Not Your Type

by Elizabeth Jeannel

When Ava meets Parker in an LGBT therapy group, she’s hesitant to get close to someone new. Ava’s traumatic past with relationships, and her inability to fully embrace her asexuality has made it hard for her to connect with anyone. But when she starts seeing Parker everywhere, she finds it hard to ignore how familiar Parker is, and how at peace Parker’s presence in her life makes her feel.

Parker is less than a year out of a toxic relationship when she starts seeing Ava all over town. At the gym where she works, at the coffee shop she frequents, and then at the LGBT therapy group she decides to attend on a whim. She takes this as a sign from the universe, but is shocked to find that Ava doesn’t believe in fate, and none of the charm and charisma that has worked before will quite cut it this time.

As the two grow closer, they both have to decide if holding onto the things their exes taught them are also holding them back from their future.



Content

Discussions of trauma

Discussions of domestic violence

Alcoholism





Own voices

Asexual main character

Lesbian

Bisexual side character

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Contemporary, Queer, LGBT, Asexual, Contemporary Romance

391 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2022

About the author

Elizabeth Jeannel is a saphhic ace author of queer stories she wishes she’d had in her yesteryears and insistent that all of them end happily. Her releases currently include The Art of Feeling, Cursed (the novella), and Waking Rory. She is the founder and ringmaster of Hansen House, an artist, a photographer, and a gamer when she can squeeze in the time. She is a massive nerd and lover of most sci-fi and fantasy, only wishing more of it had queer representation.

When not writing, she can usually be found wrangling her small farm, hyperfixating on the wrong thing, or consuming just shy of too much caffeine. She currently resides in Southeast Kansas with her two partners.

Reviews

[Spiri Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Hanson house for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Not your type was a book I saw on tiktok with asexual representation, so as someone on the asexual spectrum myself I was excited to read it. It did not disappoint! It was long but never got boring. The characters were easy to love although I wish we got more of a backstory on Noah. I really related to Ava and her past. I did catch a few spelling mistakes but it was well written as a whole and I think the story flowed nicely. Overall a cute read with important themes and great asexual representation! This was a really cool experience and I hope to read more!

[Hanbbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely my type😅 When I received this earc from Hansen House ( Thank you for that!) I was really excited to read it😆

This book has such a cute romance, but ah this made my heart ached in many ways😭 I couldn't get enough of this book, I also couldn't put it aside😅 and I wish I hadn't finished it yet😅

I love the four main characters: Ava, Parker, Willow and Noah♥️ I can't count the number of times that I have squealed from enthusiasm😆

This book broke my heart in many ways but it was also able to glue it all back togheter♥️ I didn't know that I needed this book as much as I needed air. The story touched me in many good ways♥️

Ava and Parker have both a troubled passed and through the book we see how they slowly work through things. It was actually done in such a great way.

I really enjoyed this book and I know that I will reread this book many times🥰

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Your Type follows the slow romance of two women Ava and Parker, both recovering from toxic relationships. They can't seem to stop bumping into each other, and romance seems inevitable but they both have a lot of baggage to lose first...

This was an enjoyable romance, with a great cast, especially the supporting characters. While the romance was easy to root for, the 'getting together' was a bit dragged out for me, with drama being thrown at them right until the very end. I would have preferred to read more of the couple themselves actually being a couple, although as this book is semi-autobiographical is makes sense that the narrative doesn't follow an arc as you would expect.

Thank you to the publishers for giving me a complimentary review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Amanda at Bookish Brews]

wait I loved the rep in this book and how healing it was 😭

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[Raven Wolfe Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

So let's begin with what I loved:
-Representation: There's a deaf character, a bi character, an asexual character, and a lesbian. I feel like books represent either sexual orientation or disability. Never both. This book definitely did both. And I fucking love it.
-Therapy: The characters meet in therapy. But they don't stay in therapy. They think they're okay, use the happy/honeymoon stage of the relationship to ignore their bigger issues. Then come back to it when they realize that doesn't work. Ignoring is not healing. And both actively want to heal.
-HEA: Every character gets an HEA. Even if you don't think you like the character, they get an HEA too.
-Touch aversion: This is something I don't see often in books. Actually, I can only name one other book that addresses touch aversion. Sex is viewed as an obstacle. For someone with a touch aversion, it is. This book also addresses the feelings attached to touch aversion. Like wanting to please your partner even at the expense of your own discomfort and fears. Handled beautifully.
Words of Wisdom: Both Parker and Ava have people in their lives they can rely on. Noah, Willow, Carmen, Meg, Mom, Dad, etc. I think having people conducive to healing is important in the healing process. Both characters had their people.
Address the ex: Both characters had toxic exes that needed addressing. Also part of the healing process. How many of us need to address a toxic ex and what they did? I'm suddenly feeling inspired.

