Since requesting this book, I have lost interest and will not be reviewing it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

A lovely romantic novella in which Joey, who works at an adult store in Sydney, meets Mick a new customer. Mick is new in town with a long distance boyfriend. Joey quickly finds himself with a huge crush on Mick which doesn't go away. Before he knows it Joey is showing Mick around Sydney and taking him to Mardi Gras, but Mick has a boyfriend and so this cant go anywhere or can it?

This is a lovely romantic story about two guys who seem to like each other, but who are not free to explore this attraction, or so it seems. The story is well written and it is also amusing with great secondary characters. I enjoyed this and I also enjoyed the setting in Sydney.

Definitely worth reading for the times when a light, cute story is needed.

Copy provided by Riptide Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Joey works in a sex store, so one would think that he has seen it all. That isn't the case, and when a shy, attractive man named Mick walks in one day Joey's life won't be the same.
A cute, quick read that had me rooting for Joey and Mick until the last page.

Cutie Pies was the right mix of things I like in my love stories. Their meeting was adorable, Joey was a insta-smitten mess, just like Mick. They fumble through a couple encounters before hitting it off at Mardi Gras. When they do get together they have fantastic chemistry and really liked how their relationship turned out.

Joey works in an adult toy store, Cutie Pies (sex toys, just so there's no misunderstanding). Into the store one day walks Mick. Joey is intrigued when Mick buys a ten inch toy, and lube. Mick keep coming back to Cutie Pies. There may be an issue with the absent boyfriend Mick has (or does he)? Joey is falling for Mick, hard. He just wants to know he's not alone in his feelings. Afraid he's opening himself up to real pain.

This was a cute book with very likable characters. Some angst, a bit of hot sex, and nice supporting characters.

This short and sweet story was fun, but it didn't totally blow me away.

Also, other than the initial two items that Mick bought at the sex shop, the premise that Joey worked at a sex shop felt pretty under-utilized. I mean, it's a SEX SHOP, for Christ's sake! Weird shit has to happen there all the time, right? But not so much in this story.

I would have also liked a LOT more background info to have been provided about what precisely happened between Joey and his religious, conservative family, and also more details as to what Mick's "boyfriend" had put him through before moving to Sydney.

Overall, the parts of the story that I felt could/should have been more rushed lingered on a bit (amor between the lesbian best friend and their boss, for instance), but the relationship development, the thing that I really was hoping to see, well, that wasn't overly in depth enough for my liking.

The steamy bits were 'kind of' steamy, but only kind of. The wallpaper was never in danger of being scorches or set ablaze.

But both Joey and Mick were extremely likeable characters, so I enjoyed reading their story, but I'd hoped for a bit more *wow* than what the book actually delivered.

So yeah, 3 *throat-numbing* stars this time around.

What a sweet story! Cutie Pies is an adult “toy” store in Sydney where Joey works with his friend Becca under the formidable owner, Kate. When a handsome new customer walks in asking for a ten-inch dildo, Joey just about trips over himself while trying to wait on him. The guy, Mick, is shy and clueless and his blush can be seen even through his dark (Aboriginal) skintone. Joey crushes on him from the get-go.

Over time, Mick’s trips become more frequent and he finally admits he has a partner, and then later admits his “partner” doesn’t really care if he and Joey go out some time. And then, even later, it’s revealed that his partner, a guy he met online, catfished him and hasn’t even contacted Mick since he moved to Sydney six weeks earlier.

The characters were well-developed and both the main plot involving Mick and Joey, and a subplot involving a romance between Becca and Kate were humorous and easily held my interest. In fact, some of the more humorous scenes, including those which occurred during the pride parade were laugh-out-loud moments.

I highly recommend this sweet little romance to all lovers of MM and if you like a bit of “down under” in your stories, this is definitely the one to choose.

This book was so cute!

“Cutie Pies” tells the story of Joey, a young man who works at the local sex shop when Mick, the cute but shy customer comes in to make a purchase and instantly sparks fly, after a few awkward encounters the two can’t hide their attraction to one another but with secrets and the lingering fears over past relationships creep in and threaten their new romance they’re forced to come together and see if this relationship is worth working on.

This book as just adorable, the chemistry between the two main characters gave me diabetes it was that sweet and the little side arcs for the other characters were well done too allowing a bit of a parallel to Joey and Mick’s journey.

While the book is short it manages to cover a lot of ground with their backstories and concerns about a new relationship whether that’s with each other or with people in general when one isn’t used to being accepted for who they are and it was really nice to see that fully play out and come out with a positive resolution.

