this book was fine! what was hard for me though is that only one of the characters seemed to have any growth (or, i guess, any weaknesses?). i like when everyone has to work through some issues--not where one seems to just be a foil to help the other one grow. i don't regret this book; i just don't think that it made it up to the standard that i hope for.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the romance felt natural and the narrator's voice added the authenticity and comforting feel, I really enjoyed the narration.

I'm so obsessed with this book. it was super freaking cute. a slow burn grumpy sunshine sapphic novel. its the perfect amount of serious and silly. I loved it

An exciting new, slow-burn, medical (workplace) romance from Jae. Ellie works as a nurse in the ER of a Missouri hospital. She is personable, kind and caring of her patients. An ER doctor, Regina, has worked there less than a year coming from a major hospital in California. Regina is professional, but aloof. She is sort of an ice-queen, not used to explaining her actions or trying to make friends. At a charity auction for the hospital Ellie accidentally bids on a few dates with Regina.

Ellie tries slowly to get to know Regina and encourages her to let down her built up guards. I thought there was a nice balance of getting to know you conversations on dates mixed with workplace interactions where Regina insists there is no fraternizing. Regina is a bit of a mess being flirty one minute, she has Twinkie skills, and pulling back into professional mode the next. It feels like Ellie is endlessly patient letting Regina open up to her slowly.

I was doubly pleased to see Ellie and Regina visit Fair Oaks and interact briefly with the main characters of two previous books by Jae, Perfect Rhythm (Sept 2017) and Not the Marrying Kind (April 2019). I have only recently read them. I think it is a treat for the fans of authors when they have worlds where characters from other books can interact or meet up. If I hadn’t read the previous books, it was still a nice location to go for a fun date activity.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Lori Prince. She never disappoints although sometimes I hear her voice and think of other characters she brought to life with a similar sound. This is flirty, and fun, but be prepared, it takes a while to get to the first kiss. But if you hang in there you won't be disappointed. (4.5 Stars)

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Jae for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Story: two point seven-five stars
Audio: four and a half stars
Total: three stars

Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae follows cinnamon-roll hopeless romantic Ellie Fisher, an emergency department nurse, and no nonsense ice queen Regina Novak, an attending in the same ED.

At work Ellie and Regina don't see eye to eye. You might say they're rivals of a sort. Their dislike for each other is mutual, and while they try to avoid each other at work, a mishap at the hospital's annual singles auction fundraiser brings them together despite both women's wishes—Ellie accidentally bid on a date package with bachelorette number twelve, Dr. Regina Novak, who was forced to volunteer in place of a colleague.
Now, for better or worse, the two women are bound together for the span of four dates in the name of a good cause, and for the sum of nine-hundred dollars.

From Ellie teaching Regina how to ice skate, to a baking class turned competition, and from axe throwing to a very flashy (and disastrous) dinner, the nurse and doctor get to know each other and they find that the conclusions they'd drawn about one another couldn't be more misguided, and that their attraction to each other is worth fighting for.

For most of Bachelorette Number Twelve I felt like the book could've been two-thirds, or even half as long as it is. The pacing was a bit off for where I could see the story was going, but the last few hours of the book—let's not forget that it's a thirteen and a half hour long audiobook—really picked up and in total were much more interesting than the prior chapters.
I felt like the story dragged on a little too much for just four dates when not much of the time between was actually spent at the hospital. I expected the emergency department to be a bit of a character in itself. I didn't expect this book to serve up Grey's Anatomy realness, but I went into it thinking it would have at least some of the drama of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The only thing it had in common with Grey's at all was that there were lesbians that just so happened to work in a hospital, and there was flirting via coffee cart and hot beverages. That part was actually pretty cute, and very, very sweet.

While there were secondary plot lines for both Ellie and Regina I think they took too much of a back seat. Both were only truly explored in the last quarter of the book (right where the story picked up and held my interest), but they were resolved super quickly—and after too little angst on Ellie's part. While I found Regina's background story and subsequent trauma compelling it was wrapped up too seamlessly for me. For the length of the book I feel like it could've been explored more thoroughly. I think it would've served the characters better if it had.

