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sleepysamreads's review
4.0
You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Man I loved this book so much. It's hard for me to find f/f adult books that are good and not only a straight man's wet dream. This was very clearly written by a queer woman. I also loved how you could tell that she had experience with the foster care system.
Other things I really loved about this book:
-Woman of color main character!!! Val is Puerto Rican and she mentions lots of little customs to do with her culture.
-So many lesbians omg. A book where the queer characters actually have queer friends? Yes! Irl us queers stick together and for some reasons authors tend to forget that.
-The story revolves around children and the foster system.
I loved that there was children in this book. I feel like they always add so much character to adult books and it truly made me love this book.
There's only a couple things that I wish we would have gotten more information about:
-Val's brother. I wish we could have found out if she ever found him and what ever became of him.
-What caused Val's recurring nightmares. The other kind of glossed over that.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I hope all the queer girls out there looking for a cute romantic read picks it up!!
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide mention, Rape mention, Drug Abuse mention
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Man I loved this book so much. It's hard for me to find f/f adult books that are good and not only a straight man's wet dream. This was very clearly written by a queer woman. I also loved how you could tell that she had experience with the foster care system.
Other things I really loved about this book:
-Woman of color main character!!! Val is Puerto Rican and she mentions lots of little customs to do with her culture.
-So many lesbians omg. A book where the queer characters actually have queer friends? Yes! Irl us queers stick together and for some reasons authors tend to forget that.
-The story revolves around children and the foster system.
I loved that there was children in this book. I feel like they always add so much character to adult books and it truly made me love this book.
There's only a couple things that I wish we would have gotten more information about:
-Val's brother. I wish we could have found out if she ever found him and what ever became of him.
-What caused Val's recurring nightmares. The other kind of glossed over that.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I hope all the queer girls out there looking for a cute romantic read picks it up!!
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide mention, Rape mention, Drug Abuse mention
brwneydgrl5's review
4.0
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely adored this book. I laughed and I cried, A LOT. There were points in the book where I was literally sobbing. Both of the main characters were fantastic and had great chemistry. The secondary characters were just as good. I found myself having great empathy for Val and really sympathizing with her. At around 80% into the book I was certain that the book would not have the ending that I wanted, but the ending was perfect and there was only one part of the epilogue that I wish was a little more in depth. I would definitely read this author again.
Absolutely adored this book. I laughed and I cried, A LOT. There were points in the book where I was literally sobbing. Both of the main characters were fantastic and had great chemistry. The secondary characters were just as good. I found myself having great empathy for Val and really sympathizing with her. At around 80% into the book I was certain that the book would not have the ending that I wanted, but the ending was perfect and there was only one part of the epilogue that I wish was a little more in depth. I would definitely read this author again.
evilchachouuu76's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
librarylady10's review
4.0
Valerie Cruz is a children's librarian and former foster child who decides to become a foster parent in order to help children who are in the same kind of situation that she was in as a child. Paige Wellington is a social worker who helps to run the foster parent training sessions and is herself a foster/adoptive mother. When the two meet, there is an immediate attraction, but the situation quickly becomes complicated when Valerie receives her first foster placement and Paige is the social worker assigned to her case.
This book's plot was pretty predictable, but the author was very good at making the emotions of the characters feel real and making you care about what happened to each of them. I cried a good bit during certain parts of the story. The main characters, including Val's foster children and Paige's daughter, were both complicated and endearing. The secondary characters, including Val's former caseworker and Paige's current coworker, Connie, Val's best friend Sasha, and Paige's coworker Joe, were all well drawn and added to the story in their own way.
I liked that the author did not shy away from the difficulties in the foster care system, showed characters accessing mental health care, showcased a woman of color as a main character, and included the children's point of view, not using them as mere props in the story.
Overall, this was a predictable romance, but an enjoyable and emotional read.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
This book's plot was pretty predictable, but the author was very good at making the emotions of the characters feel real and making you care about what happened to each of them. I cried a good bit during certain parts of the story. The main characters, including Val's foster children and Paige's daughter, were both complicated and endearing. The secondary characters, including Val's former caseworker and Paige's current coworker, Connie, Val's best friend Sasha, and Paige's coworker Joe, were all well drawn and added to the story in their own way.
I liked that the author did not shy away from the difficulties in the foster care system, showed characters accessing mental health care, showcased a woman of color as a main character, and included the children's point of view, not using them as mere props in the story.
Overall, this was a predictable romance, but an enjoyable and emotional read.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
the_bookish_owl's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Child abuse
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Death of parent
heabooknerd's review
2.0
I struggled a lot with TAKING CHANCES because while I enjoyed it as a story I think it failed as a romance. Everything starts with Val signing up for a class to become a foster parent and meeting Paige Wellington, a social worker, who stirs an attraction in Val that she wants nothing to do with. Both Paige and Val have been hurt by past relationships and have avoided them ever since.
As they spend time together in the class Paige begins to reach out as a friend and things are progressing nicely until Paige becomes the social worker for Val's first placement. After this they keep things professional (for a long time) and this is where I felt the romance fell flat. Up to the 60% mark Paige and Val hardly spend any time together and when they do it's in a professional context. Because of this there is a seriously slooooow burn for these women because they don't even kiss until the last quarter of the book. Because everything is so business related I had a hard time believing that Paige would fall in love so fast. I believed that Paige and Val cared about each other but I needed more development for them as a couple to really be convinced.
While I wasn't on board with the romance, I did really like Paige and Val as characters. Paige is a single mother with an adopted daughter and she's so compassionate and caring. Her devotion to helping Val as a foster mother comes across clearly and it's obvious that she's an incredibly sweet woman. Val has a harder shell to crack but she's also had a hard childhood that means she keeps people at a distance. Becoming a foster parent has brought up a lot of bad memories for Val and I enjoyed reading about her journey to work through her emotions and concerns. Val goes through a lot of growth throughout the story and I appreciated the positive view of therapy that Erin McKenize writes about.
I wish that I could have liked this one more but I just never really believed the romance side of the story.
Copy provided by NetGalley for honest review
Content Warning: Discussion of foster care, childhood trauma, family separation
As they spend time together in the class Paige begins to reach out as a friend and things are progressing nicely until Paige becomes the social worker for Val's first placement. After this they keep things professional (for a long time) and this is where I felt the romance fell flat. Up to the 60% mark Paige and Val hardly spend any time together and when they do it's in a professional context. Because of this there is a seriously slooooow burn for these women because they don't even kiss until the last quarter of the book. Because everything is so business related I had a hard time believing that Paige would fall in love so fast. I believed that Paige and Val cared about each other but I needed more development for them as a couple to really be convinced.
While I wasn't on board with the romance, I did really like Paige and Val as characters. Paige is a single mother with an adopted daughter and she's so compassionate and caring. Her devotion to helping Val as a foster mother comes across clearly and it's obvious that she's an incredibly sweet woman. Val has a harder shell to crack but she's also had a hard childhood that means she keeps people at a distance. Becoming a foster parent has brought up a lot of bad memories for Val and I enjoyed reading about her journey to work through her emotions and concerns. Val goes through a lot of growth throughout the story and I appreciated the positive view of therapy that Erin McKenize writes about.
I wish that I could have liked this one more but I just never really believed the romance side of the story.
Copy provided by NetGalley for honest review
Content Warning: Discussion of foster care, childhood trauma, family separation
agentkp's review
3.0
I went into this book with such high expectations, the synopsis got me right away but I was so disappointed. Everything felt so shallow with all the time jumps and we didn't seem to get any scenes of the characters actually getting to know each other. Not only the romance but also the kids + the foster mom. We only get them all liking each others vibes and then suddenly they just feel very attached to each other. Even when they spend time together it feels very rushed and doesn't really show us what they actually are together and what they enjoy.
mjsam's review
5.0
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It features interesting, well-developed main characters, great secondary characters, and a thought provoking storyline.
Valerie is an ex-foster child who wants to be a foster mother, Paige handles foster parent training and home placement, and also has a daughter adopted through foster care. She and Val meet at the foster parent training and have a connection, which is complicated by Val having foster kids placed in her care by Paige.
The foster kids Ian and Lily, and Paige’s daughter Emma are all delightful, and watching both sides of the foster relationship play out gave the story depth, and it’s not without angst. What I really loved was that this isn’t glossed over.
Both characters are also three-dimensional and flawed but works in progress. Val acknowledges her issues and confronts them, Paige also acknowledges her self-esteem issues and Paige and Val actually talk to each other, (yes, that rare unicorn of lesfic, communication!!!), so there’s no stupid miscommunications that drag on for ridiculous reasons.
The other supporting characters in Connie, and both sets of best friends are also lovely and add to the story. The story also unfolds over a long period of time, so it feels more realistic, although I did think the conflict of interest could have been addressed sooner. So, even though the HEA was never in doubt, it feels more than earned by the time it arrives.
All around this was a great read, even though the topic and situations could have lead to it being a bit dark, it’s actually a sweet read and never feels bogged down. 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book. It features interesting, well-developed main characters, great secondary characters, and a thought provoking storyline.
Valerie is an ex-foster child who wants to be a foster mother, Paige handles foster parent training and home placement, and also has a daughter adopted through foster care. She and Val meet at the foster parent training and have a connection, which is complicated by Val having foster kids placed in her care by Paige.
The foster kids Ian and Lily, and Paige’s daughter Emma are all delightful, and watching both sides of the foster relationship play out gave the story depth, and it’s not without angst. What I really loved was that this isn’t glossed over.
Both characters are also three-dimensional and flawed but works in progress. Val acknowledges her issues and confronts them, Paige also acknowledges her self-esteem issues and Paige and Val actually talk to each other, (yes, that rare unicorn of lesfic, communication!!!), so there’s no stupid miscommunications that drag on for ridiculous reasons.
The other supporting characters in Connie, and both sets of best friends are also lovely and add to the story. The story also unfolds over a long period of time, so it feels more realistic, although I did think the conflict of interest could have been addressed sooner. So, even though the HEA was never in doubt, it feels more than earned by the time it arrives.
All around this was a great read, even though the topic and situations could have lead to it being a bit dark, it’s actually a sweet read and never feels bogged down. 5 stars.
ravenclawlibrarybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Val and Paige are both working in the foster system. They are drawn to each other but have to put that attraction on hold when Val ends up fostering kids and Paige is their social worker.
This was my first book by this author and I'm certain not the last!
Overall Taking Chances is a good read and I will definitely recommend it to those who enjoy a good romance with strong women and a tear-jerker story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Erin McKenzie and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first book by this author and I'm certain not the last!
Overall Taking Chances is a good read and I will definitely recommend it to those who enjoy a good romance with strong women and a tear-jerker story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Erin McKenzie and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.