This was a big disappointment and I barely got through it. The plot had potential and fell through. There were so many unnecessary details and the writing was too much. Barbara and Leslie were disrespectful, the religion jokes were disrespectful. Overall, it didn’t sit right.

Meh, this fell incredibly flat for me after I went in with some medium to high hopes after reading that fans of the Kiss Quotient (one of my favorites from this year) would enjoy it.

There was some potential for this to be a great story tacking some taboo topics normally shied away from. However I found myself constantly distracted by overly descriptive scenes which dragged (literally no reason for a play by play of ever inch of a room), the study was just plain WEIRD and made me uncomfortable with many of the practices they were taking especially the barely consented videotaping. Add on to it the horrendous “friendships” with Barbara and Leslie if you can even call them that and I could barely finish.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC!

Love Only Better • Paulette Stout
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When I first read the synopsis of the book I was very intrigued! The author was going to discuss a real issue that many women live with daily.
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I really wanted to enjoy this book but I just couldn’t get into. Sometimes I felt the author was over descriptive making some part drag along and I actually found it to be kind of boring. I actually found myself putting the book down to start others, eventually I did finish it.
One part that really annoyed me however was near the end. An issue was brought up between the two main characters but was just glazed over, where it should have been addressed more and not just brushed under the rug.
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Thank you to @NetGalleyfor the eARC in exchange for an honest review #LoveOnlyBetter #NetGalley

This book was just ok for me! I had a hard time getting into this read. The topics hit are important and I love that Paulette tackled them! I like how there were strong themes of self love and empowerment. Other than that, I just had a hard time connecting with this novel but love that Paulette touched on topics many authors haven't.

I was not able to get into the themes of this book. It was not what I had expected and the content wasn't for me either.

I had initially liked the plot and the cover though. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing chance to read and review this. This was a one star due to not finishing it at the time I read it.

This was a DNF for me; it was not a good time for me to read this one. Maybe I’ll give another try but this book was not for me.

eARC kindly provided by publishers via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really thought I would love this book and I wanted to. However, I couldn’t. It was more Women’s Fiction when I was expecting more romance.

There was too much self-loathing from the MC for my comfort level.

Trigger Warning: Self-loathing

Love, Only Better was not at all what I had expected. I went in thinking it was a cute romcom but I would put it in the women’s fiction category. This book deals with a very real issue, female sexual empowerment. Talking about sexuality is often considered taboo as it is so personal and for this reason isn’t talked about. I appreciate the author exploring this topic and shining light on this issue which affects so many women.

The main character Rebecca is 28 years old, not only did her her best friend Barbara recently move out of their shared apartment but her boyfriend Ethan decided to leave citing frustration with their sex life. You see Rebecca has never had an orgasm, Ethan leaving has left her feeling frustrated and alone. She doesn’t find much comfort confiding in her friends who cannot relate to her situation. We see how Rebecca struggles to find a solution to her issue, even seeking professional help. This is where things start to be a little off for me. Rebecca signs up for a study but the way in which it is conducted seems very strange. She is in the centre of a dark room on a platform with a spotlight on her while the group of Dr.s who are conducting the study are hidden in the dark. Considering the intimate subject they are studying it seems like a very cold and stressful position to be put in.

Shortly after joining the study we are introduced to Kyle. The handsome, swoon-worthy motorcycle riding nephew of her across the hall neighbour. Kyle seems almost too perfect and sparks quickly start flying. As their relationship develops we see how patient Kyle is with Rebecca thought we start to see how he grows frustrated with Rebecca keeping him at arms length.

I thought it was a good attempt at female sexual empowerment but I wish it dove in a little deeper into the characters and addressed some some the underlying issues which caused Rebecca to struggle with self-confidence and anxiety. While the book certainly described Kyle as being dreamy and he seems like a nice guy I would love to have a bit more personality to help explain why they fell so quickly. I also really wanted a strong female role model for Rebecca. Her friends didn’t seem to take her problems seriously and the relationship with her mother a bit strained. The closest we came to an encouraging female supporting character was Barbaras aunt Evelyn.

I thought it was a good debut book and I look forward to reading more from Paulette Stout in the future.

Thank you to Paulette Stout, Media Goddess Inc., and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really wanted to love this book because the content, sex + body positivity and sexual health representation are so important and not typically included in romance novels....however, the delivery ultimately left much to be desired. The main character was not likeable at all; it was frustrating to make her watch choices to self sabotage herself, her career and her relationships. As a mental health clinician, I also had issues with the ethical nature and authenticity of the experiments and therapy depicted. The romantic relationship also fell flat for me and lacked chemistry. Overall, had a lot of great potential but the execution failed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Media Goddess for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 40%

Love, Only Better had a really great premise. I love the idea of a woman's self discovery into finding pleasure. Unfortunately it wasn't working for me. Several parts of the clinical trial bothered me and I wished that there was an alternate method to self discovery.

