The Thing About Tilly

by G. Benson

Two friends since university, each holding something back.
Tilly’s been running from her secrets for far too long. Evie, carrying a buried flame for Tilly since they met, has always been there to welcome Tilly back with open arms. That is, after all, what one does for a friend.
When Evie unexpectedly falls pregnant, she’s left with a lot of hard decisions to make. That includes choices about Tilly and the way she’s been disappearing on her for more than a decade.
Tilly wants nothing more than to be there for Evie, who’s been her anchor to return to time and time again. But what does supporting her look like when sticking around becomes an important part of that?
A romance about growing up—whatever that means—and realising that even if it hurts, sometimes change is for the best.

Words: 112,660

Genres: Friends To Lovers, Romance, Audiobook, LGBT, Lesbian, Contemporary, Slow Burn

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 2020

About the author

Benson spent her childhood wrapped up in any book she could get her hands on and—as her mother likes to tell people at parties—even found a way to read in the shower. Moving on from writing bad poetry (thankfully) she started to write stories. About anything and everything. Tearing her from her laptop is a fairly difficult feat, though if you come bearing coffee you have a good chance.
When not writing or reading, she´s got her butt firmly on a train or plane to see the big wide world. Originally from Australia, she currently lives in Spain, speaking terrible Spanish and going on as many trips to new places as she can, budget permitting. This means she mostly walks around the city she lives in.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written and well done story. I’m a big Benson fan. Her book Who'd Have Thought is on my top ten, all-time favorite romance books list and her other book, All the Little Moments, is another easy 5 star read. She has not released any new books in 3 years so I was extremely excited when I heard about this book. I have really missed her writing and she’s too important of a WLW author to be gone for so long. As much as I’m a huge fan, and I appreciated this book, I have to be honest that I didn’t love this like I was hoping to. It’s very good, and absolutely worth the read, but it’s not the 5 star book that I was hoping could make my 2020 favorite list.

A few others reviewers have mentioned that this really is a love story more than a romance and I completely agree with that distinction. This is a slow moving, slow burn relationship, but it is just as much about family and what that really means, than any type of romance. Family just keeps coming up in this book over and over again, and it really is the main theme. And once you finish the read, you can really see how Benson weaved this theme throughout this whole story and really did it masterfully. Benson used a diverse cast of characters, in a nice seamless and unforced way, to tell these different stories of family.

I keep mentioning how well written this book really was, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have issues with it. It more came down to personal preferences than quality issues. While one of the main tropes in this book is ‘friends to lovers’, the other main trope was no-communication/ miscommunication. Unfortunately, this is one of my least favorite tropes out there. This book was so much about no-communication that one character constantly ran away instead of just talking. I mean really you can’t get more no-communication than that. And because of that I almost DNF’d the book at the 20% mark and I almost DNF’d the book again around the 30% mark. Not because the book was bad, but because I just did not think this was a Lex book at all. But, I didn’t want to give up on an author I’m such a fan of so I kept reading. Luckily, around the 50% mark the book really changed for me. It almost felt like two different books and I finally found the magic of Benson that I enjoy so much. The second half completely saved the book for me.

I did balk at reading a romance/love story that was twice the length of a normal WLW romance. And I do think the book was a little long. I felt the book took too much time to really get into the story and that there was some repetitiveness in that first half. I do understand that this is Benson’s first self-published book so she could have made this 1,000 pages if she wanted to. So I’m not really surprised at the length and the possible freedom it represented, but I personally would have edited some parts out. The early reviews for this book are so fantastic that this might not happen, but if there are others like me who finds the book to be dragging a bit in the beginning, don’t give up. It gets much better and the last half is excellent.

I didn’t get emotional with this book like I did for All the Little Moments, and I didn’t get all these great feels like I did from Who'd Have Thought, but I feel like I found a group of characters I won’t soon forget. The writing was excellent and the story itself was spun really well. After the rough start, this book got better and better the more I read. I would recommend this one to fans of Benson, people looking for a pretty epic loves story, and a story about family. Now that we have Benson back, I hope we will be seeing her again in 2021.

A copy was given to me from https://lezreviewbooks.com for an honest review.

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: December, 13rd, 2021, audiobook review.

I loved everything about this book when I first read it, and reacquainting myself with the characters in audio was pure joy. I love them all, Tilly and Evie of course but also Sean, Cal, Evie’s mum Lin, Luke, Laura… And I might be just a tiny little bit in love with Tilly and Evie, separately and together. Cat Gould’s narration brought them to life wonderfully. Her voices, in particular, are perfect. All of them but, again, especially her voices for Tilly and Evie.

I don’t have much to add to the review I wrote a year ago (to the day). It was a pretty detailed – but spoiler-free – review (see below) and I still stand by every word. If you’re into beautifully-written slow burns, this book is for you.

------------------------------------------------

If you’re looking for a fast burn with low angst, this is not the book for you. And that’s okay but I feel a little sad for you, that you won’t get to experience the precious joy that is this book.

