The gorgeous cover grabbed my attention instantly and the sapphic slow burn premise made it a book I was really looking forward to read next year. I'm so glad for the opportunity to read it as an ARC!
The first thing I realised while reading is that I wouldn't exactly consider it as slow burn. From the beginning of the book it is crystal clear that the two main characters are in love with each other. This is not a bad thing, but my taste is a bit slower romance. In general I have to say that the romance and relationship feels a bit flat, for we as readers can't understand why they are in love, only that they are. This could maybe be a "told but not shown"-problem. To be honest, the plot as a whole has this kind of problem, the author explains the things as they are without making them plausible to the reader.
Regardless, it's a lighthearted read and the plot is easy to follow what makes it quick and enjoyable. I liked the neurodivergent representation (even though it was subtle) and enjoyed the cozy setting. All in all I would recommend this book, especially to a younger audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of that book!

cw: alcohol, alcoholism, death of a parent.

This wasn't a groundbreaking and won't become a classic but this was a very fun, easy read.

I was initially attracted to this book because the cover reminded me of my favourite art nouveau artist, Mucha and wouldn't you know it, his art is mentioned in passing in the book!

The Absinthe Underground club gave me Studio54/Eldorado nightclub vibes.

The pacing felt a little rushed I think there could have been a *little* more breathing room but at the same time, given this story is supposed to take place over a couple of days the pacing does meet that timeline.

Nothing about the two main characters is giving "best friends" I think the author was trying to convince themselves this was a friends-to-lovers trope but it was just two crushes admitting they like each other finally.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

Arc Review:
Absinthe Underground is a short and sweet, YA standalone fantasy. Sybil and Esme’s newest heist takes them to the magical Fae realm. A friends to lovers, cute book with a unique setting.
Let me start by saying this cover is absolutely stunning. The green and the art nouveau style had me captivated at first sight. It’s also extremely fitting for the 1890s French setting/influence. The author was inspired by the posters of that time period and she creates an immersive atmosphere that I loved. I loved the opposing personalities of the main characters and how they were able to bring out different sides of each other. The book did seem to skew mostly on the young end of YA, and there were some parts I felt were too convenient/rushed to get to the end. I loved the fantasy elements. While the setting seemed unique, the creaturesy and magical world seemed familiar and that to me was welcome and cozy.
Thanks to @netgalley @peachtreepublishing for the arc.

#theabsintheunderground #netgalley #arcreview #jamiepacton

Even from the cover you can tell the Absinthe Underground relies heavily on its aesthetic to find its audience. It was described to me as a romantasy in fae Belle Epoque Paris. The summary sells it as "dazzling" and "lavish" so I expected Wild and Wicked things levels of atmospheric writing, even if the story wasn't really there. Not only is the story not there (it is the most basic heist story you'll see with no added value or originality - I don't like to compare books but Unseelie did the fae heist a lot better) but the atmosphere is absent, diluted by stale prose (no don't tell me it's because it's YA, YA can have age-appropriate good writing) and the characters are hard to tell apart (one likes to tinker, and one has a fae mom, that's all i can tell you after reading the book). They're both pining for each other at the start of the book in a way that's so similar to one another I had to check over and over whose chapter it was.

Usually in a book like this you have themes, some internal conflicts and character arcs to deepen the stakes of the romance or something. Here you have nothing to hold onto. I could excuse the overly simplistic plot and unispired fae worldbuilding IF the romance had been good and worth it. But we know very little about the girls besides a flashback and the most emotionless pining I've had the displeasure of reading in a while. Don't get me wrong I usually love mutual pining because at least I know that the characters have had time to get to know each other but here I'm not sure why they love each other.

The last thing is purely a French/Parisian pet peeve but if you're going to do magic/alternative Paris setting and sprinkle in some French words for authenticity or something, don't use the anglicised version of your main characters name? Like Sybille instead of Sybil and let Esme be Esmé? If Lucien is Lucien then why don't the girls get the same treatment? I don't know once again aesthetic over substance.

