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Straight Up

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Never fall for a straight woman. They’ll break your heart.

Geo has heard all the maxims, but with so much temptation, she wonders…what if she could learn to keep her heart out of the equation? That notion propels Geo toward Regina, a recent divorcee in her yoga class. After charming her into bed, Geo learns that sex with straight women may not yield a happily ever after, but it can lead to one very good night sans the risk of ending up with a commitment she didn’t count on. Sex without strings seems like a win-win and soon becomes Geo’s goal. The challenge sends her on a bed-hopping journey of sexcapades that prove sexuality is fluid and attraction is endless.

As Geo’s newfound perspective and prowess grow, she begins to believe her erotic adventures might continue indefinitely, so long as she can keep herself from wanting exactly what she claims to be avoiding.

This collection of erotic romances follows Geo through five encounters that lead to one unexpected conclusion.

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2020

24 people are currently reading
114 people want to read

About the author

Rachel Spangler

33 books850 followers
Rachel Spangler never set out to be an award winning author. She was just so poor and so easily bored during her college years that she had to come up with creative ways to entertain herself, and her first novel, Learning Curve, was born out of one such attempt. She was sincerely surprised when it was accepted for publication and even more shocked when it won the Golden Crown Literary Award for Debut Author. She also won a Goldie for her second novel, Trails Merge. Since writing is more fun than a real job, and so much cheaper than therapy, Rachel continued to type away, leading to the publication of The Long Way Home and LoveLife. She plans to continue writing as long as anyone anywhere will keep reading.

Rachel, and her partner, Susan, are raising their young son in Western New York. They spend winters skiing and their summers traveling and watching their beloved Cardinals. Regardless of the season, Rachel always makes time for a good romance, whether she's reading it, writing it, or living it.

Rachel can be found online at www.rachelspangler.com or on Facebook.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud.
Author 2 books758 followers
December 1, 2020
Five encounters, five short erotic stories or five chapters leading to romance, depending on how you want to view things.

Geo, a yoga instructor, doesn’t want to want more than no-strings sex. She’s done with hoping for forever and being disappointed. She’s found the perfect solution, or so she figures: straight women. She’ll make the straight-women-only-bring-heartache maxim lie, whether her boss and best friend Dana believes it’s possible or not.

I don’t know what your Geo will look like but mine looks a lot like Adriene Mishler. I’m not in the habit of giving characters faces, much less the face (and body) of a real person but because there’s a significant amount of yoga poses involved in this story, I needed to picture them. And to picture them, I needed bodies. I don’t know Adriene beyond her yoga videos but I’m pretty sure yoga is where the similarities stop between her and Geo (that, and she seems really sweet too).

Written by another author (a non-queer one), this could have been a story about a predatory lesbian preying on insecure straight women. But it’s written by Rachel Spangler and Geo is genuinely sweet. With each encounter, she gets the opportunity to feel like a superhero, like she’s saving these women. Which she is, sort of, making them feel seen and reminding them they don’t have to accept the limitations society insists on. As Dana puts it, Geo is what these women need at that moment. Yet is it really what Geo needs? Are those ego-stroking nights worth the pain of the morning after?

The story is told in third person from Geo’s POV so at first, I took everything at face value. If Geo thought it, then it was true. Until I admitted (way before Geo did) that she was lying to herself. Geo is earnest and sincerely convinced she’s doing what’s best for everyone. She’s also naive and ignorant – to the point of being offensive for half a second but Dana tells her off immediately – and so focused on what she believes she’s doing, she’s stuck in the moment. She’s so closed off to the big picture that she forgets there are more possibilities than being either straight or gay. And while there will be quite a few orgasms on her path to rediscovering that and, maybe, to finding love, it’s not an entirely enjoyable journey. For her, I mean. For the reader, it’s an entertaining series of one-night stands and fun – sometimes hilarious – chats over upside-down coffee between Geo and Dana when debrief time comes. If you’re into character growth, you’ll love Geo’s journey. And all the sexiness on the way won’t hurt.
Profile Image for Corrie.
1,688 reviews4 followers
March 21, 2021
Never fall for a straight woman. They’ll break your heart.

Straight Up by Rachel Spangler tells the story of yoga instructor Geo who has decided to keep her heart out of the equation and only bed straight women. And so she does. Frequently. We are witness to her bed-hopping odyssey, but even though the women exit her bedroom rather happy and fulfilled, Geo is not exactly satisfied with the outcome. If sex without strings seems like a win-win, why does it leave her feeling hollow?

I have to be honest, I didn’t get as much enjoyment out of this book as I’d hoped. For the most part I could not connect to the straight women Geo slept with. Because the women are/were in hetero relationships we are privy to all the straight drama that comes with it - the catering to, the bad sex, the man-child attitude and so on times 5. In the end there was just too much of it and then to know most of them go back to men after the Geo experience was a downer. And for all the erotica in it, it didn’t feel very sexy either.

Spangler explains it all very well, but I just didn’t feel it.

f/f

Themes: upside down coffee, Geo is a player, meh.

3.4 Stars
Profile Image for Les Rêveur.
461 reviews149 followers
March 20, 2021
I enjoyed this book. Honestly, it wasn’t what I expected, I had expected a bunch of sexy one night stands, but in fact, I read of a yoga instructor, Geo who is attracted to a range of different woman, who believes in body positivity and genuinely wants each woman she is with to understand their self-worth.

Each sexual encounter awakens each woman to their potential and the realisation that men have not been hitting the right buttons all along. The only problem for me as a romance reader was that with every sexual encounter I had Geo and the woman falling madly in love and running off into the sunset together… This did not happen. In fact, as much as Geo was proud of helping these women, I felt it affected her each, and every time there was no happy ending… Until the end!

I won’t ruin it for you, but this book finally gave me what I was worried I wasn’t going to get, a happy ever after. Phew!

Something about the fact that Geo was only sleeping with straight women didn’t sit 100% okay with me. I mean, I get why she was doing it, and I was totally on board for the results, but it was almost like she was seeking them out. Not sure why but it niggled at me a bit.

Chemistry in this book is palpable. HOT! I wouldn say it is hotter in a romance arena than in erotica but still very sexy.

Aliyah and May were 100% my favourite stories, and I felt the chemistry with Geo was at it’s best between them and Geo.

This books surprised me and gave me lots of food for thought… sexy thoughts! Every character brought a different dynamic into play. I love when authors write out of the usual stories, and this is very out of the norm and very brave of Rachel Spangler to write. And she pulled it off very well.
Profile Image for Margaret.
353 reviews56 followers
December 3, 2020
Detailed score: 2.75

I guess there’s a reason Dickens kept it to three ghosts in a Christmas Carol... 5 people to learn lessons from (and/or teach lessons to) was way to many. I need to form a connection with the characters and by woman 3 I was exhausted. Why invest in this one when I know it’s not going to last?

I also found how the premise played out a bit... unsexy. The author worked hard to explain why / how these straight women were sleeping with a woman but I never quite bought it. Basically the premise seemed to be our lead, Geo, bringing orgasms to the undersexed. And of course our lead was ripped and toned with a beautiful apartment cos of course - but I found her too much even for lesrom / erotirom standards.

It always easier to focus on the negatives so to try and rectify that a little: this book is tightly written and does pack a lot in. It does do well showing not telling, particularly in the limited time available to get to know each character and play out a smexy scene.

Unfortunately though, this book left me meh - I didn’t swoon and my pulse didn’t race- but there’s worse out there. Forgettable but not terrible
Profile Image for Aunt Missa.
300 reviews29 followers
July 13, 2025
This was an interesting one for me. It’s not pure erotica and not pure romance either. I’ve read more titillating erotica and better romances, but this was really interesting. The book follows Geo and her time with 5 different so-called straight women. Geo is going for no attachments and has no interesting in recruiting people to the team, so to speak. Her friend and boss, Dana, serves as the voice of reason and actually calls Geo out for her behavior, which was pretty refreshing. It was also nice to see women dealing with fluidity, disappointments, and the views that are sometimes thrust upon women by the men that they surround themselves with.

