Alix & Valerie

by Ingrid Díaz

Alix Morris has spent the past seven years of her life nurturing an unrequited love for her soon-to-be-married best friend. The pain from this silent longing has settled within her like a faithful companion and she's loathe to let it go. Two nights before the wedding, she agrees to an impromptu outing to a hip night club with a friend. There she meets wise-cracking Valerie Skye who unloosens some of those painful ties. But Valerie has some secrets of her own to overcome. Can Alix and Valerie untangle their pasts and hope the fate that brought them together isn't fickle?

Genres: LGBT, Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Fiction, Drama

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2008

About the author

Author of Alix & Valerie, and The Blind Side of Love. Self-proclaimed intergalactic spacegoat-herder, known for writing LGBTQ-related things, and drinking lots of coffee.

Reviews

[Megzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would maybe rate it 3.5.

This book is not nearly as good as Diaz' more recent one (The Blind Side of Love). Alix & Valerie is very inconsistent. Some scenes are very sweet and funny and I found myself smiling big, some others made me almost cringe. The writing doesn't flow as much. I don't know how many years passed between this book and The Blind Side of Love but the evolution in Diaz' writing is obvious. I'm so glad I read Alix & Valerie AFTER The Blind Side Of Love otherwise I would have probably never known the pleasure I felt while reading the latter.

But it's not just in the writing, Alix & Valerie is a lot more cliché, romance-wise, despite the interesting plot and turns of events. I also found myself skipping some chapters, especially towards the end, just because I felt like the story was dragging unnecessarily. During the angsty part, there was a lot of repetitive dialogues and issues. During the happy-ever part, there wasn't a lot left to look forward to reading. The story also bordered on cheesy. Especially the very end.

But what I struggled the most with had to be the characters. I didn't like the secondary characters at all. I didn't think they brought much to the story and I didn't find them very interesting. I love being able to imagine myself falling in love with the characters of a love story, and I have to say the dorky side of Alix bothered me a bit. When other times I would find this an endearing trait, Alix just left me a bit frustrated in her naiveté.

Still. Diaz is better than a lot of writers in the lesbian genre. She manages to write stories that feel real, and even if the love story in this book didn't feel to me as romantic as I expected, I can't say it was entirely badly done. Valerie is gorgeous and mysterious and incredibly charming and she totally saved the story for me. Their romance is sweet (albeit a bit too "teen" to my liking) and I guess the surprising plot kept me interested.

[Mekeia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly fun

I really enjoy diaz' writing - since reading the blind side of love I'm a veritable fan of hers.

This was not on that level. You can see how much diaz' writing has changed and evolved over the years.

This book was sweet, although inconsistent at best. The characters were all likeable and it had diaz' particular brand of heart warming sweetness and humour.

3.3 stars

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I've just re-read Alix and Valerie for the second time. I've read so many books and particularly ones with f/f romance since my first read of this that I couldn't really remember the story properly.

I enjoyed how the book looks at the story from both Alix and Valerie's perspective, I feel like that was important considering the twist. You can see both of their feelings and also their motivations for sometimes questionable decisions. I kind of felt once or twice that Alix was accepting some of the secrets Valerie told her way too easily but then that could just be me putting myself in her place. There's a lot of sweet and funny scenes involving both girls and also Alix and her friends. I'd recommend giving it a read if you're looking for a story about two young women falling in love with some unexpected and surprising issues getting in their way.

I love Ingrid Diaz's writing, I've read TBSOL more times than is probably sane to admit. So I'm gonna plug it here too, give both of these books a read, support an author with talent who deserves your support.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be quite honest, I have never been able to identify with lesbian characters in books as much as I have with the ones in this book. It is a romantic story packed with funny and exciting situations as well as familiar experiences. This is the book that convinced me to stop hating reading and that I should read more books -- and that was before it was even published. I love it.

[Rinu · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was like reading a fanfiction. Silly plotline, unnecessary drama, characters trying so hard to be cool or nice or wise. I rolled my eyes a lot during reading :).
I would say I didn't like it except that it was amusing in its odd way. Probably a first book which makes me thinking about writing fanfiction myself, lol.

