I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. Thank you to Lily Lindon and Head Of Zeus for giving me the opportunity to read Double Booked before it’s release.

What attracted me to Double booked was the premise; after going to a gay bar with her friend Sophie, Georgina begins to live a double life, by day she is Gina; a piano teacher at a private school who is in a committed relationship with her boyfriend of seven years. By night however she becomes George, the pianist in the Lesbian band Phase.

Unfortunately for me some things didn’t quite sit right. I cannot claim to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community but I am a firm ally, so while reading this book I found myself uncomfortable with the Bi erasure that many of the characters exhibited. As I am not bisexual myself I completely understand that this may all be a valid narrative that many people experience, however it made me dislike the characters on some level due to it.

While no character is perfect, I struggled to connect with a lot of them and I found the relationships to be toxic at times; Sophie mocks Georgina at one point for how she is handling her newfound bisexuality, basically inferring that she is only a part time member of the community. The fact that these two made up so easily really took me by surprise after such a hurtful exchange.

The perception of open relationships within the book was also somewhat troubling. While they can work for some people, all the notable examples are filled with lies and deception, leading to an inevitable blow up. Both Georgina and Doug are at fault for the collapse of their relationship; both sneak around withholding information and their intent, yet Georgina seems to only see the fault from Doug.

I did enjoy this book to a degree, however I found myself unable to fully commit to liking any character or relationship, though perhaps I’m simply not the intended audience. I would definitely recommend that people make their own mind up for this book, as it may resonate far more with people within the community.

It was hard to enjoy and finish this book. It's filled with stereotypical characterisation which the MC also talks about but then goes ahead and behaves like a complete a$$. She was so selfish and self-centered. It was really hard to see how she treated her best friend, boyfriend and bandmates. She lied to every single one of them justifying it with her inner battle to be both Gina and George. Newsflash, they both suck.

I really hate giving such a negative feedback on an ARC but I really tried liking the MC and understanding her decisions but she kept doing or saying something worse than before that I just could not forgive her for her behaviour.

I feel like the writer tried to do something with all the stereotypes and tried to denounce them but for me it was excecuted poorly and just made de MC look really really bad.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book of Gina & George. Gina is living a normal staid life. She teaches. She’s in a relationship about to marry. Everything is ordered right down to her scheduled dates & “Sunday Fundays”! Life is following “the map” …..

Until that night that a swerve takes her to an indie concert & then nothing is the same 🐕🐈🌈

Gina has an awakening. She starts to explore her bisexuality but doesn’t want to leave her straight life behind. She is now Gina by day & George by night.

Sometimes when writing a review it’s difficult to put yourself in the position of the protagonist. I’ve not had the experience of navigating between communities much less coming out. So it’s been a pleasure to read this during #pridemonth 🏳️‍🌈

I feel - albeit with limited knowledge - this book deals with the aspects of self acceptance, bi-erasure and coming out even to the generally sympathetic in an adept way.

I really liked the descriptions of the queer scene & community in London & hope these to be true. Who wants to come to The Familiar with me? I loved the supporting cast of Rudy, Cara & Georgina’s mum. And where the story got to was a feel good place.

I struggled more to love Georgina herself. Her own struggles & decisions almost placed a glass between the empathy I wanted to feel & what I did feel.

I also felt as a “feel good” romance promised by the blurb this fell a little short of the mark. There is comedy. There is romance. But this is much more a self discovery novel.

I have read many reviews of this book from the LGBQT+ community. Whilst not wholly positive, the majority I’ve read see mirrors of their own experience & see this as an important book. And that’s good enough for me.

So read the book. Enjoy it. And hopefully be a little enlightened by it.

A very funny story with some very moving moments. Gina/George is a well developed and interesting character. They are complex and fascinating, it's funny but also moving at times.
The author delivers a funny and compelling story that I recommend.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am honestly quite divided on how I feel about this one!

There are things I absolutely loved:

It is funny and often very relatable.
It addresses and openly discusses prejudice and biphobia.
It was refreshing to see that the protagonists was a woman in her mid-20s questioning and exploring her identity rather than a teenager (who tend to be the focus on these kind of stories)

Unfortunately, there were a couple of things that stopped me from fully enjoying this. At points, I think it accidentally reinforces the very stereotypes about bisexuality it tries to challenge.

