Member Reviews
Age-gap sapphic romance between a graduate science student and a famous actress.
This is really cute and spicy. I really enjoyed it. I had a smile on my face the whole time as their relationship developed. I also liked the side characters and the friendship between Rachel and her roommate.
This is the second book I've read from Tiana Warner that's published by Ylva Publishing and I've really enjoyed them both.
This sapphic romance included a couple of my favorite romance tropes- celebrity romance and age-gap. 20-something graduate student, Rachel, manages to meet her long-time celebrity, 40-something Cate, when she is filming a movie in her neighborhood. The story is told from Rachel's POV, so at times it seemed a bit juvenile, especially the scenes with her roommate.
This story is both sweet and a little spicy. Both Rachel and Cate have their own issues to work through- Rachel has a fear of being photographed (obviously an issue when dating a celebrity) and Cate has a vengeful ex-husband. Obviously, they still find their way to their HEA.
This was quick read, it was low-angst, had some fun side characters- my favorite was Cate's assistant. I felt like the pacing was off, and the chemistry between the MC's could have been stronger. So, while not my favorite, a decent read. I would read more by Tiana Warner in the future, if given the opportunity.
I received this book as an eARC from Ylva Publishing through NetGalley and this review is based on my own opinion.
This book was a quick and short read and for me it was okay to read once but nothing really special.
I can't really say if it was the story itself because it wasn't necessarily badly written, or that these f/f, big age gap tropes just weren't my thing.
The main characters were nice, but I did like the roommate character more than the main ones.
Would still recommend this if you're into:
- dating a celeb
- big age gap
- f/f romance
Adorable romance!! I enjoyed every aspect of this, the cutesy characters, the viscious ex, the fancy celebrity vs science nerd, the awkwardness. Absolutely fun. Recommend to anyone!
Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review
I received a review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Rachel Janssen, a medical physics student, is coming home from a camping trip with her heart broken by a straight girl she believed to be interested in her. She is surprised to see that her street has been turned into a movie set in the one night she was away. When she looks back at the set from her front door, Rachel sees that Cate Whitney, a middle-aged, A-list actress, and her lesbian awakening, is on the cast and looking right back at her. She sneaks into the set that same day and ends up in an embarrassing situation right in front of Cate. She uses her knowledge of Marie Curie's work and life to avoid getting into trouble, but Cate becomes interested in her offer to be a science consultant. Once they begin to spend time together, speakers fly and they both have to confront their past to give a chance to their future.
This book was an easy and quick read that I mostly enjoyed. The reference to Cate Blanchett is a bit too obvious and made the first few chapters of the book feel more like a fanfic about her. Rachel's stalker-like behavior in the beginning also bothered me a little, especially because she doesn't get called out on it. However, the main characters interactions get better and they have believable chemistry. One thing that I missed was the chance to see things from Cate's point of view as well, I believe it would have helped to make her interest more real from the get-go and may have helped the story feel less rushed. Abby, Rachel's best friend, is a fun character who steals the scene a few times. The villain, Cate's ex-husband, is not a strong character, and it didn't feel convincing that he could get away with some of the things he did without getting caught. The ending is sweet, but it also felt a bit rushed. I wish there was an epilogue so we could see how things settled after the final scene in the book. From Fan to Forever is a good, light read that you will certainly enjoy if you like age-gap, celebrity romances. 3.5 stars
4.0
Setting: Vancouver, Canada
Rep: lesbian protagonist; sapphic love interest; POC best friend
This was a quick and cute read with some of my favourite elements - fame trope; age gap; sapphic romance - and I really liked Cate, and Abby was a great side character. I do think Rachel probably needs to work some more on her self esteem and insecurity in order to be in a relationship with Cate but they make a good couple and I enjoyed this story!
NetGalley review
The cover art for this does not work for me, it almost made me not want to read it. Also the title is a little cringy, but all of that aside this book is just delightful. This was a fun, light read that exceeded my expectations. The characters are like able, the plot isn’t too serious and the relationship seemed oddly plausible. Who doesn’t want to fall in love with their gay awakening?!
