Why have I heard no one talking about this? I enjoyed it so much. Quick, fun, queer <3. I'd be able to sell this to a variety of folk!

I never felt so out of touch with a generation as when I was reading this book, and boy, did that scare me and make me feel old. I looked for ways to connect that I did understand. I understood friendships, relationships (sexual and non-sexual), casual and non-casual sex. Humor, even British humor, which takes me an extra second to get because I’m an American. I also understand romance and happy endings. Though I may have some old-fashioned ideals, I truly enjoyed this light, amusing read. It’s good to spice things up and add a little flavor to our lives. I tend to be stodgy. This book is geared more for younger readers, but older generations can also enjoy it. I know I did!

When the book went into great detail early on about having a pap smear I kinda wanted to throw up and honestly consider DNFing, but I stuck with it and it got better but not something I would recommend to Friends.

Thank you for the audio of this book. I enjoyed listening to this story of 2 opposite best friends Beth and Serena. This book was like a Sex and the City story...witty , smart and yes a sexual journey for these characters. These young characters were very relatable...and I loved the hip London setting. This was a fun, often laugh out loud story of discovery, friendship and beyond.

I’m sorry but I just can’t get past calling the women “hens” in every other sentence. It gives, “birds” or “females” and I just don’t care for that phrasing. It feels derogatory.

A totally unexpected hit for me! The writing was sharp, witty, and had me laughing more times than I can count. The audiobook narration by Robyn Holdaway and Ell Potter was PERFECTION and should win every award.

What the book is:
🔘 A highly entertaining and hilarious first person, dual POV narrative about two best friends Beth and Serena and their lives with themes of friendship, finding yourself, family, relationships, and intimacy that expertly shows how the intertwining and overlapping of these themes is what ultimately leads to ones growth and sense of self.
🔘 Beth recently left her office job to strike out on her own as a marketer. She is demisexual, straight and struggles to find partners that are willing to expend the emotional intimacy she needs in order to have a long term relationship. Beth has recently become self-conscious of the fact that she's a virgin and decides to embark on a "sex odyssey" that is less about sex and more about gaining confidence in who she is and what she really wants and needs.
🔘 Unlike Beth, Serena has no trouble connecting with or finding partners for sex. Serena is bisexual, outgoing, and works as a journalist. When Beth enlists her to help with the "sex odyssey" Serena suggests making the journey an article for her magazine. Serena doesn't count on how Beth's journey will challenge her own beliefs on intimacy, love, family and friendship or how that realization might help her discover that her friends with benefits situationship might actually be more.
🔘 When I read the synopsis I wasn't sure what to expect and 5 chapters into the book, I couldn't figure out where it was going or why it was categorized as an LGBTQ+ book. Serena is bisexual and Beth is straight and demisexual and the two have such a beautiful platonic emotional bond. The LGBTQ+ is Serena's plot line and there is additional representation with Serena's boss who is also her found family, and of course with Zoey. Side note, Zoey's character voice is pure GOLD!

Thank you Harper Audio!

It's always hard for me to read unlikable characters - Serena was extremely frustrating. It felt like the ending was way too rushed.

this story follows a pair of roomie besties who ultimately embark on a journey of getting Beth to have sex?! sorta.. it was mid mostly forgettable

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4 ⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: lit fic📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A funny read about friendship and love

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Office drama
Group chats & meme references
Satirical but sincere reads
Messy but lovable main characters
Books about finding your voice
Female friendship over romance
Navigating life in your late 20s / early 30s
Books that make you laugh and reflect


𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Demisexuality rep
The podcast aspect
Realistic look at millennial life
I really liked the narration

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I wish some of the side characters were more developed
Pacing was a little slow in the middle
It did feel a little cringy at times


𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “I am not a disaster. I’m a woman with Wi-Fi and unresolved trauma.”
★ “Who needs closure when you have group chat validation?”
★ “If men can fail upwards, why can’t I spiral creatively?”

4.25

Setting: London
Rep: demisexual protagonist; bisexual protagonist

I don't understand why this has such a low rating because I absolutely loved it, it was so close to being a 5* read for me! In my eyes, this is a blend of Bridget Jones's Diary and Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material - fun contemporary fiction with a character focus. I especially liked Beth and her arc. I did find Serena a bit tiring, but I think that's the intention, especially with how her relationship with Beth develops. The tagline is true, this is a platonic book - Beth and Serena are best friends and that doesn't change throughout the book; Beth is only attracted to men. I really enjoyed Beth's journey as it's one I relate to a lot, as a fellow ace/demisexual virgin in her late twenties. It definitely doesn't deserve the low rating! Also, the audiobook is excellently narrated and I highly recommend it.