In terms of the audiobook, I love a good Tantor Audio read, and I love Lori Prince as a narrator, but the true letdown of this book is that Prince pronounced "ugh" as "UGG" which really took me out of the moment. Other than that the audio performance was wonderful.

Bachelorette Number Twelve was an enjoyable read towards the end, but it just didn't do enough for me to warrant the length of the book. Had it contained the same core plot but been even three-quarters of the length I'd no doubt have enjoyed it more, but as it is I really needed the story to be a bit meatier in the way of drama and backstory. Give a bit more time to Ellie's relationship with her parents, have Ellie talk to her sister about her blossoming romantic relationship with Regina. Have her sister talk more about her not-a-relationship relationship—which I imagine might be where book two is headed, so a bit more of a build-up would've been delightful. If for some reason the inclusion of disc golf is truly integral to the plot of this book then give Regina at least one solid friendship with a fellow sportsperson. They were certainly trying to win her over. Had that been a side-plot I'd have found the focus on such a specific sport to make more sense in the long run.

While Bachelorette Number Twelve isn't a five star read for me it's definitely worth a read if you're dipping your toe into the glittering waters of the queer contemporary romance genre. At the end of the day it's a book by a sapphic author, about sapphic characters, and for sapphic readers.

Bachelorette number twelve is another wonderful grumpy/sunshine, slow-burn, cozy romance from Jae. I especially enjoyed the hilarious banter between these two main characters.

I listened to the audio for this book. The narrator is definitely one of the better narrators out there. The voices were good and easily distinguishable.

This book does include a hospital emergency room for one of the primary settings throughout the book. It contains a moderate amount of medical drama, which is to be expected. It had a rough start to me. The whole concept of the date auction, along with pressure on both parties to participate for the auction itself and four dates after is sexual harassment in the workplace. This made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief and really get into the story and the characters. It did pick up, though, and the latter 2/3 of the book was excellent.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own

Thank you for the chance to read/listen to this ARC!

Bachelorette Number 12 is a sweet and funny friends to lovers rom-com following doctor Ragina and Nurse Ellie.

I loved the storyline. This book was unique, funny and emotional with a little spice thrown in. Bachelorette Number 12 was a quick listen and very enjoyable! I rate in 3.5 ⭐️, but rounded up to 4!

4.5 stars!!
I can’t even start with how good this book was. I think it was even better because I listened to the audiobook. The two main characters were so easy to like and they actually how so much chemistry together. I mostly like how the ending played out! NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP!

4.5 stars. This was a truly enjoyable slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romp! (Also, for fellow folks in medicine: the medical content (one character is a doctor, the other is a nurse) was realistic enough that I didn't wince and lose track of the plot.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a nice Sapphic romance to start off 2024. I tend to not like enemies-to-lovers where the one person is actually just mean (I don't find them redemptive) and Regina was close but fell just on the side of 'Ok, I'll root for you.' Overall the romance was nice. The beginning was a tad slow but the ending was paced nicely and I was actually rooting for them as a couple. I generally liked the dialogue and Lori Prince is always a stellar narrator so I knew it would be a good listen. She really shines in the side characters. Some of the one-upmanship banter was meh for me - not because of bad writing but because that's just not my cup of tea and some of the scenarios were slightly unbelievable/overblown. I learned about the author from ARCs and I'd like to read more of Jae's works since I've not come across a bad one yet. Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Tantor Audio for the ALC

Grumpy/Sunshine

Regina and Ellie seriously cracked me up throughout this book. I loved their banter so much. There are definitely some tough subjects that are discussed, but I was still laughing and swooning at these two! I loved the growth of the characters and how well they knew each other.

I enjoy Lori Prince as a narrator but I do feel like this book would have benefited from different narrators for each MC. The voices were very similar, aside from exclamations. It was a bit difficult to keep it straight whose POV we were getting at times.

