TW// biphobia, public outing, brief aphobia

Sizzle Reel sounded like a perfect book to me when I read the synopsis, but I became disappointed by the story rather quickly.

My main issue is the relationship between Luna and Valeria. I personally wasn’t a fan of their relationship because I never saw it as more than Luna having an infatuation with Valeria. However, their relationship has a lot of problems that don’t involve me just not liking the two characters together. Luna comes off way younger than she’s supposed to be, which made the relationship between her and a woman five years older than her feel like it had a huge age gap. Furthermore, Valeria held somewhat of an idol position to Luna and she was Luna’s higher up at work. This made it so that there were some uncomfortable power dynamics at play in their relationship. The book starts to address these power dynamics at a couple points throughout the story, but the power difference is never fully addressed because a character would bring it up then Luna and Valeria would get intimate and all concerns for power dyanmics were ignored until another side character brought it up again later.

Then there’s the whole issue of how terribly Luna treated Romy because of her relationship with Valeria. Romy was without a doubt the best character in the story who deserved better than what this story gave her. She was always thinking of Luna’s best interests and treating Luna well, but Luna never treated Romy with the respect she deserved. This book should’ve spent a lot more time developing the relationship between Luna and Romy so that an inevitable apology would feel more realistic. Also, I’m not sure the whole “I was in love with my BFF the whole time even though I treated them terribly” is a trope that’s for me. This isn’t really that big of a spoiler considering the book makes it very clear from chapter one who the eventual endgame couple is. The one good thing this book did with Romy was her queer representation. She’s a nonbinary lesbian who uses she/her pronouns. This was handled really well in the story and I’m glad that there was a discussion of what her identity means in terms of language in the bedroom.

Speaking of characters, we have to address Wyatt. I don’t personally like his character arc and I don’t think any book should brush over how traumatic it is for someone to be publicly outed by one of their best friends. This book never took that leap into properly addressing how harmful his behavior was. There was no trigger warning at the start of this book and I was extremely triggered by the outing scene then by how quickly Luna forgave Wyatt. Besides the outing, Wyatt also reeks of biphobia and he says some gross things regarding women.

On another note, I found that a lot of the technical stuff about working behind the scenes on a film set went way over my head. I’m interested in film sets, so I think it was just the way things were written. I wasn’t a fan of this author’s writing style, so I think the combination of new film terminology and the writing made it so that the parts addressing the film stuff were challenging for me to get through.

There were some good conversations in this book about the definition of virginity and what it means for queer people. The conversations about it were a bit excessive at times, but I like that Carlyn Greenwald decided to start a discussion on what virginity means for people, especially queer people.

I’m really grateful I got a chance to read this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, but unfortunately Sizzle Reel wasn’t a good fit for me.

Well, was this book not what I expected it to be. I was so excited with the premise of it, I was very invested in the concept of a main character who is doing the hard work of figuring themselves out and just doing their best, especially at the age of 24. Not to say that is old by any means, I just think it is less talked about than teenage coming out experiences (again, not criticizing, both important in different ways!), but the book just failed a bit too short of being good at what it set out to do.

The book follows Luna, who is an aspiring cinematographer and is "only now" at 24 figuring out she's bisexual. She has a lot of support from her out and proud queer friend Romy, but things are more difficult than she expected. She is juggling thoughts about her sparse dating history, not wanting to come out to her parents, her career and so many other things weighing on her mind. Luna is very preoccupied with thoughts of relationships and losing her virginity, so when she meets an attractive actress Valeria Sullivan, she is immediately interested. However, the more Val reciprocates, the more complicated the whole situation becomes, and Luna's life begins to crumble from every side.

So, I am really disappointed in this book. It took me SO long to write this review because every time I would begin, I would just get too upset to continue and I just couldn't formulate proper sentences that conveyed what I was thinking. That being said, I will try to keep this concise to avoid ranting too much, but I am unsure how successful I will be (there is also strong possibility i will come back to edit this review in a bit).

I went into this book so excited, I fully expected to love this book based on the synopsis and how the story was setup, but the execution was so poor that I have no words to express my disappointment. As a bisexual who mostly dated men, I was excited to read about a person who is a "late bloomer" trying queer dating and experiences for the first time. It is established very early on that Luna, the protagonist, has "no sexual experiences to speak off" and that fact is something she is obviously very fixated on and even embarrassed about it. However, it becomes very clear (also very early on) that that is simply not true. Luna has had experiences with men but she simply doesn't count them because of her extremely archaic view of sex.

The biggest plot point of the story and my biggest issue with this book - Luna is so obsessed with her "lack of experience" because she counts only penetrative vaginal sex as sex. Now, I could go on explaining why this isn't the case but it feels ridiculous to me that the book centered on queer relationship focuses solely on one type of sex that erases a lot of nuance and different experiences within sapphic relationships. Luna is weirdly intense about being a virgin and even implies she is a double virgin as she is bisexual. I simply didn't agree with this and couldn't enjoy the vast majority of the book because Luna is SO hyperfocused on this. To give credit where its due, her friends do not enable her in this thinking, her "more experienced" queer friend tries communicating this to Luna several times but it is as she has no comprehension for what is being talked about, but it fully pertains to her. I have never been more frustrated than reading pages and pages of this (she does eventually realises she's wrong but many of the things she's thought still weigh heavy on the storyline).

Other things that bothered me are the scene of outing that happens in the book - Luna's friend just assumes she would be fine being out at her workplace (he assumes this without communicating with her in any way), and in my opinion it is never properly addressed, nor I think the character who did it took enough responsibility for that. There is a scene later on where Luna does something shitty to that person and she is made to feel as she is the only one that did something bad, as if that outing scene never happened (she did do something bad, but so did he, they are both at fault).

The info-dumping introduction of Romy - we receive a whole paragraph of Luna thinking about Romy's gender and sexuality and it sounds so unnatural and weird. No person ever just randomly thinks about their friends identity in a way that sounds like a weird preachy twitter thread. (That introduction aside, I like the inclusion of a nonbinary person using she/her pronouns!)

The only positive aspect of the book was Valeria, and I maintain she deserved so much more than Luna gave her. She was the only interesting, normal human character and she is the only reason this book was not a one-star read for me. She was mature and interesting and I actually enjoyed the scenes she was in.

Now, to be fair, Luna does eventually realises she's been wrong to be this obsessed with her virginity, and she also realises she was in love with Romy the entire time. Both of these things are super obvious to everyone but her for the entire duration of the story, and it was extremely annoying waiting for her to catch up, as a lot of times it felt like she was purposefully being ignorant. It was also very clear Romy was in love with Luna, and that Romy was extremely jealous Luna was going out with Val - to the point she was giving her shitty advice on purpose. The story focused more on this jealousy than showing us their actual relationship, present and past, and making us fully understand WHY they like each other.

I would love to end this on a positive note, however besides Val and the very end of the book, there is very very little I enjoyed in this novel. I feel like the story was misrepresented and mismarketed, and I simply couldn't enjoy it because of it. As always, this is just my opinion, but I think there are good ways to tell such a story, and this novel is not a good example of it, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was really looking forward to this one as the first reviews were glowing. Took my time before I started reading it and I'm left a little disappointed.

Luna is in her twenties but reads much younger. She's self-absorbed and a little theatrical. Her focus on her sexuality and sexual journey seems like an unhealthy obsession. I tried reading between the lines but there were no likeable qualities for me so I had to DNF.

This romcom of a book follows a young woman in her 20’s who figuring out her life and finding love.. this story had me entertained so much I finished it within a weekend. With that said I gave this story 4 stars

This book was just okay. I feel like it had a lot of potential but didn't quite meet it. The main character, though 24, honestly read more like a teenager than an adult. It was very repetitive at times and I have to agree with another reviewer about the last half of the book wrapping up like a 90s teen romance movie. It was fast and cookie cutter and could be seen coming a mile away. Also, the word 'sapphic' is way overused to the point that it became annoying. Overall, it wasn't terrible but I wouldn't read it again.

I know that I am not the intended audience for this book - it read very juvenile and poorly written to me. I know that is because it is a young adult novel, but it was hard for me to read so it was a DNF pretty early on.

"Sizzle Reel" is definitely a fun ride with a lot of laughs along the way. Carlyn Greenwald has a knack for creating characters who are a complete mess in the most relatable way. It's refreshing to see characters who don't have it all figured out, making their journey feel genuine and authentic. However, the book hits a few bumps when it dives into gender and sexuality. While the effort to be inclusive is clear and appreciated, some parts feel a bit off, especially with a major nonbinary character in the mix. At times, it seems the story might be skewing too much towards a cisgender perspective, which made me pause and question a few things.

That said, there are plenty of moments where the story flows beautifully without these hiccups. Greenwald's style is honest and hilarious, and when the story isn't tangled in the details of identity politics, it really takes off. I liked "Sizzle Reel" for its humor and heart. It's a book many will enjoy for its fun vibe and real-talk about life's messiness.

