Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I found the writing style difficult to follow and rather stilted in my opinion. I also wasn't a fan of most of the storyline.

4.5 stars

I love a book that can help open up my perspective as well as be so freaking affirming.

Cleo was so relatable and real and beautiful. Her anxieties were so spot on for me too. I felt so much for her! I got frustrated and angry for things she had to deal with, and also elated and heartbroken. I loved her whole journey. I loved her beautiful friendship with Jude. What they are to each other, it was just everything. I loved how she got out there and experienced life and how much she became comfortable in herself by the end.

This but was real and raw and just absolutely wonderful. I couldn’t put it down!

Oh Claire Christian! Claire’s novels either break my heart or fill me with joy. There is no in-between!

WEST SIDE HONEY is nothing but joy. I’ve seen the term ‘empowering’ used in so many reviews about this book & I whole heartedly agree! The whole book had me cheering & nodding. For me, it was the literary equivalent of pumping late ‘90s, early ‘00s pop hits to psyche myself up for a good day. Basically, WEST SIDE HONEY is a feel-good jam in a book.

I adored the maturity of the dialogue in this story. Wants & needs are expressed straight up & honestly. There is no miscommunication trope (urgh) in sight.

There were so many words of wisdom for the fantastic characters like Cleo & Jude. The kinds of things that I want the strong, brilliant women in my life to hear &, I realised while reading this, the kinds of things I need to listen to too. I’ve actually already bought & gifted a copy of this book to one such brilliant friend and I really feel like it’s the kind of book women in particular will want to share with the people they love and want to champion.

I’ll admit that the conclusion to WEST SIDE HONEY did leave me a little torn. It challenged me & is something I’m still pondering. I love Claire’s daring to create this story, knowing it will challenge readers, and I loved the exploration of relationships throughout the book.

Sexy & empowering. I adored this brilliant Aussie rom com!

West Side Honey is a delightful (to use a word from last night, 'resplendent'!) read. It follows florist Cleo as she explores co-parenting and dating after a tough relationship breakdown 💐

As always, Christian's humour and authenticity shines through in her writing. The theme of unabashed love in friendships, a focus in last night’s launch, really came through in West Side Honey. A lovely, heartfelt novel! 📚💖

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

📚West Side Honey - Claire Christian📚

Before picking this up I had heard so many good things so I couldn’t help but request it (even though I have sooo many books on my unread shelf 🙈). Well, it certainly did not disappoint and I simply could not put it down - It was an absolute page-turner and I devoured it in a day! 🥰

It was so honest and refreshing with such loveable and relatable characters, written with so much depth and poignancy but in the most lighthearted way, which I just adored. It truly takes you on a journey through allll of the emotions and what’s not to love about that?! 😍

I loved the sex-positivity representation and the focus on what some may label as “less-traditional” relationships. It is so thought-provoking, explores topics of friendship and rediscovery of self and I just loved Claire’s writing style - I will 100% read anything she writes!

What you can expect:
💐Motherhood vs. dating scene
💐Female friendships
💐Toxic men (and one not so toxic 🥵)
💐Self-discovery
💐Flowers!

I loved this book so much and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy for my collection 😍 will definitely be one I re-read in the future!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Available to purchase now 😍🥳

Thank you so much to @netgalley @text_publishing and @claireandpearl for sending me this to review 🙏🏻

4.5★s
West Side Honey is the third novel by Australian playwright and author, Claire Christian. The eighteen months since thirty-seven-year-old florist, Cleo Novak has split from her husband have been filled with work at West Side Honey, and caring for her daughter, Frankie and son, Andy. Luckily she and her best friend Jude have set up what they call their “mummune”, two mums, three kids and lots of fun and support for each other.

