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whendevreads's review
3.0
I’m typically open to reading any and all romance pairings, so I made sure to snag an ARC of this sapphic novel. The One Woman comes out on August 16, 2022.
Let me start off by saying the descriptions are amazing. Laura May is really good at describing a scene to where you could really picture yourself there, in the MC’s place. It’s something that I, personally, really enjoy in a book & something that a lot of the authors I’ve been reading recently haven’t paid as much attention to.
It was also interesting to see the progression of self realization and acceptance in this book. Clearly, Ann had come to terms with her feelings about women before the novel takes place. It isn’t a surprise, and even her family takes it well, like they were expecting it. Julie, however, starts the story with a longtime boyfriend. As well, all of her thoughts in the beginning about Ann are clouded with confusion. She’s subconsciously reacting a certain way to Ann, while not understanding why she is feeling this way.
However, I will say that there’s a few things that stuck out to me that I didn’t enjoy. The dialogue was pretty clunky, which made the conversations feel… wrong? Some of the sets of dialogue when read more than once just don’t really sound natural or realistic. At times it was stilted, making the characters sound like robots when they spoke. As well, I didn’t find either one of the FMCs to be that interesting… I didn’t really connect with them. Ann is a badass woman in tech, paving ground for more women to follow in her footsteps, and I just feel like her character/personality is so bland. I think that the characters were muted & it would have been much better of a book if the two had stronger personalities. Not being able to connect with the main characters made it much harder to engage with the book as a whole, I was easily distracted while reading.
Let me start off by saying the descriptions are amazing. Laura May is really good at describing a scene to where you could really picture yourself there, in the MC’s place. It’s something that I, personally, really enjoy in a book & something that a lot of the authors I’ve been reading recently haven’t paid as much attention to.
It was also interesting to see the progression of self realization and acceptance in this book. Clearly, Ann had come to terms with her feelings about women before the novel takes place. It isn’t a surprise, and even her family takes it well, like they were expecting it. Julie, however, starts the story with a longtime boyfriend. As well, all of her thoughts in the beginning about Ann are clouded with confusion. She’s subconsciously reacting a certain way to Ann, while not understanding why she is feeling this way.
However, I will say that there’s a few things that stuck out to me that I didn’t enjoy. The dialogue was pretty clunky, which made the conversations feel… wrong? Some of the sets of dialogue when read more than once just don’t really sound natural or realistic. At times it was stilted, making the characters sound like robots when they spoke. As well, I didn’t find either one of the FMCs to be that interesting… I didn’t really connect with them. Ann is a badass woman in tech, paving ground for more women to follow in her footsteps, and I just feel like her character/personality is so bland. I think that the characters were muted & it would have been much better of a book if the two had stronger personalities. Not being able to connect with the main characters made it much harder to engage with the book as a whole, I was easily distracted while reading.
emily_loves_2_read's review
4.0
The One Woman
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/16/22
Author: Laura May
Publisher: Creative James Media
Pages: 300
GR: 3.65
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from Creative James Media and Laura May and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
My Thoughts: This is a sapphic romance novel. Content warning of cheating. While the cheating trope is not my favorite, there are times that it does not bother me. The characters struggled with the cheating and it showed the other side of it, which I could appreciate. The insta-love trope was great, I know a lot of people do not like that type of trope, but it does not bother me. I loved how the author not only did the queer romance eloquently but also tacked the societal issue of women making a decision to not have children, our society has taught us that women must have children, so to see it in a different light was amazing. The spice was top notch. The characters were created in a way that made you feel like you were there, there was also character growth throughout the story. The author’s writing style kept me engaged. The only con would be at times, the dialogue between the characters did not flow flawlessly, it felt somewhat awkward, not a huge con, this was still a good book that I enjoyed reading. This would be a good light beach read and could finish in one setting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/16/22
Author: Laura May
Publisher: Creative James Media
Pages: 300
GR: 3.65
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from Creative James Media and Laura May and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
My Thoughts: This is a sapphic romance novel. Content warning of cheating. While the cheating trope is not my favorite, there are times that it does not bother me. The characters struggled with the cheating and it showed the other side of it, which I could appreciate. The insta-love trope was great, I know a lot of people do not like that type of trope, but it does not bother me. I loved how the author not only did the queer romance eloquently but also tacked the societal issue of women making a decision to not have children, our society has taught us that women must have children, so to see it in a different light was amazing. The spice was top notch. The characters were created in a way that made you feel like you were there, there was also character growth throughout the story. The author’s writing style kept me engaged. The only con would be at times, the dialogue between the characters did not flow flawlessly, it felt somewhat awkward, not a huge con, this was still a good book that I enjoyed reading. This would be a good light beach read and could finish in one setting.
coco_o8's review
4.0
This was a really cute romance book! The writing style was good and had me fully immersed in the story.
