Georgia BeersCritiques

4.5 stars

A sweet, fluffy acquaintance to lovers romance about unrequited love finally being realized.

Aubrey's fiancée dumps her on their wedding day, and his best friend Monica is apparently to blame. Ten years later, Aubrey is attending five of her friends' weddings, and Monica (still in the same friend group) is also going. Can Aubrey finally put the past behind her, especially as she gets closer to Monica?

There's a lot to like about this book. The pacing is good, and I love how it's set up in the style of five weddings bringing the two women closer together over the course of several months. I love that Aubrey is a mom, but I wish her daughter had a little bit more of a central role. The romance itself was sweet but also not quite as deep as I'd hoped to see, especially given that they've known each other for so long. I also really liked seeing reference to previous novels. Definitely would recommend to those who enjoy lighthearted Sapphic romances.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.½

The Do-Over is a sweet romance story to read when you don’t want something too angsty. Bella and Easton's chemistry is magnetic; no build-up needed. I loved how even their initial flirtations caused them to just...click. All of the other characters, including the four-legged ones, were likeable, which made the book that much more enjoyable to read and hard to put down. I can’t relate to the bullying Bella had to endure nor wanting to be a member of the in-crowd during high school; however, I’m sure as hell glad those days are over!

Overall, good vibes all around with this!

It was good but predictable. Tough to do a great short story but it held my attention and I do love the authors voice and writing style. I would have rated it higher if I didn't have the entire thing figured out by around page 10.

I bought this book when it first came out because I'm a fan of Ms. Beers' work. I also kept putting off actually reading it because I didn't know how the 9/11 aspect would be handled and, well, I just wasn't ready to read it.

I think this may be the best book she's written - at least of those I've read. And I've read all but her most recent novella/short story compilation, Slices of Life. I got choked up many times and, in some ways, 11 years disappeared. While that's the backdrop and the reason behind many of the emotions displayed by the characters, the focus of the book is the changes that the characters, to include the secondary ones, experience. Of course, the building relationship between Abby and Erica is front and center and the author does a great job of building the tension.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the author's work.

I liked the first two stories most. The third was much more an erotica short, which I did enjoy, but the POV felt awkward to me.

This was my first experience with Georgia Beers. I really enjoyed this book. I'll be picking up more of her work. My review is located on www.lezficrev.blogspot.com

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1/20/13 - doing a reread in preparation for Ms. Beers joining us on Cocktail Hour. I just love her writing style.

Still my favorite!

This is another one where I'd go 3 1/2 but can't so I round up. Also keep in mind my soft spot for Ms. Beers' work.

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I just reread this one and I think I liked it more the second time around. I not only have a soft spot for her work but a huge soft spot for dogs...

I enjoyed this book, just as I've enjoyed the others that I've read by the author. My review is located on http://reviews.c-spot.net/archives/51.

**Going to do a re-read of this one. Can't believe it's 11 years old. Time flies! - Ok, just finished the reread. I liked it, again. Beers writes good, down to earth, real characters. She has a gift for it.

Like the four star rating says, I really liked this book. As someone who has been with the same woman for nearly 30 years, I appreciated the honest look at what long term couples go through and how hard it can be to stay together. Hard but rewarding and worth the fight. It's easy to lose yourselves as a couple when you're growing so much as individuals, too.

Like most of the author's books, I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters and they felt three dimensional and authentic. The language and tone, along with the individual voices of the characters all made this likely one of my favorite of Ms. Beers' books. It was hard to read at times but because of the tough emotional issues being dealt with, not because of any major technical issues.

I'm loving the direction the author has been going with her writing over the past year or so and I'm looking forward to her next book. No matter what it's about.

I'm a sucker for a Georgia Beers book. This one was no exception.

**Doing a re-read 3 years after my first reading. **

Finished the re-read. Yeah, I cried a few times. So what?

I bumped up my rating a little bit because the concept, I think, is very original. The short stories were all pretty interesting and I truly enjoyed moving from one woman to the next. And the end was perfect.

Brooke is new in town, and Macy manages to welcome her with a chest full of food, and not in a good way. Of course, they start working together (Brooke is a realtor and Macy a stager) and get closer and closer. But, it's not totally smooth, with both having baggage and hang ups.

