Greta gets the girl

Hidden identities and complicated pasts animate this steamy but circuitous sapphic romance from bestseller Marr, a follow-up to Toni & Addie Go Viral. Romantasy writer Kaelee Carpenter wants to focus on her career over her relationships, but seeks stress relief and physical affection on an elite, members-only, hookup app, where she uses a fake name. Greta Clayborne, the editor who recently acquired Kaelee's debut--and whom she has never met in person--is still healing from a broken engagement when she joins the same app, also with a fake name, prioritizing her independence and privacy with vetted one-night stands. Without discovering their professional entanglement, the women embark on a high-heat affair that immediately has both questioning their insistence on keeping things casual. When their connection is revealed and the two work together to save Kaelee's book from her estranged family's attacks, they're forced to choose between salvaging their professional relationship or giving in to the undeniable chemistry. The pacing of their romance feels off, with little buildup followed by a tedious, drawn out will-they/won't-they. The ample sex scenes are the real draw, as the characters build trust, explore, and indulge in over-the-top dirty talk. Readers in it solely for the spice will be pleased, but others will be frustrated. (Jan.)

Two strangers who hook up for sex discover they have a professional connection. Kaelee "Lee" Carpenter and Greta "Marie" Clayborne meet up via a subscription-only app for queer women, each planning on just a night of anonymous sex. That one night becomes more when the two establish a deeper connection that goes beyond casual desire. Even though Greta has been afraid to trust another woman since her fiancée cheated on her, Kaelee makes her want to try again. Kaelee, meanwhile, has also avoided relationships, having seen the toxicity of her far-right-leaning parents' marriage and suffered sexual assault at the hands of the man to whom they forcibly betrothed her. Having fled that wealthy, conservative world, she's now a graduate student who uses coursework, a fledgling writing career, and gym workouts to keep true intimacy at bay. But their fiery situationship-turned-romance comes to an abrupt halt when they meet unexpectedly at Greta's publishing house--because Kaelee is the reclusive new novelist whose debut work Greta is set to launch. An editor can't be in a sexual relationship with her author. So what are the lovers to do? Now the two women have to come to terms with their personal histories and emotional scars and negotiate their public lives as well. Told through alternating point-of-view chapters, the story balances sizzling scenes of explicit sex with high-stakes issues of professional ethics as well as threats to queer life and love. Despite the piling-on of obstacles, the characters are fleshed out well enough to get readers to root for them. An ensemble cast, some of whom were introduced inToni and Addie Go Viral (2025), provide a found family that supports the couple as they navigate a fraught path to happily-ever-after. A Sapphic romance that offers the right combination of lust, laughter, and longing. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.