It was a quick read comprised of 5 interconnected short stories. 3.5 stars rounded up.
617 reviews21 followers
December 12, 2020
I have missed reading the last few Rachel Spangler books and thought I would check this one out. I am not really sure what to think about this one. The premise is a woman who decides to have sex with straight women so she will not fall for any. It really is sort of predatory the way she went after these women. The only thing that saved her is she was super nice to them and never really pressured them. Anyway I did like the last story the best.

3.5 stars
Profile Image for Candice Tawamba.
177 reviews4 followers
March 16, 2023
What I loved most about this book is the whole process/growth we see happening to Geo. Was it easy to keep seeing women coming and leaving??? Obviously not! And this kind of relationship at the end the day tends to take more from you than you can cope with.

But then, it's always when you least expect the best things in life that they just come crashing like a wrecking ball. It's always up to us to recognize that we can the real thing, and not just a good thing.
364 reviews63 followers
February 5, 2021
An interesting way to tell a romance story. This is a combination of short-stories woven into a larger story. Geo is a trainer at a local gym. She meets a lot of different women at work. She comes up with an idea to be a one-night stand kind of woman, giving straight women what they need to feel better - including emotionally.

Rachel Spangler hits on a many different facets of being a woman: only a mom, uncomfortable with weight, older has been.
Profile Image for Adam Windsor.
Author 1 book5 followers
March 14, 2021
Yoga instructor Geo thrives on bringing sexual pleasure to other women and teaching them to love their own bodies, but struggles with the challenges and heartaches of long term relationship. Her mad/genius solution: only sleep with straight women. No messy feelings can intrude when you know that it's only ever going to be one night, right?

Needless to say, this isn't going to work out quite how she plans. Unfortunately, the inevitable 'I actually want a relationship with this woman' section didn't convince me. The author repeatedly tells us that 'the final one' is different and better and more awesome than the others, but I don't feel that they show this - possibly because so much of the book's length has been given over to the other one night stands.

It's readable and at least a bit different from the romance norm, but doesn't quite hit the target.
490 reviews5 followers
October 30, 2024
Well, this was a unique angle, for sure! Geo found a way I’d never have foreseen to have her fun, supposedly without fear of rejection. Good for her, and actually, it was lovely how she treated all the women she set her eye on. Of course, the morning after never felt that great; for all that she knew what was coming and claimed to be looking for it, it seemed more than a bit heartbreaking to watch the time and care she invested walk right out the door.

Anyway, this had an interesting structure of five short stories that were separate, yet clearly linked with a common pattern and thread and ultimately, as it turned out, a common climax. Dana was a wonderful friend and boss throughout, and the upside-down coffee dates were hilarious. I guess I’m not entirely certain why it was split into “short stories” as they weren’t entirely standalone; they wouldn’t necessarily have worked well as standalones or out of sequence? But whatever, consider them five extra long chapters and it works out the same.

In the end, I gave it one star for each of the first four stories, and then withheld the star for the last one. And it’s kind of an “it’s not you it’s me” thing? As Dana and the blurb suggest, everything seems to go well for Geo so long as she doesn’t end up wanting what she claims to be avoiding. That condition drives the fifth story, and sure, the situation that plays out was kind of needed. If I’m to be honest, my main problem with it is that it didn’t play out with the person I wanted it to. At that point in the story there was a very specific person from the first four stories I wanted Geo to (re)connect with, and that’s not what happened. Fair enough, it’s not my story to tell. But, you know, you dangle all these lovely people in front of me? Is it really on me that I get to liking one of them in particular? I just didn’t walk away convinced that the subject of the fifth story was a better option, so I was a bit bummed.

