Pas de deux - bookrastinating.com

296 pages

Published May 1, 2021 by Bella Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-64247-245-5

Caitlyn Lloyd has the world at her feet. Or more accurately—under her horse’s hooves. With the 2016 Rio Olympics just around the corner, nothing is going to derail her long-held dream of winning a medal or two in Olympic dressage. Not even the reappearance of a childhood so-not-a-friend throwing her perfectly balanced life into disarray.

Addie Gardner’s career is at its peak, and accepting a last-minute fill-in position as the veterinarian for the US Olympic Dressage Team was a no-brainer. The fact that her old crush from Pony Club is on the team is just a bonus. Not a distraction at all. And it might just offer the chance to be friends with the girl who wouldn’t even give her the time of day twenty years ago.

But Caitlyn and Addie have very different memories of their time together at Pony Club and their first meeting as adults …

Caitlyn Lloyd has the world at her feet. Or more accurately—under her horse’s hooves. With the 2016 Rio Olympics just around the corner, nothing is going to derail her long-held dream of winning a medal or two in Olympic dressage. Not even the reappearance of a childhood so-not-a-friend throwing her perfectly balanced life into disarray.

Addie Gardner’s career is at its peak, and accepting a last-minute fill-in position as the veterinarian for the US Olympic Dressage Team was a no-brainer. The fact that her old crush from Pony Club is on the team is just a bonus. Not a distraction at all. And it might just offer the chance to be friends with the girl who wouldn’t even give her the time of day twenty years ago.

But Caitlyn and Addie have very different memories of their time together at Pony Club and their first meeting as adults is less like a reconnection and more like a butting of heads. With the Olympics looming, they’ll need to set aside their history and learn to work together. And maybe Caitlyn and Addie will realize childhood memories aren’t always accurate, and that they have more in common than they would ever have thought. Maybe. Just maybe.

1 edition

shippychaos reviewed Pas de deux by E. J. Noyes

Review of 'Pas de deux' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I appreciate when authors trust that their readers will grasp the subtlety of their writing and avoid hitting us over the head with it like, “she has commitment issues.” This is one of the skills that really shines in every book by Noyes.

Things I Liked:

- the first time the characters have sex, it is a bit awkward but the characters are still comfortable, have fun, and it’s a pleasurable experience
- some side characters were interesting and entertaining (Dewey included)
- as expected, the 2 person POV was well done and Craden’s narration really helped solidify each character as a whole person
- there was an imbalance in the level of investment each MC had in making their relationship work that felt authentic
- their first fight felt completely believable given what we knew about their personalities and hang-ups
- their breakdowns of communication felt SO realistic and …

I appreciate when authors trust that their readers will grasp the subtlety of their writing and avoid hitting us over the head with it like, “she has commitment issues.” This is one of the skills that really shines in every book by Noyes.

Things I Liked:

- the first time the characters have sex, it is a bit awkward but the characters are still comfortable, have fun, and it’s a pleasurable experience
- some side characters were interesting and entertaining (Dewey included)
- as expected, the 2 person POV was well done and Craden’s narration really helped solidify each character as a whole person
- there was an imbalance in the level of investment each MC had in making their relationship work that felt authentic
- their first fight felt completely believable given what we knew about their personalities and hang-ups
- their breakdowns of communication felt SO realistic and very …lesbian
- the most exciting part of the book [no spoilers] was the competition portion in Rio, with the drama of the illness involved, the potential injuries, and how it brought together the MCs while they were struggling to communicate

Things That Could’ve Been Better:

- it was a bit heavy handed for the characters to discuss how first time sex is depicted in lesfic
- though the competition sections of the book were engaging, I found myself losing interest in all the procedural details of the two MCs daily lives, but Abby Craden’s voice always carried me through to the next plot turn

Conclusion:

Noyes is one of my top 5 favorite authors, if not my favorite. I love how well this author writes character. All of her characters are so…human. They have likes, dislikes, hang-ups, complicated emotions, and they have varying degrees of skill at things from social and romantic relationships to the technical skill of a trauma surgeon in a war zone.

Addie felt very well-written in this book and even Dewey the horse was a full character with his preferences and personality. Caitlyn was less interesting to me because she seemed to have a one-track mind for dressage, but that was needed in order for the two MCs to keep having misunderstandings and not quite be on the same page.

3.5 stars for the sweet horse lesbians