I really enjoyed reading this book. I gave this a four out of five stars. As a queer person this made me feel a lot of things. It brought me back to when I was outed by someone I thought I was close with. Liked the second chance and I this is the only friends to lovers I have enjoyed.

Witchiness isn't explored enough in sapphic books especially when many of us have dated someone like that. It's nice to see it here. It leaves you feeling good.

This was an okay sapphic romance. Being a tarot reader myself, I really liked that aspect. However, I do think a lot of story does suffer from biphobia. The fact that Kit’s mother is totally clueless that being bi is not an excuse to CHEAT? And she thinks her daughter’s problem is that her mother is bisexual? That was pretty obnoxious. And don’t even get me started on Julia acting like Kit’s sex life must be awful because she mostly slept with men. I get that the whole point is to bring these two together but damn….

Also the use of “manic pixie dream girl “ is repeated WAY too many times.

I did like the wedding drama though!

Alright, here’s the real deal on The Lovers by Rebekah Faubion. I went in expecting something a little more magical, given all the tarot vibes and soulmate talk, but honestly, it didn’t quite land for me. Kit’s role as a tarot reader and influencer had promise, but the story felt somewhat predictable and somewhat surface-level. The whole “cards never lie, except when they do” thing was interesting at first but got old fast.
Julia’s perfectionist, controlling energy was relatable in theory, but their dynamic just didn’t hit that emotional depth I wanted. The chemistry between Kit and Julia was there, sure, but it lacked the punch and tension that would’ve made their reunion compelling. Additionally, the writing style sometimes felt too casual for a story that’s supposed to be about soul connections and deep feelings.
The setting in Joshua Tree and the wedding backdrop added some nice boho-chic flair, but it didn’t fully elevate the plot. It’s an okay read if you’re into a light romance with some mystical elements, but it didn’t quite spark the magic for me.

I spent this entire book wanting to fist fight piper and also a little kit. It’s wild to me that she has so much internalized homophobia even having grown up in LA in the influencer generation. It was really great to see her growth throughout the story.
I absolutely adored Julia!
Overall this book was really cute and I was rooting for them so much.
I also love all the additions of tarot but that it’s not too too much. Their dares of one another were so cute and made their longtime friendship feel more real.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Friends to lovers, force proximity, second chances, steamy 🔥

I enjoyed this one. It was sweet, steamy, funny, and dramatic. The second chance at romance was perfect. I highly recommend this!

THE LOVERS is a second chance romance featuring all the chaos a wedding can bring, as the story centers around two women, Kit and Julia.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-second chance romance
-LGBTQ rep
-childhood friends to lovers
-great communication

*many thanks to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This story follow tarot card reader, Kit. Kit, looking to get away from the path her life is currently taking, gets a gig at a working a wedding only to run into an old friend and flame, Julia. The girls soon find out that the flame between them is not as fizzled out as they thought. They have to decided whether or not to try to make things work by being honest with each other and themselves or not.

While Kit and Julia’s story was interesting to read, some of the supporting characters fell flat for me. I know it’s supposed to be about kit and Julia but I love good supporting characters. The setting was great and flowed well for the girls to have a chance to rekindle their feelings for each other. I enjoyed reading this book but I do think the plot and characters could have used a little more depth.

Thank you Netgally and Berkeley Publishing for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"love is letting go." ❤️❤️❤️
GOD this book. it was so fucking good. i just want to cry, i loved it so much. it was so GAY and so sapphic and there was so much tension and yearning. Kit and Julia are both just so good. ❤️ they're both trying their best.

i looooove a good second chance romance!!! coming back to someone you were once so in love with is just so delicious. someone who you couldn't have beared to lose. the hurt the girls are grappling with is so intermingled with the Strong feelings they both have for each other right away.

the hose fight??? oh my god.
i looooved that they kept putting themselves in situations where they just happened to get really close or where their hands just happen to brush. DELICIOUS.

i was so impressed by their communication and willingness to have so many open, deep, heartfelt conversations. i was so proud of their commitment to each other. so happy Kit became comfortable enough with herself to open up the possibility of a life with Julia. so proud of her for her actions at the end. THAT VIDEO. THAT SPEECH. weeping.

i love them both so much. the twin flames, the lovers ❤️

Kit and Julia were best friends since their childhood. One day, both got a tarot reading and it told they're twin flames. About to go to college, that's when Julia admitted she loves Kit and Kit totally freaks out and ghosted Julia. Years later, both were reunited in an influencer's wedding; Julia as a wedding planner, while Kit will work as a tarot reader. The reunion ignites the spark they shared years ago. Could this be their second chance to be together?

I have mixed feelings about this book. First of all, the story starts too slow for my liking. Yet it's nicely written with a fantastic premise, setting and good punchlines. Both Kit and Julia are great characters and the chemistry was there and it was really believable, but I find there was some unbalance between them, don't know why. Not to mention their sex scenes left a lot to be desired. I loved Julia more than Kit, she's strong, determined and knows who she is and what she wants. Kit? She's simply a mess, and her chaotic life shows it. Yes, she's coming out as bi (and I know that can be extremely difficult because you're learning how to deal with your true self in the process), but it doesn't mean that she has to be so melodramatic about it.

