I was really excited for the premise of Text Appeal. The story overall had a strong start. I liked the characters and the anticipated romance. Unfortunately, the book just wasn't my favorite. I found the chemistry between Lark and Toby a bit lacking. While the author makes an effort at tension, it just wasn't enough for my liking. Of course this is a personal preference. I would have honestly preferred the book focused on Lark's journey, her friendships and growths instead. Aside from my personal tastes in regards to the plot, I do think Roberts is a talented writer and I found the flow of the book good. It was just okay for me.

Decided to DNF this one at 34% on audio. I definitely had high hopes for this one! LGBTQ woman in stem! YES PLEASE. However; once one of the main events happens to Lark, the way author Amber Roberts writes from there left me feeling kind of meh. I felt like
a. the author was putting it out there that sex working is a last resort for some people - grant it, I don't have experience with this but I'm not open to yuck someone's yum
and
b. the snide comments about sexual experiences as Lark was texting people- not the way that shedding positive lights should feel

Thank you Alcove Press for my earc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Text Appeal review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 2⭐️/not for me

The synopsis of this one gave me The Nanny vibes, but unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. The relationship between Lark and Toby didn’t have tension and anticipation, and I’d hoped for more fun banter. Lark being a new sex worker had a ton of potential that I’d hoped to see developed into something fun and sexy, which never quite came to fruition. I also never understand stubbornness in characters when they try to justify why they shouldn’t be together, when there’s no real reason why they shouldn’t, and that was the case here. Finally, the friend group was also lacking a bit here. Teagan, while trying to be a fun, carefree character, came off as wild and over the top… although I’d be interested in reading if she ever gets her own book, maybe my feelings would be swayed! Overall, a miss for me but I’d certainly try this author again in the future.

This book started out strong for me, but it ended up losing me by about 50%. Based on the concept of the book, I was certain I was going to love it. It just ultimately ended up falling flat for me. I will not be likely to read more from this author.

It wasn’t my cup of tea. I think that a lot of it felt forced and fell flat. While the first part of the story was going great it seems like it kinda petered out the last half. It was an interesting premise but it wasn’t exactly as I’d hoped. I was hoping for fun banter and I got awkwardness. The cover really drew me in as well as the blurb.

I was super excited to read this book! I wasn't able to finish it in time, but I enjoyed the part that I read. It was quite what I was hoping for, but it was still good.

"Text Appeal" by Amber Roberts is a fun and flirty romantic comedy that had me laughing and rooting for the characters' romance. This novel is a delightful blend of humor, chemistry, and the modern-day challenges of digital communication.

Roberts' writing style is witty and engaging, immersing readers in a world of playful banter and endearing interactions. The chemistry between the main characters is electric, and their exchanges via text messages add a contemporary twist to their budding romance.

At the heart of the narrative is a lighthearted exploration of modern dating dynamics and the ups and downs of getting to know someone through technology. The author skillfully navigates the challenges and joys of building a connection in the digital age.

"Text Appeal" successfully balances humor with moments of genuine emotion, resulting in a narrative that is both entertaining and heartwarming. The themes of love, miscommunication, and the power of taking chances add depth to the story.

In conclusion, "Text Appeal" is a delightful and entertaining read that delivers a perfect mix of laughter and romance. If you're looking for a book that offers a feel-good escape with characters you can't help but root for, this novel is a fantastic choice that will leave you with a smile on your face.

This was a case of perfect on paper, but not quite hitting the mark in actuality. It had all the elements that I'm all for in real life, with sex positive characters and women in technology, but after reading a few books with these themes, I've found that I just don't connect and relate to them as much as I think I would.

Lark is a self-taught junior developer at a dude-bro infested tech form, where she is always looked over for promotions and generally harassed. When her chaotic best friend Teagan sets forth a chain of events at a night out at the bar that ultimately results in her being fired, she finds herself freelancing as a sexter on a pay by the minute app to make ends meet. Despite her lack of relationship experience, she slowly finds her nerdy niche by using her love of fantasy and role playing games. She soon makes a connection with a regular texter as more of a friend, and has to weigh her growing feelings for the mystery man against her long term pining for her college friend, Toby. With a predictable and lackluster ending, Text Appeal had great potential for me but just couldn't quite hit the spot.

This book did not at all live up to the blurb. I wanted so much more, but alas. I felt absolutely zero connection between Toby and Lark, to the point that even the sex scenes were boring and felt forced. I don't hav much more to say. I wished for better.

"my deep-rooted wish to be respected despite my gender , rather than objectified because of it."

After Lark finds herself jobless and broke, with bills and rental looming she knows she needs to find a way to accumulate funds. Thanks to her over eager best friends she ventures into the world of becoming a professional sexter (to her detriment it's the only option she has to making a quick buck). With some advice, exploration and a little copy and paste, Lark soon becomes familiar with the ropes. There's one problem though, she doesn't want her best friend and ultimate crush, Toby finding her secret out. .

A funny, witty and light read that will have you cringing with embarrassment on Larks behalf.

