Carlyn Greenwald

Luna is 24-years-old, stuck in a dead-end assistant job, and a virgin. Oh, and she just came out as bi. When she meets film star Valeria Sullivan and sparks fly instantly, she has one thing on her mind: Can I kiss her?? As she narrates her burgeoning crush to her best friend and roomate, Romy, things start to get tense. Romy starts acting a little stand-offish. What's up with that?

I am a horror kid. I like blood, guts, and gore. I like psychological twistiness and books that leave you sobbing. Other than my brief flirtation with 80s teen romance series Sweet Dreams as a kid, I have never gravitated towards romance books. So this was not only my first adult romance book, but my first adult queer romance book.

As it turns out, maybe not everything has to be blood and devestation to have a good time. Who knew? The honest truth is I had a fun time reading this book. I did not identify with any of the characters. I've been out in some form or another for nearly 30 years. This made a lot of the story feel very...explainy. There were some conversations that felt very awkward. Look, I don't know, maybe this is how 20-year-olds talk to each other now? But people explaning gay sex to Luna over and over felt like they were parroting early 2000s Jezebel articles for the bi-curious.

That being said, looking past the awkwardness of Luna's coming out process, I did enjoy the connection between Luna and Valeria in this. Luna's acute panic over her first real feelings for a woman were endearing, and Val's flirting was perfection. It is this relationship that had me reading the last 200 pages in one sitting without a break.

I don't know how this book would read to someone who is a regular romance genre reader. Maybe it comes across as tropey and predictable. As someone new to the genre, someone who would have no intrerest in reading a romance without the queerness, I thought it was a pretty fun, lighthearted little coming-of-age story. I don't see myself going out and buying out the romance section at B&N anytime soon, but I will pick up Greenwald's next book.

I was given a copy of Sizzle Reel by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

From the beginning, the author invites the reader to accompany Luna, the main character of the book, on her journey of self discovery and acceptance while she tries to make her way in the world as a cinematographer.
What is Sizzle Reel about? The plot revolves around Luna, who is an aspiring cinematographer in the process of coming to terms with her sexuality and had just come out to her best friends as bisexual. Little does she know that developing a crush on famous actress she met at work will change the dynamic of one of Luna's friendships.
What makes this novel stand out from the others is the way the author captures the character's insecurities and flaws. Rarely do readers stumble upon stories that emphasizes not only the humanity of the main character but also the consequences of their actions and I think Greenwald made a great job with that.
Whilst Carlyn does a great job portraying Luna's emotions throughout the book, I couldn't help but feel that the secondary characters' background stories were neglected. As a consequence, I found it difficult to connect with them.
Despite this, I believe this was a great debut novel for those who are looking for a lightweight book to unwind.

**I received an eARC in exchange of an honest review**… (plus d'informations)