Something didn’t sit quite right for me with this book. But I can’t work out what it is. I think it came off almost patronizing in a few areas. I didn’t like Marlene, although she did make me reflect on my own insecurities and vow not to be as annoying! I thought Abby was well written.

I really liked the blurb and figured I'd enjoy the book but sadly that was not really the case. There was too much focus on all the negative and I know this is to show how the MC's look at life and at themselves but it was too much. Marlene's insecurity is just annoying and the focus on Abby's body figure was a bit over the top for me.

Then the sudden added drama to get them to split. I was not feeling a lot of scenes. Throw in all the stereotypes and a homophobic man and I couldn't wait to finish the book but also had trouble continuing the book.

2,5 stars for me.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

I am sorry to say this was not the book for me. I didn't enjoy the writing style, which is subjective, and the characters felt off age wise when it came to certain choices and reactions. Anyway, there are also a lot of good reviews out there so I would recommend to find out for yourself if this is your cup of tea or not.

This read focused on coming to terms with your real self later in life. Some other issues and topics covered: body image, sexual identity, appearance, homophobic, self-confidence. The cover does not reflect the complexities of the story. It was a pleasant surprise.

Marlene Diggs, bank manager, not feeling good with who she is and not really looking for a relationship (but kind of). The most interesting to me was how she came to find her true and real self. Very well done. Steps forward, steps backward. Marlene's best friend Ellie was a positive addition to the read. Very supportive. I appreciated her spunk. Abby McCallister, bartender, feels good in her own skin, looking for someone that "gets her". I liked the give and take between Abby and Marlene. Both characters were likeable and it was easy to want the best for them as individuals. A satisfying read.

2 stars, Marlene just figured out that she was a lesbian. When she finds out the bartender, Abby at her favorite bar needs a place to stay, Marlene offers it in exchange for lesbian lessons. Marlene wants to know all the cultural references and things that are involved with being a lesbian. Marlene also thinks it might help her crush on the bartender, and she just wants to understand how she can keep a girlfriend.

I thought I might enjoy this book, but the drama and everything felt a little off to me. It felt like the two women in this book should be like 25 not like 40. They both acted immature and it annoyed me the whole book. Marlene acted especially young and Abby had some drama that I felt like someone at her age would not have, I do not recommend this novel. It was an okay read but I did not enjoy the concept or the drama, most of it just made me cringe at how stereotypical it was.

I really like Shepard's books as they typically stem into deeper themes than what you sometimes expect. For example, When It Feels Right delves into a sweet butch/femme romance but also about finding your identity later in life.

Marlene is a late bloomer at 38, who has recently come to terms with her sexuality as well as the way she wants to express herself. Her newfound confidence is shaken after her first ex-girlfriend leaves with a few nasty parting comments. Meanwhile, Abby has confidence in spades and with a little persuasion agrees to tutor Marlene in all things about lesbian culture.

It's a cute premise with two intriguing characters. This book features a slow burn, but it pays off as it cements the development of their romantic relationship. I will admit that the conflict near the end of the book felt a tad overplayed, but regardless I still enjoyed this romance.

An added bonus was getting reacquainted with Kieran and Pen from Swipe Right. I remember reading Swipe Right and wishing for a bit more of an insight into Pen. Weirdly, I got my wish via this novel as Pen features an important role in When It Feels Right.

Another great book by Shepard.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Coming out is hard. Coming out later in life, I would think would be even harder. But hearing someone tell you you "walk gay" would have to make you question a lot of things about yourself. This is how this funny, quirky, heartwarming story begins. Marlene doesn't get the U-Haul, the toaster oven or the gold star lesbian jokes, but she really wants to. Does that make her a bad lesbian? Join Marlene, Abby and their zany friends in this clever and colorful book by Tagan Shepherd. It truly is life changing...in many ways.

All about self discovery. When it feels right, is a slow burn, romance and it's worth a read. It's does have some likable characters and the story is straightforward and enjoyable,.

