I would give this book a solid 3.5. I love Jennifer's other YA books and her first adult book it wasn't bad, but it felt a little YA for me minus specific scenes (iykyk). I did like the found family aspect and the dinner scene was WILD but I felt like they were pulling drama for nothing. I was hoping for a deeper conflict minus Cara just listening to what her mom was saying. It just felt like Stella was yelling and being a massive B and James and Cara let her dominate their feelings. The end was a little rushed but ended with good vibes. There were some funny as-heck moments, the bathroom at the start, the dinner, both were really well written. Overall not a bad book at all, and a very cute read. Curious to see more adult books from Jennifer.

I reaaaaaaaaally wanted to love this but the last 30% just killed it for me. Especially as someone who is conflict-averse, the scene at James’ and Cora’s parents’ was just too much for me. The things they all said to Lizzie were way out of line and just plain toxic and they’re supposed to be her best friend and someone who is in love with her?? (Also James just kind of sucked the whole time.)

Will give feedback and my review when the HCP union gets a fair contract. Thank you so much for the book and can't wait to leave a review in the future.

3.5 stars

This was a fun read with serious trust/just talk to each other woes that made it a bit less fun, story.

I usually don’t like reading in first-person (especially since it makes it difficult to truly know what the other MCs are thinking/motivations). But, from the start, this read like a narrated Netflix RomCom which pulled me in immediately. There were some laugh out loud moments (the bathroom scene especially), but the lies just got to be a little much, and that these relationships (between Lizzie/Cara/James), are simply put, unhealthy.

I’ve read many, many lezfics- and I have to say, I haven’t read one with a gym aspect. I do appreciate a fresh idea!

This story will resonate with folks that don’t have good relationships with their parents, and how that effects their everyday relationships with friends and lovers. There were a couple moments that I really could relate to (yes there were…emotions felt), making it easier to understand why the MCs acted the way they did (as annoying as it became at times). I can appreciate that even though this is set up as a romcom, it shows the full mess of humans, and that it’s not just a snap of the fingers to feel safe to let yourself be loved, and to love others.

You could truly feel the connection between Lizzie and Cara. And even though everything began as a hot mess, I’m glad they all, eventually, realized how messed up everything was, and although a bit of a rushed ending, did take steps to own up to their mistakes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. I’ve read all of Jennifer Dugan’s previous novels and I was excited to see that she had an adult novel out! It was was a great romance and was laugh out loud funny through a lot of the book. I was happy that even though it was an adult novel it wasn’t raunchy. Some of the characters were a little over the top bad but other than that this was a very enjoyable romance novel and if you’ve liked her YA novels you will enjoy this!

I wanted to love this so much but ultimately, this felt just ok. I struggled through the first half after seeing how James and Cars both used Lizzie to cover up for their lack of communication skills and mutual respect / boundaries, so it was hard to like either of them. Truly I just wanted BETTER than both of them for Lizzie.

The second half picks up once the romance and coupling is kind of in full swing, and while I think many will resonate with Lizzie’s intrusive thoughts, after a while it just felt like a drag for me, killing the romantic sparks and playfulness. I did find some of the banter between Cara and Lizzie to be cute and their meeting in the bathroom was actually one of my favorite scenes.

However, my original gripe with James and Cara really not being worthy of Lizzie rears it’s head in full force in the final 30%. They repeatedly let other people in their lives talk down to Lizzie. This is seen with Sherry, one of Cara’s friends, both James and Cara with their parents and how they treat Lizzie, and on several occasions, James himself in how he speaks directly to Lizzie, often commenting on her lack of resume or how Cara has nothing to stick around for, implying his ‘best friend’ Lizzie isn’t enough.

Frankly it all felt really toxic and I just wanted Lizzie to leave all of them behind and as for the gestures at the end…they needed to come from James and Cara, not Lizzie to them. Overall because I just couldn’t find the best friend, James, redeeming or Cara, the love interest, as someone interesting or kind to Lizzie, I just couldn’t really get on board.

I will say, I think the self-esteem issues and complicated family dynamics add this intriguing, especially in how we see Lizzie deal with all this, though the wrap up of these issues was a big…lack luster.

I could not get into this book. Maybe just because I don't care about the gym world which made it very hard to care about the setting here. Also not a fan of the love interest, so I could not finish this. Not for me, but not a bad book.

I had such a great time reading this! What A fun story! If you are looking for a sapphic romance with banter and heart this is it!

A queer rom com with all the banter and chemistry.

