Books like How Sweet It Is

I listened to this book, so it helped that it had a great narrator in Melissa Moran. Since I usually listen to books before bed, you can understand that finding a good book that makes me laugh probably wouldn’t help me get much sleep, and this is one of those books. The story is a fake romance, which is a trope in this genre that everyone seems to love. Lacey is dry and sarcastic, which is my favorite kind of character, and it takes place on a TV show set, so if you’re into celebrities and Hollywood romances like my Celebrities Series, this one is for you. I’ve probably listened to this book at least 5 times already. 

As Lucy Bexley herself would say “Puppet Sex Jokes.” I recommend this book because the main character works on a children’s TV show and has a puppet named Fangley. There are jokes about the puppet swinging lifestyle, and pranks in the office, but it’s also about two people from opposite sides of the proverbial tracks falling in love and delivering a positive message to the future of the world (children). You’ll laugh at the jokes, but stay for the romance.

This was my first Haley Cass novel, and what I liked about it is that because it’s a longer book, which some authors shy away from writing to hit that reader attention sweet spot, Haley uses the length to tell the whole story of a friends with benefits relationship between two women that if often lighthearted and funny with one of them having no clue how to be with a woman romantically and the other who’s sort of an expert. You’ll also find heart in this story of them growing together and realizing their perfect for one another. The side characters help bring the funny to this book. So, come for the main character and stay for the side characters too.

About a single mom with a little boy that’s finally looking to put herself back out there and the babysitter she falls for, there’s a lot to love about this book. I’ve reread it at least 3 times and will do so again soon. There are jokes about the blind dates that Elena’s best friend sets her up on and nearly all of those dates don’t go well. There’s popcorn with candy mixed in, accidents with flying perfume bottles, and more to laugh at while the poor college student who isn’t sure she’s worthy of Elena Vega's character and Elena herself fall in love. 

When I was writing my first mystery series, I knew very little about the history of the lesbian detective novel. Because I wanted to work within the genre’s boundaries, I spent almost as much time researching it as writing. With the 2022 publication of The Lesbian Detective Novel, Megan Casey has made this task way easier for future lesbian mystery authors. She lists over 1,000 titles along with their creators and adds a few pertinent notes about each book or series. When you finish my first four picks and are looking for other lesbian mysteries to enjoy, this is the book to have by your bedside. I certainly have it beside mine.

I have to admit I am not a fan of soccer. I know this means a lot of folks will vote to remove my sapphic author card for saying so publicly, but I only do so to drive home the point of how rare it is for me to get caught up in a soccer story. I really only agreed to blurb this book because I’ve known Jane for a long time and I wanted to help her with her debut novel, but once I got started, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are rich and dynamic, and the story is so much more than the standard competition narrative. I don’t want to give it away, but this one really got me on a deeper level than I expected. 

I love this book for its humour, magical qualities, deceptively simple language, and the way it weaves together Hindu and Western ideas of transformation.

I have taught it in many different types of classes and my students also loved its unique portrait of the artist as a young Indian woman, a lesbian living in the West. It was a great way to introduce them to India. I am an admirer of Suniti Namjoshi, and this is my favourite among her works.

This is one of my favorite romances of all time, and while it’s not a novel about a competitive sport, I think it’s important to note sports can provide so much more than “winning” narratives. In this book, a group of women whitewater kayak through Alaska, and they use their outdoor sporting skills for a wonderful adventure wrapped around a sexy romance that still gives me all the heart feels even after having read it at least ten times. I love literally everything about this book, from the beautiful settings to the character development to the action scenes. Ten out of ten for Kim Baldwin.

For a more romance-driven option, Safety Protocols for Human Holidays is a sweet winter holiday-themed novella, wherein Raskli, an alien security officer, is asked to check in on human Jen, who is exhibiting odd behavior. Jen is the only human on the ship and is depressed, and it is up to Raskli and the rest of the ragtag crew to sort out how to cheer her up. Perhaps a holiday! But what human holiday to pick? 

This book is straight-up joyful fluff. Yes, it’s in space, and yes, the pairing is sapphic, but it’s also a cute human/alien romance. No stress on this read, and no heavy thinking. Just, well, kissing. And antics. And Christmas.

Unemployed lawyer, Nick, gets offered the chance to make quick bucks in the car repo business. With her repo partner, Frankie, she sets off across North Carolina on a series of zany (and dangerous) jobs to recover the cars. The jobs get more and more bizarre, the characters they meet are loveable and eccentric, and, despite not liking each other much in the beginning, along the way Nick and Frankie fall for each other.

Mixed in with the humour (and there are a lot of zingy one-liners, banter, and snort-coffee moments) are racial and small-town issues that give depth to an otherwise light-hearted story.

If you like novels with big heart, larger-than-life characters (including the cat, Carol Jenkins), an action movie feel at times and a banter-filled developing romance at others, this book will delight you.