I've given When it feels right a 3.6 out of 5

Self discovery comes late into Marlene’s life. She can blame it on always looking ahead to the future to set up strategic contingency plans instead of living in the here and now. Finding out she is a lesbian is the biggest shock of her life. Marlene’s first girlfriend leaves her after five months and destroys any self confidence she found in being a lesbian.

Abby lives her life out loud in bold colours and honest intentions. Working as a bartender provides a living for Abby but painting brings the joy to her life. After another brutal ending to a relationship, Abby finds herself homeless and living crammed into her art studio. Abby meets Marlene at the gay bar where she works and ends up becoming her roommate. They both try to live with their secret crush on each other.

Shepard uses this roommates to lovers romance as a platform to dissect butch/femme relationships as well as coming out in your workplace and self love. No, no you naughty reader, not THAT kind of self love but loving your authentic self. She digs deep into these issues while maintaining a slow burn romance.

Abby is an easy character to like and I admire that Shepard makes us work to understand and appreciate Marlene’s character and her growth. Marlene’s best friend Ellie remains a mystery to me. There was a hint of a deep attraction from Ellie towards Marlene yet nothing was played out. I would call Ellie a convenience character, showing up at just the right time to promote the plot when she could have been much more to the story.

When It Feels Right is a compelling and complex romance which is much more than I expected or the front cover portrayed. It is well worth a read.

I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sometimes chapters felt like they ended too soon. Would hint at a plot situation but not give detail or would have character think about the previous, night so was tell more than show.

Marlene is a branch manager at a bank who has dated men, but never felt comfortable in her own skin. One night she's at a local DC bar and another butch, Pen, takes Marlene home and Marlene's life is forever changed. She finally realizes what she has been missing. Marlene begins to dress differently and eventually gets a girlfriend, Dawn. However, Marlene's confidence level is shaken when Dawn breaks up with her out of the blue after only a few months. She calls her a baby gay when she leaves. Marlene believes that she's not a good enough lesbian.

Abby is a bartender at that same local DC bar called Riveter's. She and her girlfriend recently broke up and she's living in her art studio in an old motel. Abby and Marlene get to know one another a bit at the bar. Eventually Marlene rents Abby space in her townhome and in return she wants some lesbian lessons from Abby. Over the course of these lessons and living together Marlene and Abby begin to fall for each other.

This book expresses the difficulty of coming out at an older age (just shy of forty). There are also some side stories with Marlene's struggles at work with her new homophobic boss. The romance was a slow burn and I liked how Abby was patient and took her time with Marlene to let her grow into her newer reality. 4 stars

P.S. The mention of a favorite singer, Chris Pureka, and the line about her voice was just "wow"!

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

Wonderful!

Marlene has one night that changes her life forever, helping her embrace her true self. When her relationship breaks up and Marlene blames herself, Abby, a bartender at her favourite bar starts coaching her in a bit of an exchange for somewhere to stay after her relationship ends abruptly. Abby finds herself contemplating her attraction to Marlene, but can Marlene keep her new found love this time.

So much was packed into this story and each and every bit of it carried such importance. Tagan covered toxic relationships, low self esteem, body confidence issues, and homophobic working environments while focusing on how much impact this had on Marlene and Abby. While they both didn't experience exactly the same things, they did face similar challenges and situations they could bond over. It was really sweet how despite her own insecurities, Abby reassured Marlene through her own.

While Abby had moments in the story, the main focus was Marlene's journey of self discovery to acceptance. She was presented with some horrendous circumstances, each one easy to empathise with the way she dealt with it, even if her friends and Abby didn't necessarily agree. Marlene was such an admirable character and to experience all this with her was very personal and intimate. Marlene and Abby really were perfect for one another and the way they supported one another really cemented the importance of embracing your true self and not worrying about what others think of you if you truly want to find happiness.

Such a feel good, positive, and uplifting story about coming out, being proud, and loving the life you have. Enjoyed every second of it and hope there will be future stories about Marlene and Abby.