At the end of the day, this book felt empty, purely written to capitalise on certain marketing tropes and aesthetics with very little substance, plot or even compelling characters. I'm disappointed that it's a Peachtree Teens book, they're usually better than this.

I do have to add that the setting and some early scenes had an Arcane episode 1 feel to them: Belle époque Paris-looking setting, teenage competitive thieves

This book was not a hit for me. I can see why some people would adore it but I never got there. The characters felt modern but the setting didn't feel modern. It was just odd at points? I really wanted to love it. Give me a good fae story and I'm there but this one just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed The Absinthe Underground!
It was a fun and cosy read with some great characters.
I really loved both Esme and Sybil and their slow burn romance was the sweetest.

Also for a debut book I thought the writing was really good and I'll definitely be checking out what the author writes next!
I'm definitely recommending this book and look at that cover! It's absolutely stunning!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

The Absinthe Underground is a sapphic fairy tale romance with a compelling premise: a pair of poster thieves steal a Mucha poster and get swept up in the Underground owner’s covetous plot to steal Queen Mab’s jewels.

Ultimately this didn’t hit for me. I struggle with romances where both characters are deeply in love with the other before the narrative even starts, and doubly so when we see both characters’ perspectives. The romance had no tension in it and really went nowhere—Sybil’s secrets turn out not to matter at all, and Esme’s fear of being discarded doesn’t actually make a lot of sense, given the rest of her character and their situation.

In addition, the plot felt oddly paced and we spend very little time on either the big fairy heist or in the titular club, which was what I came to this novel for. There were also enough logical inconsistencies and pointless digressions that I started to feel like nothing meant anything very early on. Magic is pretty much absent from their world, but Lucien shows Sybil a slight-of-hand trick when they were children that later she deploys as a full-scale magical plague of frogs and nobody seems to find that interesting in the slightest. A character casually mentions that she can’t do something because only Fae and half-Fae can, and then three pages later dramatically reveals that she’s been a human the whole time!

The writing, setting aside the logical mess of the plot, also felt clunky and overly simplistic for my tastes.

I was so excited for this one (the premise! lesbians! that cover!) but ultimately I can’t really recommend it—as a romance it has no oomph to it, as a heist it is poorly paced. and as a fantasy the worldbuilding has neither the logic to feel grounded or the wonder to feel magical.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for the eARC of this book, received in exchange for an unbiased review

Aesthetically very reminiscent of the Gilded Wolves, with the magic and late nineteenth century Frenchness of it all, but the Holly Black comparison in the pitch is also very well deserved. Not to mention, sapphic-friends-to-lovers, which in my opinion is a doubly underrated trope in fiction.
This book moved pretty quickly, so at times it feels a lot shorter than the four hundred pages that it is– something that I can probably attribute to the fact that all but the last chapter take place in the span of about forty-eight hours. This fast pacing makes the romance in the book feel even more like a slow burn, but there was also rather notably a year of mutually oblivious pining before the events of the book, but sapphics are just kind of like that.
The ending, I have to admit, was kind of a bit too much Deus Ex Machina for me, but it is a YA book, and it did make sense the more I thought about it, it just wasn’t really a choice that I originally liked. The extensive amount of cats more than made up for this choice in my eyes though, and I would definitely recommend this book.

3⭐️

« This girl.
The things this girl does to me.
The things I would do for this girl. »

-Dual povs
-Sapphic best friends-to-lovers
-Slow burn
-Fae
-CATS.

First of all, thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
“The Absinthe Underground” is a YA romantasy book that takes place during the Belle Époque.

It was a quick cozy read. While the concept was intriguing and I liked the characters, particularly Esme, I found some parts to be a bit rushed.
I would’ve probably preferred a longer story, with more focus on Esme and Sybil’s story, but that’s just my opinion.

