I wanted to like this book. I gave it 20% before I knew I had to give up. The idea was fun and I was looking forward to the forced proximity and sapphic romance in a rom com. But the women were SO different and I didn't particularly care about either of them enough to want to see how they ended up Happily Ever After. The writing wasn't a problem at all, it was purely a plot and character issue which is hugely problematic for me for a rom com.

Despite all the great reviews and my attempt at reading this book, I was not able to finish it as I could not get into it.

I understand that that not every book is for everyone, I think that was the case here. I really wanted to love it but I couldn't.

I will definitely have to give props to the writer as it is a subject not spoke about let alone written as much as it should be.

#SatisfactionGuaranteed #NetGalley

This was a beautifully written (steamy!!) rom-com which was an absolute delight to read. I loved the way that sex was talked about in this book, which was in a really "real" way, and without shame. The characters were written really well, and I loved how they interacted with each other. I also loved the portrayal of grief, and the unique forms it takes. I read this book in almost one sitting, and it was overall a super quick, fun, and light read.

While I thought this was funny, sexy and sweet, I wished it were less cis-centric. As a queer sex educator, I found it outdated and biologically essentialist. Not a perfect fit for me.

I really enjoyed this sapphic, opposites-attract rom com. It was funny, awkward at times, heartfelt, and lovely.

In this original story, Cade Elgin is part owner and main operator of the renowned Elgin Art Gallery. Thrust into her career at an early age, business mode has become her default. She's all work and no play. She's been intimate with very few women (as most seem interested in her for her career and what she can do for theirs) and has never experienced an orgasm. So it's a bit ironic that she inherits a sex toy shop in Portland when her aunt passes away. But she doesn't inherit it alone. Her new co-owner is free-spirited artist Selena Mathis who has taken a vow of celibacy. Can the two avoid temptation as they work together to save Satisfaction Guaranteed?

I enjoyed this story's Portland setting, the art scene, and the attention to detail (including that LEED certification reference.) But most of all, I enjoyed Cade, Selena and their cast of supporting characters. I hope the author writes more stories in this world.

I adored this one! Both Selena and Cade are so pure. This story was filled with love and self-discovery, self-love and learning your body, and making your life what you want it to be. It was filled with so much queerness and queer language, which made my queer heart so happy. The longing and steaminess were chef's kiss. I can't wait to read more from Karelia Stetz-Waters!
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CW: death of a loved one, grief, emotionally abusive relationship (recounted and on-page)

4.25 stars. Ahhh, this book is so cute! Satisfaction Guaranteedis a light, fun read that had me chuckling and gasping (in scandalized amusement) throughout! Be forewarned, this book is about a sex toy shop and the details surrounding the shop and its products are in no way spared! The good news is that if you like the hilarious chaos that is the opening scene, you’ll probably like the rest of the book. Even my ace ass enjoyed this one, so I think the sex-themed stuff was done well. It’s nowhere near erotica territory; there’s plenty of character development and the romance is swoon-worthy!

Cade Elgin(29, lesbian), oh my god! Will I ever not simp for a stoic, prim character who possesses an inner layer of kindness that could melt the coldest of hearts? The answer is hell no!! Cade is a bit like Darcy from <i>Written in the Stars, one of my top fictional crushes), but with a softer touch. Cade is the “boring” accountant in a family of people who are definitely not boring. Her aunt Ruth owned a sex toy shop and named Cade as the partial owner, which means one more family member for Cade to clean up after. Cade’s co-owner, Selena Mathis (29, m-spec/unlabeled) is kind of a disaster and is the complete opposite of Cade. She’s devastated over the loss of Ruth, her mother figure, and wants to preserve the toy shop in honor of Ruth. Selena is many things — motorcycle rider, country girl, talented painter, and sex educator — and she always has something surprising to say. While at first I found her entertaining but didn’t know how I felt about her, by the end I really liked her and her arc and began to simp for her too!