Really enjoyed this one. The book was sweet, the characters drew me in, and it was heavily laced with drama, intrigue, and humor between detailed and descriptive sex scenes. A bit short & I think it's technically an erotica, but it's well written & well done as a wish fulfillment fantasy.
This book was hard for me to get into. I'm not a huge fan of age gap and this one seemed pretty unrealistic with how they met and started off. I honestly enjoyed the roommate more than the MC's.
The writing was good and the plot wasn't bad, but it felt too rushed and chaotic at times. There didn't seem to be much character development and the excess drama was too much.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book, but I liked The Road Trip Agreement much better.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Medical Physics student Rachel Janssen just made the biggest mistake ever, falling for a straight girl. She knew better, she really did, and yet. She’s coming home from a camping trip, somewhat broken-hearted and definitely ready for a shower. She’s surprised to find a movie shooting right outside her apartment, a movie starring Cate Whitney, a gorgeous, middle-aged star, and the subject of every lesbian’s fantasies. When Rachel sneaks into the craft services tent on set, she never thought she’d actually meet Cate, let alone have a conversation and get a job offer as a consultant on the film. As the chemistry builds between them, Cate must confront her messy past with her ex-husband, and Rachel has to deal with her aversion to the limelight if they’re going to turn their attraction into more.
This book was adorable. Who wouldn’t want a chance encounter with their movie-star crush and a chance at a fling, let alone a relationship with them? Dream come true. Except, sometimes the reality is less than Hollywood perfect. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters, and Rachel’s roommate was a hoot, someone you’d definitely want as a best friend. The perfect romcom book if you’re in the mood for something cute, sweet, with a few deeper emotions here and there. Definitely recommend.
When Uni student Rachel sneaks onto the movie set next door to her home to hopefully meet her celebrity crush she can’t believe the first person she runs into is her. Cate is immediately drawn to the younger woman. This Canadian summer age gap romance takes the reader on an emotional ride as both women have relationship baggage holding them back.
I really enjoyed reading Rachel’s point of view and Warners style of writing really draws the reader in. Highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for this eARC!
I devoured this book! I've had Tiana Warner on my radar for a while for her Valkyrie duology. I own the books but apparently haven't been in the headspace to read them. But this one popped up, and I couldn't put it down!
It's interesting reading two celebrity romances back to back, to note where they differ and where they have similarities. As expected, both this title and Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous both deal with the toxic side of fame culture. This one is a little bit more in your face, in that the A-list actress' toxic ex is an actual character that appears in scenes, rather than someone who is talked about second hand through news stories and the like as it is in Everyone I Kissed. Both are handled very well, imo.
The age-gap romance I was cautious about...they can be a bit hit and miss, sometimes dipping into toxic control territory. It was lovely to see how much that wasn't an issue here. While the age difference is mentioned, maybe once or twice, both characters remain on equal footing, even during their brief break-up, in-spite of circumstances trying in story trying to change that. Rachel and Cate have incredible chemistry, and the spice when it arrives is top tier!
If I have any qualms about the book, I thought the ease with which it wrapped up was a minor one. Don't get me wrong, the characters deserve their HEA. I just would have liked to see Rachel working through her shit a bit more. Through so much of the text she has almost crippling anxiety about her worthiness to be worth Cate and issues with being on camera, up until she didn't. But at least it's mentioned that she's going to go to therapy to work on stuff. But yeah, that was honestly minor.
All in all, Tiana is a wonderful writer, and I really need to get on her Valkyrie YA! 4.5 stars.
This is the book I've been waiting for months to read. I love a good romance with lots of drama, adult characters who act their age, with a few steamy love scenes thrown in for good measure. So many of the books I've read recently have fallen way short, but this book hit it out of the ballpark.
I loved the characters. Even though Rachel is on the young side, she is mature and knows what she wants. On a whim and a dare, Rachel decides to try to sneak her way onto a movie set that is set up next to her apartment just so she can meet her dream actress whom she's been crushing on since her teenage years. Surprisingly, the actress Cate (who by my estimation is loosely based on a famous Australian actress of the same name), likes Rachel immediately and lets her into her world. Normally, this is where a story would fall apart for me because it's an unlikely scenario. But this writer set it up masterfully so that it didn't feel farfetched.
