Double Booked by Lily Lindon Review

The vibe: A quirky coming of age story about Georgina who is very adamant that she is straight until she has a queer awakening and decides to split her life into “gay George” and “straight Gina.” This obviously doesn’t go to plan and it is all about how the eventual self acceptance and growth.

Disclaimer:
As a bisexual person, I really struggled to enjoy this book. Reading her internalised homo/biphobic monologue hit a lot closer to home than I was anticipating and that has definitely negatively influenced my view of the book.

Pros:
- Discusses bi-erasure and bi-phobia a lot which is reinforcing to see.
- Features a lovely queer scene in London all about community and queerness
- Sweet supporting characters in Rudy, Cara and Georgina’s Mum
- Lovely resolution and epilogue
- Emotional subplot surrounding grieving and acceptance

Cons:
- I do not think the author intended it to be harmful in anyway, but it really reinforced a lot of negative stereotypes.
- Georgina was not a likeable character, she blamed everyone else for her issues and repeatedly pushed people away and treated them poorly in a way that I simply couldn’t rationalise (e.g. Doug)
- Georgina penalised others, especially Doug, for things she too was doing and was very harsh. (e.g. Poppy and Doug situation being similar to her and Kit)
- I found that her self growth and acceptance moment was a bit too little, too late (very surface level concept, occurring at 93% completion)
- I think what felt like it was aiming to be a comedy of errors and small mistakes was actually a shipwreck of intentional deception and self-loathing

My standout quote:
“I’ve been so worried about proving to others that I belong in Straight World and in Gay World that I've been boxing myself. I viewed other people's identities as criticisms of my own. But, duh, there's no one way to be queer, just as there's no one way to be straight. Doubtless I've met people who swing in all sorts of different directions, but I couldn't see their variety outside my own insecurity. And I belong in the Alphabet Club, just as much as all of them do. I'm not only half-gay' or 'half-straight'. I'm fully bi, all the time. And finally, I think that's an OK thing to be.”

Double Booked’s diverse range of characters makes for an inclusive romance everyone can enjoy. Sophie, a leading character touches on a lot of important topics within the LGTBQIA community and offers advice to her closeted best friend, Georgina. Sophie’s advice is relevant and could easily be applied to a queer persons life. The story was easy to relate to and was beautifully written.

Oh I absolutely loved this book, I wasn’t sure at the start as I was worried the characters were almost stereotypes of the LGBTQ+ community, but as I got into the story I was really involved and there was more to the characters than their sexuality. I liked how Lily Lindon even used some of her characters to call out the stereotypes in the novel, it made my more aware as a reader and more comfortable accepting the characters. It was brilliantly funny and refreshing, and I’m so glad I found it as an alternative to the usual rom-com/coming of age novels I usually pick!

𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:

Gina is about to marry her boyfriend. George is about to join a lesbian pop band. Gina and George are the same person. No wonder Georgina is double booked.

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:

Ugh. This book. BRILLIANT. The cover caught my eye whilst scrolling on Netgalley and I've since seen some great reviews for it, so was super excited when it was granted. I LOVED it. I loved the characters, the plot, the tone, the writing style. It gave me Laura Kay's 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁 vibes, and was a light, easy, and fun read, with humor and romance perfectly balanced with more serious topics - plus a whole rainbow of LGBTQ+ representation.

Our protagonist is Georgina - Gina, with her steady boyfriend and scheduled life, but also George, who is beginning to discover her sexuality. I loved the depiction of the identity struggle at a later age, rather than as a teen, as this is something that I think is explored less in LGBTQ books. Although George made some questionable decisions (namely communication with her partner), I actually really liked her characterization and development throughout the book, relating especially to her levels of social anxiety and need to plan. It was truly beautiful to see her come out of her shell during the duration of the plot and learn about who she is and what's important to her. I also loved each and every side character and think they were all perfectly crafted - flawed, well-rounded and realistic. Kit, Isobel, Rudy, Soph, Cara, Douglas, her Mum (and of course Bunny) were all so individual and each bought something special to the plot.