I have only read two of G Benson’s books before this one but they were enough for me to know that she’s one of a handful of authors I have to read when I’m in a good place. Not that her books are bleak or depressing – on the contrary, they leave me full of hope and love and all things warm – but damn, so many feelings. Angst. Emotions. And these get into me, invade my heart and my soul and I have to remember to breathe. Don’t get me wrong, I love that feeling but I also have a real life to live where I can’t stop functioning because I’m feeling too much.

Which kind of sounds like Tilly, come to think of it. When things get too much, Tilly leaves. She sets off almost without notice and comes back after periods of time of variable lengths. Evie and Sean, her best friends since uni, are resigned to the fact. When Tilly comes back, she fits right back into their life. Except this time doesn’t feel like usual. Evie and Tilly had a fight just before she left and when she returns, the whole universe is upside down: Evie, who has been Tilly’s rock for over a decade, is unexpectedly pregnant and Tilly wants to be there for her. Which implies earning Evie’s trust back, convincing her Tilly won’t skedaddle again, unveiling secrets and being one hundred per cent truthful – including about the fact that they’ve both been in love with the other forever.

I don’t often quote from books because I’m not a fan of taking sentences out of context but I’ll make an exception here for two reasons. First, this description of who Evie and Tilly are and how different they are is just perfect. And second, I found myself reading these two sentences over and over because they’re gorgeous, quite simply: “Evie was solid and still, the roots of a tree, embedded and deep. Tilly was all wild leaves that blew about in the wind and only sometimes found themselves whipping back to where they came from.”

While Evie and Tilly are at the heart of the story, it is told from three points of views, Sean’s a counterpoint to the other two, at once an insider and an outsider, sometimes angry but always supportive. Sean really is a wonderful character and his work shenanigans bring welcome comic relief to both the characters’ lives and the story.

I love the way Benson writes characters on the whole LGBTQIA* spectrum and it doesn’t read like a catalogue. Sean is genderqueer and aromantic in a queerplatonic relationship, Evie is pan, Tilly uses bi. And maybe some readers will at first feel like everyone is gay or something in this book but it’s only true of the main characters and it just feels real. It’s not surprising nor rare that one would tend to gravitate towards people who will understand them, with shared experiences they can relate to. At one point in my life, my whole world was queer, with the exception of my parents and siblings and a couple of old friends. Obviously, we weren’t using as many words to define identity, orientation or relationships (yes, I had to google queerplatonic), as it was a long time ago in a slow-moving country and most people were still trying those words on for size, but just because the words weren’t used yet, or not as much, doesn’t mean the people weren’t already there. It only changed when our child started school and we, now parents, became friends with other parents (an interesting number of which turned out to be queer too, which we didn’t know when we first met waiting for our kids in front of the school). What doesn’t feel forced either is that neither Evie nor Sean are white and it defines them without being a big deal. It’s important to who they are, not so much to the story.

Oh and I love love love Evie’s mother. All the secondary characters are fantastic, none is superficial, whether it be Cal (Sean’s partner), Tilly’s family, one-night-stand Luke, but my favourite is unequivocally Evie’s mother, Lin, for all the love she has for her children but also for the mischievous pleasure she finds in embarrassing them. I laughed a few times while reading and she’s the one who made me laugh most often. She’s also the one who made me cry first.

Family is the main theme of this book, what defines a family, chosen or not, what makes a parent, finding one’s place in a family, biological parents and not, and of course it speaks to me, as a non-bio parent (who is finally legally a parent to my child) in a family with more than two parents.

In my review of Who’d Have Thought, I wrote that Benson writes “with small delicate touches that never feel fragile”. It’s true in this book too. There’s a lot of vulnerability but it never crosses the line to frailty, there’s this sense of strength beneath that never entirely lets up. And even though they’re completely different characters, with a very different story, there is something in Evie and Tilly’s relationship that reminds me of Cari Hunter’s Meg and Sanne, the best meant-to-be fate-denying couple in lesfic. Or ever. It’s the vulnerability between them, when they finally allow it to show. It breaks my heart and I just absolutely love it.

The secrets, both big and small, the love too, make it all feel heavy and deep and borderline stifling at times but that’s when Benson will inject the right dose of humour, the perfect amount of banter that best friends share, the word that breaks the tension. Then, when Tilly and Evie finally let love be, it’s beautiful, a miracle, an awakening. It’s happy and giddy and so lovely. And how does Benson write kisses that are soft and gentle and fierce at the same time?

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[K.J .]

You know when you were a kid and you tugged on your mum’s shirt and said, “Muuuum! Why does Aunty Michelle only grow blue flowers?” and your mum said, “Well, you see, the thing about Aunty Michelle is…” and what followed was an explanation supported by a shrug that said ‘This is how it always is’.

The thing about Tilly…? Tilly disappears. She runs away. But she always comes back. Eventually. But she runs. This is how it always is.

