What do you think?
Rate this book
By the List
Things to do before I kiss the girl.Adel’s social circle is rather small. Without the fans of her blog, she wouldn’t have one at all. This doesn’t bother Adel as much as it probably should, but with her apartment feeling as empty as her love life, Adel’s determined to make a change. Starting with herself.Asking someone else out, however? Adel’s going to need a lot more than some liquid courage to pull it off.Gail’s put everything she has into her family’s bar, but if she doesn’t think of something soon, she’ll lose everything she owns. With the walls closing in around her, what Gail really needs is a distraction, something to take her mind off of things, if only for a little while.Meeting a new patron is exactly what Gail needs. What she doesn’t expect, however, is to miss the other woman’s company once she’s gone.Without Adel’s number or an address to go by, Gail’s left with the memory of an evening that ended much too soon. But when their paths cross twice in one night?Gail isn’t about to make that mistake again.By the List is a sweet sapphic romance about two women trying to find their way through life and includes a happily ever after.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2021
13 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Callie Hall
16 books6 followersLibrarian note:
This Author has previously published as Natalie Brunwick and, before, as Amy Lark
This Author has previously published as Natalie Brunwick and, before, as Amy Lark
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 14, 2021
Kindle Unlimited read. I read this authors previous A Place to Call Home which I felt had some issues that frustrated, and I felt the same here, actually tenfold. So I'm thinking this author isn't for me.
Adel is shy and a bit awkward. Loves making lists, and sticking to routines and schedules. She is introverted, and goes around in her own head a lot but is trying to do more, by writing a sort of 'bucket list' of things she wants to try... Gail is the owner of a bar, very friendly and outgoing. Cares about people. Both find themselves drawn to the other. Gail is impressed with the shy girl trying to put herself out there with her lists. Adel is impressed with how friendly and real things feel between them... Both find themselves opening up to each other, talking and spending time. But both are a bit neurotic, second guessing themselves and every interaction.
There's major issues with the bar where Gail works, under her Fathers scrutinizing gaze. They are just about ready to fold, and Gail is struggling hard to fight against that. Her father is being an idiot by not letting her do much to help change things up and attract customers. There's also a douchebag employee/friend character that pissed me off, and then changed suddenly in personality halfway though, so fast that it gave me whiplash.
Overall there was a lot of mindless talk, and head angsting about the bar that I felt didn't really add anything to the story and became tedious... My biggest issue is the flip-flopping of emotions and character personalities. TBH it seems like Gail is infact clinically depressed at times, if not downright bipolar? and I do not say that in jest, because I infact have family members with the disorder... and some of the behaviour here related back to that, for me.
Sometimes she's high and happy, easy-going, nothing worrying her - then she's depressed, anxious, second guessing and locking herself away in bathrooms. She even breaks down to Adel at one point, out of the blue, feeling exhausted at having to keep fighting against the stress of the bar, and the shitty people she works with. But things are supposedly going well between the couple. Until she sees a "list" Adel made, with "kiss the girl" written on it... Suddenly Adel's cute little list making venture of things she wants to do and make happen, becomes a thing of drama between them, and Gail does a 180 and gets scared and angry, keeps her at arms length, before an explosive argument erupts, ending in "I love you" declarations...
The WTFuckery doesn't end there though, Daddy Dearest apparently knew very well the bar was in bad form, and even says "I wanted to see what you would do" meanwhile actively kept her hands tied whenever she did try to do anything? WTF???? Everyone is simultaneously saying to Gail that she should do more than run a bar, but also that they couldn't see her doing anything else. HUH? Gail herself even has a clearly love/hate relationship with it, and I honestly felt she needed to get out, and walk away for her own sanity.
Then another emotional outburst ensues when Adel mentions to other family members about a fundraiser, and they pool some money to help the bar, and Gail freaks out again. It was getting exhausting, and frustrating to boot. I ended up skimming and it never really resolves, except for a fast paced marriage proposal. *Shaking my Head* I just can't, even.
Adel is shy and a bit awkward. Loves making lists, and sticking to routines and schedules. She is introverted, and goes around in her own head a lot but is trying to do more, by writing a sort of 'bucket list' of things she wants to try... Gail is the owner of a bar, very friendly and outgoing. Cares about people. Both find themselves drawn to the other. Gail is impressed with the shy girl trying to put herself out there with her lists. Adel is impressed with how friendly and real things feel between them... Both find themselves opening up to each other, talking and spending time. But both are a bit neurotic, second guessing themselves and every interaction.
