There is a level of empowerment within this story on the topic of how everyone struggles with something whether it be with trust, relationships, personal matters, and so on that I really loved seeing it be included throughout the novel. There is a strong dose of bravery weaved throughout the story that is shown by many characters that makes everything a little more emotionally powerful.

Rebecca and Kyle are very realistic and relatable characters. Both of them have varying kinds of past relationship baggage that nearly break them apart, but they fight for each other and work through the downs that every relationship can suffer. They mean the world to each other, and wouldn't ever want to be without one another.

Rebecca had always struggled with relationships and self love, but after Kyle walks into her life there is a brighter scene unfolding before her than anything she ever had. Kyle struggled with trust do to what an ex did to him, but it doesn't take him long to trust Rebecca. The more time they spend together the closer they become, and when Rebecca reveals an embarrassing secret she has held inside herself he doesn't balk or run off from her. If anything he holds her closer, and never stops giving her the love and care he has since the moment they meet. The kind of love and care she has always deserved but never got from a partner.

I couldn't get enough of these two, and the moment I saw a confirmation at the back of the arc for another novel about Rebecca and Kyle I got absolutely ecstatic and excited. Not to mention there is a Kyle prequel short story. My Rebecca and Kyle loving heart is being nurtured.

If you love a wholesome steamy slow burn romance with a motorcycle riding sweetheart, a young woman finding herself in many ways, great friendships, an adorable aunt, and wonderful moments between the love interests then Love, Only Better is a novel you should check out. It does not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley and Media Goddess Inc for this ARC.

↳ ARC kindly provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

Look, I'm gonna be direct. This book was a big disappointment.
The plot had a really great potential seeing as it proposed a discussion on a subject that many people still treat as taboo. I was excited to read when I saw I had been approved for an ARC and the beginning was even okay, but the more I read, the more the problems started to appear and I felt like this book was a big delusion.

1) The writing was a bit too much regarding the descriptions. There were a lot of unnecessary details that turned the reading into something dragged.

2) The "jokes" about Rebecca's religion that the mom of one of her friends used to do?? It shouldn't even be considered jokes, it was disrespectful.

3) Barbara and Leslie were totally disrespectful too. They pressured Rebecca for information she didn't want to share right away and they simply couldn't get the damn hint that she didn't want to talk about that. I mean, what kind of friends are those?

4) Yet, my main problem was with the whole clinical trial and the therapist Rebecca sought after she dismissed the doctors. First, the clinical trial was a bit strange, yes, asking her to disclose personal details about her relationship with Kyle even though he didn't know about Rebecca being there in the first place. But the part where the heroine left the clinical trial and went in that consultation with the therapist seemed way stranger to me. I mean, those sexual therapists are even a thing? I'm sorry if I'm skeptical but to strip your clothes and to have a stranger walking you through your masturbation while talking about your fantasies...? Of course, I'm not a professional in that area by any means, so maybe it's all real.

5) I was almost forgetting about her relationship with Kyle. See, they were kind of cute but also really shallow? Their involvement seemed really rushed but also flat. I wish they had had more development.

Overall, the premisses were good but the execution left a lot to be desired. I wanted to like this book but I simply couldn't ignore the points listed. I recognize the good intentions of the author but I also can't finish this review without saying that some of the things that I pointed out are a bit harmful to the whole discussion.

I really wanted to like this book but it ended up in the DNF pile. Between the blurb and the author's note at the beginning I was intrigued by the potential of women's empowerment, dealing with difficult "taboo" women's issues, all combined with romance. I only got about 1/2 way through the book before I had to put it down. The way the study was portrayed was just gross, Rebecca's friends seemed like jerks, and Ryan's character was just very flat. I don't like leaving bad reviews but this was one book I just couldn't finish. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to review this book. All opinions are my own.

DNF @ 19%

When I read the premise I was really excited to read this book. The main character, Rebecca, struggles with achieving pleasure during sex. Something that is not really talked about and is seen as shameful, but I could not get into this.

First of all, the study. What kind of study is this? She gets there and she has to sit up on a chair in a spotlight while they’re all in the dark? Really? Not even people behind plexiglass or something? It seems sketchy. Then they tell her they have to video tape her talking about it? Why? Isn’t that something she should have been aware of when signing forms?

