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Clover Hill Romance #3
Rooting for You
Their chemistry may be picture perfect, but how much can Fisch and Jaeeun grow before time runs out?
Botanist Fisch’s life in Clover Hill is small. Getting physical distance from her tense relationship with her mother was supposed to give her room to breathe. Instead, she’s created a new cage for herself, spending most of her time isolated and working on other people’s projects instead of her own dreams. Admitting she’s lonely is the first step. Doing something about it seems much harder.
When traveling photojournalist Jaeeun Kupperman comes to town, it’s a wake-up call like no other. Jaeeun’s hot, talented, sweet, and the proud cat parent of one perfect angel named Dan. Faster than Dan can take down a dandelion, the two butch women are mutually smitten. But the sun is setting as both of them search for their next assignments and Fisch realizes it’s past time to branch out just as Jaeeun considers planting roots.
They might both be eager to sow the seeds of love, but will they be brave enough to keep it growing? Or will Jaeeun leave Fisch in her rearview mirror when the golden hour is over?
Rooting for You is a butch-for-butch love story between two Jewish lesbians (one white-Ashkenazi, one Korean-American-Ashkenazi) told from Fisch’s perspective.
Botanist Fisch’s life in Clover Hill is small. Getting physical distance from her tense relationship with her mother was supposed to give her room to breathe. Instead, she’s created a new cage for herself, spending most of her time isolated and working on other people’s projects instead of her own dreams. Admitting she’s lonely is the first step. Doing something about it seems much harder.
When traveling photojournalist Jaeeun Kupperman comes to town, it’s a wake-up call like no other. Jaeeun’s hot, talented, sweet, and the proud cat parent of one perfect angel named Dan. Faster than Dan can take down a dandelion, the two butch women are mutually smitten. But the sun is setting as both of them search for their next assignments and Fisch realizes it’s past time to branch out just as Jaeeun considers planting roots.
They might both be eager to sow the seeds of love, but will they be brave enough to keep it growing? Or will Jaeeun leave Fisch in her rearview mirror when the golden hour is over?
Rooting for You is a butch-for-butch love story between two Jewish lesbians (one white-Ashkenazi, one Korean-American-Ashkenazi) told from Fisch’s perspective.
151 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2022
8 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Roz Alexander
12 books48 followersRoz Alexander, a Chicagoan and obsessed gardener, writes smutty sapphic romance.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 29, 2022
Kindle Unlimited.
This was a really unique, sweet, hot, and honest story of two more butch Jewish women finding deep love and connection with each other, in a quaint small town.
Our MC is Fisch (first name Sara but goes by her last name) a soft butch Botanist that does a lot of freelance work in her field, and working on textbooks - and has recently moved away from her disparaging Mothers ire. She's thoughtful, slightly neurotic, a little bit anxious, but super supportive and adorable. I related to her internal monologue a lot.
We meet Jaeeun, who is of Korean heritage, and more Butch than Fisch, but also Jewish. She's a hot top, who makes it clear she desires Fisch from the get go. They had been talking online and on text for a while, and finally able to meet for an article Jaeeun is writing and photographing about queer scientists. She stays with Fisch while between jobs, and the two heat up in the bedroom and beyond.
There was a beautiful honestly in the way each woman communicated, while still trying to be reserved with one another, in that way you do when starting out and trying not to disclose all your skeletons and foibles. Desperately trying not to dump all your feelings and play it cool and aloof.
But with time spent, and each revelation and connection sparking - you just see how lovely they both are, and feel that strong connection, not just of the physical. There's a real rawness that creeps in, that I found charming to watch them connect and discover each other.
Plus there's that cute small town element with the setting, and its citizens. A Cafe with a supportive owner/friend and staff, and a Plant Store that comes under Fisch's scrutiny. lol.
OH I almost forgot to mention there is also a fun-loving energetic Cat, character, too! So this is definitely the perfect lesbian romance story, in the classic sense, and yet so unique, too.
No drama, no angst, just lovely. Highly Recommended!
