A gentle, closed-door sapphic Christmas romance with a lovely Swedish setting, held back by a heroine many readers find too childlike and an ending that stops rather than lands.
Clare Lydon’s Christmas road trip strands two women in a Glasgow blizzard. Warm, funny and 4/5 on heat, but the mishaps repeat and the last act stalls. 3.6/5.
Is Witch’s Favor by Victoria Szalay worth reading? Our review of the sapphic dark fantasy prison-ship heist — the found family, the fade-to-black romance, and the cliffhanger.
Verdict: A cosy, low-angst friends-to-lovers story about two childhood best friends who practise dating each other after their engagements collapse, held back by a romance that only properly ignites in the final fifth and editing that needed another pass. Best for: Readers who want a gentle comfort read, a queer awakening between lifelong friends, and … Read more
Verdict: A warm, funny Christmas friends-to-lovers romance: Stella Jackson’s family heads to the cosy town of Bellsford for two weeks, her parents secretly divorcing, and her childhood best friend Abigail, closeted and heartbroken after a semester abroad, comes too and ends up sharing Stella’s bed. Readers love the cosiness, the large cast and matchmaking little … Read more
Verdict: A warm, funny and heartfelt romance: Zari Woods, a famous autistic sculptor who has everything except love, decides her new neighbour Frankie should be her girlfriend, but Frankie is in the middle of leaving a complicated relationship. Most readers adore it, and one calls it possibly the best book of their year; two autistic … Read more
Verdict: A cosy, low-angst roommates-to-lovers romance: firefighter Robyn Moore, a self-declared lothario since her father’s death, and her artist roommate of four years, Lexi Lynch, find their friendship catching fire after a fake date and a struggling art career bring them closer. Readers love the relatable ADHD representation and the gentle care; some found it … Read more
Verdict: A slow, tender and explicit Chanukah romance: newly divorced stone butch Jordan, 49, moves into best friend Leah’s spare room in New York, and Leah, a 51-year-old gray-ace submissive and kink educator, offers her eight lessons in dominance, one for each night. Many autistic and kinky readers found it deeply affirming and warm; others … Read more
Verdict: A unique, deeply moving story of friendship becoming love: Belinda wakes from six years in a coma with locked-in syndrome, able to move only her eyes, and Carly, a perceptive volunteer, is the one who notices that someone is still inside. Readers praise the sensitivity, research and uplifting message; several felt the second half … Read more
Verdict: A fast, funny European caper with a friends-to-lovers heart: Callie Compton ran from her sweet, church-going grandmother, secretly the UK’s top crime boss, at eighteen, and six years later her deaf childhood best friend and crush, Daisy, tracks her down in Sweden. Readers love the humour, the twists and the ending; a few could … Read more