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Small Change #1
Small Change
Ginger Holtzman has fought for everything she’s ever had—the success of her tattoo shop, respect in the industry, her upcoming art show. Tough and independent, she has taking-no-crap down to an art form. Good thing too, since keeping her shop afloat, taking care of her friends, and scrambling to finish her paintings doesn’t leave time for anything else. Which … is for the best, because then she doesn’t notice how lonely she is. She’ll get through it all on her own, just like she always does.
Christopher Lucen opened a coffee and sandwich joint in South Philly because he wanted to be part of a community after years of running from place to place, searching for something he could never quite name. Now, he relishes the familiarity of knowing what his customers want, and giving it to them. But what he really wants now is love.
When they meet, Christopher is smitten, but Ginger … isn’t quite so sure. Christopher’s gorgeous, and kind, and their opposites-attract chemistry is off the charts. But hot sex is one thing—truly falling for someone? Terrifying. When her world starts to crumble around her, Ginger has to face the fact that this fight can only be won by being vulnerable—this fight, she can’t win on her own.
Small Change is the first book in a series that will include M/F and M/M romances. It is in the Middle of Somewhere universe.
Christopher Lucen opened a coffee and sandwich joint in South Philly because he wanted to be part of a community after years of running from place to place, searching for something he could never quite name. Now, he relishes the familiarity of knowing what his customers want, and giving it to them. But what he really wants now is love.
When they meet, Christopher is smitten, but Ginger … isn’t quite so sure. Christopher’s gorgeous, and kind, and their opposites-attract chemistry is off the charts. But hot sex is one thing—truly falling for someone? Terrifying. When her world starts to crumble around her, Ginger has to face the fact that this fight can only be won by being vulnerable—this fight, she can’t win on her own.
Small Change is the first book in a series that will include M/F and M/M romances. It is in the Middle of Somewhere universe.
ebook
First published May 27, 2017
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About the author
Roan Parrish
36 books2,359 followersRoan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.
When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.
She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.
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When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.
She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.
Roan's Newsletter
Roan's Facebook Group
Roan on Twitter
Roan on Instagram
Roan’s website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
May 31, 2017
4 Stars.
Ginger is Daniel's best friend from In the Middle of Somewhere and this book,kind of,runs parallel with that one.However this is a standalone and the first book in a new series by Roan Parrish that will also include MM stories.
Ginger Holtzman is a tough independent woman.She's had to work hard to get where she is and she's not about to relinquish her independence any time soon.The owner of a Tattoo shop and currently working on an upcoming art show,she knows how hard it is for a woman in this industry.
Christopher Lucen is the owner of a coffee shop in the same area.One of the good guys,He's patient,caring,steady, and is always there for people......oh,and he's just a bit hot!
Christopher is instantly smitten with Ginger .....but is she ready to let someone into her life permanently? She's very open about her sexuality...she's bi sexual but has never really had any kind of long term relationship before,
What I loved about this book,
-Christopher (happy sigh )-I want one of my own.If ever there was a description of a perfect man,this is him,I absolutely loved him and he's a huge factor in this book working for me.All he wants is to be loved...
-A slow build up.Both characters are in their thirties and there's no insta lust and falling into bed.The sex scenes are perfectly placed in the story.
-A secondary character....Faron.Hello,if ever I was intrigued by someone it's most definitely him.
The story is told,primarily,from Ginger's pov but we do get an insight into Christopher's thoughts by way of emails to his brother,Jude.
On that note,Jude is gay and I'm so excited to get his story and I've got high hopes for him and a certain character.....
A bit of drama and angst towards the end and I definitely got annoyed with Ginger,but overall I really enjoyed this.
A recommended read.
-
Ginger is Daniel's best friend from In the Middle of Somewhere and this book,kind of,runs parallel with that one.However this is a standalone and the first book in a new series by Roan Parrish that will also include MM stories.
Ginger Holtzman is a tough independent woman.She's had to work hard to get where she is and she's not about to relinquish her independence any time soon.The owner of a Tattoo shop and currently working on an upcoming art show,she knows how hard it is for a woman in this industry.
Christopher Lucen is the owner of a coffee shop in the same area.One of the good guys,He's patient,caring,steady, and is always there for people......oh,and he's just a bit hot!
Christopher is instantly smitten with Ginger .....but is she ready to let someone into her life permanently? She's very open about her sexuality...she's bi sexual but has never really had any kind of long term relationship before,
What if, with Christopher, I could burn the world down when I needed to, and he could extinguish a spot for us in the center of it, carve out a safe place for us while the fire raged outside.
What I loved about this book,
-Christopher (happy sigh )-I want one of my own.If ever there was a description of a perfect man,this is him,I absolutely loved him and he's a huge factor in this book working for me.All he wants is to be loved...
"Christopher wants to be loved(...)And he wants to be needed.It's what he's always wanted(...)"
-A slow build up.Both characters are in their thirties and there's no insta lust and falling into bed.The sex scenes are perfectly placed in the story.
-A secondary character....Faron.Hello,if ever I was intrigued by someone it's most definitely him.
The story is told,primarily,from Ginger's pov but we do get an insight into Christopher's thoughts by way of emails to his brother,Jude.
On that note,Jude is gay and I'm so excited to get his story and I've got high hopes for him and a certain character.....
A bit of drama and angst towards the end and I definitely got annoyed with Ginger,but overall I really enjoyed this.
A recommended read.
-
Read
June 8, 2017This was fantastic. It's a very much emotion based-romance, internal rather external conflict: angry, prickly, defiant tattoo artist pushes away sweet, nurturing cook out of a combination of inability to express emotion, deep seated feelings of not being good for others, and rage.
Only, the tattoo artist is a woman and the cook is a man and my God I've never read this before.
Ginger is a magnificent character, a woman living in a state of constant simmering rage at the world, the injustice of it, the endless slights and misogyny and needling and casual insults offered by men and too often other women. You hardly ever get to see a really angry woman in books/film--not a righteous superhero, but someone whose baseline constant anger makes it hard to function when you most want to be calm, so angry that you mess up your life and relationships, so angry it will never entirely go away. I have rarely identified so much.
Men are allowed that anger all the time, and women are expected to nurture and soothe it. Well, in this book Christopher does the emotional labour--and it's very clear how much work that is for him (and how much easier it is for him because of his privilege as a large white man). Chris fulfils all the classic female roles here: he does the emotional heavy lifting and speaking about feelings while Ginger sorts out her feelings, he takes the brunt of her anger, he even provides nurturing food. All the women's jobs, and it doesn't make him a doormat, or in the slightest less hot or wonderful or 'manly' whatever that means. He's simply *doing his fucking bit like a decent human* because he is one.
As a result, Ginger is hugely identifiable. I love her journey--her steadfast refusal to compromise on her work and achievements or to feel guilty about not making more time for a man, followed by her realisation that maybe she wasn't the one setting her own targets, and she needs to define for herself what success means. That's a hugely important realisation (and an epiphany I had myself a few years back; boy, did that bit ring true) and allows a pivot in the relationship where Ginger can give herself space to admit that independent doesn't have to mean alone, and that it isn't weakness to trust.
