Out Loud: A Sapphic romcom

by Kaitlyn Concilio

Anna is broke, freshly single, and one bad month away from moving back in with her parents. So when she finds a perfect garage apartment at a price she can almost afford, she signs the lease before she can talk herself out of it.

The catch: Emily, her landlord, talks to herself. Constantly. Through walls that are thinner than either of them realized.

Anna tells herself she'll tune it out. Instead, she starts listening – to Emily's pep talks and panic spirals, her terrible dates and Tuesday meetings, the way her voice goes quiet on the nights she's convinced she's too much for anyone.

It's not eavesdropping if you can't help it. It's not falling for someone if they don't know you're there. It's not a problem until it is.

A story about two women, thin walls, and learning to be heard.

Genres: Lesbian, LGBT, Romance

187 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2026

About the author

Kait was raised by seagulls on a thin strip of land between the Sea of Infinity and the Ocean of Tomorrow. She’s never ever seen a chalupa up close but would like to, one day. She currently spends most of her time writing satire on LinkedIn and waiting for someone to notice (they haven’t, yet).

Reviews

[John Gilbert]

This was a silly romance about a serious topic which worked for me in the end. Emily has ADHD and works from home. As she has an attached garage flat, she rents it to Anna, who also works from home and has her own coping issues. Emily has learned to deal with her ADHD by talking to herself out loud all through her day and as the walls are very thin, Anna begins to live her life vicariously through Emily's daily routines. It is not until late in the book before Anna begins to speak through the wall back to Emily that their weird relationship grows. Other than when they first meet to negotiate Anna renting the flat until the very last page are Emily and Anna actually face to face. I enjoyed it in the end even though it was quite silly at times.

Emily told Anna about her diagnosis. Not the facts (Anna knew those) but how its shape felt confining. The twenties she'd spent convinced she was broken. The therapist who'd finally said, "Your brain isn't broken. It's just loud." "The call-outs were her idea," Emily said. "Or, her idea-adjacent. She suggested external processing, and I took it to an extreme, because of course I did, because moderation is not a feature of this operating system." pg 158

"It's amazing how creative you can get at protecting someone else's version of themselves. I was basically ghostwriting excuses for her." pg 161

[Fran Sappharc]

Great start. I had a stupid grin on my face when the food order was finally sent! (You need to read the book, not to find out what I’m talking about in a non spoilery way, but because this is a lovely book that deserves to be read!)
Oh my…… When Emily lets Anna knows she sees her…. It’s perfect in the way this book is perfect!
I loved this book. I read it in one sitting. Sitting with a grin on my face for most of it, apart from the time I needed the main to just take the leap!! Then my face was slightly tense!

[Kexx]

Very insular book, a play for two. Close to being a novella, but flowed well if a little introspective with no action. A quiet read and introduced me to Samoa which gave it an extra star!

[Elske]

3.5 stars
The book I bought from Amazon had an very different and cover that wasn’t as nice as the one shown here on Goodreads. I assume it was the same book the other reviewers read though. This short book was a bit unusual and different from the usual romance. I liked it though. What I liked less were the repetitions in Anna’s thoughts about Emily. They were unnecessary and in my opinion didn’t add to the story or the personalities of the main characters.
All in all I still enjoyed reading this story.

[Jackie Dailey]

sweet

This was a sweet story about finding your person.
It’s funny. Cute and entertaining
I would recommend
A new author to me so I’m off to see what else she has written

[KJ]

This was pretty cute.

[Anna Reads]

I think this book was exactly what I needed right now. It's about two neurodivergent people who try to deal with the mess we call live in their own way. One feeling like she's too much while the other feels like she's not enough and the realization that both might be exactly what they're supposed to be. I enjoyed it a lot and will keep an eye open for Concilio's future works. I just hope that, next time, an illustrator will do the book cover for her.
Maybe, at some point, the story of Anna and Emily might continue?
Also, I've never seen a better author pic and about the author text as in this one.

[J.R.]

WOW!

Let's talk about what works for two but not for an individual. Emily has ADHD! She needs someone to live in her garage apartment and the walls between then are razor thin. Anne came home unexpectedly and finds her girlfriend tongue inside another girls throat! Anne finds herself listening to Emily and suddenly finds herself talking through the walls to help Emily! Enjoy! Also very PG rating. I believe this is the author's first book. Good editing! Can't wait for the next one, hopefully not PG!

[Lilith Gray]

4 Stars

This is not a book about some great love story, this is not a book about the happy ever after, this is not a book about being THAT couple... This is a book about the journey that leads to that - potentially.

This is the story about the story before the story... Bare with me.

This is the story about two people, who end up "leaving together", separated by a wall that even though it is physical, turns more and more symbolic at every page turn.
While working through their own challenges and overcoming what life has thrown their way, this is a story about hope and two individual introspections that collide and find each other, just because they were paying attention.

The writing was light and simple, it was easy to jump right in and it had humor too.
I enjoyed the concept around the book, it was very different from the usual.
And I also enjoyed the way each their coping mechanisms are addressed.

I'll flag it as a slow burn, because well.. it was! But don't expect the usual implosion that comes out of it, as it ends right at the "beginning". And because of this, it will end leaving you to wish for more, maybe... it did for me, because, well, who doesn't want to see what could be next to box thirteen? That is always I am going to say, to not give any spoilers away.

[Laurie Schmid]

OMG. I have never highlighted so many passages before. I overwhelming loved this story. It will float around in my head and in my heart for a long while.