This is a great quick little read for anyone looking for something to make them smile!

**thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

~ 3.5 Stars ~

Cutie Pies by Barbara Bell is a cute little novella that came along at just the right time for me. Having found myself unable to focus on reading anything for the past two weeks, I opened this book up on the airplane a few days ago and blessedly was able to lose myself in the easygoing romance. The backdrop of the sex shop sets up a pretty funny meet-cute between Joey and Mick, and Bell keeps the lighthearted fun going throughout most of the story. It’s tough to take yourself too seriously when you’re trying to get to know someone next to a wall of dildos and a butt plug display! These guys are super sweet, and short and angst-free was just what the doctor ordered.

The characters were all enjoyable (I’m just gonna go ahead and declare a fave now, though, if that’s ok… It was Joey 😉), even the prickly owner of Cutie Pies, Kate. And while I must admit I did find development lacking a little bit here and there, the author made up for it in diversity. There is great LGBTQ rep, as you’d expect, and I also love that Mick is Aboriginal. Since Bell is from Australia, I trust that any Aboriginal portrayal would be accurate, so I’m glad there was at least a nod. There is also a cool secondary storyline with Joey’s best friend and co-worker, Becca, that it was fun to watch play out.

I’m going to keep this review short and sweet, like the book. The well-written blurb can tell you whatever you need to know about plot points, so I didn’t get into much of a story run-down. But, I will reiterate that I enjoyed it very much. The miscommunication regarding Mick’s relationship status got a little repetitive, but both Joey and Mick were so earnest and sweet it was easy to overlook. Check this one out, guys! I’ll be on the lookout for more from this author for sure.

4 Stars

I absolutely loved the cover and the blurb and I couldn’t wait to dig into Cutie Pies. The book was good, but I wanted more. While I loved what I was given, I wish the author had focused more on the relationship between Joey and Mick. Because the story is told completely from Joey’s point of view, Mick remains a mystery throughout a lot of the story and his character wasn’t developed enough.

I thought Joey and Mick had great chemistry, but I wanted more on page interaction between them to develop that chemistry further.

They were both sweet guys. I loved Joey and I absolutely adored watching him at work. The interactions between his co-worker/best friend, Becca and their boss Kate were hilarious and had me laughing out loud. Mick, well, the little we got to know of him broke my heart with the way his ex made him feel like he wasn’t good enough and I wanted to punch the ex in his face almost as much as Joey did.

This was a cute story and had the author given a bit more on page time between Joey and Mick, I think this could have been a 5 Star read. As it was, the story was sweet, funny and a bit sexy. Enjoyable and definitely recommendable!

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
Let me start off by saying that it has always been my dream job to work in an adult toy store. I might just do that when I retire! This book was super-fast and cute. It made me laugh and I didn't want to put it down. Joey and Mick are just adorable, and my only complaint was the book’s ending felt rushed, I wish it was a little longer I was having so much fun reading it.

[Excerpt]:
The title, adorable. The cover, colorful and striking. The characters, witty and awkward and also adorable. The setting, fun and happy and a joy to experience.

Barbara Bell’s newest novel is only 116 pages, so I guess it could technically be called a novella. But it’s a stand-alone story, and one that I was interested in, based on the synopsis NetGalley gave. I requested this book initially because I want to read more LGBTQ+ stories; I need to diversify my book selection. I’m glad I selected this one because it was such a quick read (I read it in one night, during my 3-hour library shift), and totally enjoyable.
[Full review on my blog!]

This story was just adorable. I can't help it: Theses guys are such Cutie Pies! 😂 Joey works at Cutie Pies, the smallest adult store in Sydney, and one day Mick walks in looking for a dildo - this is the perfect set up for a joke...or a love story.

Barbara Bell is a new author and for her debut book she certainly was able to write something original, entertaining and sweet. The opening scene sets up the story so beautifully:


Joey loved telling people where he worked. It was fun. Some people gasped. Some people giggled. Some leant forward in their seats and wanted to know more.
"So you sell-"
"Yep."
"And-"
"Yep."
"And even-"
"Yep."
"What's the name of the store again?"

What's so great is that this story isn't trying to be anything other than what it is - a lighthearted romantic comedy with quirky characters. Joey's BFF is Becca, a lesbian who works with Joey at Cutie Pies, and who not so secretly has a crush on their boss and shop owner, Kate (that's important to know because it plays a role later in the story but you have to enjoy that comedic moment all your own. :D ). She is no secondary character, let me tell you. First you need to know that Joey and Becca are like siblings, and tease and torment each other at the store. So naturally Becca has to give Joey a hard time about Mick.