There's major issues with the bar where Gail works, under her Fathers scrutinizing gaze. They are just about ready to fold, and Gail is struggling hard to fight against that. Her father is being an idiot by not letting her do much to help change things up and attract customers. There's also a douchebag employee/friend character that pissed me off, and then changed suddenly in personality halfway though, so fast that it gave me whiplash.
Overall there was a lot of mindless talk, and head angsting about the bar that I felt didn't really add anything to the story and became tedious... My biggest issue is the flip-flopping of emotions and character personalities. TBH it seems like Gail is infact clinically depressed at times, if not downright bipolar? and I do not say that in jest, because I infact have family members with the disorder... and some of the behaviour here related back to that, for me.
Sometimes she's high and happy, easy-going, nothing worrying her - then she's depressed, anxious, second guessing and locking herself away in bathrooms. She even breaks down to Adel at one point, out of the blue, feeling exhausted at having to keep fighting against the stress of the bar, and the shitty people she works with. But things are supposedly going well between the couple. Until she sees a "list" Adel made, with "kiss the girl" written on it... Suddenly Adel's cute little list making venture of things she wants to do and make happen, becomes a thing of drama between them, and Gail does a 180 and gets scared and angry, keeps her at arms length, before an explosive argument erupts, ending in "I love you" declarations...
The WTFuckery doesn't end there though, Daddy Dearest apparently knew very well the bar was in bad form, and even says "I wanted to see what you would do" meanwhile actively kept her hands tied whenever she did try to do anything? WTF???? Everyone is simultaneously saying to Gail that she should do more than run a bar, but also that they couldn't see her doing anything else. HUH? Gail herself even has a clearly love/hate relationship with it, and I honestly felt she needed to get out, and walk away for her own sanity.
Then another emotional outburst ensues when Adel mentions to other family members about a fundraiser, and they pool some money to help the bar, and Gail freaks out again. It was getting exhausting, and frustrating to boot. I ended up skimming and it never really resolves, except for a fast paced marriage proposal. *Shaking my Head* I just can't, even.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2021
Classic Love Story!
What a refreshing book. This is how you get to know someone inside and out without the jumping into bed syndrome. It took quite a few little get togethers before a first kiss. You have an anxiety, list oriented Adel and a happy go lucky but secretly barely hanging on Gail who meet in a bar. Adel trying to push herself to meet and go out of her box and Gail who is the bar co-owner and who sees something in Adel that keeps her interested. This story sometimes gets frustrating with Adels lack of confidence in speaking what’s on her mind and Gails easy way of getting her to speak period. How do you get by in a book that has no “sex” whatsoever, guess what, you do. You just want them to succeed, each dealing with a personal struggle but now having someone to lean on who wants to support you in everything you do. This was just a good old love story!
What a refreshing book. This is how you get to know someone inside and out without the jumping into bed syndrome. It took quite a few little get togethers before a first kiss. You have an anxiety, list oriented Adel and a happy go lucky but secretly barely hanging on Gail who meet in a bar. Adel trying to push herself to meet and go out of her box and Gail who is the bar co-owner and who sees something in Adel that keeps her interested. This story sometimes gets frustrating with Adels lack of confidence in speaking what’s on her mind and Gails easy way of getting her to speak period. How do you get by in a book that has no “sex” whatsoever, guess what, you do. You just want them to succeed, each dealing with a personal struggle but now having someone to lean on who wants to support you in everything you do. This was just a good old love story!
October 19, 2021
There is a time for your chosen family not those who will lo if you confirm to their bigotry
A really great romance , learning that family is the one you want because they love and accept you even if they're not legally related ,with equal marriage you can be legal ly related and love who you
A really great romance , learning that family is the one you want because they love and accept you even if they're not legally related ,with equal marriage you can be legal ly related and love who you
February 9, 2021
loved this book.
February 25, 2021
A cute romance
It was a really cute story. I loved the growth of the main character, and the build up of the romance. I’ll be reading more from this author.
It was a really cute story. I loved the growth of the main character, and the build up of the romance. I’ll be reading more from this author.
May 14, 2021
I have loved everything of Callie's. Any review I might write would just say the same thing, over and over. "Loved it, can hardly wait for their next, highly recommended". So, consider them written!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews