Les be Honest by Sarah Robinson

This was a book that overall I enjoyed.
Yet, it was also a book, that taken as a whole felt middle of the road for me.
It was good.
Was it great? Not for me.
Would I still recommend it? If LGBTQIA+ wlw romance is your thing, then yes.
My big stand out was we do have a great diverse number of side characters through the book. Yet, even this felt perfunctory after a time. It just seemed to become; character, identity, not much else. I personally found it difficult to really care about them.

The story is a quick read, and fun as a whole. The main characters were enjoyable, and while it seemed to take a little time to pick up, I felt once the story found its stride, it held up well.

While I'm marking it 3/5 stars, in reality it feels closer to 3.5/5 but not enough for me to tip it up into the 4 star category.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

The description of the book seemed interesting, so I wanted to check the story out. Unfortunately, I have since lost my initial interest in the story. I may try and find a physical copy to add the my library when it is released, though, because I think my readers could like it!

Robinson's second standalone of the Queerly Devoted universe touches upon many things you want to read in a queer novel: loveable main characters, lesbian bars and the importance of found family. Meet Yas and Tyler: the former a go-with-the-flow optimist preparing to open a lesbian bar in a D.C. suburb; the latter a popular podcast host with a politician father who supports everything about Tyler BUT her queer lifestyle.

Overall, this was a quick enjoyable read that included a lovely and diverse LGBTQIA+ cast of characters, While the relationship between the two main characters starts as fake dating, once they cross the line between friends and lovers, the trope is almost immediately dropped; while I understand the need for the fake dating in the beginning of the story, it felt unnecessary to the rest of the plot. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Yas, Tyler and the rest of their found family, and look forward to reading more books from this universe.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this one because I loved the idea of two women fake dating to try to get a lesbian bar open! I adored the representation of different gender identities and the discussion of LGBTQ plus issues in this book.

It is clear Sarah Robinson is knowledgeable about issues facing the LGBTQ plus community and the DC area. I loved that readers who aren't familiar with some of these issues would learn about them through reading this book. Unfortunately, I did't think the portrayal of mental health issues (while not as large a part of the story) was as accurate. The explanation of how mental health issues are relevant is a spoiler, but it felt like mental health issues were used as a plot device, not an actual exploration of how those issues affect people.

The romance also wasn't there for me in this story. I didn't feel like the main characters had much chemistry and we very infrequently got to see them doing anything other than working on the bar. They got to know each other but I didn't really feel like I got to see them connect.

Overall, I really enjoyed the information and representation included in this story, but the story itself didn't work for me.

This story was very different from what I imagined it would be. I thought I would like it more. As positive points, I point out the construction of the characters and the themes covered about LGBT

Yasmeen Kiani , just arrived in a new neighborhood in a new city, is inspired to use her trust fund to try to open a lesbian bar after meeting the very attractive Tyler Adams. Tyler, her future landlady, is a mysterious figure, more interested in her podcast than real life.

As they navigate the issues to open her bar, their attraction grows, but will things play out as planned?

To be honest, didn't really grab me. A well written novel pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading, while with this I had to remind myself to go read it. Admittedly the characters were nice, I liked the quirky heroine, but alas the book was a slog.

Received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review and feedback

Spicy: 2 star
Overall 3 stars

Story of a trust found person trying to decided what she would like to do with her life. She's encounter several failed business ventures and comes up with an idea to open a bar/hair shop where queer people can go and be themselves in the DC metro area. In looking for the building for her new business venture she falls in love with the daughter of a billionaire that doesn't agree with the queer lifestyle. The daughter believes the her father would do anything for her and convinces the MC to open her business in her fathers building. Daughter and MC start a romantic relationship and the daughter struggles to live her authentic self. At the 11th hour, the billionaire father pulls a stunt that requires the MC to pivot and regroup also causing trouble in their relationship. Forced to come to grips with her father betrayal the daughter makes a public announcement that could permanently damage her father career.

Overall the book was enjoyable and I loved seeing the diversity in the cast of characters. I loved seeing how the each family handled their daughter being part of the LGBTQIA+ community. There wasn't a true love connection between the two main characters and the spicy scenes left a lot to be desired. No depth or descriptions in the scenes and they felt rushed.

I have mixed feelings about this romance. The story itself is fast-paced, easy and fun to read. It's a (mostly) lighthearted lesbian romance that we need more of. Overall, I had a good time reading it.

