Narrated by Lauren Sweet
Publisher: HarperAudio
Age: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook
Published: November 10th, 2020
Rating: 1/5 Stars
I find this with romance in general, but for some reason especially with sapphic – outside of YA and the occasional Christmas romance, I really struggle to find great Contemporary Romance (and please, give me your recommendations if you have them!). What I do find is the same things that make me dislike certain contemporary romance books are the same across the genre, no matter who the couple is.
When it comes to romance, so much lies in the actual characters. As romance readers, we know the plot – we know a basic outline of what’s going to happen. So there needs a lot of work put into the characters, and real consideration about the stuff around the plot, the way the characters, not just the main couple, interact, the motivations, the jobs, etc. I like the fake dating trope, but it has to be handled really well, otherwise it risks coming across as predictable and stale. The problem in this book is we get one disastrous first date, where Darcy comes across terribly and Elle ends up upset but still thinks there were ‘sparks’, despite overhearing Darcy tell her friend she basically can’t stand Elle. But as both are facing pressure from their families, they agree to a fake relationship to get through the holidays.
Darcy is close to her brother but rather than flat out telling him to stop playing matchmaker, she tells him the date went “really well”. Her brother keeps pushing her to date despite the fact she has some Important Career Milestones coming up, is trying to focus on this, and has recently got out of a toxic relationship. Elle agrees to it because she thinks Darcy is the exact kind of strait-laced, no-nonsense woman who’ll get her own family off her back and maybe see her a little differently.
Maybe contemporary works better in YA for me because I expect the characters to be somewhat immature, but the emotional maturity between Darcy and Elle is lacking, and half the time I was wishing they’d both grow up. All of the family conflicts come across as pretty minor stuff, too – Elle, Elizabeth, FYI, because, you know, Pride and Prejudice and all that, is desperate for her family’s praise, but why? Like, it really gets to the point where it feels like she made choices which work for her but she knows her family will disapprove of, but honestly, own it? Or go non-contact, as would be the response on r/AITA I’m sure. I get it, families are complicated, but Elle’s family are built up to be horrendous, nasty people but all Elle’s issues with them seem really superficial. Oh, and her sister cruelly announces her engagement when the family just happen to all be gathered together, and in a way that might have been preplanned, but Darcy thinks it’s just so awful she announced it when Elle had shared her career update.
As for Darcy, her mum seems difficult. But Darcy gets angry at her because her mother wants to sell her grandmother’s house. But how dare she, because, you know, sentimentality and all that. Thing is, at some point you have to let your childhood home(s?) go, and yes, it’s perfectly reasonable to sell off a property no one is otherwise living in. There are multiple moments like this, really small, everyday inconveniences, but where the reactions from the main characters feel so blown out of proportion, it’s hard to side with them.
SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING
Wasn’t a fan of the way the third act breakup was handled, either. Darcy is explaining to her mother that their relationship is complicated (which it is) and she can’t YET say she’s in love, because it’s early days (which it is). Elle takes great offence to this and runs off, refusing to speak to Darcy. And despite the fact each of them has exactly one female friend, it’s Darcy’s brother who swings to the rescue and mansplains their feelings to them so they’ll get back together.
END SPOILERS
The characters just felt really bland to me, and I think part of my frustration with this book is reflective of my frustration with contemporary sapphic romance as a whole. You can’t just take the format of heterosexual rom-coms and ‘make them sapphic’. There’s trappings here that feel lifted from other romances – ‘Darcy’ as the straightlaced, stern one, ‘Elizabeth’ as the quirky, emotional free spirit. Each has exactly one best friend, the mutual friend/brother, and shitty families. And that’s it. I think I prefer my romances – sapphic and not – with a broader sense of community, where loneliness isn’t ‘cured’ by the relationship, but where one partner finds a sense of home with the other, extended to the community around them. I’m not saying every romance has to feature a found family, but you can’t tell me there’s absolutely no queer scene or other queer characters that two sapphic women would know in Seattle.
Again, this book frustrated me, the characters were bland and nothing else really made up for that, and it had me eyerolling way more than it had me smiling.
Reading Challenge
Romance Readers Diversity Challenge 2025 ❤️
Prompt: A sapphic romance
Progress: 7/12 + 1 Bonus
Unwrapping Words 