Love that this love story plays off the title with tarot cards playing a role in the story! This was a unique love story that I really enjoyed!

Thank you #berkley and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book and not just because I am also a Tarot girly. I am a sucker for a good second chance romance and this hit all the marks it needed to. I really felt Kit's inner turmoil about reconciling with her own sexuality at such a later part in life and after the upheaval with her parents. I also admired Julia getting back to herself after being forced into a specific mold by her toxic ex. You could tell that the two women missed their friendship in addition to the possibility of what could have been for them if Kit hadn't run away. The background characters were all good, with the exception of the toxic ex who was supposed to be the villain anyways. This was this author's debut and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

The Lovers by Rebekah Faubion is a captivating and beautifully crafted exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of human connection. From my perspective, Faubion’s lyrical prose draws you in, painting vivid emotional landscapes that resonate deeply. The characters are intricately developed, each facing their own struggles and desires, which makes their journeys relatable and compelling.

I particularly enjoyed how the narrative weaves together themes of passion and vulnerability, highlighting the bittersweet nature of love. The pacing is generally well-balanced, although some sections felt a bit slower, allowing for deeper reflection on the characters’ inner lives. Faubion’s ability to capture the nuances of relationships is impressive, creating moments of both joy and heartache that linger long after reading.

Overall, The Lovers is an emotionally rich and thought-provoking read that left me contemplating the complexities of love and the choices we make. It’s a beautiful choice for readers who appreciate heartfelt storytelling and nuanced character exploration.

I liked it. It’s a cute, fun read with a GORGEOUS cover. Despite my hold up, I really enjoyed the vibrant setting and how it played throughout the book, letting Kit and Julia be away from outside sources and get a chance to rekindle their love.

3 stars.

I love a "coming out later in life" story, but "The Lovers" by Rebekah Faubion left much to be desired. It all just felt sort of flat to me. I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. While I haven't minded reading books about influencers in the past, for some reason, the characters in this book rubbed me the wrong way. Kit is a *tarot influencer.* What? I am *~an old*~ now, but is this a thing? Will they make *anyone* an influencer? The influencer culture felt steroided-out and cartoonish. In fact, a lot of this book is way too over-the-top for its own good. Piper, Julia's evil ex-girlfriend, is chief among the cartoonish stuff. I don't want to spoil, but goodness, did I hate her and what she did at the end. I guess that's the point, though. This book takes the phrase "manic pixie dream girl" and runs it into the ground. I wanted to vomit from how frequently it is discussed! It grated on my nerves. I liked the second chance reconnection between Julia and Kit, and while forced proximity books are usually my jam, I didn't necessarily believe in how quickly they got together. Their chemistry was, again, a little lacking. Maybe it's because they spent 10 years apart and reconnected with a bang (literally, at one point), but I was not feeling their connection at all. They grow as individuals, though, and their growth is admirable and well-written. All in all, this was a mixed bag for me. Also, can we stop with the Taylor Swift references? Goodness gracious. I love her and her music, but it's getting ridiculous at this point.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebekah Faubion, and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

A Second Chance, SAPPHIC romance?!
You know I am going to eat that up!
I’m feeling really conflicted about this one. While I truly appreciated the romance and backstory between Kit and Julia, I found some of the supporting characters and clichés to be off-putting. There seemed to be a noticeable absence diverse representation, and the influencer aspects felt a bit critical. I liked the lively setting, which provided a perfect backdrop for Kit and Julia to reconnect without distractions. Their chemistry was incredibly compelling and really kept me engaged. Overall, this book didn’t resonate with me personally, but I think it might be a great fit for others!

i had a lot of fun with this one! I thought it was really well written bc I was feeling what the characters were feeling while also feeling like I was reading about some tiktok drama or a podcast or something. i loved all the influencer vibes throughout and also the idea of a fated love story in the contemporary world!
definitely recommending!