Unfortunately, I do have some concerns. Especially at the beginning, it felt incredibly preachy. There's this whole paragraph where the main character goes on a rant about how the heteropatriarchy sucks (which, for the record, I agree with) and this would have been fine (if a little awkwardly placed) had there not been a conversation about this very topic a couple of pages later. Instead of showing the reader how heteropatriarchy impacts lesbians through interactions and worldbuilding, we are told this and expected to take this at face value. Similarly, I would have liked to explore the significance of opening a lesbian bar much more. This seems to be very important and personal for the author which shines through not only the author's note in the beginning but also the narration. However, I felt that the narration stayed on a very surface level of quantity by comparing the number of gay bars with the number of lesbian bars in the US. It could have been very meaningful to delve into why having more lesbian bars is such an important thing for not only Yasmeen and Tyler but the community in general. This novel was not intended to be a deep-cutting commentary on lesbian existence and safe space so I understand why this was kept short. However, since the opening of the lesbian bar was of such personal importance for the main characters, it would have also done their characterisation a favour to spend some time on that subject matter.

I adore that the author has made the cast of characters so incredibly diverse. And while they certainly manage to flesh out the most prominent side characters more than usual for a romance novel, it did feel slightly tokenistic. Characters were mentioned and their names were immediately followed up with a certain (marginalised) identity. These identities rarely had any real impact on the plot. I appreciate having a diverse cast and letting people of any background simply exist, however, I also don't think reducing people down to their marginalisation by equating it with their entire being is the correct way to go about it.

The book picks up after the first third and from then on is truly an enjoyable read. These concerns I have mentioned, while bugging me, are and were not so severe that I could not savour the love story between Yasmeen and Tyler. Their banter was fun and their sexual tension was noticeable through the page. And the way Sarah Robinson writes about their intimacy is so heartfelt and candid, you can't help but fall in love a little bit, too.

Cute story! I enjoyed both of the main characters in this story and felt like they balanced each other. I would recommend it to ask readers who enjoy sapphic!

Excellent addition to Baby Bank. The banter was hilarious and it was a fun and easy read. Just what I needed!

This was a cute, quick read. Loved the characters and the banter was hilarious. Hope this becomes a series.

Les Be Honest was such a great book. Not only was the storyline fantastic, but I fell in love with the characters too. This book brought up a lot of important topics for the LGBTA+ community regarding their struggles with maintaining relationships with their families and wanting to create safe spaces within the community for them. I loved how Yasmeen was determined to make that happen with her vision in mind. The romance between Yasmeen and Tyler was cute. I love how their chemistry grew as they pretended to be together to win Tyler’s dad over for the building permit approval. I really enjoyed the ending as they both had to discover what was more important to each of them.

This is the second book in the Queerly Devoted series, but it is as good if you read it as a standalone. Robinson delivered once again with a book with two strong women and a romance with sexy chemistry and is filled with witty dialogue that will make you laugh out loud.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for giving me a copy of the book.

This was another book that was a light and airy, but it was really good. Yasmeen and Tyler were the stars of the book. Yasmeen was African American and a bit of an airhead who was forever starting businesses that flopped. Tyler was white and an award-winning podcaster. Together they decided to open a lesbian bar. Yasmeen's father, sister and brother were very supportive of her gayness, while Tyler's father was totally right-wing and homophobic. But he supported his daughter and everything she did.

Yasmeen and Tyler met when Yasmeen was searching for a site for the bar. It turns out the site she wanted was owned by Tyler's father and Tyler was the manager. They had to get approval by the neighborhood board which they did. But Tyler's father went behind their back and sabotaged everything. So they had to find a new site, which they did.

They did major advertising and they marched in the gay pride parade. That day. Tyler told Yasmeen that she was in love with her and Yasmeen did not handle it well. Tyler left and distanced herself. It wasn't long before Yasmeen realized she was in love with Tyler as well.

Like I said, this book was light and easy, unlike the more intense books I'm accustomed to. But I very much enjoyed it. I identified with the lead characters and I liked the way the story flowed so smoothly. I credit the author for that. And I gave it five stars.

