I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity

Very dry. Not really for me I guess.

Bachelorette Number 12 sent me down a Jae rabbit hole so this was my second Fair Oaks book. I enjoyed it, but as someone who is in the ace spectrum, it was hard to top Perfect Rhythm. Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed this one.

It is always somewhat heartbreaking to read about people who are still in the closet, but Jae managed to give Ashley moments of joy and tenderness as she explored her feelings towards Sasha.

Thanks to Netgalley & Ylva Publishing for providing me with an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Homophobia, Acephobia, Amatonormativ Language, Outing, Sexual Content, Past Suicide/Death of a Family Member


2.5 / 5 Stars

Sooooo.
Let me get this off of my chest first, because the part were I'm angry will be longer than the part were I'm not: The romance itself was nice and the characters grew on me over time, but the way this book loki hates on queers that are still in the closet felt like a punch in the gut. So, let's begin this by quoting the summary:

Ash has decided that staying in the closet is safer than risking her heart again.

Which ... you know... is just a straight-out lie. Ash isn't in the closet because she got her heart broken. So why is that sentence there? And why will we find more of those things the deeper we get into it all?
Answer: Because the book wants you to really believe that the person in the wrong: is Ash. :)
The narrative tells us - subltly... and with a sledgehammer - that being closeted is shameful, hurtful to others, a burden, cowardly & a testament to your lack of love for and to your partner.
It's actually something that her FRIENDS! tell her to her face. There are multible scenes in the book, where the FRIENDS!! - I feel like I have to put this in all caps, cause I gasped out lout at some stuff that came out of some of their mouths - are just the worst. Like, no my girl, you're not supportive right now. You're just an ass.
What exactly do I mean by that?
Well.

Characters make their contempt of Ash being closeted known by making snide comments coupled with bitter tones and intense, hostile looks, where she's told - repeatedly - that by remaining in the closet she cannot possibly have any semblance of happiness or success or fulfillment or truth in her life. Like, at all. Also implying that love is the only thing that could possibly bring her any of those things. I have like, 30 quotes marked in my kindle, but one of the few that made me the angriest was possibly this one:

"You'll just do to Sasha what you did to Holly? Damn Ash."

No, context doesn't make the character look less like an arse, I'm afraid. :)

So why do I hate that one so much? Multible reasons. Because apparently, Sasha & Holly had no autonomy over getting involved with someone who isn’t out, as if they aren’t responsible for their active choice to be in that relationship, as if closeted queer folks aren’t allowed to have romantic/sexual relationships. It also showed me that that so-called 'friend' didn't give a rats-arse about Ash's feelings to begin with. Deciding instead to reduce her being in the closet to being a testament of her love for someone. Which is kinda very insensitive and manipulative. Because - of course - anything Ash could be facing when she comes out, including losing her parents, after having lost her sister to suicide, is totally worth it, so she can get the "love"of someone who doesn’t think she was worthy or good enough while stil being closeted. :)

People tend to have very good reasons to as to why they aren't out, or why they are only out to a few chosen people. Like, oh, I don't know, for reasons of PROTECTION AND SAFETY maybe, but what would I know about it. It's not like those were the reasons why I was in the closet for so long. Haha :D

I could even go so far as to excuse Sasha, cause she comes from a place of past pain and hurt and abandonment issues, which we never really explore and just kind of throw in there to have an excuse for the way she behaves. But her friends? Leo? Holly? No excuses.
It's sad, because being in the closet can be hard and it certainly isn't always the bestest place to be in, but when the best thing you can say about a book that heavily centers on a closeted person is that AT LEAST they didn't get outed against their will, then that speaks a lot about the way the book views a certain part of its community.

There's an ace character in this one, and I'd usually say something about her, but she's not saving how I feel about this book in the slightest. So just know: She's there, being as judgemental as the rest.

It's a shame, cause I can see the book I could have liked beneath the layers of Anti-Closeted stuff, and if I just ignored all the way so many chapters make me uncomfortable, I could have even enjoyed myself, but alas. I can't. So that's why were here.

Final Thoughts
Didn't have the bestest of times, to say the least.

If you like reading enemies turned lovers, this is right up your alley!
Ashley owns a floral shop and is in the closet.
Sasha owns the bakery shop and is anything but in the closet.
These 2 have never really gotten along until they find out they are both going to be helping out with the first lesbian wedding in town.
Having to spend more time than ever together, they find they get along quite well. As the wedding date gets closer, so do the women. There is the matter of Ashley being so in the closet that not even her parents know.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange or an honest review.

