Review also posted to my blog.


Feminist Lit Feb: an #ownvoices book about an experience other than your own, a book by a female/non-binary/genderfluid black author


content warnings: violence, loss of a loved one, cancer, past domestic abuse and lack of consent in sexual situations, gaslighting, ableism, racism, misogyny, slut-shaming
representation: fat black autistic protagonist, interracial main relationship, black main characters


“Feelings weren’t as straight forward and binary as he’d once assumed; around Ruth, he could feel fifty things at once.”


Wow, can y’all believe that Talia Hibbert invented writing romance. This is my second book of hers that I’ve read and honestly, I think this might be some of the best romance I’ve ever read. God bless whoever decided to put Merry Inkmas on Amazon for free last year because it’s introduced me to a writer I have now sold my soul to.

(Quick side note, Talia Hibbert is also just an adorable human being who I love. I’m on her VIP list which means that I get regular e-mails from her about new stuff she’s working on and she’s so lovely, 10/10 would recommend.)

Now that my gushing over Talia Hibbert is over, here’s my actual review! This is the first in a trilogy and follows Ruth and Evan. Ruth is a recluse who is known as the “town Jezebel” for reasons unknown at the beginning of the novel and Evan is her new next-door neighbour who for some reason finds her prickly exterior endearing. Romance ensues.

And god, it was great romance. Talia Hibbert is so good at writing characters that aren’t perfect but are still so goddamn likeable, not to mention the fantastic chemistry that her characters always have. Ruth and Evan’s dynamic is great and I love how they balance each other out in different ways (also the fact that they first bond over reading comics and eating food is amazing).

Also, the fact that this is a sexy romance #ownvoices novel about a fat black autistic woman?? ICONIC.

The steamy scenes were amazing, which is good because those scenes can make or break a romance book. I loved that it wasn’t that the thing didn’t happen where characters’ personalities disappear during sex; Ruth and Evan’s characters are still very present, even when they’re in the throes of passion. The sex scenes were also extremely… comfortable? I can’t think of a better way to explain it. The characters always felt like they were having a genuinely enjoyable time, which sounds weird because you would assume that would be the norm but it’s not really. I don’t know if I’m explaining this well, but I really liked the sexy scenes, they were great!

Aside from the romantic aspects of this book, the sister relationship in this was also amazing. Ruth and her sister, Hannah, are very different people in most regards, but are far too similar when it comes to stubbornness and ferocity. They love each other to the ends of the earth but are oftentimes exasperated with the other, and seeing their relationship grow and develop over the course of the novel was fantastic. (And finding out what Hannah did for Ruth towards the end of the novel… wow, that added at least five years to my lifespan).

Moving onto a heavier topic, I really liked how domestic violence was portrayed in this book. It’s all in the past and there are no physical descriptions of it but it is a very heavy presence in the book. I loved that it portrayed abuse as not necessarily a noticeable, physical thing; sometimes it’s so subtle that the person being abused doesn’t realise the impact of what their partner is doing until much later. I also loved that the abuser is in no way redeemable in this book, but it still shows how he has charmed the rest of the town. Talia Hibbert has also confirmed that there’s not a chance in hell that piece of shit is ever going to be shown in a positive light, and nothing makes me happier.

This is an amazing steamy adult romance novel that is both extremely fun and deals with more serious topics, which is my favourite super specific sub-genre of adult romance. If you haven’t read any Talia Hibbert, I would highly recommend picking this up because it was fantastic!