Tilly and Evie are best friends. Sean, as well. They have been since university. Yet, Evie and Tilly have been holding a truth from each other. Tilly’s been running from her secrets for far too long. Evie, carrying a buried flame for Tilly since they met, has always been there to welcome Tilly back with open arms. That is, after all, what one does for a friend. That’s what Evie and Sean do for Tilly, because that’s the thing about Tilly. When Evie unexpectedly falls pregnant, she’s left with a lot of hard decisions to make. That includes choices about Tilly and the way she's been randomly disappearing for over a decade. Tilly wants nothing more than to be there for Evie, who's been her anchor to return to time and time again. But what does supporting her look like when sticking around becomes an important part of that? What if this time when she disappears then returns, her anchor isn’t there. What then?

You know the game ‘Marco Polo’ where two people have to find each other in a pool or somewhere, and they only have their voices as their guiding star? Tilly and Evie ‘Marco Polo’ their way through this story and my heart squeezed and my eyes cried as they got close…nearly, then not, then almost, then…

The way this story is delivered is so achingly beautiful. Raw—not like freshly-cut vegetables sitting on a wooden board kind of raw. No, this story is the searing heat of the pan, stripping the veneer off surfaces kind of raw. Secrets are not giant Bandaids over truths. The way in which G Benson is able to shred the thin secret strips from Tilly’s truth, from Evie’s truth, is a masterclass in how to build character arc and tension in a story. Little by little truths are revealed and the reason why Tilly runs becomes apparent. It is perfect.

G Benson writes about running to a place where you hope to belong. She writes about running from a place where belonging already exists. She writes literary efficiency and imagery. It’s exquisite to read. There are long, vivid sentences that sweep and loop and cradle your heart all the way to a full stop, and then two words, perhaps one, grab hold and clutch at your imagination.

Gorgeous elements are sprinkled throughout. Things like; ‘The familiar, fun exchange faltered…’ the alliteration destroyed me. There’s more.

This; ‘The lack of his presence was like a ghost. There was something physical about the way he wasn’t there.’ I mean, come on! That’s *chef’s kiss* imagery.

‘The Thing About Tilly’ will be tagged with a friends to lovers trope but it’s so much more than that. Like this concept; If you love someone, set them free. Isn’t that the saying? Evie loves Tilly. Has for years. And Tilly constantly leaves, which Evie accepts because it’s Tilly, right? It’s her thing. But Sting was not the first person to put this thought out into the world. In 1951, Esquire magazine published a short story titled “The Tyranny of Love” by Harry Kronman, and it contained a quotation, "If you love something very much, you've got to go easy with it - give it some room to move around. If you try to hold it tight like that, it'll always try to get away.” In this story, Tilly and Evie discover that love itself, as an abstract, is the something that they need to go easy with. Holding it tight means that it will try to get away and seeing love fly from Tilly and Evie because they held too fast inside their individual pain would have been tragic. This is as much a love story about loving the idea of love, as it is about two people.

Two people become three when the chapters change points of view. Tilly and Evie are the main characters, so they naturally have more individual chapters. However, every now and then, Sean has a chapter and he acts as a supplementary narrator of sorts or perhaps even like those rest areas on the side of a highway when you need to take a breath. Because Tilly and Evie are immersive. Not only are you swimming in their individual oceans, but also the one they’ve created together, so Sean’s chapters are important because his point of view means to stand back on the shore and take it all in.

Sean, Evie, and Tilly are leads in a cast of queer characters who inhabit the story. Trans. Bi. Non-binary. Pan. Yet these characters are not defined by their labels. There is no literary neon sign on the page saying, “Queer character here, folks. Look lively. Form an orderly queue.” These characters are complex and wonderful and flawed and real…and queer. The major conflicts in the story aren’t created because the characters are queer. The conflicts exist and queer characters solve them. And those conflicts are breathtaking.

‘The Thing About Tilly’ is about abandonment. It’s about reclamation. It’s about found and chosen family. It’s about facing truths and staring down the consequences. It’s about authentic, weighty reality. It’s about love in all its forms.

Some stories are a bit like watching a nice show at the theatre. It has some characters and a plot, maybe a sub-plot, maybe some angst thrown in for a spot of tension, then there’s a grand gesture and the music swells. It’s lovely, sweet, instantly gratifying, and easy to walk away from.

But this story? ‘The Thing About Tilly’? This story follows you when you walk away. Tilly and Evie and Sean and Cal and Evie’s mum Lin and the complexities and constants of friendships and family…it all follows you when you close this book. This story takes up residence. It chats and revisits important events. It replays scenes, so that emotions you’ve already experienced once will be experienced again because the text abrades your heart. The twist, the snap of the tension, the moment when…oh! That will stay with you for a very long time.

This story is about the ripples and waves and consequences that are created because we all have our thing, don’t we? And our things create our stories.
But this story? This is the story of ‘The Thing About Tilly’.

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - I know I am in the minority again but it was just ok for me

OMG... this is book made me a bit nuts. Its too long and too repetitive.

I stared taking these notes while reading:

Tilly: I run

Evie: Tilly runs

Tilly: I love Evie, but I can’t tell her because I run

Evie: I love Tilly, but I can’t tell her because she runs

Evie: Shit! I am pregnant!

