Robin's Lake Road

A Moving LGBTQ First Love Romance

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 22 Dec 2018 | Archive Date 20 Nov 2019

Talking about this book? Use #RobinsLakeRoad #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

First love is oh so crazy.

It’s intense. It’s confusing. It’s lots of things. And most of all, it’s ripe with passion. But what if it’s taboo? And what if it becomes the narcotic you can’t live without?

Asher Sullivan is a high school senior looking forward to graduation in small-town rural Oklahoma. But, she’s got a problem: she’s never been in love. Then one spring evening, everything she ever thought she knew about herself is turned upside down the minute she meets Robin O’Leary, the popular newcomer from Texas. Despite being at opposite ends of the social spectrum, the two become close friends. And it isn’t long before that friendship morphs into a romance as wild as the untamed prairie wind.

Only thing is, Robin hides a past that could undo any hope of a future. Can a love-struck Asher find her way through the craziness and passion of first love before Robin’s secrets destroy her?

First love is oh so crazy.

It’s intense. It’s confusing. It’s lots of things. And most of all, it’s ripe with passion. But what if it’s taboo? And what if it becomes the narcotic you can’t live...


Available Editions

ISBN 9780960033515
PRICE $2.99 (USD)

Links


Average rating from 25 members


Featured Reviews

I absolutely adore this book for so many reasons. While I love HEA endings to stories, this story had the heart-warming, yet tragic tale of a teenager's first love. It tells a story to two girls who deal with their realization that they are gay in different ways. One accepts herself and who she is, despite all of the negative reactions from classmates and those in the small community she lives in. The other cannot accept who she is and spirals into the depths of denial and depression. In many ways, I felt like I was reading the thoughts and actions of many a person that finds they are gay. The love that the girls have is passionate and filled with such emotion, as are the times when they are apart.

I found it difficult to deal with Robin's emotional swings. She has someone in front of her that loves her so much and wants to do anything for her, yet she pushes her away, not once but twice. Asher fights so hard with her emotions, her love for Robin, but in the end knows when their time is at an end. The bittersweet ending capped off a wonderful book that I am sure I will read again in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

Do you remember your first love? The first time holding hands and the first kiss? Robin and Ash's story will have you floating down memory lane. Their joy will become yours just as their guilt, shame, pain and grief will feel like it's drowning you in a lake of passion. This book is amazing. Curl up with it on a day when you want to reminisce as following the two brave lovers as they combat homophobia, bullying, and one's incessant self - doubt and a stubborn Irish father threatens the love they share. Simply amazing,

Was this review helpful?

This book took me on a journey of young love. Intensity and need, desire and darkness. The character development was steady and almost unnoticeable until the realisation that they had grown and developed came.it was a thoroughly enjoyable read that o struggled to put down.

Was this review helpful?

The ending of this book left me speechless. It’s hard to come home again.

Asher Sullivan is a high school senior looking forward to graduation in small-town rural Oklahoma. High school life is pretty typical. She has a boyfriend, but meh about him. Things drastically change when Asher meets Robin, a new girl in school, and everything she thought she knew about herself is turned upside down.
The two girls are socially diverse, as Robin’s family has great wealth and Asher lives a modest life with her grandmother as her guardian. Still, the two become close friends. That friendship rather quickly morphs into a wild, exciting and very physical love relationship. The love making is described very visually, yet is sweet.

As the relationship becomes known around the high school things become ugly. Of course social media is at the heart of the pain. Robin’s secret baggage begins to drag her down at Asher’s expense.
Then the story moves from hurt to tragic and I couldn’t read fast enough. I hurt for these two families all struggling in their own way. Yes, I even felt for Mr. and Mrs. O’Leary. They love their daughter and thought they were doing what was best for her. Narrow mindedness though was the downfall.

