Came across an odd sentence in the Harlequin Presents I'm reading for the #TBRChallenge . It says the heroine's dress makes her look "very feminine, but hid none of her curves."

Might just be a careless way of writing but it implies that the "femininity" of the dress comes from an air of modesty and that demonstrating you have curves is generally considered unfeminine. Unless you do it just right.

Weird.

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#WhatchaReading ? I'm halfway through Behind These Doors, a queer historical (with some polyamory) involving class issues and women's suffrage. One main character is a "nob," the other a reporter who was raised "above his station" and feels like neither fish nor fowl. It was edited by K.J. Charles so you know it's good. :-)

On KU, supposed to be part of a series but I think there's only the one so far.

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#WhatchaReading ? I found Level Up by Cathy Yardley a bit of a slog. She's reworked some of the same themes (career vs love, introversion vs isolation) in later books more successfully, and the geeky elements feel more authentic in her later books too, IMO. (Though perhaps that's just because game design isn't my thing.) Also needed some editing. Not sure I'll continue this series.

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#WhatchaReading ? I read The Wedding Dress by Mary Burchell, one of the follow-ups to Under the Stars of Paris and inevitably a bit meh in comparison. The great design house setting is fun but the romantic relationship seems largely based on Daddy Issues.

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Ooo, I saw Alexis Hall's newsletter just in time to buy the new edition of Glitterland for $1.99. Sadly the sale expires in 50 minutes, so sorry I was not more on top of things.

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#WhatchaReading ? I liked Funny Story by Emily Henry enough to write a review, damn! 😂

https://willaful.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/funny-story-by-emily-henry/

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Been reading Forever My Girl by Heidi McLauchlin but giving up and deleting it because the MMC can't have a single thought about a woman that isn't misogynistic as hell. They all want him, they're all trying too hard, they all make him sick. He makes me sick.

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#WhatchaReading ? I was up all night 🥱 finishing You Should Be So Lucky. Amazingly, it's somehow not a letdown after the gorgeousness of We Could Be So Good.

The themes are around living an authentic life in a highly closeted time, and it's complex and believable. There are tropes too but not obnoxiously or pointlessly. And really well drawn, relatable characters. And pretty swoony romance too. 😂

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3 free months of #KindleUnlimited ! Seems to be international. Works for returning subscribers but not current. Link in the link.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/1cnzoii/free_3_months_kindle_unlimited/

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#WhatchaReading ? Wow, the bleak moment in The Breakup Lists was even worse than I expected, though actually worked really well with the story arc. I found it overall a good read, though too repetitious and with a bit of a deus ex machina ending; I would've like to see the main character really pursue what he wanted.

Has what seems like very good #deaf representation, is very #queer , and very geeky about high school theater. And a sweet romance.

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I finally finished a book, thank Maude! After almost DNF'ing Wildfire because it seemed too similar to Icebreaker, I gave it another shot and wound up liking it considerably more than the first book. The characters are sweet and relatable, and the summer camp setting is cozy. Even the inevitable references to the romance genre were less annoying here, because the heroine actually learned something from her reading. 😂

#WhatchaReading ?

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Friends, #WhatchaReading ? I finished The Other Side of Disappearing and think it'll be one of my top romances of the year. I loved the plotting, the richness of the themes and the really satisfying way things came together in the end.

Also read The Brunellesci Baby because what's a vacation without a Harlequin Presents? It's a pretty good one, tropey but with some individuality.

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