I've wanted to read this book for some time now because I love Avon Gale's writing and how effortlessly diverse her books are. So, I guess I did go into this one with lot of expectations and the rating is also quite high on Goodreads.. and that's why I was quite sad to be disappointed.

This book is basically about Sawyer finding the courage to follow her dreams, discovering her sexuality and being honest with herself. There is an instanct connection between her and Vix which quickly develops into more and I loved how cute they were together. They had some very open conversations about their sexualities, about Vix being bisexual and how that makes people perceive her in a different light, what they expected from each other in and out of bed; and I really liked that about them. But suddenly when it was time for them to talk about the future of their relationship or the band and their feelings were each other, they completely shut off and make assumptions about each other and all of this no communication leads to a lot of misery and it just bugged me.

The conversations about bisexuality and lesbians and how they are incorrectly judged and perceived were quite interesting to read about. I also loved how Sawyer's coming out was just accepted and not made a big deal out of. The other band members are also diverse but it felt like tokenism to me, because they are never really fleshed out. Except a few funny incidents, we don't really get to know Kit or Connor a lot and Jeff is just that long time best friend and ex of Vix. I would have loved to know more about the band dynamics and how they worked together.

Overall, this was a fun f/f romance and can be a good one time read. But I just felt it was missing a spark and I just couldn't connect to their relationship. I felt like Sawyer and Vix would make good friends but I didn't get the intense love connection between them. I guess I was just expecting more. ( )

I love a good band romance. The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is not your typical band romance. First of all, the two main characters are both female. Usually we get love 'em and leave 'em until they meet the one tales of redemption. Sawyer Bell starts out as a friendship that develops into so much more. Vix and Sawyer are the two leads here. Vix has been in a band forever and Sawyer is trying to figure out what life has to offer outside of her sheltered Julliard life. Taking place over the course of the band's tour, we watch as Vix and Sawyer become friends who make each other better people. That friendship takes a turn to romance one night and neither of the women is expecting it. What I loved about the relationship was the honest to god friendship these two women had and how they were both written as strong yet vulnerable people.

Another aspect of the story I loved was the commentary on society's expectations of women, especially bisexual women and women who like sex. Avon Gale is a completely new to me author and I want more. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to see what's next.

*I received a copy of the book for free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a review. Many many thanks. ( )

A sweet, funny coming-of-age story perfect for music fans. I especially enjoyed the frank, chatty love scenes, a great supporting cast with characters of different sexualities, and interpersonal drama beyond the coming-out frame. ( )

This book was first released by Riptide in 2017. I didn’t read it at the time but according to Carina Press, no significant changes have been made to the text.

Sawyer’s dream has always been to study the violin at Juilliard, but after three years there, she’s finally ready to admit it’s not all she thought it would be. She’s under so much stress that she’s worried she doesn’t like playing anymore. So she wants to try something new. When she auditions to go on tour with Americana band Victoria Vincent, Vix and her bandmates can’t believe their luck. Sawyer is talented and sweet and gets on really well with all of them. She’s also coming to terms with the idea that maybe she’s a lesbian. In good news, Vix is bi and both think the other is hot and their friendship morphs into some sort of summer fling and then of course into something more.

One of the things I loved the most was the banter between Vix and Sawyer, including in sex scenes (which are totally hot), and how Vix falls in love with Sawyer mostly because she’s having so much fun with her.

This is such a feel-good novel that I think I smiled almost the whole time, and I might have laughed aloud when at some point Sawyer summarizes it as « Fingerblasting and Fiddles: What I Did on My Summer Vacation ». It’s sweet and sexy (except cigarettes. Cigarettes are not sexy) and mostly happy.

One last thing, I love that this is published by a division of Harlequin. While I’m very attached to lesbian publishers, where I feel at home and know what I’m buying, making books about wlw accessible to a larger audience is always good news.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

4.5 stars

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Yes, I know I’m super late to this party, but the book is getting re-released so it counts, okay?

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a wonderful F/F New Adult romance between two girls who just really love music. Although Vix has hookups and I know some people might find this bad rep, but it is made clear on several occasions that this is not because of her bisexuality. Personally, I loved the bi rep, and I especially loved that while there were some ignorant comments, they were all addressed and dealt with.

Meanwhile, Sawyer is just realising that she is a lesbian, while also figuring out that her prestigious, super competitive school is not making her happy. This was so important and nice to see, because often what you dream of and really want to achieve can turn out to be bad for you as well. Just like Sawyer, you need to recognise it and walk away.

Vix and Sawyer go from hooking up to falling in love. The book has a lot of sex scenes, but even as a sex-repulsed person I wasn’t as bothered as I usually am, because the sex scenes were full of consent, dialogue, jokes, and just generally felt like two real people who really like each other wanting to please the other.

There was also a side friendship between a bi girl and a bi guy, which is one of my favourite dynamics and I really need more of it. If you have any books like this, recommend them in the comments, please!

My only complaints are that 1) there was a brief comment where Sawyer is worried that if Vix can’t get her off then she is “defective”, which sounded pretty anti-ace to me, 2) while Sawyer’s jealousy is addressed, I felt like it wasn’t REALLY addressed that biphobia contributed to it. Like, it was kind of brought up but I still found it lacking?

Still, there was a lot of addressing of stereotypes, communication and consent, and despite some arguments this is still mainly a lighthearted and music-filled romance. ( )