Checking It Twice

Checking it Twice #1

by Lucy Bexley

Sacha Brighton is dreading her sister’s Christmas Eve wedding, but she’s headed to their family cabin in Northern Michigan all the same. Though she is running several hours late and her phone battery died somewhere on the interstate. Nothing surprising there. Sacha had braced herself for a lot of diva wedding antics from Alexis. What she wasn’t prepared for was to find her sister hired an androgynous wedding planner that Sacha can’t get off her mind.

Hal (Hallie) Hallahan (she knows) lives by her checklists. All she wants is for this wedding she’s been organizing for months to go perfectly. She went to school with the Brighton sisters but has had a major glow up since her ponytail jock days and she finally feels at home in her own skin. She knew Sacha would be at the wedding. But she was still shocked to find her massive crush from high school resurrected the second she saw her. Could Hal really have a chance with Sacha?
Or will Sacha be just one more disaster Hal will have to take care of to keep this wedding on track?

Checking It Twice is a low-angst lesbian Christmas romance novella filled with ice skating, failed gingerbread cookies, and people trying their best.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Christmas, Holiday, Novella, Lesbian Fiction

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2020

About the author

Lucy Bexley grew up in Michigan. Her favorite lake is Erie and her favorite Dunes are Sleeping Bear. She started reading romance novels in 2019 and hasn’t been able to put them down since. She fell in love with stories featuring queer women getting their happily ever afters. Lucy lives in Boston with her partner, dog, two cats, and eleven bookcases. She’s a fan of terrible jokes, seltzer, MarioKart, and silence.

www.lucybexley.com

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

**'Every story has to be better than the last one because sometimes what you write might not be what some readers like so the trick is to figure out your own story then make it read as one that they do enjoy...'

Pleasant read!
...An okay story --- wasn't too keen with regards to their chemistry...

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cute and enjoyable. While I still have a few ARC's that I need to read, I’m trying to fit in some holiday goodness before Christmas. When I saw Bexley had a new holiday novella out I knew this was a must read for me. I loved her cute paranormal romance, Just My Type, which she wrote with Oakley so I had my fingers crossed for this one. I’m happy to say that this was a great little read too.

I really like how Bexley’s stories have this humor through them but that they are not over the top. It’s the kind that makes you feel warm and sticks a smile on your face. Bexley writes well and puts a surprising amount of depth into the characters, considering this is a novella. I was really impressed with how good even the secondary characters were and that Bexley had the time to make them feel so well formed.

The romance is super sweet and I really liked the mains together. This is an opposites attract and also an old high school crush storyline. I did think the L word came out a little fast but I completely believed that these two should be a couple and that they would be a long term one.

What was also nice about this novella is that while it is a Christmas story, the story takes place at the wedding of the main character’s sister. So the story does feel more wedding and a little less Xmas. This would be a good holiday novella for people who might be overdosing on reading too many of them:)

My only complaint is that I would have loved another chapter or two. I get this is a novella but it ended at the beginning of a scene that I thought was important to witness. The book did have a cute epilogue which helped, but I would have rather had that scene play out instead. So that’s why this is getting 4 stars on my novella scale and not 5 stars.

This novella is very easy to recommend to people looking for good holiday reads. Bexley really impressed me this year and I can’t wait to read even more by her. This novella is currently free on Kindle Unlimited.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one. This was a sweet and funny opposites-attract christmassy novella. Sacha is a disaster in the best possible way, but she’s trying? Hal is ridiculously cute with her lists and sleigh bag. They are about as different as night and day but they have good hearts and I was rooting for them on finding happiness together.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and lovely kindle unlimited festive read. Lucy Bexley's stuff has really become must-reads for me. They're humorous, heartfelt and with people just that bit different, yet still entirely relatable.

Hal and Sacha are another mismatched yet perfectly paired couple. Hal is the androgynous wedding planner of Sacha's sister, who is having a Christmas Wedding. Hal is organized and has lots of lists to keep track of everything she has planned. She times her days down to the minute.

Sacha is the opposite. She flies by the seat of her pants, forgets her keys and charger all the time, and finds herself messing up and fumbling along as she runs late for everything.

Could these two really make it work? Both have pure and sweet hearts, and a lot of genuine care for their friends and relatives, and wanting to make the wedding a success for Alexis. Just a feel good read.

[MZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, sweet Christmas/wedding novella with some well-developed characters. Sasha’s sister, Alexis, is getting married on Christmas Eve. While Sasha loves her sister, Alexis can also be a bit much, so Sasha’s preparing for the worst until she meets the gorgeous androgynous wedding planner Hal. There is immediate attraction between the two and they are super cute together.

I loved Hal, she’s kind, super organized and prepared for everything. However, living according to a schedule aided with checklists is so not matching the chaotic Sasha. Throw in some weird family dynamics with Sasha’s overwhelming sister, an awesome grandmother and Sasha’s very detached parents and you’re in for an entertaining low-angst read.

[Loek Krancher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read!

A wedding planner, a Christmas wedding, a family cabin, a chaotic sister, a high school crush and a nosy but adorable grandmother. These are some amazing ingredients from Checking It Twice. It's a fun read, well written and has a wonderful Christmas vibe. I can definitely recommend it.

[JulesGP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story with a backdrop of a Christmas wedding. The bride’s sister and the wedding planner have nice chemistry. I enjoyed it but I felt it was a bit too long and lost some of the pop at the end because of it. Still is worth a read because of the humor and the fun couple.

[Elske · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet well written Christmas story. Nice main characters. I loved the way they respected each other’s quirks. Great Gramma character by the way.

[Conny B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already had to laugh out loud before the book even started and then again reading the first sentence in chapter 1. it just went on like this and before I knew it the book was over.
But back to the book itself. Sacha is a bit of a mess but in such a loving way. Hal on the other hand is totally structured and besides that, the wedding planner of Sacha’s sister. So maybe not the best time to get involved. But as you know opposites attract, especially when one of both already had a crush during high school. You definitely have to see for yourself what happens next. I just loved this book and their journey.
I can’t thank Lucy enough for gifting me or rather us readers with this wonderful book. I can’t wait for more from her.

[Althea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cute and one of the better sapphic Christmas novellas I've read recently! Full RTC! Also this is my 150th book read this year! I've never read this many before!!

Read as part of the 12 Days of Queermas Readathon!

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, loved it. All of it. Wish there were more.

[Joon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely Christmas rom-com with outstanding humour on every page of it!

I have really missed such a read for a long time. With Sasha and Hal, I had a terrific time. They immediately win the reader's heart. While the concept of a Christmas wedding is cliched, Lucy Bexley came up with a slew of unique scenarios to keep the audience entertained.

Highly recommended, but with a word of caution: bring tissues to wipe your eyes while laughing yourself to tears.😉

[XR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story that had me smiling from start to finish. Hal and Sacha, for being such opposites, fit together so perfectly. They were super cute together.

[Jos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute low angst opposites romance. It was a relaxing read but without the angst the ending felt quite abrupt.

If you want a feel good Christmas romance with little stress and tension this might be worth a read.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, sweet, and occasionally laugh out loud Christmas Novella. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Agirlcandream · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Holiday novella with a little heat. Disorganized Sacha is not looking forward to her sister’s Christmas Eve wedding at the family cabin/luxury home. That is until she sees the very handsome list making wedding planner Hal (Hallie). Lots of laughs in this sweet romance to go along with the heat.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this. Based on the reviews of everyone regarding their year in books, I seemed to be the only one who hadn't read Lucy Bexley yet. So.

What I really liked what the writing and the underlying wit and sarcasm. I had great fun reading the story. This will certainly not be my last Bexley book.

As for the story itself, I wasn't so impressed. Sacha comes home for the holidays for her sister Alexis' wedding. There she meets her sister's wedding planner Hal, who knows her from high school (and apparently has had a crush on Sacha). Hal has since then changed a lot from more feminine to more androgynous.

I couldn't relate at all to the characters. At first I thought it might be because Hal is non binary, but I think that's not it.

However I did have issues with the POV. Each chapter is alternated between Sacha and Hal and it's spelled out there, but from the text itself it wasn't always clear to me whose POV it was. It was a little confusing.

Plus I felt oddly detached from the characters. Hal was really sweet - somewhat overly controlling professionally but also very insecure personally (and kind of overly.. servile). But Sacha - I didn't find her very likeable to be honest. She tries. Her family is very cold despite her and her sister's efforts. But all in all she seems rather careless.. and whiney.

What (or rather, who) I did like in the end was Sacha's grams and her sister Alexis, surprisingly.

The story itself was rather short (I do realize this is a novella). Luckily, I have to add. Hal's and Sacha's first kiss came out of the blue for me. Anyway, I'm sad to say, this wasn't for me. I gave up at 80%. Maybe the next story.

[Char Dafoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply adorable

"Hal was quiet and unobtrusive, but she had a presence. She was the human equivalent of a favorite candle, throwing off a warm light and soothing everything around her." - My favourite line in the book that conveys Hal's aura and personality to a T. Obviously my favourite character.

Checking it Twice revolved around Sacha, the disorganized, hot-mess, sister and Hal, the wedding planner who would put Military personnel to shame with her organizational skills, with family of Sacha's in the background.

This was a simple story with many cutsie moments that had me cringing sometimes, but mostly entertaining and enjoyable. Every character had their own unique personalities, including a brief moment with a character called Owen. He was only mentioned in passing a couple times, then shown as a d*ck the couple times we actually saw him. Not sure if that was the authors way of adding substance or drama to the story, either way, he didn't really add anything other than making main character, Hal, look superior in Sacha's eyes. Sacha was great in many ways, but her lack of awareness of time management got on my nerves. I would need immense patience with a woman like that. Hal was charming, sweet, stylish, handsome, and extremely tender as well as sensitive. My heart grew three sizes bigger for her every time her feelings were trampled on. She's the kind of person you'd want to bubble wrap and protect from all the harshness in the world. Sacha and Hal had great chemistry together, I enjoyed their friendly banter and their flirting.

