I just finished this queer, angsty, witty, swoony rom-com and my heart is full!



Rebekah Faubion, I’m not really sure how this is a debut! Well done! The writing immediately pulled me in. I loved the characters, especially Kit and Julia, and the story made my mushy heart so happy!



Faubion painted some of the best pictures I have ever read. The descriptions of the wedding venue, Kit’s air stream, the wedding food, the characters outfits, and so much more really made me feel like I was in the story! I now want to decorate my whole house with Kit’s aesthetic and buy and air steam and visit the desert!



Speaking of Kit, I really loved and identified with her character and Julia’s too. They are two former besties from high school that come back together after almost 10 years apart. Both of them are struggling with their identity.



"Can your life really be what you want if you are denying a truth about your self?"





The way both of them explore this question is so relatable. So many of us are hiding our truth in some way. Whether that’s through our sexual identity, our family dynamics, our jobs, or other things we hide inside and it’s clear they are bursting to come out of their cage. These characters navigate the exploration of those truths in an empowering and vulnerable way.



As a long time rom-com girly with Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Holiday being at the top of my list, I have always been searching for queer love stories like these too. I loved how this story talks about their being more than just conventional love and how beautiful that is too.



“I'm beginning to see how there are a lot of ways to live that fairy tale in real life and how important it is to make those expressions of this romantic ideal just as relevant as the more conventional ones.”



This story also made me love learning about Tarot and really really want to get my own Tarot reading. There’s also Taylor Swift lyrics, supportive secondary characters, and a Mom and Dad that will make you giggle.



This story is one that I really think you will so enjoy and I triple dog dare you to read it!

A second chance romance between two childhood best friends as one has become a tarot reader/mystic influencer and the other has become a wedding planner.... forced to work together at the same wedding while dealing with their terrible breakup all those years ago. Kit Larson is a tarot reader and a mystic influencer, yet she could never predict her parent's divorce or the fact that she's broken up with her boyfriend and doesn't feel sorry about it. When she is offered to work another influencer's wedding at Joshua Tree she accepts because it would be the perfect distraction. Kit has always wanted the ideal Rom Com path and when her parents got divorced it really rocked her world... oh and the fact that she's been struggling to come out as bi for years. When she also discovers that her ex best friend/ long time high school crush Julia is the wedding planner at the wedding she just knows its fate that they found their way back to one another... if only she could get Julia to see it that way too. Julia Kelley is a famous wedding planner and she's determined to make her latest clients happy despite the fact that her slightly insane ex girlfriend Piper is also the new bridesmade and that her ex best friend in high school and the only girl to completely break her heart is back in her life. Back when they were in highschool the cards had told Kit and Julia that they were Twin Flames and that they were perfect for one another... and now is their chance to get their happily ever after. This book was sadly a big miss for me, it just felt too "meh". The relationship did not feel like it had any real foundation or good chemistry. To say Kit was my manic pixie nightmare girl is putting it lightly. Julia, sweet sweet Julia, girl just get out please. I couldn't care for the second chance romance in this and this truly felt like a book for the tarot girlies and mystic influencers, and as someone who loves a good sapphic romance, it just was not for me. If you like second chance romances and tarot/astrology girls, maybe give this one a go,maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

second chance romance is a forever favorite! the angst and yearning are unmatched.

kit and julia were best friends growing up. on a dare, they got their tarot reading and found out they’re twin flames. and right before they go away to college, julia admitted she loves kit. and kit freaks out and ghosts. now several years later, julia is a wedding planner for a remote wedding in the dessert, and kit is the tarot entertainment and what follows is a super sweet story of the two of them finding their way back to each other.

i adored this book so much. julia was so strong and knew herself and what she wanted. kit was slowly learning and gaining confidence to be who she is and to love out loud. the premise was super fun and I’m realizing I love a chaotic wedding as a backdrop for a love story (see: the ex vows and tell me not).

my one problem with this is a common thing that happens in queer love stories: third act coming out drama. it’s very specific to queer stories and I just wish there was another way authors would set up a third act craziness. it really cheapens the story for me.

what to expect
⟢ sapphic romance
⟢ childhood friends to lovers
⟢ second chance
⟢ forced proximity

Thank you Berkley romance for a gifted copy!

