Hey lovely people reading this!! Today I’m going review another queer book I read – If We Meet Again. I’d like to thank the author for sending me the eARC in exchange of an honest review. My review is free from all bias and my honest take on the book.
Book: If We Meet Again
Author: Nicole Spencer-Skillen
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance
Pages: 324 pages
Publishing Date: 23 November, 2021
Content Warnings: Alcohol
Representation: Lesbian MC and side characters
Twenty-five-year-old Ashley is an aspiring writer living in New York City. A recent lack of inspiration leads to doubt in her ability. She can’t envision a career outside of the bar she works in or any possible way to become unstuck from the cycle that consumes her.
But then, an overdue evening out with her two best friends leads to a surreal experience.
When she meets Megan, the energy in the room is enough to captivate Ashley—the infectious smiles that pass between them are electrifying. Smiles that, for a brief moment, make even Ashley—a true cynic—believe in fate.
The beautiful, sweet and mesmerising Megan is a Stanford graduate with one goal—to play basketball in the WNBA. She shares with Ashley a story about unfaltering love that’s compelled by the force of fate—a story about her grandmother, Nancy. It ultimately becomes the catalyst for their future relationship and the inspiration Ashley’s been looking for.
To Ashley, the word destiny has never been anything more than a crossword clue found in the NY Times, but she can’t deny the transcendent depth of their connection as an unseen force keeps pulling them back together. The question is—will it be enough?
If We Meet Again is heartfelt, romantic and utterly relatable. It’s a celebration of friendship and love, but more than that, it makes you recognise that you don’t find love, it finds you.
My Review
If We Meet Again is a romance between Ashley and Megan, but we get a very little part with the romance and most of it just revolves around Ashley’s life, which I didn’t quite like. I was craving that sapphic love this book promised but I couldn’t find it anywhere. The plot was interesting but could’ve been executed more nicely and had room for development.
When I started, the characters that kept coming in were all introduced in a rush with unnecessary details, it made them very uninteresting and left no curiosity in me as to find out who they were. Not to say, the characters were half-developed and had a lot of empty spaces left. When we’re introduced to the main character Ashley, it feels more like she’s giving her tinder bio rather than talking bits and pieces about herself.
The romance seemed like it was planned such that it leaves the reader yearning for more and yet it didn’t invoke any of such feelings in me. The chemistry between Ashley and Megan wasn’t visible to me and the fact that they felt something for each other was only through the constant mentions of how much they missed each other.
The book was well-paced but left me confused at times as to how it covered such a huge time frame and the dialogues between the characters were long and covered pages when I was clueless to who was saying what. Overall, it was an okayish read and I expect the sequel to be better after the anticlimactic ending of this first book.
About The Author
Retail store manager by day, writer by night. Nicole Spencer-Skillen is the author of romance novels Choose Me and Are You Still Mine.
Nicole is 28 years old and resides in Rotherham, England. She has spent the last decade recreationally writing LGBT novels. When she isn’t writing you will find her travelling the world with her Wife, keeping fit or relaxing at home with her two dogs.
Nicole believes her writing to be real, honest and modern. Her main aim is to appeal to an audience that is looking for inspiration, an audience that wants to see themselves in a book and be able to resonate with the characters and the realness of them.
Fun facts about Nicole, if she could live anywhere it would be New York City, USA. Her favourite book is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks of which she proudly owns a first edition. Her favourite sport is Basketball and she has one quote to live by,
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
If you want to get to know her more, follow her on Instagram @nss_writings
Connect with the Author: Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
The Written Journey 