I received an advance review copy for free, on BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a really unique, sweet, hot, and honest story of two more butch Jewish women finding deep love and connection with each other, in a quaint small town.
Our MC is Fisch (first name Sara but goes by her last name) a soft butch Botanist that does a lot of freelance work in her field, and working on textbooks - and has recently moved away from her disparaging Mothers ire. She's thoughtful, slightly neurotic, a little bit anxious, but super supportive and adorable. I related to her internal monologue a lot.
We meet Jaeeun, who is of Korean heritage, and more Butch than Fisch, but also Jewish. She's a hot top, who makes it clear she desires Fisch from the get go. They had been talking online and on text for a while, and finally able to meet for an article Jaeeun is writing and photographing about queer scientists. She stays with Fisch while between jobs, and the two heat up in the bedroom and beyond.
There was a beautiful honestly in the way each woman communicated, while still trying to be reserved with one another, in that way you do when starting out and trying not to disclose all your skeletons and foibles. Desperately trying not to dump all your feelings and play it cool and aloof.
But with time spent, and each revelation and connection sparking - you just see how lovely they both are, and feel that strong connection, not just of the physical. There's a real rawness that creeps in, that I found charming to watch them connect and discover each other.
Plus there's that cute small town element with the setting, and its citizens. A Cafe with a supportive owner/friend and staff, and a Plant Store that comes under Fisch's scrutiny. lol.
OH I almost forgot to mention there is also a fun-loving energetic Cat, character, too! So this is definitely the perfect lesbian romance story, in the classic sense, and yet so unique, too.
No drama, no angst, just lovely. Highly Recommended!
I received an advance review copy for free, on BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 26, 2022
Great read!
Rooting For You is a sweet story, following Fisch, a botanist with social anxiety and Jaeeun, a photojournalist. It's a great butch-for-(soft) butch romance and the main characters are complete opposites. It takes place entirely in a small town with great supporting characters and an adorable cat who occasionally thinks she's a dog. It's well written and a nice pace. The epilogue was surprisingly different from what I'm used to in romances, but it fits this story perfectly. Another enjoyable read from this author.
Rooting For You is a sweet story, following Fisch, a botanist with social anxiety and Jaeeun, a photojournalist. It's a great butch-for-(soft) butch romance and the main characters are complete opposites. It takes place entirely in a small town with great supporting characters and an adorable cat who occasionally thinks she's a dog. It's well written and a nice pace. The epilogue was surprisingly different from what I'm used to in romances, but it fits this story perfectly. Another enjoyable read from this author.
January 28, 2024
2,5 stars
Not bad per se, but I didn't enjoy the writing style. I don't think it was actually badly written. But it wasn't a good fit for me. Happens.
Not bad per se, but I didn't enjoy the writing style. I don't think it was actually badly written. But it wasn't a good fit for me. Happens.
October 19, 2022
I thought Clover Hill was perfect before but now we've met a scientist living there. As one who had a difficult time choosing between biology and physics as a major, Fisch was a delight to have as a main character. She's anxious in social situations, so hasn't really been taking action to alleviate her loneliness but is preparing to start doing just that when Jaeeun enters the picture, lol. These two make such a wonderful pair and as an academic, may I just say the Epilogue may be one of the most perfect I've read. It made me tear up it was perfect for these two and this story. I cannot say enough good things about this entire series and if you haven't read it, do not miss out.
June 25, 2024
At first I struggled a little with this book, because I felt like the romance was very quick to start and I wanted a little more build-up. But then I was so charmed by the sweetness of the romance and all the domestic scenes, so I ended up having a lot of fun!
March 10, 2024
Rounding up.
This was a delightful surprise. It featured a butch/butch pairing, lots of gay panic, communication, and puns. I loved the world Roz built and probably the biggest downside is that I want a book with the friend and her LARPing girlfriend.
This was a delightful surprise. It featured a butch/butch pairing, lots of gay panic, communication, and puns. I loved the world Roz built and probably the biggest downside is that I want a book with the friend and her LARPing girlfriend.