This was such a fun second chance romance! There was wedding planning, tarot reading, influencers and chance meetings.
Loved the wedding party, such an eclectic bunch of ladies. This started off with some family drama which made Kit question her whole life. Then seeing her childhood best friend Julia at this wedding, who was close to a love interest in their teens but she got spooked and they haven’t spoken since.
This is really interesting to me because as much as it is your life sometimes you expect your parents to give you all the tools or at least arm you with their tools. And when you find out they omitted pieces of themselves it makes you start questioning everything about yourself. Life is hard and parents are just people doing their best, hopefully. I need to make sure my girls know what they need to to make decisions for themselves and be true to themselves. Not everyone has families they can come out to and some do but don’t know and they are scared of not being accepted.
There is always a jealous ex and she was as toxic as they come. She was a bitter awful person, some people should be alone yikes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance Pub for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

Kit and Julia are both such amazing characters. Kit's storyline deals with a lot of comphet and parental expectations; she's coming into her queerness and it's freaking powerful! Julia is still somewhat recently coming out of a toxic relationship and navigating the world in a way she's not sure suits her anymore. Rebekah Faubion captured them each so well that I'm not convinced I couldn't run into them somewhere in Southern California. Also, the Joshua Tree setting was amazing; I've been there so many times and The Lovers felt just like another visit.

Add it to my list of second chance romances that flashback without taking away from the current romance. Such a phenomenal estranged friends to lovers romance. The tension and the yearning and the horniness, god it was all there for me! It's a romance through and through, but it's also about these two women falling in love with their true selves. I'm also such a sucker for couples getting to know each other again as adults which this does so well!

Read this if you like sapphic romances, bi4bi, second chances, friends to lovers, learning to love yourself, tarot and other magical things, wonderfully lush settings, and feeling all the feels.

The Lovers by Rebekah Faubion is a poignant and beautifully crafted exploration of love and loss that captivates from the very first page. The story follows two individuals whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways, showcasing the complexities of their relationship against a backdrop of personal struggles and societal expectations. Faubion’s evocative writing and deeply relatable characters make the emotional journey both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. This novel is a testament to the power of connection and the lasting impact of love, making it a must-read for anyone who appreciates thoughtful, character-driven narratives.

Kit has just broken up with her boyfriend, because she was worried he was getting ready to propose, and now needs to ask her parents if she can come home and crash in the pool house again. Instead, she finds out her mother has been cheating on her father and the two of them getting a divorce. Fortunately, Kit is able to get a gig reading tarot for an influencer’s wedding, which will give her someplace to stay, something to do, something to eat, and some content for her own channel … if only for three or so days before she has to crash on her best friend’s couch (again).

Julia is in the middle of planning the wedding of a well-known influencer couple — a wedding with the most ridiculous spiritual healers, crystal sellers, and tarot card readers. Julia hasn’t believed in that nonsense since high school, but it’s what the bride wants. And it would all be fine, just another day’s work, if it weren’t for the fact that two of her exes decided to show up — Kit, her first lover, and Piper, her latest, with whom she shared a nasty breakup a year ago.

Before they were lovers, Kit and Julia were best friends, and the echoes of that friendship still linger. When Julia needs a hand, it’s Kit there to offer it, and Julia can’t help but feel the same rush of feelings she had back then. Kit was afraid of her own queerness, and has hidden behind the safety of heterosexual romances and ideals, following dutifully in the romcom script she thought she wanted. But now, Julia has her questioning what she truly wants.

This book seems to take a great deal of inspiration from Taylor Swift lyrics and When Harry Met Sally, and it can easily become an Easter egg hunt of picking out the references. For someone who is into such games, who finds delight in recognizing all the Swift-isms, this book might be fun. For me, it felt a bit like a gimmick that overstayed its welcome. Especially the constant commentary when the characters would point out how something happening was just so rom-com coded.

