I really think the last 20% ruined this book for me.

The story is about Jordan, who works in a coffee shop where Noemie is her annoying rich customer who she might have a slight crush on. Some circumstances lead to the two of them working and living together and Jordan tries hard to not fall for Noemie.

I really liked how much of a slow burn this story was, and how much Jordan was fighting against her feelings and telling herself there's no way Noemie could be into her. I mean there was a lot of miscommunication in place for Jordan to believe Noemie couldn't be interested but I enjoyed it nevertheless. But then around 80% of the book in we find out how many things Noemie was purposefully lying about just to play with Jordan's head and personally that just wasn't for me. I think the break of trust was too big to come back from. When the main characters have the conversation how they shouldn't be together it's usually easy to dismiss that with their insecurities. With this story, all these characters were saying was the truth and I cannot believe any of Jordan's friends would still be on Noemie's side.

It's a shame because I did enjoy most of this book. But I do think it's important for a romance book to stick the landing.

3.5☆|5

And the more messy book award goes to… Okay, but seriously, this book was really messy. Not that it is a bad thing, but it's something worth mentioning. We follow here Jordan, a Canadian barista who desperately needs a flatmate, who writes a lesbian graphic novel, and whose life is a mess. And we meet Noémie. Noémie who is, well, a lot. She makes a fuss every time she enters the coffee shop; she seems somehow egocentric, and Jordan can't stand her. But then Noémie's dad cuts her off. And she needs to work with Jordan. Oh, and Jordan's gonna live with her. Wonderful, isn't it?

This is more about a really messy and toxic-ish relationship than it was about a romance. Really, it was really toxic, and I am begging them to learn the word communication. Because it is apparently not in their vocabulary. But you know what? That was fun. A breath of fresh air in my day, and I don't ask for more.

I was not a fan of the writing (maybe a bit too much of tell and lacking some show?) and I won't lie and say that I adored the side characters. But I liked Noémie. She's a nightmare, but she was fun. And Jordan (Jay) was nice. Overall, I sort of liked this book, even if it's not a romance to my eyes (not that I was especially looking for one, so we're all good). However, I won't post about this book on my social media due to the fact that there's a Harry Potter reference (that is totally useless and avoidable) in it. I had a chat with the author about it on Instagram, and she told me that she was gonna remove it from the e-book, but I do not want to expose people reading my reviews and trusting them to a hurtful reference to a book written by a TERF.

TW: homophobia; mention of the death of a family member; reference to SA (off-page); mention of racism; mentions of drug use and abuse; explicit sex scenes.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of Jordan and Noémie’s relationship. I wasn’t entirely sure on how it was going to end and every time I put it down I found myself picking it back up, I needed more. This book was like a drug, keeping me addicted to it. Such a great story.

I wanted to love this book but I just honestly couldn’t get into it. First and foremost, the format of the PDF really threw me off and it was difficult for me to read. Although I do think there is potential, it overall just fell very flat for me. I found myself constantly getting drawn out of the story.

I gave up on this book at 21%. The ARC I received (for Kindle) was formatted poorly and really could have used more editing.

I give almost every book 20% of reading to determine if it's worth continuing. By that point a book should have painted it's backstory and made you at least interested in the main characters. “French-Pressed Love” did not do that. Not only did I find the main characters insufferable, but the plot was not interesting enough to keep me reading.

Unfortunately this isn't a book I will recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest feedback.
I finished this book and had to sit with it for a day to get my thoughts together. In my opinion, both Jordan and Noémie were absolutely insufferable and their “love story” was not believable. It was so toxic and I was left cringing so many times while reading. I will admit that I wanted to dnf this book several times throughout reading it because i felt like it was pushing negative lesbian stereotypes but I pushed myself to finish. While this book was not a hit for me, I think someone who loves reading about messy toxic relationships may enjoy it.

French Pressed Love was a short and easy read, but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. While the premise had potential, the story felt like it was missing depth. The writing style was very simple, which isn’t always a bad thing, but in this case, it made the lack of depth even more noticeable.

One of the main issues was that we’re told a lot about the characters and their struggles, but it doesn’t feel like these things actually impact them. We hear about their problems and emotions, but their actions don’t always match up or show much growth. This made it hard to connect with them or feel invested in the romance. I also found Noémie to be underdeveloped. It was hard not to dislike her at times because of how messy and unlikable she came across. By the end of the book, she had improved a little, but not enough for me to fully root for her.