The story, As I began reading I felt started sort of frivolous. There was much focus on fashion... the black skinny jeans, the tourquoise long sleeve button-up with frills...
But then I began thinking that this is written for teens and fashion and appearances is where they live. The book is by no means slow, but it is a slow burn as Asher and a Robin begin to allow who they really are to emerge. Both girls have boyfriends as the story begins.

The book is intense, confusing, not in content, but in emotions and maddening. I felt out of control as I tried to identify with the raw emotions.

I suppose the audience is young adult, but reader must know the language and sex in this story is extremely mature.
I feel another audience for the book would be parents who have children emerging into the gay lifestyle. The book was open and honest and I did not feel judgemental on either points of view.

Was this review helpful?

Robin's Lake Road is not the story that I thought I was getting. I thought I was getting a teenage lesbian love story which is what is typically being published these days. It seems like every story about teenage queer people that I've read lately is full of queer teens with accepting parents and friends who love them and allow them to be themselves. While that is a lot of people's story it's not everyone's, so when I realized what Robin's Lake Road really was, a nuanced look at what happens when someone comes out in a small unaccepting town and the lengths that some people will go to because of their Christian values, I screamed for joy.

I gave this book 4 stars and advise queer people to beware when they embark upon this read. There are lots of triggering scenes and scenarios.

Read if you’re queer and love seeing yourself in books or if you’re not queer and want an intimate look of what life is like for some LGBTQ youth. A lot of the story was spot on for me and my friends during our high school days.

Was this review helpful?

Received for free via Netgalley for an honest review. I see the reviews are all over the place for this book. Now I am not sure if there was a re-edit done on this book but there does seem to be a new cover. Most of this book is so good and you will be surfing alond and and then, WHAT??? how does that fit and where are the repercussions for the action. I admit I too had thoughts of, this is crap..and then the book gets right back to surfing along. You think the book is near end and see your at 30 percent..and then again this happens and again. I think the book could still use a few touch ups and then I could give it a 5. A very entertaining read for the most part.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It was very sweet. Characters were lovely and well developed. Such a sensitive subject written so beautifully.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, Robin's Lake Road is a powerful novel by CL Avery. Do not for one minute by fooled into thinking this is a happy story. It is not. Not at all. This is pure tragedy. The ending is hard to deal with for sure.

When we first meet Ash, she's a high school senior who's confused, questioning why she's never been in love before. Then she meets Robin. What follows is a gripping tale of sexual discoveries, sexual exploration, and an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything I've read before.

This lesbian story of Ash and Robin is one of intense highs and intense lows. This coming of age tale is heavy on the homophobia. I am still in shock at how intense and deep this story is. Focusing on first love and self loathing, loving oneself and self acceptance, it's a multi-layered story, full of extreme twists and turns.

Ultimately, this tragic tale reminds the reader to never give up, as you never know what's coming next. Always remember that life goes on.


An absolutely powerful read, Robin's Lake Road is well worth a read. Just be sure to save this CL Avery book for when you're in the mood for a depressing and serious read

Was this review helpful?

Read November 2020

Asher has just split up with her boyfriend. It didn't feel right and now she's worried she'll never fall in love. But then at a school event she spots new student Robin and feels like she must get to know her.

She soon finds out that Robin is friendly and easy to talk to, they become best friends fast and all too soon Asher begins to feel odd whenever she sees Robin with her boyfriend. Jealousy maybe? But then Robin breaks up with him and the two girls become close. Close enough that Asher finally learns what being in love feels like.

However the pair live in a small, religious town in Texas so things are not smooth sailing and Robin's father is particularly bigoted. The young couple are discovered and outed, resulting in Robin's father separating the two and Robin treating Asher awfully.

This is a reasonably well-written book that drags you through the ups and downs of first love. Everything moved very fast, possibly too fast though that is typical of teenage relationships.

The book was written by a man which seemed especially obvious during the sex scenes, particularly all the talk of their breasts, it just didn't feel particularly genuine to me. Also that ending?! all that build up for basically nothing. I was so annoyed!

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: