Lub Dub Love

by Blanche Maze

Forbidden to go outside because of her mother’s fear for her health, Aelia spends her days alone in a huge, empty house.
Flynn is being bullied at school because of her so-called “difference”. Without the courage to fight back, she suffers from the violence in silence.
Trying once again to escape her bullies, Flynn breaks into a garden and falls right into Aelia.
What if meeting one another was the wakeup call they both needed to take control over their lives?

A coming-of-age sapphic romance filled with teen angst, dreams and love.

TW: bullying, violence (physical and psychological), disease, hospitals, assault, anxiety

308 pages, ebook

Published November 30, 2022

About the author

Blanche (she/her) is a French indie author who writes in English. Veterinarian by day, she started writing books in 2018 but had to wait until 2020 to finally decide to selfpublish her very first novel You Owe Me. Her favorite genre is fantasy, but she also writes science-fiction and contemporary, always with a healthy dose of romance, most of the time queer.
Introvert at heart, Blanche is content to live alone with her cat Twist. She is obsessed with guinea pigs, movie soundtracks and musicals. In her free time, she likes to review, beta read and format books for other authors.

If you want to know more about her, her future projects and more, you can follow her on Instagram or Tiktok: @bookish_blanche.

Reviews

[Dilayra Verbrugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapphic contemporary Rapunzel retelling.

I love the diversity in this book and how both characters are dealing with a disability. Books rarely have disability rep but this was well done!

[Mirella Ivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book, it is very light and fun to read but also touches on very important topics and unspoken truths. As someone that was heavily bullied throughout all my life, I related so much to this book and also might have sobbed a few times. This is my second book by Blanche and just as the first, I loved it so much and I'm glad I got to read it before anyone else. (ARC)

This novel is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, it pulled so much emotion out of me that I didn't think it still existed.

Much love to Blanche and this book 💗

[Bookedondreams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so so glad that I could be an ARC reader for this book. (Thank you so so much for letting me be an ARC reader, it was an honor) I enjoyed it very much!

It's not a really long book but I love short - middle long books (200-400 pages), they are my favorites and Lub Dub Love is no exception.

I try to make it short and spoiler free:
I knew I would enjoy this book from the moment I read the prologue because I related to things from the very first page. I am glad for the trigger warnings because as a bully victim myself it was hard sometimes to read through it but it was so worth it.

Aelia's and Flynn's struggles were so relatable to me and I 100% recommend this book. I don't know when it will be officially out, it should be around November 30th but I'll update y'all when I know for sure.

Plus two little things that I noticed: 1. I had a chuckle at the "mother knows best" reference and 2. Almost everyone has brown or brown-ish eyes. Not that I mind, I just noticed it.

And Aelia's name was picked perfectly because she is such a sunshine. Love it

[LeleLovesBooks ⸆⸉ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg that Book is just amazing. I was in love with the characters from beginning to end and the love story is just the cutest. As a disabled person it’s really hard to find books that represent and show the things you struggle with daily. But this is just wow I nearly cried when I finished that book because I felt sooo understood I can’t even put it in words.
So if you are looking for a divers sapphic romance this is 100% a book you NEED to read. That’s all I can say about that

[Tatiana Nlz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre plein de douceur, une romance sapphique adolescente qui fait du bien et que j'aurais aimé lire il y 15-20 ans en arrière quand j'en avais bien besoin. La nouvelle génération d'auteur.ice.s dont fait partie Blanche me donne de l'espoir pour un monde plus inclusif et bienveillant !

[Lilac Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming

I love Aelia and Flynn and how they interact with each other. I enjoyed how their relationship progressed and I felt that the bullying storyline was explored throughly and in a way what was impactful!

[EmmaR · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the chance to beta read this book and let me tell you, it’s a gem! It’s sweet, with just enough teen angst and struggles. Flynn and Aelia have very different backgrounds and lives, but they are both unhappy. The way they find to each other is comedy worthy, and once they have entered each other’s lifes, everything changes. I loved the representation of disability and the journey of self-acceptance both characters take on. I loved their relationship, which unfolds slowly. I loved Flynn’s family and friend. I loved Aelia’s strength, innocence, and cheerfulness. As you can see, I loved this book!!!

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and it was so easy to read ❤️

[Élie Fries · Rating 5 out of 5]

You must read this book !
This book is about love, finding yourself and self-confidence. The writing is really great, the Rapunzel references are everything, the humour is priceless. Aelia and Flynn are the cutest. However, the ending felt a little bit rushed. I would have loved a couple more chapter to see how the different issues are resolved.

[Cecily Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much was done right in this novel! The focus on their relationship was never about their gender. The conflicts had nothing to do with bashing their relationship which was absolutely wonderful to watch the two characters discover. At first I got a younger vibe from the characters but I think it's because of Aelia's discovery of life. The bully being male against female was hard for me to read but that's not to say it doesn't happen. The KU edition had a few word choice errors, especially in the last half of the novel but it doesn't distract too much on how heartfelt the writing is. There is so much potential inclusion with these characters being dynamic and I absolutely loved it. I picked this up by happenstance for a reading challenge and I am glad I did. Beautiful read, especially for YA.

[Blanche Maze · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so excited for my first romance ever to be out in the world! AND IT'S SAPPHIC!!!
This is the story of Aelia and Flynn, two lonely girls with very different lives who will learn a lot through one another. It's a YA, sapphic, contemporary romance inspired by Rapunzel :)
I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
XX

[aureliervlnbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce livre est un chef d’œuvre. Une romance sapphic slow burn inspirée par Raiponce où deux adolescentes veulent seulement échapper à leur quotidien.
Un livre très fun à lire mais aussi très émouvant, avec la représentation d’handicaps visible et non visible avec Flynn et sa malformation aux niveau des mains et Aelia avec sa maladie cardiaque. On les suit avec leur travail a travers l’acceptation de sois même, chacune ayant leurs difficultés notamment le harcèlement et l’anxiété sociale. La romance est très mignonne, et super bien écrite et fait ressortir l’innocence de ses personnages malgré leurs parcours.
Une plume très agréable ça a été un vrai page turner, j’ai fini la moitié du livre en une seule lecture tellement que j’étais dedans.

Je vous le recommande a 100% si vous rechercher une romance sans prise de tête mais qui traite de sujet tel que l’harcèlement, la confiance en soi et l’anxiété.

Et c’est sans hésitation qu’il devient mon premier coup de cœur / livres 5 ⭐️ de 2024