This book was not for me. There was to much miscommunication, and it was to messy. Don’t get me wrong, I like messy characters but this was too much. I did not like Jordan or Noemie. I felt like they were underdeveloped.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I loved the coffee shop ambiance of the book! It's a perfect cozy yet emotionally rich book! I loved the characters and ther emotional connection with each other and their bonding!

French Pressed Love is the queer romcom you didn’t know you need!

Struggling to make ends meet, coffee shop manager Jordan reluctantly agrees to become roommates with her insufferable customer, Noemie, after Noémie’s wealthy father cuts her off. As their forced proximity leads to unexpected feelings, Jordan must navigate her growing attraction—despite Noemie’s history of dating men and Jordan’s aversion to relationships—while bracing for a messy, drama-filled journey.

What worked for me?

🇨🇦 As a Canadian, I love that this book is not only written by a queer Canadian, but also takes place in Toronto!

🤍 I really liked the characters and their complexity. This is not your average romcom with characters who have no depth.

⏩ The pace of the book works well and continued to pique my interest time and time again. I was really rooting for both Noemi and Jordon to succeed and be happy.


What didn’t work for me?

📑 The transition between some of the chapters I found a bit confusing or abrupt. I had to look back a few times and check if I miss something because I didn’t always change in location or time. (But that could just be a me problem??? lol!)

Overall this was a great book and I really enjoyed it! MC Hutson is a new author to me and I hopes she continues to write more! 🫶🏼

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

You know when you read a romance and all you can think is "They could really just have one honest conversation and that would clear up a lot?" That is how i felt this entire book. Except, then, because they were not having that one honest conversation, all of their actual conversations were kinda meaningless. And that... was a bummer.

French Pressed Love by M.C. Hutson is a captivating slow-burn sapphic romance that masterfully intertwines themes of personal growth and unexpected connections. Set against the cozy backdrop of a Toronto coffee shop, the story introduces readers to Jordan Alexander, a coffee shop manager facing life’s hurdles, and Noémie St. Pierre, a high-maintenance customer with hidden depths. Their evolving relationship is both intense and heartwarming, offering a rollercoaster of emotions that keeps readers engaged. The novel’s authentic portrayal of complex characters and their messy, real-life challenges adds depth to the narrative, making it a compelling read for those seeking a romance that deviates from the norm. I loved it

This book was for sure a slow burn! I really enjoyed the overall vibe of the book and the characters. Normally characters and their traits blend together for me but Jordan and Noémie stood all on their own! The trope didn’t really work for me but that’s just a personal preference.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for this review.

I think I have finally settled on a 3.5 rating for this book.

I went into this book knowing it was going to be messy and I think in order to enjoy it you need that caveat. It's MESSY. It's got lying, and jealousy, and massive amounts of manipulation and miscommunication. These two MC's are wildly toxic and need lots of therapy but yet I was still rooting for them.

The book is told from Jordan's POV and I do think I would have appreciate a little of Noémie's as well.

Because the entire book Jordan thinks Noémie is straight and keeps trying to tamp down her feelings, I got a lot of angst but not a lot of yearning. And without Noémie's POV I didn't anything from her but mixed feelings and bitchiness with a side of jealousy.

By the time we get these two together the book is over and I really needed more time for this thing to develop because I didn't buy into the love at all.

That said I really did love the messiness when I was in it. It was clever and fun and toxic and I knew these characters are totally imperfect but still wanted them to find happiness.

So that's why the 3.5 stars.

⭐ Rating: 3.5/5
📖 Genre: Sapphic Romance, Contemporary Fiction
📅 Publication Date: November 2024

🌟 Summary:
French Pressed Love is a slow-burn sapphic romance that intertwines themes of personal growth, complex relationships, and the challenges of modern life. The story follows Jordan Alexander, a coffee shop manager struggling to make ends meet, and Noémie St. Pierre, a demanding customer who seems to have it all. Their initial friction evolves into a deeper connection as they navigate their contrasting worlds, revealing vulnerabilities and desires that challenge their perceptions of love and self.

🖋️ My Thoughts:
✔ Engaging Characters: Jordan and Noémie are well-developed protagonists whose personal journeys are both relatable and compelling. Their interactions are charged with tension and chemistry, making their evolving relationship a focal point of the narrative.

✔ Authentic Dialogue: The conversations between characters feel natural and contribute to the depth of their relationships, enhancing the reader's immersion in the story.

✔ Realistic Portrayal of Modern Challenges: The novel addresses issues such as financial instability, societal expectations, and personal insecurities, adding layers of realism to the romantic plot.

🔸 A Few Drawbacks:
▫ Pacing Issues: Some readers might find the progression of the romance slow, with certain plot points feeling repetitive, potentially affecting engagement.

▫ Complex Dynamics: The portrayal of toxic relationships and flawed characters may not resonate with all readers, as it introduces elements of messiness and angst that could be polarizing.

✨ Final Verdict:
French Pressed Love offers a nuanced and realistic depiction of a sapphic romance, highlighting the complexities of love and personal growth. While the narrative delves into challenging aspects of relationships, it ultimately presents a heartfelt story that many readers will find engaging and thought-provoking.

📌 Recommended For: Readers who appreciate slow-burn romances with depth, character-driven stories, and explorations of contemporary life challenges.

This is a very easy and quick read. I flew through this book because the sapphics have SO MUCH drama and I simply needed to know the outcome. I felt so many emotions all at once.

I have very mixed feelings towards the characters. Jordan bugged me for a lot of this book, especially her annoyance at Noemie's privacy and finding it difficult to open up, as well as Jordan's questions surrounding Noemie's money habits.

I adore the other characters though, particularly Noemie. I thought her character felt very real and I was rooting for her journey towards confidence and self-acceptance throughout the book. There was a lot of care put into the side characters, too, which added a lot of extra depth to Jordan and Noemie.

Overall, it took me a while to get into the book and the ending could have been more developed. That being said, I liked how the book ended and I loved the confrontation between Noemie's family and the exploration of Noemie's relationship with her brother.

I would recommend this to any sapphic reader who loves contemporary romance filled with drama.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC! While this had an interesting premise, I did unfortunately have to do a soft DNF on this story. I found myself unable to connect with the characters - would absolutely love to give this author another shot! This just may not have been the read for me.

This is far from a perfect book, but it sure was fun! I'm a sucker for a coffee shop romance, what can I say?

Was it messy? Yes! Was it toxic? Yes! Was I somehow still invested in Jordan and Noemie? Yes! I was engaged throughout the story (I read 90% of it in one sitting) and even though I couldn't get behind the characters' decisions a lot of the time, I needed to know how things panned out for them. Honestly, this book was more of a drama than a romance, but I wasn't mad about it. I appreciated the way the novel touched on themes of identity, trauma, and complicated family dynamics, in fact I wish the novel had spent more time dealing with these themes.

On a more critical level, the plot and characters felt undeveloped. While a variety of character flaws were exposed throughout the novel, there was very little growth (if at all) for either of the leads. Likewise, so many different plot elements were introduced and none of them felt fully fleshed out by the end, which lead to several plot holes. The prose also felt pretty clunky at the start and while it improved a bit as the novel went along (or perhaps I just got used to it) I think it could be refined a bit. It didn't flow and didn't feel natural a lot of the time and I found quite a few typos. I think it would have benefitted from another edit or two! I also didn't love the way the story leaned so heavily into stereotypes, particularly negative ones. It felt a bit reductive to me.