The characters were my favorite part. Although I felt like a tiny bit of Macy's family was under done. And the animals. They were great. Though, would have loved more with the cats.

Cherry Davis dreams of being a successful social media influencer and has even failed to tell her followers that her relationship has ended. That little white lie is not a problem until she meets, and falls for, Ellis Conrad who has a deep-seated dislike of people who populate Cherry’s world. Cherry isn’t honest with Ellis at first and by the time she decides she has to tell her the truth Cherry realizes it’s too late.

Every reader will know that the conflict between the two main characters will be about Cherry having not told Ellis about her online persona. Even knowing what’s coming most readers will continue reading the book because the two main characters are engaging and well written. After Cherry finds out the truth, Beers rushes to the end by having Cherry change who she is too easily and without conflict thus giving up the dream she’s been working toward as if it had never been that important.

Fans of Beers will undoubtedly love this book, readers new to Beers will get a taste for how talented an author Beers is but should understand that this is not the best book Beers has written.

My thanks to Bold Strokes Books for an eARC.

Amelia Martini is having hot flashes, hormonal changes, is divorced, and is way too close to being 50. She hates her life and just wants to go back to being “normal.” Her friends are all a few years younger and don’t really understand what she’s going through and while they remain supportive of all Amelia’s difficulties, she’s sure they are tired of her whining about her problems and her sudden and inexplicable mood changes. She retired at 45 so she could travel the world with her wife, but then her wife left for another, younger woman. On the plus side, she has started her own business—a dog-walking service. When she agrees to house sit for a wealthy man who doesn’t want to leave his two dogs in a kennel while he goes to Asia on business, she thinks she can use the time to get on with her life. She wasn’t counting meeting the 35-year-old house painter who has been hired to paint several of the house owner’s rooms.

This is the third, and final, book in this series and it is remarkable and possibly groundbreaking—not because of the age difference between the two main characters, no that’s been done before. It is groundbreaking because it may be the first time where an author in this genre has addressed the realities of menopause. I can’t remember another book in the genre where the main character is going through menopause and the author actually talks about the hot flashes, the mood swings, etc. in detail and with knowledge. Readers may not want to hear about the woes of being menopausal, but they should because, if you’re a woman, you’ll be right there with Amelia one day.

You don’t need to have read the first two books in the series to enjoy this one, but you will probably add the other books to the top of your to-be-read list to learn more about the remarkable women Beers writes about in this series.

My thanks to Bold Strokes Books for an eARC.

As many have written before me, this is a lovely beach read to sit back and relax. It doesn't have much drama or angst, but enough to move the story along. The plot is not deep either, but a sweet story about two lovable characters. I think for anyone who wants something light to read in between, this would be the ideal read.

The book is about a famous, well-known singer, Sophie, who loses her long-time, loyal manager to death. Because of her poor relationship with her family, he was like a father figure she looked up to. With him out of her life, she also lost a bit of stability, which hit her hard personally.

Because of the loss, Sophie's record company hires a new manager named Dana. The two hit it off right away and develop a close friendship that eventually becomes more. Meanwhile, Dana is caught up in her past and must decide what she wants for her future. Over time, Sophie tries to figure out where she stands in life as a public figure.

This book is very shallow, with just a hint of drama, as mentioned initially. The main characters are likeable, the story is sweet and has a happy ending.

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Find more reviews on my blog WordsAndFiction.

this was such a cute little holiday wlw romance story! i listened to the audiobook version and had a very good time with the performace of the narrator. sweet, fast-paced but also well thought out romance story!

this was lovely.

i'm apparently plowing through romance audiobooks to keep my mind off the horrors currently going on in the world, and this was another fun one. in particular, i really liked the voice that the narrator gave brooke--it's both soothing and incredibly sexy, i hope she uses it for more main characters in her other narrations.

This was sweet. Probably a 3.5. I’ve never encountered a Georgia Beers book that I didn’t go, “well, that was nice” at the end of so far. I’ve always enjoyed Abby Craden’s narration, too. I don’t drink, and I don’t care about beer, so all the brewing talk and such wasn’t really my jam, but it was nice to see the research of it and it rounded out the character of Kendall well.