I was provided an ALC by Net Galley and Tantor media in exchange for an honest review.

that being said this audiobook was so damn cute! i was kicking and screaming while listening to it! Both Regina’s and Ellie’s story was so beautiful and 🌶️🌶️ i love it!! Regina was very much giving tsundere vibes and it had me weak!! Ellie’s was happiness and sunshine and so very patient! Ellie was extremely patient with regina as she overcame her traumas and gently nudged her in the right direction. Regina’s development was amazing to see as we see her slowly overcoming those traumas.
The Narrator did a great job of changing tones to best for the change of POV in characters. it def made fitting this book into my schedule much easier!
Contents:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
spice: 🌶️🌶️

Glad I started 2024 with a faux-dating, enemies to lovers romance set with medical professionals! We have our ice queen Dr. Regina Novak (Dr. McIcy, best nickname ever) and the sweet nurse Ellie Fischer. It was tough at first, understanding what exactly was Regina’s problems with people, particularly colleagues, knowing her personal business. But it was clear that with a little encouragement and some fun times (which somehow always end up with someone having a medical issue) we get to see Regina melt a little bit. There are a lot of insecurities, anxieties, hang-ups even, between the two MC’s and I’m glad we got to see them not only play out, but work themselves out in a deliberate, methodical way. No hurry up fixes to issues that take years to build inside a person. I had to suspend some belief as to the premise (which was an ongoing issue) for how they needed to go on several dates as was “required” by the auction that brought them together in the first place. But it suited just fine because people tell themselves lots of things to justify what’s happening in the scene and the choices they make. Great story.

I really enjoyed this book and the narrator was amazing. I loved the relationship between the MCs and the exploration of their relationships with their families.

Bachelorette Number 12 is the sweet escapism I needed in the new year. I had a lot of fun with this audiobook! Lori Prince did a great job of narrating engagingly and changing her voice, so I was always clear about who was speaking. I liked how this novel's dialogue was executed - the witty banter didn't feel out of place and seemed to progress naturally. The pacing was well done overall, and I always found myself interested in the plot (as opposed to more character-driven romance). The relationship between Ellie and Regina did move quickly, but they're lesbians (so points for accuracy). While this wasn't marketed as enemies-to-lovers, I wish they had leaned more into an antagonistic relationship initially - I would consider this a mild-dislike-to-lovers rather than enemies-to-lovers. Overall, this is a quick, sweet palate cleanser that had me kicking my feetsies.

A cute sapphic office romance.

This book was a very cute romance. It is in fact a slow burn. Both Ellie and Regina have their own issues. The relationship at the beginning is antagonistic but as they get to know each other and open up to each other you see their personal struggles. I love how they got to know each other. The dates they go on are so cute.

I enjoyed this so much, just a bit slow.

This is perfect for fans of "Delilah Green Doesn't Care" by Ashley Herring Blake!!
The characters were complex and you felt for them and their reasoning for certain actions. There is nothing I love more than characters who are fully fleshed out and you feel you like they are real people. Also no third act break up!! I will never look at a Twinkie the same again.
This book had me giggling at times but also had moments of real raw emotions.
The narrator also did an excellent job in bringing the characters to life! I fully enjoyed my time with this audiobook and will be looking into more by this author.

Bachelorette Number Twelve is a really great, slow burn sapphic romance between an uptight, unpersonable doctor and a very friendly nurse she works with. The doctor is roped into a date auction to raise money for the hospital and the nurse accidentally bids on her. So begin the required dates that turn into an unexpected romance with quite a bit of emotional depth as the doctor slowly thaws and unpacks her baggage from the past.

It was a tiny bit heavy on the medical elements, which makes sense given the profession of the characters but medical romances aren't my favorite. That said, I think this is a very well-written slow-burn romance with a couple of more explicit steamy scenes, but not a lot of them. It's more focused on the emotional development of the relationship. I also appreciated that while this is a lesbian romance, it includes lines that are explicitly inclusive of non-binary and bisexual identities as valid parts of the LGBT community.

The audio narration is well done. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

ARC from NetGalley, these are my own thoughts and opinions

3.75⭐️ This was a cute read! Overall I really enjoyed it, it just felt super long for a romcom. I enjoyed that the communication between the main characters was really strong. Workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine, and secret relationship.

Posted on StoryGraph 1/9/23

I really enjoyed this little wlw rom-com.

The grumpy sunshine/fake dating trope was excellently done and i particularly loved both of the main characters and how they improve and mature together, little by little and the fact that it was never too cringy. The only flaw about this book is that it could've been slightly shorter but I loved it anyway.

Thank you to NetGallery for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.