Overall I think the premise was great but the execution was lacking. As is, it's a fun time, but if you don't enjoy toxic relationships and buckets family drama, or can't put aside your inner editor, I'd recommend passing on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, which is why I’m rating it so highly. However, I do think the author could have maintained the overall themes without making Naomi such a jerk at the end. (Spoiler alert!)
That said, I really appreciated the variety of themes the book explored—family dynamics, trauma, identity, and more. The author handled these heavy topics with a subtlety that felt authentic and thoughtful.
As for the characters, I have to admit that Jordan came across as a bit daft at times. But by the end, I found myself rooting for her, even if her decisions were occasionally frustrating. You start to understand why she is the way she is, which adds more depth to her character.
And while Naomi did own up to her behavior, I still feel like her actions could have been handled differently. For instance, I think it would have made more sense if she had gone on that date with Felix in an effort to conform to family expectations—trying to force herself into a more "acceptable" identity—rather than how the situation actually played out.
Overall, though, this was a compelling, emotional read, and I appreciated the nuanced storytelling and relatable, if flawed, characters.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. This one is a 2.5 star read for me, as some parts were really great and engaging while others were tough to get through. To start, I really enjoyed that this book is super Canadian, complete with a glossary up front so you're really getting the history, context, and dialect. The mix of languages and slang were nicely done, so there were unique character voices and also a lot of depth there. I also would normally enjoy a messy queer friend group going through it, but this cast of characters just felt so unsupportive and sabotage-y and out to get each other that they had no redeeming qualities to show why they're close knit in the first place. This romance was also tough, as even though it's filled with some good ol yearning and tension with some forced proximity, it's also completely strung together with intentional lies and deception and betrayal (and zero communication!) - so it's hard to really root for anyone.

⭐️3.5⭐️ Rounding up! I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC! I will admit I was not the intended reader I just requested the ARC because the cover & title were cute! I did not fully get invested until I was 70% in & then I could not put it down! I enjoyed the complexity of the FMC’s and overall enjoyed the book!

P.S. When you read the book description and it says slow burn, believe it. It is indeed a SLOW BURN.

brief summary:
jordan works in a coffee shop and needs to hire a new worker after firing the last one. noémie used to be a regular and is from a rich family and one day she shows up and asks for a job as her dad has cut her off. jordan was instantly attracted to noémie but thought she was straight so thought nothing could happen. when jordan's roommate moves out, jordan can no longer afford any decent apartments so noémie offers for her to move in.

this book was messy and had a lot of miscommunication which felt very unnecessary. i liked noémie for the most part but the secrets and everything just made it difficult. i wish there had been less back and forth as it felt like i was reading the same scene over and over again. but it was largely enjoyable and it was a quick read.

"French Pressed Love" by M.C. Hutson is a sapphic romance filled with drama, tension, and unexpected love. The story follows Jordan, a stressed coffee shop manager, and Noémie, a high-maintenance customer, who are forced into a shared living situation. Their slow-burn relationship is intense and messy, which some readers enjoy for its angst, while others find it frustrating. The book offers strong LGBTQ+ representation and pop-punk nostalgia but has a polarizing romance dynamic. Overall, it's a dramatic and fast-paced read that will appeal to those who enjoy emotionally charged love stories.

Overall, I loved this book, however, the slow burn was a little too slow for me and the ending was somewhat predictable. I would personally have preferred it if the build-up tied in more with the ending and was different to what I expected but nevertheless, I still really enjoyed and would love to read more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and MC Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. Sapphic representation? Check! BIPOC rep? Check! Cross class romance? Check! Hot butch barista with a motorbike and a bad reputation to cover up her trauma history reps? Check, check, check.

Sadly though I didn’t really like any of the characters. The friendships fell flat. I never saw any proof that the MC and LI actually liked each other, despite the MC telling me on a fairly regular basis. The character I liked best turned out to have been lying for almost the entirety of the book, and despite that there was still a neat and tidy ending.

It took 60% of book for me to want to know what was going to happen next and I only got that far because this is an ARC and I felt like I ought to finish it.

Still it’s a whole book, that the author has clearly put a lot into, and I feel like that should be celebrated.

This book was a difficult one for me to get into, and I really really wanted to love it. A coffee shop sapphic romance! I was very excited for this one and it started out well enough. I enjoyed meeting the characters at a moderate pace and feeling like I was actually getting to kind of know them. I was also a fan of the romance for most of the book right up until the last 25% or so of the book, and things happened that just kind of ruined it for me at least, I know other people have really enjoyed it and the writing is, in my opinion, well done. Just sadly not as much of a book for my tastes as I was hoping it would be.

I did receive an eARC of this from NetGalley but chose to leave this review on my own terms.

The drama, the tension, the banter. I loved it all. So well written and an excellent slow burn. I really enjoyed the coffee shop setting and liked seeing the roommate to lover dynamic play out. Such a quick read and definitely recommend.