TW internalized biphobia, public outing

As a second-chance romance, this is cute. I really enjoyed the characters of Kit and Julia and felt like they were pretty well-developed and believable. They also completed each other well. The twin flames concept worked well here, especially with how important Tarot is for Kit's life.

The rest of the characters, though, leave much to be desired. They all felt like stereotypes to me. I found them all kind of cringey and they clung hard to their stereotypes, except in a few instances.

The girls are all white, rich, skinny, blonde Southern California influencers. (except the crystal healer, sound healer, etc, who also read like stereotypes.) The guys are all beefy himbos (even though the author keeps reassuring us that they have brains even if there's no evidence of them in sight). The only hint of a nonwhite character is one of the guys, who is a hot Korean American rising star. He does not display any hint of brains either in the few paragraphs of page time he gets. Piper sticks out as a rich, skinny, white, (oh wait...) old-money socialite from Connecticut.

Needless to say I did not really connect with any of the secondary characters and generally preferred to pretend they weren't there. Which kind of works because Kit and Julia spend a lot of time wrapped up in each other.

The bi representation is not the greatest with the characters either firmly in the closet or cheating.

The forced outing drama also left a bad taste in my mouth. It was all wrapped up / swept under the rug pretty quickly too which didn't feel quite right.

Overall I enjoyed the romance but a lot of the details didn't sit right with me.

*Thanks to Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

4.25⭐️ This was a sexy, second chance sapphic romcom by a new to me author! It felt well paced, following along with a weekend wedding affair. Led by Julia, the glossy, sought after always in control wedding planner along with Kit, the Tarot Card Reader invited/hired by the bride for entertainment. They were once best friends who were shown the cards that they were twin flames. They were inseparable. Until Kit ghosted Julia after the first, and only, night together before college. Fast forward ten years and here they are at the same venue.

I loved their connection. You could feel that it was like time didn’t pass and the world didn’t exist when they were in each others orbit. Communication is a beautiful thing. Being true to yourself , finding your inner strength is screamed throughout!

It would have been nice to see (any) diversity in any area of the book although it seemed the stereotypes of the LA (no offense!) boho fake/forced influencer masked vibes were spot on imo. There was also some solidarity and support in some of those same people.

I recommend reading this if you like sapphic romcoms and second chance romance!

A book cover can indeed convince readers to read a book, which is what happened to me when I first came across The Lovers cover. It’s absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t wait to read it. Not only did the cover persuade me, but so did the synopsis and the fact that it’s a Second-Chance Romance story, which happens to be one of my favorite tropes. This is Rebekah Faubion’s debut novel, and I always love finding new authors and I can’t wait to check out what other books she writes in the future.

The story is told from a dual point of view (POV), with Kit Larson and Julia Kelley being the main characters. Kit and Julia were friends when they were younger, and at one time, the cards said they were Twin Flames and were meant to be together. One of them, though, decided to leave and break the other’s heart. Now, they are forced back together at a wedding years later working together. Julia is the Wedding Planner, while Kit is the tarot card reader for a fellow influencer’s wedding. The more time they spend with each other, the more the spark they had before is reignited. However, both of them will have to work through some things first, and hopefully, everything will align for them in the end. (Which it definitely does.) =)

I enjoyed this Second-Chance Romance story between Kit and Julia and rooted for them to be together the whole time. It was apparent they were always supposed to be together; they just had to work through some things, mostly being honest with one another and with themselves. I felt for Kit because her parents, who had the perfect marriage after so many years and always pushed to have a Rom-Com life, were going through a divorce now. When it came to Julia, I felt for Julia because she had always loved Kit, but Kit had broken her heart. Kit makes up for it at the wedding when they are reunited. It’s like they were never apart when they do get together, and this is why I love second-chance romance stories.

