Reviews

Unlikely by Marley Valentine

crystalmackey's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Rape

nicheromancememes's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

booksta_adventure's review

5.0

“𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙕𝙖𝙧𝙖. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨. 𝙊𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 

“𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩.”

On a rare night out for her birthday, Clem meets Zara, and immediately, sparks fly. It is Clem’s first experience with a woman, but an experience she can’t get out of her head 6 months later. Then, when she meets Zara a second time, she discovers Zara is actually her new best friend’s mother. 🫢

This is my very first @mvalentineauthor book, and I really loved it. As someone who hasn’t read any of the prior books in this series (or any of the other connected books), I can say that I was still very much able to enjoy this one. (But I do want to go back and read those other books to get more with some of these side characters.)

Both of these woman had me in tears throughout! From Clem, who grew up in the foster system, always feeling unwanted and unloved, to Zara, privately mourning on her own for the past 2 years. 

Both women are caretakers, while also not wanting to be a burden on anyone else, and oh how that just resonated with me. 

This was such a sweet story of healing and showing love through actions. I can’t want to check out more of Marley’s books! ♥️

What this book is giving:

✅ Contemporary Romance

✅ Sapphic

✅ Dual POV

✅ One Night Stand

✅ Best Friend’s Mom

✅ Hurt/Comfort both ways

✅ “Sweetheart”

Rating: 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

mati_malnati's review

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

homestar_runner's review

Not my favorite 

sarapgh's review

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

_bookish_lauren's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice level: 2/5
Tropes: age gap, best friend's mom, one night stand, bisexual awakening, found family 

Representation: Sapphic story between a bi MC and a lesbian MC

CW: grief and discussions of stillbirth 

Unlikely was a beautiful sapphic story that tackled grief and loss but also finding oneself. 

That character development was fairly strong. For Zara, it was about learning how to come to terms with her right to grieve the loss of the baby she carried as a surrogate. For Clem, it was realizing she deserved happiness and to be taken care of while she's always been the one taking care of others. 

I loved the patience they had with each other. Zara with Clem's inexperience with women and Clem with Zara coming to terms with her grief. 

Both women had their own found family, which was really amazing. Coming together with all the love and acceptance in the world. 

There was initially a publishing snafu with the book, but it was worth the wait.

beck22's review

sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

brunsssy's review

Where can I find this?