Throw in a jealous ex-husband, a ton of insecurities, and some mistrust, and you end up with this fun, roller coaster of a ride book. Well done! I'd like to see a sequel!
I loved this book! When I started reading and saw that the movie star character was named Cate, I saw the similarities between that character & Cate Blanchett.
The main characters are Cate & Rachel. Cate is a famous movie star and Rachel is a student working on her masters in physics. When Rachel sees a movie set near her apartment, she is interested. When she sees that her favorite actress and crush are there, she is thrilled. When Rachel tells her roommate about Cate being on set, her roommate dares her to talk to her. Rachel does more than talk, she sneaks onto the set and literally where Cate is. Rachel asks Cate is the producer is looking for a consultant on the film, since the film is about Marie Curie and Rachel knows a lot about her work. Cate wants to pick her brain about Marie Curie so she can do the part justice. They start spending time together and get to know one another. But, things do not go so smoothly as Rachel would like.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Ylva Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review!
This is the first adult book of Tiana Warner's I've read; the others have been Mermaids of Eriana Kwai. Unfortunately, I started out being taken out by Cate Whitney being. . . well, Cate Blanchett. Presumably, at least. I've never been the type of lesbian into Cat Blanchett, which admittedly puts me a little at odds with the book, which continued only further as the "meet cute" (invading a film set, lying to get past security, and then being possessive over. . . someone else taking a picture?)
Cate's ex also felt cartoonishly villainish, and I felt as if the sex scenes (where 23 year old Rachel is the best person 41 year old Cate's ever had sex with) didn't. . . I know it's a romance but it felt too cliche. I definitely like Warner's YA books better, I feel!
Warner's use of the celebrity falls in love with the normie trope really worked for me.
Thank you to Ylva Publishing and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.
This was such a good book! I love Rachel. She is such a great character who is immediately lovable. Cate is complicated and guarded and it’s a nice contrast. Abby is my favorite character through. She is the best friend everyone needs!
I loved this book and will totally reread it again. I read this in one sitting and it was so worth it!
Oh, dating your favourite celebrity, what a dream come true.
Normally i dont prefer celeb/fan love story, but Tianna Warner is my new fav author and everyone keep talking about the book so i decide to give it a try.
Cate Whitney is a big star, down-to-earth and calm woman. Its so easy to love her, just like she's the queer awakening star to every single girls (including Rachel).
And Rachel is one ordinary big naive nerd. She's hilarious sometimes. One reckless moment that leads her to the filming tent, an awkward first meet and an opening for many new things later.
Generally, the book is easy to read. From Rachel point of view, everything sounds a bit silly, starstrucks and so funny. I would recommend this story for a chill summer evening.
Hot lesbian celeb, meet the smart sexy woman who's been crushing on you forever.
I really enjoyed this fast easy read. I love the celeb trope, and sapphic age-gap books are almost always a must-read for me. My only complaint would be that the age gap thing didn't seem to make any difference for the story, and legitimately, a 20 year gap should present at least some issues. This one was not particularly memorable, but it was still a fun afternoon. ❤️
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!
From Fan to Forever is a sweet, celebrity rom-com that has a ton of chemistry and just as much heart. It is told from the perspective of Rachel, a 20-something med student who has the good fortune of breaking into the set’s craft services tent to meet her celebrity crush. Hilarity, love, and mustard pants ensue.
This is the second book I’ve read by this author, the first being The Road Trip Agreement, and it has cemented her place in my Authors I Can Depend On shelf (look it up, it’s a thing). The writing is immersive without being overly wordy, easy to read without feeling rushed. Where this book truly shines is the chemistry between the two mc’s. Warner perfectly captures both the palpable chemistry and sizzling spicy scenes as well as the swoon-worthy adorableness of falling for someone and for me, both are necessary in any good romance novel.
The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars was I felt that Rachel’s 3rd act character growth and their reunion felt a bit forced and rushed. I also thought it was a little trope-heavy at times, but hey some people are into that.
I received an advanced copy of this ebook from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.