Secondly, her friends seem like class A jerks. She tells them she is embarrassed and doesn’t want to talk about this study she got into. You think they’d leave her be, right? WRONG! They berate her at the restaurant to the point where she feels embarrassed and picked on.

I tried to continue but I just am not interested in where this plot is going. The writing and plot was not intriguing enough to make me want to continue.

Disclaimer: I DNF’ed this book around the 40% mark. Twice.

I really wanted to enjoy this story because the subject matter is so important and never discussed in literature. But I could not stand being in the main character’s head all of the time. She has understandably some issues that stem from her past relationships and possibly her upbringing, but the relentless self-loathing was impossible for me to read. Rebecca has tied all of her self worth into sex and it hurt to read. But at the same time she and everyone was so full of hate towards other women, it felt weird to claim the book to be “empowering women”.

I did read the author’s note at the beginning and get what she was trying to do, but the execution did not work for me at all.

While I definitely appreciate the earnest conversation regarding female pleasure and empowerment, I found this to be really bland. Couldn’t connect to the characters at all. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story’s plot revolves around sex and our main character, Rebecca, quest to learn about her own intimacy and her search for fulfillment in and outside of the bedroom.

I really wanted to like this book. I understand what the author was trying to convey in the story about women taking charge of their own bodies and sexuality (which I was totally on board with). I loved the premise. Unfortunately, I could not get past Rebecca’s horrible friends and her own constant negativity.

This book was a DNF for me. I definitely know there is an audience for this story, but unfortunately, it was not me.

I want to thank NetGalley, Paulette Stout and Media Goddess Inc. for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

This book was a big let down!
The plot was so interesting and quote relevant but somewhere the whole book fell flat.
I wasn't a fan of the main character and her friends who weren't that supportive too!
The romance could have been better too!
It took me a while to finish ..
It just wasn't meant for me
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a chance to read and sharing my honest opinion.

Love, Only Better introduces us to Rebecca. She's in her late 20's, has just broken up with her long-term boyfriend, has many insecurities and has a difficult relationship with her parents. One thing she has never had is an orgasm. Yep, you read it right.

Basically, the majority of this book is her search for "satisfaction." Her inability to climax has been at the heart of many breakups with boyfriends over the years; It is a big reason for her lack of confidence in life in general. However as the story progresses, you find that there is more to it than you initially realize.

I felt like this book had so many opportunities to be a strong message for women about being empowered to take charge of their own bodies and goals. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted for that to play out, it fell short for me.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do so I don't want to be too negative because I did find things I liked about the book. I loved the cover. I liked the basic premise. There was promise for Kyle (even though he was quick to jump to conclusions). Rebecca's mother somewhat redeemed herself towards the end (in my opinion). Sadly, I had a hard time connecting with Rebecca or her friends. In addition, I completely disliked the way the sex study was handled. It felt very intrusive and creepy. That was one of the reasons, Rebecca's friends ended up on my "dislike list"- - I thought they really pushed her to talk about things she was uncomfortable with. True friends would have built her up instead of picking at a wound. It saddened me. Lastly, maybe I missed something in the message but it didn't quite make sense to me that the ability to be satisfied sexually would tie to self confidence to the extent that the storyline suggested. Obviously, I'm not a counselor or doctor of any type, so maybe there is a connection. It just felt odd to tie those two together as much as the author did.

Again, please understand that since I really admired what the author was trying to do. I really wanted to like this book and feel as if I could honestly promote and encourage others to read it. But for me, it just didn't quite meet the mark. Something was missing to pull it together and really make you invest in the characters. Even though the issues were personal and tough topics, it was difficult for me to see true emotion in the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I loved this fresh take on women’s sexuality. It’s so much more than a love story; it explores a woman’s sexual journey in an open, non judging way. Through sex therapy, Rebecca discovers the strong woman hiding under years of self doubt. I loved Kyle and how he supported Rebecca on her journey. He had his own minor issues to work through and I’m glad they got their HEA!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

A cute idea and cute characters. This book had an interesting premise and would probably be well suited to readers in their 20s. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Omg I this just a DNF book for me. Not really my cup of tee. Just couldn't get into it...
Sorry this is one star read for me.

