A gorgeous cover with the promise of a whimsical adventure with fae and romance? What’s not to love?

I was quite excited to get an arc of this book and eagerly dived in to find a highly ambitious story that did not deliver. It is trying to do too much too quickly. I really liked the characters, but I wished they were more fleshed out than surface level.

I saw this book compared to Moulin Rouge. Moulin Rouge is my favorite movie so was hesitant comparing to this but I think this capture the glitz and the belle epoque history well with a more ya perspective. This was a cozy fantasy read and if you're a cat lover I think this is your read!

I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't connect with it. The concept and characters would've been more enjoyable if they hadn't been so shallow. The plot is simple and any issues the characters faced were quickly overcome. It honestly felt like an early draft of a much deeper and lovely story.

The relationship between Esme and Sybil was sweet, but I would've loved more detail on their current lives and their feelings for each other. It's a lot of 'oh, I want to kiss her! but it will ruin everything' over and over again until the very end. The characters also felt quite young, but then there were several references to Sybil's many 'dalliances' with others. It threw me off each time. Lucien, Sybil's brother, seemed to only be there as a plot device and their sibling relationship was thin. Overall, there were little to no hints of any sort of character arc or development from anyone.

Now what I did like was of course the cover and the whole poster stealing plot. I will definitely be searching for any history books on the subject. I also enjoyed the atmosphere and do agree that it has cozy moments. I just wish it had more depth and more coziness.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Giving this one a 3/5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This story has the potential to be a wonderful sea of fantasy but unfortunately reads a bit like a puddle.

Overall, I think this book would be best enjoyed by a younger, teenage audience. The writing itself is pretty straightforward and the plot moves very fast. Unfortunately, the fast pace of the story didn't let me get invested in the "quest" of the protagonists. They would show up to a new location in one chapter and by the end of the next would resolve what to me should've been more challenging tasks. There was no reason for me to get invested because the characters didn't have any consequences or ramifications for their decisions, as I knew it would be resolved in a chapter or two.

I wish the world building was also more in depth. There was so much potential for both the human city of Severon to be explored and the Fae world was similarly shallow. The characters also suffer from the same issues.

tldr; a good intro fantasy novel for a younger audience.

This one is chock full of enticing atmosphere. From the Toulous-Lautrec-esque cover to the Belle Epoque Paris-esque city to the sapphics living in a clock tower with cats to shenanigans in and with Fae. All of which makes for a very compelling concoction, and yet, it really struggled to become for than the sum of its very magical parts. Esme and Sybil make more and more baffling and characteristically inconsistent decisions, the dialogues are very stilted and often infodumpy. So many dropped thread of narratives and somehow still rushed. Even the friends to lovers tension feels contrived and suddenly resolved. It was ultimately a pretty tapestry of pretty elements with a rather simplistic story, which could have retained its dreamy shenanigans but needed a little more depth to actually be moving. Having some knowledge of how vibrantly queer that time and place actually was, I was really hoping for something more evocative and vibrant.

cozy cute sapphic heist romantasy, would rec even tho at points i felt i wanted a little more character depth. 4.5. thanks for the arc.

This was one my most anticipated books. Unfortunately it fell very flat. I love the idea and the descriptive art. But I just couldn’t find any connection to the characters.

Why do books with such beautiful covers end up disappointing me?
This sadly fell flat. The world could have been so magical and beautiful but all the descriptions fell flat. The characters never truly felt in danger, and the solutions to their fights tended to fall right into their laps right as things got tense.
Usually I love a friends to lovers story but I couldn’t quite believe that these two would get along let alone fall in love.

I was so excited for this book. I mean, the premise plus the beautiful cover had me itching to get my hands on it. And this book really did have a lot to like, great ideas, and fun potential, but the execution is where it fell flat for me. I will admit, my issues with the book aside, the plot is very unique and one of the more creative ones I've read recently, so I want to give kudos for that.

With such an interesting premise, a majority of my disappointment was that it felt shallow. I would call this more of a love story than anything else. A majority of the scenes were Sybil and Esme thinking about each other or how close they were, how badly they wanted to kiss each other, etc, and while I love a good romance, it was so overbearing that nothing else in the story could shine. All of the "heist" parts were quick, easy, and not particularly creative, none of the side characters got any depth, and I found myself uninvested in the plot. It was giving a lot of "all vibes, no substance" which just isn't a preference of mine.

I understand why people like this book, it has a lot going for it. It just didn't hit anything out of the park for me and honestly, I was rushing to finish it.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! :D
A quick and easy read! I'm a little older than the target audience, so I found some of the plot to be a bit too simple, and I figured out the twist pretty early on, but I still had fun reading this.

There were a few things that frustrated me about this book. Firstly, other than the plot being simple, I felt that the stakes didn't really feel urgent enough. The characters get through each obstacle pretty easily, so I was never convinced that they were in any real danger. Additionally, the solutions that they come up with just don't make sense to me. No spoilers, but one of the characters is described as a brilliant thief, but all the plans she comes up with boil down to "make a distraction then grab the thing and run".

Secondly, the interactions between the main characters. They both dance around talking about their feelings for most of the book, which is fine, because this is supposed to be a slowburn romance. But what irked me was how secretive Sybil was. Like, I understand being scared of judgement, but she had multiple opportunities to open up to Esme, and she just chose not to. Which bummed me out, because it kind of made it feel like Sybil didn't trust Esme, and they're supposed to be best friends.

I'm aware that the above sounds like pretty harsh critique, but I did enjoy the romance! I liked the past glimpses of how Sybil and Esme first met, as well as their dynamic. The way Sybil jumps headfirst into situations, yet always needs Esme to back her up, and the way Esme is scared of risking danger, yet always follows Sybil because she needs to make sure she's safe, created tension in their relationship that I loved reading.

I also found the Fae rather interesting, and I wish we got to see more of them. The book establishes the main three Fae courts, as well as some of the lore/myths about the Fae, but the characters don't actually get to explore a lot of the Fae realm. Also, I'm always a sucker for Fae that are depicted as beautiful but also monstrous.

3.5/5✨

I have to start my review stating that I received an advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

A few things that made my reading experience hard was the formatting. I used the option to read on my kindle and the design layout did not transfer well. I kept feeling like things abruptly ended or didn’t start right. Then the pacing became an issue along with the minor grammatical errors throughout.

The Absinthe Underground

Starting out strong with a cozy friends to lovers f/f dual point of view. Who are offered the experience of their “drab” lives in trade of a job.

I’m a sucker with anything containing secret magic, doubly when it contains secret fae magic with the separate fae and human relams.

For me in the end. The pacing and errors through the book really just took away from the overall story. I could see this being much better with proper formatting and the errors fixed.

DNF'd at about 40%

I was very excited for this book, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

I found it difficult to connect with Sibyl as a character, particularly as she behaved selfishly and carelessly, putting her friend and love interest in danger. It's possible her character arc involved overcoming this aspect of her personality, but I wasn't invested enough to see.

My main gripe is with the info-dumping. I felt I was too often taken out of the scene to be told something in great detail through narration in a way that didn't feel natural for the POV. This dragged the pacing down significantly and made it feel like the narrative wasn't progressing, no matter how much I'd read.

The concept of this novel was interesting; the world felt quite fleshed out, and the romance felt promising. Unfortunately, these aspects were not enough to keep me engaged.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

How stunning is this book cover?! This was such a short and sweet story with the best fantasy elements! I absolutely adored the setting and the cute sapphic pining between Esme and Sybil. My complaint is that the book wasn’t longer.

This cozy read was perfect for a lazy day in bed. And I’m not just saying that because I spent the weekend reading while glued to my bed. It was a fun YA fantasy book that was a little simple but in the best way.

I think the characters could have been fleshed out a little more but this surprisingly didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I liked the simple fairy tale vibes of this book.

I do wish some more attention had been paid when formatting this e-book. There were random words and phrases that came out of nowhere and ended mid-sentence, broken-up images that made no sense, and chapters that ended in the middle of a paragraph. This would have actually been a 5 star read for me had it not been for this confusing mess.