I have to admit that I almost didn’t finish this book because the author became overly descriptive about certain things. While I enjoy details in the storyline that make me feel like I’m there with the characters, I prefer to focus on the characters themselves rather than their clothing or specific information about influencers. I did appreciate the setting and learning more about the tarot cards, especially from Kit’s perspective, but there were times when it felt like too much, and I wanted to focus on Kit and Julia. Despite this, I’m glad I finished the book because, in the end, I was happy that Kit and Julia found each other and were back together after being apart for so long.

Overall, this is a good book, and I give it 3.5 stars. I have already convinced my college-aged daughter to read it because she’ll probably appreciate the pop culture and influencer information more than I did. The book cover alone probably sold her because she’s always loved tarot cards.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you enjoy reading Second Chance Sapphic Romance stories, you should check out this debut novel from Rebekah Faubion.

What to Expect:
🩷Sapphic Romance
💜Second Chance
💙Friends to Lovers & Twin Flames
🩷Forced Proximity
💜Tarot Card Reader/Content Creator FMC
💙Wedding Planner FMC

Thank you Berkley Pub and Berkley Romance for the free book and thank you PRH Audio for the #gifted listening copy of The Lovers! #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #berkleyromance #TheLovers #RebekahFaubion

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐡 𝐅𝐚𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧-𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐰
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

I really enjoyed this one! While I struggled at the very beginning to connect with the storyline, I’m glad I stuck with this one because the pace picked up for me and I started to really enjoy Kit and Julia’s story! I am a sucker for a second chance romance and this one had such a sweet premise. I also really enjoyed learning a bit about tarot cards!

🌵Sapphic Romance
🌵Second Chance
🌵Friends To Lovers
🌵Forced Proximity
🌵Dual POV
🌵Fated Love

🎧I listened to the audiobook, narrated by an amazing duo! Gail Shalan and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw were absolutely perfect for this one and I felt like they did such an amazing job bringing this story to life. I felt like the pacing was perfect and I could not get enough of this one on audio. I cannot recommend this one enough on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on September 23, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around September 24, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on September 24, 2024
**-will post on designated date

The Lovers is one of those reads that I IMMEDIATELY wanted to read because of the cover. It's giving alll the fall vibes, something that I am currently invested in. However; I found the cast of characters confusing, especially when Kit's Mom drops the bombshell that she's dating one of her ex's however; I found that this ex was not mentioned a lot as the story progressed. The amount of Kit's ex-girlfriends that were present on page were confusing to me and I wish the author would have stuck with one plot point- either issues w/ her Mom or many of her ex's showing up at the wedding she was helping plan.

I am not super into tarot or astrology, but I thought it was really interesting to dive into that world for this story. As an LA native, the characters in this book were definitely stereotypes, but I have met every single one of them. I enjoyed the second chance romance and the beautiful desert setting.

The Lovers was a fun read! From the start, I was really rooting for the two main characters. They were both easy to love, and their chemistry was enjoyable. The atmosphere was exactly what I would expect from an influencer’s wedding: think Joshua Tree, glamping, and all the new-age vibes.

The writing was simple and easy to get through, so this a super quick read. I always love a good second chance romance, and this one delivered on that front. However, the family drama felt a little underdeveloped for me? It came in with a bang but then didn’t really get resolved until very quickly at the very end. I would have liked to see more of that explored throughout the story. That said, it was still an enjoyable read with a fresh setting and great romantic tension!


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The Lovers was unfortunately not the book I hoped it would be. I wish that tarot and that whole witchy crystal shop girl vibe had been more of the book rather than the wedding in the desert setting than it actually was. It was fine I just didn’t love it. If you want a regular second chance romance and drama with coming out and outing, then you will be fine, but if you’re looking at this cover and reading the synopsis and character description and hoping for that slightly magical witchy vibe, it’s not here.