*repeat lines 3 & 4 until the amount of" yeah we knows" and eyerolling results in a sprain

Tilly: Evie is perfect. Loving her is like breathing but she deserves better than what I can give her

Evie: Tilly is perfect until she runs. I love her but can’t trust her to stick around.

Sean: Tilly runs. It’s a shame because my two friends are clearly in love but can’t get their shit together. I will say nothing to them about it even though it’s been clear as day to me for 10 years.

*repeat lines 5-7 until you are just about ready to call it quits

Finally find out what the big argument was about at 53%

*fucking bomb shell dropped at 60%

The big reveal is almost worth the price of admission. It's really good and I did not see it coming.

The rest of the book is better, but I still feel like it could have been edited down. I took me forever to finish and when I got to the end I confess, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god that's done.

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story with much deeper themes to ponder about.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

G. Benson has written several good books in the past, so when I found out I was lucky enough to get my hands on her latest, I was incredibly excited.

This book centres around three best friends. Okay, technically speaking, two out of three best friends. We have Evie who has been secretly in love with Tilly since the first day they met as roommates. And we have Tilly, who has also been in love with Evie since forever. And we have Sean who's a spectator in all of this.

The relationship between the three is tainted by this thing about Tilly. The thing about Tilly is... well, that's the whole point. We don't know what the thing about Tilly is. We know she has secrets and she runs away. She disappears for days and sometimes for months on end with no explanation, sending only a postcard home every now and then to prove she hasn't died. And when she returns to her two best friends, she acts like nothing happened. Evie and Sean are angry whenever she leaves. They want to know what's going on but they don't demand answers. And Tilly doesn't share. At some point, they just assume that's how Tilly is - that she runs. Evie, who has to deal with her own unexpected pregnancy, finally has enough and she starts to pull away. In short, this thing about Tilly circles round and round for half the book and everyone dances around the real problem, leaving me completely baffled as to why they are still best friends at this point.

Thank goodness Benson managed to deliver a breakthrough in the second half of the book. And we are finally let in on Tilly's secrets and we now understand her a lot better. And suddenly many things do start to make sense. Things also start to pick up speed between Evie and Tilly romantically.

But to be clear, this isn't just some book about two girls pining away for each other for over a decade. Amidst all that goes on with Evie, Tilly and other characters in the book, there are much deeper themes to ponder about - e.g. love, abandonment, choices and growing up.

I wouldn't say that this is Benson's best, but it's definitely worth a read.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** Edited to remove insensitive verbiage toward a group of diverse characters ***

Wow, did I have some strong feelings about this book.

This was full of angst, so should have been a big winner for me. But it wasn't.

I loved Benson's book 'Who'd of Thought' so I had high expectations.

This was longer than it needed to be. [Redacted]

Oh, this girl's agony over her 'secret.' It just dragged on and on.

It was written well and after about 30%, I kind of got into it a little. It just didn't capture me the way I was hoping.

[Les Rêveur · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are times I am handed a book to review and I lose all sense of awareness and time. At 4am this morning I realised this was one of those books!!

Well damn!! This is a love story of epic proportion. I’ve read a lot of friends to lovers romances, but The Thing About Tilly is just beyond.

G Benson has well and truly put her heart and soul into this one. My heart broke for Tilly and Evie’s love story, and I still get an ache thinking about certain parts of the book. It’s been a long time since I’ve cried or felt so much emotion in a story. In fact, there was a scene in the baby store with Tilly and secondary character Luke, and I almost couldn’t finish the page because I was a sobbing mess.

Ok, so I loved Evie. What a great character to read, so much fun but also kind and true to herself. It was funny because the flashback scenes show how much Tilly has always relied on Evie, but when Evie gets pregnant, the tables turn. Breaking down Evie’s wall of trust was beautiful to read because Tilly really had a lot of ground to make up.

Oh, Tilly! If there was ever a character that deserved her happy ever after it was Tilly.. Her kind and fun nature shone through from the start, but she was a tortured soul who was followed by ghosts that haunted her happiness. My heart was so tied up in all her angst that I was praying for these two to make it (even though I knew it was inevitable). Benson really knocked it out of the park with her character development with Evie and Tilly. Truly an emotional ride.

Also, the diversity of characters from gender, sexuality and race is incredible! I wanted to air high five G Benson on her inclusivity! Great work!

Tilly and Evie have had feelings for each other for a very long time. So the chemistry between them is fierce because it is built on a complex and intimate friendship and mutual attraction. Even if this had been a fade to black (which is definitely not!), you would have sensed the intimate and physical chemistry that radiates between them just by being together.

This book is one of the best novels I’ve read this year without a doubt! It floored me emotionally, and I am still recovering. It’s raw and heartfelt but damn it’s worth it! I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy and shutting out the world for a while because this book deserves every moment of your time.

[Gaby LezReviewBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a couple of years without publishing a book, ‘The Thing about Tilly’ is G. Benson’s first release as an indy author. As usual, she didn’t disappoint and delivered a poignant and compelling story of love and friendship.