While I didn’t enjoy it, readers who prefer light but messy romances might still like it. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

this book had a lot of potential but unfortunately fell short for me. i was so excited for a cute coffee shop romance, but it was oddly paced narrative with a very negative main character and a whoooooole lot of toxicity.

firstly — i get that we’re not supposed to like jordan at the beginning, but her negativity is a little over bearing for something with such a light, happy description and cover. it was very unexpected. i feel like we could’ve gotten a lot more depth had her friends been more developed, or even if we got more dialogue, but interactions with her friends were minimal, and most of the time it seemed like jordan didn’t even like half her friends.

wayne was really funny, but i really wasn’t expecting his twist at the end? i read that part multiple times bc i was so confused. but i liked him until then.

again, the time cadence was weird and i feel like that’s partially why i wasn’t fully pulled into the story. we’d gloss over seemingly important parts, like when jordan realized she was falling for noémie, which seemed like a pivotal moment and was even described as an epiphany.

i also wish we had seen much more of jordan’s drawing, family life and background, and overall her creative side. there was a lot of potential and directions it could have gone there.

i’m glad i read it, but i was hoping for a bit more overall.

French Pressed Love was a delightful and heartwarming read that left me with a smile on my face. The cozy coffee shop setting added so much charm to the story and created the perfect atmosphere for a budding romance. You can practically smell the coffee and feel the warmth of the cafe as you read.

The characters were well-written and had great chemistry. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow, with plenty of sweet and heartfelt moments along the way. Their banter felt natural and super cute. While the romance followed some familiar tropes, it was done in such an endearing way that I didn’t mind the predictability.

While the plot wasn’t groundbreaking, it was comforting and enjoyable, making it the perfect escape when you’re in the mood for something uplifting. If you love coffee, cozy settings, and feel-good romance, French Pressed Love is definitely worth a read!

I have to admit that the main reason I picked this book up was that I saw that the main character Jordan was a stone butch. That is an identity that is not featured enough in lesbian media imo and so even though I don’t read romances that often I just knew I had to read it.
Jordan is… a complicated main character. In true stereotypical butch fashion, she has a lot of trauma, that she bottles up and never talks about. I did like that that was something she managed to improve on over time. I also think that the way she treated her friends was unfair at times. But I like messy characters and seeing them do dumb stuff that messes up their lives, so I enjoyed that part of the story. And I really loved that Jordan’s stoneness was something she refused to change, even when people tried to shame her for it.
Be prepared for miscommunication (or well, no communication) playing a relatively big part in this story. Unfortunately, there is a lot of things that could have been prevented if people talked to each other and that was a bit annoying, particularly the [spoilers] constant assumption that Noémi’s ex must have been a man, when Noémi always tried very carefully not to use any pronouns. Stuff like that is fine for the first half, but when I still get assumptions like that 200 pages in it gets a bit boring. I do understand why the big reveal hit Jordan hard, when it did happen, but it felt a lot like drama for drama’s sake. [spoilers end]
What I really disliked was the constant biphobia and predatory lesbian stereotyping featured in the story. While I do certainly believe that those are conversations that happen in queer circles, it was tiring to keep hearing Jordan called a predatory lesbian who turns straight girls gay even by other gay people and those she considered her friends. It got a lot worse when she turned it onto herself, but thankfully that is resolved pretty quickly. The idea that any of the characters who show or are assumed to show attraction to more than one gender are never even thought of as bisexual, but only straight, also bothered me.
I also really, really disliked the reveal at the end, when we [spoilers] find out that actually Noémi and Wayne had a bet going on for Noémi to seduce Jordan. I always heavily dislike that trope and to have it be done to Jordan by people she considered her friends was just heartbreaking. Since it happened so late in the story, I also think that it shouldn’t have been made Jordan’s responsibility to forgive. There just wasn’t the time there for her to forgive her naturally and I think it would have worked better if Noémi had been the one to beg her forgiveness. [spoilers end].
Also, there’s a harry potter reference. In a book that’s published in the year 2025. No, thank you!
And finally while the ending was sweet, I do wish there had been a bit more focus on Jordan’s backstory instead of on the miscommunication drama or that the book had been longer and allowed for more time for the forgiveness-arc.
All in all, I didn’t hate this book and again, I loved seeing a stone butch character being loved without someone trying to change her, but I wish that either the messyness of the characters had been accepted as messy but intriguing or that they had been given more time to actually fix their communication issues.
If you enjoy your slow burns to be really slow and enjoy drama a lot, maybe you'll like this more than I did though :).