Kit feels utterly unbelievable. She just broke up with a long-term boyfriend, no longer has a place to live, her parents are getting a divorce — a rather acrimonious one — and she doesn’t seem to care. When she’s reunited with Julia, she seems more caught up in the ‘fate” of it all than the actual person in front of her. Kit comes across as in love with the idea of being in love, in love with being the girl in the romcom, but romcom’s end. The breathless moments of Hollywood sparkle fade when the credits roll and there’s an actual life to be lived after, and I don’t honestly think Kit understands that.

Julia was in a toxic relationship for some time with Piper, who is one of the bridesmaids at the wedding. Piper was Julia’s first real lover after Kit dumped and ghosted her, and there are a lot of feelings still between them. Piper wants Julia back, but Julia — with the distance of a year — can see clearly how she turned herself inside out to please Piper. She took Piper’s advice on how to dress, how to style her hair, how to act around clients … and yes, in several cases Piper was right. But she was also demanding, controlling, and manipulative. Piper was also still closeted with her family, making Julia play the role of best friend and roommate, which was a factor in their breakup.

With Kit, Julia doesn’t have to think, she just feels her way back into that first schoolgirl romance when they were both innocent and had no thoughts beyond being in love. Honestly, I think Julia came across both as a better written character and a more actualized person than Kit did and, as much as I hate to say it, I would have preferred the book to spend more time dealing with Julia and Piper. While the two are terrible together, there was honest chemistry and emotion between then, rather than just twinges of “feeling in the dark deep crevices.”

The writing is fine, the pace is fine, the plot is fine. But Kit doesn’t feel real and I couldn’t get any sense of the relationship between her and Julia beyond two people who just wanted to escape the real world and fall into a romcom romance for a few days. The book also has a weird tone about influencers, seeming to view them both as aspirational — as almost every single character in the story has a channel, a following, and a brand — and with some contempt, pointing out how fake everything is. There’s also so much name dropping of other romcoms, designers, influencers, and anything with a brand name. It was a bit much.

Personally, this is a pass. It’s not a terrible book, but it doesn’t do anything interesting. It follows expected story beats, and flavors them with Taylor Swift lyrics and a lackluster romance.

Generously received and E-Arc thanks to netgalley and Berkley !!

As a lover of queer media, spirituality, and overall psychic energy and tarot, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It quite literally included every thing I love so it just had to be perfect for me.

Unfortunately it didn’t quite hit the mark like I wanted it to. It seemed a little to niche for me when it came to the Los Angeles content creator aspect. It felt like someone made a fanfic about two queer YouTubers with quirky personalities and posted it to wattpad. Things were just a little ~too~ cheesy but if that’s your type of things you’ll definitely enjoy it.

The aspects I loved though were the found family made along the way and the actions having consequences when they needed to. Nobody got away with things like forced outing or emotional abuse and that’s very important. A lot of the side characters were also pretty awesome people but I would have loved if every character had just a little more depth.

Overall this one is enjoyable to read in your free time and despite it not necessarily being my thing I’d still recommend it if you’re into cheesy rom-coms !!

That was an interesting read. A queer second chance romance between childhood friends? Count me in. Honetly, it was quite interesting to see the romance be brought back to life, after Kit and Julia not having seen each other in quite a long time. And add an ex to the mix? It does bring some more drama to their blooming romance.
Honestly, I enjoyed following Kit and Julia, Kit, the tarot reader, and Julia, the wedding planner, are forced back into each other lives, after years appart. And to see Kit coming together into being able to be out, while dealing with the drama dished by some people around them.
Beside the romance, you get a setting that reminds you of those influencers that are all about the boho chic, and the spiritual, and yoga, crystal, tarot, and all of that... I've seen so many of those on instagram.. I think that it plays strongly on the stereotypes of those influencers, so if it's not something you think you would enjoy as the background of the story, that is something to keep in minde.
Overall, it was a fun read. I really liked Kit and Julia, and I was happy to see them get a second chance at love. It was a great debut from Rbekah Faubion, and I'm curious to see what she will write next, as the next book looks quite different.

Two women get a second shot at love while working a chic California wedding. Tarot reader Kit Larson trusts the cards, even if they didn’t predict her recent heartbreak. Needing a fresh start, she takes a gig at a boho-chic wedding—only to discover her high school crush, Julia, is the planner. Julia, a perfectionist hiding her vulnerable side, is thrown off by the return of Kit, the woman who once broke her heart. As wedding events unfold, old sparks fly, and Kit’s cards suggest their love story may not be over after all.

If you didn’t have a phase during your teens where you were convinced that fate was speaking to you through the tarot cards you purchased for ten bucks in an ancient bookshop and didn’t actually know how to accurately read but still couldn’t stop shuffling around, did you even have a childhood?

All jokes aside, the synopsis immediately appealed to me because it was the first time I saw a tarot card reader in the leading role of a romance and Kit did not disappoint. Initially hired for a wedding, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much tarot played into the overall story and that it wasn’t discarded after but instead influenced the whole story—which makes sense, considering the cards always predicted Kit and Julia, childhood best friends, were twin flames.

And speaking of, I’m a sucker for a second chance romance so watching Kit and Julia find their way back to each other after not having seen each other for so long had me flipping the pages to see whether and how they could reconnect.

The plot is—just as its characters—messy and sometimes overwhelmingly dramatic (in a fun rom-commy way) yet always carries this undeniable attraction and fated pull between Julia and Kit with it. What I love most in romance is when you have individual storylines for the characters’ personal growth intertwined in their romance and The Lovers certainly delivered. Julia has her own ambitions with wanting her own business to flourish and dealing with the scars her ex left whereas Kit is struggling with the notion that what her parents have taught her about love and its movie-esque quality isn’t as true as she thought. Their personal journeys weaved in beautifully with their romance and added a lot of depth to them reconnecting.

There’s also the overarching theme of coming out in your twenties which I thought was handled quite well. Kit had a lot to work through when it came to her own internalised biphobia and repressing feelings which was so messy and so realistic. Coming out isn’t always a—excuse the pun —straight path and instead features just as many roadblocks and setbacks as it features revelations and genuine happiness and Kit goes through all of that. As much as I love reading YA stories about people coming out, I love that we are now also getting to see this representation in fiction for older individuals who might not have had the support system, the understanding or the space to come out in their teens.

While I did really vibe with the romance, there were two things that did take away from my enjoyment. For one, there wasn’t really a whole lot of diversity when it came to the cast of characters. Now, of course this can be somewhat reasoned to be because of the whole influencer set-up which is—often—overwhelmingly white in reality, but overall, there just seemed to be a whole lot of the same thing from looks to characteristics to social and ethnic background. I would have wished here for a bit more realistic and diverse characters to be thrown into the mix.

The second thing that made me struggle a few times with this debut was the pacing. For one, I never really understand romances where the main characters don’t meet in the beginning of the story or are at least teased to be meeting each other soon with *something* thrown into the path of their initial meeting. I do love a good backstory but especially in the beginning, the effort to develop the characters made me struggle to stay invested until Kit and Julia actually met. When they hadn’t met each other by chapter five—or remet, as it were—I had to push through to continue reading. Similarly, there was a whole lot of repetition of basic facts which made sense in the beginning to establish the characters but made the pacing drag especially in the middle when inner monologues just seemed to be regurgitated with no rhyme or reason. However, those are small gripes and nothing that should deter you from picking up this fun and inviting debut!

Looking for an atmospheric second chance sapphic romance? With a touch of fate and undeniable chemistry, The Lovers will make for a magical read and awaken the itch to purchase a new set of tarot cards to convince you that your fate is written in the cards.

“This the day you’ll look back on as the moment when you chose to love yourself no matter what. It will be so f--king worth it.”

The Lovers is a second chance, childhood friends to lovers, Sapphic romance. In dual POV, readers follow social media tarot influencer Mystic Maven aka Kit Larson and wedding planner, Julia Kelley. Estranged Childhood besties, Kit and Julia, re-connect while they are both working at a Joshua Tree wedding. While at the wedding they are forced to confront past hurts and see if fate has brought them together for one last chance at a happily ever after.

While I liked romance, my favorite part was watching Kit take the final step in her self-acceptance journey. She is a poster child for compulsory heterosexuality and has been chasing the “ideal rom-com path” based on encouragement from her dad. Finding yourself is such an individualistic process and watching Kit gain confidence to come out was very special to witness.

Rebekah Faubion took a master class in writing an atmospheric novel. I have never dreamed about traveling to Joshua Tree, but after reading this book I need to go. The Lovers takes place over a wedding weekend and the resort described sounds enchanting. It was also interesting to learn about tarot reading and the meaning behind different cards/ combinations.

Overall, I think this was a solid debut! It is atmospheric, filled with some drama (evil ex GF) and hopeful all at once. I was on the fence rating this between 3.5 and 4 stars. I ultimately decided to round up because I like a later in life coming out story and the setting was great. I could have gone without some of the ex GF drama, but it ended up being fine.

If you enjoyed Count Your Lucky Starts by Alexandra Bellefleur, I think you may like this one too!

What to expect:
•Social media tarot influencer X wedding planner
•Estranged childhood friends to lovers
•Sapphic romance
•Set in Cali, Joshua Tree
•Dual POV, some short flashbacks
•Coming out later in life
•Fate

Possible trigger warnings- bi-erasure, forced coming out, divorce (parents), cheating (parents)

I just finished this queer, angsty, witty, swoony rom-com and my heart is full!



Rebekah Faubion, I’m not really sure how this is a debut! Well done! The writing immediately pulled me in. I loved the characters, especially Kit and Julia, and the story made my mushy heart so happy!



Faubion painted some of the best pictures I have ever read. The descriptions of the wedding venue, Kit’s air stream, the wedding food, the characters outfits, and so much more really made me feel like I was in the story! I now want to decorate my whole house with Kit’s aesthetic and buy and air steam and visit the desert!



Speaking of Kit, I really loved and identified with her character and Julia’s too. They are two former besties from high school that come back together after almost 10 years apart. Both of them are struggling with their identity.



"Can your life really be what you want if you are denying a truth about your self?"





The way both of them explore this question is so relatable. So many of us are hiding our truth in some way. Whether that’s through our sexual identity, our family dynamics, our jobs, or other things we hide inside and it’s clear they are bursting to come out of their cage. These characters navigate the exploration of those truths in an empowering and vulnerable way.



As a long time rom-com girly with Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Holiday being at the top of my list, I have always been searching for queer love stories like these too. I loved how this story talks about their being more than just conventional love and how beautiful that is too.



“I'm beginning to see how there are a lot of ways to live that fairy tale in real life and how important it is to make those expressions of this romantic ideal just as relevant as the more conventional ones.”



This story also made me love learning about Tarot and really really want to get my own Tarot reading. There’s also Taylor Swift lyrics, supportive secondary characters, and a Mom and Dad that will make you giggle.



This story is one that I really think you will so enjoy and I triple dog dare you to read it!

A second chance romance between two childhood best friends as one has become a tarot reader/mystic influencer and the other has become a wedding planner.... forced to work together at the same wedding while dealing with their terrible breakup all those years ago. Kit Larson is a tarot reader and a mystic influencer, yet she could never predict her parent's divorce or the fact that she's broken up with her boyfriend and doesn't feel sorry about it. When she is offered to work another influencer's wedding at Joshua Tree she accepts because it would be the perfect distraction. Kit has always wanted the ideal Rom Com path and when her parents got divorced it really rocked her world... oh and the fact that she's been struggling to come out as bi for years. When she also discovers that her ex best friend/ long time high school crush Julia is the wedding planner at the wedding she just knows its fate that they found their way back to one another... if only she could get Julia to see it that way too. Julia Kelley is a famous wedding planner and she's determined to make her latest clients happy despite the fact that her slightly insane ex girlfriend Piper is also the new bridesmade and that her ex best friend in high school and the only girl to completely break her heart is back in her life. Back when they were in highschool the cards had told Kit and Julia that they were Twin Flames and that they were perfect for one another... and now is their chance to get their happily ever after. This book was sadly a big miss for me, it just felt too "meh". The relationship did not feel like it had any real foundation or good chemistry. To say Kit was my manic pixie nightmare girl is putting it lightly. Julia, sweet sweet Julia, girl just get out please. I couldn't care for the second chance romance in this and this truly felt like a book for the tarot girlies and mystic influencers, and as someone who loves a good sapphic romance, it just was not for me. If you like second chance romances and tarot/astrology girls, maybe give this one a go,maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

second chance romance is a forever favorite! the angst and yearning are unmatched.

kit and julia were best friends growing up. on a dare, they got their tarot reading and found out they’re twin flames. and right before they go away to college, julia admitted she loves kit. and kit freaks out and ghosts. now several years later, julia is a wedding planner for a remote wedding in the dessert, and kit is the tarot entertainment and what follows is a super sweet story of the two of them finding their way back to each other.

i adored this book so much. julia was so strong and knew herself and what she wanted. kit was slowly learning and gaining confidence to be who she is and to love out loud. the premise was super fun and I’m realizing I love a chaotic wedding as a backdrop for a love story (see: the ex vows and tell me not).

my one problem with this is a common thing that happens in queer love stories: third act coming out drama. it’s very specific to queer stories and I just wish there was another way authors would set up a third act craziness. it really cheapens the story for me.

what to expect
⟢ sapphic romance
⟢ childhood friends to lovers
⟢ second chance
⟢ forced proximity

Thank you Berkley romance for a gifted copy!

TW internalized biphobia, public outing

As a second-chance romance, this is cute. I really enjoyed the characters of Kit and Julia and felt like they were pretty well-developed and believable. They also completed each other well. The twin flames concept worked well here, especially with how important Tarot is for Kit's life.

The rest of the characters, though, leave much to be desired. They all felt like stereotypes to me. I found them all kind of cringey and they clung hard to their stereotypes, except in a few instances.

The girls are all white, rich, skinny, blonde Southern California influencers. (except the crystal healer, sound healer, etc, who also read like stereotypes.) The guys are all beefy himbos (even though the author keeps reassuring us that they have brains even if there's no evidence of them in sight). The only hint of a nonwhite character is one of the guys, who is a hot Korean American rising star. He does not display any hint of brains either in the few paragraphs of page time he gets. Piper sticks out as a rich, skinny, white, (oh wait...) old-money socialite from Connecticut.

Needless to say I did not really connect with any of the secondary characters and generally preferred to pretend they weren't there. Which kind of works because Kit and Julia spend a lot of time wrapped up in each other.

The bi representation is not the greatest with the characters either firmly in the closet or cheating.

The forced outing drama also left a bad taste in my mouth. It was all wrapped up / swept under the rug pretty quickly too which didn't feel quite right.

Overall I enjoyed the romance but a lot of the details didn't sit right with me.

*Thanks to Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

4.25⭐️ This was a sexy, second chance sapphic romcom by a new to me author! It felt well paced, following along with a weekend wedding affair. Led by Julia, the glossy, sought after always in control wedding planner along with Kit, the Tarot Card Reader invited/hired by the bride for entertainment. They were once best friends who were shown the cards that they were twin flames. They were inseparable. Until Kit ghosted Julia after the first, and only, night together before college. Fast forward ten years and here they are at the same venue.

I loved their connection. You could feel that it was like time didn’t pass and the world didn’t exist when they were in each others orbit. Communication is a beautiful thing. Being true to yourself , finding your inner strength is screamed throughout!

It would have been nice to see (any) diversity in any area of the book although it seemed the stereotypes of the LA (no offense!) boho fake/forced influencer masked vibes were spot on imo. There was also some solidarity and support in some of those same people.

I recommend reading this if you like sapphic romcoms and second chance romance!