This was a bit of a bummer for me. I rate like, most books a three, on average. I have to dislike a book quite a bit in order to rate it a 2 or lower, and I have to REALLY love a book, and even sometimes go back and re-read a book and make sure I loved it before I’ll rate it a five. But this is def on the lower end of a three, for me personally.

I’ve enjoyed pretty much every other Georgia Beers book I’ve read, and I like Abby Craden’s narration, and it’s well written, so I can’t really rate it lower, but this was kind of a slog for me to get through. I got a temporary lower price audible sub, and I’ve been listening to stories that are free/included in the plus catalogue, and this was one of them. There were a lot of things working against this novel, for me personally to connect with. It’s got a lot of animals in it, largely taking place at an animal shelter—I’m a terrible queer woman in that I’m not really a dog or cat person. They’re fine. But they’re not my fav. Largely though, I didn’t like either main character very much and thus, wasn’t really rooting for them to get together. Their flaws were on display on purpose, like they didn’t get away with their shitty behavior, but it just never quite flipped around enough to be growth that I connected with by the end of the book. And that’s def a YMMV kinda thing. I like this author usually, this one just wasn’t really for me.

This was an interesting take on a romance novel. There’s the initial meeting and falling in love, but it speeds up and then gives you specific slice of life chucks over the years to follow the couple through. I really enjoyed it overall. As much as the “falling in love” stage is fun, there are a LOT of other ways to tell stories about relationships, and it’s nice to actually just see an established relationship over the years.

I enjoyed both MCs, and both of them also drove me nuts. Their flaws felt realistic though. I would have personally liked a little more of the timeline expanded in the aftermath of the infidelity, but overall this was a refreshing take on the standard and I had a good time. Abby Craden’s narration was as wonderful as always.

I enjoyed this one so much more than the first in this series/universe. I connected a lot more with both MCs and was really rooting for them. The conflicts felt more grounded and realistic and watching them fall for each other was delightful. Abby Craden’s narration was as wonderful as always, and I adored both voices she gave Catherine and Emily. Overall, this was super fun.

Teddi is a wedding planner whose divorce nearly destroyed her personally and professionally. A woman named Kelly and her sister Leah com in to hire Teddy for Kelly's wedding. Teddi and Leah share moments. But then Teddi finds out that Leah was the lawyer for Teddi's ex in their divorce. That causes some (lots) of tension that they slowly try and overcome. But, then there's quite a bit hurdle that they encounter, and the question is, can they get by it?

The characters were fun in this (loved Preston!) and the set up was interesting. But, i was a little bummed at some points in the story. Perhaps I just haven't noticed it before, but, lesbian romance books (and I assume straight romances too) seem to be turning into lesbian marriage books? Maybe it's because there wasn't true government sanctioned marriage for two women before until relatively recently, but, marriage seems to be the central thing now to so many of these books. And in the case of this book it made me a little less enthusiastic about this story.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

Charlie's life has crumbled under her feet and she has to go home to her parent's place in Vermont because she has no place to live, she's unemployed, and she has barely any money left.

Emma also left and came back to the small town both women grew up in. But, she was back a few years ago, and has a restaurant, EG, in town. She has a bit of a problem with her Mom, but, other than that her life seems pretty perfect.

But, since Charlie broke her heart at the end of college she has not had any significant relationships.

When they meet again, at first it is not good. Lots of tension. But, then they do get closer (hey, it's a romance).

I really liked the baking and the cooking in the novel (and was most definitely hungry after reading it, yummm). It was a fun, and also on occasion thought provoking, novel. Can people really change?

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

Evergreen resort and spa isn't doing super well (though not horribly either). Olivia, the assistant manager who was really quite acting as the manager doesn't get the management job when it comes open.

Instead, Haley, the daughter of the owner (although no one knows this) is punished and the punishment is that she is supposed to help the Evergreen Resort make a bigger and better profit in the next four months or she doesn't get her allowance back. Even though, she's never ever run a business like this at all.

Of course, the two women fall in love too, even though there are a ton of bumps they can see, and some that Olivia can't see too.

Most of the book was really good. It was a pretty typical lesfic plot, but, the characters really jumped off the page at me (I now am hungry thanks to the food in this novel too).

I do feel like the ending was too easy though. I mean, the conflict was a big one during most of the book, and yet it seemed to be semi-brushed aside a little bit. But, up until that ending it was an awesome book.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.