*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: When You Smile
Author: Melissa Brayden
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Romance
Rating: ★★★★
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)
Have you ever had a crush on
your babysitter? Taryn Ross sure did. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte was
sophisticated, thoughtful, gorgeous, and fun. Taryn counted the minutes until
they’d hang out. But Charlotte and her family moved away.
Now a transfer student at
Hillspoint University, Taryn is ready to officially come out when she runs into
a familiar face at a party. Charlie, now a grad student, insists on walking a
drunk Taryn home. To the detriment of Taryn’s heart (and libido), Charlie has
only grown kinder (and hotter) with time.
Charlie Adler has a five-year
plan: finish her MFA without any hiccups, figure out a timeline for her
engagement, and become an acclaimed fiction writer. Easy, right? That is until
Taryn shows up at Hillspoint and shakes up her world like a snow globe. This
Taryn is different: soulful, brooding, and all grown up. Charlie’s never been
attracted to a woman before, and isn’t dating your one-time charge against the
rules? If only their toe-curling, mind-dulling, body-aching chemistry would
calm the hell down.
When You Smile is
the latest sapphic romance novel from author Melissa Brayden. This was my first
time reading anything from the author but I was very quickly hooked into the
story and fell completely in love with both Charlie and Taryn.
Charlie and Taryn
were an adorable couple who totally captured my heart and their romantic scenes
had me smiling from ear to ear. The strong communication and openness between
the two of them was also brilliant to see portrayed within romantic fiction.
Both Charlie and
Taryn were wonderful quirky protagonists. Despite the age gap they were both
mature and it was great to see their passions (writing and photography
respectively) explored within the story too. The portrayal of Charlie’s grief
following the loss of her mother, who was a single parent, was a particular strength
of the book. The side characters were also a highlight for me, particularly Caz
and Sasha who were absolutely hilarious. I also loved Taryn’s parents and the
way they instantly welcomed Charlie in like she was one of their own, giving her
the family she had missed since the death of her mother.
This was a great
book to read in Pride month as it focuses on Charlie’s sexuality awakening when
she finds herself attracted to a woman for the first time. It really felt like
this topic was generally handled with care and I liked the fact that Charlie
and Taryn took their relationship slowly. Taryn had already come out as a
lesbian prior to the start of the story but she was also inexperienced in WLW
relationships which created a nice dynamic between the two of them. When we got
to them, the spicy scenes were also well written and felt really realistic,
especially for inexperienced characters, which I really loved.
I will say that I
would have liked a little more exploration into Charlie’s sexuality as it felt
like it went from ‘I was straight and now I’m a lesbian’, which is ultimately bisexual
erasure and my pet-hate in books exploring sexuality awakening.
When You Smile
was an easy five star book for me until the final quarter or so of the book. There
was a third act breakup which did feel misaligned with the rest of the book and
the relationship Taryn and Charlie had. Miscommunication and not working issues
out like adults didn’t feel true to the characters we knew Taryn and Charlie to
be so the choice to add conflict in this way didn’t sit right with me. I also didn’t
like the direction they took Danny’s mum in either, it didn’t fit the tone of
the rest of the story and felt like a poor attempt to add a bit of angst to the
plot. All of this reduced the book to a four star for me but it doesn’t take
away from the many strengths of the rest of the book.
Overall, When You
Smile is a sweet and easy sapphic romance. It was my first Melissa Brayden read
but won’t be my last.
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