And while Gina/George was certainly relatable at times, she ended up making so many decisions seemingly not caring who she hurt. I genuinely felt so bad for all the other characters, particularly Soph and Doug, that I found it quite difficult to still root for her in the end.

Overall, an enjoyable read, I just wished some things would have been handled a little different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Double Booked was a decent poolside read, lighthearted, with lots of tender moments. And I loved all the daschund love! The only downside for me would be some aspects of the exploration of bisexuality. Gina/George faces several negative stereotypes throughout the book, but I feel like with the tone of the narrative there should have been more positive and redemptive moments for her. Gina keeps feeling punished and negative towards coming out, and I found myself wanting a more upbeat outcome for her. That being said, I read this in one day during my holidays, and it’s a perfect read for that setting if you’re looking for a romantic/emotional read.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this in advance. Had me literally laughing out loud in parts. Was a good read. Perfect to take on your holidays

A really nice book with themes of just being yourself. I cant think of a book ive read with a bisexual protagonist so I am definitely here for that.

The pace was good and the book kept me engaged. A locely summer feelgood read.

A witty and pacy novel with a great cast of characters!

A young woman is comfortably settled in a long term relationship with her boyfriend when her world is upended with the discovery that she's bisexual.

A journey of self-discovery that had me laughing and also wiping away the odd tear. I enjoyed going on this journey with Gina/George, and even though I wanted to shake her at times, watching her work through her grief and rediscover her joy of music was satisfying.

More com than rom, but an enjoyable read none the less.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this early copy.

I loved Georgina – there were so many times reading the book though that I just wanted to shake her and be like What are you doing?!?! I think (well it was obvious) that she was really struggling with her self identity. As the story progresses you learn about the things that have happened in her life that effected her and you really feel for her. She lost herself so completely and was stuck in such a routine that she couldn’t see how to make herself happy.

I have such mixed feelings about Doug. One the one hand, I know he really helped her overcome her grief, but on the other hand I don’t think he understood her at all. I don’t know, such mixed vibes from him I still can’t decide if I liked him or not.

Even though a lot of the story revolved around Georgina and her love life, it also featured a lot of friendship which I loved. Her friendship with Soph was so cute and, even though they fell out, it proves that they’re soul mates because they eventually came back together. I much prefer platonic soul mates!

Phase were really important to Georgina and her story, and I think they were something that she needed because they helped her accept part of herself. But Kit is such a fuck girl and I hated how she messed with, not only Georgina, but Soph too. I felt like she thought she was entitled to act this way because of her secret feelings. But that just doesn’t fly with me.

I think the unsung hero of this story was Alexa. Even though they had such a weird relationship, I think their chats were therapeutic for both of them and hopefully helped Alexa as much as they helped Georgina. And the kids at their school were so cute and when Georgina finally connected with her job and actually tried it was really reflected in the kids behaviour.

The last 3 or 4 chapters of the book had me crying. It really tied a lot of things together – you learn properly what happened in Georgina’s life that made her initially give up music. And the conversation she has with her Mum had my heart squeezing because I think it makes Georgina realise that if she was just honest with her Mum, and in extension herself, she would’ve been a lot happier sooner I think.

And I just loved the epilogue! Seeing how happy Georgina was, and how all the important people in her life came together to love and support her just made me so happy and a few happy tears escape.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and is such a good sapphic story so make sure you add it to your TBR!

This was going to be a 4-star read for me. The first half was hilarious and I laughed out loud multiple times.
However, over time I found the main character George/Gina/G/Georgina extremely selfish and self-centered, and I started disliking her quite a lot, which made the ending feel undeserved.

Having said that, I really enjoyed multiple parts of the book. Like I said, it's overall quite funny (very Bridget Jones-y cringey at times). I loved reading about the relationship between Georgina and her dad, and how she was grieving his death. I also liked the relationship she has with her students - I could connect to her feelings of frustration/apathy and later self-fulfilment.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I requested this as a bit of a light beach read romcom but found it to be so much more! Georgina discovers in her late 20’s that she’s queer but has never explored that side of herself. She’s in a long term relationship with a man and after joining a lesbian rock band explores the idea of opening up their relationship. I found this a really interesting read with characters you actually care about.