At the same time, all the queer stuff doesn't fit well sometimes. It's like you have to include all of it so nobody can argue you're not a diverse author. There's not an organic process to add them in the story, in my opinion. The secondary characters were fantastic without overshadowing the heroines. Ironically, do you know which was my favorite? The abusive ex. This character was so great that you end up really hating it! Which was, in fact, its job, doing it masterfully brilliant.

In conclusion, this book has a lot of potential, even having LOTS of flaws in it. This was my first book from this author and I hope I could read more of her in the future.

The beginning of the book starts a bit slow, but its building up all the characters and their backstory. Love and RomCom obsessed dad, newly out as Bi Mom, hot mess express Kit, uptight Julia, and of course all the wedding drama. Once everyone gets to the wedding, the story takes off. There is so much tension between Julia and Kit, it gets unbearable at times, where you just want to yell at Kit to express her feelings. Poor Julia, being torn between seeing Kit for the first time since high school, but also having to deal with her toxic AF ex. Dude she really sucked, and I loved how the rest of the wedding party hated her guts and saw through her gaslighting and manipulation.

Throughout the book, you have Kit trying to avoid her feelings and convince herself she is not queer. Mostly due to societal pressures and Romance expectations in movies. This screamed THIS IS WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS to me through the entire book. The teacher in me felt so deeply for Kit and her identity struggles. I cannot imagine how much harder it is going to get for my students and future students to figure out their identity in the upcoming 4 years.

I had such a blast reading this book! While I'm not normally the biggest second-chance romance fan, I had so much fun with this book and was cheering for the couple the whole way through. I can definitely see myself recommending this at work in the future!

This was cozier than I expected it to be, really matching the vibe of the cover. They're both a little bit unsure and guarded, but still magnetically attracted to one another ten years after they split. I am looking forward to Faubion's next title!

Unfortunately, i think the cover is more appealing than the initial story. it was not the worst book but not the best. I do see where the author wanted to go, but it just fell a bit flat.

BUT that does not mean its not the best book for some people, we all have different opinions! :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Lovers by Rebekah Faubion!

I did not finish this book, but I read about 70% of it, and I think that it was enough to write a review. While I liked the premise of the book and the characters, it was really the writing style that I did not enjoy. I just couldn't get into the story, despite enjoying the plot and the characters/relationships.

This was such a fun and light hearted rom com! I didnt take me too long to get into the story and get invested in the messy wedding party. I mean working a wedding while two of your exes crush the weekend...what could possibly go wrong.

A second chance queer contemporary with a wedding planner? Should Mathew McConaughy been a woman? Well, this novel gives you those vibes and makes you love the more modern take on it because it felt authentic and relatable for any reader or romance lover! Thank you to Rebekah Faubion, Berkeley, and Netgalley!

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH audio for the free copies!

R E V I E W | The Lovers - Rebekah Faubion

I love a good second chance romance, and now make it sapphic? SOLD!

This story follows Kit and Julia, who were once best friends in high school until fate intervened and tore them apart. Kit is now a tarot card reader whose world has recently turned upside down after breaking up with her boyfriend and learning of her parents’ upcoming divorce. Julia is a sought after wedding planner on her last job before strinking out with her own company. When they both end up working an influencer’s wedding in Joshua Tree, they find their old feelings haven’t disappeared and their old flame is rekindled. Now these twin flames have to decide if a second chance at love is in the cards for them.

I loved this story and especially the setting in Joshua Tree! Kit and Julia have both been through so much, together and in the years since they’ve seen each other last. I really loved Julia’s character. She was so strong and sure of herself, both as a queer woman and as a bomb ass wedding planner. She had not one but TWO old flames that she had to deal with in this book (one being a terrible, abusive ex-girlfriend who we hate). I loved seeing her open up and relax more with Kit and really remember what she loves about herself. Kit had a lot of growth in this book, dealing with her own mother coming out as bisexual and dealing with her own identity. While there was some coming out drama in the book (which I didn’t love), I think it was important to show her growth as well and journey to loving every aspect of herself.

The setting was so fun with the chaos of a wedding weekend in JT. I loved the side characters in the wedding party and I hope there are more books coming from Rebekah where we get to hang out with those characters more! The elements of tarot and spirituality were really engaging as well and I loved how it was woven into the story!

I listened to the audio of this one and I FLEW through it! So easy to put on and get sucked into the story. I especially loved the narrator for Julia’s character - something about her voice really worked for both characters for me!

This was a slow start with what felt like too much of an inner monologue, but the second half of the story picked up! Open door, but lower on the spice scale. Second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, story of self acceptance and coming out in late 20s. Wedding planner x tarot card reader.