October 18, 2022
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Rooting for You is the third delightful installment in the Clover Hill Romance series. It can be read as a stand-alone. Roz Alexander brings yet another unique perspective to the already inclusive, queer friendly Clover Hill, portraying a butch-for-butch sapphic relationship (standing out in comparison to the more common butch/femme). I also appreciated seeing two Jewish romantic interests from slightly different backgrounds fall in love.
Fisch endeared me to her immediately. I also have social anxiety, and while it manifests for her differently, her desire to isolate from others resonated, as did her struggle to take the first step in fixing her problems.
The story is told solely from Fisch’s perspective, and I can understand why. In their introduction, Roz Alexander discusses the cultural diversity of Judaism from a religious lens, but even with that in mind, I can understand not feeling comfortable writing from the perspective of a character that doesn’t share your heritage as the reasoning for avoiding writing from Jaeeun’s perspective.
But Alexander is still able to convey Jaeeun’s personality, what she offers Fisch as a romantic partner, and vice versa. It’s beautiful seeing them bond over their shared interest in plants and science, as well as observing their attraction grow into something deeper and more passionate.
This was an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for more Jewish/sapphic romance.
CWs: butchphobia (internalized), discussion of climate change, explicit sex (including penetration), homophobia from a parent, lack of self-confidence that leads to negative self-talk, negative parental relationships, sibling dynamics, social anxiety
Rooting for You is the third delightful installment in the Clover Hill Romance series. It can be read as a stand-alone. Roz Alexander brings yet another unique perspective to the already inclusive, queer friendly Clover Hill, portraying a butch-for-butch sapphic relationship (standing out in comparison to the more common butch/femme). I also appreciated seeing two Jewish romantic interests from slightly different backgrounds fall in love.
Fisch endeared me to her immediately. I also have social anxiety, and while it manifests for her differently, her desire to isolate from others resonated, as did her struggle to take the first step in fixing her problems.
The story is told solely from Fisch’s perspective, and I can understand why. In their introduction, Roz Alexander discusses the cultural diversity of Judaism from a religious lens, but even with that in mind, I can understand not feeling comfortable writing from the perspective of a character that doesn’t share your heritage as the reasoning for avoiding writing from Jaeeun’s perspective.
But Alexander is still able to convey Jaeeun’s personality, what she offers Fisch as a romantic partner, and vice versa. It’s beautiful seeing them bond over their shared interest in plants and science, as well as observing their attraction grow into something deeper and more passionate.
This was an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for more Jewish/sapphic romance.
CWs: butchphobia (internalized), discussion of climate change, explicit sex (including penetration), homophobia from a parent, lack of self-confidence that leads to negative self-talk, negative parental relationships, sibling dynamics, social anxiety
February 10, 2023
I really wanted to like this book. It represented that rare beast, a butch on butch romance, and it also featured Jewish protagonists, which these days I don’t encounter all that often in lesbian fiction. Plus, the author is a dedicated proponent of native plant species—a very worthy cause. Oh, and a main character has an at least somewhat disabling medical condition — another thing we see far too little of.
The writing wasn’t bad, and while the plot was predictable — hey, it’s genre fiction. So what was the problem? Well, aside from using the dreaded “nub” to refer to a women’s clitoris , there’s not much to complain about. I did feel a bit worn down by the main heroine’s never-ending manifestations of her profound timidity and extreme anxiety. I suppose living like that is exhausting, too, and so perhaps she was just being true-to-life.
But there just wasn’t much that grabbed me. The heroines’ attraction felt rather superficial, and the obstacles to the development of their relationship were illusory. Everything went along like clockwork, with a few so-so sex scenes along the way. Bland. It all felt very bland to me. The most interesting characters were anyone and everyone (including the cat) who weren’t our main characters. Here I am, a butch who loves butches, and the story was a bit of a slog to get through. I’m sorry to have to say that. I was rooting for this author to succeed, but from where I’m sitting, she didn’t.
