This is not my favorite f/f love story in terms of character development, but I still enjoyed it. I've read better, but I did not bail on it so that's saying something.

I didn't finish this. It just wasn't for me.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good story, couldn't wait to keep reading all what was going to happen. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Through Love's Eyes, by CA Popovich, ended up being a DNF for me.

I wanted to like it, but it was too descriptive, and I found myself bored.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. DNF. I could not force myself to get past 35% of this book. It seemed so unrealistic and Erika was driving me insane. I thought I was crazy at first but looking at the other reviews it seems that you will either love this or hate this. Sadly I am in the latter category. It seemed insane at how quickly Brittany forgave Erika for teenage torment and I felt no chemistry or attraction between the two characters and the plot moved very slow. For some of you, you may love this, but I could not continue reading this!

This one was a struggle. I can't shake the descriptor of "boring". It wasn't terrible, but it certainly didn't live up to its potential. There just wasn't enough action, plot, or (and I can't believe I'm saying this) angst to make this one memorable for me.

Had been looking forward for this book for awhile and it did not disappoint. It was perfect especially during this quarantine.

I was surprised to realize that this was my first Popovitch novel, but unfortunately... I think I picked the wrong one to start with. It's not that this was a bad novel, not by any means, but there's just not a whole lot going on here to grab my attention. I'll try to explain.

Brittany was burned years ago as a young child, and she's essentially hiding away in her small island home. Erica (Amy) is a model who is struggling to find work as she ages. She used to be Brittany's best friend, back before she became one of the mean girls and a bully back in high school. Erica is on the island doing a photo shoot and runs into Brittany while she's there.

A big part of what bothered me in this one was that 1) Brittany got past the bullying extremely fast, and for all the wrong reasons. Basically, since Erica is hot, the fact that she was a horrible bully to Brittany no longer matters. Also, 2) the fact that Erica may need to do a nude photo shoot since she's 'almost washed up' is discussed over, and over, and over again. We get it already. And then 3) nothing else happens other than the nude photo shoot discussion. There's no other major angst or drama (aside from the standard 80%), and no other real sub-plot.

As much as I hate knocking a novel, this one was a struggle. I can't shake the descriptor of "boring". It wasn't terrible, but it certainly didn't live up to its potential. There just wasn't enough action, plot, or (and I can't believe I'm saying this) angst to make this one memorable for me. The best part of this one for me was the setting of Mackinac Island in Michigan. It reminded me of childhood trips on the ferry with my family to the island. And yes, it's just as beautiful as described. 2.75 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

I was so looking forward to reading this book after seeing the plot, but it didn't deliver completely. I felt like the characters weren't developed deep enough and that contributed to that slightly empty feeling the book has left me with.

The only thing I can say re this book by Ms popovich is that as I was reading I had a hard time staying awake.
After suffering an accident that left Brittany Yardin scarred when her body was altered. Fire will do that. When she returned to school she was bullied by the school's mean girls. Every school seems to have them but Brittany never expected one of them to be someone she considered a friend. But that’s what happened. As an adult she works for a resort on a tiny island where she ever thought she’d run into any of the mean girls again.
Erika James, fashion model, was one of though mean girls. In fact she was the one that turned on Brittany but at the time her name was amy. But her parents though the name Erika was a name more suited for the career they had already planned for her. But now she’s coming to the end of her career and finds herself going to some remote island for a photo shoot. And who should she find there but Brittany, a girl she has always felt guilty for the way she had treated her in school.
The two meet, Erika apologies but can Brittany believe she’s sincere. Ms Popovich has written some very nice books but this isn’t one of them. If you like a slow paced read with little action this will be the book for you. I know her next book will be a better fit for me.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books.

The plot is a good one but I wish the author would have delved deeper in the characters and flesh the story out more, It certainly had the potential for more angst and bigger pay off for the happy end.

If you want a quick read without angst and a romance with little challenge, this is a good book.

I chose to read Through Love’s Eyes by C.A. Popovich at least partially for the gorgeous cover. All you need to do to catch my eye is have a cover with a beautiful animal on it. Add a couple of stately buildings with wraparound porches, and you have totally caught my attention. The blurb sounded really good as well. The idea of two women meeting years after one was disfigured by an accident and the other her bully during their childhood seemed like a great premise for an angst filled romance.

Unfortunately, the story did not live up to its potential. I never connected with the main characters. Brit was way too passive for me. I expected a little more fire or at least a bit of anger from her. I never saw it. Erika was just shallow and more interested in her looks, shopping, and how she was no longer going to be a top model because of her age. About a third of the way into the book, I noticed I was getting bored. About halfway, I was checking every few pages to see how much was left for me to read. That’s not good. There just wasn’t enough action or conflict to sustain any energy in the tale. The characters were doing the same things over and over.
I did enjoy the setting of the book, and the vivid descriptions of Mackinac Island. I want to visit that island now after reading this book. The descriptions are that good.

