Malmö, Sweden, 1996
Sofie Andersson is a dyslectic born under the star sign Aries, who drives the local buses for a living. Her hobbies include knitting terrible hats and intermittent lesbianism. This December she is on the point of moving into her first flat of her own, figuring out her place in the world, when an instant attraction to a handsome stranger leads her to question everything she’s taken for granted.
Review:
I picked up this story because it’s from a LGBTQIA+ publisher that I love and because it’s an f/nb romance. How often do you see that? It’s a short story so I won’t say much beyond the blurb.
The good:
- The author is LGBTQIA+, and I think this is the first romance I’ve read with an intersex protagonist.
- Roz is misgendered often, being addressed as he when they use they/them pronouns, but it’s usually corrected quickly on the page.
- The story is set in Sweden in 1996, something I haven’t seen before.
The not-so-good:
- The writing and plot are confusing. We’re introduced to lots of people quickly and given the barest of connections between them – mother, best friend, older sister.
- Some past events are alluded to but glossed over. It turns out this is the second in a series but I didn’t realize that until after I finished.
- Little attention is paid to the where. Conversations feel like they’re floating, not anchored to a space. I started assuming location – the best friend is a fellow bus driver, so they must be at the depot, I guess. And so on.
- The conflict, which revolves around Roz having to go back to America at the end of the semester, is sloppily handled.
A quick read thanks to its length, and I love seeing a f/nb relationship on the page, but it could have been much better.
Thanks to Nine Star Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy.
Always Doing 