Another hit for Jae-this is one of her older books but it was on my NetGalley recommended list so thank you NG. I am a sucker for small town, small friend groups so I really got immersed into this story. With the authors eye for detail and great character depth. Sasha and Ashley, along with their supportive cast of friends takes us into a world of some wedding planning, cake tasting and small town views still prevalent today,

Jae gave this story a great balance of warmth and love, as well as fear and rejection from community and family. I don’t want to give any spoilers but the book did give me pause In some places that had me reflecting on real life, so thank you Jae for a story well told.

I will always be a sucker for any cooking or baking romances. Not the Marrying Kind is no exception. Is there anything absolutely groundbreaking in these pages? No, but you know there’s gonna be delicious cakes, the food and the bottom kind. The intimate scenes were also delicious and totally worth the build up. Ash and Sasha are sassy and great and had some lines that actually made me cackle. (Also the line about the asexual bride saying cake was better than sex? *chef’s kiss* she’s an ace icon) I don’t think I will remember the full plot in the next few months, but I’m going to look back at the parts I highlighted and be like ‘yeah, this was a good time.’

*Thank‌ ‌you‌ Ylva Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own*

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this read. Jae is so good at giving us a slice of life. Queer books do not need to be over the top. We also just want normal, beautiful romance. Thank you!

Ashley and Sasha are both shop owners and have never left their small hometown. It's a bit conservative but it's home. Every Saturday they meet up at the local bar with some friends to talk about their week and everyone knows everyone's business.

Ashley has never come out because she knows the town and more importantly her parents would never accept her. As a small business owner she needs to keep a low profile and outing herself is not part of that. There is also nothing to out as her dating life is non-existance so two birds one stone.

Sasha and Ashley's friends are about the get married and want them to do the flowers and cake. This also means they have to work closely together as they want the colors to match. There are just a couple of hick ups in this plan as it will mean Ashley will be known as the florist who did a lesbian wedding and also turns out Sasha is a lot of fun to hang out with and maybe there is an attraction growing..

I enjoyed the way the story and the MC's developed and grew with consideration of each other.

TW for mentioning of suicide.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

Jae truly writes fantastic, heartwarming lesbian romances and I find myself loving each one I pick up! This is a fantastic follow up to Perfect Rhythm and I really loved Sasha and Ashley together. Ashley could be a frustrating person but her fears re. coming out in a small town are very real and years and years of that environment can do a lot of damage to a person.

Jae is truly a staple author in the sapphic game and never disappoints.

Thank you to netgally for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Another great book by Jae. This book is part of the Fair Oaks series. At first I was worried about Ashley as a main character just from trading the first book but in the end I really enjoyed both of the characters and their chemistry.

Thank you Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for access to this arc.

At 60 pages in I already know I can't keep reading this story. MC Sasha is so judgmental about Ashley. Well Sasha is judgmental about everyone. And I find it hard to believe, despite being told about how the gossip grapevine works in this small town, that neither Sasha nor Ashley had an inkling about the other's sexuality. I don't like any of the characters and I'm tired of nonstop discussion of who's out and who's not. DNF

Ashley and Sasha are not the marrying kind. Ashley ids afraid of people's reaction to being gay and Sasha is not the relationship kind. When they start to get feelings for one another, Ashley becomes afraid of being found out that she is gay. The character development was especially good. with Ashley as she comes to realize that she can't please everyone and still be happy. The plot revolves around the wedding of Ashley and Sasha's friends. Sleeve and Sasha Gill with the relationship problems, their friends have them helping with the same sex wedding. I have found this a very good story and wonderful. Romance. I recommend this book for all romance readers.

Ashley Gaines is a florist and business owner and Sasha Peterson is a bakery owner in a small town in Missouri. Sasha is a self-described pansexual who hasn't had a relationship in quite some time and doesn't want to be part of a relationship. Ashley is a closeted lesbian to everyone including her parents. Ashley and Sasha are forced to work together when they are asked to provide the flowers and wedding cake for their friends, Leo and Holly. When they begin to work together to plan the colors and other details for the wedding, they begin to become friends. Eventually the time that they spend together becomes tempting for both women, but Ashley's resistance to come out of the closet becomes a huge obstacle.