This book is about embracing yourself and finding someone who loves you for who you are — flaws and all. It’s also about personal growth and moving on from who you think you have to be. Cade thinks she’s boring, but Selena can’t get enough of Cade’s depth and dry humor. Selena thinks she’s a failure, but Cade admires Selena’s knowledge, talent and allure. They are so supportive and validating of each other: for example, their amounts of sexual experience differ greatly, but they’re quick to affirm that both ends of the spectrum are valid. Stetz-Waters has a unique, relatable way of describing internal monologues, which helped me connect deeply with the characters. The writing style just clicked with me: it’s fast-paced and doesn’t drag, and it’s introspective with the right amount of fun.

While the characters are overwhelmingly accepting of each other, sometimes I found Selena dismissive. For example, one time Cade said she wanted to eat healthy, but Selena dismissed it and said they should go somewhere serving “real food,” which they ended up doing. Also, at one point Selena said she took her cereal with cream, and Cade thought she could tell because of Selena’s curves?? I feel like that thought process was problematic.

My biggest complaint, though, is that I wish the book were more inclusive. At one point, Cade tells Selena her store is only catering to one type of person (cis women), and while Selena brushes this off at first because she’s still attached to preserving Ruth’s store, she comes to realize that Cade is right and that she does want to make the store more inclusive. After this, though, inclusivity is never addressed again. I’m assuming that, as they made changes to the store, they tried to make it more inclusive, but we were given no real details of their overhaul process. I would have appreciated some explicit acknowledgment that not everyone with a vagina/vulva/clitoris/breasts is a woman (and vice versa), but these body parts are referred to as indicative of “womanhood,” and “female sexuality,” which isn’t always the case. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with celebrating these body parts, but I think the language surrounding this topic matters.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book and I’m looking forward to reading more from Karelia Stetz-Waters!

tw/cw: alcohol (recreational), loss of a loved one, terminal illness (cancer), sexual content, graphic sex, student/teacher relationship (past), toxic relationship

I received an ARC from Forever Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cade is a practical art gallery manager whose family is extremely eccentric. She encounters the whimsical Selena at her aunt's funeral. Soon they find that they've co-inherited a sex toy shop, a house, and a mountain of debt. They have one month to turn it around and save the shop.

I like it. So there's matchmaking from beyond the grave. Hidden and not-so-hidden talents that complement each other. Cade has never had an orgasm while Selena has taken a vow of celibacy.

Selena's hesitancy to change anything in the shop really resonated with me. She feels that respecting the past means changing nothing about it, and that's a difficult thing to overcome. Selena has also left and is resisting an abusive relationship (at the hands of her professor, no less), which feels real. Particularly in how Selena can map out, step by step, how she will resist and be trampled by her abuser.

The story is sweet and spicy, but with heart.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to @readforeverpub for a copy of this book. I love the premise of this book with the idea of 2 complete opposites inheriting a sex shop. There was a lot of sex positivity in the book which I think is so important. There were a few laugh out loud moments too, a perfect rom com!

I loved this book so much. This was high up on my list of anticipated releases this year when I heard about it, and it did not disappoint.

I loved how sex positive it was, how it made sure to use the correct terms for anatomy, how it a lot of it was about learning and education. Cade, one of the MC's has very little sexual experience and isn't judged for it. Neither is Selena, the other MC, who has had many sexual partners but takes a vow of celibacy. I really appreciated how it focused on consent and how Selena keeps her vow until she feels ready.

I loved the romance. It was slow burn, and I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters. There was also a small fake dating element which was pretty fun. It was quite cheesy, but I'm a big fan of cheesy and fluffy romances. If that's your type of thing too, you might enjoy this.

My one critique is that it was a bit cis-centric. There were definitely moments where the author tried to make the situation more inclusive which I appreciated, but there were a couple instances with usage of more gendered language where it isn't necessary. It wasn't too many times that it took me out of the story, but as a genderqueer person, I would've appreciated a bit more effort on that part.

I adored the ending. I have a problem with romance novels where the main characters separate and get back together right at the end without really giving anything after the make up. This did so much more for me. I really appreciated being able to see what the characters got up to after the main part of the story.

This is probably one of my new favourite books and I cant wait to go pick up a physical copy. 10/10, would recommend.

One of the best romance novels I've read in ages! I really enjoyed the twist on the uptight sexless business person. The main characters had excellent chemistry and the slow burn was just right.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finished. This was one of my more anticipated reads of the year and for good reason. I loved the characters of Cade and Selena and how they learned more about themselves through each other. I also loved how the two of them connected throughout the book. Would definitely recommend this one for fans of Casey McQuiston. All in all I would definitely recommend this book to others because it is a great summer read.