The book as a whole was OK. But some details were either annoying or cringy.
How the study was established is far from believable! Is that really how studies work! It was weird and unscientific. "The sex mentor/therapist" methods were the most creepy thing.
Not to mention the relationships H has with her mother, her best friends, her boss, her coworkers!! She's really just pathetic.

This is not a romance this a novel about self-love, a journey to self-worth and confidence.

Rebecca has a "problem" with her sexual life, her last boyfriend even called her an ice queen and broke up with her after three years for that, so she participates in a study where she explores her anatomy and sexuality and self-worthness.

I didn't really enjoy this if I'm being honest. I mean, it was cute. And I did love the cover art which is one of the most important things when trying to catch someone's eye in a bookstore. The writing wasn't bad either. I just personally feel like it wasn't up to my expectations.

An enjoyable enough read. It wasn't necessarily my cup of tea. And it's really hard for me to classify it as a romance. It's really just about Rebecca's journey with small splashes of dates/etc.

The premise of this sounded interesting, but the execution...I don't know, it was just off. I couldn't get into this one at all.

Okay so this one definitely took me by surprise. I didn’t expect it to go in such detail but it was pretty refreshing.
This was a really strong and positive feminist book which is so much more than just a romance. It’s about finding and loving yourself first. It teaches one a lot.

When Rebecca's boyfriend breaks up with her for being an "ice queen," she decides it's finally time to seek help for her difficulties in the bedroom. When handsome Kyle moves in across the hall, the situation becomes even more urgent. Will he show the patience she needs to develop a satisfying relationship?

This book would be properly categorized as women's fiction. It's not romance, because the love subplot takes up at most a third of the story. The book is really about Rebecca's lack of self-confidence and the problems it creates in her life, whether in her job, with her friends, or in the bedroom.

The intimate scenes are explicit without being steamy, which is fine in women's fiction. They're just not romantic. They're not intended to be. They're more…educational. The world could use more books addressing these issues. As long as the book isn't wrapped up as romance when it's not.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

After having read quite a few negative reviews of this book, I was hesitant to give it a shot, but I did and I'm sorry that I did. This was a DNF for me for several reasons that I really don't want to expound on so suffice it to say that it wasn't my cup of tea and I probably won't be reading this author's books in the future. Thank you NetGalley for providing with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect for fans of Helen Hoang. Rebecca isn’t shy or scared to understand her body and the way it works. I think that’s why I adore the way Kyle treats Rebecca, with so much understanding and supports her in her most vulnerable moments. I love how quick they hit it off. Kyle knows what he wants and he isn’t scared of going after it, even if Rebecca makes him work HARD for it.

I'm going to be blunt: I hated this. I wanted to like this and I appreciate the message this book tries to convey. The narrative of female empowerment and dealing with the often 'taboo' subject of women's pleasure during sex is an important one and an interesting subject matter but it was just done... so badly? The way the study was conveyed was unsettling and pretty gross honestly and it felt really ick.

Characters are always a huge thing for me and I didn't like a single one in this book. Rebecca is awful as a main character, she is boring and whiny, and blind and keeps flip-flopping on her opinions on things. And I know her low-self esteem is a crucial part of her current 'problem' but eventually it gets to a point where it is just ridiculous and beyond a joke. Her friends seemed like awful people and didn't seem to be on her side at all and the chemistry between Rebecca and her love interest was completely non existant.

Again, I like what the book was going for but it just fell completely flat for me and I struggled to get through it, almost DNFing several times.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

There is a level of empowerment within this story on the topic of how everyone struggles with something whether it be with trust, relationships, personal matters, and so on that I really loved seeing it be included throughout the novel. There is a strong dose of bravery weaved throughout the story that is shown by many characters that makes everything a little more emotionally powerful.

Rebecca and Kyle are very realistic and relatable characters. Both of them have varying kinds of past relationship baggage that nearly break them apart, but they fight for each other and work through the downs that every relationship can suffer. They mean the world to each other, and wouldn't ever want to be without one another.

Rebecca had always struggled with relationships and self love, but after Kyle walks into her life there is a brighter scene unfolding before her than anything she ever had. Kyle struggled with trust do to what an ex did to him, but it doesn't take him long to trust Rebecca. The more time they spend together the closer they become, and when Rebecca reveals an embarrassing secret she has held inside herself he doesn't balk or run off from her. If anything he holds her closer, and never stops giving her the love and care he has since the moment they meet. The kind of love and care she has always deserved but never got from a partner.

I couldn't get enough of these two, and the moment I saw a confirmation at the back of the arc for another novel about Rebecca and Kyle I got absolutely ecstatic and excited. Not to mention there is a Kyle prequel short story. My Rebecca and Kyle loving heart is being nurtured.

If you love a wholesome steamy slow burn romance with a motorcycle riding sweetheart, a young woman finding herself in many ways, great friendships, an adorable aunt, and wonderful moments between the love interests then Love, Only Better is a novel you should check out. It does not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley and Media Goddess Inc for this ARC.