I wish I could recommend this novel, but honestly, I don’t think I can. However, I will be looking for more from this author in the future.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

This love story contains heavy emotional abuses and their lasting affects, it’s a story of healing and acceptance.
I loved the setting so much. Mackinac Island is a tiny little island on Lake Huron in Michigan. I found myself pouring over maps of the area as I read. Popovich did an excellent job bringing the richness of the area to life.
Brittany is the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful woman and I wanted nothing but love and happiness for her. Brittany has a childhood accident that left her scarred but it the emotional scars of bullying left her unable to trust most people and turned her into a recluse. I empathizes so strongly with her character and I loved watching her flourish through the story.
Erika/Amy left me conflicted, she had her own emotional issues and I wanted to empathize so much but couldn’t get past her role in Brittany’s 23 years of quiet suffering and felt her apology left me struggling to connect with her character and her conflicts.
The romance was sweet and sensual and I loved the interactions between Erika and Brittany. After the reconnect the develop this casual friendship with attraction. The have a very slow build that was romantic and natural.
I really enjoyed this story. My trouble connecting with Erika’s character didn’t stop me from enjoying this warm hearted love story.

This has been a rather boring story, although some events from the past that negatively marked the main protagonist, Brit, seemed to direct the plot towards a major drama, but then everything faded quickly and without much sense to me.

Brit has the physical aftermath of a childhood accident, after which she also suffered some bullying. She is afraid of being very exposed and with her work on a small vacation island she seems to have found the perfect place. Until a world famous model arrives on the island, Erika, she is at at the end of her career and she was a childhood friend of Brit, her first crush, too, also one of her bullies.

The approach and the premises seemed perfect for a good romance, Brit despite her past is not a resentful woman, just something damaged. And Erika is not an arrogant or superficial woman. But I do not know if it was for the style of the book, it has many chapters that are very short and do not delve into the inner struggle that both women are going through or because of the many obstacles that they find to dare to start a relationship and in the loop in which these obstacles are repeated over and over again, the end result was not good enough for me.

Brittany Yardin life was not the same after an accident she had as a teen that left her with physical scars that people use to make fun of and bully her. Amy, aka Erika James is a famous model and Brittany's high school bully. When Erika is on a photo shoot and encounters Brittany after so many years they start to bond and an attraction begins to flourish between them. But will love be enough for Erika to give up her career?

This book was interesting a cute. Both characters were well developed. Though I did not sense a huge chemistry between them they were cute together. The book was a bit slow once you got midway and I found it a bit repetitive at times.

Nonetheless, this was a cute romance book about acceptance and forgiveness and worth a read.

I was provided an ARC by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book has an interesting premise, albeit one that has often made me nervous: someone falling for their former (or sometimes even current) bully, a growing subgenre in cishet romance I’ve always found toxic. However, the blurb highlighted not only an exploration of Brittany’s trauma from that, but also made me curious as to how Amy, who is now thriving, more or less, as an adult, could have evolved as she comes back into contact with Brittany and they end up working together.

And on the surface, there’s nothing wrong with it. I felt like the exploration of Brittany’s issues was very well done, and is probably the standout part of the book. I could relate to her, having been in somewhat similar situation. I did find myself wishing things had been grappled with a little more prior to Brittany pursuing something with Amy, but other than that, it wasn’t horrible.

As for Amy, I enjoyed the exploration of the modeling industry, especially in terms of the ageism she’s now facing, including the prospect of having to do a nude shoot. And while the romance plot is a little monotonous, one thing that I did find great was the general sense of acceptance in one conversation Amy has with her mother. I was prepared for her mother to be a slave driver or intolerant or something, but when Amy discusses her feelings for Brittany, her mother is accepting, and her emphasis seems to be more a bit of concern for the shared past between the two.

This book is rather boring, with occasional great moments in between, that I wish had been fleshed out a little more. I think, if you’re looking for a lighter f/f read , I’d recommend it, with caveats noting all of the above.

This is a super sweet, low angst, second chance romance. I love the chemistry between Brittney and Erica. I truly fell in love with the characters. I will absolutely be reading more by this author.

I thought this book looked really interesting from the synopsis. I would love to visit the area where this book took place. The author did a great job painting a picture of the gorgeous surroundings. I really liked both Britt and Erika. I found Britt forgiving Erika as quickly as she did, a bit odd but who am I to judge. There wasn’t a whole lot of substance to their relationship besides eating all of the time. I found the book at times to be a bit monotonous but I kept reading because I enjoyed the setting and characters. This was an easy read an a nice way to escape for a couple of hours.

I was not a fan of this book, it's characters or even the setting it took place in. To me the characters were unbelievable and shallow. For me this book dragged on and I found it hard to keep my interest. For those that enjoy LBGT stories, and I know there aren't a lot of them to choose from, it may be fine, but not my cup of tea and I am a T of the LBGT before someone says that's why I disliked it...wrong.

This wasn't a particularly bad book, as in there wasn't anything egregious about any elements of the book but I just found myself bored with it. This was the first book I started to read from my list of netgalley shelf and it ended up being the last book I read. There is just nothing particularly interesting about the plot and the only real conflict is one of the main characters being undecided about doing a nude photoshoot. The characters are instantly attracted to each other and their conflicts are instantly resolved so their just ends up being a lot of repetition within the plot. Again not an awful book but its also not an attention grabber.