DNF. I just couldn't get into this one. It didn't capture my attention. I really liked the premise, but the characters and plot didn't draw me in.

Thank you for providing this audiobook.

RATING: 4 STARS
2021, Hachette Audio (Forever)

I almost missed out on this novel, as the sex store element to the story kind of scared me off. I wasn't sure if that was the main theme in the novel. As this was a new to me author I didn't take that first chance. When I saw this title on NetGalley as an audiobook, I decided to leave it in the hands of the book gods. When I was approved, I decided to listen to it on release day, and start to Pride month. I have read many rom-coms, and I've read many books with a LGBTQ2+ storylines, but this is my first with the two genres together.

Honestly, this rom-come was so on point. It had the hallmarks to what makes a rom-com work. Humour for me can be a maker break thing. That is never the author's fault as sense of humour is so subjective. Stetz-Waters made me laugh, so we got over that first hurdle together. I liked Cade and Selina as characters on their own as well as together. You have button up series Cade who is just going through life who meets colourful Selina who is always up for an adventure. The opposites attract at Cade's aunt's funeral. Selina worked with Cade's aunt at the sex shop and rented a room from her. I did have to listen to this with headphones with the talk of dildos. So if you do listen to this with others in the room, it might be worth it with headphones. I think this is a great fun beach read or a prefect way to celebrate Pride month. I would definitely read another rom-com by Karelia Stetz-Waters as it was Satisfaction Guaranteed (pun intended).


***I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Absolutely loved this! This was my first book by Karelia, and it definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the narration too. The premise felt really unique from any other romance I've read before, and I've read MANY. I appreciated that the third act breakup wasn't as predictably explosive as many are in the genre.

Satisfaction Guaranteed was a great audio listen to finish off pride month with! I definitely recommend this slow burn romance by Karelia Stetz-Waters.

Cade has recently been given a gift upon her aunt Ruth's passing: her sex toy shop Satisfaction Guaranteed. Selena is the artist who lost her spark for painting awhile back. Both have to come together to save Satisfaction Guaranteed from going under. But will these clashing personalities be able to withstand the pressure?

Cade and Selena are the perfect opposites attract lgbtq couple. Cade is stick to the books, type A let's get this math figured out character. Selena is more of a free spirit, go where the wind blows her character. But when they both collide? Whew, do those sparks fly!

It was fun to listen to and discover the backstore into who these two women are. I loved the sex positive talk and thr overall premise. I do wish the side characters made more of a premise. However; I am looking forward to whatever Stetz-Waters puts out next.

I missed the download window on this one - much to my chagrin! But, I read and loved the ebook!

I love the offerings of Forever Pub and look forward to more books like this one.

The first few chapters came off really weird, but once I got past that this turned out to be a pretty cute book. I loved the sex positivity.

Narration: Single narrator for dual POVs. I enjoyed the narrator, but this can be confusing when the POVs switch.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for my copy to review.

I had so much fun with my husband doing a photoshoot in Portland, where Satisfaction Guaranteed is set! The city and its weirdness are a huge part of this book. She Bop is the feminist sex-toy shop that inspired the Satisfaction Guaranteed store in the book (also a personal favorite of mine!). I had also never seen the “Keep Portland Weird” sign that everyone photographs. It was much smaller than I thought it was.

Satisfaction Guaranteed is about Cade and Selena who are left a failing sex-toy shop and need to turn it around in 30 days before foreclosure starts. Despite being a successful businesswoman, Cade is inexperienced in the bedroom. Selena became close with Cade’s aunt and helped run the store. Selena is still getting over a horrible relationship and has taken a vow of celibacy until she has healed. She fears falling into her old traps of having one-night stands.

Three words to describe this book: Vulva. Painting. Party.

Cover: I love the color palate on the cover, but the illustrations left me wanting more.

Character Development: For a romantic comedy, I thought the author did a great job with both Selena and Cade’s character development by alternating perspectives. I loved how sex-positive this book was and how it explored some of the challenges around sex such as lack of confidence and emotional connection. I also loved how toys were used throughout the encounters in such an authentic way. I also adored the supporting characters that made up a beautiful chosen family.

