You can tell that this one is written by a couple who love each other and have a lot of complicity. Second Night Stand is dripping with love, care, and flirtation. Unfortunately big case of it wasn't for me as it did not hit what I personally like in a romance. I am not a fan of romances who go too fast and that's the case with this one. The competition part too did not suck me in.

I appreciated the sexy, fun and sizzling chemistry between the characters who (likely because of dual authors) felt very developed and complete with their own lives, issues and insecurities. I like when romance characters all have "something going on" in their lives besides the romance and that was a great part of this one.

I really wanted to like this one, it checked all the bases to start off (ie sapphic and written by a married couple), but I just was not vibing with this one at all. I just felt like there was too much dialogue and that dialogue felt really choppy to me, I don't know...

Similar to the previous lesbian romance I've read by the same author, this one was notably sapphic and, as such, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Burlesque dancer Izzy and ballet dancer Lillian have a meet-cute and then figure out that they are competing against each other for a "So You Think You Can Dance"/"America's Got Talent" style dance reality show competition. They both NEED to win to save their respective dance troupes so the stakes are high but love and lesbian angst are in the air.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a very fun read, though I will admit I was a bit thrown by the opening Acknowledgments section thanking "lesbian police chiefs" and other cops among first responders and other community supporters. I didn't expect a queer, partly-BIPOC centered romance to bring that energy, though at least the novel itself didn't touch on that too much.

The opening chapter was really rough and a struggle to get through but the rest of the story really kicks in with chapter two. Both perspectives were wonderfully individual and fleshed out and I loved the connection between Lillian and Izzy. Adorable and so fun!

I was really expecting to love this book being a ballerina and a burlesque dancer but I couldn't connect well to it unfortunately. The writing was good, the plot was decent, but I could not imagine the performances and I think that really messed with me. I think this is fairly a me thing though. 3.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

SecondNightStandKarelia Stetz-Waters' Satisfaction Guaranteed was one of my favourite books in 2021, so when I saw she had a new romance coming out this year, this time co-written with her life partner Fay Stetz-Waters, I immediately wanted to read it.

Second Night Stand is a sexy-sweet romance between two dancers competing on a reality show with a $1M cash prize. Lillian Jackson is a super talented ballet dancer and head of an all-Black ballet company. The company is losing their sponsorship, so she needs to win in order to keep the company going. Izzy "Blue Lenox" Wells is a curvy burlesque dancer who leads a group of gender-diverse and body-diverse performers. She's purchased a fixer-upper theatre to use as a community gathering and performance space, and needs the cash prize to make necessary repairs.
The romance between Lillian and Izzy is sweet, and just as with Satisfaction Guaranteed, consent and mutual respect play prominent roles in their relationship. I like that they both shared a strong sense of responsibility for the welfare of their respective chosen families, and how they both had to deal with complex relationships with their families of origin. And I especially like how their relationship with each other helped them learn valuable things about other aspects of their lives, and grow both as individuals and as a couple.
Where the book fell flat for me was in the set-up itself: the dance competition. I get a strong sense of why Lillian's group is a contender at the competition, but I was never quite convinced about how Izzy's group stayed on for so long. The depiction of their first performance was just messy. The whole point of their group is to provide a space to belong for all peoples, regardless of identities and performance interests, and while that's a wonderful goal from a community-building aspect, it doesn't make for a cohesive performance.

The book tries to explain this away by saying that the producers put them on as an amateur sacrificial lamb, so to speak, destined to be knocked off in the first round. Even Lillian, watching the group members perform one after the other, is certain that they're about to be eliminated. The book, and Lillian, then try to make us believe that Izzy's performance is so charismatic and captivating that she single-handedly convinces the audience to vote them in to stay. Unfortunately, as likeable as Izzy the person is, whatever magic she worked on-stage to get her group past Round One does not translate well on page. I was unconvinced, and the longer they stayed on, the more convenient it felt, as there was often one competitor or another who messed up so badly they had to be sent home. With a $1M prize at stake? Puh-lease.

I also tend to not be a huge fan of overly detailed descriptions, especially of background characters, so this is a rare instance when I actually wanted to see more of the dance competition. The front runner for the prize is a hip hop group that pretty much all the competitors agree is amazing and tough to beat, but we never actually get to see them dance. I don't even remember meeting the dancers in this group at all, even though we meet a random assortment of other dancers. For a book centred on a dance competition, there isn't much of it.