I enjoyed that the storyline was realistic and not at all “too good to be true”.
It was fun to get to know both charters with the switching POV’s.
I enjoyed that the storyline was realistic and not at all “too good to be true”.
It was fun to get to know both charters with the switching POV’s.
rosetteisreading's review
4.0
I want to congratulate Laura May for creating such an amazing read! This is my first sapphic romance and it did not disappoint. The story between the main characters was so real. Nothing seemed forced or out of the ordinary which I LOVED! Laura really touched upon important topics and the reality of acceptance, especially in different cultures.
Being able to read this book was such an honor and I cannot express enough how talented Laura is in creating such beautiful stories that is also relatable in today’s world. <333 I’m so proud of you! And I cannot wait to read more of your work.
Thank you so much for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Being able to read this book was such an honor and I cannot express enough how talented Laura is in creating such beautiful stories that is also relatable in today’s world. <333 I’m so proud of you! And I cannot wait to read more of your work.
Thank you so much for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
misha_ali's review
3.0
I appreciate that this is the first book for a new author and I want to encourage them because the basics are good (and interesting). The thing that absolutely turned me off and broke immersion is the dialogue. The missing contractions makes everyone's voice sound the same, and you will never convince me that someone from LA speaks this way. Overall, not bad but still some ways to go.
jennabeebs79's review
4.0
The One Woman by Laura May is a well-written sapphic novel that shows that maybe the person you’re with isn’t the one you’re meant to be with. It’s about uncomfortable situations, hurt feelings, and vulnerability. But it’s also about love, devotion, and honesty. If you’re looking for an emotional story with a bunch of spicy scenes, then give this book a shot!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
bookswithjenn's review
3.0
I want to thank Creative James Media and Laura May for my first ARC and for allowing me to read the book before it is released.
In exchange for the Advance Readers Copy (ARC), I am to leave an honest review.
The book was an easy and fast-paced read. The One Woman was my first sapphic/wlw (woman loving woman) book and it was an experience.
The One Woman is a fun romance read.
The two main characters; Julie and Ann are characters who you want to root for!
The author, Laura May, did a great job on the atmosphere of the book. The different locations, the cultures and the timelines, everything flowed together.
The spice never took away from the plot, and that is impressive.
The author did an amazing job of separating the characters and giving them their own voices and making them unique.
Ann’s feeling of being carefree and knowing who she is in her sexuality.
While, Julie, who is from Ukraine and was in a heterosexual relationship, is now exploring her sexuality beyond her relationship - it does lead to cheating, which I am not a fan of. The emotions behind Julie’s reasoning and her struggle with these feelings made the book heartfelt and sincere.
The only thing I did not like in regards to the book, was the cheating aspect. The feelings around Julie and her reasoning why made me continue with the book.
As a reader, you can tell the inner conflict Julie has by doing the right thing but also following her heart and being with the person she loves the most.
There were parts of this book that felt rushed, and the ending worked out easily in my opinion.
I enjoy a happy ending but this fell flat for me.
If you are a reader who enjoys sapphic/wlw reads, I would recommend this novel when it is released on August 16, 2022!
In exchange for the Advance Readers Copy (ARC), I am to leave an honest review.
The book was an easy and fast-paced read. The One Woman was my first sapphic/wlw (woman loving woman) book and it was an experience.
The One Woman is a fun romance read.
The two main characters; Julie and Ann are characters who you want to root for!
The author, Laura May, did a great job on the atmosphere of the book. The different locations, the cultures and the timelines, everything flowed together.
The spice never took away from the plot, and that is impressive.
The author did an amazing job of separating the characters and giving them their own voices and making them unique.
Ann’s feeling of being carefree and knowing who she is in her sexuality.
While, Julie, who is from Ukraine and was in a heterosexual relationship, is now exploring her sexuality beyond her relationship - it does lead to cheating, which I am not a fan of. The emotions behind Julie’s reasoning and her struggle with these feelings made the book heartfelt and sincere.
The only thing I did not like in regards to the book, was the cheating aspect. The feelings around Julie and her reasoning why made me continue with the book.
As a reader, you can tell the inner conflict Julie has by doing the right thing but also following her heart and being with the person she loves the most.
There were parts of this book that felt rushed, and the ending worked out easily in my opinion.
I enjoy a happy ending but this fell flat for me.
If you are a reader who enjoys sapphic/wlw reads, I would recommend this novel when it is released on August 16, 2022!
mgomezz's review
2.0
Thank you Laura and team for the ARC!
Congrats on the book, it’s such a big accomplishment!
I want to be honest with my review and in no way want to sound negative but I just wasn’t a fan of the story. I was excited for a chance to read a new LGBT book and was disappointed. It had very little plot and I just didn’t connect with any of the characters. I did feel like I was reading a wattapad story sometimes. The writing just wasn’t it. A lot of details that were unnecessary and the dialogue was odd at times.
There was also too many fade to black scenes for my preference when it came down to the steamy scenes.
And I felt like everything resolved too easily and not realistic?
I really struggled to finish this story but I pushed through to give the best honest review I could.
Congrats on the book, it’s such a big accomplishment!
I want to be honest with my review and in no way want to sound negative but I just wasn’t a fan of the story. I was excited for a chance to read a new LGBT book and was disappointed. It had very little plot and I just didn’t connect with any of the characters. I did feel like I was reading a wattapad story sometimes. The writing just wasn’t it. A lot of details that were unnecessary and the dialogue was odd at times.
There was also too many fade to black scenes for my preference when it came down to the steamy scenes.
And I felt like everything resolved too easily and not realistic?
I really struggled to finish this story but I pushed through to give the best honest review I could.
ajardine12's review
4.0
The One Woman was a new type of read for me. I normally am not a romance reader but what drew me to this book was that a) this is a debut novel b) it is a sapphic romance.
What I enjoyed about this book was that it captured all different aspects of same sex relationships, including the fears and hardships involved. It wasn't all about the falling in love, but also about the obstacles involved.
The characters were strong but flawed at times, which was a plus for me.
A hard trope for me at times can be the instalove but it worked in this book and I found that I didn't mind it as much as I usually do.
The cheating was hard for me at times, Mark just was a good guy and did really love Julie and I felt that Julie should have broke up with him as soon as she realized she was attracted to and was going to see Ann again. Regardless if she didn't know if a relationship with Ann was going to even happen.
Overall a good read especially if you enjoy the romance genre.
** I received this ARC from the author/publisher for an honest review**
What I enjoyed about this book was that it captured all different aspects of same sex relationships, including the fears and hardships involved. It wasn't all about the falling in love, but also about the obstacles involved.
The characters were strong but flawed at times, which was a plus for me.
A hard trope for me at times can be the instalove but it worked in this book and I found that I didn't mind it as much as I usually do.
The cheating was hard for me at times, Mark just was a good guy and did really love Julie and I felt that Julie should have broke up with him as soon as she realized she was attracted to and was going to see Ann again. Regardless if she didn't know if a relationship with Ann was going to even happen.
Overall a good read especially if you enjoy the romance genre.
** I received this ARC from the author/publisher for an honest review**
hayslibrary's review
5.0
I want to give Huge thank you to Laura May and the team at creative James media for the ARC of this book! I knew I had to read it after listening to the blurb.
Let me start off by saying i LOVED this book! I love how Ann and Julie meet and have that immediate connection! Then Ann gets Julie an opportunity to come to an event where they continue to grow closer to each other! The whirlwind story of the two lovers is really tear jerking but so beautiful. I also love the character development that Julie goes through, from being this quiet loner who is living a life of convenience, that she soon realizes isn’t going to cut it anymore to a person who is happy and more outgoing and has friends.
this book was so good and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it!
Let me start off by saying i LOVED this book! I love how Ann and Julie meet and have that immediate connection! Then Ann gets Julie an opportunity to come to an event where they continue to grow closer to each other! The whirlwind story of the two lovers is really tear jerking but so beautiful. I also love the character development that Julie goes through, from being this quiet loner who is living a life of convenience, that she soon realizes isn’t going to cut it anymore to a person who is happy and more outgoing and has friends.
this book was so good and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it!