The writing wasn’t bad, and while the plot was predictable — hey, it’s genre fiction. So what was the problem? Well, aside from using the dreaded “nub” to refer to a women’s clitoris , there’s not much to complain about. I did feel a bit worn down by the main heroine’s never-ending manifestations of her profound timidity and extreme anxiety. I suppose living like that is exhausting, too, and so perhaps she was just being true-to-life.
But there just wasn’t much that grabbed me. The heroines’ attraction felt rather superficial, and the obstacles to the development of their relationship were illusory. Everything went along like clockwork, with a few so-so sex scenes along the way. Bland. It all felt very bland to me. The most interesting characters were anyone and everyone (including the cat) who weren’t our main characters. Here I am, a butch who loves butches, and the story was a bit of a slog to get through. I’m sorry to have to say that. I was rooting for this author to succeed, but from where I’m sitting, she didn’t.
August 2, 2024
This was just as delightful as I had hoped.
This novella in the Clover Hill series features an extrovert/introvert butch couple that have quickly fallen for each other while working on a project together. Once they meet and they both realize their chemistry is off the charts, they give a relationship a go despite knowing that it might not be a permanent situation.
I liked watching them learn more about each other with each new day and seeing how differently they perceived the world. Fisch is disabled (social anxiety and arthritis) and not at all a people person, she was very happy to never leave her house. Jaeeun on the other hand is an extroverted Korean woman who makes friends with everyone she meets and is always up for a spontaneous adventure. There are also similarities that bring the two closer together: a shared Jewish upbringing, their butch identitity and their place in the queer community.
I was immediately endeared by Dan, the outspoken cat, as well and it created this beautful little story. I've you've read Alexander before, you are in for another treat and if it's your first book by them I hope you enjoy at much as I did.
I received an advanced reading copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This novella in the Clover Hill series features an extrovert/introvert butch couple that have quickly fallen for each other while working on a project together. Once they meet and they both realize their chemistry is off the charts, they give a relationship a go despite knowing that it might not be a permanent situation.
I liked watching them learn more about each other with each new day and seeing how differently they perceived the world. Fisch is disabled (social anxiety and arthritis) and not at all a people person, she was very happy to never leave her house. Jaeeun on the other hand is an extroverted Korean woman who makes friends with everyone she meets and is always up for a spontaneous adventure. There are also similarities that bring the two closer together: a shared Jewish upbringing, their butch identitity and their place in the queer community.
I was immediately endeared by Dan, the outspoken cat, as well and it created this beautful little story. I've you've read Alexander before, you are in for another treat and if it's your first book by them I hope you enjoy at much as I did.
I received an advanced reading copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2022
I don't think I've ever read a butch for butch romance before, so I had high hopes from the very beginning. I admit going into a book hoping to love it often backfires on me - but, no, this novella is an absolute delight from start to finish! It is truly so, so wonderful to read about butch women being seen as desirable. At the risk of showing my hand too much, after growing up butch in a small town (one that was not as wonderful as Clover Hill, unfortunately), this story was basically primed and ready to be my kryptonite.
The dynamics of Fisch and Jaeeun’s relationship covers the full range of tender, romantic, realistic, and sexy, but despite being a romance (with, yes, quite a few spicier scenes), this story isn't just about them together. It's also about finding community, and the importance of those ties for both ourselves and the world around us. It's a very hopeful story, and even though it's short, I found myself attached to not just Fisch and Jaeeun, but their families, their neighbors, and the community of Clover Hill itself by the end of it.
I will add a homophobia content warning for this book, and specifics can be found in the spoiler tags - but I'll reassure anyone concerned that, while present, it's brief.