There were some homophobic slurs throughout this and a fair few stereotypes (mostly bisexual/lesbian) but most of these statements were corrected or pulled up on by other characters, which I thought was a clever way to incorporate normalization of different sexualities, as well as raise awareness of stereotypes and discrimination.

In summary: I laughed, I cringed, I smiled, and I shed a tear or two. Current, relatable, and wonderfully written, there was such a wide range of different sexualities and types of relationship explored in the book. There were plenty of twists and drama, but the educational writing and LGBTQ+ rep shone through, and as always, it's brilliant to see more books coming out (see what I did there?) with all types of sexuality normalized. (PS.. the epilogue.. ugh, my heart)

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅: The split by Laura Kay or in at the deep end by Kate Davies

A huge thank you to Head of Zeus and Lily Lindon for a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Free courtesy of Netgalley

I didn't think I'd enjoy this book, It took me a little while to get into it, but the story was really good. There were some characters I didn't like at all but it shows how good the book was.

Gina/George has been in a long term relationship with her boyfriend Douglas for 7 years, and routine is everything to them, they use their synchronised calendar to book everything, even texting each other and when they have sex.

One night when Gina decides to go out to The Familiar, gay club with her best friend Sophie, to watch a band, everything changes. Gina faces the fact that she is attracted to women as well as men, and convinces her partner to have an open relationship, so she can explore that side of herself.

When her dad died she hid parts of herself away, under the guise of routine. Will she find her real self, or will she lose the love she already has, and will her friendships change. How can you be two different people and keep yourself. It's a good coming out book.

Georgina is living ‘the dream’ with a reliable, kind, dependable boyfriend, when she meets Kit as a gay club whilst out with her best friend Soph.
She experiences an unusual physical reaction which leads her to investigate her possible bisexuality.

This is one of the best stories of self-discovery that I have read of late, and I enjoyed watching and worrying as George’s life swerved in and out of her comfort zone.
Her entire relationship with her mother, her boyfriend and her best friend change as she explores her feelings and new relationships with Kit and the music band of lesbians which she joins.
Living a double life is a source of freedom for George/Gina, and also causes difficulties as she polices her personas according to the social circle of the moment.
A many layered story of a woman learning about herself and how she wishes to live her life.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

Double Booked by Lily Lindon is the story of Gina Green, a 20-something woman in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, who begins to question her sexuality while hanging out with her lesbian BFF. She soon comes to the realisation that she is actually bisexual, and embarks on persuading her boyfriend to try an open relationship. Enter her queer persona “George”, complete with undercut and baggy shirts.

Now, there was quite a bit that I liked about this book so I’ll start there. Firstly, the subject matter intrigued me, more Bi representation is always welcome and I love reading it. Also the musical undercurrent was great. Gina is a piano teacher and as someone who took piano lessons and studied music for years this was a fun side part of the story.
The prose was well written and fun to read - I flew threw it with ease.
My main issue was that the stereotypes were far too strong, with Gina putting her heels and makeup on to be “straight” and rocking an undercut and wiping her makeup off to be “gay”. I completely see why the author did this for the story, however I kept finding myself thinking “really!? This is not what being bisexual is!” I had to accept that I wasn’t going to find much to relate to with the main character, finding her quite annoying at times with her constant self-deprecation and naivety.
Despite the problems I did somewhat enjoy this, but for a “Rom-com” it’s very light on the “Rom”.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this free advanced copy*

I laughed and cried my way through this book!

At first I found Gina pretty frustrating. I then also found George quite annoying. But I absolutely loved following her journey as she found herself and found her place. I enjoyed the dating disasters and the complicated relationships that this book exploded. It showed that there isn’t a right or wrong way whether that’s an open relationship, casual sex or a long term commitment.

Once I started I couldn’t put it down.

I really wanted to love this book, but it is incredibly homophobic. Polyamory is a part of the queer community, and I did not at all like how this was portrayed in this book. Unfortunately, that was a huge turn off for me.

This was a book I wanted to enjoy but it was let down by stereotypical characterisation.

If I were to give this book the benefit of the doubt, I would say it was trying to be satirical and take jabs at various LGBTQ+ related stereotypes. It does in-text talk about how damaging some of them can be, including those in regards to bi people and people in open relationships. However, it then undermines these points by having its MC unironically fit the very stereotypes being denounced. Georgina - aka Gina, aka George - is a bi women with a long term boyfriend who wants to explore her bisexuality by pursuing an open relationship, but the way she does it comes across as selfish and very 'wanting to have her cake and eat it, too', therefore living up to the tired stereotypes the book itself calls out.

I also disliked a lot of the secondary characters, particularly Kit, the woman George lusts after, who was so clearly - to me as a reader at least - not worth the obsession.

There were some good moments - the ending could have worked if the MC hadn't been so frustrating and self-centred for most of the book and therefore it felt undeserved - and the relationship between Georgina and her father, and the grief and guilt she experiences over his death, was probably the best part of her characterisation.

Overall, a disappointing read that I wish could have done more with its premise and treated its LGBTQ+ characters better.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the sound of the plot of Double Booked and was intrigued to read it. It was an easy read with a new story that I hadn't read before. It was an enjoyable read but I found the story slightly unbelievable and struggled to invest in the characters and their individual stories.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

A nice easy read about a girl who is leading a double life based on her bisexuality. By trying to be all things to all people she ends up making no-one happy least of all herself. Her acceptance of herself leads to a dramatic change in her life just when it looks like she is going to lose it all.

Well, Double Booked by Lily Lindon was a joy to read from start to finish! You know when you open a book to assess its tone and it sucks you in immediately? That’s exactly what happened with Double Booked – I couldn’t stop reading. It’s a funny, witty exploration of sexuality and identity.

Our lead character, Georgina is a 26-year old pianist (currently piano teacher at a school) in a seven-year relationship with her university sweetheart, Doug. They have a great, regimented life that runs to a schedule they both like (literally – they have sex planned into their shared calendar) and all is fine until Gina finds herself attracted to the enigmatic Kit – drummer of lesbian band, Phase.

Georgina meets Kit at a gay club she goes to with her best friend, Soph, who happens to be lesbian. Soph introduces Georgina to Phase and suddenly Georgina’s world spins.

Before she knows it, Georgina is questioning her heterosexuality and exploring a new side of herself. She goes by George rather than Gina (but she is still Gina to Doug and at her job) and when Phase’s keyboardist quits, there is an opportunity for Georgina to fully explore this side of herself and get closer to Kit…

I really liked how the story tackled sensitive issues like how Georgina explores this new side of her sexuality while attempting to not hurt her long-term boyfriend and how she finds herself between two cultures – gay and straight – while trying to feel like she belongs to both/either. As well as being warm and touching, Double Booked is just SO funny. I laughed out loud several times (George’s dates with a comedian spring to mind).

I enjoyed Double Booked so much. It made me realise I haven’t read many books with bisexual lead characters (but will definitely be reading more now) and although I can’t directly relate to Georgina’s coming out situation, her character feels so familiar to me.

The way she approaches things, her anxiety, the way she feels the fear about monumental life decisions that sometimes you just have to go for to feel happy being who you really are, is all so relatable and an important lesson that resonates from these pages. Double Booked is a feel-good celebration of bisexuality and a brilliant summer read!

Read it in a day!

As a bisexual who has been with a man for 11 years I am aware of times when I feel like I’m suppressing part of my personality. I completely understand what was happening in Georgina’s head.
The other characters within the book were interesting and complex. the settings and scenarios within the book felt real.

I would recommend this to others. It made me laugh cry and question.

Thanks to netgalley for my ARC all views are my own.

Just couldn’t really get into this novel due to the main character being super annoying and indecisive when the answer was already there to begin with from the opening line and didn’t hold my interest.

Grief, Identity, Relationships, Dogs/Cats and Bands.

I was completely hooked from the first page, this book surpassed all my expectations. When I wasn’t reading it i was thinking about reading it and about how the storyline might develop (a very good sign). I became a part of this story. Too many times I had to stop myself from reading ahead, covering the screen because i was so intrigued to see what happened next.

Spoil-ish:

I feared this book might push a biphobic narrative, but luckily things weren’t ignored or swept under the rug, when someone was disrespectful they got called out and it was handled respectfully. (there are characters who make biphobic statements)

We were pulled into the self involved mind of our main character, which made other
minor characters and their plots become shaded and hard to see. There were twists that had me frozen for a few seconds in complete disbelief that i managed to overlook them. I loved looking back over the text and piecing it all together.

I especially liked that throughout the book i was questioning how much i actually liked the main character. She did questionable things and acted irrationally, but because i read from her perspective I never really hated her, in fact i sympathised with the difficult situations and experiences that she had to deal with.

We got to explore a journey from compulsive heterosexuality to maybe i’m a lesbian, and then focal point on bisexuality being it’s own label, not half of another. As a bisexual reader myself the things Georgina says at times hit so close to home (questioning her sexuality’s validation because of bi erasure and biphobic members inside and out of the LGBTQ+ community).

I 100% recommend and can’t wait to reread!!

I absolutely love this book - it's so unique and refreshing to have a nuanced fun summer romance-ish book that has so much insight into bisexuality whilst still having a tonne of drama that keeps you reading. The whole cast of characters, talented, fleshed out members of the LGBTQ+ people didn't feel tokenised at all - they were the draw, they were the focus and it is such a breath of fresh air to have read their exploits and their drama. I love how this novel weaved in issues of sexual identity, coming out to friends and family, different kinds of love, remained educational without it sounding ham-fisted and spelling it out simply for a straight audience.

Would recommend for fans of Emily Henry but who are sick of the boring, samey plots - this book had so many satisfying twists and explorations for the character's development you're left entirely satisifed with the ending, with the way it's all tied up. Would love to see so much more from this excellent debut and will be recommending.

Kindly gifted through NetGalley in return for a review.

I absolutely adored this book!

The main character being the same age (and similar name!) as me made me feel like I could connect with it more. It felt a lot more realistic as coming-out books tend to be centred more around teenagers rather than adults.

I loved the plot, the characters, everything. The character development is fantastic and the way the characters have their moments of realisation of exactly what they’re wanting out of life.

It’s such a light, easy, joyful read.

This book was such a fun read, filled with twists and turns, completely out there while still being painfully relatable!

I’ll admit that at the start I didn’t really like Georgina, and much preferred the side characters, but as the story went on she really grew on me and we saw the whole cast as the flawed, well-rounded characters that they are. What this book did really well is capture that coming out experience for so many bisexual people, especially what it’s like when you start to participate more in the wider community. It felt almost painfully true to life, and the ‘double-life’ idea was such a good way of demonstrating what it can feel like.

As well as touching on some more serious topics such as grief and mental health, the story was fun, relatable and fresh. I laughed, I cringed, and I put my head in my hands as Georgina tried to navigate these two, seemingly separate worlds. I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a ‘romcom’, as it’s marketed, but it’s definitely a ‘com’ with the main character trying her best at the ‘rom’.

This is a great addition to the growing list of bi books, and I’m sure it will mean a lot to a lot of people as soon as it hits the shelves.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

i enjoyed reading this book - a story of a woman, in her mid twenties coming to terms with her sexuality and in a way, her happiness.

This was an easy read but I think it managed to address some difficult topics.