This book was a bit disappointing. The premise sounded interesting and had a lot of potential. The pacing was odd, with lots of detail when it wasn’t needed. A lot of the dialogue was just unrealistic. There were just strange phrases here and there. For example, the main character (a 28 year old woman) talks about essential skincare being “soap, lotion and toner”. What? At that point I wondered if the author was actually a man. What young woman these days wouldn’t say “cleanser and moisturizer”?
The romance between Rebecca and Kyle happened weirdly quickly. He”s passionately kissing her the second time they meet? Who does that?
Rebecca is only a semi-likeable main character. She apparently has such bad self esteem that all she does is whine throughout the first part of the book (and is magically cured after seeing the therapist).
At one point, after Rebecca finds out Kyle had been cheated on, she asks herself “But could she be capable of healing his wounded soul?” Huh? That was weird and came out of nowhere.
Rebecca’s friends for most of the book were just terrible. They literally demanded she tell them private details of her love life she told them explicitly that she wasn’t comfortable sharing. What good friends would act that way? Also, when Rebecca’s best friend meets Kyle, she acts completely inappropriately…asking him about his underwear and calling him a “fine specimen” to his face. It’s just creepy.
Also, when Kyle finds out about the medical study Rebecca’s doing he gets very angry that she didn’t tell him. They barely know each other and have just started dating. The study she’s doing is private and not really his business yet. I find it odd that he takes it so personally. In a real life situation I would consider this a big red flag. If he can’t be understanding about something that’s been traumatic for her, is he really a good guy?
The biggest problem was that for the most part, this book was just boring. It seems hard to believe considering the main theme of the book, but I found myself skimming over parts just to get through it.

DNF

I honestly did not enjoy the negativity that the MC had associated with sex and her sex life. I tried to get into it a bit more before I chose to DNF and give my final review, but I just couldn't seem to continue

I picked this book up thinking that it might be nice to read something a little out of my comfort zone. I enjoy the occasional romcom and thought this book had the potential to be a refreshing take on the female perspective. The plot focuses heavily on the main character’s lack of experience in the orgasm department, despite her previous attempts in relationships. I was intrigued by the concept because I thought it would be a good empowering romance for women that would demonstrate a good example of sex positivity. However, what I read didn’t quite fit my initial expectations. While the main character is very open about her sexual experiences throughout the book, she has an incredibly negative view on all things sex. She believes that her entire worth comes down to whether or not she can “perform” in bed. While her friends occasionally say comments about how this isn’t true and she has many amazing qualities, Rebecca never sees this for herself. At the start of the story, I predicted that there would be a character arc where she would grow to love herself for who she is, and then perhaps the problems in the bedroom would resolve over time. But no. This didn’t happen. Rebecca was so fixated on her lack of ability to orgasm that she had no confidence whatsoever in any area of her life. Although the ending was a happy one, all things considered, it didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped.

I had a few issues with the characters in this book as well. I felt the relationship with the love interest came on way too quickly. One minute they were meeting in the hallway and the next, Rebecca was talking about how they were spending so much time together. While this might have been the case, it wasn’t obvious to the reader. Some of the comments that the characters made felt quite jolting and took me out of the story. I found myself confused at times as a result of a topic change without enough of a transition for it to feel natural. There wasn’t enough character development for me to feel attached to any of them. I liked the inclusion of Rebecca’s two best friends as they provided a bit of comical relief to the constant negativity from the main character’s stream of consciousness. I thought it was a little strange though how they were immediately on board with the dodgy sex study that Rebecca got involved in. I get that the doctors were supposed to be incompetent and unhelpful, but I found myself becoming annoyed with the portrayal of medical professionals. Despite this, I accepted the contribution it made to moving the plot forward.

Overall, this book was a bit of a let down for me personally. I think the plot had the potential to portray an empowering, sex-positive story, but it didn’t quite hit the target. That being said, I think every book has an audience; this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this Arc.