I received a free ARC of Rooting for You, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily - but I'll also add that, after finishing it, I enjoyed it so much, and wanted to support the author, so I went ahead and preordered it on Amazon too :)
The dynamics of Fisch and Jaeeun’s relationship covers the full range of tender, romantic, realistic, and sexy, but despite being a romance (with, yes, quite a few spicier scenes), this story isn't just about them together. It's also about finding community, and the importance of those ties for both ourselves and the world around us. It's a very hopeful story, and even though it's short, I found myself attached to not just Fisch and Jaeeun, but their families, their neighbors, and the community of Clover Hill itself by the end of it.
I will add a homophobia content warning for this book, and specifics can be found in the spoiler tags - but I'll reassure anyone concerned that, while present, it's brief.
I received a free ARC of Rooting for You, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily - but I'll also add that, after finishing it, I enjoyed it so much, and wanted to support the author, so I went ahead and preordered it on Amazon too :)
Read
April 15, 2023very sweet
August 2, 2023
DNFing at 80%
I had high hopes for this one - and maybe that was the problem. I had read the synopsis and had come up with a plot in my head that in no way actually matches the plot that occurs in the story. And I've seen so many people recommending this book, but I feel like the ONLY reason I've been seeing people recommend it is because it's a rare butch x butch romance (and also includes two Jewish characters, one of which is Korean, social anxiety rep, and arthritis rep). Like I don't think a lot of the people I saw recommending this have actually read it, and are just reccing it because of the representation - which, yeah! The representation IS great! But it's probably the best thing about the story.
So, the actual plot:
Fisch moves to a small town to get away from the tense relationship she has with her mother, but she's been living there for over a year and her social anxiety has kept her from getting to know anyone other than the owner of the bakery she frequents. The book is told from Fisch's POV.
Jaeeun is a photographer, and has been travelling for different assignments with her cat Dan as her only companion. She's hoping she'll find somewhere that she likes enough to actually settle down in one day, but so far, no luck.
At the time the book starts, Fisch is already online friends with Jaeeun, and Fisch already has a crush on her and invites Jaeeun to stay at her house when she comes to do an assignment that includes taking photographs of Fisch and her work with local flora. So by chapter 1 the two women are already moved in together and by chapter 2 they're already fucking.
Chapter 1 move in, chapter 2 sleeping together! I got to chapter 13 before I decided I just couldn't keep going with this book. Fisch is just constantly thinking "oh I like Jaeeun so much, I want her to stay. Will she stay? Are we actually dating?" and it's like. Y'all have been living together for THREE MONTHS and sleeping in the same bed that entire time, SURELY you can just ask "hey are we dating" at that point. Like I've got anxiety too but this woman is in her mid 30s, surely she's found SOME coping mechanisms to deal with her anxiety and ask difficult questions.
And the writing isn't terrible, but it's not great either. One of my biggest writing pet-peeves is when the author refers to a main character by a noun instead of their actual name, and this book is littered with "the butch" instead of just using Jaeeun's name.
Also for a book that starts off with a preface from the author saying that she wants to write books about Jewish queer characters having hot, explicit sex, the sex scenes are mediocre at best and few and far between. The 3 sex scenes in the first 80% of the book are each about a page long max, over incredibly quickly, and refer to the clit as a nub - like come on, surely we can do better than "nub"!??
Overall, I think if I'd come into this book without having read the synopsis or the author's note, or seen anyone recommending this book, maybe I'd have enjoyed it a bit more with no expectations. But even with only 150 pages, with both characters already moved in and fucking by chapter 2, it was just way longer than it needed to be for me, and so the 80% mark is where I've decide to part ways with this book.
I had high hopes for this one - and maybe that was the problem. I had read the synopsis and had come up with a plot in my head that in no way actually matches the plot that occurs in the story. And I've seen so many people recommending this book, but I feel like the ONLY reason I've been seeing people recommend it is because it's a rare butch x butch romance (and also includes two Jewish characters, one of which is Korean, social anxiety rep, and arthritis rep). Like I don't think a lot of the people I saw recommending this have actually read it, and are just reccing it because of the representation - which, yeah! The representation IS great! But it's probably the best thing about the story.
