Caffeine Not Needed

Review of French Pressed Love, by MC Hutson

This book has landed with mixed reviews. But I’ve learned very quickly that the books that get the most hype and love, often do not earn it. I think they get that love because they are simple reads that rely on tropes and very little character depth and a predicable plot.

The above is also why I tend to not read a lot of romance novels. Or if I do read them, I tend to DNF them, or getting easily bored or frustrated as they all tend to rely on grumpy sunshine and miscommunication tropes and sometimes fake dating with cliche stereotyped lesbians and bi girls.

But this one is different. The characters have layers. Not just shallow and trope filled layers. They are three dimensional and deep. They have scars and secrets that can’t be easily guessed at. And a lot of the modern sapphic books tend to be femme/femme. It was wonderful to see a book with a stud as the main character. And Jay does not read like a dude - she’s believable, because even though she’s a stud, she’s still a woman. Which in many books, you don’t get. As someone who is married to a soft butch, I love when masculine presenting women get portrayed, and you get to see their soft side. Masculinity doesn’t singularly define them, it’s merely an aspect of their presentation. And Jay’s soft side was endearing. I felt her pain. I felt her angst. I was rooting for her from the first page.

I’m typically a slow reader. I admittedly have ADHD which has been exacerbated by not only having a wife and kid, but a smartphone, and my own novels that I’m writing. But I literally devoured this book in less than a week, which is unheard of for me. I didn’t want to put it down. My screen time was below my weekly average because I just wanted to get to the part where they hooked up.

The romance and sapphic angst are real and hit hard. The relatability of it was beyond real. One scene in particular hit home for me as it brought me back to the time when my wife and I got together and I caught myself laughing out loud.

I found myself getting mad at Jay and Noemi and wanting to smack them both upside the head.

The spice is super hot. Like five alarm fire hot.

I love that there are surprise illustrations inserted in the book that were super adorable.

But honestly, beyond the spice and illustrations - I felt like I knew every single character personally. Finishing this book left me sad because I had to say goodbye to these wonderful people.

I give this book an easy five stars and though I’m not one to read a book more than once, I can see reaching for this as a comfort read.

I would love to see a sequel with Sara’s story! I want to see her find love now, too!