World-Building: The author lives in Portland and gets the Portland culture from the first page starting at the funeral of Cade’s aunt where Selena delivers a unique eulogy. Everyone is decked in gold and a jar of edibles are being passed around at the funeral. The Portland queer scene is further developed throughout the book. I can just picture Satisfaction Guaranteed and the Merman Christmas tree.

Narrator: I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook, but I think they missed out on the opportunity to have a different narrator for each main character.

Plot & Pacing: This is a slow-burn romance that makes use of the opposites-attract trope quite effectively. The build-up was delicious. I thought the pacing was excellent and plot developments were placed throughout. The steam level is high with this book!

Verdict: This is one of my favorite books of the year. Please go and read or listen to this beautiful sapphic book!

ARC/ALC was provided to me by Forever, in exchange for an honest review.

The Elgin family has always been a little...free spirited? (Read: lacking in boundaries or structure) and Cade has overcompensated a smidge by living a buttoned-up, career-focused life. When Cade returns to Portland for her Aunt Ruth’s funeral, she learns that she’s inherited her aunt’s failing sex toy store, Satisfaction Guaranteed. The catch? She has a month to get it back in the black, and she has to do it alongside Aunt Ruth’s employee and tenant, quirky, scattered Selena.

Initially, Cade plans to approach this experience like she does most other things: tick the box and resume her normal life. Selena wants to honor Ruth’s memory (and maybe also maintain her housing and job), and their different motivations put them at odds. When Selena’s ex shows up and she impulsively tells her that she and Cade are together, Cade agrees to go along with the plan, bringing their simmering attraction for each other to the surface.

Satisfaction Guaranteed was funny, edgy, sex-positive, and (obviously?) a little steamy. The romance here was also sweet, and the premise allowed for a lot of humor. The narrative does touch on some heavier topics and manages them well.

As I’m reading more romance, I’m learning that opposites-attract isn’t my favorite trope, but I do like the fake dating trope, which also features here. I am a big fan of characters learning to let go a little, and I love new love, so there were still a lot of things about this one that I really enjoyed. Stetz-Waters characters were well-developed and likeable, and I loved the ways that art was woven through the narrative.

I listened to the audiobook, and while it was well produced and engaging, this is a book that I personally would have preferred to eyeball. I think opposites-attract romances sometimes ride the caricature line to begin with so the characters feel far enough apart that finding some middle ground feels substantial. I felt like in order for the narrator to differentiate the characters voices here, it ended up crossing into that caricature territory at times, which distracted me from the narrative and changed my perception of the characters.

Thanks to Forever and Hachette Audio for a gifted audiobook for review.

This was okay! I liked the narration of the audiobook and I really enjoyed the setting and the characters (lesbians!!! working in a sex shop!!!), but the story as a whole fell a little flat for me. I do think I will read more from this author in the future because I feel like there is potential here for me to love something they'll write, but this one was just okay to me. Crossing my fingers I will love the next one!

I enjoyed this book.
It was sweet and super sexy
I enjoyed the sex positively of the book and the reminder that sexual education is important at all stages in life.
I liked that the one character was excellent at asking for what she wanted and she encouraged the other to do so too.
It was a fun fluffy sexy book. Perfect romantic summer read.

I love the Bi representation as well. This was not a "coming out book" it was just a book about finding love and finding yourself and your confidence.

At first I wished it was read by two readers so I could keep the characters straight in my head. But as the book went on I really enjoyed the reader. I would recommend the audio book. Just with the warning that it seems confusing at first but keep going, it gets good.

I will be recommending this book this summer.

This was a perfect read to start the celebration of Pride Month! Satisfaction Guaranteed is delightfully funny but also tender as it addresses real-life moments. This was a slow burn, opposites attract, and workplace romance trope. I appreciated the sex-positive nature of this book. Cade and Selena were a perfect match for each other. They were forced to work together after Cade’s aunt Ruth made them partners to save her sex toy shop from financial despair after her passing. I finished this book in one day because I didn’t want to stop listening to the audiobook.