Tilly and Evie have been friends since college and since then, they’ve been in each other lives. That is, with the exception of those times when Tilly disappears with little more than a note or postcard to come back eventually as if nothing happened. When Evie unexpectedly gets pregnant, both women will have to make critical decisions that will affect their lives and their relationship.

This is a slow-burn, wlw angst-ridden romance book that revolves around three college friends now in their thirties: Tilly, Evie and Sean. Tilly and Evie have a close and intimate friendship borderline with romance but none of them know or want to take a leap of faith towards a romantic involvement. Even though I’m not normally a fan of angsty stories based on lack of communication I thought that it worked quite well here.

The book is written from the point of view of the three friends which isn’t common in romance, though this isn’t a traditional one at all. Sean acts as a buffer, confidant, and mediator between the leads, and his pov works well to provide a much-needed perspective and distance in the story.

This is a very varied LGBTQ+ cast and I admit I had issues identifying the gender and sexual orientations of some of them but that tells more about me than the book. The story is also very ethnic and cultural diverse so kudos to the author for being so inclusive. I remember reading for the first time a non-binary character in Benson’s ‘Who’ d have thought’, my favourite novel by this author.

This book is a love story within a bigger friendship and family web of connections. It’s not a traditional, formulaic romance but provides the same final satisfaction to the reader. At the same time, it delves deep into human behaviour, fears, and consequences of actions. This is another winner by Ms. Benson and, hopefully, we won’t have to wait so much for her next book. 5 stars.

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Agirlcandream · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books that grows on you as you read it. Tilly was frustrating to begin with and turned out to be brave. Evie was brave from the start but still needed Tilly to be there for her. Loved the variety of characters and Tilly's complex emotions.

A unique read.

[MZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with the first half of this book. Tilly got on my nerves, always running never apologizing or explaining, this took so long that I almost DNF, but I read in several reviews to keep on reading, so I did, and I absolutely loved the second half of the book, finished it with a happy feeling.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t had the opportunity to read a Benson full-length until this one, and I’m really really glad I started here. This has firmly planted itself as one of my top three books of the year. It was slower, deeper and far more powerful than I was expecting. I couldn’t put it down because of how I felt about the book.

Tilly, Evie and Sean have been friends since university. They’ve stayed close for over ten years. Tilly’s a runner, not an actual athlete, someone who runs from her emotions. Evie and Tilly both have unrequited feelings for each other, but never talk about it. When Tilly disappears after a fight between the two of them, Evie unexpectedly falls pregnant. The world Tilly returns to will never quite be the same again.

I loved the narrative and the construction of the storyline. I enjoyed how the change in point of view included Sean, and that it wasn’t just about Tilly and Evie. The additional viewpoint Sean provides on how the pair have grown together over the years and the impacts of each episode of Tilly leaving, adds both empathy and understanding for both Tilly and Evie.

I don’t want to reveal the underlying narrative or the issues the characters face, because a big part of the enjoyment for me was the discovery. I spent a lot of time guessing in my head trying to work this out and I couldn’t, adding to my enjoyment levels further. The book is long, but I never felt bored with the story. Every chapter was needed to paint the picture of day to day life and the impact of Evie being pregnant on her friendship with Tilly.

The diversity in this book is fantastic. I felt at home with this small group of queer friends, one bi, one pan, one genderqueer and aromantic. Evie and Sean aren’t white. One of my favourite parts of the diversity is how it’s just normal in their world. They are descriptors of the characters, but not the most important thing about any of them in the narrative. There are small things dotted throughout the book to illustrate heritage, respectfulness and identity.

The secondary characters are great. I loved Evie’s mother. The people that Evie works with all come alive on the page despite their brief interludes. I also loved that this book was set in Australia. It provided a refreshing setting that just felt right.

It’s safe to say I would highly recommend this to all queer romance fans. You’ll need to put some time aside, but it’ll make every minute worth it.

I received an e-ARC directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Heinerway · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want angst, you'll get it! And a glimpse of Australia.

[Hsinju Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: heavy theme of pregnancy, alcohol, vomit, panic attack?, non-graphic sex, parental abandonment

“All this angst, for this?” — Evie

Rating undecided:
- 3 for the first half (ngl I was so angry at Evie and Tilly)
- 5 for the second half (pure joy; laughed so many times)
- 5 for the characters and awesome reps (bisexual, pansexual, genderqueer, aromatic, queerplatonic partner, half-Chinese, half-Indian, et cetera et cetera)

Initial Thoughts
- doesn’t read like a romance per se
- extremely frustrating communication issues between Evie Chen (31, pan, half-Chinese) and Tilly Reeves (32, bi)
- I love Sean (genderqueer, aromantic, half-Indian) and kinda wish this book was about him
- I also adore Evie’s mum, Tilly’s family, Cal, Luke, and almost all minor characters

Buddy read with Gabriella!

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALLL the feels! 😍😍 RTC (maybe)

Buddy read with Hsinju!

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

G. Benson is one of my favorite authors. Her writing has the ability to grab me by the heartstrings and pull me by those strings all the way through the story. This definitely happened to me when I read The Thing About Tilly.

