Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: review. I read this based on the review here.
My journey into sapphic romance continues with this fun little number.
Also, before I begin, the women who co-wrote this apparently fell in love each other while writing it, which is the most adorable thing ever. And in the last romance I read, the writers were a wife-wife team. So maybe I have a thing? Or maybe it’s just coincidence.
Either way, I don’t follow The Bachelor or shows like that but this does a great job skewering that kind of dating reality television. I realize this is a subculture unto itself; I read it while Love Island frenzy was at its peak. I think for those that like those kinds of dating shows, there’s a lot to enjoy here in terms of how Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang manufacture the drama.
I’ve heard some criticism that the satire is more focused than the romance and I can’t say I agree. I think the writers synthesize both well. You have two women: one a closeted lesbian, the other never having really grappled with her sexuality, figuring themselves out before/during they figure each other out. That’s what made this one work for me. I thought the ways they kept Krystin in competition were contrived; Lauren was the better developed character. But they allowed the two of them to grow within the show and it was fun.
There’s the typical Third Act Wrench that apparently is a popular romance trope and it does annoy. But overall, I loved this one.