Lacey Lassiter Is Not a Lesbian: A short and sweet sapphic celebrity romance!

by Mabel Ballard

Corey Emmons is a rising star. With an appearance in a hit TV show sealing her status as a new queer icon, suddenly, opportunities are flying her way. One of these, however, seems slightly out of place.



Lacey Lassiter is a pop sensation. Every aspect of her public image is carefully curated, from her body to her boyfriend to her signature white boots. But when she arrives on the set of her steamy new music video, she’s met with an unexpected thanks to a last-minute mix-up, Corey has been cast to appear as Lacey’s love interest, and with no time to find a replacement, they have no choice but to go through with the unexpectedly sapphic shoot.



The video’s release sends shockwaves through Lacey’s fanbase, and soon enough the two find themselves at the center of heated discourse and speculation. Amidst all of this, the two young stars are growing ever closer – but with the world watching and both their careers on the line, how can they hope to figure out what’s really between them?



While the world debates what happened on camera, can Corey and Lacey take their romance behind the scenes?

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer, Adult, Lesbian Fiction

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2025

Reviews

[clara ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

➥ 4.5 stars ⋆˚࿔

giggling ✅
kicking my feet ✅
twirling my hair ✅
this book had me doing all of it!!!! it was just so cute😭

whoever put short and sweet in the description did *not* lie, that’s exactly what this was and i absolutely loved it! i hadn’t had this much fun while reading a book in a while, it was honestly just what i needed and i’m so glad i gave it a chance🫶🏻 i also pretty much read it in one sitting, which NEVER happens

➥ the characters :

i really loved Corey and Maddie!! Corey’s full name being Corinna was such a great surprise because i’ve always thought that name was gorgeous but i had never seen it used in a book! so bonus points for that🤭

Corey having her own nickname for Lacey/Maddie was so special, it really emphasized the idea that she was one of the few people who saw her for who she (truly) was, beyond her Lacey persona 💝

another small detail that i thought was really cute was how Corey’s contact name for Lacey and the chapter/pov titles also switched to Maddie when that became Corey’s nickname for her!!🫶🏻

➥ the story :

what a fun plot!! i loved how it all started because of a mix up. i’m also a sucker for celebrity romances so of course i loved that aspect of the story. other than that, i thought both women were great characters. they apologized when needed, they respected it when the other asked for space… of course there was some conflict after a while but it made sense and thankfully didn’t get so bad that i disliked one/both MCs afterwards. hate when that happens🫠 instead their reactions felt rational and i loved the moment when it all clicked for Corey and she knew exactly what she needed to do<3

i honestly just wish this would’ve been a little bit longer and didn’t have this many time skips. the time skips when they were apart made sense because nothing was really going on (even though that time could’ve been used to really emphasize how much they missed each other) but why did we only find out about some things they did together AFTER they happened? like the couch thing. i would’ve liked to read about that, especially given the reason why Maddie got Corey a new one lol. i guess Clare was maybe kinda right when she called it love bombing but i mostly just felt bad for Maddie because i knew that wasn’t how she meant it. and i would’ve loved to see more of their “domestic” moments together too🥲🫶🏻 but the book *was* described as a short one so i can’t say i wasn’t warned.

i also think the way Maddie slowly came to terms with her sexuality was pretty well executed. her realizing that losing Corey would be worse than losing her perfect image was so 💝💝💝

overall i had a great time and look forward to reading more books by Mabel Ballard in the future!!

➥ favorite quotes :

“I’m… heterosexual,” she said.
I pursed my lips and tried not to smile.
“Congratulations.”

“Everyone had their own problems. Naomi’s parents wanted her to pay for her own WiFi. Carl’s roommate had been missing for four days. Sahil had been caught stealing breadsticks from the Olive Garden where he worked.”

“Fuck Jaxon,” I’d said to her. She’d agreed. But maybe she’d taken it literally.”

.✦ review first posted on may 11, 2025

— july 25, 2025 : first reread! i’d somehow forgotten most of the story since may, so it was really fun to reread!

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️- a quick, celebrity trope, enjoyable read. It was first person dual point of view and the way the dialogue was written made it hard to follow who was saying what more than half the time. It got better in the second half of the book. I liked both characters, but felt that overall it was lacking in the emotion I like to see in a romance. the story moved along quickly and kept me interested to the end. I enjoyed the ending and had a big smile on my face. Kindle unlimited.

[The Wild Weary Cow Reads Sapphic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been watching and waiting for this one!

At first I wasn't sure I liked the character Lacey, it didn't sit well why she wants Corey around. Seemed a little mean, especially about Corey's friends.
As the story progresses you start to see why and the real her.
She's been Lacey for so long she doesn't know how to be anyone other than Lassiter, pop sensation, perfectly packaged.

.. But the more time she spends with Corey the nicer she becomes..
Corey is already out but although Lacey knows what she wants she's not going to find it so easy to be her real self after all these years.

There's a lot of dialogue rather than descriptive writing in this book, took me a while to get used to but actually I enjoyed & preferred it by the end of the book!.


I read this in one afternoon because
A: Its short & B: I enjoyed it so much!.

All in All this is a really enjoyable short book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Aunt Missa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly as described, short and sweet but with some angst thrown in for good measure. Apparently, Gaylor is a thing. I guess I need to get out more. I liked Corey and Lacie/Maddie kinda grew on me. She had the most growth as a character, but both characters seemed a bit like they could have been new adult or young adult at times.

I knew the third act drama was coming due to the lack of communication. I was hoping that could have been avoided, but alas, I was wrong. It was just the kind of quick read that I needed as a little palette cleanser. Good summertime fun.

[kelisliveshere˚₊⋆ ʚɞ ⋆₊˚]

I’m certain that this is just as fluffy and cute as it’s advertised to be, but the writing is bad. When I say I want fluffy garbage I feel like the basic requirement for the fluffy garbage is to make the characters feel human.

The sentences are short, there’s entirely too many full stops, zero use of conjunctions and the tone (so far) is just flat. I kind of understand why some might say it’s AI generated but I don’t even think a robot would write like this. Technical writing doesn’t even read like this. It’s all too final and robotic but even robots are more advanced atp.

Theres lots of dialogue, there’s probably lots of cutesy shit that I’ll never see and I can’t really think of anymore positives so maybe read a different review if you want to read this book. The writing is really bothering me and unfortunately I’m too particular so this is a no.

and apparently it’s gaylor fanfic? Which I didn’t even know was a thing. There’s whole worlds out there that we don’t know exist😭

[Misha · Rating 3 out of 5]

As advertised, this was indeed a short and sweet romance. It feels very YA rather than people who are nearly thirty and established in the music business, but if you like a quick romance that has light but fun explorations of life in the limelight, this is the one for you.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAKE THE ROMCOM MOVIE ADAPTATION IMMEDIATELY!

Here I am hating on contemporary romance because I keep coming across duds, but for some reason, I saw this cover and title and decided, "Yeah — I'll try that." 🤷‍♀️ Good going me because this was a gem of a little book. It might not be as polished as similar books I've read (by similar I mean other celebrity sapphic romance books) but it made up for it with two incredibly likeable characters and some wonderfully deadpan humor*. (Humor, btw, that is so deadpan a reviewer took it at face value and thinks it's freaking AI writing... girl.... 🙈)

The angst in this one is minimal. It's there, but it's compacted in a way you'd expect a romcom to compact its angst. We don't want to see these characters apart, and the story doesn't want that either. You're here to watch these characters fall in love and have fun, and this book delivers on that.

*I did not expect the author to be British considering these are Very American Characters, but after seeing it mentioned at the end of the book... yeah that checks out. That's where the wildly dry humor comes from.

[Elle Yesnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah idk man, toxic characters acting out when they’re drinking. Not super likable

[Cara Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Against the wishes of her family and her sister, Lacey Lassiter (born Madison Finch) went against her parents and signed a record contract in her teens that allowed her record label to totally control and mold her image. She's been a gigantic pop star, even though her parents were also successful in music as well as her sister, but not to the extent that she is. And she's very very straight. After all, Lacey Lassiter is not a lesbian!

Then a casting mixup for a music video has her love interest in the video turn out to be one of the hot young rising lesbian actresses in Hollywood. Frustrated with either being forced to cancel the entire shoot and eat the expenses or doing the shoot with Corey Emmons. She chooses to do the shoot with Corey Emmons and the song explodes on the internet despite her concerns that maybe she is queerbaiting.

But then Lacey is faced with questions about her sexuality. Is she just using the queer community for financial gain? She jokingly suggests on a text to Corey that maybe they should be dating, for appearances, of course. Things begin to spiral out of control from there until Lacey both falls hard for Corey but realizes that if she comes out that the idea of Lacey Lassiter that she's spent more than a decade curating, will be forever changed and she's not sure she can do that.

This is a fun romcom toaster oven journey of self-discovery. There's some angst but nothing huge. There's plenty of spice. And then there's Lacey Lassiter, who's not a lesbian. Or is she?

I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The first half was mostly easygoing and fun, but after that, the atmosphere changed. It became a bit grimier and grittier, and definitely less fun. I was also a bit confused at times because I didn't quite understand what was actually happening and why. It felt a bit weird at times.

Even the sex scenes confused me somewhat. Their first time was a kind of fade-to-black moment. So much so that I wondered if they'd actually had sex or just talked naked in bed. But the second time was a bit more detailed. I wondered why that difference existed, and why not go into more detail on the first time.

I'm debating whether to give it 3 or 3.5 stars. I actually think it deserves more than 3 stars, but 3.5 means I'm rounding it down to 4, which I find too high. So...

I'm giving it 3.5 stars, but rounding it down to 3. A bit against my own rules, but oh well.

[Lilz Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ (potential spoilers)

Hehe, t h i s b o o k!!

I loved it. I could not stop reading. It was such a sweet romance. And, it was quite fast-paced (but not too much), which I appreciated. This book was the perfect length (243 pages), but I feel it ended quite abruptly, and I don't understand why it ended just like that, but the rest of the book was amazing. Even though it broke me, the tension and the break up was needed to add some more *drama* (as if we couldn't get any more) into the book. I loved it; I am so glad I gave it a chance. After reading the blurb/synopsis, I had a feeling I would enjoy this one.

I do recommend! And, I would read it again. I read it like it was a movie, which I loved to visualise!🩷

[Sammie Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly I'm quite happy with the overall story. I laughed out loud at times. The characters were really fun to read. overall a really charming story. probably one of my favourite ending lines to a book I've read. made me laugh...made me happy (the whole book but especially the last bit) . I started this book at 3am in this morning and proceeded to then read it until now (05:57) could not put it down regardless of the fact that I now have work in 2 hours aha so yeah...worth a read! probably really good as a holiday read. Also loved the remarks about the English, low key offended but also not because...true. laughed even more after when I found out the author is from the UK 😂

[ryan ฅ^._.^ฅ · Rating 4 out of 5]

wanting things hurts sometimes / pretending not to want it hurts more. / it’s fine to want things you can’t have, so long as you learn to let them go.

4.5, lost the half point because the dialogue was hard to discern at times.

[Kie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect book to recommend to a gaylor

[Lindsly Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

fabulous!

Really great! Loved the change of POV. Sometimes things felt rushed through or less developed but I would recommend this to people!

[Beth Torsiello · Rating 2 out of 5]

this one was a yikes. it felt almost emotionless, but the characters were also very childish. maybe if it was ya i'd give it a pass for that, but they were almost thirty. i didn't believe the romance at all even though they kept telling me they loved each other. and the celebrity tropes just felt like set dressing -- there was a whole subplot about lacey not being able to write an album that was just never resolved, and corey's whole career was a background non-issue through the whole thing. she could have been anything, but being an up and coming actress should have some input on the story? but no. there was a whole to-do about this one background character being an ex, but nothing came of that either. overall it was just flat. i didn't feel for any of the characters or the situations they kept putting themselves in, and i did not care when it was resolved. is two stars too nice? maybe.

[Clare McGrath · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried but couldn’t get into it, I think the premise was spot on just couldn’t connect with the characters. Made it about 150ish pages in

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool story. I thought the setup was unique and a great way to kick the story off, Lacey and Corey were fun characters, the name thing was sweet, it was a quick read, the text exchanges were well done, and the various films and festivals were great. The story held my interest and moved well and I blew through it in a single afternoon. So all that was great.

I guess there are two reasons I’m not giving it five stars and they are 1) we only got the most cursory description of Lacey Lassiter in concert. Which wasn’t really a problem per se as much as a missed opportunity, because this was a rock star book and I eat that shit up. And 2) there’s a point of significant drama in the book and I felt like the character hadn’t really been built up in a way that it felt natural. It’s explained well after the fact, but it felt a little out of left field at the time.

Still, that wasn’t enough to really detract from the overall experience, and it was definitely an enjoyable read. I see some people saying the ending was abrupt, but I actually thought that was great (and the last line hilarious). So: a great debut.

[Shannon Luchies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Singer Lacey Lassiter is filming a new music video ,but there's a complication: the casting company has sent a woman over to play her love interest after the first actor backed out.

Corey Emmons is surprised when Lacey suggests they use her anyway. They film the video (which is much less hot than you'd think) and end it with a kiss. Corey gets Lacey's number, as she's surprisingly nice, and figures that will be that.

Then the video takes off.

Lacey reaches out to Corey and they attend a few events together. Corey figures it's PR and Lacey wanting to avoid being canceled for queer baiting. Corey is attracted to her, but figures it won't go anywhere.

Lacey, on the other hand, is realizing Corey is VERY hot and seriously thinking about it.

The pacing is... very weird. As is the time passing, with just random sentences like 'and then three months passed.' Very clunky.

And the texting, in the book, is in a huge font and colored boxes, so a few lines take a whole page.

2.5 out of 5 stars. Very mid...

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute. I haven’t read anything by this author before so I was going into this book blind. I loved the premise of the story, I’m a big fan of celebrity romances. I’m not sure how other people would feel about it, but I enjoyed the aloofness and nonchalant attitude of Lacey even though I can’t explain why exactly. I think I enjoyed watching her transform from “I don’t know, nor do I care to know, who this person is” to “I can’t live my life without you”. Big time growth and I’m a fan of that as well.

I’m going to give this book 🌶️🌶️ and a half chili’s on my heat scale. Overall, I liked it and would read this authors work again.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute; I bet it started out as a Gaylor RPFF but I tried NOT to think about that, because I find the very concept of RP fanfic SUPER gross. I really appreciated how the author dealt with fame, different levels of fame, PR and secrecy, and how that might scar you, when you might need therapy, how that can erode your identity of who "you" are, etc. I also appreciated some of the things the two MC's said to each other about risk, and following your dreams, and allowing yourself to WANT things - even things you think you shouldn't want, like fame. I saved some pretty great highlights/quotes from Kindle on this one.

[Doug Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacey Lassiter Is Not a Lesbian is a celebrity, wrong-person, meet-cute romance between pop star Lacey/Maddie and up and coming actress Corey. The novella format prevented a deep dive into their emotional development. It also provided little opportunity to explore the interesting relationships each woman had with their respective families. Given Phoebe’s comment about leaving her sister Maddie in the car with a window cracked open, it seems some of the family members are themselves interesting characters. Still, it is an enjoyable read with a last-minute reconciliation and the prospect of a happy ending for the accidental couple.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably 4.5 but I always round up. A lot of my favourite tropes at play here and I loved the speedy zip the book moved at. my attention span ain't what she used to be so a shorter read is a real blessing. I really enjoyed the two leads, I felt their voices were very defined and they were both super rootable. I'm often let down by the comedy half of romcoms, but the humour here was really strong. I'm not a fan of 3rd act breakups generally (I know, I know) and I particularly don't like the reason for the one used here. It's only a minor gripe though and it was well choreographed and made sense for the characters so I can't really complain. Allnall was a great time

[Dulaine Roode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book

It just goes to show that fate will do what fate will do. When the shoot for the musix video turns out with Corey posing instead of Jaxon, Lacey's life changes from that point on.

Yes fear can ruin our lives, along with over thinking. And sometimes we have to just take the plunge even if we are scared, because it might work out or fail. But we won't know until we take the chance.

[Cat5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fast read. Low angst. Nice balance of humor and drama, neither were heavy-handed or unbelievable. Dual POV a little difficult to follow at first, easier once you get to know the characters better. I did appreciate the way the author presented Corey's anxiety. It was honest, and the conversations were kind and helped the character move forward with positive change.

Will read again.

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this on my kindle and I enjoyed it!! There were times where I felt like this book was unbearable because of the thick miscommunication trope happening. Also the ending was 10000% rushed but was still enjoyable. I loved the romantic parts of this story but the rest of the story felt like filler to me.

[meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ aiiiii como he disfrutado este libro. que historia tan bonita, pese a que el libro es corto, puedes sentir a los personajes de una forma tan linda que esque jsbdisndis. una buena historia de amor de las que te hacen cosquillitas en la barriga y te engancha hasta acabarla. además de hablar de un tema tan importante como lo es el conocerse y aceptarse a una misma. me ha gustado mucho 😁

[Samantha Holder-Venter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful read. I really enjoyed it, it dealt with some serious issues of identity, anxiety etc but still felt lighthearted and enjoyable. If you’re looking for a fun read, this is worth a read.

[Chris goodnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too steamy. I didn’t feel creepy or voyeuristic. Perfect for fans of Taylor Swift or Renee Rapp (who I hope will be starring in this movie)

Of course I was crying by the end of it but that last line made me cackle.

[Minna Perälä · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Lacey Lassiter Is Not a Lesbian by Mabel Ballard! Short, light, sweet, made me cry a bit. I read it in a day, I couldn't put it down.

It's a debut novel(la). I bought the book on sale maybe a week ago. It was really pleasant surprise. I look forward reading more in the future.