I have really enjoyed queer rom coms and was excited for this one. Lizzie and Cara had some great chemistry and were super loveable. I did want a bit lore tension and spice in this book was I overall, had a good time and recommend.

Thanks NetGalley & Avon & Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan was a charming adult contemporary debut!

I loved her YA titles Some Girls Do and Melt With You, like couldn't get enough of them.
And it was no different with her newest title.

I loved everything about this book!!! This is a perfect example of why I love reading rom-coms this book had everything I want in this type of story.
A delightful romance that kept me engaged from the first page to the last.
The banter was great… And the romance was fabulous. I couldn't have picked a better book to devour.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an enjoyable queer romcom with some chewy themes like emotionally abusive families and class issues folded in. It’s messy and chaotic and fun. The banter between the characters is next level, but thins out in the last quarter of the book.

Something I really liked about the book is that there was very little dancing around the fact that the leads were attracted to each other. Also, this is a romance between a high femme and a more casual femme (I wouldn’t go so far as butch) and at least at first the dynamic is that the former pursued the latter. I feel like I haven’t seen that a lot in wlw romance and I really appreciated it.

Another thing I liked is that, although as I mentioned there’s plenty of messy drama, it’s not all one-sided, and by the end both characters have apologized multiple times for very real transgressions.

The narrative style is first person point of view at its best and the book was blessedly readable for me which was a feat, as I’d been in a bit of a slump when I picked the story up.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book, but I absolutely could not get into it. The writing was really flat and boring, and I felt no desire to see the narrator find her mate.

This was a really sweet and fun romantic comedy, with a main character who I wanted nothing but the best for (and lots of moms I wanted to shank)

I really wanted to love this book, but I had a very difficult time connecting to any of the characters. All of them were keeping secrets and lying to each other, which started to feel very repetitive and frustrating after a while. The final third of the book felt very rushed, which was strange after such a slow start. Cara and Lizzie were cute together, but not until the very end. Up to that point there was just so much arguing and I felt like I was being told about their relationship rather than seeing it for myself. There were bits and pieces of this that were very enjoyable, but overall I struggled to really connect with this book.

I will not be reviewing Harper Collins titles until they agree to a fair contract with the union. I stand in solidarity with HarperCollins Union Local 2110 UAW in their fight for a fair contract. We urge HarperCollins Publishers to come back to the negotiating table and agree to a contract that reflects the Union’s need for diversity commitments, union protections, and wage adjustments. Publishing is a historically underpaid industry and current salaries do not reflect HarperCollins’s profits, the current cost of living, or salaries paid by peer media and publishing companies. Low wages affect everyone but are particularly hard on people who are underrepresented in the publishing industry—vital voices that HarperCollins needs to cultivate, not drive away.

OMG sapphic gym heart throb rom com? HOLY SHIT this was swoon worthy and I ate this up like a protein bar. Fun, loveable, and HOT.

While I did enjoy some of the interactions between James and Lizzie, I found him to be quite unbearable as a friend. Despite the many times that Lizzie assured herself and the readers that he is actually a great friend, there was a lot of telling and not enough showing of how this was the case. He was a selfish jerk for 80% of the book and while he did a turn around after the big conflict I feel like it was a little too late for some brownie points for him.

Lizzie and Cara's relationship was okay, though oftentimes it felt frustrating to read with Cara being sort of tone-deaf in her delivery of sometimes classist comments. Cara's relationship with Jane and Sherry interested me and I wish there was more of that in the book. I would have loved to hear less about whatever was going on with James and Ramon and more about development in that front.

Honestly was urked me most reading through this was how easily James and Cara brushed off how awful their mother was to Lizzie the entire book until it was super in their face.

What a stunning debut adult romance! I've been a fan of Jennifer Dugan through all her YA romances. They're sweet, heartfelt, and deeply emotional. This book carries all the signature Jennifer Dugan emotional high points but paired with mature themes and also smut. The writing is exquisite, the sexual tension is sexy and delightful, and the romance is pure pure gold. Lizzie and Cora are incredible romantic leads and their on page chemistry and character arcs are great as well. I love how this book tackled wealth disparity, addition, and different types of troubled parent child relationships. Amazing!! Love!! Can't wait for the next book!!

As a gym junkie, I really liked the gym element in this romance and I appreciated the witty banter between Lizzie and Cara and Lizzie and James. But my goodness the parents seemed so grating and awful —so much so it was almost hard to believe.

I felt like it was pretty mild in the steam factor department and thought it definitely could have been spicier, but I also know that’s not for everyone, so maybe it appeals to a wider swath of readers this way!

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins!