Noelle’s adorably sweet, Matt is so geeky and gentle, and Allie is, well, a caring person if you can get past her prickles. Matt and Allie are in an open relationship. They don’t really consider themselves polygamous because both prefer hookups rather than longer relationships. Allie is pan, Noelle is bi and Matt is het… kinda. They are all dealing with new facets of themselves they’re not sure about. For Matt, he’s questioning whether he’s as heterosexual as he’s always believed, and viewing some past friendships in a new light. For Allie, well, she doesn’t like like people who aren’t Matt, and she doesn’t know how to deal with being drawn to Noelle. Noelle’s trying to figure out if she should return to her hometown of Chicago to find her next job. After all, there’s nothing else to keep her in Austin – or is there?
I love the author’s writing and how skillfully she navigates difficult situations. One of the things that’s necessary for me when reading a book with polyamory is understanding how all the people involved fit together. The author understands that what one character gets out of a relationship with another is not the same as they get with a different one. How Matt and Allie work, how Allie works with Noelle, how Matt works with Noelle, and how they all three fit together are different. Of course I loved the geeky banter between Matt and Noelle, but I also liked the warmth between Allie and Noelle, and the deep sense of comfort between Matt and Allie.
The book feels like a warm hug. Sure, there’s a bleak moment, but it’s an honest and very understandable miscommunication, and everyone involved regrets the pain caused as well as treads lightly around it. Despite that, the communication is otherwise amazing. Everyone is always considerate of the other’s feelings, to the point that Matt gives Allie his blessing to pursue something with Noelle, even though he’s equally drawn to her. I love how they talk things out, and I especially loved how Matt and Allie dealt with Matt’s confusion over his sexuality.
Overall, another excellent entry to this series, and I’m even more excited for the next in the series, fake dating with another character from Knockdown!
I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes: & Content notes from the author
After getting fired from her job, the last thing Noelle needs is to walk in on her boyfriend making out with another woman. Except Allie, the other woman, turns out to be lovely, grabbing her water and helping her pack up her few boxes of things. Allie can’t deny that some of the reason she’s helping Noelle out is pity. But even more, she’s drawn to her in a way she can’t explain and hasn’t experienced before. And interestingly enough, her partner Matt is drawn to her, too. Before long, their initial suggestion of her house-sitting while they take a road trip to a festival doesn’t seem like enough. But will the road trip shake things up for all of them in a good way?
“Mixed up was a condition Allie generally went out of her way to avoid. Mixed up could turn a perfectly enjoyable time into a big mess of drama. Which was usually easy to stay out of, given how rarely she liked anybody who wasn’t Matt well enough to want them around beyond a few hours of fun, sexual or otherwise.”
I loved all of the characters. Noelle’s adorably sweet, Matt is so geeky and gentle, and Allie is, well, a caring person if you can get past her prickles. Matt and Allie are in an open relationship. They don’t really consider themselves polygamous because both prefer hookups rather than longer relationships. Allie is pan, Noelle is bi and Matt is het… kinda. They are all dealing with new facets of themselves they’re not sure about. For Matt, he’s questioning whether he’s as heterosexual as he’s always believed, and viewing some past friendships in a new light. For Allie, well, she doesn’t like like people who aren’t Matt, and she doesn’t know how to deal with being drawn to Noelle. Noelle’s trying to figure out if she should return to her hometown of Chicago to find her next job. After all, there’s nothing else to keep her in Austin – or is there?
“I don’t know what any of this means. It never even felt the same with him as it does with you. You’re my home, Allie.”
Damn, that went right for her heart. “You don’t have to think somebody else is awesome the same way you think I’m awesome for it to be important.”
I love the author’s writing and how skillfully she navigates difficult situations. One of the things that’s necessary for me when reading a book with polyamory is understanding how all the people involved fit together. The author understands that what one character gets out of a relationship with another is not the same as they get with a different one. How Matt and Allie work, how Allie works with Noelle, how Matt works with Noelle, and how they all three fit together are different. Of course I loved the geeky banter between Matt and Noelle, but I also liked the warmth between Allie and Noelle, and the deep sense of comfort between Matt and Allie.
The book feels like a warm hug. Sure, there’s a bleak moment, but it’s an honest and very understandable miscommunication, and everyone involved regrets the pain caused as well as treads lightly around it. Despite that, the communication is otherwise amazing. Everyone is always considerate of the other’s feelings, to the point that Matt gives Allie his blessing to pursue something with Noelle, even though he’s equally drawn to her. I love how they talk things out, and I especially loved how Matt and Allie dealt with Matt’s confusion over his sexuality.
Overall, another excellent entry to this series, and I’m even more excited for the next in the series, fake dating with another character from Knockdown!
I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes: & Content notes from the author
April 15, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Just when Noelle thought that this day couldn't get any worse, she walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman. But when one door closes, another opens and through this one, Matt and Allie stumble into Noelle's life–a queer couple that's about to turn Noelle's life upside down.
This was a fun and easy read for my commute to uni. I enjoyed the dynamics between the main three characters and loved how we got a lot of insight into how they perceive one another and how important communication is for all of them. They truly are considerate with each other which I really appreciate. Oftentimes, romance stories with more than one love interest are filled with unnecessary drama and jealousy and miscommunication which I'm just not a big fan of. Glad to see a book tackle it a little differently.
There were only a few things that bothered me but they didn't completely stop me from enjoying the book. I found it to be a little too quickly paced. There are "only" 232 pages but I wish we had spent some extra time with the characters building up their attraction towards each other. Especially the dynamic between Noelle and Matt was pushed to the side which does make sense for the situation Matt is during the story but they received the most development during the epilogue which I found to be a little unsatisfying.
Overall, I think this story was very sweet and a good read but nothing that stood out to me in any particularly exciting way. I did, however, recommend it to a friend of mine already because I know she might appreciate this book in places where I couldn't.
Just when Noelle thought that this day couldn't get any worse, she walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman. But when one door closes, another opens and through this one, Matt and Allie stumble into Noelle's life–a queer couple that's about to turn Noelle's life upside down.
This was a fun and easy read for my commute to uni. I enjoyed the dynamics between the main three characters and loved how we got a lot of insight into how they perceive one another and how important communication is for all of them. They truly are considerate with each other which I really appreciate. Oftentimes, romance stories with more than one love interest are filled with unnecessary drama and jealousy and miscommunication which I'm just not a big fan of. Glad to see a book tackle it a little differently.
There were only a few things that bothered me but they didn't completely stop me from enjoying the book. I found it to be a little too quickly paced. There are "only" 232 pages but I wish we had spent some extra time with the characters building up their attraction towards each other. Especially the dynamic between Noelle and Matt was pushed to the side which does make sense for the situation Matt is during the story but they received the most development during the epilogue which I found to be a little unsatisfying.
Overall, I think this story was very sweet and a good read but nothing that stood out to me in any particularly exciting way. I did, however, recommend it to a friend of mine already because I know she might appreciate this book in places where I couldn't.
November 18, 2022
Wish It Were Longer
This was my first ffm romance that I’ve read outside of literotica and I enjoyed it, I just wish it was longer. I would have loved to see more interactions between the three but also in pairs. I wanted more slice-of-life scenes from each of there perspectives.
The only aspect that sometimes made me wish for… more was Allie and Matt’s relationship. But I think that came from me not being accustomed to reading about long-established couples right from the beginning of the book. I missed the overtly loving gestures and was a little underwhelmed by how the two of them just seemed to…. Fall into their relationship. But again, I think that was a reflection of what I’m used to in romance. Because once I got passed that, it was easy to see how well they worked together and loved one another. And even as I wanted more, I loved reading about the habits formed between two people who know each other so well.
I would definitely read more from this author.
This was my first ffm romance that I’ve read outside of literotica and I enjoyed it, I just wish it was longer. I would have loved to see more interactions between the three but also in pairs. I wanted more slice-of-life scenes from each of there perspectives.
The only aspect that sometimes made me wish for… more was Allie and Matt’s relationship. But I think that came from me not being accustomed to reading about long-established couples right from the beginning of the book. I missed the overtly loving gestures and was a little underwhelmed by how the two of them just seemed to…. Fall into their relationship. But again, I think that was a reflection of what I’m used to in romance. Because once I got passed that, it was easy to see how well they worked together and loved one another. And even as I wanted more, I loved reading about the habits formed between two people who know each other so well.
I would definitely read more from this author.
May 29, 2022
Allie and Matts happy open relationship means they’re both free to find hookups and when Allie gets duped by a date though she’s found with someone else’s cheating boyfriend meeting Noelle by helping her leave the guy isn’t the night Allie expected but after the women bond over drinks and a seriously dysfunctional tape gun and Allies hesitant to say goodbye it’s weird she doesn’t normally like like people who aren’t Matt and Matt is questioning whether he is entirely straight and he hopes to find answers on his and Allies impending road trip and he’s cool with bringing Allies new maybe crush along especially since he and Noelle keep finding things in common and staring into each other’s eyes
A throughly enjoyable read with great characters a really well written polyamorous relationship totally recommend
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A throughly enjoyable read with great characters a really well written polyamorous relationship totally recommend
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 7, 2022
This was a lovely romance, with the added dynamics of being two/three romances in one. It’s a real page turner, and it’s obvious from the get-go how well-matched the characters are.
This is the second ‘Love at Knockdown’ book I’ve read, and it felt much more immersed in the wider world. It was really great to get to know the other characters a bit more, and all of the main characters had really nice individual storylines as well as the romantic ones.
📚Read this and more reviews on my blog!📚
If anything, I wish it had been a little bit longer, a bit more of a slow-burn. Especially given the circumstances under which Noelle and Allie meet (no spoilers!), I would have enjoyed a slightly longer journey to get to the end.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
This is the second ‘Love at Knockdown’ book I’ve read, and it felt much more immersed in the wider world. It was really great to get to know the other characters a bit more, and all of the main characters had really nice individual storylines as well as the romantic ones.
📚Read this and more reviews on my blog!📚
If anything, I wish it had been a little bit longer, a bit more of a slow-burn. Especially given the circumstances under which Noelle and Allie meet (no spoilers!), I would have enjoyed a slightly longer journey to get to the end.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
March 22, 2022
This review was originally posted on my blog here
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book.
Oh, Skye Kilaen does it again! This summary hooked me from the start. I mean, a road trip with a cute girl, new experiences, old traditions and some self discovery along the way! Yes! For starters I loved Allie and Matt’s relationship. They were so sweet with one another. The amount of care, respect, and love they had for each other was so beautiful. I also love how certain and solid they were in their relationship. It’s not a relationship structure that most people understand, but it works for them and they are happy with it. I really adored the open, honest relationship they had with each other.
I loved how Noelle came into the fold. She has the worst day ever but is saved by two cute, sweet, kind people that offer her a place to stay and eventually an invitation to the festival they go to every year. I really enjoyed how we saw Noelle, Allie, and Matt interact with each other. I loved watching how Noelle and Allie, and Noelle and Matt interacted and that it was different for both pairs. I think it was nice to see how the two separate relationships developed over time and at a different pace.
I also really loved watching Matt explore his sexuality and rethink what he thought about himself. I think it was so lovely to see him explore this later in adulthood, rather than in his teens or twenties. I haven’t read a lot of books where people in their late 20’s to 30s discover their sexuality and re-evaluate their sexuality and feelings for the people around them. I also really loved how gently that part of the plot was handled. He was allowed to be messy and confused and uncertain, and he was allowed to be a bit afraid about his feelings and if they were real or not. I really loved how much space and care Allie gave him through it all, and how his relationship with Noelle developed in a way that was comfortable for both of them.
Overall I highly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it to anyone who likes stories about polyamory and self discovery.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book.
Oh, Skye Kilaen does it again! This summary hooked me from the start. I mean, a road trip with a cute girl, new experiences, old traditions and some self discovery along the way! Yes! For starters I loved Allie and Matt’s relationship. They were so sweet with one another. The amount of care, respect, and love they had for each other was so beautiful. I also love how certain and solid they were in their relationship. It’s not a relationship structure that most people understand, but it works for them and they are happy with it. I really adored the open, honest relationship they had with each other.
I loved how Noelle came into the fold. She has the worst day ever but is saved by two cute, sweet, kind people that offer her a place to stay and eventually an invitation to the festival they go to every year. I really enjoyed how we saw Noelle, Allie, and Matt interact with each other. I loved watching how Noelle and Allie, and Noelle and Matt interacted and that it was different for both pairs. I think it was nice to see how the two separate relationships developed over time and at a different pace.
I also really loved watching Matt explore his sexuality and rethink what he thought about himself. I think it was so lovely to see him explore this later in adulthood, rather than in his teens or twenties. I haven’t read a lot of books where people in their late 20’s to 30s discover their sexuality and re-evaluate their sexuality and feelings for the people around them. I also really loved how gently that part of the plot was handled. He was allowed to be messy and confused and uncertain, and he was allowed to be a bit afraid about his feelings and if they were real or not. I really loved how much space and care Allie gave him through it all, and how his relationship with Noelle developed in a way that was comfortable for both of them.
Overall I highly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it to anyone who likes stories about polyamory and self discovery.
Rating: 5/5 stars
March 23, 2022
This was a helluva story! When I think of three people involved in a romance, I think of a love triangle. A scenario where two people win and one person loses. This is not that kind of triangle and it was a terrific story and change of pace for me!
Allie and Noelle meet in the worst was possible, while Allie is hooking up get Noelle’s cheating boyfriend. And somehow they emerge friends. Laid off from her job and needing a new place to live, Allie and Matt come to her rescue.
There is so much of this book that is an awakening for these characters, I just loved it. Noelle needs to figure out her life, her work choices and her priorities. Matt is trying to emerge from a broken heart and realizes he needs to take some chances. And Allie is wondering if she put her heart before her head this time.
This was a wonderful book with a perfect amount of spice and lots of feelings! Totally enjoyed this emerging throuple!
I received an early reader copy of this book from Book Sirens and these are my honest opinions.
Allie and Noelle meet in the worst was possible, while Allie is hooking up get Noelle’s cheating boyfriend. And somehow they emerge friends. Laid off from her job and needing a new place to live, Allie and Matt come to her rescue.
There is so much of this book that is an awakening for these characters, I just loved it. Noelle needs to figure out her life, her work choices and her priorities. Matt is trying to emerge from a broken heart and realizes he needs to take some chances. And Allie is wondering if she put her heart before her head this time.
This was a wonderful book with a perfect amount of spice and lots of feelings! Totally enjoyed this emerging throuple!
I received an early reader copy of this book from Book Sirens and these are my honest opinions.
March 22, 2022
3.5/5
I really liked it. It was funny and witty. I was expecting something to happen more quickly, so go in with the mindset of a slow burn. It was really cute to see them interact all together and explore their dynamic.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really liked it. It was funny and witty. I was expecting something to happen more quickly, so go in with the mindset of a slow burn. It was really cute to see them interact all together and explore their dynamic.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 8, 2024
Noelle is the cutest
Honestly, I loved this book. I'm not huge on stand alone series, but this one keeps me hooked. It mainly focused on the main characters with minor updates on characters from the first book. This poly lifestyle they have going on, or whatever you'd call it, is amazing. I hope the best for the three of them 💜 I'm so excited for their future!!
Honestly, I loved this book. I'm not huge on stand alone series, but this one keeps me hooked. It mainly focused on the main characters with minor updates on characters from the first book. This poly lifestyle they have going on, or whatever you'd call it, is amazing. I hope the best for the three of them 💜 I'm so excited for their future!!
October 17, 2022
Diversity challenge: poly relationship.
Cute romance story, nice depictions of healthy relationships and communication, very queer. I think I'll read the other books from this universe
Cute romance story, nice depictions of healthy relationships and communication, very queer. I think I'll read the other books from this universe
January 12, 2023
It is so hard to find poly romances that are any good, and this one was super cute!
January 28, 2022
You know those books where every character is like-able and just all around delightful people? This is one of those books. I’m so glad I got an ARC from booksirens for free for this book. I enjoyed the inclusion of almost all members of the LGBTQIA community. It’s a standalone but part of a universe where I will definitely go back and read the first book and will be in line for the next one(s).
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