The first time Mick enters Cutie Pies, Joey helps him, and is a stalker stuttering mess the whole time, but manages to sell Mick a huge dildo. :D When Mick comes in again, Joey is busy and so Becca helps Mick. Joey is sooooooo curious about what Mick bought, his imagination running wild and certainly adding imagery to the spank bank (his words). Classic sibling tormenting ensues, but eventually Joey discovers that Mick bought...throat numbing spray. Joey's mind - blown.

There is a hiccup in this lust-fest: Mick has admitted to having a boyfriend. Yikes! And with that little reveal, I will stop summarizing. Is that evil? Hmm, maybe. :D

These guys are simply sweet together, Mick all shy and blushing, Joey all horny and afraid of scaring Mick off. Even the epilogue was good! I have no hang ups or doubts about these guys, and I wouldn't change a thing. That's rare from me because there is almost always something I wish had been different. But nope, in this case I loved everything about this story and had a freakin' ball during the ending. Mick's family - wonderful. ;)

3.75 stars.

This is a cute (and super steamy!) novella. I liked the descriptions of Joey’s great friendship with Becca, and of both of their relationship struggles. And hubba hubba, cute, hot, nerdy Mick is so adorable with his reasons for his first visit to the shop. This was a super quick, light read that was fun, but I didn’t get too emotionally involved with the characters.

Well if you're looking for a light and easy romance about two inexperienced, insecure twenty-somethings finding each other then this is the book for you.

On the surface there are all the jokes and silly moments to make this one a humor story. The wacky best friend and boss-lady, the colorful characters who come into the sex shop, the attraction between the two mc's and their youthful, bumbling attempt to get together and get past the shadows of past lovers.

However, if you dig deeper there are other things going on. Mick has a good, supportive family but lives in a very small town and can't find a relationship. He resorted to getting into an online thing that wasn't too healthy and left him with some issues he had to overcome.

Joey had to escape his homophobic family and make a life for himself in Sydney. He's doing okay, kind of playing the field but not expecting to find anyone really special, not feeling like he is ever going to belong anywhere again after being rejected by his own family.

It's a sweet, mildly funny story and its strength definitely lies in the author's ability to write well. Barbara Bell's prose is fluid and easy to read and Cutie Pies was a pleasant book to read.

I'm sorry, I did not like this book at all and I wanted to. Joey and Mick should have been a cute awkward couple, but the shadow of a possible boyfriend left me feeling like Mick was just a cheater. By the time the truth is revealed, my heart broke for his experience, but it didn't change that perception. In his mind, he was waiting for the creep to want him enough to search for him...all the while engaging with Joey and that left me cold.

The writing was okay, but there wasn't a lot of depth to the characters or the story building, giving the book a glossed over, rushed feel that then time jumped to a happily ever after that wasn't nearly enough to save the book.

Cutie pies, indeed! A quick read novella with an adorkable, quirky cast of characters. Would love to see another story with Joey and Mick.

Endearing, adorable, enteraining .... such a fantastic and delightful novella. I love this genre so much, it's my favourite and to get a book of this calibre... funny and sexy, with minimal angst was such a joy. I love books like this very much, and I really connected with all the characters. I'd love to read more from this verse, brilliant work Barbara.

I thought this was a fantastic novella - delightful, funny and hella sexy.

I found Joey super entertaining, adorably charming and I liked his narrative a lot - very endearing!

We totally clicked.

Cutie Pies was the right mix of things I like in my love stories. Their meeting was adorable, Joey was a insta-smitten mess, just like Mick. They fumble through a couple encounters before hitting it off at Mardi Gras. When they do get together they have fantastic chemistry and really liked how their relationship turned out.

As with all novellas, it did feel a little rushed after the 70% mark but it wasn't any less enjoyable. I was so into it, the final sentence came like out of nowhere :(

I also liked Joey's friend / co-worker as well as their boss. They don't get a lot of page-time but it was exactly to my liking :)

My only 'issue' is with Mick, I think? He's well likable and I liked him with Joey, especially in the Epilogue, when he's all relaxed and happy. But he was very quiet in the beginning -> we hardly got to know him and then Joey was already falling for him... Just wish we'd gotten a bit more from him.

I highly recommend Cutie Pies!

▽
Many, many thanks to the publisher who kindly provided a free copy for an honest and impartial review.

Very funny book. I loved the relationships and the plot was so intriguing I just had to keep reading it. I couldn’t put it down. So well done and recommending to friends.