Then her ex agrees to a week on, week off arrangement, and suddenly, she has a degree of freedom. Once she overcomes the guilt and worry at handing over her babies into his care, she’s convinced by Jude to get out there and have some fun. Mixed success at hooking up for some much-needed sex sees her friend and employee at her florist, Farida helping her out. Farida jumps at the chance to become her dating app broker, initiating contact on Cleo’s behalf with men she deems have potential.

Damage repair to her front of shop after a car crash yields a hot carpenter, from whom she tries, with difficulty, to maintain a professional distance. Her best dating app outcomes are a non-binary barista and a non-monogamous librarian. Also in the mix are her very supportive parents, a wise counsellor whose advice is always sound, and a dance instructor skilled at empowering the women she teaches.

There’s plenty of dark humour in Cleo’s various dating encounters, which involve both disappointing and highly satisfactory experiences. Because ‘My bar was set so bloody low’ with her terrible ex, it takes Cleo quite a bit of time, and a few life dramas, to discover exactly what she wants, and that she’s allowed to ask for it, that she deserves to be happy. With that honesty comes acceptance that conventional relationships are not her only choice.

Readers should be aware that this is a tale with quite a lot of sex, some of it explicit, and that the characters do freely use expletives. Christian’s latest offering is funny, candid, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing.

I have been waiting for this one! After LOVING It's Been A Pleasure Noni Blake, I went in with very high expectations for West Side Honey - and I was not disappointed! Once again, Claire Christian has delivered a book that is funny, sexy and gives you all the warm, fuzzy feelings.

I sunk into this book in one sitting and adored the characters and world Claire created. Cleo was a supermum and I loved seeing her grow in confidence and discovering what she wants in life and love. Of course, I loved the love interests introduced...they are as swoon-worthy as the Viking. However, the element of this book that stood out to me was the power of friendship. The bond between Cleo, Jude and Farida made my heart sing, and reminded me why I love being a woman.

I cannot wait to hear what people think of the last quarter of this book...I was shocked and speechless, and am still processing how it ended. Personally I wanted a different ending regarding Cleo's romantic situation, but as long as she was happy, I was happy! 🫶 What I can tell you is that I bloody love Cleo and the beautiful messages of empowerment, exploration and female friendship that this book champions.

I absolutely loved It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake so was very excited to receive an ARC from Text Publishing of Claire Christian's new release which follows Cleo, divorced mum of 2 and owner of West Side Honey a florist shop that isn't doing so well.

She lives with her best friend Jude and her child and I couldn't help but fall in love with Jude and the incredible friendship that they have. We follow Cleo as she discovers herself again. She dances, she dates and she learns about who she is and what she wants.

While there were parts of the book I struggled to relate to in regard to the casualness of the dating scene there was also parts of the story that bought tears to my eyes as we follow along with Cleo on her journey.

Another wonderful novel from Claire Christian.

Thank you to @textpublishing for the gifted copy.

West Side Honey was exactly what I was expecting, and hoping for when cracking open a Claire Christian novel. It was wholesome, vulnerable, funny, sexy, and honest - and I loved it.

Reading a novel with two love interests, but not a love triangle per se was really interesting for me, I had conflicting feelings around it, but that's more to do with society's rigid ideas of what a relationship looks like, and I absolutely love Claire for writing something that is a little more unconventional but very much a reality - push those publishing boundaries legend!!

The characters have such life, Cleo's trials feel very real, loved the depiction of therapy - it was all in all just a great novel, and as always I look forward to seeing what Claire brings us next.

This book was a different read for me but I felt like I learnt from it. Overall it was probably a three star read but I added a star because I just love Claire's writing style. I would have preferred the book if all of the men involved were open to having an open relationship instead of just one of them.

West Side Honey is Brisbane author Claire Christian's latest novel. The story follows Cleo, a divorced mother of two, as she navigates her new normal of shared custody with her hopeless ex and the amount of time she now has on her hands to put her own needs at the forefront. Cleo finally has the time to invest in her flower shop, take a dance class and start dating.

The pacing of this story is quite slow, you often feel like nothing is really happening, you're just going through the paces of every day life. However, it's through this that we see Cleo branch out and work on / add these new things to her life, and subsequently we see how she grows.

WSH might initially come across as a romance novel, however don't be fooled. Whilst there is a lot of story around Cleo's dating life, ultimately it's a side plot. The story is more about navigating life through a new set of challenges. I found some the scenarios the MC faced to be relatable to a similar period in my own life, minus the fabulous mum-mune environment she has with Jude. The characters are likeable, even her ex at times.

If you're looking for a great read about a journey to self acceptance and living life on your own terms, West Side Honey is worth adding to your TBR.

Didn’t finish this one. Not really my style of book or subject matter that interests me.
Have rated it 3stars because the writing is fine and it will certainly appeal to a certain group of readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was in a massive romance kick and noticed this was by an Australian author and just had to read it!

“West Side Honey” follows a recently divorced florist struggling to heal and get by with the help of her best friend/roommate.

Our main character Cleo learns to live without her abusive ex-husband by deciding to casually date again in her her late thirties.

After many failed attempts a small love triangle ensues between a younger polyamorous artist and Cleo’s shop contractor in a completely charming way.

Clair Christian captures hopeless casual dating perfectly and creates a character I was able to to relate to despite being in the early twenties and never married.

For this I rated this book 3.5 stars out of five (rounded up to 4)!

Claire writes beautifully. The characters are real, the setting is stunning, the flowers, the friendships, the kids, it all pulls together. It’s steamy, sexy and very messy.
But.
Maybe because the novel subverts the paradigms of romantic fiction, I struggled a bit. Maybe this is contemporary fiction and not romance, with its message of self love and self acceptance, and how we get this one chance to live our best life, our own life.

I recommend for readers that don’t need all the standard rom com tropes to be satisfied. Well done Claire!

… and thanks so very much to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the ARC.

EARLY REVIEW: West Side Honey by Claire Christian

Joyous. Exuberant. Heartwarming. Hopeful.

Once again, @claireandpearl has written a refreshing, modern love-story to friends, family, and well, life… Serving as a reminder to find your true self and try your damnedest not to lose your sparkle, West Side Honey takes a peek at Cleo’s journey as she navigates joint-custody agreements, a floundering flower business, and of course, the dating world.

I adored all of the characters (the ones we were meant to love, naturally) and all the honesty in their relationships. Cleo was smart and forthright and beautiful and flawed and funny and strong. The love interest(s) in this were an absolute breath of fresh air, in that they were emotionally intelligent and communicated with ease (?!), and I can only imagine the world we could have if we spoke to each other like the characters in this book! Oh my!

All in all, just like It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake, this book is a funny, body positive, queer, feminist delight. Oh and also, I need more books set in flower shops…drop a recommendation if you’ve come across any 🌻-Mika

We are back with another cracker from Claire Christian. I mean It’s Been a Pleasure Noni Blake was bloody great and West Side Honey is a close second! The book follows the unraveling of Cleo, two kids, a broken marriage (for the better, Doug = red flags), her florist business and of course her juicy sex life.

I really did enjoy this, however I got to 70% and was like ummmm okay, is anything going to happen here? Well something does happen… this kept me going. It goes to a place that I didn’t think we would go but alas, here we are.

Cleo and Jude are the ultimate gal pal “I’ll never leave your side” kinda friendship. They tell it how it is and encourage every part of this emotional and physical journey. I laughed out loud, like cackled (v embarrassing) and I cried real tears (Cleo talking about her dad). This will be a hoot for people and will fly off the shelves. I can’t wait to see Claire at Avid Reader in April!

Unfortunately I think this one just wasn’t for me.
The premise was great, I really empathised with Cleo on her journey and loved the mix in relationships we saw with her kids and bestfriend.
However, the range of relationships she had ongoing at the same time just wasn’t for me. I struggled to connect with her as we delved further into the story, and I think this was more so because I was uncertain where the story would lead and who she would end up with. The lack of certain direction didn’t sit well with me.
Overall, it was a very well written story but not for me.