Really whimsical, comfy and cozy. I loved it. Fans of once upon a time would love this! I really liked the way the story progressed and how acquainted the characters were. I can see myself going back to re-read because of the nostalgia I experienced reading this!

i had very high hopes for this book since i loved the cover and the premise (fantasy set in the belle époque! fae! friends to lovers!)
unfortunately, they all fell flat and i wasn't able to enjoy this book as much as i expected to. though the easy and simple writing will be a positive point to some, i wasn't able to connect with the plot or the characters, and sometimes there was too much infodumping for my taste.
i'm glad i was able to read this work and i'll keep an eye on the author's future projects, but this book just didn't work for me.
thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for this ARC.

Two best friends in a room! They might kiss! Yes we will. What?

Had me at dual POV friends to lovers. It was such a joy to follow their lovely romance. The scene opens up in Esme and Sybil’s cozy apartment of cats and curated thrifted furnishings on the top floor of a clocktower. Right away there's loads of beautiful worldbuilding and we’re placed in an exquisite world of fae, magic, and a culture reminiscent of 19th century Paris. They’re a classic ADHD-Autism duo, Sybil being impulsive, adventure seeking and always ready for what’s coming, paired with Esme, a voice of reason, homebody, crafty, tinkerer who can't help rescuing any cats in need. They’re lovable and flawed. And truly feel like teenagers. I’m used to YA being much more intense but they feel cozy and authentically young. They find themselves wrapped up between some Fae conflict and are enlisted in a heist. Thrilling and immersive, this story is a treasure.

For fans of Six of Crows and ACOTAR (for teens though). No spice but plenty of pining and ultimately a sweet romance.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!


The Absinthe Underground is about two best friends, Sibyl and Esme, who live in Severon, a sort of Paris in Belle Époque. Sibyl is a poster thief and she ends up stealing the poster from one of the biggest clubs in the city, which is Abinthe Underground. Just as she was about to sell the poster to a collector, the owner of this club finds out everything and then proposes a service to the two girls. The job is to steal the crown jewels of Queen Mab, the Fae queen. And from there, we will follow the two girls and find out whether or not they will be able to fulfill this task.

The book was a nice surprise, I confess that I was excited, but also not very hopeful, since I had never read anything by this author, so I was going to enter a whole new territory. The writing is fluid, it was super easy to see yourself immersed in the universe. For me, The Absinthe Underground was a mix of Moulin Rouge, Beleza Monstruosa (Brazilian novella), and Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of the Fairies. So there are references to the belle époque, there are magic doors, there are fairies and especially there is sapphic romance, since Esme and Sibyl are the main couple. I consider the novel a Friends to Lovers and especially Slow Burn (the book doesn't have hot). Their romance is very slow burn because they spend the entire book wanting to confess their love for each other, but that only really happens in 96% of the book, and the kiss only in 98%. So you have to wait a long time for the big moment.

I commented on my pros, now I'm going to talk about my cons. I think one thing that could be better in this book is that the author has developed the story more. I loved everything I read, but surely she could have elaborated on many more details that she presented. I could have explored more of the fairy world, because I thought it was all too fast. To have explored more the relationship between the siblings, Sibyl and Lucien, to have explored the romantic relationship between the girls, to have shown a little more of the city of Severon. Because it refers to Paris, I thought it was very weak the way she alluded to the French city. I was even waiting for it to be commented about Sibyl's mother being a fairy, why she has two keys that open portals, her mother was someone important? How did she get these keys? Did Sibyl have any power, or not? It lacked a bit of development. Another is that everything that happened to the girls, from having to steal the Crown Jewels, to escaping from the Queen's guards, I found it all too easy and too fast. It's a fast-paced story, things happen in a matter of 3, 4 days, but all of that was solved too easily. I wanted more drama, more blood, more fights.

But I think that all this that I pointed out doesn't interfere when it comes to enjoying the book. I recommend it, and it was a fun, cute and a magical read. The Absinthe Underground has a release date of February 2024.

Any book that begins with a nod to Oscar Wilde is off to a great start. I was engaged from the beginning and was immediately drawn to Esme. We’re both homebodies who would much rather read a good book and cuddle our cats than go on grand adventures. But just like Bilbo Baggins, with the right motivation we’re ready to jump headlong into a grand journey. Esme’s motivation is a charming thief named Sybil who she plucks off the street just like one of her stray cats. Sparks fly but in a totally platonic roommates way… totally.

This book was incredibly easy to read. The stakes weren’t very high, I’d almost call this a cozy fantasy if I’m being honest. The plot just chugged along without delay. I think we could’ve used a little bit more drama or something to make it more interesting and keep me invested.

There was a lot of repetition. If I took a shot every time the word clock or cat was mentioned I’d have absinthe poisoning within the first chapter. A few spelling errors peppered in there and formatting issues took me out of the story.

We always need more fantasy with wlw pining/relationships so I’m happy that this book exists and I hope it falls into the hands of people who will love it immensely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book is a YA fantasy set in a fantastical version of Paris, around the art nouveau and impressionism time periods. It follows two girls who are dirt poor and are forced to steal to pay rent and have food on the table. There are a lot of artists that create beautiful advertisement posters which are hung across the city. These posters are worth a lot of money if you can get them down without damaging them, because of the famous artists who made them. So of course, that’s what they steal.

One of the two girls is more headstrong and likes the thrill she gets when stealing, while the other is more cautious and would rather be reading books or fixing clocks. But they’re roommates, so they have to find some way to make money. The quieter girl works at a restaurant, but some days tips are really bad, which is when her roommate suggests stealing to make up the difference.

One day, they pick up a poster for a nightclub, called the Absinthe Underground. When they go to sell the poster to the collector they usually sell to, the woman who was the model for the lady on the poster happens to be there. She is the owner of the Absinthe Underground, and she doesn’t think the poster is worth anything, because she could have given one to the collector for free.

But then she offers the two girls a job, and since they couldn’t make any money on the poster, they’re forced to take her job. Her job is to travel into the fae world and steal the crown jewels right out from under the fae queen’s nose. Surprise! The fae world is real and the owner of the Absinthe Underground is fae. Sure, they’re good at stealing posters off of lampposts, but are they good enough thieves to pull off such a big heist?

What I really loved about this book was the atmosphere. The author mentioned at the end that she was inspired to write this book after she went to an exhibit of French posters from this time period. There actually were people who stole posters off the streets for money, which is why we have so many posters from this time in museums and private collections.

The author actually draws on real art to create the setting of her book. The city is very art nouveau, both in terms of the advertising posters and the architecture. And then when they travel to the world of fae, there are many scenes taken from famous impressionist paintings.

I also really loved the two main characters. We jump back and forth between their perspectives every other chapter, so we get to see how they both react differently to certain situations. Did I mention they have like 7 cats in their clock tower apartment? They’re all so adorable with silly little names.

If you were wondering if by roommates I meant “roommates,” yes. Except they both assume the other isn’t interested. It’s a very cute, very slow burn romance. Normally I’m not a romance reader, cause my ace brain just can’t process how quickly most romances evolve and why characters who barely know each other are so eager to hop into bed together. But this was adorable. They’re super awkward and don’t know how to talk to each other about their feelings.

This is the kind of romance I’m looking for. Just a couple of idiots in love who can’t acknowledge their feelings. It makes my ace brain very happy to have characters who feel romantic attraction first, rather than horny first. Sometimes book characters just need a good bonk, but no one is there to provide it (or no one wants to) and it makes me mad. Give me romantic attraction, or give me something to bonk fictional characters with. Do you want a happy book fox, or a book fox with a bonk stick? Take your pick, authors. Those are the choices.

Jokes aside, this book was really whimsical and cute. If you’re looking for a short, YA fantasy that has some fresh ideas and a unique atmosphere, I highly recommend this. It’s not out until February though, so if you’re interested, definitely write this down before you forget.

