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Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating–no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.
But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).
When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.
Mini-Review...
Alice was very relatable, with her sense of humor, her internal thoughts/dialogue, her enthusiasm for pop culture, and her struggles with trying to figure out how to adult.
This was the first time I ever read a romance where the main character is a Biromantic Asexual, and finally getting to read a romance with a heroine that’s Ace like me made me emotional.
I loved Alice’s “Cutie code” where she measures how cute everything is. I think that this was such a good way to describe aesthetic attraction and how Aces can notice how attractive a person is but not be attracted to them.
Takumi was such a CINNAMON ROLL! He was such a kindhearted and genuine person, so many things he said and did were definitely swoon-worthy. He had golden retriever energy and I love male love interests with that type of vibe.
Fennie and Ryan were definitely frustrating at times. But I think their complicated friendship made sense cause friendships do change as you get older. But I do like that this book shows that friends don’t always see eye to eye but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.
Trigger Warning for Aphobia/Amisia: What I didn’t think was okay was how Fennie wanted Alice to do a test by sleeping with Takumi and seeing if she feels differently about sex afterwards. Fennie said that she might be greysexual instead of asexual, but that just came off as her wanting Alice to be “fixed” by sleeping with someone she was romantically attracted to. WHICH IS NOT HOW ASEXUALITY WORKS!!! Alice’s character did show some frustration but I don’t think she called Fennie out for it.
Some Quotes that were Relatable for my Ace self...
Claire Kann is the author of several novels and an award-winning online storyteller. In her other life she works for a non-profit you may have heard of where she daydreams like she’s paid to do it. She loves cats and is obsessed with horror media (which makes the whole being known for writing contemporary love stories a little weird, tbh).
She is represented by Carrie Pestritto of Laura Dail Literary Agency.
Check out Kann’s Author Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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So that was my simple mini-review of Kann’s novel, Let’s Talk About Love, along with some of my favorite quotes. If you have read this book, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