Speaking of competition, there's also a chapter where the producers try to provoke Lillian, Izzy, and their dancers to trash talk each other, and both groups flat-out refuse to do so. Lillian and Izzy's attempt quickly turns flirty, so the producer swaps them out with other performers on their respective teams, but then those performers seem incapable of doing anything but compliment each other. And I get it. Manufactured competition is silly, the producer was pushy, and kudos to the characters who refused to call their competitors the B-word, because it's such a gendered insult.

But honestly, as over-the-top and sometimes mean as those scenes can sometimes play out, not engaging in it at all just feels very killjoy-ish. And however much the performers may respect their competitors' talents, there is very little sense at all that any of them consider this competition important. Part of that is on Lillian and Izzy for not being open with their respective groups about their real motivations to win the competition. (It's not just for funsies! It's to save the ballet company / community theatre!) But even when the truth comes out, the competition takes second place to the characters' morals and values. Which, okay, good for them. But if the characters themselves don't care about winning the competition, how am I, as a reader, supposed to care about either of them winning? Despite the real futures at stake, the story takes a very gentle approach to the competition driving the story forward, and that in turn blunts much of what gives the story edge.

Overall, this is a sweet and feel-good romance, with lots of body positivity and love within found families. It's a bit of a let-down for me after the brilliance that was Satisfaction Guaranteed, but it's a good story nonetheless, and a fun way to spend a weekend.

+

Thank you to Forever for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A burlesque dancer and a professional ballerina walk into a bar, and fall in love whilst on a reality tv dancing competition.
Izzy Wells—aka burlesque superstar Blue Lenox, doesn't do relationships, not because she doesn't want to although there is that is that she doesn't have the time. She has a theatre to save, and making it into a safe space for queer people to come is no easy feat. Competing on the reality tv show the Great American Talent show with its prize money is the only way to save it. Unfortunately that also means forgetting about the night she spent with the beautiful black ballerina. Lillian Jackson has sacrificed everything for ballet, including a personal life. Now she has a new goal to attain, winning the Great American Talent show. She needs to win to save the all-black ballet company she heads from shutting down. Little do both of them know that the woman they agreed to only share one night with are competing for the same prize money. They both agree that the chemistry between them is undeniable so they come up with a plan to enjoy one more second night stand. That lasts all of three challenges, because little do they know that as distracting as they thought not sleeping together would be it holds nothing compared to the distraction of their feelings for each other. Izzy knows better than to fall for another dancer and Lillian doesn't have the time or the energy to fall for someone at all. What ends up as a happy ending has a lot of tension and struggle throughout the book. Stetz--Waters' does an amazing job of bringing tension of all kinds, laughs, and moments that just pull at your heart strings.

Second Night Stand is a sapphic romance that begins with a one night stand, but then the characters are thrown together in a reality dance competition.

Izzy definitely shines and exudes body positivity and is overall just a powerful woman. Both female characters have you rooting for them not only in the dance competition, but also in their relationship.

Be prepared for a little steam between the characters that will leave you blushing! Was a really cute read and I’m so glad I picked this up!

Lillian Jackson and her Ballet Company MUST win the Great American Tallent Show, or they'll be out of business.

Blue Lennox never expected her one night stand to appear on the Talent Show she entered. But she NEEDS the prize money to save her theater.

I really like the banter between Blue and Lillian. They're very fun and witty. The contest was interesting, though the other competitors could have been filled in more.

There was Also a third act break up, which is beginning to irk me a bit.

But yes, overall it was a well written book.

I was invested from the cover and really glad I got to read this, it had everything that I wanted from the romance genre. It had the romantic comedy elements that I was looking for and so glad it was written well. The characters felt like they were real people and I enjoyed how fun these characters were. Karelia Stetz-Waters and Fay Stetz-Waters wrote this perfectly and I enjoyed everything going on through this book.

This book was absolutely adorable! Karelia and Fay Stetz-Waters created a world that was so dynamic and I loved the contrasting childhoods of the main characters. It's a powerful look into how our childhoods can shape who we are. Plus, it was smutty and fun with good sex scenes that felt genuine and sapphic.

I overall enjoyed this book! The main characters were likable, and I enjoyed their connection. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted though, and there were some side characters who were confusing to keep track of.

I really loved parts of this book but overall was disappointed. I feel like the authors did so much telling the reader about the characters and not much showing, and that’s largely because there was a very large cast of characters and a lot going on with the tv show. I think Izzy and Lillian are great but I didn’t really get to know them very much! :( majorly bummed this wasn’t more enjoyable because I love Karelia and Fay so much.

This book is a lot of fun!