So why did I subtract a star?
-Editing: Some pretty glaring issues. Numbers in the middle of words. "wh0le" and "stiffen002E". Willow's name was lowercased one time. Say Yes To The Dress was lowercased one time, then capitalized another. Oh, and "fossette" instead of faucet.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly wasn’t so sure about this book at first. I started reading, and Parker kept going on about destiny and the universe every time she and Ava ran into each other, and l was hesitant. It just felt too cliche that just all of a sudden, they saw each other everywhere. But I kept reading, and I’m so glad I did. This book definitely grew on me; it’s well written; the characters have depth and painful pasts and while watching them struggle to work through things was a little heartbreaking at times, and I will admit I teared up a bit at one point. Overall it was a really cute story. Thank you, Hanson House, for the ARC

[Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked seeing how the two main characters navigated moving from unhealthy relationships to a healthy one, and I really enjoyed having the ace representation in the book. I am rating it lower though, because the pacing at the beginning of the book felt a little too slow, the editing could have been a bit cleaner as there were sections that felt redundant, and there was some typos/grammar/line issues that were missed.
I look forward to reading more from this author and this publishing house!

[Melissa Karibian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about healing through trauma, and finding love again (both within yourself and another) after a toxic relationship. I finished this story within 24 hours, that’s how good it is!

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly done. Excellent writing and characters. This novel contained multitudes. This is a novel for a reader who wants a very sweet romance except all of the characters have considerable baggage, plenty of past unresolved trauma, emotional issues, miscommunication/non-communication, toxic ex’s, great friends, and everything is messy all the time. There is a lot going on. You will likely get frustrated, but you will empathize with the people making you feel that way. I assume this novel isn’t for everyone, but it was definitely for me.

My Rating: “A+“
Converted Rating: 5-Stars

Highlights:
-Excellent writing. There was a lot included in this novel, and I think it was all done well.
-Such fun plot/story elements. One example, the characters cross paths multiple times per day (for a few moments at a time) just by nature of their usual routine, and the author used this to great effect. I also love how one of them was SO aware of this prior to their first proper meeting, meanwhile the other was entirely oblivious. I relate in a big way. Then this detail was used again and again throughout the novel in different ways, to different effects. I like the little things sometimes.
-I love asexual rep!
-A lot of things in this novel were just so much fun. (of course others….were not)
-Very realistic descriptions of trauma and the resulting lingering effects. This is a heavier topic, but it was handled well. Not trauma-porn, but also certainly not swept under the rug.
-I liked how the characters did not dive straight in to a relationship. They took their sweet time and acted rather responsibly for a “romance”. The skepticism and caution, along with the determination and insistence, were great.
-I liked how they used actual text bubbles for text messages. I think this is becoming more common, but I like it a lot and its still novel for me to see.
-I LOVE these two as a couple. Great chemistry, dialogue, interactions, the whole thing. They obviously have some big issues and obstacles to overcome, but I never doubted them as a match.
-This novel was like watching a car crash that you can’t look away from….. before it happens. I can’t elaborate.
-I love the secondary side romance between the “other characters”. It added a lot to the novel and worked very well. Seeing these two relationships alongside each other helped to highlight some definite differences between them.
-Despite……all the things that happen…… I would say this is overall a very healthy relationship dynamic and I was just very happy/proud of these two. Things didn’t go in a straight line, tough decisions were made. Things could have been handled MUCH better, but people are messy sometimes.
-This novel (and all its characters) is VERY pro-therapy. That is always a great message for a novel to deliver.

P.S. If you don't like people failing to communicate and causing themselves problems, I hope by now you can guess that this novel might annoy you.

P.P.S. I found three novels with the same cover and decided to read them all at the same time, because what's life without whimsy, and this one was my favorite.

[Alex (soulfullyalex) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for an eARC of this book.

Have you ever had that feeling, while reading a book, that is like a tingly, tightening in your chest and your eyes begin to water? Have you ever felt like a book cracked your chest open and looked into your soul and laid it bare for you to read in the book your actively reading? Yeah, that’s what this book did for me. I will admit that I didn’t relate to every aspect of the book and every situation the characters experience or had experienced, but so much of Ava’s journey really ripped me open.

Ava is dealing with a lot, she’s been traumatized from her previous relationship and is living in fear, just going through the motions. But when she meets Parker in an LGBT therapy group things get a bit more complicated, for both her and Parker. The one thing I really loved about both these characters is that they were both messy in a realistic way. They are both dealing with a lot of trauma and working to move on from their pasts, but their interest in each other means they will need to confront their past. This book hurt in so many ways, watching both Ava and Parker struggle and be confused, watching Ava’s sister and Parkers best friend be concerned for them for very different reasons.

I also loved that this book wasn’t all about the quick turn around. Things weren’t perfect from the start and both characters had to work to be better. I don’t want to spoil the plot so I’m not going to say more here, but I absolutely adored how things progressed and wrapped up. I really really love this book and I can tell that I am likely to go back to it later to read more closely and slowly. This book made me feel so seen. Ava’s feelings about herself and her sexuality are things that I have thought and worried about. Seeing those feelings on the page just made me connect so deeply to Ava.

Anyway, if you haven’t guessed already I adored this book for the emotional journey it took me on. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read something about growth, trauma, overcoming fear, and self acceptance.

[Dani Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Your Type was such a wonderful book. I absolutely loved it.

Ava and Parker have both been through hell in previous relationships, and both have been left with scars. When they meet, a connection forms, but can they heal from the past in order to move forward with each other?

This was a stunning book and I loved every moment of it. It was emotional and heartfelt and at times heartbreaking to read.

It focuses on healing from past trauma, learning to love yourself, and accepting that being flawed doesn't mean you don't deserve happiness.

I particularly loved the asexual representation in this book. It's still so rare to see and it has been written so well - asexuality is a spectrum and I love how that is explored here. I love how Ava learns to accept herself and love herself throughout the story too. In this book, asexuality is written into the character, as a part of her- but it doesn't define her - which is refreshing to see.

Highly recommended this book - it does tackle difficult subjects, but it was so heartfelt and the ending is beautiful. The characters are so well developed, their world draws you in. This book is definitely my type.

[Emma Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: Acephobia, narcissistic partner, abuse, alcoholism
Wow. This book. Might i even point out that I’m a fantasy whore and usually hate reading romance or realistic fiction. But i ADORED this book.
Where do I even start?
I guess with the amazing asexual representation. As an asexual, this book made me feel seen. It shows what it’s like before discovering your sexuality. It shows that now all aces are sex repulsed/ it shows how dating can often feel because there is so much acephobia out there you don’t think anyone will accept you. It shows…. Everything. Ava’s experience lined up so much with mine as an asexual I cried at several points. I felt so seen by this book.
This book showed how there are allos who will date aces without a problem. It’s all about communication. And it made me feel that I could actually find someone like Parker for myself.
This book showed healing from trauma. You can’t keep it all in. You have to discuss the hard things. And kept coming back to the point that communication is key. This book didn’t shy away from the mental illness symptoms (like dissociating for hours).
This book has a beautiful romance that I was rooting for.
Just…. Pick it up.

[Jos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid read with cute chemistry and messy Sapphics.

First thing to note is that the synopsis has a bit of a lighter romcom vibe but the book comes across quite a bit more serious and does touch some sensitive topics. The author did put a note at the beginning of the read, so that was nice and I felt prepped for the read but it is one of those things that can really ruin the expectations of the book when you decide to pick it up.

I liked how messy the two leads were. They were not in a place where things were able to be open communicative, which was frustrating but also part of the ride. If you are not a fan of the lack of communication trope this might not be for you.

I added this book to my TBR because of the ace representation. I really wanted another perspective and I was happy to find that in this book.

Another contemporary Sapphic romance with an ace lead and two girls that need therapy. It had some pretty good chemistry and some romcom tropes to lighten the whole thing. I would recommend if you are okay with characters being afraid to communicate due to trauma.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am over the moon at what this story did. I was able to see myself on the page so clearly and in so many ways for the first time. And despite the VERY sensitive topics being addressed, it was very nice to see our main characters' actively working to break the cycle of abuse, deal with their respective traumas, and become healthy for each other. And there was a plethora of advice given throughout that was clearly not just meant for the characters, but was done in a well-placed and non-lecture-y manner.

It was nice to see such well-integrated stories surrounding asexuality and belonging, asexual-allosexual relationships, relationship trauma, codependency, deafness and sign language, mental health, and positive body image.

However, there were several punctuation mistakes that may bother some readers.

Major/Detailed Triggers: Gaslighting; Emotional abuse; Stalking; Acephobia
Other Triggers: Physical abuse; Toxic relationship; Alcoholism; Sexual violence; Infidelity
*Most of these triggers are in relation to the main characters' previous relationships.

[Sasha Volesky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful romance novel about love, sexuality and healing trauma.

The characters where exceptionally well written, and their development along the way was really well written, realistic and helpful. The experience faced in this book can and does happen to many in real life and this book covers the topics well in a sensitive way, but not shying from the issue.

The writing was well done, the dual perspectives was very enjoyable as they both hold different experiences and being able to experience both sides of their story. I couldn’t stop highlighting this book, every other line was funny, relatable, sad. It made it all feel so real like I was with them.

This story centres around Ava and Parker’s growth, character and relationship, it’s lacks a plot however that’s doesn’t take away from the book, the sole focus being on them (and the side characters)

I truely loved this book and thoroughly believe it’ll help someone feel scene, not alone. A wonderful story!

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

I want to thank Hansen House for providing me with e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I don’t usually read romance, but this one picked my interest because it’s sapphic (and sapphic books are superior), and because one of the main characters is asexual.

There’s a diverse cast of characters (LGBTQ+ rep: lesbian, asexual, bisexual, pansexual, disability rep: deaf), and I loved every one of them😌. They are very well written and have distinct personalities :)
The romance is great too!

Also - SHORT CHAPTERS, which means that this book is very easy to read. Not Your Type is so captivating that I’ve read the last 60% in less than 2 days, which is a lot for a slow reader like me.

I definitely recommend this book! Just check the TWs before reading it)

[wren4777 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, so much angst... I was really excited to read another novel with an asexual lead because we definitely don't have enough of them out there. But the amount of angst in this book was just overwhelming. It definitely got in the way of my enjoyment, especially since the characters don't actually get over everything until about the 90% mark.

Also, for a book that endorses therapy so much (which is good, of course!), I found it really unsettling how Ava blaming herself for Parker starting to spiral after their breakup and picking up smoking again is never addressed or corrected at all.

[Draco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so amazing! As an arc reader I am very lucky to read this early, and I recommend anyone who sees this to get it. I related a lot to the characters and their traumas and fears, and it made me ugly cry several times. The characters are realistically flawed, as well is their journey through trauma healing, which really hit. As an asexual person with past abuse trauma, it was both hard, yet relieving to read this book. I certainly will reread this and plan to get a physical copy when I am able to!

[Phoenix (Books with Wings)]

Ace rep!!!

[Hojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you to Hansen House for the e-arc!

I really enjoyed this one. Review to come

[Zoe Armstrong]

So heartwarming, the ace rep was good. V nice

[Kenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely in love with this book. I definitely cried a few times, lol. Definitely a new top favorite!

[Lunela Moonlit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The romance was very cute and I love Ava, a good read.

[Nico · Rating 2 out of 5]

If they had gone to therapy from day one or just never looked at each other twice, this book would’ve been 10 pages long and i’d be okay with it.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more enjoyable than I'd thought. Depictions of trauma/abuse and healing from them tied into a romance doesn't normally work out well, but in this case it paints a decent picture of why avoidance, even through a new relationship, is a very bad idea without dealing with the trauma first.

A quick and easy read, but compelling characters.

[Ric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the journey

This story was a journey of healing for 2 people, both separate and together. And it was emotional and heartwarming. Loved it so much!