So, the actual plot:
Fisch moves to a small town to get away from the tense relationship she has with her mother, but she's been living there for over a year and her social anxiety has kept her from getting to know anyone other than the owner of the bakery she frequents. The book is told from Fisch's POV.
Jaeeun is a photographer, and has been travelling for different assignments with her cat Dan as her only companion. She's hoping she'll find somewhere that she likes enough to actually settle down in one day, but so far, no luck.
At the time the book starts, Fisch is already online friends with Jaeeun, and Fisch already has a crush on her and invites Jaeeun to stay at her house when she comes to do an assignment that includes taking photographs of Fisch and her work with local flora. So by chapter 1 the two women are already moved in together and by chapter 2 they're already fucking.
Chapter 1 move in, chapter 2 sleeping together! I got to chapter 13 before I decided I just couldn't keep going with this book. Fisch is just constantly thinking "oh I like Jaeeun so much, I want her to stay. Will she stay? Are we actually dating?" and it's like. Y'all have been living together for THREE MONTHS and sleeping in the same bed that entire time, SURELY you can just ask "hey are we dating" at that point. Like I've got anxiety too but this woman is in her mid 30s, surely she's found SOME coping mechanisms to deal with her anxiety and ask difficult questions.
And the writing isn't terrible, but it's not great either. One of my biggest writing pet-peeves is when the author refers to a main character by a noun instead of their actual name, and this book is littered with "the butch" instead of just using Jaeeun's name.
Also for a book that starts off with a preface from the author saying that she wants to write books about Jewish queer characters having hot, explicit sex, the sex scenes are mediocre at best and few and far between. The 3 sex scenes in the first 80% of the book are each about a page long max, over incredibly quickly, and refer to the clit as a nub - like come on, surely we can do better than "nub"!??
Overall, I think if I'd come into this book without having read the synopsis or the author's note, or seen anyone recommending this book, maybe I'd have enjoyed it a bit more with no expectations. But even with only 150 pages, with both characters already moved in and fucking by chapter 2, it was just way longer than it needed to be for me, and so the 80% mark is where I've decide to part ways with this book.
March 17, 2023
Delightful Butch for Butch Romance
Rooting for You is a sweet butch-for-butch romance between a socially awkward Botanist, Fisch, who's mostly scared of her own shadow when it comes to interacting with others, and an extrovert freelance Photo-Journalist, Jaeeun, who interacts with everyone making friends easily but has trust issues when it comes to romance.
Every character is welcoming, colorful, and delightful except Fisch's homophobic mother but thankfully her appearance is brief in this engaging story.
This was an enjoyable, lighthearted read, which I highly recommend.
Rooting for You is a sweet butch-for-butch romance between a socially awkward Botanist, Fisch, who's mostly scared of her own shadow when it comes to interacting with others, and an extrovert freelance Photo-Journalist, Jaeeun, who interacts with everyone making friends easily but has trust issues when it comes to romance.
Every character is welcoming, colorful, and delightful except Fisch's homophobic mother but thankfully her appearance is brief in this engaging story.
This was an enjoyable, lighthearted read, which I highly recommend.
May 14, 2024
an absolute delight
I am in the tank for all things, Cloverhill, but I absolutely loved this pairing. There’s such a warmth and kindness with these two, with a deep amount of horny that anyone can appreciate. Alexander did fabulous job with this, and it really just helps to add an expand into the entire world that Cloverhill has become.
I am in the tank for all things, Cloverhill, but I absolutely loved this pairing. There’s such a warmth and kindness with these two, with a deep amount of horny that anyone can appreciate. Alexander did fabulous job with this, and it really just helps to add an expand into the entire world that Cloverhill has become.
January 20, 2024
super sweet butch 4 butch romance
And I love all the native plant talk!! Super great characters and a very wholesome emotional story. With some really encouraging bits throughout.
And I love all the native plant talk!! Super great characters and a very wholesome emotional story. With some really encouraging bits throughout.
dnf
April 8, 2024The build at the beginning felt rushed and I found myself uninterested in following through.
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