I marked this novel as a romance, but technically this is a love story. There is a difference in these two genres. The biggest difference is that in a romance, the reader usually expects a definite happy-ever-after ending, or at least a happy-for-now. With a love story, you may or may not get that type of ending because…well…life happens, and life is what we get with this story.

This is a book about love that starts out as friendship. It is a story about what can happen when there is little or no communication in a relationship. It’s also a tale of family…the family we are born into, and the family we choose. A lot of angst runs through this book, caused by past trauma, no communication, mistakes and fear. At its core, though, this is a novel about family, friendship and love.

The tale is told through the eyes of the two main characters, Evie and Tilly, and also through Sean, their best friend from university, and part of their chosen family. All of the characters are exceptionally well-developed and realistic. The story is heartwarming and uplifting.

This novel has been marked as one of my favorites. I recommend it to all who enjoy reading stories about love and family. You can find the book here.

I received an ARC for an honest review.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lovely. It hit a lot of my buttons and the characters and narration were wonderful. It’s a bit more of a love story than a romance, that distinction is both small, but important. It’s also really a story about friendship and family and I loved all of them so much. I think every single book I’ve read by G Benson has stick with me for a while, and this will be no exception.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of 2 halves - first slow, difficult to get into, nearly jettisoned, saved solely by G Benson’s previous excellence, which was shown in part 2 which was warm, moving and superb.

[Lyn Denison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about emotive! Character-driven and a journey through the entire sliding scale of emotions from mega happy to harrowingly sad, with so many stops along the way.

We all carry burdens through life, pick them up, sometimes put them down, let those burdens colour our lives, or not. And we all carry them differently at different times in our lives. The wonderful group of characters in this book cover the whole spectrum. Add to that the fact the characters are so real, so living-and-breathing, and you laugh and cry with them.

This was such an emotional read for me I had to pause occasionally and make myself a soothing warm beverage. G Benson is top-notch at ripping your heart out (figuratively speaking of course, with a dose of poetic licence), slapping that heart from pillar to post, and then gently setting it back in place at the end. HEA (sigh). Emotions 101!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written love story, it's so much more than a “simple” romance. The author dips into deeper themes like family, love, insecurity, and maybe in some ways loss and feelings of longing.

Tilly, Evie, and Sean have been friends for over a decade. Tilly and Evie have been in love with each other, but never acted on it, but it's clear for all the world to see. Tilly pulls these sudden disappearing acts on her friends and they have no clue why. I think the book takes a bit too long to delve into that and the real story. This book is longer than most in the genre, it has room for it, it wasn't boring per se, only a little repetitive and slow at times. A strange thing in this book is communication, it's there but it also isn't at the same time. I feel like this can be so true depending on one’s state of mind.

This book is a bit off the beaten path for lesfic romance and I enjoyed it. There are some obvious issues, but I can mostly get over them. Except for one; Evie’s dad has been out of her life since she was 9. He manages to contact her through her work phone. When they meet he asks what kind of job she does. This is weird to me seeing as he got her work mobile number from one of her colleagues. These are just tiny details and don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but these are exactly the things that can bother me.
Overall I think this book is well written and I rooted for our mains from the get-go.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an interesting time with this book. I really, really loved all of the characters, especially Sean, and they are what carried the heart of this book.

It's because I loved the characters so much that let me get through this book, because as I read it, the two halves felt like entirely different experiences. I'll be honest and say that I didn't really enjoy the first half of the novel. It's hard to pinpoint a specific reason, but it didn't grip me at all. But I enjoyed the characters so much I wanted to see if things resolved.

But the second half felt like an entirely different experience. It has the same interesting characters, but moves much more smoothly, felt funnier, and had a more compelling emotional range rather than the angst I felt in the first half. And I really really liked it.

The first half of the book took me two days to read, but the second half wouldn't let me put it down.

So this was a very hot and cold reading experience. I did enjoy it overall and would recommend it, especially for the cast of characters. 4/5

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me all emotional!

Tilly is a mystery, who keeps disappearing on her best friends Evie and Sean without explanation and that is all they have ever known. When Tilly comes back after one of her elusive disappearances, she finds Evie pregnant and it sets them off on an adventure and has Tilly and her friend’s questioning if she’ll be around to support Evie, or if she is going to up and disappear on her again, right when Evie needs her the most.

I adored this story. It covered so much and handled quite sensitive subjects in such a realistic and kind way, whilst keeping a light-hearted feel, and some humour in moments shared between them all. When I read the first chapters I was instantly intrigued by Tilly and what all her behaviour meant. I never imagined it would be for the reasons, as they are revealed, but when I did, I really felt I could relate and I understood all of her decisions. Her friendship with Evie was lovely, in a sense they were both sure of their own feelings but unsure of the other’s, therefore in typical and a most relatable fashion were pining for one another with all the fear that the truth might ruin their friendship.