I guess, whatever Geo is or isn’t, a little bit of MY heart walked out the door with each of those first four ladies, so on the whole it didn’t really end up being a story that worked the best for me. And that’s why I say, maybe the issue is on my side. But it was well-written and all the individual bits were enjoyable, and maybe my issue won’t be the same for you.
303 reviews2 followers
September 9, 2024
There’s a fair bit of sex in this book but I personally didn’t find it that titillating. What lifted this above just erotica for me was the character of Geo and her interactions with her boss and friend, Dana. Geo is at heart a really lovely person; she’s frightened of being hurt and thinks that short encounters with supposedly straight women will protect her heart. But each encounter shows her doing the bulk of the giving (both sexually but also in self-esteem terms) and not getting much in return. Even with her low expectations you see her heart being slightly bruised after each encounter. As one of her straight women says to Geo: ‘You made me feel strong, desirable and wanted’ and ‘you deserve someone who returns those feelings for you, someone who makes you feel seen and desired and appreciated for all that you are, not just how you make them feel’. And so you sense that eventually she’s going to meet someone who does that for her. The road to true love doesn’t run smooth but it’s very pleasing when Geo gets her HEA…
Profile Image for Maya Turner.
328 reviews7 followers
August 15, 2023
This is a great example of why I should read the synopsis of a book before actually reading the book. I just knew this had an age gap romance with a single parent. Little did I know (due to my own negligence), NEITHER single parent is an actual romance in this!! Rather, they are — and please forgive the bluntness — one night stands.

Once I realized what this book was REALLY like, I became pretty nervous. It was not until the second vignette, with Aliyah, that I realized that “oh, Geo is going to have a MASSIVE understanding at the end.” At least, that was my hope.

And I was so pleased with the final vignette!! I do not wish to spoil anything about it, or the journey Geo goes on throughout (I mean, it is probably fairly straightforward for those who actually read the summary beforehand anyway), as I feel this is the sort of book that works best without much prior knowledge!!

(Also, thank goodness for Dana!! She was amazing!!)
143 reviews
April 22, 2021
Original, funny and hot

There is so much to love about this book. At first though, I didn’t really want to read it because I thought this was going to be an earning-your-toaster-oven (or ovens) story. I should have known better since I haven’t read anything by Rachel Spangler that would have been that shallow. The depth and truth of each character in their stories always feels authentic. That’s not to say that this book was heavy or overly serious. In between Geo’s straight woman appreciation sessions, the banter between her and her best friend/boss Dana is hilarious. So you have depth, authenticity, great characters, funny banter...have I missed anything? OH, of course! Sex! Yes, let’s not forget that because the sex scenes were oh so delicious and ever so hot. Like I said, there is much to love about this book.
Profile Image for Shula McCann.
216 reviews4 followers
December 24, 2023
I wasn’t sure what to make of the story at first, but in the end I enjoyed it. I’m glad Geo found someone she could share herself with, and have sex be a give and take. Geo has a series of one night stands with women she assumes are straight. And the way she goes about it is actually quite sweet and tender, and also incredibly hot.

The idea behind her having these moments is that she knows they are going to leave her after the one night, so her heart is safe. Or is it? Geo is such a fascinating character, and she could come across as a total player, but somehow she really doesn’t. She’s likable, sensitive, smart, funny, and flexible.

This was definitely worth the read.
Profile Image for Jen.
222 reviews11 followers
November 21, 2020
Recommend

This was a fun series of stories about various sexual encounters the main character Geo has with different women. I went into this without really reading the synopsis and had to laugh at myself for not realizing (based on the titles) that each encounter was with a straight woman. Overall an enjoyable and well written read with interesting characters and enough romance to make my heart happy.
Profile Image for Ban.
236 reviews17 followers
February 9, 2021
I’m not sure what to think. I liked Geo, but then, hmm. It was the same thing every time and I got tired of it after the second woman. Not to say it was bad, I guess it just wasn’t my kind of thing. I liked how Dana kept talking some sense into Geo...
527 reviews4 followers
January 21, 2025
Loved the Premise

Very insightful and enjoyable story . That and much more. Sexy, swagger, and fitness great combination. You go Rachel!! Keep writing.
Profile Image for Melissa H. Herrera.
6 reviews
February 24, 2025
love it!

Nice variety. Not what I expected starting the book but I really enjoyed it. Easy read. Finished in a day. Would love to see similar books like this one!
240 reviews
September 9, 2021
I love the fact that you never really know what you are going to get with a Rachel Spangler novel as she is prepared to break new ground and try new things. This novel did not disappoint as she looked at the issue of sexual fluidity and gender socialisations. I really liked getting to know Geo the yoga instructor and her mate Dana as they connect with their clients. This novel is not easily put into a trope as Geo navigates her way through her connections and that is one of the things that I will walk away remembering and appreciating.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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