The switch of the emotional roles isn't simplistic--we are very much in the world here, with Chris's male privilege showing, and Ginger's feelings complicated by her awareness of how her anger and attitudes aren't socially acceptable, and her resented but undeniable social conditioning to please others. It's a lovely complicated emotional story, hence not much external plot at all. In fact it's a classic romance novel in every respect apart from the switch of the emotional roles. Two lovely characters, tons of heart, and a pleasure to read.
Only, the tattoo artist is a woman and the cook is a man and my God I've never read this before.
Ginger is a magnificent character, a woman living in a state of constant simmering rage at the world, the injustice of it, the endless slights and misogyny and needling and casual insults offered by men and too often other women. You hardly ever get to see a really angry woman in books/film--not a righteous superhero, but someone whose baseline constant anger makes it hard to function when you most want to be calm, so angry that you mess up your life and relationships, so angry it will never entirely go away. I have rarely identified so much.
Men are allowed that anger all the time, and women are expected to nurture and soothe it. Well, in this book Christopher does the emotional labour--and it's very clear how much work that is for him (and how much easier it is for him because of his privilege as a large white man). Chris fulfils all the classic female roles here: he does the emotional heavy lifting and speaking about feelings while Ginger sorts out her feelings, he takes the brunt of her anger, he even provides nurturing food. All the women's jobs, and it doesn't make him a doormat, or in the slightest less hot or wonderful or 'manly' whatever that means. He's simply *doing his fucking bit like a decent human* because he is one.
As a result, Ginger is hugely identifiable. I love her journey--her steadfast refusal to compromise on her work and achievements or to feel guilty about not making more time for a man, followed by her realisation that maybe she wasn't the one setting her own targets, and she needs to define for herself what success means. That's a hugely important realisation (and an epiphany I had myself a few years back; boy, did that bit ring true) and allows a pivot in the relationship where Ginger can give herself space to admit that independent doesn't have to mean alone, and that it isn't weakness to trust.
The switch of the emotional roles isn't simplistic--we are very much in the world here, with Chris's male privilege showing, and Ginger's feelings complicated by her awareness of how her anger and attitudes aren't socially acceptable, and her resented but undeniable social conditioning to please others. It's a lovely complicated emotional story, hence not much external plot at all. In fact it's a classic romance novel in every respect apart from the switch of the emotional roles. Two lovely characters, tons of heart, and a pleasure to read.
June 13, 2017
This was such a great and diverse romance.
The main character is a queer jewish woman who owns a tattoo shop. I absolutely loved the theme of female power in this book. It discussed a lot about the sexism in the tattoo community and how female tattooers aren't taken seriously. Her shop was named most queer friendly and I loved the found family of people who worked there including a black woman and a trans man.
The love interest was adorable and I loved that he was genuinely a good person. I am so sick of these asshole/broody love interests. He owned a sandwich/coffee shop and loves to cook which I found so attractive. I loved getting to hear his POV via emails he sent to his brother who was in hospital for an attempted suicide.
I am really looking forward to the next books in this series because there were hints at a connection between two of the side characters that I am just dying to see.
The main character is a queer jewish woman who owns a tattoo shop. I absolutely loved the theme of female power in this book. It discussed a lot about the sexism in the tattoo community and how female tattooers aren't taken seriously. Her shop was named most queer friendly and I loved the found family of people who worked there including a black woman and a trans man.
The love interest was adorable and I loved that he was genuinely a good person. I am so sick of these asshole/broody love interests. He owned a sandwich/coffee shop and loves to cook which I found so attractive. I loved getting to hear his POV via emails he sent to his brother who was in hospital for an attempted suicide.
I am really looking forward to the next books in this series because there were hints at a connection between two of the side characters that I am just dying to see.
January 7, 2020
I liked this one quite a bit! I'm especially excited to read the little bonus short story that the author wrote that apparently has to do with pegging? Lmao sign me up
dnf
February 7, 201971% dnf.
I’m bored and giving up. This story is monotonous with too much day to day stuff, an unnecessary amount of focus on food and eating, and details about tattooing and coloring and artistic creativity than I cared to read about. Relationship wise there wasn't enough happening. Ginger was too busy for a relationship, and frankly, I found Christopher kind of boring. Everyone in the story was oh so hot. The land of beautiful people. It was hard not to focus on the parts of the story that I’d generally just take with a grain of salt when the “romance” portion was so lackluster.
At first, I found Ginger endearing but than her whining about her family became annoying. Her insecurities came off more like self-pity. As I continued reading, she just started to remind me of the female version of Daniel from In the Middle of Somewhere, who I seriously disliked. No surprise that he and Ginger are best friends.
I’m bored and giving up. This story is monotonous with too much day to day stuff, an unnecessary amount of focus on food and eating, and details about tattooing and coloring and artistic creativity than I cared to read about. Relationship wise there wasn't enough happening. Ginger was too busy for a relationship, and frankly, I found Christopher kind of boring. Everyone in the story was oh so hot. The land of beautiful people. It was hard not to focus on the parts of the story that I’d generally just take with a grain of salt when the “romance” portion was so lackluster.
At first, I found Ginger endearing but than her whining about her family became annoying. Her insecurities came off more like self-pity. As I continued reading, she just started to remind me of the female version of Daniel from In the Middle of Somewhere, who I seriously disliked. No surprise that he and Ginger are best friends.
August 31, 2019
Dear Universe, I would like more high quality F/M queer romance, please, and soon. Please see this book for an example. It's about Ginger Holtzman, a prickly, stressed-out bisexual Jewish tattoo shop owner and painter, who does NOT trust cute, friendly sandwich shop owner Christopher Lucen, even though he's clearly smitten with her. Well, it's clear if you're not Ginger, because she doesn't trust even the *idea* of smitten. Also she's far too busy working her ass off managing her business (and being rightfully pissed off about how the world treats anyone who deviates from the allocishet white man "norm.") But, uh, Chris is quite sweet... and he does seem awfully forgiving of her rough edges...
What follows is a reversal of common romance tropes, and it's so refreshing. Chris feeds Ginger, tries to understand her even when she doesn't understand herself, and does his best to be patient even when she lashes out. The woman gets the aloof, suspicious role, and the man is the nurturer who coaxes her out. In addition, part of Ginger's character arc is rethinking what professional success means before the consequences of her overworking irreparably damage her relationship with Chris. There's such a great mix of charming sweet moments and deeper, challenging emotional conversations here, mixing the budding romance with Ginger's individual journey towards trust and also re-balancing her life.
As a bi woman who's married to a man, I really appreciated how Ginger's queer identity and her connection to the queer community are always central for her though she's in a M/F relationship. Also loved how Parrish showed the conflict between Ginger's experience with sexism and Chris working to understand and manage his male privilege. Parrish is GREAT at writing romances that engage with big themes and issues by showing how they play out in people's lives, and she does that here in a deeply satisfying way.
What follows is a reversal of common romance tropes, and it's so refreshing. Chris feeds Ginger, tries to understand her even when she doesn't understand herself, and does his best to be patient even when she lashes out. The woman gets the aloof, suspicious role, and the man is the nurturer who coaxes her out. In addition, part of Ginger's character arc is rethinking what professional success means before the consequences of her overworking irreparably damage her relationship with Chris. There's such a great mix of charming sweet moments and deeper, challenging emotional conversations here, mixing the budding romance with Ginger's individual journey towards trust and also re-balancing her life.
