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

I was disappointed with this one! The cover is adorable and the premise sounded great. I enjoyed the representation of women in tech/STEAM positions and that was great to see and the use of text messages was fun but the story itself and the characters missed the mark for me.

You are supposed to root for your main characters to get together but I couldn’t do that as there was barely any chemistry on the page. It was hard to get into it.

Unfortunately, not for me!

𝕋𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕝

➖ friends to lovers
➖women in STEM
➖slow burn
➖sex positive message

Pros:
This was the first book I’ve read that relied heavily on ‘texts’ as part of the writing and I actually really enjoyed it! The texts were clever and spaced out enough that I didn’t feel overwhelmed by them.

Cons:
This book had all the pieces needed for an entertaining and edgy romance book but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me😣 I didn’t really find the characters relatable or likeable and the romance wasn’t there for me. There was no spark or chemistry between Lark and Toby which made their relationship fall flat for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review. This book releases on August 8th.

I mean, the cover is cute?

All apologies to this author (because I think she had a fun idea here), but this book was just a miss for me. While there are some good aspects (fabulous LGBTQ+ representation, accurate depictions of the struggle women face in STEM careers, sex-positivity), they only just balance out the problems.

There were two things I really took issue with:
1) we are meant to be rooting for Lark and Toby, and want them to get together, but they have ABSOLUTELY NO CHEMISTRY on the page. All we see is Lark's unrequited feelings for Toby, with nothing indicative of interest from him at all. Yes, they have chemistry through text, but that does not translate over to face-to-face ever. I had a really hard time getting invested in them as a couple because it just didn't seem like they should be one.
2) Teagan. I wanted to throw the book across the room every time this character appeared in a scene. She's obnoxious and juvenile, and completely rude. Frankly, it made me question Lark's judgment that she not only was friends with Teagan, but also took her advice.

Overall, this one just wasn't for me.

This is a book I really wanted to like but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. The premise sounded great, but the plot and characters did not deliver. Lark and Toby are seriously lacking in chemistry and I didn’t find myself rooting for them or invested in their relationship. I also didn’t care for the best friend character, Teagan. The ending conflict was resolved way too quickly, it was a bit jarring. Overall I think the story had a lot of potential but I didn’t care for this book.

What this book did well was the overall sex-positive message and the Women in STEM representation in our protagonist Lark.
I also really liked the authentic feel of the text messages.

The romance in this book falls short of expectations, at times it feels more like a side plot, and I overall couldn’t bring myself to root for Lark and Toby or see their chemistry.

Book Name: Text Appeal
Series: NA
Author: Amber Roberts
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Lark is stuck in a shitty tech job where the dude-bros thrive and she’s the only female coder on staff. When a meeting goes horribly wrong she is out of a job and looking for ways to supplement her income while she looks for other work. Her friend puts her on to an app where she gets paid to sext clients and when she starts getting the hang of it and building a friendship/relationship with one of the testers, will it affect her growing relationship with long time friend, Toby?

What I liked about it:
The idea was so good. I love a tech babe who knows how to use her brains in a male dominated industry and when you have a cross section with sex work then I’m all in. There were heaps of little feminist lines about sexism, gender pay gaps, diversity in the workplace and sex positivity.

What I hoped would be better:
The chemistry between the two MCs! It just didn’t personally give me all the usual feels that I want from a romance. They were so awkward and unsure around each other that most of their early interactions had me cringing rather than cheering for them. Also, the female relationships kinda got on my nerves too. Teagan did my head in and really needed to learn some boundaries.

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

Read if you like:
♥️ Romance
💋 Friends to Lovers
💬 Text Conversations
🌶️ Spicy Texting

This one had so much promise but ultimately didn’t work well for me. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters and the pacing was slow with not a lot happening in the first half and then a lot being shoved in to get us to the HEA in the second half.

I however think a lot of people will really love the slow burn of this one where it just didn’t work for me personally.

Thanks Alcove press for my arc in exchange for my review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think this one didn't live up to its hype and therefore seemed less enjoyable but is a beach read if needed.

