I'm a huge fan of f/f romance and probably just as big a fan of Dahlia Adler. She's an auto-buy for me. But somehow, something about this book just didn't click 100% for me. I enjoyed it, and I liked the characters, and I was happy that Frankie and Samara got their happy ever after, but something jut didn't gel for me. And I can't quite figure out what…
It could be the fact that Frankie identifies as pan-sexual, yet I never got any real sense of what that meant to her other than the ability to crush on anyone and everyone. I don't think that's what pan-sexual means. Or it could be the whole 'test' thing going on, where to confirm they actually liked one another, they had to keep their hands off each other for a month. That doesn't ring true to me. I mean, what happens if they do it at the end of the month and discover their sexual needs/desires are totally different? And Samara is a virgin, so she doesn't even know what she likes or needs in a partner. Plus, no one has great sex the first time. It's like everything: it takes practice.
Maybe I didn't love this as much as Dahl's other books because I read it in fits and starts over quite a long period of time where usually I read them in a single sitting. But whatever the reason, I didn't adore this one as much as I wanted to.
That said, I did still enjoy it and I feel a little sad that the Radleigh girls aren't going to be a part of my life anymore. I hope they have great lives and stay best friends forever. They deserve it.
But don't just believe me; here's the blurb.
Frankie Bellisario knows she can get anyone she sets her sights on, but just because she can doesn't mean she should—not when the person she's eyeing is Samara Kazarian, the daughter of a southern Republican mayor. No matter how badly Frankie wants to test her powers of persuasion, even she recognizes some lines aren't meant to be crossed.
But when Frankie learns she's been on Samara's mind too, the idea of hooking up with her grows too strong to resist. Only Sam's not looking for a hookup; she wants—needs—the real thing, and she's afraid she'll never find it as long as Frankie's in her head.
Forced to choose between her first relationship and losing the girl who's been clawing her way under her skin, Frankie opts to try monogamy...under her own condition: 30 days of keeping things on the down low and remaining abstinent. If she fails as hard at girlfriending as she's afraid she might, she doesn't want to throw Samara's life into upheaval for nothing. But when neither the month nor Frankie's heart go according to plan, she may be the one stuck fighting for the happily ever after she never knew she wanted.
I think I can see why this book didn't ring true to you. Keeping your hands off each other seems like a weird condition for monogamy. It would be one thing if it was for learning to connect with someone but this just seems like some kind of arbitrary guideline. I don't know. It feels off.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, pansexual is usually defined as "attraction to all genders or attraction regardless of gender".
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