As a bi woman who's married to a man, I really appreciated how Ginger's queer identity and her connection to the queer community are always central for her though she's in a M/F relationship. Also loved how Parrish showed the conflict between Ginger's experience with sexism and Chris working to understand and manage his male privilege. Parrish is GREAT at writing romances that engage with big themes and issues by showing how they play out in people's lives, and she does that here in a deeply satisfying way.
March 28, 2018
I liked this a lot at first, can totally get saying the wrong thing and hitting out at the nearest target when tired and stressed, because you're on the warpath and they're there in your sights. I got that part. Didn't so much get the easy forgiveness when she finally got around to apologising. Christopher is lovely. I'm married to a Christopher who gives hugs and makes me frequent coffees and occasional bagels - they're worth holding onto. Would LOVE more of these 'nice guys' in books as opposed to the manly testosterone fuelled heroes you generally find.
At the start I was thrilled to have a m/f book with such a strong female character, roles reversed Christopher is the support act and Ginger is never weak or coy, she's angry and prickly and real. The sex is hot and these are adult characters it's not at all shy or virginal. Past halfway I was loving the dynamic Christopher's accepting smitten-ness and Ginger's prickles. Also Ginger is Bi and it has to be the best way I've seen that written, matter-of-fact not the author making a point just part of the character. Still part of the character when she's seeing a man.
First person present tense really wasn't the best device for this story though. Parrish has a very wordy writing style that can cause stumbles and this book is an abundance of internal thoughts.
It's Ginger. Too much Ginger. Past halfway it had become exhaustively Ginger, I'd had enough of her, which made me wonder why Christopher was still putting up with her shit. And to avoid dual pov the book turns epistolary giving little much needed insights into Christopher through emails to his brother. A device to have the reader warm to Christopher and get to see how he really is a sweet guy, and introduce his brother who never seemed entirely real. He [the brother] has some big issues but only appears briefly to mediate the Ginger-show. A few side characters are waved tantalisingly close but not developed, unfortunately I was more curious about them than the main.
Christopher was too often a mere foil for Ginger and not let to breath and become real in his own right. His brother a mere prop to show Christopher has personality. For me to keep enjoying I needed a break from Ginger's head, as much as she was getting oversaturated by the world around her, I was feeling the same from being so much in her head.
Because it is all about Ginger. She's tough, she's made it herself and been judged along the way, I'd respect her heaps for that - but not once in the story does she ever spare a thought for anyone else. By the end it had changed from championing her to thinking her a very selfish character. Caught up in her internal tangles there's barely any thought to others unless reminded. Parrish does a great job of conveying her and her moods, stresses, struggles; but a step outside her pov for more than a brief email would have been a breath of fresh air and given some balance to the story.
The story is all woven around inequality within the tattoo industry, possibly to fill pages. It never seemed entirely real a cause; Ginger could be full force ahead then it was forgotten about, then they were tracking twitter again, it all seemed strangely distant then suddenly Ginger was noticing it again and effected by it. Um hello, this happens outside of the tattoo industry! It's actually not uncommon in a lot of work environments and in general life - I can rant on it myself, but here it felt more a plot-device than a genuine battle close to her heart. Did wonder if it's a culture thing too, here lots of people male and female have tattoos, while there's always dissenters it's not a big 'cover that up' stigma.
I'm not that certain the main characters were together that much. There's mention of waking up together that suggests some meetings off-page, but mainly they're two people running businesses and with busy lives that get in the way.
This all sounds very negative, there was a lot I liked, things I loved, just overall it left me tired. It went from an easy 5* to wavering at 3* but I after thought it's not one I'll be in a rush to re-read so it ends on a tired 2*
At the start I was thrilled to have a m/f book with such a strong female character, roles reversed Christopher is the support act and Ginger is never weak or coy, she's angry and prickly and real. The sex is hot and these are adult characters it's not at all shy or virginal. Past halfway I was loving the dynamic Christopher's accepting smitten-ness and Ginger's prickles. Also Ginger is Bi and it has to be the best way I've seen that written, matter-of-fact not the author making a point just part of the character. Still part of the character when she's seeing a man.
First person present tense really wasn't the best device for this story though. Parrish has a very wordy writing style that can cause stumbles and this book is an abundance of internal thoughts.
It's Ginger. Too much Ginger. Past halfway it had become exhaustively Ginger, I'd had enough of her, which made me wonder why Christopher was still putting up with her shit. And to avoid dual pov the book turns epistolary giving little much needed insights into Christopher through emails to his brother. A device to have the reader warm to Christopher and get to see how he really is a sweet guy, and introduce his brother who never seemed entirely real. He [the brother] has some big issues but only appears briefly to mediate the Ginger-show. A few side characters are waved tantalisingly close but not developed, unfortunately I was more curious about them than the main.
Christopher was too often a mere foil for Ginger and not let to breath and become real in his own right. His brother a mere prop to show Christopher has personality. For me to keep enjoying I needed a break from Ginger's head, as much as she was getting oversaturated by the world around her, I was feeling the same from being so much in her head.
Because it is all about Ginger. She's tough, she's made it herself and been judged along the way, I'd respect her heaps for that - but not once in the story does she ever spare a thought for anyone else. By the end it had changed from championing her to thinking her a very selfish character. Caught up in her internal tangles there's barely any thought to others unless reminded. Parrish does a great job of conveying her and her moods, stresses, struggles; but a step outside her pov for more than a brief email would have been a breath of fresh air and given some balance to the story.
The story is all woven around inequality within the tattoo industry, possibly to fill pages. It never seemed entirely real a cause; Ginger could be full force ahead then it was forgotten about, then they were tracking twitter again, it all seemed strangely distant then suddenly Ginger was noticing it again and effected by it. Um hello, this happens outside of the tattoo industry! It's actually not uncommon in a lot of work environments and in general life - I can rant on it myself, but here it felt more a plot-device than a genuine battle close to her heart. Did wonder if it's a culture thing too, here lots of people male and female have tattoos, while there's always dissenters it's not a big 'cover that up' stigma.
I'm not that certain the main characters were together that much. There's mention of waking up together that suggests some meetings off-page, but mainly they're two people running businesses and with busy lives that get in the way.
This all sounds very negative, there was a lot I liked, things I loved, just overall it left me tired. It went from an easy 5* to wavering at 3* but I after thought it's not one I'll be in a rush to re-read so it ends on a tired 2*
June 5, 2017
***4 Stars***
"In cooking, you can swap out one ingredient for another. Sometimes it doesn't change much, like oil for eggs in a cake. Sometimes it changes everything, like salt for sugar. The way I feel about you? It's not like a recipe. I don't want to swap out your moodiness for a smile, or your temper for a laugh. It's like...alchemy or something. The way people come together, and it's just...Magic."
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Roan Parrish's writing, and she's easily kept the magic going with her first M/F book (a spinoff from her MM series).
This is a hopeful book about two people falling in love. It's about smoothing out your edges, without losing your shape.
There's no drama, no miscommunication...just an honest look at what happens when you take that scary leap of putting yourself out there, letting someone else see all of your shit, and finding that person who wants you to walk tall beside them.