TW: past prejudice against a stone person, slight aphobia from side character (it’s not natural to want to be alone), homophobia, colorism, past rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, victim blaming, trauma, fatphobia, addiction, cheating

Strong pacing and cute moments has me unwilling to put this quick read romance down! It’s the type of romance you might stay up all night just trying to get to the other side,

1.5 stars
listen, I hate giving ARCs low ratings, because it affects them more than alreardy published books but this was: very toxic relationship disguised as a coffee shop romance because what was that? the writing was too choppy for my liking and switched between beautiful and wattpad level too many times.

there is no character 'development' because half the characters we only see on a surface level. the rest stay the same or somehow end up worse than how they were at the beginning?? (yeah, I'm talking about Noémie)

after chapter 33 I couldn't take it anymore and sped through the remaining. the plot? drama drama and more drama. I figured out the rest of the book at the 51% mark but, hey, at least the cover's pretty.

This book was messy and dramatic and I loved every second of it. Life is messy, people are messy and this book honestly captured that brilliantly even if it WAS dramatic.

I really liked this book! I liked the cute moments and laughed a lot. I definitely do recommend this book a lot!

This was a very slow burn with a couple of spicy scenes at the end. Jordan and Noémie were both relatable and felt like real people, but neither was necessarily likable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t root for them to become a couple because of all the mind games, dishonesty, and poor communication—I’m not sure they even should’ve stayed friends, let alone tried for HEA. Also, as someone who can’t tolerate the smell of cigarettes, Jordan’s smoking was a huge turnoff (though that’s probably just a “me” thing).

I did like Noémie’s acceptance of Jordan not wanting to be touched, but it was undercut by additional game playing and lying. CW for discussion of past SA, though I felt like it was sensitively handled.

This would probably be a better fit for people who enjoy reading about roller coaster relationships rather than healthy ones.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

I knew going into this one that it would be messy—and wow, did it deliver! Communication mishaps, jealousy, and secrets are front and center, but so is a swoon-worthy slow burn.
Noemie, a fiery French Canadian redhead with sass to spare, and Jay, the effortlessly cool, motorcycle-riding barista/artist, share a connection that’s both tender and complicated. While I wish we’d had more cozy coffee shop scenes and deeper emotional growth, I loved the months-long journey we took with them across vibrant settings and intimate moments.
The side characters shine, the queer spaces feel alive, and the ending—while brief—left me with a satisfied smile. If you love angsty sapphic romances with complex leads, this one’s for you.
Thank you, @NetGalley, for the ARC! I’m already eyeing another Hutson book on my TBR. 🖤✨

Did not finish this book as I didn’t find the writing or characters compelling enough to continue, thank you for this arc

Jordan’s internal struggles and Noémie's personal growth are interesting, but the romance itself never quite grabbed me. There’s a lot of focus on their growing friendship, but as a romance, it didn’t make me swoon or get invested in their love story. The writing is smooth, and there are moments of charm, but overall, it didn’t evoke the excitement or emotional payoff I was expecting. It’s a fine read, just not one that left me overly moved.

I wanted this book to be so much better based on the premise/description.

I felt like the author included a lot of topics that could have been explored a lot further. Jordan's past trauma was addressed in a such a weird, disjointed way that I'd rather it had just stayed off the page.
The writing at times was very basic and like it was filling up space to get to the ending.

I was puzzled by the fact that Noémie essentially tricked Jordan into living with her but Jordan was the "lesbian predator" that was a weird flex. None of the characters were likeable except for maybe Francois?

Things that I did like: The Afro-Caribbean culture/Toronto Slang. While I know it was cheesy, I liked the play on words with the title being French Pressed Love and Noémie was French and they both worked in a coffee shop.

I tried to get into this book, but the writing style was just not compelling enough to keep reading. Thank you, NetGalley for the copy.