The decisions both Tilly and Evie had to make, and were going to have to make were heart-breaking and yet intense and in a way exciting. Evie’s change in circumstances was literally going to change everything and in a way, this was that nail biting intensity of a sink or swim kind of moment for their relationship on all levels, from friends to lovers! It had me on the edge of my seat, unable to put the book down until I knew what was going to happen.

The thing that really stood out for me in this story was the message of acceptance. All of the characters, from Tilly and Evie, to Sean, other friends, and most importantly family, had a part to play in shouting the message that it was okay to be supportive, kind, accepting of someone being true to themselves, and they all were. Each character was unique, and I also have to say that G Benson has created quite the diverse range of characters in this story and done so with sensitively and care.

The Thing About Tilly is one of those unexpected gems of a story. It takes you on an emotional journey, gives you scenarios that really make you think about what you would do in the character’s shoes. Allows you to really engage with the experiences and the emotions they provoke within the characters, and just feel fully emerged in the story, whilst introducing you to new and different things. I love the unique approach G Benson brings to her writing, the unconventional making itself the norm (just as it should be!)

There is a lot to be gained and learned from this story and I do hope we may see Tilly and Evie in future because they have come so far and deserve the happiness. I highly recommend this story and just loved every second of it, even if I was crying most of the time (both happy and sad tears!)

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed score: 4.25

This is a love story, not a romance. Love in its many forms - chosen family, aromatic, familial, young love and yes romantic love too

I emphasise this because this story is very rich. In characterisation, thematically and in plot - no contrived break up at the 80% mark here. But it’s also like being given a massive slice of rich chocolate cake. One or two bites - delicious - but a whole slice can be...a lot. And if you’re given a slice of this rich cake when when what you felt like was... a scoop of ice cream (or whatever the metaphorical equivalent of your more standard lesrom is) then the difference is even more jarring. Dont get me wrong - the chocolate cake is delicious, finely crafted and clearly made by a skilled chef. But know you’re getting cake not ice cream.

Those that have read this author before know she likes to put her characters through the wringer before delivering the happily ever after - and this is certainly no exception. In this authors hands This gives the characters a rich and realistic emotional tapestry that might overwhelm less skilled authors.

Some other comments

- for me I got frustrated waiting so long - too long - to finally find out what the big secret was. If I hadn’t read this author before to know I’d get a payoff I might have DNF despite the rich characterisation. The first half is so much angst and hint and tease and it pissed me off. This is the main reason it lost a star

***SLIGHTLY SPOILERY BIT***
- I think I’ll be in the minority here but ‘what it means to be a parent’ is a clear theme through this book - and it’s an interesting theme, and interesting to see it explored in a genre that wouldn’t normally have the space and depth to ‘go there’ but... as some one who has no desire to be a parent it got a bit...much.

***END SLIGHTLY SPOILERY BIT***

- on the plus side, I *loved* how grounded in Australia the book is. It describes locations and smells and sights - esp around Christmas- that you just don’t see in lesroms usually. And non diluted Australianisms that we genuinely use every day - chockas and brekkie...Usually when I read lesroms - lots of which as set in the US - I skim place descriptions / locations because it’s really hard to visualise and connect with — but I’m sure I sometimes lose out because of this. But there was a scene describing a family Christmas in the backyard sun and I could vividly picture it and *smell* it and I just loved that so much.

Overall: other reviewers have described this book as hard to describe and that it stays with you after youve finished reading it and I’d agree with both those things. I didn’t love this one as much as the author’s first couple of books but it’s still bloody good and definitely worth the money - just don’t read it expecting a fluffy lesrom pick me up.

[Lady Olenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

The story was good but the pacing was a bit too slow for my taste. Normally, I don’t mind if it suits the storyline but I found the “distractions”/conversations to prolong the story unnecessary.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to the Sapphic Book Club for an honest review.

I was really excited when I found out that this book was going to be our book of the month for March. I LOVE Benson's Who'd Have Thought! It is one of my All Time favorite books, so I had high hopes for this book. The beginning of this book was rough, for me. This story follows Tilly and Evie, best friends for the over decade, and secretly pinning for each other the whole time. A friend in the book club calls this trope, idiots-to-lovers, which is perfect. I am not a big fan of this trope, but this trope has a formula and this book stuck with it.

Once the characters hit the "breaking point", the story kicked into gear for me. I couldn't put the book down once the characters got there. After struggling through the beginning, the last half of the story was amazing and reminded me of why I was super excited for this book. My advice, is to stick it out until the breaking point, then it is smooth sailing.

I liked Tilly and Evie. They were well written and their friendship was amazing. It was easy to see the unconditional love they have for each other. Benson's also does a really great job of setting everything up for why Tilly is who she is. I won't go into details, but it was very well done.

While the beginning was a struggle, the last portion more than make up for it. The characters are well written, and the character growth is great. I would recommend this book to fans of romance.

[BadassCmd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the March 2021 Sapphic Book Club read hosted by sapphicbookclub.

This is a hard book for me to rate because while it IS a good book, it just wasn't my thing.

I love G Benson's work. "Who'd have thought" is one of my all time favorite books.
When "The Thing About Tilly" came out, I knew it would be very different, and I wasn't sure if I would like it as much as her older novels.