We were learning each other in small, manageable pieces - mapping each new inch of terrain slowly, to see how far into each other's territory we could venture.
After finishing this book, there are three things I know for certain:
(1) I wanna be friends with Ginger and talk about stupid things while we guzzle large quantities of coffee. Not only was she awesome, but there were these little nuggets of insecurity that were so damn relatable I had to pause and take a deep breath...
...Fear that someday I'd get so lonely I'd compromise in ways I didn't want to. Fear that I'd be so afraid of compromising when I shouldn't that I'd refuse to compromise when I should.
(2) I really want a hug from Christopher. They sound like a glorious cocoon of comfort and joy. And I'm pretty sure they can solve the world's problems. But even if he didn't want to hug me, I'd be okay just being in his warm, kind, and easy company.
He had a fantastic laugh - loud and rich and from the belly, and it terminated in a kind of chuckle, like he wasn't quite ready to stop yet. It was the kind of laugh that made you feel lucky that you said something he thought was funny.
(3) I will read anything that Roan Parrish writes.
What if, with Christopher, I could burn the world down when I needed to, and he could extinguish a spot for us in the center of it, carve out a safe place for us while the fire raged outside.
I can't wait to see where Roan Parrish goes with this series. I hear Jude's (Christopher's brother) story is next...and oh man, I'm gonna have to get my feelers ready for that one!
--------------------------------
Ginger's story!! She's Daniel's BFF from In the Middle of Somewhere. We already got a peek at Ginger and Christopher's relationship in that series and now it's time to get their full story!!
June 4, 2017
Roan es una de mis autoras favoritas y esperaba con muchas ganas este libro, Ginger aparece en el libro de Daniel, In The Middle of Somewhere, y me gustó desde el primer momento, ¿no sería genial leer también su happy ending?
Sin embargo, he de confesar que en el primero 25% del libro mis sentimientos hacia lo que estaba leyendo estaban muy confusos, Ginger no me gustaba tanto como en el libro de Daniel, quizás porque ahora no solo veíamos su lado divertido, había muchísimo diálogo interno, y todo parecia enfocado a presentar una situación, una historia, con su escenario, sus personajes, que nunca llegaba. Seguí leyendo por las ganas que tenía de que saliera Daniel y porque Cristopher prometía ser un buen contrapunto para Ginger.
Y qué bien que seguí leyendo, porque despues de un comienzo un tanto decepcionante la historia comenzó a subir en interés, en análisis de personajes, en discusión de diferentes puntos que yo considero importante en la sociedad que nos rodea. Al final, he conseguido querer a Ginger tanto o más de lo que la quería antes de comenzar Small Change, quiero a Christoperh porque, en serio, qué hay que no se pueda querer en Christopher? quizás ha pecado de mucha perfección, algo que parece un poco distintivo de las parejas de Roan. Tenemos a nuestros messy Daniel, Colin, Will y Ginger que encuentra su estabilidad con los wonderful Rex, Rafe, Leo y Christoper. Todo mi amor para el personaje de Ginger que se presenta tal como es con lo complicado que es eso, y por el personaje de Christopher, que también se presenta tal como es arriesgándose a ser un blanco fácil para ser herido. Pero no solo me han gustado sus principales, me han encantado todo lo relacionado con la tienda de tatuajes de Ginger, he pasado todo el libro deseando hacerme otro más, muy interesante también el análisis de la mujer en el negocio, y en cualquier negocio en general, aunque la autora en alguna ocasión creo que ha caído en lo preachy, ha habido momentos en que parecía que me estaba dando una lección, y por mucho que yo esté de acuerdo con lo que dice, es algo que me incomoda mucho cuando leo, yo quiero aprender y tener mi opinión sobre distintos asuntos a través de las experiencias de los personajes, más que por un discurso.
No quiero dejar de mencionar unos secundarios maravillosos, todos, bien perfilados, nada de estereotipos planos, y mención especial para Jude y Faron, maravillosos, no puedo esperar a leer su libro.
Una lectura muy recomendable, muy romántica, con buenas escenas de sexo, nada superficial y bien escrita. Roan sigue siendo una de mis favoritas.
P.S.: Amor incondicional a Daniel, cada vez que le mencionan, o aparece, para mi él siempre steals the show.
Sin embargo, he de confesar que en el primero 25% del libro mis sentimientos hacia lo que estaba leyendo estaban muy confusos, Ginger no me gustaba tanto como en el libro de Daniel, quizás porque ahora no solo veíamos su lado divertido, había muchísimo diálogo interno, y todo parecia enfocado a presentar una situación, una historia, con su escenario, sus personajes, que nunca llegaba. Seguí leyendo por las ganas que tenía de que saliera Daniel y porque Cristopher prometía ser un buen contrapunto para Ginger.
Y qué bien que seguí leyendo, porque despues de un comienzo un tanto decepcionante la historia comenzó a subir en interés, en análisis de personajes, en discusión de diferentes puntos que yo considero importante en la sociedad que nos rodea. Al final, he conseguido querer a Ginger tanto o más de lo que la quería antes de comenzar Small Change, quiero a Christoperh porque, en serio, qué hay que no se pueda querer en Christopher? quizás ha pecado de mucha perfección, algo que parece un poco distintivo de las parejas de Roan. Tenemos a nuestros messy Daniel, Colin, Will y Ginger que encuentra su estabilidad con los wonderful Rex, Rafe, Leo y Christoper. Todo mi amor para el personaje de Ginger que se presenta tal como es con lo complicado que es eso, y por el personaje de Christopher, que también se presenta tal como es arriesgándose a ser un blanco fácil para ser herido. Pero no solo me han gustado sus principales, me han encantado todo lo relacionado con la tienda de tatuajes de Ginger, he pasado todo el libro deseando hacerme otro más, muy interesante también el análisis de la mujer en el negocio, y en cualquier negocio en general, aunque la autora en alguna ocasión creo que ha caído en lo preachy, ha habido momentos en que parecía que me estaba dando una lección, y por mucho que yo esté de acuerdo con lo que dice, es algo que me incomoda mucho cuando leo, yo quiero aprender y tener mi opinión sobre distintos asuntos a través de las experiencias de los personajes, más que por un discurso.
No quiero dejar de mencionar unos secundarios maravillosos, todos, bien perfilados, nada de estereotipos planos, y mención especial para Jude y Faron, maravillosos, no puedo esperar a leer su libro.
Una lectura muy recomendable, muy romántica, con buenas escenas de sexo, nada superficial y bien escrita. Roan sigue siendo una de mis favoritas.
P.S.: Amor incondicional a Daniel, cada vez que le mencionan, o aparece, para mi él siempre steals the show.
March 15, 2025
4.5 - Deceptively deep. This is a great addition to In the Middle of Somewhere universe and prequel to Jude’s book Invitation to the Blues which comes next. It has lovely, relatable and real characters, a bit of angst and some funny romantic moments.
This explores an interesting way of thinking from Christopher- someone who is neurotypical who desperately wants to see the world like a neurodivergent person so that he can understand his brother and share the load of his extra sensitivity. Very lovely understanding of different ways to see the world, sensory sensitivities and depression, written with genuinely inclusive language.
