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sil_the_lobster's review against another edition
5.0
I really, really liked this book. It ticked all the right boxes: slow burn, women my age, crochet, shifting perspectives. There’s not very many books that feature women beyond their thirties who don’t feature as loving Mom (or even Grandma)—not that this role is bad per se, please don’t get me wrong, but a woman in her 50s in 2019 is not quite the same as a woman in her 50s in 1989.
Anyway, it was refreshing to read about these two women finding their way back into love after going through not-so-good phases. It gives hope to those readers who are of the same age and who – perhaps – have reached a similar point in life.
I also loved—LOVED!—that they met and bonded over crochet. I’m a knitter and can’t crochet to save my life but the love for soft yarns and wool and the joy of making things is what unites us, knitters and crocheters (is that a word?), and I totally get the joy of finding others who share this beautiful hobby.
At times, I found the book a bit lengthy and thought that cutting a paragraph here and there wouldn’t have hurt, but it didn’t hurt to read it all. Nothing’s bad, nothing made me cringe or roll my eyes. The characters are well developed and come across as real people, be it the teenage (about not to be teenagers for much longer) daughters, the overbearing ex-boyfriend (most of us are well familiar with that particular brand of men, yes?), the about to be lovers, the lovey doveys wearing matching hats…I personally liked Timothy best of all because he reminds me of a friend’s son who has autism, too, and has quite similar likes and dislikes. I’m not an expert on autism by far but I thought Timothy was especially well written!
I would take half a star away for the wordy passages but as that’s not possible, I’m giving 5 stars because I really, really enjoyed reading the book. And to think this is a debut novel…well done, very well done indeed!
Anyway, it was refreshing to read about these two women finding their way back into love after going through not-so-good phases. It gives hope to those readers who are of the same age and who – perhaps – have reached a similar point in life.
I also loved—LOVED!—that they met and bonded over crochet. I’m a knitter and can’t crochet to save my life but the love for soft yarns and wool and the joy of making things is what unites us, knitters and crocheters (is that a word?), and I totally get the joy of finding others who share this beautiful hobby.
At times, I found the book a bit lengthy and thought that cutting a paragraph here and there wouldn’t have hurt, but it didn’t hurt to read it all. Nothing’s bad, nothing made me cringe or roll my eyes. The characters are well developed and come across as real people, be it the teenage (about not to be teenagers for much longer) daughters, the overbearing ex-boyfriend (most of us are well familiar with that particular brand of men, yes?), the about to be lovers, the lovey doveys wearing matching hats…I personally liked Timothy best of all because he reminds me of a friend’s son who has autism, too, and has quite similar likes and dislikes. I’m not an expert on autism by far but I thought Timothy was especially well written!
I would take half a star away for the wordy passages but as that’s not possible, I’m giving 5 stars because I really, really enjoyed reading the book. And to think this is a debut novel…well done, very well done indeed!
delleae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
A decent lesbian romance novel, with a focus on crafts that was (mostly) fun as someone who does yarn crafts already.
My biggest peeve is that the £5 class fee seems to cover people taking as much yarn as they need from the shop each week? That's got to be a terrible business strategy And an inventory nightmare.
I'm not sure if I would have noticed as much if I hadn't read a review here commenting on it, but one of the characters using "comrade" as a term of endearment was both confusing and overused.
The narrator did well and the cast of characters fit nicely together.
My biggest peeve is that the £5 class fee seems to cover people taking as much yarn as they need from the shop each week? That's got to be a terrible business strategy And an inventory nightmare.
I'm not sure if I would have noticed as much if I hadn't read a review here commenting on it, but one of the characters using "comrade" as a term of endearment was both confusing and overused.
The narrator did well and the cast of characters fit nicely together.
chatdunoirreadsalot123's review against another edition
5.0
What a lovely little story about two mature women falling in love! It made me want to join a crafts class right away, and I loved the fact that this story wasn’t about two young women falling in love. The fact that both Anna and Ollie were older, really made this story! Wonderfully believable, wonderfully quirky. I adored it!
kieranl's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
Mixed emotions on this one. Didn't hate it, but it definitely didn't woo me. I really hated how Ollie kept calling Anna 'comrade' not sexy/cute at all. Overall it was an okay read.
sotheylived's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars. Cute in places but the main characters were so childish and almost indistinguishable from one another.
tricia_r's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pixiejane's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
josb's review against another edition
3.0
A decent debut that had some interesting rep (characters over 50, disability, neurodivergence, and coming out later in life). I found the rep refreshing considering most lesfics revolve around people without established lives making it work. It was nice to see these two women manage their busy work lives and familial commitments and still make time for eachother. The chemistry was pretty good between the two leads.
One of the issues I had, however, was that sometimes the conversation or the internal monologue felt a little stale or wooden. Not enough to make me disconnect fully with the characters but enough to make it a little awkward at times.
Certainly worth the read if youre looking for some stories with older sapphic rep or even just something where the leads have established lives.
One of the issues I had, however, was that sometimes the conversation or the internal monologue felt a little stale or wooden. Not enough to make me disconnect fully with the characters but enough to make it a little awkward at times.
Certainly worth the read if youre looking for some stories with older sapphic rep or even just something where the leads have established lives.
__shaked's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
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
qraveline's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Homophobia