[Pin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice new-adult contemporary romance with a twist. I very much recommend it to anyone who enjoys tender love stories.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

(bumped up from 3.75)

This was a really interesting experiment. I absolutely love Ingrid Diaz's other book, The Blind Side of Love, and this one feels very much like a proto-TBSOL to me. The building blocks are all there: the young artist who is inexperienced with romance, the famous and wealthy person being extravagant with their money for the people they love, the awkward but organically witty banter between two people trying to get to know each other, and the emails as a heavily used means of communication. All of these elements are done reasonably well here but it's in TBSOL that they truly shine.

If you had asked me at about 30% into this book what my rating was going to be, I would have said an easy 4+ stars. If you asked me again at 60% into it, when it suddenly switched genres to be some kind of crime thriller, I would have said a 3 was generous. By the end, though, it brought it back, but it was looking dicey in the middle. I think the book suffers greatly due to the emotional whiplash in the second part. Here's a cozy, cute story about someone healing from a "safe" one-sided pining relationship on their straight best friend to a new and exciting one with organic attraction and the stressful parts of being queer person who has never actually had a reciprocated romantic relationship and is scared and overthinking it constantly to intrigue, drama, crime, blackmail, and a twist.

All told, this was an enjoyable read overall but the weak parts were quite weak and didn't salvage it enough to be something I would revisit.

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, intriguing, sweet.
This is a book that just gives me all round happiness especially the humour and humanness of the characters.
I did think it was unnecessarily long but regardless the extended pages still offers good entertainment.
If i were looking for a book for anyone withdrawn because of their sexuality, this will be one of the books that i will present because it will help to fence you from your issues and feed you an all round feel good escape story

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great story. Ingrid surely know how to write a good, funny, and heartwarming book. I read this 12 years after its first published and still feel a lot for this book. Thank you for writing a very good book. I hope you will write another great story after tbsol published for real. I'll try to be patient and wait as long as it takes for another masterpiece from this author.

[Linh Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Ok, part 1 of this book is quite good, all real and cute and fun and honest. Then the plot turns into something weird, I found it extremely hard to connect with Valerie's voice and her fiction-like story, which almost seems to be written by a completely different author. It certainly would have earned 4 stars from me without all the unnecessary complication. What a pity.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the first part of the book you fall in love, in the second part of the book you find yourself constantly saying "really?!", as it's kind of farfetched.
The overall book is a delight to read and I just couldn't put it down.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A step (or two) above the majority of current lesbian fiction out there. Captivating, funny, and amazingly genuine story -- I read it in a day as I couldn't put it down.

[Angel Beckford · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8* I was in 2 minds about reading this (I already read TBSOL first) because of the reviews but I’m glad I went for it to get my own take. In some aspects I like this more, it’s a more succinct read for the given story line and I think TBSOL could have been shorter too. In this book we get the couple together a lot sooner and their shared experience together. The dialogue does border on cringe. I don’t know many rock n roll, grunge, emo type personalities but some of the actions and dialogue don’t really match the personality in imagining I guess. There often seems to be some gaps and the feelings that Alix has for bestie Jess and vice versa is really oddly written. Other than them being in each others lives for a substantial amount of time I can’t visualise that relationship. But Alix and Val are super cute and that why I’m able to rate it as high as I have.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s something about the way the author writes that captures my interest, big time. I’m pretty sure I’ll read whatever she writes from now on. That’s why even though this story is no where as good as ‘The blind side of love’, I still find myself enjoy it and did finish in one sitting. There were holes in the plot, sometimes things got a bit too cliched, predictable and a few twists are not really convincing or could be outright surreal.. but well i’m biased so it was still a good story to me.

[Jane Doesnt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This began as something decent and devolved from there. The first half was fine, although it did flag somewhat at its halfway point and feel protracted onwards... but the second half was simply all over the place with odd plot twists, turns, and character assassinations (a fair number of personae become less than likeable or even creditable).

[Vicky]

I enjoyed this book so much that I decided to re-read. I love the quirkiness of the author and am a fan of all of her pop culture references, I feel like we would be friends in real life. I thought that I knew where this book was headed and then it took a sudden change. I enjoy it when books aren't predictable so that made me like this book even more.

[Daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy read with endearing characters, good banter, and even a plot twist. I enjoy Díaz's writing and also recommend 'The Blind Side of Love' which really highlights her progress as a writer.

[Rachel Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in this book wasn't very good. It was told from two perspectives and the characters were too similar and I would often forget which one I was reading and would have to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see who it was. There were some twists in the plot that kept me reading, but ultimately, not worth it.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a surprise to me. It's chick-lit. This really delightfully written, insightful (if somewhat long) novel, available in both paperback and e-book format, would probably be on the 'summer romance read' shelves of major chain bookstores were it not about two characters who just happen to be lesbian. Going in, I expected erotica, but it truly is a romance between two very unlikely young women who go through the throes of forming a mature relationship.

Alix says: "Starting a relationship, in my opinion, seems like a complicated process. I mean, what marks the start of a relationship? A kiss? Does a particular type of kiss signal the start of a particular kind of relationship? Or is a kiss just a prelude of things to come?"

Written first in Alix's point of view, then in Valerie's, then in a back-and-forth style in the last section, the author Ingrid Diaz cleverly lets you see the emotions and motivations of both characters. Things are not always smooth. This is Alix's first real relationship, although she has been 'in love' with her straight best friend for seven years. Valerie is not who she seems to be.

As Valerie says: "The way I look at things, we're bound by decisions. Good choices built upon bad choices built upon good choices. Except that in my case, unfortunately, I had bad choices stacked atop an endless line of more bad choices that were in the process of collapsing all around me. How very ironic my life had turned out to be."

What seems to be constant from Alix and Valerie's first meeting is the potential for love. My only quibble is that I felt the last section, with its quick point-of-view shifts was a little confusing and that the ending was not as strong as the rest of the book. I also noticed a few too many typos that should have been caught before publication. Diaz writes in a addictively light-hearted style involving and intertwining colorful secondary characters. This was a great read; it made me smile! I really do think you will enjoy Alix & Valerie.

[elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to preface this book with the fact that I did not mind paying 10 dollars for it, because The Blind Side of Love was so good, and free, that I wanted to financially support the author somehow. So I bought this book.
This book is very clearly a debut novel, and probably should have been a trunk novel ngl. It explored many of the same themes of TBSoL, but while TBSoL explores the themes of mistaken identity, lying to your friends, and being true to yourself in mature and fascinating ways, this book simply feels juvenile.
All the characters feel like cheap cardboard cut outs, none of the characters have clear intentions, the plot falls apart very easily at the slightest nudge, and the whole storyline with Jade annoyed me so much! Jade is an asshole, and a shitty person, and I really didn't like how the narrative just...forgives her????

[Anna Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this a 4/5 but in this genre, I rarely give a 5. I consider Annie on My Mind a top read and anything by Rita Mae Brown to be the scum left at the bottom of the barrel. Based on that scale, Alix and Valerie was way above the bottom, but still below the top.

I thought the characters were very well-written, likable people, once I was able to look past the '90's lesbian dress-code. (Keep going! You'll be glad you did!) The sarcastic banter was brilliant and helped keep the love story from wandering off into the typical gooey mush-zone. The supporting "cast" was even original without taking away from the main players.

I couldn't score this an "Annie" because, to be honest, the plot went a tad bonkers. But, as someone who grew up watching soaps, I was able to overlook the more ridiculous points. The writing and characterizations made up for the dramatics. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little book that gets an extra star from me for the feelings of nostalgia it drummed up. Would score higher but just about half way through the plot becomes rather ridiculous, overly dramatic, and incredibly far fetched. The dialog between characters alternates between actually being hilarious (in a good way! ) and that dull, frustrating teen age speak. But for a lesbian ya novel, it's cute harmless fun.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what chick-lit is like when the protagonists are lesbian. It was entertaining and a quick read. The characters are wonderfully quirky. Definitely enjoyable, if you like that kind of literature.

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Characters are not well developed here. I don't know if this is a first book but the writer could improve a lot. The reader will do better having the characters called by their name not the color of their hair or how tall they are and repeating words tends to get tiresome.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 because I would re-read it. Pretty interesting and amusing book, interesting character development. Likable characters. Would recommend to fans of, well, angst I guess. Did enjoy the rapport between characters, a good quick read.

[Ty · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. The plot is completely unbelievable. The prose is clumsy and course. The author's voice lacks maturity and any kind of descriptive prowess. This entire book reads like a poorly researched, poorly executed fanfic.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet & cute love story. Perfect for rainy afternoons.

[Karen A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary lesbian story. It's definitely worth reading.

[Louise_osd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. I really didn't expect the Valeri back story. I really liked the romance too, it seemed real. Alix was a great character whom I could definitely read more of

[Philisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Alix & Valerie were amazing characters and the twist of this book left me in awe. But I enjoyed it and can't wait for more to come from this author.