Ginger is extremely relatable and I really liked her character - ”I’m moody and I hate a lot of stuff and I’ve been told I’m a little intense.”
I loved seeing Jude through her eyes and her perspective of the characters in the previous series. I loved her conversation with Jude on the porch and him reading her the riot act. I also really enjoyed Christopher’s POV coming through in the way of letters to Jude. It was an interesting, shorter way of being in his head that didn’t drag the story out.
Lots of tattoo positivity and interesting details about tattooing and art, would recommend for fans of tattoos and artists.
I think I especially enjoyed the refreshing reversal of gender and classic romance roles in this story with Ginger being the prickly, angry, emotionally stricken one and Christopher being the nurturer, providing comfort through food and gentle communication.
“It’s unfathomable how much we can hurt the people we care about the most,” Jude said. “And it’s miraculous how many times they can forgive us. Whether they should or not.”
This explores an interesting way of thinking from Christopher- someone who is neurotypical who desperately wants to see the world like a neurodivergent person so that he can understand his brother and share the load of his extra sensitivity. Very lovely understanding of different ways to see the world, sensory sensitivities and depression, written with genuinely inclusive language.
Ginger is extremely relatable and I really liked her character - ”I’m moody and I hate a lot of stuff and I’ve been told I’m a little intense.”
I loved seeing Jude through her eyes and her perspective of the characters in the previous series. I loved her conversation with Jude on the porch and him reading her the riot act. I also really enjoyed Christopher’s POV coming through in the way of letters to Jude. It was an interesting, shorter way of being in his head that didn’t drag the story out.
Lots of tattoo positivity and interesting details about tattooing and art, would recommend for fans of tattoos and artists.
I think I especially enjoyed the refreshing reversal of gender and classic romance roles in this story with Ginger being the prickly, angry, emotionally stricken one and Christopher being the nurturer, providing comfort through food and gentle communication.
“It’s unfathomable how much we can hurt the people we care about the most,” Jude said. “And it’s miraculous how many times they can forgive us. Whether they should or not.”
Read
May 17, 2017God, this book. I love it. I stayed up all night reading it, so now I'm an incoherent zombie, but as soon as I nap and wake up again, I'm gonna write something so damned eloquent about it, everyone who knows me will be unable to resist reading it on release day. It's a gorgeous book. <3
June 1, 2017
Surprisingly for me, I didn’t love the book. Until now all of the author’s books were 5 star reads and favourites of mine, but Small Change sadly couldn’t live up to my expectations. Which isn’t to say it’s a bad book (as you can see from my rating) but I wish it would have been better. There are some aspects here that I really loved, some that I didn’t like, and others that I am quite conflicted about.
I am delighted that the female/male relationship was awesome. There are no stereotypical gender roles regarding both Ginger and Christopher which is very important to me. I can’t even tell you how much I appreciated this. Some books fall back into weird gender dynamics once the couple has sex but this was also not the case here. I enjoyed their sexual encounters a lot, because they were really hot and also realistic.
Ginger’s bisexuality is another aspect of the book that I loved. It’s written in a very natural way—as opposed to being forced unto the page for representation’s sake—and I also liked that her identity wasn’t limited to being interested in both men and women, but that her whole identity is queer.
Ginger is a likeable character despite all her faults—or maybe because of them—but I didn’t quite fall in love with her. Christopher, on the other hand, is a character who is very easy to love. He’s hot (red hair, freckles, tall) and kind and very charming. However, I think that if it weren’t for his brother Jude’s side story and depression and it’s influence on Christopher, he would be kinda flat and boring and too perfect. Maybe we will see more of Jude in future books but for the moment he felt more like an addition to the story to complement Christopher, like his purpose for existing was to give Christopher more depth.
The book rather appears as an assortment of intermingling different parts, more like a puzzle that is made to fit and not necessarily fitting in the first place. There is the couple’s (mostly Ginger’s) individual journey, dealing with mental illness of a loved one, and the critique of sexism and misogyny (in the tattoo industry) that was too preachy in the execution for my taste. Actually, what I think is that this story is a bit forced. Like the author wanted to write about Ginger (because, clearly, she rocks), but then realised there wasn’t enough to write her story, so things needed to fill the hole.
Additionally, this book was really too long and slow. I was bored—not the whole time—but again and again. There were many details, long paragraphs, and I realise that this is kinda the author’s style and that it didn’t bother me at all in her other books. I believe it’s because I found the story itself lacking and the language less magical. The spark and wonder was missing for me.
But I haven’t mentioned some other stuff that was pretty cool. While the book is written from Ginger’s point of view, I really loved that we could read Christopher’s charming mails to Jude, thus getting to know him and his thoughts a little better.
I also thought that there was no unnecessary angst which is how I like it. I also really appreciated that I didn’t have to witness a family meeting with Ginger’s mentally abusive family, and conflicts between Ginger and Christopher were solved in a satisfactory manner and not overly dramatic. Usually, that is. What Ginger said to Christopher in their ‘big fight’ didn’t even make sense and was really hurtful and I really wasn’t a fan, but that’s how fights go, especially if fear and anxiety are involved.
While Small Change wasn’t as good as I had hoped and while I do have lots of complaints it seems, it’s still a good book and read-worthy. Especially if you’re looking for great representation of a bisexual woman, then you should definitely check it out.
____________________________________
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tags: F/M Pairing, Bisexual Character, Heterosexual Character, Tattoos, Art
Content Warnings: Depression and Mention of Attempted Suicide (Secondary Character), Misogyny
Rating: 3.5 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love
Disclosure: ARC for Review
I am delighted that the female/male relationship was awesome. There are no stereotypical gender roles regarding both Ginger and Christopher which is very important to me. I can’t even tell you how much I appreciated this. Some books fall back into weird gender dynamics once the couple has sex but this was also not the case here. I enjoyed their sexual encounters a lot, because they were really hot and also realistic.
Ginger’s bisexuality is another aspect of the book that I loved. It’s written in a very natural way—as opposed to being forced unto the page for representation’s sake—and I also liked that her identity wasn’t limited to being interested in both men and women, but that her whole identity is queer.
Ginger is a likeable character despite all her faults—or maybe because of them—but I didn’t quite fall in love with her. Christopher, on the other hand, is a character who is very easy to love. He’s hot (red hair, freckles, tall) and kind and very charming. However, I think that if it weren’t for his brother Jude’s side story and depression and it’s influence on Christopher, he would be kinda flat and boring and too perfect. Maybe we will see more of Jude in future books but for the moment he felt more like an addition to the story to complement Christopher, like his purpose for existing was to give Christopher more depth.
The book rather appears as an assortment of intermingling different parts, more like a puzzle that is made to fit and not necessarily fitting in the first place. There is the couple’s (mostly Ginger’s) individual journey, dealing with mental illness of a loved one, and the critique of sexism and misogyny (in the tattoo industry) that was too preachy in the execution for my taste. Actually, what I think is that this story is a bit forced. Like the author wanted to write about Ginger (because, clearly, she rocks), but then realised there wasn’t enough to write her story, so things needed to fill the hole.
Additionally, this book was really too long and slow. I was bored—not the whole time—but again and again. There were many details, long paragraphs, and I realise that this is kinda the author’s style and that it didn’t bother me at all in her other books. I believe it’s because I found the story itself lacking and the language less magical. The spark and wonder was missing for me.
