For as long as we’ve known you, you’ve beaten yourself up for not having a tingle at the end of sex. It’s eating you away. You are so much more than that. Don’t let it define who you are.
At twenty-eight Rebecca, does not enjoy sex. She has never been able to have that grand finale that everyone else seems to be able to achieve. Rebecca starts to wonder if she is broken when it comes to sex, a sentiment her ex-boyfriend echoes when he rolled out of her bed and her life one night. Rebecca is tired of feeling hopeless and lost when it comes to sex. So she decides to join a study for women who cannot “finish” it in the bedroom. The study is a little unconventional, and the no-sex rule is not a big deal for her, who would want to sleep with her anyway? Things become complicated for Rebecca when Kyle moves in across the hall. Sparks fly between these two instantly, but Rebecca can’t have an intimate relationship with him because of the study. She is also nervous that Kyle will learn about her bedroom problems and leave her. Rebecca is unsure what she should do. If she leaves the study, she will remain broken, but she may lose her chance at true love if she sticks with it.
The description of this book caught my attention. I have read lots of romance books, but none have focused on female intimacy issues, and I was interested in seeing how Paulette would deal with this issue. Rebecca doesn’t like sex; it’s been an uncomfortable, stressful, and unsatisfying experience for her. Her problems in the bedroom have negatively affected other aspects of her life and have made Rebecca feel unsure about her body. The book starts with Rebecca lying in bed; her now ex-boyfriend had just stormed off, saying that Rebecca is an “ice queen” and something must be wrong because she can’t “finish” it in bed. Rebecca is understandably heartbroken and confused. She doesn’t understand why she is so bad in bed and starts to believe that she is truly worthless and unlovable. The first few chapters were hard to read, Rebecca is really hard on herself, and you can feel her heartbreak and hopelessness through the pages.
Now don’t worry; the book is not all doom and gloom. Love, Only Better is really about Rebecca’s journey of learning about her own sexuality and finding her self-worth. As a reader, I enjoyed following Rebecca as she tried the medical study (which was a little sketchy in my eyes), talked to strangers, friends, and family about sex, and dove into the world of sex on the internet. I learned a lot from this book and loved how it shed light on some misconceptions when it comes to female sexuality.
The romance in this story centers around Rebecca and Kyle. Their relationship definitely has that insta love vibe. It was a bit unbelievable how quickly Kyle jumped into wanting to be intimate with Rebecca; they barely knew each other before they started locking lips. There are some cute moments between the two, and you can see that there is chemistry between them. Their relationship had a lot of ups and downs because both of them had issues that they needed to deal with
Paulette did a fantastic job at creating a fun, diverse cast of unique and interesting characters. Rebecca’s friends can be a bit pushy at times, but they mean well and let’s admit it, we all have that pushy friend who may drive us crazy at times, but we still love them.
This book takes place in New York, and Paulette did a fabulous job bringing the city that never sleeps to life. I loved those quintessential New York moments. Like when Rebecca was on the subway and couldn’t look anyone in the eyes because that wasn’t proper subway etiquette or trying to find that coveted piece of grass you can use for a picnic in Central Park.
Love, Only Better is a great romance book that explores female sexuality and has characters that you will fall in love with.
Thank you Media Goddess Inc. for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.