All in all, a sweet, short read with funny, tender, and sexy moments. Sarcasm and Hal kept me going.

[Lorraine Rusnack]

The odd couple make the perfect pair. Hal is neat and organized while Sacha is chaos. Sacha has the chance to reconnect with her sister and it's very sweet. Grams is a real hoot and knows everything that's going on.This is a wonderful heartwarming romance. I adore Lucy's writing.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the final holiday novella I wanted to get in this year. And I must say I may just be a little disappointed. It might because I came from a book I really enjoyed. I’ve read many very positive reviews for this one, people really seemed to enjoy it, but somehow something just didn’t work for me.

Since it’s a novella I don’t really want to say much about the story. It’s a super quick read and it was enjoyable just not really up my ally. I don’t really care for the main characters and the story is just a bit eye roll inducing for me. It’s rather sweet but it doesn’t work for me, I just don’t really know how the explain why it didn’t work.

While I sit here, writing this review in my Grinch shirt, I think it’s just my inner grinch that doesn’t want to like this book. It’s sweet and I appreciated the easy read.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I just wish at some points there was more! I absolutely loved the two opposite personalities! A Christmas wedding. Forced proximity, friends to lovers, Femme/Masc, 2x spicy scenes. It’s in third person with 2 POVs.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely novella which is warm and rich, and made me feel happy - which is all you can ask for from a book. Liked LB's writing style and I'll look for more by her.

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, low-angst sapphic Christmas romance between the sister of the bride and the wedding planner. I think that even though this is a pretty short novella you still get a good amount of character development from both women. The epilogue here was a nice addition to the story instead of being super cheesy which happens in a lot of romances.

[Statum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Read - one year later

12/202021:

I bumped this up one star to give it 5. This is what it deserved in the first place. I have to roast myself a bit because in my last review (below) I literally wrote it felt “short.” It’s a novella so that’s kind of the point.

Regardless, this second time around was a good reading experience for me. It was a good romance and it’s funny. I know Bexley has to have a great sense of humor because it comes out in her writing so much.

There are parts of both of the main characters lives that I totally understand and can relate to. One in particular really struck a chord with me. Hal discusses getting gifts from her mom. She gets her things she’d never wear and it makes it so obvious her mom doesn’t know her at all or wants her to be someone she’s not. Up until a few years ago that’s exactly how I’ve felt with my family. It was nice to read about a character like me.

Bexley writes very real characters with realistic past. I enjoy reading her books because I can almost always relate to something. I’m excited for her next full length novel coming out soon.



12/20/2020:

This was a cute holiday novella. In comparison to her other books this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I feel like it could have been a bit more romantic between the main characters. Typically there is great character development and this feel a little short. Overall, it was a cute and funny read. I really enjoy Bexley’s humor and that was here in this book as well.

[Judy - JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I discovered what I like and how I liked short stories. I’m gonna start writing them. LOL!
Anyway, this was a really nice, fluffy, very low angst story.

This story follows: Sacha Brighton, not the most organized, or even reliable person unless she cares about you, drove for over three hours to attend her sister's wedding.. On Christmas Eve, while there she met the wedding planner, Hal. Hal Halliday has Type A personality, the more to-do lists she has, the better she feels, she anticipates the needs of people and fulfills them. What happens when these two personalities collide? Magic.

There were bits that I thought were too fictional like Hal building a house. Not like a huge, family house, more like a small house that appeared to be a gingerbread house, but still, HOW?! Or.. I guess that there’s a lot of people with unimaginable skills and talents out there.

This story was also funny, you would laugh out of the blue..
Sacha: “I’m very good at making mistakes.”
Grams: “I think mistakes while trying hard might be your love language.

This is short, it’s Christmas, has an androgynous character, strong personalities but vulnerable at the same time.

[katelyn ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute lil christmas wedding novella, felt a lil fast but it’s also a novella so like who cares

[Paige]

DNF at 50%

Nothing in particular wrong with this, but it’s been sitting untouched and half-finished for over a week now. Time to admit I’m just not vibing with it.

I do like that it’s chaos+order vs the traditional grumpy+sunshine. That’s a good trope variation.

12/28/22

[Menestrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!! I laughed outloud serveral times (the scarf... Elmo roflmao!) and it was such a perfect reading for this period. It was just so cute. Hal and Sacha are adorable together!
Cute and funny 😊

[Laura Ognyanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and cozy Christmas read! I really liked the side characters, they added a lot of charm to the story. The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because sometimes it was hard to tell whose line it was during conversations, which made it a bit confusing to follow. Overall, still a sweet holiday book!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello, hi, I'm just here to tell you that Checking It Twice is the perfect sapphic romance to read over the holidays! I absolutely loved this novella & the romance & just everything. Plus, there is a bit of spice in there!

Also, it takes place in Michigan & as a Michigander that gave this book 3458934853 more points.