But I haven’t mentioned some other stuff that was pretty cool. While the book is written from Ginger’s point of view, I really loved that we could read Christopher’s charming mails to Jude, thus getting to know him and his thoughts a little better.
I also thought that there was no unnecessary angst which is how I like it. I also really appreciated that I didn’t have to witness a family meeting with Ginger’s mentally abusive family, and conflicts between Ginger and Christopher were solved in a satisfactory manner and not overly dramatic. Usually, that is. What Ginger said to Christopher in their ‘big fight’ didn’t even make sense and was really hurtful and I really wasn’t a fan, but that’s how fights go, especially if fear and anxiety are involved.
While Small Change wasn’t as good as I had hoped and while I do have lots of complaints it seems, it’s still a good book and read-worthy. Especially if you’re looking for great representation of a bisexual woman, then you should definitely check it out.
____________________________________
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tags: F/M Pairing, Bisexual Character, Heterosexual Character, Tattoos, Art
Content Warnings: Depression and Mention of Attempted Suicide (Secondary Character), Misogyny
Rating: 3.5 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love
Disclosure: ARC for Review
September 18, 2019
This book was maybe everything I have ever wanted in a romance?? Ginger is a queer cynical tattoo artist who owns her own shop in Philadelphia. Her whole life she's had to fight for who she is. Christopher is a happy-go-lucky redhead who's just opened a sandwich shop in the neighbourhood. I loved how it gender flipped the usual dynamics of the nurturing woman who brings the man out of his shell. Christopher is the nurturing one taking care of Ginger and bringing her food! I also loved how integrated Ginger was in the queer community even though she's dating a guy and how she actually discussed her queer identity with him. I fucking loved this book!!
Also, the audiobook version of this is fantastic. The voice actor had a really sexy voice and did an excellent job.
Also, the audiobook version of this is fantastic. The voice actor had a really sexy voice and did an excellent job.
June 3, 2017
*ARC received from author via A Novel Take PR as part of blog tour*
2 things I want to say immediately:
1) I'm kicking myself for still not having read Roan's Middle of Somewhere series, even though they're all ready to go on my tablet. (A friend is doing this for me mentally already anyway, I'm sure hehe) #somanybookssolittletime
2) If you only read M/F in your romance, with diverse representation at that, I think you can safely put Roan in your radar.
The first bk in a new series, it's Roan's first foray into M/F romance. I take it that people who've read In the Middle of Somewhere would be familiar with Ginger, the h. This is her story. It's her story with Christopher.
Ginger, a tattoo artist, is the owner of Small Change. She's a very busy woman who has hardly any time for anything else. Her growing years were all about not meeting expectations and never being enough. So in her older years, she has hang-ups, only trusts a few and hard pressed to open up to anyone outside of her inner circle.
She meets Christopher who happens to own the sandwich place near her shop. Christopher is pretty much the opposite of Ginger. He's open, easygoing, straightforward, and just plain sweet.
There is nothing I don't love about Christopher. He's just perfect, that even his tiny flaws were perfect *insert heart eyes* I love that what you see is what you get with him. I love how he got Ginger. I love that he gave what Ginger needed. I love his views. I just love him!
Ginger's experience, feelings and thoughts will feel familiar at some point to any woman. The family issues, the societal pressure, the biases, the insecurities, the challenges, all of them... I feel like to judge Ginger is to judge womanhood, in general. We've all been there, I'm sure. And this is coming from one who's of a minority background. Ultimately, regardless of all the bullsh!t, what I really appreciated is her growth throughout this journey.
I love that this is primarily from Ginger's POV, but you get Christopher's POV in email forms. I love the people that surrounded these 2. Just when I'm starting to feel at times that Ginger and Christopher are hardly together or that Ginger might've stayed in her head a tad longer at times, I love that Roan managed to pull me right back in quite easily, with a line or a turn of event. I love that these 2 are so relatable and life-like, if that makes sense. I love the balance of the characters' personality. I love how the pace of the story moved so naturally. I love the depth Roan gave to the story. I love the emotions that this managed to evoke out of me, the giggles, the tear or 2, and yes, even the anxiety. And it bears saying again, I love, love Christopher, yes!!!
PS. Ginger just inspired me more to get another tat.
PPS. Who's next on the series, Roan? Jude? Farron? Yes?:p
PPS. I really have to find the time to read the Middle of Somewhere series
PPPS. Me=happy!!!:D
2 things I want to say immediately:
1) I'm kicking myself for still not having read Roan's Middle of Somewhere series, even though they're all ready to go on my tablet. (A friend is doing this for me mentally already anyway, I'm sure hehe) #somanybookssolittletime
2) If you only read M/F in your romance, with diverse representation at that, I think you can safely put Roan in your radar.
The first bk in a new series, it's Roan's first foray into M/F romance. I take it that people who've read In the Middle of Somewhere would be familiar with Ginger, the h. This is her story. It's her story with Christopher.
Ginger, a tattoo artist, is the owner of Small Change. She's a very busy woman who has hardly any time for anything else. Her growing years were all about not meeting expectations and never being enough. So in her older years, she has hang-ups, only trusts a few and hard pressed to open up to anyone outside of her inner circle.
She meets Christopher who happens to own the sandwich place near her shop. Christopher is pretty much the opposite of Ginger. He's open, easygoing, straightforward, and just plain sweet.
There is nothing I don't love about Christopher. He's just perfect, that even his tiny flaws were perfect *insert heart eyes* I love that what you see is what you get with him. I love how he got Ginger. I love that he gave what Ginger needed. I love his views. I just love him!
Ginger's experience, feelings and thoughts will feel familiar at some point to any woman. The family issues, the societal pressure, the biases, the insecurities, the challenges, all of them... I feel like to judge Ginger is to judge womanhood, in general. We've all been there, I'm sure. And this is coming from one who's of a minority background. Ultimately, regardless of all the bullsh!t, what I really appreciated is her growth throughout this journey.
I love that this is primarily from Ginger's POV, but you get Christopher's POV in email forms. I love the people that surrounded these 2. Just when I'm starting to feel at times that Ginger and Christopher are hardly together or that Ginger might've stayed in her head a tad longer at times, I love that Roan managed to pull me right back in quite easily, with a line or a turn of event. I love that these 2 are so relatable and life-like, if that makes sense. I love the balance of the characters' personality. I love how the pace of the story moved so naturally. I love the depth Roan gave to the story. I love the emotions that this managed to evoke out of me, the giggles, the tear or 2, and yes, even the anxiety. And it bears saying again, I love, love Christopher, yes!!!
"Care bear stares"
PS. Ginger just inspired me more to get another tat.
PPS. Who's next on the series, Roan? Jude? Farron? Yes?:p
PPS. I really have to find the time to read the Middle of Somewhere series
PPPS. Me=happy!!!:D
March 28, 2018
I have thoughts. I am wavering between 3★'s and 4★'s and just don't know where this will fall. I am not a huge fan of half ★'s but this may fall into that rating. Maybe I'll know once I get some thoughts out.
First and foremost, Roan Parrish's writing totally works for me. All the words and all the thoughts and just all of it totally works for me.
