[Aug 2022] the narration contributed a LOT to my enjoyment of the book this time. I already enjoyed the story, and the characters, but now I am hopelessly in love with Anna Mayhew. This audiobook version of her is now one of my favorite fictional sapphics. My original review still stands, but the issues I had initially didn’t bother me nearly as much this time around. 5 stars

[Oct 2020] - this book has so many things going for it: Ashton has an immaculate skill for winding threads of story for her main characters together—unraveling truths so that the reader slowly learns what’s really going on as the characters start to learn it themselves. the story of anna and jess was no exception—simply well done.

my qualm with the book was the constant negative reference to anna’s agedness—gestures to imply that her physical age was a huge hindrance in her life or relationships when she is also described as a slim, able-bodied, slightly fit even, 39 year old women with a successful profession [no spoilers]

i’m almost always down for age-gap romance in lesfic, but the cognitive dissonance created in anna’s character being described as looking and acting perfectly normally for a woman in her late thirties, and the descriptions of her as “old” with implications that she lacked youthfulness... i just couldn’t get past it, so each time she was referred to as “middle aged” (at 39!!!) i rolled my eyes in annoyance instead of being able to appreciate the many other interesting characteristics of this mysterious beauty called Anna Mayhew.

3.5 stars