My own mistaken expectations aside, it was just okay. I didn’t care for the conflict/villain plot line.

This was an enjoyable read and entertaining enough but it didn’t meet my expectations. I’ve been really excited for this sapphic romance since I’ve seen that cover and read the premise but I was left wanting more.

I couldn’t connect with the characters and their romance as much as I wanted. I love second chance romance because they usually contain lots of pining and tension but it fell flat here. Personal preference I also can’t stand “evil” exes (especially when it’s women) who are evil for no reason.

I really enjoyed the tarot/twin flame aspect but I did wish it went further with those elements.

Overall it was not a new favorite but I would check out something different from the author.

This romance had So. Much. Yearning. I'm not typically drawn to coming out stories, but the relationship here was developed enough and the characters memorable.

The Lovers is a second chance romance following Kit, a tarot reader looking to get away from her life and the ideal rom-com path her parents have instilled in her. Going away for the weekend to Joshua Tree to work a wedding, the last thing Kit expects is to run into her former best friend and flame, Julia. As they reunite, it's clear their chemistry has not fizzled out, and with romance in the air, the two must decide if a chance at love is worth finally being honest with each other and their selves.

Hmm I'm so conflicted... While I really loved the romance and history between Kit and Julia, some of the surrounding cast and obvious stereotypes rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think there was a single BIPOC or diverse character in the story and the influencer vibes were rather condescending. Despite my hold up, I really enjoyed the vibrant setting and how it played throughout the book, letting Kit and Julia be away from outside sources and get a chance to rekindle their love. Their romance and chemistry was so palpable and truly the only thing keeping me going. In general, I feel like this book was not my cup of tea, but, I do think it could work for other people!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Such a sweet and charming second chance sapphic romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Second chance sapphic romance
Forced proximity
Fated love
Childhood friends to lovers
Tarot card reader x wedding planner
Multiple POVs
Coming out later in life
Influencers
Opposites attract

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The cover
Bi MCs

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Such a messy read- I fell like everything was going wrong
Lots of characters inner monologue
There were a few things that I didnt like

I really enjoyed this second chance romance. I loved the setting of the wedding with one of the MC being a wedding planner. The tension that adds to the story is immense (former wedding photographer here). I also loved the sly digs at influencer culture. The thing that did irritate me was the many Taylor Swift references/lyrics.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this sapphic romance novel! I really enjoyed reading it! The characters had depth and a believable connection and there was plenty of development from both of them which was great to see. The chemistry between Kit and Julia was really well done, you could feel the tension and the longing from both sides which had me rooting for them from the beginning. The spice was done very beautifully as well!

I've seen some reviews commenting on how much scenery description there was, but I really loved it as it made the environment come alive in my imagination. The side characters were also done well, I thought they had enough depth and helped move the story along. The conflict in the story was believable because of this too.

Lastly, this book made me want to get back into tarot! I loved all of the references to specific cards, fate, and spirituality, as these are things I am personally interested in. Although I did come into this thinking it would have a witchier feel to it, I was not disappointed as the story was unique and encapsulating in its own unique ways.

I definitely recommend reading this book!

This book is not for me, even as a bisexual, I could not get past the first chapter. I'm all for flowerly imagery to set the tone but this was just flat. It being in first POV I know I will not enjoy the rest of the story. I can already tell the first main character.

This literally has all the things I love - second chance, friends to lovers, first loves?? Kit and Julia are so wonderful.

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved that this book had so many homages to 90s and 00s romance movies, though I didn't actually pick up on it more toward the end. Using a dual POV for the two FMCs has become pretty standard, and for the most part, I think the author did a good job with keeping their narratives just different enough to remember who's chapter I was reading...it didn't always happen, but it worked for 2/3 of the book. I love a sapphic romance, and this one was no exception. It was very much a vibe.