Overall I liked this book. It brought out a lot of emotions and that is not easy to do. Sometimes I feel like I read without emotion. Sometimes I am shocked when I smile or get misty eyed. I think I must be cold-hearted, lol. But really, I did smile and hurt and at times I was totally overcome with all kinds of emotions. I think it is because the book read real to me.
I loved Christopher and I loved the way his POV was presented. Reading his emails to his brother was better than if we had been in his head, really. He is such a great guy. That sounds kind of lame but really, that is what he is. An all around great guy. A presence. He would always be loved. He is just one of those people.
I have this back and forth love/hate thing going on for Ginger. I loved that she was all what you see is what you get but sometimes she wasn't that. She was really angry. I mean, really. I feel she did not ever see the positive and that was kind of a drag. She was just too focused and at times it was not ok and maybe a little too over the top and unbelievable. I dunno. At other times she was my hero.
Ok, what kind of threw me was the whole Social Media spin on the story. Now, I'll be honest, it was one of the parts of the book that truly evoked all the emotions from me, but I don't know if I liked it as part of the story. It is hard to explain. I almost feel like it was extra or something. Maybe it just didn't flow right for me. Emotional though, yes.
I maybe feel like there was a lot going on and not enough focus on any one thing?
I think 4★'s just because my brain is spinning and Daniel and Jude.
First and foremost, Roan Parrish's writing totally works for me. All the words and all the thoughts and just all of it totally works for me.
Overall I liked this book. It brought out a lot of emotions and that is not easy to do. Sometimes I feel like I read without emotion. Sometimes I am shocked when I smile or get misty eyed. I think I must be cold-hearted, lol. But really, I did smile and hurt and at times I was totally overcome with all kinds of emotions. I think it is because the book read real to me.
I loved Christopher and I loved the way his POV was presented. Reading his emails to his brother was better than if we had been in his head, really. He is such a great guy. That sounds kind of lame but really, that is what he is. An all around great guy. A presence. He would always be loved. He is just one of those people.
I have this back and forth love/hate thing going on for Ginger. I loved that she was all what you see is what you get but sometimes she wasn't that. She was really angry. I mean, really. I feel she did not ever see the positive and that was kind of a drag. She was just too focused and at times it was not ok and maybe a little too over the top and unbelievable. I dunno. At other times she was my hero.
Ok, what kind of threw me was the whole Social Media spin on the story. Now, I'll be honest, it was one of the parts of the book that truly evoked all the emotions from me, but I don't know if I liked it as part of the story. It is hard to explain. I almost feel like it was extra or something. Maybe it just didn't flow right for me. Emotional though, yes.
I maybe feel like there was a lot going on and not enough focus on any one thing?
I think 4★'s just because my brain is spinning and Daniel and Jude.
October 25, 2021
Roan fucking Parrish
jokes on me for skipping this one last year and going straight for Book 2 (aka, the MM pairing)
not only did this reach into my chest and rearrange some things, but it also inspired me to look for more romances about bisexual women with men.
the reason I don’t read much MF these days is because it lacks that inherent inexplicable quality I find in queer romance that feels like home - and this was full of it.
jokes on me for skipping this one last year and going straight for Book 2 (aka, the MM pairing)
not only did this reach into my chest and rearrange some things, but it also inspired me to look for more romances about bisexual women with men.
the reason I don’t read much MF these days is because it lacks that inherent inexplicable quality I find in queer romance that feels like home - and this was full of it.
April 8, 2018
Finally, an M/F romance with a woman who feels real and who doesn't lose herself, in the process of becoming half of a couple. This book gives us Ginger, artist on canvas and skin, and Daniel's best friend from the previous series, plus Christopher, the local sandwich shop owner who falls for her. Both characters really appealed to me. I loved Ginger's independence, her focus on her art as central to who she is, her quirky humor and demand to not bend to convention. I loved that she was bi. I loved that she had friends and other people in her life who remained important even when she was building a relationship.
I also adored Christopher's respect for her. He didn't try to mold her into a more traditional girlfriend. He didn't insist on coming before her art. He has an amazingly open heart and basic kindness, and he's willing to work for Ginger to realize how well they fit together. If I had any complaint, it was that Christopher was a bit too perfect, but I adored that he was taking on many of the roles that are traditionally given to the woman in a romance (talking about feelings, feeding, nurturing, supporting a partner's career) and yet in a way that felt natural to who he was. He wasn't a doormat, and he had a ton of confidence, but in an attractive way that didn't make him insensitive.
This book parallels the stories in the Middle of Somewhere series, and there are familiar moments that are fun to see from a new POV, but it would totally stand on its own. (And hey, if you have someone you're trying to bring over to M/M who only reads M/F - give them this one, then tempt them to read about Daniel and Rex...)
I also adored Christopher's respect for her. He didn't try to mold her into a more traditional girlfriend. He didn't insist on coming before her art. He has an amazingly open heart and basic kindness, and he's willing to work for Ginger to realize how well they fit together. If I had any complaint, it was that Christopher was a bit too perfect, but I adored that he was taking on many of the roles that are traditionally given to the woman in a romance (talking about feelings, feeding, nurturing, supporting a partner's career) and yet in a way that felt natural to who he was. He wasn't a doormat, and he had a ton of confidence, but in an attractive way that didn't make him insensitive.
This book parallels the stories in the Middle of Somewhere series, and there are familiar moments that are fun to see from a new POV, but it would totally stand on its own. (And hey, if you have someone you're trying to bring over to M/M who only reads M/F - give them this one, then tempt them to read about Daniel and Rex...)
September 15, 2023
Reread 2023 x2:
Ginger is a mood. This narration and story is like getting held in a weighted blanket. I also really love Jude's role in this. Golden retriever x black cat energy, queer MF, tattoo shop and sandwiches. I miss old Parrish's attention to detail on everything. So much tiny detail info!
Reread 2023:
Apparently this is turning into an annual thing. I just really have a soft spot for Ginger and her sweet sandwich making boy. Also wish I could bottle up that emotional angst. Chef's kiss, very good in a heart stomping way. I really love how detailed Parrish gets into tattoos and art, and Daniel and Rex are cute and all, but Ginger steals the show. This is a comfort read now, lol.
------------------------------------------
Reread 2022:
I think I'm actually going to bump this up to a 5 star read instead of a 4, based on how much I enjoyed this the second time around (and by reading all of the books with cameo characters.) I love how Parrish writes angst and emotional depth into her characters. I really enjoyed seeing Jude again, as well as the letters written in between chapters. Some golf claps for the explicit scenes not only fixating on PIV action. Everything previously said below still stands. Feeding your partner as an act of love is amazing.
-------------------------------
Loved Ginger, a tattoo shop owning baddie. Independent, almost to a fault. Perfect pairing with the sweet deli shop owner. I loved that their love language was acts of service. I'm here for making sure your partner remember to eat, painting your feelings, etc. Very cute.
Ginger is a mood. This narration and story is like getting held in a weighted blanket. I also really love Jude's role in this. Golden retriever x black cat energy, queer MF, tattoo shop and sandwiches. I miss old Parrish's attention to detail on everything. So much tiny detail info!