Thank you, Hachette Audio, Forever, and NetGalley, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: parental abandonment, parental neglect, past emotionally abusive relationship (power/dynamic issues as well), past gaslighting

I would recommend this one if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-f/f frenemies to lovers
-opposites attract
-grump/sunshine
-workplace romance, close-proximity
-slow burrrrn
-found family
-sex education
-sex toy shop
-flirting through accounting

This was a joy to read. It was so difficult to put down and go on with my life I just wanted to keep picking it up. This book was light, funny, and so so tender. All about finding that person that sees you, accepts you, loves you for the things that you may even dislike about yourself. The way it describes those tingly feelings when you have a crush on a person. How badly you want to hold their hand, remember just getting to touch them, hug them, being in their presence. I may have a bit of a crush on this book.

The sex-positivity, the diversity, the elements, and importance of found family. Sexuality is a spectrum and this book looks at it in such a beautiful light, all while being sensitive and having humor. I loved the setting of the sex shop. I adored Cade and Selena for completely different reasons but enjoyed them even more together. Their chemistry, watching their relationship build. The consent, the respect, all of it was just * chef's kiss*. This slow burn pays off in the best way and I was left just wanting more of Selena and Cade. The ending was so beautifully done and wrapped up their story so well.

Honestly, all I can say is if you want a joyful story full of tenderness, flirting and some sex toys snatch this one up.

Rating: 5
Steam: 3.5

4.25 Stars
Content Warnings at end of review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for an ALC of this book.

Cade has never felt like a true part of her family--an accountant in a line of free-spirited artists, so when her aunt dies and leaves her half of her bankrupt sex shop, she feels like anyone else would be better for the job. Meanwhile, Selena is trying to get her life together when her friend dies and wills her half the shop. Cade and Selena are complete opposites, but they might be just the duo to make it work.

The premise of this book is so funny! I absolutely love the opposites-attract save a sex-shop plot and relationships in this book. Cade and Selena are both super cute and interesting and I loved watching them fall in love and grow as individuals throughout the book. There is really strong character development in this book and I loved to see it!

I also really liked the writing. This book was very humor heavy and I enjoyed that. The art elements were also fun! Overall a fun and cute quick read!

Pub Date: June 1, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse

When Cade’s aunt dies, she inherited half of her sex-toy shop, with the other half going to her aunt’s friend Selena. The biggest problem is, the shop is failing and they have a short amount of time to try to bring life back into it. To make it even more complicated, Cade and Selena both have major crushes on each other.

This is a sex-positive slow burn romance and it is SO good. There are so many messages about loving yourself, and finding someone who loves even the messy parts of you. Consent was brought up throughout the book as well and I really appreciated that! This was a fun, quick-paced read and I highly recommend it!

I did this one half on audio and half physical book. The audio was great! It was easy to listen to and I thought the narrator did a great job. Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook!

Hachette Audio and NetGalley thank you so much for this audio version!
I listened to this book.all day yesterday! Went to a family dinner and had my ear buds in listening! LoL
But I truly enjoyed this witty, fun, cute, hilarious book! The characters here were simply amazing! (that's how I wanna be when I grow up)
The writing was done so well also! Bravo Karelia I loved the story, writing, the ending was amazing!
So thank you for this advance read!

OMG this book!! It was so delightfully bizarre that I could not put it down. It literally opens with the funeral of Cade’s aunt where Selena (the aunt’s friend and employee) eulogizes the aunt with references to the clitoris. Seriously, this book had my attention instantly. It is a wlw, own voices romance which makes it a wonderful Pride Month read.

I loved both Cade and Selena. They are a definitely examples of opposites attract. Cade is a reserved art gallery owner whose eccentric family lovingly jokes about having been switched at birth. Selena is a loving free spirit artist whose had her confidence taken away by a former lover. Selena also gets bonus points for naming her clitoris Artemisia. I loved that this book was dual POV because having the dichotomy of how the characters saw themselves versus how the other saw them was really interesting. And I loved that I got to watch them grow and see learn to see themselves through the other’s eyes.

The book as a whole is extremely sex positive, which is always a delight to find. I appreciated that the sex scenes included things like lube and toys because they’re so rarely seen in romance novels (and other forms of media) despite being a necessity for so many couples. It is also very body positive. I loved the vulva painting class hosted by the store and the emphasis that all bodies are good bodies even if they don’t all look the same.

I had originally requested the ebook but the request was declined, so I was thrilled to be approved for the audiobook. Lori Prince, the narrator, did a wonderful job. The book has a lot of characters with varying backgrounds and personalties and she did a beautiful job of giving each person a specific voice that fit them. This book is dual POV and I appreciated that I could always tell whose head I was in by the voice she was using. This to me is the hallmark of a good audiobook.

I will absolutely read other books from Karelia!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

It is bold to title a book “Satisfaction Guaranteed” but boy was this satisfying. This book follows Cade, a practical accountant and art gallery owner, who co-inherits her aunt's failing sex toy shop. Cade and Selena, her aunt's employee and tenant and Cade's now co-owner, must work together to save the quirky, delightful shop. It is a vulnerable, hilarious, and sexy ride.

I loved these characters and the authentic, nuanced, non-stereotypical depictions of queer women and a sapphic relationship. Is this the new sapphic version of the grumpy/sunshine trope? Practical/woo-woo? Because I don't hate it.

At its core, this is a book about sexuality, which is one of the things that makes the romance genre so incredible. This book packs real emotional depth in with humor and sex positivity. It is sex positive while also taking a really nuances and complex look at sex and sexuality, and without shaming anyone (least of all the characters) for having complicated feelings about sex. Cade is a butch who isn't sexually confident (which is a breath of fresh air all on its own), and watching her and Selena work through Cade's relationship to her own sexuality together felt almost therapeutic.

A few things I particularly enjoyed:
-A personal celibacy vow
-THE STRAP-ON SCENE
-Conversations about the value of art and what it means to be an artist
-The beautiful depiction of grief
-The absolutely captivating performance by Lori Prince

I did want a little bit more around the 75% mark. I just felt like it moved a little too fast in the "and now we're ready to be together" portion, but all around this is a truly wonderful, funny, and big-hearted book. This is perfect for fans of Written in the Stars.

If possible, I absolutely recommend reading this one in audio.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the ALC.

CW: sexual harassment by a teacher, death of a loved one

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for my advanced listening copy of this fun, opposites attract, super sex positive Sapphic romance. When sex toy store owner Ruth dies, she bequeaths it to her star employee and tenant Selena and her niece Cade, hoping that together the two can turn it into a successful business. Selena is a struggling artist on a self-imposed love hiatus and Cade is a type-A accountant who hasn't had much luck in either self-love or romantic love. Together the two come together to save the store and find an amazing chemistry with one another. I really enjoyed the journey these two went on and how explicitly the author writes about discovering one's own body and desires. There are definitely some steamier/graphic open door scenes so beware if that's not your thing. Pretty great on audio although I was a bit turned off by the voices used for Cade's hippie dippie parents. A great book to read especially during pride month, recommended for fans of One last stop, Honey Girl or Written in the stars.

frustrating irresponsible parents
queer
sexually healthy
steamy which is nice for a flf

Cade is a responsible accountant and art dealer from New York City that has never had an orgasm, Selena is a former artist, that while she figures out what she wants of her life, works at a sex shop owned by Cade's aunt in Portland. When they both inherit the store they have to work to together and find common ground to make it work.

I loved this book so much. It's so feminist and empowering, it's queer and sexy and steamy in a way straight couples get to be in most romantic books and I loved seeing that since it hasn't been my experience reading LGBTQIAP+ books. It talks about sex very freely and kills all taboo about it, but it's also funny and romantic and the growth arc of the characters is really nice to see.

Satisfaction Guaranteed is the story of a buttoned up accountant, who has never had an orgasm, meeting a celibate sex toy store worker. This book literally starts with edibles being passed around at a beloved Aunt's funeral and follows the two women as they have to work together to make the store, left to them, a successful business.

After seeing the synopsis for this book I couldn't stop myself from dropping my current reads to get into this. I was definitely not disappointed. I loved seeing the women grow together and of course watching them fall in love was beautiful. It is hilarious without being super corny, and I appreciate the sex positive view for women. I will admit I did shed a few tears but that, for me, is how I know for a fact the writing is good. I only wish I could see one of Selena's paintings because they sounded so beautiful, I would have outbid the first buyer just from the writing.

If you are looking for a gorgeously written love story this is for you. The audiobook is also very well done and I'm definitely going to look for more from this narrator.

I received a copy of this audiobook free from NetGalley and Hachette Audio in exchange for an honest review.