I’m a big fan of Jamie Pacton’s particular brand of whimsical fantasy that reminds me of all the elements I love best in YA stories— the themes of self discovery, carving out a place for yourself, and solidifying who you’re going to be as you transition into adulthood. The Absinthe Underground is a sapphic, friends to lovers romantasy following two best friends— Esme and Sybil— as they find themselves wrapped up in a fae plot to steal the Crown Jewels, all while sorting out their feelings and figuring out what their futures are going to look like.

Like with The Vermillion Emporium, The Absinthe Underground combines the whimsy and glittering world reminiscent of Paris at the turn of the century with deeper emotional themes. As a diehard friends to lovers fan, I absolutely loved the romance and adored how the yearning really shone through both perspectives. Alongside the Crown Jewels plot, the romance was definitely a major theme. I loved the parts of the story set in Fae, especially the atmosphere and frothy worldbuilding descriptions. Overall, The Absinthe Underground was a fun, lighthearted read that kept me interested the whole way through. I love Jamie’s work and will eagerly read anything else she might write

the absinthe underground is an ode to all things beautiful. if you want to read about pretty girls in pretty dresses stealing pretty paintings, or faery galas, faery princesses, and faery forests, or glittering parisian cabarets, then this is absolutely your book. i am obsessed with the world in which this takes place—i will definitely be reading the prequel soon.

the plot and writing on the other hand. well. not to say there's no substance or plot because there is. it's just not executed very well. there's no emotion imbued in a single sentence in this book. i can't completely say i didn't care because i was hooked (mostly due to the previously mentioned faery galas and cabarets). i finished this within a one hour bus ride. so yes, it's addictive. however, it's not anything memorable or interesting—it serves its purpose as a cutesy feel-good read for when you need something on public transportation and your fingers are twitching, but not something too good in case you hit a bump and miss a page. basically heartstopper.

and maybe i'm just not the target audience right now because i would have injected this into my veins in middle school. if you like caraval or belladonna and you love gay people, this is all yours.

3.5 stars. thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

This was a fun book, but it definitely was a bit juvenile on the writing side which was likely intended. I felt like the storyline went by so fast and there was so much more I wanted to know about the worlds, the characters, and the romance. Everything just felt rushed when there was so much opportunity for more world building. I did like the characters, but I just wanted to know more about them.

I recommend this for a quick fun read

This book has a mix of ingredients that promised an amazing story, but it didn't quite alchemize for me. I would still recommend this to readers looking for a quick, low-stakes heist story with a sapphic romance subplot and a Belle Epoque-inspired setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

[3.5 stars] there's not much to say that hasn't already been said before, although i have three things to touch upon:

i. the chemistry (or lack thereof)
i love reading anything sapphic so SAPPHIC FANTASY??? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP??? but something was lacking for me the whole book. neither sybil nor esme ever explain why they like each other so much and although i did find them cute i think i would've been more invested if it did :( this also ties in to how i felt like the characters were flat and not really much more than their respective interests and vague pasts, but that didn't really take me out of the story since i'm not much of a critical reader so i didn't mind much tbh

ii. THE CONVENIENCE
my main issue with this book was how conveniently everything happens. absolutely everything. they make perfectly miraculous escapes every time and although obviously i want them to be happy (i think...) i just prefer when stuff yk... Actually happens..

iii. the vibes
now because i feel like i've been way too negative - this isn't a bad book at all!! it has stunning imagery and i loved the descriptions of magic and the fae world, although i hope they might be more expanded on in future books. its one of those books you could fall into and binge in a few hours without even realising the time passing (the only reason it took me so long to read was bc of exams 😔) and the romance is cute in the silly yearning-for-your-crush way :3
def worth a read if sapphic best friends to lovers set in a fae world/the belle epoque era is something you think you'd enjoy

What's your favourite historical era?

Mine is the Belle Epoque, ideally in Paris - so please imagine my delight at @jamiepacton 's The Absinthe Underground! Imagine the coffee houses, the underground bars, the glittery dresses, cabaret and music and (starving) artists! Oh, and cats! And Art Nouveau posters, which are one of my weaknesses.

This is a fairytale. A queer one, with a super slow burn romance between the two protagonists, Esme and Sybil. A fairytale with a green fairy, the Fae lands and their castles, dragons and adventures, magic and deception and delight.

Here's a snippet to capture your imagination, before the February release:

"Long curtains of moss hung from the oak branches, and within the trees, Esme could make out houses— some no bigger than a book, others the size of carriages— built of moss and wood and connected by rope bridges. Bobbing lights in colorful glass jars lit the shadowy canopy. Red-capped and silver-hued mushrooms grew under the trees, and Esme longed to study them. For a time, as they paused beside a wide pond covered in lily pads and surrounded by cattails that waved in the wind, winged creatures the size of dragonflies and wearing dresses made of flower petals flitted around their heads."

I saw this book compared to Holly Black in the synopsis and Barbie and the Diamond Castle in the reviews, and I just HAD to give it a try. And it was very much worth it! I absolutely loved the first chunk of the book, especially getting to see the relationship developing between the two main characters and how they live their life.

The characters were definitely the highlight of the novel for me. Esme is so relatable, and honestly I just want to BE her. I also really liked Lucien! I loved his personality and I wish we had gotten to see more of him. He was probably my favorite character. There were also some other characters that I wish we’d seen more of. For instance, towards the end of the novel there is a character named Chloe who I really wished we’d gotten to learn more about, and it felt like her part in the story was left unresolved. I’m really hoping this was intentional by the author and that we might get a book about her in the future.

I also really liked the setting! The world was so fascinating and magical and I wish the author had gone more into the details. I will definitely be reading the Vermillion Emporium soon because it’s set in the same world and I cannot get enough of it. I also believe there is a character in that book that appears in the Absinthe Underground and I just HAVE to know who it is.

I will say that the climax felt a little short lived, and overall it felt like the stakes weren’t quite high enough, and the characters were able to get away with things unrealistically easily. But honestly these didn’t really take too much away from the experience.

Overall, this was a fun read. If you’re looking for a cozy sapphic fantasy with compelling characters and a magical world, I definitely recommend this!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-arc!

This book has a lovely, fun premise: it’s a sapphic love story + faerie heist plot, with the Art Nouveau trappings of fin-de-siecle Paris. I was pleased by the Art Nouveau aspects, particularly the art poster black market idea (which allows Pacton to show her great familiarity with actual works by Steinlen, Mucha, Toulouse-Lectrec, and others).

Unfortunately, I’m not sure the overall book was quite my thing. The various thefts were fun, but while some of them were quite clever others were rather facile (and seemed to rely on quietly sneaking past people who were momentarily distracted). The ease of stealing was oddly juxtaposed with characters insisting that failure was a real possibility with dangerous consequences, but I never felt a sense of peril.

I’d be interested in trying other things from this author, but this one didn’t quite land for me.

it's cute. but that's it, really. sapphic friends to lovers and cat moms, sybilesme did not disappoint me <3 but everything else was just there, this story wouldn't stay with me forever, unfortunately. others might love it more than i did, so don't let my rating stop you and please do give sybilesme a chance.

my biggest thank you to jamie pacton and the team for providing an arc!

It was okay, I kind of lost interest at some parts and not much was happening. However, the setting and some characters were good.

Super beautiful and great for fans of The Cruel Prince. Story was engaging and fresh. I would read this author again, as I never have before.

3 stars DNF at 43%

The book was great I liked the premise of it, friends to lovers, sapphic romance, the time setting but I found it quite long, it took forever for the two characters to get into the fae land and that is where I lost my interest within the book.

The writing was good and so was the plot premise just not my thing.

Although I had some issues, I found The Absinthe Underground to be compelling! It was an entertaining adventure set in a 1920's French-like word. The France-a-like captured the feeling of the world of the 1920's-- the glitter and wealth paired with the poverty. However, I could have done with more worldbuilding with the Fae world. It had no real distinct feeling to it.
Although I liked both main characters, they never really felt like they had a genuine influence on the plot. Their actions rarely developed the plot. Also, I thought Sybil was not a great friend at the beginning.
However, I found the relationship between Sybil and Esme to be quite sweet. Their affection for one another was apparent and well-written. Also, I was quite interested in the plot and what would happen next, which made for a quick read. I'm certainly not disappointed I read it .

3.5/5

I lost interest by the second half , but this was still a nice read. The Absinthe Underground has some great prose, I really enjoyed the atmospheric settings the author created, as well as the world building and the romantic relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink for accepting my request for an ARC of this book!
5/5
Home— especially with Sybil there— was Esme’s favorite place
Right off the bat, Esme is a mood. Who doesn’t want to have many cats and read? She was my favorite character from the beginning. The overall vibes of their world was so cozy. The best time to read this book is on a dreary day in a fuzzy chair with a cup of tea. The vibes in this book were truely immaculate. I had enjoyed Fae and the worldbuilding. Even though I felt like the reader wasn’t in Fae for long, there were little details that made up the world there that made it come off the page. I loved all the history and background Pacton did for this book. It was really interesting learning about how she took inspiration from different things.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Absinthe Underground has been on my radar for months. From the beautiful cover to the book’s synopsis, I knew this book would be perfect for me. As a fan of romantic fantasies, I was so happy to read this book because sapphic romances are often forgotten in the genre. I always love queer friends to lovers, and Jamie Pacton does well in developing the relationship between our main characters. Fans of atmospheric fantasies and fairytales will absolutely be delighted by this beautiful tale.

THE ABSINTHE UNDERGROUND is a cute sapphic heist story with Faes and a city drawing from Paris Belle Époque. Quick and easy to read, it’s the kind of book that offers comfort thanks to its simple plot and sweet romance.

The premises are SO interesting and original: poster thieves trying to get the most beautiful and rare posters to sell them to a rich collector? A mysterious cabaret owned by an elusive woman? Friends pining after one another? All the ideas were absolutely brilliant.

I was swept away by the first third of the book. The atmosphere is magical and intriguing, the poster thieving bit is very original and there’s a cosiness that feels like a hug, despite the stakes. Esme and Sybil are deliciously complementary and the LONGING was just too good.

Then the plot thickens and the vibes are kind of pushed to the side, which I’m a little bit sad about. Everything felt a bit too simple for me, I’d have liked it more if the story either leaned more into the vibes or the plot, but not this mix of both that felt underwhelming at times. It lacked depth from many aspects of the book to really call it a favourite. Still, I had a good time reading. I was very curious to know how it would all progress and the romance kept me hungry for more.

Overall, it’s a strong book with even stronger ideas that could benefit from more depths. But the atmosphere was very well done and the SAPPHIC PINING?? Through the roof, really.


Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. It was fun to read. I liked the beginning but the second half was hard to finish because I've kinda lost interest.

For review from Netgalley. Thank you!

The Absinthe Underground is a beautifully written heisty vibes novel. Atmospheric settings and queer fae characters with sapphic pining. Esme and Sybil have a lovely friends to lovers and such a healthy dynamic. I found this to be fun and cosy read which kept me entertained and engaged. Would love to see more from this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. There were so many things I enjoyed about this book. The atmosphere, setting, fairy world, and lore instantly transported me to a world I didn't want to leave. The sweet and supportive sapphic romance, the cats, the green fairy, and the neurodivergent main characters all created a cozy fun escape of a book that I would highly recommend. I found that the pacing was a little tough for me at times because it went from sipping tea with three cats on their lap to nearly dying in a bottomless chasm in a few pages. I also found the choices and actions of the girls often didn't make sense to me, even with undeveloped prefrontal cortices. However, the whimsical tone, and the fact this book avoided falling into the trap of being too cozy with not enough conflict made it enjoyable and very readable. I would have made this book my whole personality as a teenager, and look forward to sharing this one with my neurodivergent, fantasy-loving kids when they're old enough too.