So OBVIOUSLY I was intrigued by this book due to the title. I mean, it’s a play on the 50 Cent song right? Adolescent me loves it. Slightly older*cough, cough* me loves the cover, which is the reason I requested the ARC. Just look at that cover. Not your average romance book cover that’s for sure. Two women of color on the cover of a romance novel? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP!
This was a fun and easy read. Kenya, a talented and successful career woman becomes interested in two women: the first is a fun and attractive bartender and the other is a highly successful owner of a nightclub (as well as various other business). Kenya’s heart was broken by her previous girlfriend, a fun freeloader who cheated on her and almost ruined her financially. Understandably, she is nervous about dating someone new and is looking for someone who she doesn’t have to support financially. This pushes her to date Mackenzie, a very wealthy and sexy woman who has a wild dating history as well as a long history of infidelity. Kenya doesn’t allow herself to see Simone the bartender as a dating prospect because she assumes she is unsuccessful and unreliable.
I completely understood this. Who hasn’t had a bad break-up and went looking for someone who was the complete opposite of our previous partner? And I sure as hell don’t want to date someone who is a freeloader – someone I can’t count on. Kenya takes this to the extreme and shuts down (or attempts to at least) any romantic or sexual feelings she has towards Simone, even when it is SO OBVIOUS she wants her. EVERYONE knows it Kenya. Except for maybe Kenya herself.
One of the things that bothers me about romance novels is that so many of them don’t ever write about relationships that don’t work. Which sounds silly right? Obviously if you’re reading a romance novel, you’re expecting the couple to get together and stay that way. But I think that’s why I don’t read a lot of romance novels anymore (besides queer romance or romance with some fantasy or sci-fi thrown in), because they can be so boring and don’t feel realistic. I know we’re not always looking for realistic if we’re reading romance. OBVIOUSLY. But it is okay for authors to occasionally show us how difficult it can be to find someone that we connect with (aside from having your MC make a joke or comment about previous relationships). This novel definitely does that. And I gotta say I didn’t love that aspect as much as I thought I would. (I know. Wasn’t I just complaining about the lack of failed relationships in these books? I feel a little like Anjelica Schuyler – “I can never be satisfiedddddd”) My issue is that I didn’t really feel their relationship to begin with – I didn’t love Mackenzie and it was pretty obvious how manipulative she was being with Kenya. Was it only manipulative to me because we get more information from the reader? Or because Kenya was obviously dazzled by her and that tends to cloud our judgement? Maybe. That’s probably the case in this situation but I still didn’t love it. I am personally attracted to powerful women and women who take charge, but I couldn’t see the appeal of her after she started pulling her small manipulations of Kenya.
I wish the story would have focused more on the relationship between Kenya and Simone. I guess that is the trade-off when you have an author who writes their MC in multiple relationships during one book – there is less time to spend on the happy, sweet relationship. I did enjoy the multiple POVs throughout the story – we got to see Kenya and Simone fall for each other which was very cute.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. A very realistic and cute romance between two awesome ladies with great friendships and complicated families thrown in.
4 stars!
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Sapphire Books Publishing and the author! Here is a link to the Goodreads page and Amazon page. The book is out on November 15th! **
Rez Girl Reads 