Abby McAllister never followed anyone when it came to clothing or hair. She wore what she wanted because of her desire to just be comfortable in her own skin. She’s an artist who supplements her earnings. When we meet Abby she is being told it’s time for new digs, seeing as she didn’t fit in with the people her girlfriend worked with. Now she’s staying in the little studio.
Marlene Diggs is the manager of a small bank and has broken up with another girlfriend. Apparently she wasn’t ‘butch enough’ for her and she comes home to find her bags packed and someone to help her leave. When Marlene tells her best friend what the ex said about her not being ‘butch enough’ and is surprised when she’s told it’s in her walk. How did she not know she was a lesbian?
When a new head manager’s brought in Marlene’s job isn’t as secure as she thought. Abby needs a place to live and Marlene has a room to rent. All Marlene really wants is for Abby to ‘teach’ her how to be an lesbian. I admit I didn’t read pages and pages of background information, I’ve already read it twice. Once I read the back story I don”t have to read the same thing over and over again. A very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

Marlene knows who she is but she starts to realize maybe she doesn’t when she have a one night stand with woman and question why she hasn’t realized she was lesbian. She tries having a relationship that doesn’t ends well has giving her low confidence in herself. Abby has been told she is too much after a failed relationship she been in. Abby works at the bar that Marlene frequently goes to when Marlene offers her spare room in exchange for lessons on how to be lesbian Abby takes up the offer. As Marlene gets comfortable in her own skin although does causes some problems at work which is ridiculous. Abby and Marlene knows it’s such a cliche to fall for your roommate but they do. I enjoy the read I like that Marlene finds her confidence and I like that Pen and Kieran made a appearances I love when authors slide in previous characters into the story without taking away from the MCs.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Good late bloomer coming out story. Marlene is a late bloomer butch lesbian who's not too comfortable in her own skin yet, while Abby is a lesbian femme who's very comfortable in her own skin. When these two meet there's an attraction there, but nothing comes of it until Marlene asks Abby to teach her how to be a real butch lesbian and this were their relationship begins. I liked that these two took it kind of slow and became friends before they were lovers. Their relationship had a bit of angst and quite a bit of drama,, that only helped to make this an even more interesting story. The supporting characters were well written and helped to move this story along and took it to another level. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

Marlene Diggs is a late bloomer to her real self. At the age of 38, and after a one night stand, she realizes she isn’t as straight as she thought. After her first try at a relationship doesn’t end well her confidence is lacking. Abby McCallister is curvy, confident, flirty and beautiful. After her latest failed relationship she needs a new place to live. Abby is the bartender at the club Marlene frequents. Marlene offers to let Abby move into her condo in exchange for teaching about being gay. (The jokes, movies, books etc.)

As Marlene explores the butch she is meant to be she finds that it causes issues at work with her new manager. And of course both Abby and Marlene know they shouldn’t fall for each other. This is a nice exploration with focus on femme/butch dynamics. Marlene needs to find self confidence which is difficult coming out at an older age. I found the story hard to get into in the beginning and was hoping for more humor. This book is a stand alone but ties into the same world at the author’s Swipe Right (June 2021). Both MCs (Pen and Kieran) from that book have appearances in this story.

This works into a sweet, slow burn romance and the ending saves it for me. I especially enjoyed the scene between Marlene and Pen. I did wonder about Marlene’s future though. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review

I’ve read most of Tagan Shepherd’s books and have enjoyed them. However although I quite liked this story I was not as taken with it as with the others of hers that I’ve read. Insecure Marlene and outgoing Abby. A small bit of angst, to be expected due to Marlene’s lack of faith in herself. Her work situation does not help with her self image. This is the story of Abby and Marlene getting to know each other and themselves.

Marlene’s life is turned upside down when’s she’s told she walks gay. When her first relationship with a woman ends she finds herself back where it all began. On the other side of the bar is the same Abby, flirty, confident Abby who finds herself sleeping in her small studio after yet another relationship ends. And Marlene has a spare room. What could go wrong? or right? A sweet romance, where the 2 leads need to start believing in themselves and their worth.
Free ARC in exchange for an honest review.