I loved the exploration of Gina’s bisexuality and the vibes from The Familiar sounded so cosy I’d love to visit a bar like that. I enjoyed the duel life that Gina tried to live but I’d have preferred a little more romance

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Double Booked didn’t work for me as it seemed to want to have it both ways. The writing had a lot of winking at the audience stereotypes but then the characterisation seemed to unironically play into those stereotypes. There are good points made about bi-erasure and issues within the LGBTQ+ community but occasionally dialogue felt more like interesting points spliced from an article. From the plot description I was hoping for something kind of subversive but, in my personal opinion, it wasn’t. Pretty much every character was annoying or obnoxious in their own way. I don’t need characters to be likeable, but they should at the very least be interesting. This bisexual didn’t enjoy this book, but many others might.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc ebook.
A fairly fast, fun read. Some things were a little stereotyped and I guessed some of how the book may end quite early on, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of it overall.

A fun and pacey queer coming of age tale which focuses on Georgina's exploration of her bisexuality when she meets a hot girl and also panics about her boyfriend proposing. I'd have loved a bit less music and a bit more romance, but I loved the community and vibes of The Familiar, their club.

This was an enjoyable read, the dilemma of Gina/George made it a bit hard to take at times, but that just made her more enjoyable as a character. I couldn't wait to see how it panned out for her. There were parts that made me cringe, but, we've all made mistakes and they are there to learn and grow from, which I believe she did. The ending was incredibly emotional and I adored her mum. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Until those around us help us to see, a great read.

Fun, funny and easy to read. I am sure everyone will enjoy this book. It is emotional but very well dealt with. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Double Booked by Lily Lindon Review

The vibe: A quirky coming of age story about Georgina who is very adamant that she is straight until she has a queer awakening and decides to split her life into “gay George” and “straight Gina.” This obviously doesn’t go to plan and it is all about how the eventual self acceptance and growth.

Disclaimer:
As a bisexual person, I really struggled to enjoy this book. Reading her internalised homo/biphobic monologue hit a lot closer to home than I was anticipating and that has definitely negatively influenced my view of the book.

Pros:
- Discusses bi-erasure and bi-phobia a lot which is reinforcing to see.
- Features a lovely queer scene in London all about community and queerness
- Sweet supporting characters in Rudy, Cara and Georgina’s Mum
- Lovely resolution and epilogue
- Emotional subplot surrounding grieving and acceptance

Cons:
- I do not think the author intended it to be harmful in anyway, but it really reinforced a lot of negative stereotypes.
- Georgina was not a likeable character, she blamed everyone else for her issues and repeatedly pushed people away and treated them poorly in a way that I simply couldn’t rationalise (e.g. Doug)
- Georgina penalised others, especially Doug, for things she too was doing and was very harsh. (e.g. Poppy and Doug situation being similar to her and Kit)
- I found that her self growth and acceptance moment was a bit too little, too late (very surface level concept, occurring at 93% completion)
- I think what felt like it was aiming to be a comedy of errors and small mistakes was actually a shipwreck of intentional deception and self-loathing

My standout quote:
“I’ve been so worried about proving to others that I belong in Straight World and in Gay World that I've been boxing myself. I viewed other people's identities as criticisms of my own. But, duh, there's no one way to be queer, just as there's no one way to be straight. Doubtless I've met people who swing in all sorts of different directions, but I couldn't see their variety outside my own insecurity. And I belong in the Alphabet Club, just as much as all of them do. I'm not only half-gay' or 'half-straight'. I'm fully bi, all the time. And finally, I think that's an OK thing to be.”

Double Booked’s diverse range of characters makes for an inclusive romance everyone can enjoy. Sophie, a leading character touches on a lot of important topics within the LGTBQIA community and offers advice to her closeted best friend, Georgina. Sophie’s advice is relevant and could easily be applied to a queer persons life. The story was easy to relate to and was beautifully written.