DNF p. 40

I’m not sure if this is going for satire or not but the tone—and therefore sense of humor—is off for me. And I can tell Selena is the type of character who will grate on my nerves. I don’t think my reading experience will improve from here, which is a big bummer as I was really excited for an FF romance from Forever. (I’ve also heard the sex toy shop is not gender inclusive so FYI but I did not get that far in the book to confirm.)

CW: death of aunt/friend (cancer), grief, Selena’s ex was married and sounds like she was emotionally abusive, alcohol, marijuana, ableist language

DNF. I was very excited by the premise, but I don't love how gender essentialist the discussions of the sex shop and feminine desire are. Just a me thing, but I do think others will enjoy the book.

Satisfaction Guaranteed is a romance book with a big focus on sex-positivity. Cade and Selena work together to save a local sex store after the owner (a family member and friend to each woman) leaves it for them in her will. While they embark on this journey, the business partners quickly start to catch feelings for each other. This novel was entertaining and emotional, but I felt like something was missing. I wanted to see a deeper connection between the two love interests and found the sex scenes to be randomly placed throughout the story. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to read more books by this author as I thought this title was just okay.

Cade is the family fixer. She inherits half of her aunts failing sex toy shop and home, along with Selena who lives on the property and works in the store. Cade doesn't want any part of this hippy-dippy nonsense, but something about Selena's appeal to her better nature wins and she agrees to help try to save the business. Will Selina's secret past lift and fears ruin what could be a good thing for both of them. I was initially turned off by the sex toy shop but Cade and Selena were such wonderful character I wanted to find out what happened to them. We need more books that take place in sex toy shops! The ending was perfect and it didn't feel like the author had to pull strings to make a happy ending.

I really enjoyed this one. It was a lovely take on an opposites attract kind of love. On the surface Selena and Cade should not work, but they had so much chemistry. I really loved seeing how they slowly built to the relationship they needed. They both changed and grew but also stayed true to who they are. Solid romance I would be happy to recommend!

Oh, my HEART! This book is perfectly, divinely, wonderful.

I knew I would love this book when I found myself snort-laughing through the entire first chapter. A funeral with a eulogy equal parts sweet and hilarious. And the cast of offbeat characters at that funeral show you exactly how wonderful this book will be.

This couple is the perfect Opposite Attract. Cade is all buttoned-up, straight-laced, composure and Selena is free and wild and open. This is one of those literary couples who cease to be fictional while you are reading and you find yourself invested in them in a way that may not he entirely healthy to feel about fictional characters.

And the CHEMISTRY. The steamy scenes are fire! This entire book comes with a huge dose of sex positivity. And Selena is the champion of it all! She is open, but gentle and intuitive as she guides others to find their own happiness in their body and their sexuality. Never forcing her views on sex, just guiding others.

And I loved that this story does not take you exactly where you think it will, but by the end you realize that it all turned out just as it should. Holy crap, this book is making my philosophical!

Let me stem my gushing for long enough to say...READ THIS BOOK. You won't be sorry.

I love, love, LOVED this book - a perfect read for Pride month. It was so unbelievably romantic yet also so witty. I loved how both Cade and Selena were both so insecure because they thought the other was so perfect and way too good for them. It was truly adorable. I look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for my complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

An opposites attract female/female romance with a sex positive message and themes of accepting oneself and being bold with love! A surprisingly immersive and unconventional read that held my attention and never let it go!

Cade travels to Portland for her Aunts funeral and finds out, not only has her Aunt left her a failing sex toy shop, but a massive amount of debt and a roommate named Selena who must help her bring the store back to life.

Despite the difference in personality, the author perfectly unfolds Cade and Selena’s love story in a believable and incredibly endearing way! Selena is a free spirit who loves sex and Cade is a serious, left-brained analytical accountant. When the two put their heads together it’s magic and the best part is the quirkiness of every major and minor character! There were also sexual issues and abuse discussed, which added depth to the story. This is a cute and entertaining LGBTQ read!