I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Can’t Let Her Go is another Black sapphic romance by Kianna Alexander. I noticed some overlapping characters with her prior romance, Can’t Resist Her, but this book works perfectly well as a standalone. This is a fun spin on the friends to lovers trope, which is almost always a win for me, and this time was no exception.
I liked the dynamic between Peaches and Jamie, and it made for a really intriguing spin on the trope…they do know each other from having spent time with the same group of friends, but it’s somewhat different from the more intimate types of friends-to-lovers stories I’ve read before, where there is a lot more history. I liked how they decided to get to know each other better outside the context of that group of friends, while still having the friend group still be involved as things become romantic between the two. And while there are some bumps in the road, some of which reflect badly on one or both, I like how the story focused a lot on open communication and honesty between the two.
I also loved the inclusiveness, and the frankness with which it touched on some of the issues the characters face. Peaches presents as butch, while Jamie presents femme, and there’s also great racial and gender/sexuality diversity in the supporting cast, including a non-binary character.
The one issue I’d point out is that the pacing is a bit uneven. This book is still on the shorter side, so it’s still more or less a quick read, but there are still some slower moments that dragged the book down a little. And I did also find myself feeling a bit emotionally detached due to the writing style.
However, this is a fun read, and much needed, given the little intersectionality that exists between Black and queer romance. If you’re looking for either or both, I recommend checking this out!

i really really connect with this one. the dialogues were really odd and i also didnt really care for the characters. there were some funny moments throughout the book that had me laughing out loud, and i love that it was sapphic. but other than that, this book just wasnt for me

An enjoyable read. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the characters, I just couldn't warm to them because of the way they acted and treated others at times.

This heartfelt and steamy romance explores the complexities of transitioning from friends to lovers. The strong bond between Peaches and Jamie, along with their shared ambitions and individual challenges, adds depth to the story. The author skillfully portrays the tension between their growing feelings and the realities they face. It's a captivating tale of self-discovery, timing, and the pursuit of lasting love.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story follows Peaches and Jamie. They are just two parts of their dynamic friend group. Peaches’ businesses is going well and expansion is on her mind. Jamie is looking to open a nail shop after she gets her degree. After the passing of Peaches’ mother she has been her family’s go to person for everything. Jamie’s family seems not to want to include her in anything because she doesn’t seem to fit into the vision of how they painted their family. I felt like the romance took the back seat at times because I was more engaged in the family life of the main characters and the secondary characters seemed more interesting to me. Overall it was a good read but something missed the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a romance that leaves you feeling glad all over? Can’t Let Her Go is warm, tenderhearted and cheerful; a great story about friends who figure out how to fall in love without losing the spark of their friendship.

Barber shop owner Patricia – Peaches - Monroe and nail tech and chemistry student Jamie Hunt have been best friends for ages. They and their other buds, Claudia, Taylor and Aiko and Summer (Can’t Resist Her) have been through everything together, and their joint friendship means everything to them. But Peaches and Jamie have always been tempted by one another in the romantic and sexual department.

Deciding to test out how how they might work as lovers and potential mates, Peaches accompanies Jamie on a road trip to Houston, far from their San Antonio neighborhood. While they take their time journeying across Texas, they’re given the opportunity to act on their attraction and also see if they have a forever thing between them. But will family and job pressures tear them apart for good?

I loved this romantic, well-paced swooner of a novel. Peaches is so relatable; stuck being the support figure for her family in the wake of her mother’s death and wanting to fly free, she’s a delight of a woman. Jamie’s asking herself some big questions – does she want to be a nail tech or a chemist? Where does she truly belong? Peaches helps her answer them. The romance between them flows naturally from friendship to lovers, and their connection is lovely and sensual.Their strong friendships with their friends group – which is beautifully varied – absolutely provides another highlight and made me want to reread Can’t Resist Her.

The only thing that keeps this from being a flat-out A is some late-book miscommunication issues. We’ve been there and seen that before, and both characters deserved a more interesting stumbling block for their love. But overall, Can’t Let Her Go is a beautiful romance. And it’s definitely made me look forward to Claudia and Taylor’s book.

I'm sorry, but I just cannot vibe with the writing. It's so flat, choppy, and boring. Despite the wide cast of characters and their found family dynamics, which I typically love in my books, every conversation felt forced and lacked natural chemistry due to the awful writing. Also, Jamie was awful and Peaches deserved so much better than her.

Unfortunately, this one was a no go for me. I tried to get into the story, but the characters were not holding my interest. The plot sounded good, but the first chapter told me that this was not written in a style that would appeal to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a book with a perfect balance of steamy romance and emotional depth in each character. I loved how developed the individual characters and their backstories are. You can't help but root for this couple that is so perfect but life just isn't matching up. This is one you can definitely reread and love.

I tried to get in to this book but found that there was too much backstory that I didn;'t know in order to become invested in the couple.

Beautifully written, compelling and thought provoking, I was drawn by the cover and blurb, not one I would normally read but I’m glad I did!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc, here is my honest review.

I had to dnf this book only 10 pages in because of the writing style and the way the characters were written. This is just not the book for me, I wanted to love it for the representation but I just couldn’t continue,

I'm sorry to say that I did not love this book. The main characters were likeable and strong but the relationship wasn't very healthy and I don't feel like the break up and getting back together around the 90% mark actually addressed the issues and unhealthy behaviour. That said, there's a lot of great bits in this novel and I think a lot of people will enjoy it.

I didn't love the focus on fashion - it was a bit too focused on what everyone was wearing. I understand the need to contextualize, to help readers visualize but in many cases it just felt like a step beyond what was necessary.

The premise of Can't Let Her Go had me so excited to dive into this, but unfortunately did not hit the mark for me. So bummed!

It's a great book. I loved reading it. Hoping to get a full review in more depth up soon!
Both characters are amazing and the story is *chefs kiss*
Peaches is what I want to grow up and be.

I apologise, I'm ill right now that involves meds that are quite strong. I don't think I can do true justice for Peaches and Jamie.
Kianna is an amazing author and will be recommending her to all my reading friends

This was cute and fun to read and I am very grateful I got the opportunity to read it. Thank you NetGalley!

I really do not think this book was meant for me, which is at no fault of the author or the content, but I just did not enjoy it. I failed to really believe the romance and everything felt a little rushed.

I'm a little disappointed by this book, sadly. My biggest issue were the dialogues which felt soooo unrealistic, like no one talks like that! They didn't felt like real humans but 'simply' characters to me, I couldn't believe their story was somewhat real, it just seemed artificial. Now, it wasn't terrible, the humour was great, it was nice to have a sapphic book following people of colour (they're so rare) and the romance was fine. It just wasn't great. 2.5 stars

I will be honest. I read the first 6 chapters and then the last three. Doing that I didn’t feel like I missed anything important.

The story was cute, love reading LGBTQ+ stories esp if they are about people of color, however the writing was not my favorite style.

The writing felt choppy and the conversations didn’t seem to flow well.

I really wanted to like this one more than I did; however, I was 80% in the book and thought that these two might need to their separate ways if that tells you anything. I just didn’t buy into the romance which made it difficult to stick this one out until the end.

Constructively, I think the overall plot showed promise but this was meant to be a friends to lovers although the friendship wasn’t super strong to begin with. It was almost like a friend of a friends to lovers. Also, this author writes dialogue that feels quite dated / isn’t really how folks talk which was sometimes distracting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the arc in exchange for my honest review!