This book was not what I was expecting but I actually mean that in a good way. It’s difficult to describe the plot without giving up spoilers but just trust me when I say that this is not a lighthearted romcom, but instead a well-crafted romantic drama that deals with some weighty issues quite well while still giving me the HEA I wanted. I believe this is my first book by this author but it will not be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

A standard sapphic contemporary, neighbours to lovers, romance. Girl meets girl, girl finds girl frustrating, loud, bland, etc. Girl suddenly loves girl.

Check your trigger warnings before you read as it includes some heavy topics - such as domestic abuse, murder ideation & religious trauma.

I found the central conflict of the story hard to entertain, but also written in a way that makes you feel the frustration the FMCs would also feel. I found the writing of this book to be too full of metaphors, and overly descriptive. There was little to no character growth, the plot was 100% based around the final conflict act, and the ending of the story felt like the author just decided they didn’t want to continue writing.

While I genuinely love a sapphic contemporary romance, this novel was missing multiple elements to make this a worthwhile read.

I thank NetGalley, the author & Bella Bools for the chance to review. All opinions are my own.

This book seemed like it was going to be a light hearted romance but quickly took a turn with a lot of DV that didn’t really feel necessary to the plot.

I want to thank Bella Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review. Please note the content warnings for Domestic Abuse, Trauma, and Homophobia.

When I got this book I was expecting a lighthearted and funny enemies-to-lovers story about two neighbors that seemed to be quite each other's opposite. However, instead, I was taken aback by Allie's brother and the domestic abuse. I personally think this is something that should be explicitly stated at the start of the book. I don't have any issue reading books with domestic abuse (depending on how they're represented, though) but this can be heavily triggering for some people and the book's description is misleading at best.

However, this is not my only issue with the book. Despite the book being short, I felt the story drag itself more than necessary. There was absolutely no chemistry between the leads. Nothing about the initial 'hatred" and subsequent 'attraction' for each other felt real or even plausible. I would consider this book painfully average and even underwhelming. As someone who is driven by characters, I hardly found myself moved by anyone in this story. The only part that really made me feel something was Nick's (Allie's brother) mistreatment and abuse of his sister, but even then I felt like I should have felt more urgency.

The only reason this is not getting anything under 3 is because I have read way worse books. The prose wasn't bad per se, but it lacked punch and emotion most of the time. However, I would put that blame on characterization rather than the prose itself. It's an issue of decent prose and grammar, but weak characters and plot.

The main characters of this book are Allie & Cait. Allie teaches music to make ends meet. when she is not performing. There is one problem now, her practice space is under renovation for many months and she is forced to have her students meet at her apartment.
Soon Allie will have major problems with Cait. Cait is an editor that works from home and needs quiet to complete her job effectively. They soon start to butt heads when Allie holds lessons in her apartment.
Not to mention that Allie's brother is couch surfing at the moment and is starting problems.
Despite all the problems with Allie and Cait, there is attraction between the two. A relationship could blossom is they could find a way to change their tunes.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First book by this author and it had its pros and cons. This has some heavy issues discussed, but you're wholly unprepared when halfway through the book, the tone changes even with the trigger warning. It makes the second half of the book and the romance feel stale and flat.

Allie Coleman is forced to teach and practice in her apartment when her normal space is undergoing renovations and since she's in music, its not exactly quiet which is a problem for her upstairs neighbor, Cait Durant. She's a freelance editor and needs peace and quiet to do her job, but Allie ruins that.

I expected enemies to lovers trope and we got that, but then it delves into domestic violence and homophobia. I agree with some other reviews, if this was marked as a woman afraid of finally finding a home and a family, it would have been much better. Overall, the author delved deep into the characters careers and personalities so they felt real and true. The romance was good in the first half, but hard to get back into in the second.

I enjoyed the first half, more than the second, so not sure if I'd recommend this book or not. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book alot and it did surprise me a few times I love that the characters actually had stuff to overcome but in saying that this was still a sweet fluffy slow burn

This was a mostly sweet, darker than I was expecting sapphic romance. It ended up being a skim read for me because I didn't really like reading the heavier parts of the story, mainly the domestic violence.

The characters were likable though and their relationship was cute. I'm sure I would've liked a rom-com about them better.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This book is a misleading read that starts with a promising enemies-to-lovers trope but quickly diverges into a heavy narrative with domestic violence and trauma. The plot feels disjointed, as if it splits into two different stories that only somewhat come together at the end. The romance between Allie and Cait lacks the lightheartedness expected, and their interactions are often filled with uncomfortable tension. Additionally, the frequent emphasis on one character's size and a problematic scene involving gender miscommunication detract from the overall experience. This book could benefit from trigger warnings and a more accurate description to set reader expectations.

This book could benefit from trigger-warnings and a description change. Readers go into this book expecting a queer enemies-to-lovers plotline, and are confronted by domestic violence and trauma.

I seldom look at other reviews before reading a book and was surprised by a lower rating from an author I’ve enjoyed before. In this case I was glad to get a heads up warning that domestic violence is part of the story. It prepared me so I wasn’t surprised when it appeared. The story follows Cait and Allie. Cait is introverted, nearly six feet tall, works from home and has a large dog. Her world is upset when Allie, a professional trumpet player becomes her downstairs neighbor. Not only does she need to practice, she also teaches lessons from home, disrupting Allie’s work.

I liked learning about their jobs which of course leads to conflict between the neighbors. Things change when Allie’s brother shows up. Sadly with him comes generational abuse, guilt and built up trauma. Cait and Allie’s relationship takes a sweeter turn as they both need to step up for each other and themselves. It was a darker book than I was expecting from the blurb but I thought those aspects were handled well. I liked Allie and Cait individually, seeing the attraction between the two was murkier. I do think that a trigger warning for domestic violence should be added to the description for transparency to prepare the reader. (3.5 Stars)

This was a cute story though it also went over a few issues that need to be talked about more such as DV and what happens when your family can’t accept who you are. I think this book did great covering them both while also giving us an enemies to lovers story.

A really cute sapphic love story that plays with the grumpy cat and golden retriever somewhat "enemies-to-lovers" trope. Would have loved the story to be longer because the slow-burn really burned quite slowly. Personally appreciated the music theme but would have enjoyed a little more romance.

This is not a light romance. This is a deep, adult work. Amanda Kabak touches upon truly difficult topics with respect for the situation. However, the overall plot felt as though it diverged into two completely different stories that somewhat made it back together towards the end. An interesting read.

Thank you to Bella Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Good length first chapter, character laid down well. Second character in chapter 2 immediately shows us similarities and differences between the two.
It’s about 40% before there is a thaw, and although we are learning about the difficulties in each life, pace for me has dropped off a bit as the mains relationship is not really moving forward. I like slow burn, so that isn’t normally a complaint but it just feels like they are not even moving in to friendship.
There is a pivotal scene with a sibling relationship that isn’t particularly graphic but I think demonstrates the aftermath well. Although the novel had lost a bit of its hold on me just before that, that section held me.
I didn’t understand the mains fight…… so was a bit perplexed with how it was a big deal.
Then there is a scene, towards the end that I was gripped by, tautly written. For me there were some parts of the book that slipped just below 3, and some well above 3. All in a 3.

Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note the following content warnings: domestic violence, generational trauma. Spoilers below.

This book is so misleading. Billed as a romance, this story starts with a promising enemies-to-lovers trope—where I had difficulty buying in to begin with, but was willing to give it a go. However, about halfway through the book, there’s a huge domestic violence storyline between one of the MCs and her brother. It is so jarring that I put my e-reader down for a minute. There was nothing lighthearted about this story. Even the character’s romance arc was rife with the bad kind of tension. I didn’t feel like main characters even liked each other. And one of them, especially, was particularly horrible to the other. Trauma does do effect our interactions with each other, but this was a lot. There was also a large emphasis on one of the character’s size (it’s seriously repeated FREQUENTLY) and a scene where there’s some miscommunication around the woman being manly in nature. The other MC clears it up, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I gave this two stars because it’s obvious the author put a lot of care into the character’s jobs—that caught my attention right away. But I really couldn’t get behind the huge twist that took this from what it was billed as to become something entirely different. I did not put down this book feeling good about it.

I was drawn to this book by the charming cover, with the dog, the music notes drifting upwards, and the masc-looking love interest. Cait is a freelance editor working from home, sharing her flat with her Great Dane, Pancho. Allie is a musician and a music teacher, and after the unexpected closing of her rehearse space, she's forced to give lessons and practice at home instead.

And by "unexpected", I mean that she got several warnings probably months in advance and it only caught her off guard because she ignores her mail. On some level I relate to that, as someone who has ADHD and certainly forgets my share of things, but it was still tough to feel sympathy for her at first, especially when she blamed her friends for her own mistake. I was very much feeling Cait's frustration at her work schedule and life being disrupted without warning, and Allie's solution of earplugs doesn't work if she needs to make calls or anything.

Of course, that is the initial conflict described in the blurb, and I expected it to get better, but instead it got bad in a different way. This book ended up being much darker than I expected, with a rather explicit domestic abuse situation between Allie and her brother, and that's on top of Cait's editor blaming her for a male writer being an absolute unprofessional prick.

Overall, the tone was darker than expected despite the happy ending, I wasn't satisfied with how Cait's work conflict was resolved, and most of all, I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two main leads. I liked them as individual people, but I think they spent more time arguing or having misunderstanding than actually talking, and I just really wasn't feeling the relationship.