“I honestly don’t understand how sour edible panties didn’t take off" is one hell of an opening line. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations from this opener. I hate to say it, but I HATED almost everyone, especially the main characters. The main conflict of the book surrounds the fact that the love interest's dad is a republican and supports anti-LGBT legislation despite having a gay daughter. Every single person warned the main character this would be an issue, but did she listen? No! Of course not! Because his daughter is hot so it'll be fine (although all the compliments felt like begging ngl eg "I don’t think I’d ever seen someone with a flatter ass before, but it was working for her—and for me.").

The two of them begin their romantic relationship on the prospect of fake dating to win over love interest's dad, expect they immediately sleep together and then she gets mad that they’re not considered dating. I felt like I was being gaslit ngl.

To add to the reasons I despised the mc is: constantly insulting love interest's dog for being small, forced people to accept that they don't give a shit about being punctual, and uses her friends business services for free. I didn't really get on with the writing style, and I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was considering I have also read an arc of baby bank, but here we are. The book featured many queer characters, which is great, but if felt forced with every single one of them introduced by their identity. There are so many better ways to do explain their identities. The book also features the line "I felt like I was living a book plot." which was just SO weird because YOU ARE! You're not real! It instantly pulled me out of the moment.

All of these things combined meant I was begging for the book to be over, and unfortunately despite the queer representation that is much needed in fiction, I hated this. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

This was such a cute little romance. I definitely enjoyed this. It was a fast read. I absolutely loved the ending. This author's writing is amazing. I wish it was a longer read but it was still enjoyable.

'I was trying not to be nervous, but his squinty eyes were literally cutting holes in me like Swiss cheese.'

This book is fast paced and absolutely incredible. A romance between an uptight, rule-stickler and a go-with-the-flow, optimist. This novel touches on the importance of lesbian bars and the safe space they provide for many people. The sexual tension and romance is well-written, I read this story at the gym: and oh my did it get the adrenaline flowing!

The characters are so lovable and relatable. Especially Yasmeen, who has had some failed business and romance attempts in the past but she didn't let that stop her going after what she wants. Tyler who chooses to love her father, despite the hurt it causes her, shows how truly strong and admirable she is.

Sarah Robinson is an amazingly talented author, and I am truly grateful for the beautiful experience that comes with reading her books.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Author Collective 20; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

Les Be Honest is a mostly fun, enjoyable romp following one of the side characters from the first standalone in the series, Baby Bank. While reading the first book will provide context for the various roommates and their situations, it is not necessary to enjoy the story. The drama of Les Be Honest occasionally inspires feelings of dread, as I waited for the situations to come crashing and burning down around the characters' heads, but a little bit deus ex machina manages to pull us back from complete despair. I think what I wanted from this book was a little more in-depth look at Yasmeen opening her bar, and how that process worked, but it's a rom-com and it does what it sets out to do: give us a happily ever after we feel good about!

After several failed businesses—including an edible panties subscription box—the eternally optimistic Yasmeen Kiani feels like her next launch has to be the big break. When she sees a FOR LEASE sign at the corner lot on her street, she decides it’s time to try, try again. While there are over 1,000 gay bars in the United States, there are less than 25 lesbian bars total (a real life fact! See the Lesbian Bar Project)…and Yasmeen has decided that she is going to open the first in her Arlington, VA neighborhood. Unfortunately, the neighborhood is not on board with her plan.

Tyler Adams has been the president of every club or organization she’s ever been involved in. Class valedictorian, president of her college sorority, even prom queen twice, including a high school she didn’t go to. Tyler does nothing second best just like her father, a real estate mogul who she has a close yet tumultuous relationship with and who owns the building she lives in. A full-time podcaster on top of helping her father lease his property out, including to a new business by a woman she finds incredibly attractive, Tyler hosts one of the country’s most listened to shows on true crime yet her personal life and sexuality are the biggest mystery to her fan base. Tyler isn’t used to facing opposition, but Yasmeen is no stranger to having to fight for what she wants and she’s about to teach Tyler that failure isn’t the end of the world—just the beginning of the war.

This had a slow start, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Tyler and Jasmeen are so much fun to read. The dynamics between the two of them are delightful. Sapphic, steamy, full of banter between two strong women. Absolutely loved it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley & Author Collective 20 for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book follows FMC (Yasmeen) as she sets out on a business venture to open a lesbian bar. She ends up falling for the property manager (Tyler), who is also a very successful podcaster, and they work fabulously together to make both of their dreams come true.
There is excellent banter, a push-pull/give-take quality to their relationship that makes it truly a fun read.