When Katie Met Cassidy

DNF @ page 6

goodreads reviews warned me about the terrible stereotyping but i didnt think this book was gonna open with “she must be a lesbian because she looks like a man”

jail. straight to jail.

Surprisingly funny! Kentucky mentioned. You gotta keep in mind that the homophobic stuff is from the perspective of a Good Christian Straight Person who was raised that way and you gotta be open to them changing (bc they do).

Do lesbians deserve fluffy romcom novels? Yes! Does this one suck? Also yes. 
I was disappointed in the emotional depth taking a good two thirds of the book to appear. I can't say I liked Katie or Cassidy - I think I actually liked the background characters better. They were both so flat and obviously serving the purpose of their archetype. There weren't surprises or complexities or reasons to root for them. 
I think this would be an amazing movie, and that's part of its failing as a book. I can imagine two great actresses giving an emotional life to their parts, and making grating events of the story something funny or sad or meaningful at all. But on its own, I'm just disappointed. 
I would still recommend this, honestly! It is what it is: something fun and light to enjoy without thinking too hard. Unfortunately, thinking too hard is my life's work. I hope someone else can pick this up and love it. 

This book obviously has some issues, as other reviewers have stated. Bi erasure, underdeveloped characters, Katie constantly comparing Cassidy to a man.... but this was fluffy and an easy feel good read if you don't think too hard.

Fun and romantic read

2.5 stars. This was fast and fluffy, and I actually liked Katie. But there isn't much nuance here. Apparently, no character in this comprehends the existence of bi people. They're all very harsh about Katie's confusion. The lesbians are all...lesbros and make some uncomfortable comments about women, especially femmes. This is fun enough, but it's all a bit rushed, and the characters aren't very well-rounded. So this was a fun, if mediocre start to my reading year.

2.75 stars Oh-kay. I have a lot of things to say about this book (and you bet I will use Katie Cassidy gifs, I just have to). When I first came across it, I was super excited because there aren't a lot of f/f romances for adult out there and it was published by a big house which rarely happen. I had hopes!But damn, this book was a major disappointment (though I have to say that second half was better). This novel is full of stereotypes, the characters are flat and cliché and there's barely any development/growth, and the romance unfolds at the fucking speed of light. I had to suspend my disbelief in several occasions. I'm kinda shocked this is an own-voice novel because to me it reads like it's been written by a straight person, for straight people...Here are a few sentences that had me cringe so bad.“She had to be a lesbian. Which, after the weekend Katie had had, seemed so much easier than being straight.”“She would make an attractive woman if she'd grow her hair out and change into a more feminine suit like Katie's.”“Cassidy thought, Yes, because women were so much easier to intimidate than men.”“According to her nametag, her name was Elizabeth, which struck Katie as an overtly feminine and queenly name for such a gender-neutral woman.”

3.5, 4? So hard to rate some books. Great to escape from current events by reading about successful lesbian lawyers in NYC falling in love. Also, written by a librarian. Write on, Camille.

Enjoyed reading this in one sitting by the pool, but altogether a bit thin and stereotypical. Utter lack of POC in this book, plus Katie being an America's sweetheart-type character felt very uninspired. Also, this should have been marketed under a romance imprint but I think given Perri's success with The Assistants, it was labeled under fiction. That being said, I'm glad to see more LGBTQ+ representation, even if I think the characters and plot could have used some depth.

This was one of my Book of the Month picks this month, so I got it a little early. It's a very quick read, and a sweet story. Basically, it's lesbian romance fluff. We need more fluff with non-heterosexual romances, so this is great stuff!

The book touches on gender issues - Cassidy is a woman, and seems happy to be so, but abhors feminine clothing and instead dresses solely in men's suits. (The scene with her fabulously gay tailor was an absolute delight!) She flashes back a little onto her childhood when she wasn't allowed to wear the clothing she felt best in. She also has a few conversations with Katie about gender roles. Katie is much more traditionally feminine, wearing dresses and heels and long hair.

I'm a little torn on whether I dislike the use of the trope “straight woman turned gay after breakup” or like the point that Katie isn't sure she likes women, but she knows she likes Cassidy. Cassidy's gender is secondary to her personality. And it's not like Katie decided to go hit on women after her fiance cheated on her; she got practically dragged to the lesbian bar by Cassidy, who saw how much she was hurting and decided to help her.

I enjoyed seeing that Cassidy has casual sex partners, many of them former sex partners, who are still good friends with her. Granted, she has lots of one-night stands who are upset with her since she's quite the player, but there are several women who she's been involved with before the book opens, who are close friends of hers and care about her future. I wish we saw more relationships like this in heterosexual romantic fiction instead of only in GLBT fiction! These kinds of relationships do exist in heterosexual groups, but it seems like romantic fiction is always divided between “heterosexual monogamy” and “everything else.” I did read an exception in Next Year, For Sure, but I greatly disliked the ending.

I really loved this book. It was sweet, and light-hearted, and a pleasant breath of fresh air from a lot of what I've been reading recently!

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.