I found crush for years so sweet and swoony but the miscomunication thing was annoyed. When read Lark pov it feel like me, awkward and cant speak loud. Toby and Lark relationship is what i want, meeting the one who can connect and able to talk anything without relise time fly. I really enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#TextAppeal #AmberRoberts #AlcovePress #NetGalley #ARC

Friend To Lovers
Slow Burn Romance
The heroine is in STEM
The hero is an artist
Chick-lit

Lark works in tech, she's underappreciated doesn't gets the recognition she deserves, and always trying to make herself seen and recognized at work. However, when she gets the opportunity an incident occurred and led her to be fired.
Now unemployed and needing the money to provide for herself, her BFF Tegan suggests that she gets into sex work and specifically in those apps where you sext for money.
Although this thing was way out of Lark's comfort zone she agrees to it.
On the other side, there is Toby Lark's best friend between them there is a spark and feelings untold so when the chance introduces itself in the app, a lot of things are about to change.
This was a cute read about opening up exploring yourself and expanding your wings.
I liked it and I hope you will too

Thanks for @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #TextAppeal in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo💋

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an ARC of this book.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The writing style just wants for me and I felt that some of the themes where not well thought out.

What a fun and easy read! I can definitely see my patrons diving into this book headfirst. They will love it just as much as I did!

I have you ever really wanted to like a book, it really has all the right ingredients to be the perfect book but somewhere things just don't work out? That's this book.

The book’s premise was great. The feminist, pro LGBT+, sex-positive messages made it easy for me to immediately immerse myself into this book, the story and its protagonists. But soon the plot became stale and the progressive, forward-thinking protagonist got old and boring when she couldn’t do anything but complain.

While there were things in this book that I did enjoy, like the representation of women in STEM, queer representation, and the overall premise of the book, I just could not get into it. I DNF'd halfway through because the writing style was just not for me. It sucks because I really wanted to love this one because the premise was so interesting, but I just couldn't finish it. The writing style felt juvenile to me, and the voices of each character was so immature and strange. Again, the premise sounded amazing, and I love the women in STEM and queer rep, but everything else about this book was just not good. 2/5 stars.

A lead heroine in STEM, an artist hero, friends to lovers, and a slow burn??? The premise of this book sounded amazing but unfortunately it missed the mark for me in the romance department.

I feel like this would’ve been better categorized as women’s fiction rather than a romance. I was so much more invested in Lark’s journey and her friendship dynamics than I was in her relationship with Toby. Lark and Toby as a couple fell completely flat to me. There was no tension or pining that I love to see in the friends to lovers trope. Overall, this wasn’t a total miss for me but it’s not what I was looking for in a romance book.

With a very promising premise and interesting characters, this book would have been served by some deeper developmental editing to really make it sing. I also would have loved to see a little more introspection, and even respect for, the sex work element of the book and the clients that Lark communicates with. Overall, I enjoyed the character development and I am always enthusiastic for a friends-to-lovers trope. I look forward to trying this author again!

Good initial premise but the intervening friend came off as annoying and overbearing.

Friends to lovers

The lengths this friend had to go to just to try to get a date was not my favorite either

Text Appeal by Amber Roberts

This book had so many things going for it that I wanted to love so much, but unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. There are good components but something just wasn’t quite right.

It’s a big will they, won’t they charade throughout this book. The push & pull of the romance was a lot for me.

I loved the concept of this book. I wanted to adore the book but I struggled to connect with the main character. It took quite a bit to get to there but I did appreciate how things came together at the end.

I’m rounding this up to 3 stars.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I received a complimentary advanced reader copy via Net Galley, all views expressed are my own.

I was admittedly excited to receive a book about a nerdy girl finding love and it didn't disappoint. The protagonist Lark is a relatable and open narrator, oblivious to to her own potential and the feelings of those around her. After an unwanted aubergine picture is accidentally projected during a project meeting Lark is blamed for the transgressions of a man and pushed to make her own way in the world where she has to navigate what she really wants and how to stand up for herself. In an effort to make ends meet in the meantime her best friend encourages her to send steamy messages for money where she accidentally stumbles upon a genuine connection. But, at the same time she faces an expanding relationship with her longtime friend-crush she has to navigate her own desires, passion, and face her own rather risk-adverse nature. She has to challenge herself if she wants her own happily ever after.

I love the sex-positive presentation and the accuracy of the challenges of navigating the STEM fields as a woman who is immensely capable but looked down on because of her gender. Lark could be a little pathetic, but it was relatable, I would be pretty full of self-pity after getting fired too. The only negative I found was the rather overt manipulation coming from her proclaimed best friend - instead of open communication she went with backhanded machinations in order to get an outcome she wanted without seeming to care about the feelings or struggles of everyone involved. She was forgiven too easily for the way she was outright awful to someone she called a friend.

Overall and excellent read and a delightful and accurate look at the challenges of women being true to themselves.

A fun, nerdy romcom about a coder turned sex worker and her pining for her best friend. I loved the sex positivity of this story, as Lark learns to navigate the world of sexting. My favorite scenes were those similar to the show Sex Education as Lark learns about porn and vibrators. I enjoyed following her journey to become more confident and assertive.