This was the perfect book to read if you want something with sexuality representation, a diverse cast, and based on friendship. There was a lot of depth, as well as humor mixed in. I loved the friendship between Beth and Serena. The dual POV also gave readers the chance to hear how both characters felt about certain situations, as well as each other. This also caused some moments where I didn't really like Serena but because we got her POV I ended up liking her again!

This was a fantastic debut and one of the best books I've read featuring a demisexual main character. I really enjoyed this exploration of sexual identity, female friendship and romantic relationships told from the POV of two British women best friends who couldn't be more opposite. Beth is a virgin who is eager to rectify that situation and Serena is a bit of a slut who has a hard time getting emotionally committed to a partner. This was full of laughs, heart and lots of emotional depth. It was also good on audio and a great read for Pride Month. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really struggled to try and get into this read. The one upside I found is that it will give readers some insight into demisexuality and the ace spectrum, but even that knowledge comes across as skewed.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to the audiobook!

That's What She Said was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

Great book about discovering the limits of friendship and what it means to find and be loved. Great beach or pool read

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That's what She Said combines Romantic Comedy elements with a traditional Literary Fiction story structure. This book will appeal to a wide variety of readers as it has great elements of both. It also features a great crash course on learning about the Ace spectrum. I love that more books are talking about the Asexual spectrum and including characters. As a demisexual myself, I thought the representation in Beth was done very well. I like that it talked about her uncertainty and you really see her growth throughout the book. At the end she learns to accept herself and not be afraid of how she identifies. I also appreciated that in the end she finds someone who loves and accepts this part of her as well. This is all wrapped up in a heartfelt but funny package that made That's What She Said a great read! In addition to a great story, this was a great audiobook experience. The narrator had clear and distinct voices for both of our main characters. This made the POV switches feel very clear and defined. The narrator also had great comedic timing. Since there was such a story comedic element to this book I thought that this read especially well on audio. I think that this is a great audiobook for summer beach reading!

It was good, but I wouldn't say I loved it... It got a wee confusing towards the end, but I may not have been as invested as I should have been :/

I was intrigued by a romance that featured a main character on the ace spectrum. Unfortunately, I think this book does what it's main character doesn't want: boils people down into stereotypes of either a slut or a virgin. The best moments were between Serena and Beth, and their friendship was characterized best in moments where one's confidence or bravery was not boiled down to how attractive they perceived themselves to be. The two friends genuinely meshed but in other parts it seemed a bit too heavy on the trope of fun, popular girl and nerdy, shy best friend, even though shy Beth is the "main character."

Some humor was also too specific for me with name drops of things like Imagine Dragons, Lord of the Rings, Tom Hiddleston, etc. I find that this can distance readers who don't like those fan-specific things.

I think romance fans will still find enough conflict resolution and character growth, and satisfying if too-neatly-tied-up love matches to enjoy this lighthearted read. Overall, not for me but fans of the genre will have enough to hold onto.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What I really loved about this book was that we got dual POV which really helped flesh out the friendship / platonic relationship between our two FMCs, Beth and Serena. I appreciated that this book focused on platonic love with your best friend and the growing pains that come with it.

The focus on Beth's virginity irked me, which perhaps was the point because of all the crap wrapped up in women's sexuality/purity etc within our society. I'm glad that Beth finally found her voice and confidence in her identity as a demisexual woman, but wow, did I yell "YOU'RE PERFECT THE WAY YOU ARE! THAT'S THE PATRIARCHY TALKING, BETH!" at my phone when listening to this book far too many times. Additionally, Serena made me want to pull my hair out. She's a great character- I can see so much of myself (I'm the 'sexual' friend of the group!) and other friends (some great... some not so great) in her which made her a very interesting person to hang out with in this book, but wow did her actions annoy me. Despite claiming to be a sex-positive person, there are many moments in this book where her opinions and behaviour towards Beth made me want to scream. That being said, I'm glad we got the ending we did, or else I would have broken my phone in anger.

In all this is a good book if you're needing a book that reflects difficult friendships between women and the strength that can come from loving each other enough to evolve.

The narrators were great!! I even had to look up if someone else was playing Evan, because I was so convinced by their characterization. Pros!

I was really excited to read this book, however this book is just not the one for me. I was all here for this book that is about a demisexual finding love in life, but found it was overly sexual. However, I read a lot of smutt and spice, these bordered cringey, which could've been from the MC being a virgin and still figuring out her as a person. It just wasn't for me as when I was listening to this book i kept getting secondhand embracement about things that had happened.

One positive thing about this was that the narrator was very good and her accent brought the character to fruition.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.