the moment i saw that one of the mcs was a butch, i hit the request button as fast as i can. this kind of representation will always be special to me because this is where i can relate the most.

here we have charlie who is an athletic butch working in a sports apparel company and leading a group of beginners hoping to join the chicago marathon one day. we also have elizabeth who is an mit graduate tech genius running her own company and is struggling to find balance between work and actually having a life. they both have things they are trying to keep from one another; charlie with her mental health issues and elizabeth with her panic attacks caused by nonstop working.

i really liked how well written the characters were individually. i think the author tackled charlie's bipolar tendencies with sensitivity and their depiction of living with this condition seemed realistic. i also liked how i easily formed a picture of elizabeth in my mind based on her narrative as this strong, independent woman who take no shit from anyone.

when things were starting to wrap up, it sort of felt like it was forced so there were things that kind of didn't make sense like how confusing elizabeth's bestfriend, carmen, was. carmen started as a very supportive friend but ended up somehow influencing elizabeth to break things up with charlie without elizabeth even putting up a fight about it with her bestfriend which was more confusing.

other than that, i think this is an okay book. the characters were well-developed and i appreciate that their own issues didn't magically got solved when they finally accepted their feelings for one another. i enjoyed reading it and will definitely be on the look out for more books from the author.

Absorbing novel of two women that struggle for balance in their lives. Charlie Williamson is an athletic butch who works for a women’s fitness clothing store in Chicago. She is 30 and has been at RRiotWear since failing out of college. She is also bi-polar. Elizabeth McIntyre is 38 and a driven MIT graduate who owns and runs a successful technology company. She is very hands on micro-managing her 150 employees. When she has a panic attack that she mistakes for a heart attack she knows something has got to change. She and her best friend sign up for a beginners marathon training group and she meets Charlie who is the trainer.

The author takes her time and really lets you get to know the main characters. I have a brother-in-law and nephew who are bi-polar and her depiction of living with and managing the disease is realistic. Charlie is trying to cope with her disease through the least amount of medicine she can while using other tools like diet, meditation and lots of exercise. Elizabeth's workaholic ways are a road block to any relationship. The one change she is making in her life is adding running. The attraction between Charlie and Elizabeth is felt by both but schedules keep them apart.

I’m not a runner but I love how running is almost its own character. The chapter headings all relate to preparing for the marathon and the different run lengths for the week. Starting at 3 miles working its way up to ten, a half marathon etc. It almost made me think I could run a marathon if I actually put in the effort and broke it down into manageable sections. These two come together and willing to try for a potential HEA. The ending comes a little unrealistically fast. I’m a little baffled that the best friend is given a pass for her influencing Elizabeth’s thoughts about Charlie. But I liked the story and am hopeful for them together as a couple. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sapphic romance with running as the backdrop you say? Yep Yep all hands, fingers and toes in!
Okay so I like to run, not the crazy marathon kind but enough to, as one of the characters in the book put it so perfectly “I run so that I can eat” and yes if you fall into the category of “I eat so that I can run” - I may hate you just a little.

This is my first Amanda Kabak book and I really enjoyed it. Charlie works at a sports apparel company and in her spare time leads groups who want to train for the Chicago marathon. Elizabeth is a super smart successful tech entrepreneur who because of overwork suffers panic attacks. Their worlds collide when Elizabeth is signed up (by her best friend) to train for the marathon as a means to take a break from work for stress relief.

I’m a big fan of authors who take the time to really develop their characters and both Charlie and Elizabeth were really well written. Both these characters have issues, some based on past experiences, lifestyle, others that are foisted on them. In this story Kabak tackles the sensitive topic of mental health with Charlie being bipolar. The helplessness and the struggle to lead and participate in life is captured extremely well. I also liked the pacing of the book, the titles depicting the training milestones were a nice touch. Charlie’s coaching of Elizabeth through her 8 mile run was a particularly good exchange and I really enjoyed it.
I do like slow burns and this definitely fell into that category. It felt right and fed into Elizabeth’s narrative of wanting things immediately and quickly rather than enjoying the journey.

As I said before both these characters had sooo many interesting issue threads and it was an interesting choice for Kabak to focus on Elizabeth’s overwork as the angst focal point. In fact as the book came towards the end I glanced down to see I was at 97%… “no no no….wait…you can’t start to wrap it up…”. 😳I yelled to my kindle. I’m really hoping there is a part 2 with these two because…so many threads so many issues…so much potential angst 🤓
Well here’s to hoping! Overall a really good compelling read, doubly if you like running or reading about running 🤓 and I absolutely concur with Charlie on the hard nope to running skirts (shudder). 4.75 🌟s