I couldn't finish this one. The characters were unlikeable, the pacing was slow and overly detailed for non-essential things. Some of what was portrayed in the story was offensice, overly negative, or just too out there. I couldn't enjoy this one, sorry.

I wasn’t a lover of this book, the pace of the book was all out of context for me and I couldn’t relate with the main character. I requested this book to read on the premise of what it said it could deliver about women finding their empowerment and I suppose it did to a certain extent, however not a book I could say I enjoyed.

This was so cute. I loved it! The characters were easy to relate too and I fell in love with them. So so cute. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Life is falling apart around Rebecca's ears. First, her boyfriend breaks up with her, calling her frigid and an ice queen. Then, her best friend moves out, leaving her fully alone. And that's not counting her boss steamrolling her at work and her parents alternately ignoring then influencing her life. What Rebecca needs is a change. Something to spice her life up. Something she's never had... an orgasm.

So at the advice of her doctor, she enrolls in a sexual satisfaction study and her life will never be the same.

--

So, you may have noticed from my blurb that there wasn't a lot of focus on the relationship with the guy next door. That's because for a good chunk of the book (and way too much if you ask me) he wasn't really present or important. For the first third of the book, he wasn't an entity at all, which since this book is presenting itself as a romance is way too late.

Second, the romance isn't as important as Rebecca's story. Oh Kyle, the hero, is important and he does matter and is a part of her happy ending. But her real happy ending is dealing with everything that comes with her inability to experience orgasm and coming to terms with her worth. It's the story of one woman's journey and is less about the romance.

This book isn't for everyone. It's not bad, but it will not be everyone's cup of tea. The heroine is hard to like... but that is because in a way she is too relatable. She's got too much self-hatred and self-esteem issues which can be off-putting. It made it difficult for me to read because she hurt too much and that in turn made me hurt. I don't go into fiction to experience pain like this, but I know some readers find it cathartic.

I really did love the open and frank discussions of female sexuality including masturbation, sex toys, and intercourse. I liked that the book acknowledged that women so often focus on a man's pleasure that they lose the ability to find their own. This is Rebecca's story. Everyone else is supporting.

It's good women's fiction. But it's not something that I personally enjoy. It's written well and I loved the honesty about sexual dysfunction. There's some great details... like the fact that the new cantor of her synagogue sings the prayers to a different tune than she's used to so she can't sing along. It's something so very real that I loved.

That said, I liked that Rebecca was an interracial heroine... part Jewish/part Latina. I liked that she had multicultural friends and experiences. I did feel that the author captured the reality of life in New York and the trouble with living in a place so filled with humanity that it can be lonely even if you're never alone.

It's a good book, but it's also a difficult book to love. I'm going to give this:

Four stars.

I initially chose this book because the cover looked cute and the premise sounded interesting and empowering!

Synopsis:
Rebecca is 28 and has never had an orgasm.
It has led to break ups, self doubt and a lack of confidence (despite smashing it in her job, having some amazing friends and an apartment in New York).
Now she is desperate and seeking outside help.
In the meantime, she meets Kyle. The guy who has moved in next door.


What I liked:
- I liked the overall message and the way the book addressed women's pleasure head on. It was an interesting take.
- Some of the imagery of NY and the other settings was cool- I have never been so enjoyed reading about it.


What I didn't like:
- Rebecca's friends were kind of jerks. They are supportive to a point, but also spend a lot of time trying to make her talk and share things she doesnt want to.
- Rebecca's relationship with Kyle felt super shallow. I didn't really care about their relationship to be honest. Honestly, I question whether Rebecca or Kyle were ready for a relationship at all.
- Personally I have never been to a sex therapist, I am curious to know if this book accurately represents them and how they work with new clients?
- As someone doing research with people (Mine doesn't involve talking about sex, but still) the iffiness of consent around the study she participated in and how uncomfortable it made Rebecca felt icky.
- Excessive negative talk from the MC. It got a bit tiring after a while and I lost interest in Rebecca for a while there.


You might enjoy this book if sexual empowerment for women is something you're interested in reading more about from a woman's perspective- I would say though that this book is more of a 'self love/self discovery' book than it is a traditional romance.


Thank you to netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.