Firstly I’d like the thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!! 🥰😘

I really enjoyed the sex positive and female positive feel to Text Appeal ❤️❤️ Lark really is a badass!! The book is brilliant at showing the sexism in the industry she works in versus how she takes control of her life after they shame her horribly (not that they don’t already take the complete advantage of her at any opportunity).

It’s a super cute read as well, Toby is lovely and their friendship is adorable but I did find it frustrating on the romance side…I wanted them to be…well spicier. They were just not quite naughty enough for me. I’m not taking actually smut, I’m talking them as people together. They just seemed a little lacking somehow even though they were perfect? She had spicer conversations with her friends than with him?

Over all I did enjoy the book and would recommend it 🥰❤️ Larks brilliant and the storyline is a great one 3.5✨

I liked this book but had a hard time getting into it. Once the story picked up, I liked it. The concept of the book was super cute. It was spicy and funny which I definitely can appreciate.

The cover is so cute for this book. Unfortunately the book falls flat. I didn't really connect with the characters or the plot. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy reading it.

Great debut novel.
The writing is quirky and very inviting. I love the premise and felt it was executed well.
I think it could have used the tiniest bit of swoon factor a bit more, since it was very "admire from afar" but overall a great debut!

I've never seen a rating that's genuinely so low on Goodreads, so I'm not going to go into a whole lot of detail - clearly I'm not alone in saying that I did not love the book. I liked the concept and the cover, so I was excited to dig into this one. I'm a sucker for texting in books, and I liked the idea of her falling in an unexpected way with someone she already has feelings for. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't work for me - from the start - and the friendships felt toxic. I didn't really like any of the characters. So it was tough to get emotionally invested in the romance, and I ended up doing some skimming before ultimately leaving it unfinished.

Lark’s efforts are never enough in the tech bro culture she works in - her ideas aren’t taken seriously unless repeated louder by a man who will ultimately take credit for it ( and believe her, he will). When she unexpectedly loses her job, however, she’s forced to find a new way to pay rent. Despite how uncomfortable she is with the whole thing, her friends convince her to start sexting for cash. And sure, the app is filled with pervs, but the cash starts flowing in. As does a connection with the guy who simply wants to chat - no sexting needed.

This is objectively a fun concept, and I love it when books or media legitimize sex work as real work! I really liked how Lark went from kind of clueless about how to sext, to being mostly good at it(even if she was still copy and pasting her friend group sourced material most of the time). Her strong connection with her nerdy client is definitely a different experience, because she was comfortable just being herself.

I love friends to lovers, so I was rooting for Toby and Lark for the whole book - these two could not be cuter!! Their chemistry was so sweet, and the stigma that Lark faces when grappling with when to tell Toby that she was a sex worker was such great tension.

There were laugh out loud moments, and really sweet ones. I enjoyed this book a lot! I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a spicy little treat.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the eArc

This was fine, pretty cringey because of the sexting, which is easy to have go really wrong really quick. The friendship was toxic and I was just waiting for her to stand up for herself. Pro: very sex positive! Not too much to say, honestly it will probably be forgotten in my brain quite quickly.

Text Appeal by Amber Roberts was a cute read but I feel like the marketing and blurb missed the mark a bit. Amber Roberts writes friends-to-lovers well, building in and developing the emotional connection and tension between Lark and Toby in a natural progression. The pieces that fall short are the sexting -- we're "told" Lark is uncomfortable, but the writing doesn't really show that until we get to Lark's only real conversations with Toby in disguise. Added to that is the disingenuous behavior of the best friend and friend group. The first half of the story felt more like Literary Fiction than Romance, and while I do think that there is a market for that, Text Appeal might not land with those looking for a STEM-forward, steamy or spicy friends to lovers. That being said, I enjoyed seeing Lark build herself up from nothing and start a new business, showing that women can be strong and empowered and don't need to rely on men or get stuck under the glass ceiling to make themselves successful.

This was a really fun read. If you are a fan of friends to lovers, slow burn and STEM, then this book will be for you!

Lark's journey is one that you will immediately be sucked into and from the start you will be rooting for her. After loosing her job, Lark takes up sexting, as expected their are a more than a few weird people she encounters but after some time she starts to enjoy it. Whilst she has this going on, she is trying to hide her crush on her friend Toby. She also thinks she is doing a good job of hiding her sexting job from him.....

Some of the messages and interactions were funny to read and did provide a comedy element to the book. Whilst the Toby/Lark relationship was nice to see develop, I just felt it missed the mark slightly. I didn't really catch on to any real chemistry between the two. It wasn't very exciting and because of this, the book lost be just over half way through.

I am giving it 3 stars as I did enjoy the story line, the romance element just wasn't there for me.

I was really excited to read this book. With all the STEM related rom coms hitting the shelves, I was ready to read a new to me author. This book has great potential but it just moved too slow for me. Maybe slow burn was the idea, but I struggled to finish. I did love the concept though and I’m always a sucker for friends to enemies type books.