This was a cute, fun read. I enjoyed the premise and the two female leads as well as the fact that we get to read from both of their POVs. I'm usually not a huge fan of friends-to-lovers, but this was just too cute. It was both a cozy read (the cats!) as well as a simple fantasy read. I will say that I felt that the ending seemed rushed and I was wanting more worldbuilding within the Fae realm.

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC!

REALLY fun and enjoyable!! Loved the worldbuilding and characters, such a cozy and sweet romance, the worldbuiling, again, is so well done! The descriptions are very lively

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for this ARC to review!

This is a very lighthearted story about two friends who are into each other and how they’ll support one another to make their lives better. It’s a cute story, showing both of their POVs and allowing us to follow them on a magical heist in the land of Fae. I did like it overall, but also felt as if the conflicts throughout the tale were just there - I never really felt as if they were in any real danger and most were resolved fairly quickly.

One of the things I loved best about the book was the descriptiveness of the scenes, especially the pastries, clothing, and jewels. The relationship between the two characters was also very “cozy” - you didn’t get a lot of tension, but you could tell where the relationship was going. If you’re looking for an easygoing book and need something to lighten your spirits, give this one a go.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Being the sucker for art nouveau that I am, I was immediately drawn to The Absinthe Underground through its gorgeous and imaginative cover. It really does sell the overall atmosphere and tone of the book, something enchanting, inviting, and maybe a touch mysterious. The romance between Sybil and Esme is genuinely sweet and I adore the trope of "two oblivious lovebirds that can't realize the other is SUPER into them."

The book started off well, giving an interesting buildup to Sybil's thieving background and Esme's calculating mind, but I think it loses steam right when the action is just getting started. I never really felt like they were going on a heist, more like an overextended fetch quest. I wasn't on the edge of my seat at any point since the writing style didn't really do much to enhance the mood. It's just going to Point A to Point B to Point C and then yay success. For this kind of high risk high reward plot, there really didn't seem to be much difficulty to the tasks.

When it comes to the magic of the world, there doesn't seem to be much world building other than name dropping Fae courts and showing some general displays of magic, It works within this particular story, as the world of the Fae isn't the main focus but rather a quick destination to achieve a goal. It would be nice to see more of that world should the book get a sequel, but, from what is seen here, it's enough.

Overall, I was hoping for a bit more, but it settled nicely in my mind as a just okay sapphic, friends-to-lovers fantasy.

Jamie Pacton became an auto-buy author for me after I read The Vermilion Emporium, so when I heard The Absinthe Underground was coming and it was also set in Severon, I needed a copy–and luckily I got approved on NetGalley!! Not only is this set in a new favorite fictional place, but it also involves a classic–Fae!! Jamie is so good at writing heists and adventures and bringing loveable characters to life. These two sapphic friends-to-lovers, Sybil and Esme, pine for each other with such beautiful longing throughout the story that even though FTL is one of my least favorite romance tropes, I couldn’t help but root for them! And Jamie does an excellent job drawing out that slowburn tension. She is also truly a master at normalizing queer representation and I love that about her writing!

Sybil and Esme’s adventure is full of thievery, parties, gorgeous gowns, and, of course, absinthe! While some of their jaunts verge on the side of a frolic, the end of this story is high stakes indeed, with a Fae queen granting a boon that means the difference between life and death! This was four stars for me and I recommend it to anyone who loves Fae, sapphic romance, friends to lovers, slow burn, and heists!

As an aside, I would kill for a Chloe book (iykyk!)!

i absolutely adore this book! sweet sapphic pining, 1890’s inspired Paris, a magical realm of fae, and a thieving quest all come together in this cozy, whimsical YA story! this was a quick and easy read that i thoroughly enjoyed every moment of. Sybil and Esme are the sweetest characters and their relationship is so cute! Sybil, the adventurer and extrovert always looking for new thrill and Esme, the sweet and gentle one who is perfectly happy curling up with her cats and a cup of hot tea. these two are precious to watch unfold throughout the story as their friendship turns into something much more. perfect for readers looking for a light yet cozy and fantastical read! Pacton’s writing beautifully unfolds in this story of friendship, adventure, and magic.

A beautiful "absinthe" story and I'm so lucky to have read it. FINALLY an LGBTQ+ story that does us justice.