DNF at 25%

I’m sorry to say, but this book was a total disaster.
I tried my best to give it a fair chance, but the more I read the more disappointed I was.
It’s a book about adult people, but it felt absolutely juvenile.
The way main character acted reminded me a teenage girl who has a celebrity crush.
The repetitiveness of the plot was annoying to say the least. I don’t know how many times it was said, that our protagonist us a virgin, even though she wasn’t. And that is the other issue- the inconsistency of the story.
The idea of the book is great, but it was underdeveloped.

Ugh. This book had a good idea, and potential, and flubbed it. It could have been great - instead it was "hmm. I'm bi. BEWBS." Like...no? I don't know. It could have been great, it wasn't, the end.

What I appreciated:
- everyone’s relationship with their sexuality is different
- the main character’s insecurities regarding her sexuality
- There are some good discussions regarding boundaries, consent, and preferences
- the MCs friends are really supportive

What I didn’t like:
- the main character figured out she’s bi and within a few days is acting like a sex crazed teenager that just saw boobs for the first time.
- the main character’s quest to lose her virginity to feel valid in her sexuality
- miscommunication and the MC is really self involved.

This queer romance novel navigates familiar territory with a heartfelt portrayal of love within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. While the characters are authentic and the emotional journey resonates, the plot may lean on conventional tropes. The author skillfully explores the challenges of queer relationships, offering insights that add depth to the narrative. The prose is engaging, fostering a connection with the characters, yet it occasionally lacks the spark to elevate the story. Despite its reliance on established romance norms, the novel earns three stars for its sincere representation of queer love, making it a satisfactory addition to the genre.

I'm probably not the intended audience for this novel but if I was in my teens or early 20s I would eat it up.

I know that I am not the intended audience for this book - it read very juvenile and poorly written to me. I know that is because it is a young adult novel, but it was hard for me to read so it was a DNF pretty early on.

I was excited to get the chance to read this book as someone who went to film school and who had not gotten the chance to come out at a younger age. I think I had a lot of personal investment in this, that just did not match up to my hope.

Sizzle Reel is about a 24 year old Luna who is trying to make a name for herself and maneuver her way through understanding what bisexuality is. There are many diverse characters, but unfortunately, they just did not seem to hit. There was nothing I found authentic or true. Though I know this is a fiction book, all the characters seemed made up. There was nothing solid/grounding to them. What I did like about the book and found to be really great writing, was how the author was able to incorporate film making, cinematography and more into the writing! It really made me nerd out!

I had really high hopes for this book, but in the end I was not impressed. I felt like there was so much of a focus on having gay sex that it took over the story, the characters, and ultimately ruined any chance of true character development. I think that bi representation is very important, but it is not always done well and this is an unfortunate representation of what happens when bi representation is done incorrectly.

I really wanted to like this, and there are aspects I did, but Luna felt kind of predatory when it came to her crush on Valeria. It felt unrealistic and I could tell who was going to endgame from the get go. Valeria is amazing and I want her to have her own book, but wasn't loving Luna's story.

For aspiring cinematographer Luna Roth, coming out as bisexual at twenty-four is proving more difficult than she anticipated. When she meets twenty-eight-year-old A-list actress Valeria Sullivan around the office, Luna thinks she's found her solution. But when Valeria begins to reciprocate romantic interest in Luna, the act begins to crumble--straining her relationship with her best friend Romy and leaving her job prospects precarious. Now Luna has to figure out if she can she fulfill her dreams as a filmmaker, keep her best friend, and get the girl. . . or if she's destined to end up on the cutting room floor.

I love that this coming-of-age love story is set in the entertainment, a world that is so familiar to me. I appreciated the rep in this story and the journey that the main character goes through to find her HEA.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was drawn to Sizzle Reel for its gorgeous cover and while it didn't completely blow me away, I was really impressed by how relatable Luna's coming out journey was. Yes, she was a bit chaotic, but that is a huge milestone in any Queer persons life and I feel like Carlyn Greenwald did a phenomenal job with that aspect. I love a coming of age story and this one gave me exactly what I needed.

This may be a wrong-timing thing, but I am not feeling this lead character. She's anxiety personified and it's making me nervous just reading her! I'm stopping for my sanity, but if a nervous mess of a person doesn't stress you out to read, this is probably a great book in every other way!

**Thank you NetGallley and Vintage for the eARC**

This was a DNF for me and I am so sad. First of all the cover is beautiful. That was what initially had me wanting to pick this one up. Also, the synopsis of Luna coming out as bisexual at 24. I couldn’t wait to read it. I just can’t get over the fixation of the virginity of the main character. Even though she wasn’t a virgin really. Also who cares?! Why is this such a big deal. I overlooked that bit. However, the character goes on a journey to try and have “gay sex.” And also so much biphobia and just overall not good. Nope.