You Know I’d Never read a lot like fanfiction. It jumped into a story where the characters didn’t feel entirely fleshed out, only because it wasn’t fanfiction this just left them feeling empty.

Janey and Elise’s story really relies on wanting another “coming out” struggle story, which frankly I think there’s enough of in queer fiction.

If you’re in the mood for something fluffy, romantic, and a little bit sexy however, You Know I’d Never is worth an afternoon read.

It seems as though this book is some sort of short novel about choosing happiness. We meet Janey living an otherwise pathetic life as an in the closet 23 year old with no friends other than a 60 year old who she works with. Janey’s ex girlfriend, Elise is a singer who’s biggest song is a song about Janey. Elise comes back to town on tour and they pick up right where they left off except this time Elise wants more and Janey sees that as her being asked to come out.

In my opinion books like these are not suited for a novella type- the build up to the end felt very bland. There’s no angst, the small amount of humor subjective as I didn’t find it funny and just too darn short.

I find that with the type of relationship/plot between Janey and Elise that a longer story built with more backstory almost necessary. I’m talking about backstory and how they got together, more on why they broke up and just how good they were together and why they were so sure they were soulmates. Perhaps with a bit more descriptive writing the author could’ve accomplished this without the added need for backstory. The existing backstory felt very scattered and if I read too fast I missed it or confused it for the present telling.

Regardless of all of that, I still liked Elise and Janey together- they were cute but again I would’ve rooted for them so much more if I knew more about their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Janey's ex-girlfriend, Elise, is coming back to town to play a few shows with her band. Their biggest hit is the song that Elise wrote about Janey in high school. She can't let Elise slip through her fingers again but that means being honest with herself and coming out to her parents.

As a heterosexual woman, I can't begin to understand how scary or worrying it can be for LGBTQIA people to come out. This is a short story about one woman's journey of acceptance and courage in coming out to her parents. Because it is a short story, it wasn't as developed as it could have been. A wider story could have been told if it had been written as a fully fledged novel. Despite this, it has the potential to be an empowering read.

A coming out novella. Janey is stuck. She is 23 and still working in the small town grocery store that was her high school job. She isn't dating because who wants to be in a relationship with someone who is closeted. She tried to tell her parents once and they didn't want to hear. Elise plays in a small, successful band. Their biggest hit is a love song she wrote to Janey. When the band returns to the area there is time for catching up and second chances. I enjoyed this short story but couldn't always understand Janey and her thinking. She lives on her own but seems so fearful of her parents. Elise is wonderful, not too demanding but hopeful. Their attraction after five years apart is feverish. With short stories you always hope for more details and wish things were more fleshed out but I was happy with Janey and her courage to move forward. The epilogue could have been further out in time to give a clearer potential HEA. Thank you to NetGalley and NineStar Press, LLC for an ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review.