Thank you to all involved for the chance to read The Absinthe Underground as an eARC! I had heard about this book through a couple of online platforms and thought the idea was so exciting- this is such a magical, whimsical, queer adventure that 14-year-old me would have been ENAMORED with. The beautiful cover of this YA novel is what drew me in in the first place, and depicts the exact atmosphere of this book. This felt like a little sister of Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall; I would also consider this book to have similar writing/vibes to books by Allison Saft and Skyla Arndt, so if you're a fan of any of their works, I think you'll enjoy The Absinthe Underground!

My only complaint is that the eARC formatting did not transfer well, so that did take me out of the storyline a bit. Overall, I think if you're a fan of magic, sapphic pining, thievery, and cats, you'll enjoy this book. The Absinthe Underground will be out in February of 2024!

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the free eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

How I wished to love this fantasy novel set in Belle Epoque Paris. It has so many potentially wonderful elements: Paris! Absinthe! Art posters! Fey! Two girls in found family/Sapphic love! Lovely book design! What a glorious idea: famous La Fée Verte is an actual Fey who runs a club called The Absinthe Underground!

Unhappily, it was just not the book for me. I wasn't swept up by the setting or the characters. I wanted to connect more with both, and at the 27% mark, I'm calling it.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

This is a cozy sapphic fae heist romance. I had to like it. And it was indeed very cute and I very much enjoyed reading it.

I found the setting and the story to be very original and the characters were adorable. Friends to lovers with mutual pining? That’s hard not to like. Also Sybil and Esme feel like ADHD/autism solidarity. A bit stereotypical maybe but not too much. (Sybil reads a bit too selfish for my taste and Esme a bit too naïve but they are still very lovable).

The writing was rather simple so it’s a very light read. You do not need to think while reading it, the book tells you everything.
The story, especially the heist, is also very simple. It’s a bunch of tasks they have to fulfil and the solution is always just around the corner. So even when there is a bit of trouble you know it won’t be there long.
Now are these pro’s or con’s for the book? I can’t decide but I did have a nice time.

the absinthe underground is a short and cozy romantasy novel following two best friends who are sent on a treacherous heist by a fairy who happens to be trapped in their world. its concept is brilliant, and it also happens to have one of the most gorgeous covers i’ve ever seen, but the story itself leaves a lot to be desired.

my biggest problem with the absinthe underground is the writing style, which is surprisingly simple for a story that’s supposed to be “decadent” and “lavish.” because of it, i didn’t really feel any of the magic and wonder the author tried to convey, and a lot of the book’s more dramatic moments lost their thrill for me and ended up feeling clunky and unsatisfying. the heist the main characters are sent on is also very simplistic in general, which might’ve been less of an issue for me had the writing been more elaborate.

i was also disappointed by the romance. i love a good best friends to lovers story, but that’s mainly because i love seeing the depth of the connection between the characters involved and how they’ve grown to understand each other over time. in the absinthe underground, we don’t know much about the main characters’ history as best friends, aside from how they met, and since the book mainly takes place over the span of a few days, there wasn't much room for development in the present timeline. as a result, there was a lot of telling rather than showing, so the love story was a huge letdown for me.

overall, while this was a quick read with a cute ending, i personally wouldn't recommend it. still, the ideas behind it are very creative, and i’m excited to see what else the author comes up with.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc.

Ohhhh I'm sad about this one. This has one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen with a premise that had me hooked. Unfortunately I think it desperately needed a heavier editor. There were a few times a character would repeat something we were just told a page ago as if it were new information, and it was particularly jarring. They also REALLY wanted to drill into the reader that they were *friends* and the constant repetition of it just made the development feel thin. It would have felt more natural if they hadn't both been aggressively pinning from the beginning as well.

I also wish more time was spent world building. I got the impression that this was not an openly magical world, but Esme was just... Ok with everything happening outside of not wanting to steal the jewels (which in itself was kind of wild "hey you were able to steal this poster can you go to this other world and steal a heap of jewels from a queen for me?")
I'll probably try it again if we get an audiobook version because I was SO excited for this book.