Sasha Laurens’s When I Picture You delivers exactly what I crave in romance: a thoughtful blend of friends-to-lovers, second chances, and a romance built on an emotional foundation rather than instant fireworks.

At first glance, neither Renee nor Lola is immediately likable — and that’s part of what makes their story work. Renee is adrift, trying to reconcile her talent and ambition with the stagnation of her present life. Lola, on the surface, seems to have achieved everything she ever wanted, yet her scars from a past relationship shadow even their first night together.

The book is, in many ways, predictable — but it’s also full of tenderness. Laurens excels at capturing quiet moments of connection: late-night conversations, creative breakthroughs, and the nervous joy of falling for someone you thought you’d lost. Even while under the weather, I devoured the story in a single day, drifting in and out of naps and still unwilling to put it down.

I’m grateful to the publisher for the ARC and ALC, which let me enjoy this as an immersive experience. Listening and reading in tandem made it easy to fall for these characters and their journey toward love, self-understanding, and creative renewal.

THIS BOOK! THIS BOOK BOTH GAVE ME LIFE AND DESTROYED ME!

Sasha Laurens crafted a BEAUTIFUL story of queer love that has me dying at how stunning it was. The chemistry, the plot, and the writing had me hooked from page one. This book could have easily been a generic pop-sensation love story but it had so much depth, character, and it explored our Renee and Lola's lives, their insecurities, and how they both made each other better.

Our main character Lola (definitely Taylor Swift coded) is struggling to manage the expectations and image that she has curated with her management and fans while also wanting to life some of the curtain into who she is. Enter Renee (MFA student and former childhood neighbor) who is struggling to break free of the criticisms and imposter syndrome she gained while dealing with the academia culture and critiques she endured before taking a pause on her degree and her passion for film. When the two former childhood friends meet up at Lola's sister's wedding, a spark hits and we follow their journey as they both help each other grow and have them rethink what they are capable of.

Lola and Renee have so much chemistry and they had me hooked on their love story and I was rooting for them with every obstacle that came their way. Gloriana, Lola's manager, is a grade-A gaslighter and I felt like Laurens did such a good job showing how others see her compared to Lola. The side characters were also such a pleasure! I loved Lola's friend group and I could have read a whole book about the friends. Everyone felt so real and I just adored every moment of this!

I will definitely be recommending this to our queer student organization and to all of my Sapphic reader patrons when this releases.