They both work from home. One is a project manager. The other is a graphic designer. Emily needs help with her mortgage. Anna needs an affordable place to stay after a bad breakup. The above the garage apartment is perfect. Except the walls - the sound fidelity is the same as if there was an open window between the two living spaces. "Walls made of good intentions and acoustic negligees."

Both women have some flavors of being neurodiverse. They have coping mechanisms, some healthier than others. This story was hilarious and sweet and touching. Oh, how I wish this author had many more books I could devour.

"Too much. Not enough. Two women on either side of a wall, each convinced they were the wrong amount of person."

"...you start cutting away the parts that take up space, because maybe if you're smaller they'll see you. Maybe if you need less they'll have room for what's left."

Bi or pansexual. Humor. Dating disaster. Forced proximity. Friendship. Misfit/socially awkward. Self-discovery. Slow-burn. Starting over. Heat level: sweet. Not even a kiss at the end.

[C. Jacoby]

This book was so cute! I picked it up during my local book crawl to support another sapphic San Diego Indie author, and the story was adorable. Anna and Emily gave me just the right amount of giddy butterflies at the end to make up for the torturous yearning (compliment btw). LOVED the "Love is Blind" nod to their budding relationship and I just KNOW there will be no more depressing food orders in their future. (Unless the Peterson account keeps it's shit up lol)

My ONLY complaint is that in the physical copy I have there are no page numbers and I'm a BIG need-to-knower of how far I've read lol. Aside from that, I thought this was a very cute and rom-commy debut novel. Im looking forward to whatever Kaitlyn writes next!

[Issy Waldrom]

Cute and adorable, it really nails the comedy aspect right from the start, and keeps it up the entire way through, even when it gets heavy at times and left me emotional. It's a fun read, very much a story about being authentic to yourself, as well as the story of two women finally finding the one who just fits with them. There is a lot of focus on neurodivergence, and while the thin walls issue could be problematic, it is handled well (and well, it is the who premise of the story). Fair warning that it does end rather abruptly - I would have liked to see an epilogue for them, a snippet of their life together after finally taking that first step, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

[K]

This started out warm and funny but the second half .. ugh I can’t even, without going into a whole rant. It would have been 3.5, likely even 4 stars with a healthier second half. It’s disappointing bc the mh issues and characters were relatable, even the unhealthy attachment and coping mechs were relatable, but the mc was very clearly not healed enough for this.

Huge cringes for me: the premature love bomb, the fucking ex’s shirt, making herself sick with obsessing, repeat ow/om - and using that for the in person trigger (that happened wayyy later than it should have).

I’m heading back to unrealistic fantasy reads

[RA Young]

Note to self; add this to my wishlist for print novels

This is possibly the cutest thing I've ever read. As someone with ADHD and anxiety who narrates as a coping mechanism I knew I'd find something to relate to here, and I did, but honestly I was too busy melting over the adorableness to even focus on that.
This would make a fantastic short film (30-45 min) and could be done on a low budget. Just saying.

[Doug Elliott]

Out Loud is nearly a one-person play as much of the story is told through Anna’s inner monologue. Along the way, the reader also learns many things about Emily as Anna listens to and interprets her call-outs. This is a fascinating narrative style that would likely not work in a full-length novel. In this case, it makes for an engaging tale leaving the reader feeling hopeful about Anna and Emily’s future.

[Theo]

honestly a must read!

I absolutely loved this book! The writing is so damn good in the way where you know they understand how it felt, like truly did and could articulate it. I need more honesty lol

[Christina]

Loved the nod to "Love Is Blind" meanwhile their relationship is blooming across a thin shared wall.

This book was the perfect amount of butterflies and cute but after all that yearning....NO KISS AT THE END?!

[Ralph Giddings]

Couldn't stop.

Great book beginning to end. Kept forcing myself to stop snd sleep. Something going on in every sentence. Definitely worth reading. Glad I did. Finding love where it always was. Right under your nose.

[Cass&Marie]

Just Right, Goldilocks

This hits all the right spots. Has you rooting for the characters and doesn’t leave you feeling cheated at the end. The brain dialogue felt oddly familiar, like reading in a language you didn’t realize you were fluent in. Well done. Brava.

[Caitlyn Daviau]

I really enjoyed this one. It was so good so special and just shows how someone can truly understand another and it doesn’t have to always be romantic it’s literally just them showing up and being there.

[Patricia]

I loved it, somehow this was soothing and I thoroughly enjoyed it, now I need a peek in their lives in a year from the last page events and then 5 years after, then 10.
Would also be great to have a peek on Emily's POV. Not necessarily a whole new book, just a short story.

[Tabetha Buck]

A very very cute read. This was a very cozy romance book. I loved how Emily and Anna fall in love. It truly shows how it’s all about loving everything about the person. This is a very quick read. I would even say this would be a great fall evening read.

[Deb]

loved this

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book.
What I didn’t expect was to be turning the pages rather quickly, holding my breath for what was going to happen next.
Please write a second part!

[Lil]

ADORABLE

So cute and very cozy! I seriously adore the emotional processing both of these cuties go through together. Hope they live happily ever after ✨

[B.A.]

Overuse of parentheses
Very tiresome!

[Judith A Shumate]

amazingly new

Really enjoyed this…so normal, so refreshing! I loved the stream of consciousness in this book. A very different, very entertaining romance.

[Dga]

Cute concept, could have been better executed.

[Red Eye87]

Incredibly sweet 🥲🥹 made me share a tear or two

[Pers]

Funny, heartbreaking, joyous.

[Lucy Lora]

3.5 🌟