First of all a big thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of this beauty. I will never* ask for anything else again!

Cleo is a mum of two, she lives with her best friend in what they’ve coined a ‘mummune’, and her and her ex have just begun a new week on-week off custody agreement leaving Cleo, for the first time in years, facing time by herself - and for herself.

I loved going on this journey with Cleo!! There is love and loss and adventure and sex and tears and therapy.

I found, much like ‘It’s been a pleasure Noni Blake’, this story was written in a relatable and personable voice. It is sexy, inclusive, emotional and fun. 👏👏👏 @claireandpearl I loved it!

*no promises

DNF at 70%. Normally I would not DNF a book so late in the game, but I wanted to give this a really good go due to the fact I liked the author's previous It's Been a Pleasure Noni Blake and that they are a Brisbane author. I do think you will like this book if you enjoy stories about women Going Through Something, about searching for meaning in modern life, about friendships and connections and Journey of Self-Discovery stuff. Full confession - I do not and ultimately I think that's why I did not finish it.

Our main character Cleo's got a horrid ex-husband who doesn't even do the bare minimum, a struggling flower shop and a non-existent love-life. She does, however, have great kids and the world's greatest friend - also a single mum who she lives with in a co-habitation situation where they parent their children together (sounds so amazing it could not work in real life?). She also has the coolest employee who is an outgoing, worldly Gen Z who does a drag king act in her spare time. Plus, great parents (everyone loves her dad) who help with babysitting whenever she needs. She starts questioning her life when her ex requests a change to their custody arrangements and she suddenly has childless time to fill.

Unfortunately the story and the main character just didn't hold my interest. Though I was happy enough reading the author's previous book about 20-something Noni on her sex-ventures around the world, I was strangely uninterested in Cleo's very similar story. The only difference between the two? Cleo is a 30-something single mother who decides to join the city's Tinder scene and promptly starts having a string of sexual encounters, but without the glamorous and exciting travel part.

So where's my issue? Perhaps that I was expecting a romance and this is not a traditional romance story. There's not one love interest but several and she is sleeping with all of them - Cleo is playing the field and no judgement, you do you girl. But unlike Noni Blake, these sexy times with multiple different guys are concurrent, not consecutive, and that somehow made a difference to me. She's open about the situation with all her partners, but I can't even compare it to a Why Choose romance (which I also enjoy) because the relationship dynamics are not the same. Again, it's not wrong, just different (unique?) and I don't think I've ever read any book with this kind of sexual relationship web.

Add to that the slow pace, a lot of navel-gazing and therapy-talk and a sub-plot where her ex looks like he's getting a redemption arc and I just wasn't excited to pick up the book each day. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to the the book blurb "how can you work out what you really, really want unless you try a bit of everything?" There's a lot of little bits of everything happening at the same time in the story; from Cleo dealing with her ex's behavior, a crisis at the flower shop, her dating adventures and her career worries, to navigating her relationship with her best friend and even taking up dancing lessons as well.

If you like contemporary fiction focused on women, I think you'll be rewarded by reading this as I can't fault the writing. Ultimately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thanks to the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC, this book is out in April.

*3.5 stars*
Cleo and her two young children are currently sharing a house with her best friend Jude and her son. It’s a great arrangement but Cleo now has to start sharing weekly custody arrangements with her no hoper ex husband. Can she start to live a life for herself and find love.
I can see how this can really appeal, I felt Cleo was a likeable character with great quirky friends. There was a number of ‘sexy bedroom’ scenes and a bit of language which might put a few readers off…Cleo wasn’t afraid to have a good time in that area but for myself it wasn’t a problem.
Although I relatively enjoyed this and found it an easy read, I do think I’m about 20 years or so out of the ideal demographic for this.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.