It was incredibly easy to become emotionally invested in both Ashely and Sasha, their relationship, and the struggles that both women faced. Their love scenes were incredible and sizzled with chemistry. The ending was filled with angst and satisfying, 5 stars

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this lovely book

a tale as old as time... when two people meet and fall in love

but and there is a but... its a coming out of the closet thats the problem

ashley runs the only flower shop in town and sasha runs the only bakery in town

together they are helping organise a wedding of the best friends, ashley is supplying the flowers and sasha the cake and as these two start planning its not long before sparks fly between them

but ashley has never come out to anyone and has hidden this from everyone not sure how people will take her sexuality or even how her parents will react

its a captivating read that keeps you on tenterhooks as you wait to see how ashley and sasha work through everything

I read Perfect Rhythm a while ago, and I have to admit that I didn't like Ashley. However, when I saw Not the Marrying Kind on Netgalley, I decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad I did because it has become one of my favorite books by Jae!

Not the Marrying Kind is a story of Ashley's redemption(sort of) and growth. I sympathize with her struggles and find her character development to be very realistic. She and Sasha make a perfect couple, and the book left me craving lots of lots of cupcakes. Although I wouldn't call it an angst book, Ashley's struggles definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. In the end, love wins - as cheesy as that sounds! Love it and rec it!

"Not the Marrying Kind" by Jae is a delightful lesbian romance novel that explores the lives of two women, Ashley Gaines and Sasha Peterson, whose paths intertwine in a small town. While both characters have experienced setbacks in their love lives, their encounter at the town's first lesbian wedding brings them together in unexpected ways. Ashley, a talented small-town florist, finds solace in her flower shop, creating beautiful bouquets for joyous occasions. However, her own love life remains stagnant, as she believes that remaining in the closet is the safer option—a shield to protect her heart from further hurt. On the other hand, Sasha, a dedicated bakery owner, focuses all her energy on perfecting her delicious treats, leaving little room for romantic entanglements. As fate would have it, the town's first lesbian wedding throws Ashley and Sasha into collaboration, forcing them to work together closely. Through shared experiences like food fights, cake tastings, and the enchantment of slow waltzes, they begin to discover unexpected connections and similarities between them. As their bond deepens, Ashley is forced to confront her true feelings, realizing that Sasha is not only tempting her sweet tooth but also stirring emotions within her that she had long suppressed. Jae weaves an engaging narrative that skillfully intertwines the blossoming romance between Ashley and Sasha with delectable descriptions of culinary delights. The author expertly captures the nuances of their characters, painting a vivid picture of their personal growth and inner struggles. Readers will find themselves emotionally invested in the journey of these two women as they navigate the complexities of love, self-discovery, and societal expectations. "Not the Marrying Kind" offers readers a captivating exploration of love and authenticity, celebrating the significance of embracing one's true self. Jae's writing style is engaging and evocative, immersing readers in the small-town atmosphere and endearing them to the well-crafted characters. With a perfect blend of romance, self-reflection, and delectable culinary descriptions, this book serves up a satisfying and enjoyable read for fans of lesbian romance. In this delicious lesbian romance, the menu extends beyond the tantalizing treats baked by Sasha, encompassing themes of acceptance, overcoming fears, and finding the courage to embrace one's own happiness. For those seeking an enchanting love story that will leave you with a warm heart and a craving for more, "Not the Marrying Kind" by Jae is an absolute must-read.

This sweet, angsty, small town, grumpy/sunshine, slow-burn, cozy romance is another great Sapphic story from Jae. Pick up a fresh bouquet of your favorite flowers and a cupcake and curl up with this wonderful book.

In Not the Marrying Kind, Ashley and Sasha Are thrust together as two wedding vendors, who must coordinate together for the upcoming wedding of their mutual friends, Leo and Holly, from Perfect Rhythm. In the first book of the series, we were not sure how to feel about Ashley, whether her story would be one of a friend or a villain. But her story is one of forgiveness and not giving up on a true friend. Leo and Holly could have ghosted Ashley but chose kindness and compassion. I found the friendship between these four women to be so beautiful.

The chemistry between Ashley and Sasha is electric. This is a slow burn that builds and kept me wanting more. I was sad the story ended. Jae’s stories are usually gentle and comforting, feel-good romances, and this is one of her best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva publishing for providing me with a digital copy.

I received this book from NetGalley for review. I love Jae's books. This book was about an out baker, Sasha, falling in love with a very closeted florist, Ashley. Both, Sasha and Ashley supply the cake and flowers for the upcoming wedding of two mutual friends. This story has romance, humor and characters I could relate with. The small town gossip that happens with everyone in town is like where I grew up. It was a very enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

this was a fun book to read! i liked ashley's development over the course of the story and felt really invested in her relationship with sasha. i didn't find the side characters that compelling or realistic though!