Would I recommend this? I'm not sure. It definitely had some bright points, like the dog, or Cait's background in Appalachia and the conflicted feelings around that, but unfortunately it didn't win me over.

I wasn't quite sure what to think about this one, I liked certain elements, but the overall progression didn't quite work for me. For instance, I liked that Allie and Cait were able to rely on each other for different reasons, such as dealing with Nick or Cait opening up more. However, I think Cait summed up one of my main issues with the book herself when talking about Tamara. There was simply too much exposition for me and not quite enough of the actual romance or relationship building. A majority of the book is spent on Allie's family issues and Cait's struggles at work rather than interactions between the two. It is only around the 60% mark where it feels as if they even stop disliking one another, and by 80% are finally ready to embark on a relationship. In that way, the pacing of it all just didn't quite work for me. I do think that much of the book was well written with the characters and their struggles very fleshed out, but there wasn't enough development for their romance to feel like more than convenience or surface level. Overall, 3.4/5 stars.

I loved this novel; however, it was NOT what I expected from the blurb. That blurb should be edited, although to what I am not sure. This novel is much more serious and complex than the lighthearted rom-com that I was expecting but thankfully I am flexible and still loved what I found in these pages. There was a romance plotline here, and it was satisfying, however the main focus of the novel was the individual character arc’s of these two characters (which was interwoven with the romance plotline, of course). This novel wasn’t perfect, but I think it was very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it, and I’m giving it 5-stars (rounding up).

Highlights:
-This novel does an excellent job of digging into and discussing domestic violence and intergenerational trauma. Its some heavy stuff, and the reader gets an inside view. These topics were handled seriously and respectfully (I think) and the strong emotions are on-point.
-The start of the novel is a lot of fun. Neighbours bickering and all of the back-and-forth, it was what I expected from the novel going in and I enjoyed it a lot.
-This novel is very descriptive, and the beginning sections did a great job of getting the reader into the minds and lives of the two protagonists. The characters were fully formed and clearly had lives outside of the romance (NOT always the case, lol). The character motivations were very clear and made sense, which is important for this type of enemies-to-lovers story because otherwise it feels very forced.
-Their relationship, and the slow relationship development, was nice. It was fun at the start, and then it was sweet and heartwarming even though it certainly wasn’t easy. Characters supporting each other through their struggles, or challenging each other to be better versions of themselves, always works for me. Allie was able to stand up for Cait in ways she wasn’t able to do for herself, accept support that she wasn’t used to receiving, trust, and break through what was holding her back. Cait was forced out of her shell for the first time in forever, actually enjoyed it, and learnt to take risks that she previously wouldn’t.

Criticisms:
-The novel description didn’t align with the content of the book. I never understand why this happens. I think that some readers might go into this with the wrong expectations, and others who would love this might not open it up.
-Cait’s plotline felt like it lacked resolution to me, and the resolution that we got was lackluster and rushed. For most of the novel both characters have their parallel plotlines and are given equal billing, but at the end Cait’s seems to just drop off so that the novel can focus on Allie. It makes sense at the time, but in the end it left me feeling unsatisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, for an ARC of this book.

Major CW: On-page domestic violence and homophobia.

I went into this book expecting a cute little enemies-to-lovers romance and was a bit taken aback to find halfway through the book we took a hard swerve into a domestic violence and inherited trauma story. I wanted to put that up front so that anyone who wanted to avoid triggers could do so easily.

That aside, I was quite enjoying the first half of this book. There's a fun dynamic with the introverted nearly six-foot-tall, muscled woman who has a giant dog and keeps to herself and the five-foot professional trumpet player and music teacher downstairs and their competing needs for silence and music during their workdays. I thought we were on track for a cute romance for half the book.

The second half of the book suddenly pivots to a fully realised story of domestic violence and generational trauma. Suddenly, the romance seems jarring to return to when such serious problems and interactions are in play. As a result, the book feels very uneven to me as a cohesive whole.

Honestly, I feel like if this book was marketed as the story of a young woman who is afraid of found family slipping away and being alone romantically while dealing with a terrible blood-related family, it would have been much better. I could almost feel Allie resisting the inevitable saviour complex that Cait would bring to her life and Cait's inability to express herself was deeply frustrating, and even more so since Allie is clearly not in a place to accept help or new friends and is incredibly rude at every turn. I can't honestly say I understood why the two would even be a good romantic pair aside from them finding each other physically attractive because they literally never interact in normal, healthy ways at all.

A positive side of this book was the attention to detail for the main characters' careers. It's refreshing to see such a vivid and detailed portrayal of both a freelance editor's job and that of a freelance musician. I enjoyed reading about each character's day to day job and how they enjoyed their chosen careers and this was honestly a highlight of this book for me.

Overall, I think the focus of this book is deeply diluted by wanting to pursue both a cute enemies-to-lovers romance and also delve into the mindset of abuse victims becoming abusers.