I absolutely adored the characters. They’re fun, interesting and real. I also liked how their relationship developed. It felt genuine.

I liked the plot but the characters definitely carried the story.

Thank you to the authors for an eARC of this novel!
As soon as I saw the authors post about this book, I was so excited! First off, the cover is being gorgeous! I love how colorful and fun it is, which is exactly what this romance is too!
You immediately connect with both characters. I feel a bit like each of them in different ways. Grew up as a professional athlete who gave up a lot to accomplish my goals. I was raised by my father, so my mother wasn't in the picture a while lot, which leaves us with a fairly complicated relationship to this day. Later in my life, I joined a short with an alter ego, so I also connected with that aspect of Blue/Izzy.
I love how each MC works hard to communicate their needs and expectations throughout the complicated and tense situation. So much consent, which I just love to see.
The side characters also add so much to this story. Honestly, I love every single one of them! I want elto hear even more from this amazing group of characters! Please write a second epilogue!
Both heartwarming and steamy, sweet and spicy. Definitely pick this one up if you're in the mood for a queer romance with a ton of heart, some great comedic moments, and a huge cast of diverse characters.
4.5 stars, rounded up!

The real strength of this story is the one-on-one time that Izzy and Lillian have together--their chemistry and their banter shine in those scenes. Each of their larger groups didn't really coalesce for me, though; I think none of them felt distinct or fleshed-out enough to not just be there for the sake of having a group--and there was so much potential for great secondary character-building there! I also didn't feel the stakes of the story so much (though I did not predict the outcome of the reality show correctly). Izzy especially had very few options, and I didn't really feel that desperation from her so much. Overall, this was a really cute book, though!

The moment I heard about this book I was so excited to get my hands on it and it didn't disappoint! It was a fun and light read. I enjoyed both of our characters, Izzy and Lillian. As someone who loves performing arts and dance it was really fun to see that aspect in both of these characters and this book. Lillian as a ballet dancer and Izzy as a burlesque dancer. It was also really fun to see the aspect of them being on a reality tv show.
While I overall enjoyed this book, I do think my one complaint is the secondary characters felt really flat. I saw the potential in all of them as Lillian and Izzy's teammates and friends but they all kind of blended together and it was hard to distinguish and remember who was who. Other than that I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend you pick it up when it's released later this year. Especially if you're aching to read good books with a diverse set of characters. It's always refreshing to see queer and plus-size characters like me and of course characters of different races and backgrounds.

Second Night Stand
Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters
4-4.5 ☆

Firstly, a huge thank you to Dana at Forever for the digital and physical ARC’s. Also to Karelia and Fay for the super sweet shoutout in the acknowledgments. You all made my heart so happy. 🥰

The moment I heard that Karelia and Fay were going to be co-writing a book I was all in. I’ve read a few of Karelia’s books, and I follow the sweet couple on Insta and I couldn’t wait to read what they came up with together.

Second Night Stand did not disappoint! It was unique, well written, perfectly paced, and once I picked it up, I didn’t want to put it down. So I didn’t. 😆 Both the MC’s and side characters were fantastic. I adored Izzy and Lillian so much. They come from completely different worlds, each with their own past traumas and flaws. They’re imperfectly perfect and highly relatable. And together… whooo so hot! 🥵 The chemistry, the open communication, the growth, and the feelings. All so good!

The talent show aspect was a fun and entertaining twist. Who doesn’t love a little forced proximity. With so many side characters I did struggle at times to keep track of the what’s and who’s but it didn’t take away from the story. That was just a me thing.

The diversity and representation Karelia and Fay poured into this story was so damn beautiful. I do hope there is more to come from this duo!

What I loved;
✨ Opposites Attract
✨ Steamy Sapphic Romance
✨ Diverse Cast of Characters
✨ Reality TV Talent Show
✨ Inclusivity & Body Positivity
✨ Axel’s Off The Wall Sayings
✨ The Title “AHA” Moment

Pub Day: 5/21/24. Izzy and Lillians love story was so much fun to read. If this one isn’t on your radar it should be, and pre-ordered because that vibrant cover is too cute not to own.

Dive into the world of reality competition tv, with a healthy dose of spicy sapphic romance, and a wit so quick it’ll give you whiplash! I really identified with Izzy, with the same stupid and vulnerable inner child that I have, and her laying everything on the line to help her community, she’s both a shining beacon of self-love and a dark fortress self-destruction. Plus, how could a book with a Terrence Trent D’Arby reference not be enjoyable? I really loved this book and will absolutely read more by this duo of authors.