But I still decided to give it a try because I knew what I can count on with this author are smart and complex characters, great relationship dynamics (for friends, romantic interests or any other type of relationship) and witty dialogue.

And this book does have all of that.
My problem was just that the first half of the book is too long, the built-up too slow.
And the biggest part of the story centered around the pregnancy - that problem is of course on me, since the summary talks about that, but as I have no interest in that subject, it just added to the first half of the book dragging on for me.

I really liked the second half of the book, when secrets started to get revealed, the character's became active and stuff was happening after all. But by then, I just wanted to finish the book.

[Allem21 · Rating 5 out of 5]

G. Benson was one of the first lesfic writers I read and I've waited (not always so) patiently for her next book. The thing about Tilly was not an easy book by any means. For the biggest part of the book, I wanted to shake Evie - why is she so hung-up on Tilly. Tilly seems not to care about her friends. Not really. For the longest time, Tilly remains a stranger. And I couldn't help but question Evie's loyalty, her dedication, her devotion to someone like Tilly. And then, ever so slowly Tilly is revealed to us. And we can't help but to fall in love with her as well.

The writing style reminded me of Kaplan's Scissor link where the two MC's are written in different styles - one endearing and the other secretive, almost standoffish, in this case. This caused me so much frustration at first, but I hung in there, because it's G. Benson! And I was rewarded for my frustrated patience. The end result is a heart-wrenching read that is worth the wait.

[cloverxheart]

DNF at 35%.

I just can't do it.
I dislike all the characters and the way this is written.
I don't know if it's just the writing or also the Narrator.
The way it was written was extremely boring to me.

I've read two books by the author that both were around a 3 star.
So maybe this author just isn't for me.

[XR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[Menestrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home is where your heart beats the loudest

I fell in love with this book and with Tilly from the very first pages, it got me with these simple and yet deep words: “For once, she would be brave. Maybe try to stop running. Share a secret. Just the one”.

The friendship between Tilly, Evie and Sean feels so real, so true, with all the bickering, war of words, making fun of each other, sarcastic comments, nonsense talks, but at the same time always having a deep respect of the other, accepting a friend for who they really are, it is what it is, take it or leave it, love your friend unconditionally. And this friendship is so much more that it feels like “a family”, something you will always go back to, because it is part of yourself and running away from it would be impossible, no matter what happens in your life.

The narrative in the book is so pleasant, from the detailed oriented descriptions of the Australian coastline, the sea, the hustle and bustle, to the incredible way G. Benson managed to create a book that is so loud in terms of sounds and yet so silent in terms of openness to communication, creating an emotional and physical game between distance and intimacy, between sharing who you really are and at the same time, trying to hide a part of you. The fear of being judged for our mistakes is something that could prevent you to experience the best moments of your life. Trusting your friends and letting them love you no matter what is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world.
The sound of the waves, the peaceful lulling of the constant rhythm bringing a truce and an urging need for Tilly to open herself. The sound of the night while trying to sleep, when thoughts, regrets, needs, hopes, guilts are being pushed away, but they resonate so loudly in their silence in your mind. The sound of a beating heart that is afraid to be heard, that cannot deny the way it feels, that wants to jump out of the chest to dance and be happy for once in its life. The sound of a growing heart, a growing love, a growing forever presence that is there to stay, never to be forgotten.

The silence of the dreams, the silence of what you have always felt, but never really allowed yourself to experience, the silence of saying what you fear the most, the silence as a way to distance yourself from the others. The silence of words that speaks so loudly, and when those words are finally spoken, they are whispered in the most tender way.

The touching and not touching in this book feels like silk, like being caressed so gently that it makes you want to cry, because it’s not just sex, it’s making love, it’s touching someone’s soul, becoming one, after longing for so long for that touch. But the touching is not only the touching of a lover, it is also the touching of a mother, someone that will always know how you really feel, the one and only that knows you better than yourself, the one that can always offer you a hug and a caress to calm all your insecurities. The mom that will always be there to comfort you when you are hurting the most. Reading those pages, it makes you want to have such a connection, if you are lucky to experience it and if you have lost it, you know how important it is to feel loved by your mother and by your parents, never to feel abandoned and alone in the world.

If I think about this book, I want to read it as the story of someone who has been running all her life, of someone who thought no one would run after her. It’s so beautiful to think that for each of us, there will always be someone ready to wait for you and, when the moment is right, run after you and take your hand and never let it go.

And about the secret, I would say, find it out yourself and give this great book a chance, then the silence will turn into comfort, acceptance, joy and most of all love. And don’t forget that, sometimes, we are our own worst enemy.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really an amazing book. I had been all excited for the low burn angst that i had to finish up the books.

Both of the MCs friendship and their little issues were to intriguing at first that it gauged me to dive further, to understand the root cause. As understandable is very important in a relationship. Nevertheless, after too much of a secret, of the suddens take off and gone missing, makes the end journey worth it ya?

My 1st Bensons book and looking forward for more!!