Reread 2023:
Apparently this is turning into an annual thing. I just really have a soft spot for Ginger and her sweet sandwich making boy. Also wish I could bottle up that emotional angst. Chef's kiss, very good in a heart stomping way. I really love how detailed Parrish gets into tattoos and art, and Daniel and Rex are cute and all, but Ginger steals the show. This is a comfort read now, lol.
------------------------------------------
Reread 2022:
I think I'm actually going to bump this up to a 5 star read instead of a 4, based on how much I enjoyed this the second time around (and by reading all of the books with cameo characters.) I love how Parrish writes angst and emotional depth into her characters. I really enjoyed seeing Jude again, as well as the letters written in between chapters. Some golf claps for the explicit scenes not only fixating on PIV action. Everything previously said below still stands. Feeding your partner as an act of love is amazing.
-------------------------------
Loved Ginger, a tattoo shop owning baddie. Independent, almost to a fault. Perfect pairing with the sweet deli shop owner. I loved that their love language was acts of service. I'm here for making sure your partner remember to eat, painting your feelings, etc. Very cute.
Read
May 26, 2017Review to come
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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Read
June 16, 2020I loved the audio for this so much. This is my fourth read and I anticipate many more. I adore this book to pieces.
June 3, 2017
We finally get Ginger and Christopher's story!!! We've seen them as side characters in the Middle of Somewhere series, and I've always wondered how a tattoo artist and sandwich shop owner ever got together. The timeline for this story takes place in parallel with In the Middle of Somewhere. While this book totally works as a standalone, I would highly reading the other series as well to fill in some of the gaps and because the m/m series is wonderful.
Ginger has fought her way in the tattoo industry to get respect, and to eventually own the tattoo shop she works at. She's worked hard at becoming independent and her career and her art mean everything to her. Her best friend, Daniel, has just moved away to Michigan, and she feels a lost without him. She dedicates all her time to her work at the shop and the art pieces she's doing for an art show coming up. The last thing she ever expected was for a sandwich shop owner across the street to catch her attention.
Christopher, bless him, is such a red-headed sweetheart and loves making delicious sandwiches and memorizing every customer's orders. He is just a genuine person and really nice, all-American guy. He's not at all someone Ginger would think would fall for her. He does, but their journey together isn't without some angst.
Ginger and relationships never really worked out before, because she loves her independence and doesn't want to give any of that up for a relationship. It's not worth it to her. But Christopher is very persistent and brings sandwiches to the tattoo shop, not only for her, but for her co-workers as well. He is just instantly heart eyes for Ginger, and it's so cute to read. In the author's previous series, the stories were only told in one person's perspective, but in this book, we get to see Christopher's thoughts and feelings through the emails and texts he sends to her brother.
So, Christopher is like the perfect man. He is both innocent and hot. Honestly, I was taken aback when he started cursing. The only downside to reading this book is realizing that no man can be the sheer perfection that is Christopher (I obviously love him a lot). Christopher's brother, Jude, is a very interesting, if not sad, character. I'm thrilled that we'll get to read his story next. Because just hearing his and Christopher's history together already breaks my heart. The secondary characters who work in Ginger's shop are intriguing additions to the story, especially Faron and Marcus.
I love Ginger. She's tough and unapologetic about who she is. I liked getting this book to look into Ginger and Christopher's relationship, because the other series made it seem that everything was sunshine and rainbows for them. But, I think the push and pull in this story really showed how their relationship developed over time.
Overall, I really loved this story and I highly, highly recommend this book. It's fun, it's angsty, and a story that's full of lovely characters. I can't wait to read book two!!!
***Thanks to Judith at Binge on Books/A Novel Takes PR for the ARC as part of a Bookstagram book tour***
Ginger has fought her way in the tattoo industry to get respect, and to eventually own the tattoo shop she works at. She's worked hard at becoming independent and her career and her art mean everything to her. Her best friend, Daniel, has just moved away to Michigan, and she feels a lost without him. She dedicates all her time to her work at the shop and the art pieces she's doing for an art show coming up. The last thing she ever expected was for a sandwich shop owner across the street to catch her attention.
Christopher, bless him, is such a red-headed sweetheart and loves making delicious sandwiches and memorizing every customer's orders. He is just a genuine person and really nice, all-American guy. He's not at all someone Ginger would think would fall for her. He does, but their journey together isn't without some angst.
What do you do when the person you're falling in love with is conflicted about being with you?
Ginger and relationships never really worked out before, because she loves her independence and doesn't want to give any of that up for a relationship. It's not worth it to her. But Christopher is very persistent and brings sandwiches to the tattoo shop, not only for her, but for her co-workers as well. He is just instantly heart eyes for Ginger, and it's so cute to read. In the author's previous series, the stories were only told in one person's perspective, but in this book, we get to see Christopher's thoughts and feelings through the emails and texts he sends to her brother.
Dude, I'm-I'm fucking smitten. Yeah, who says shit like that? I don't know. Me, apparently.
So, Christopher is like the perfect man. He is both innocent and hot. Honestly, I was taken aback when he started cursing. The only downside to reading this book is realizing that no man can be the sheer perfection that is Christopher (I obviously love him a lot). Christopher's brother, Jude, is a very interesting, if not sad, character. I'm thrilled that we'll get to read his story next. Because just hearing his and Christopher's history together already breaks my heart. The secondary characters who work in Ginger's shop are intriguing additions to the story, especially Faron and Marcus.
"Girl, get a grip. That shit is made to order. Don't no one have 'extra sandwiches.' He brings those damn things to have an excuse to hang out with your obtuse ass."
"I know," I'd mumbled.
I love Ginger. She's tough and unapologetic about who she is. I liked getting this book to look into Ginger and Christopher's relationship, because the other series made it seem that everything was sunshine and rainbows for them. But, I think the push and pull in this story really showed how their relationship developed over time.
Overall, I really loved this story and I highly, highly recommend this book. It's fun, it's angsty, and a story that's full of lovely characters. I can't wait to read book two!!!
***Thanks to Judith at Binge on Books/A Novel Takes PR for the ARC as part of a Bookstagram book tour***
October 12, 2022
Roan Parrish really knows how to spin a tale!
Full disclosure, I read A Good, Old-Fashioned Chanukah Pegging: A Small Change Story first, and the whole time I was kinda blushing on Christopher's behalf lol. Seriously though, if you enjoyed Ginger in In the Middle of Somewhere you're going to like Small Change.
Ginger is a total Wild Child, and totally marches to the beat of her own drummer. I admire this strong woman, and totally respect the way she processes the world around her. Even though she's in her mid-thirties, Ginger recognizes she's got lots of room to grow. She's surrounded herself with a great support network, and I loved the way they all interact. There's also several terrific scenes with Daniel (cameo!).
Roan Parrish also includes tons of fun Philly scenes (South Street), and there are loads of colorful Philly characters in Small Change as well.
We also meet Christopher's brother Jude, and I can't wait to get his story in Invitation to the Blues. I had a feeling I shouldn't dive straight into that one, and I'm glad I waited.
Full disclosure, I read A Good, Old-Fashioned Chanukah Pegging: A Small Change Story first, and the whole time I was kinda blushing on Christopher's behalf lol. Seriously though, if you enjoyed Ginger in In the Middle of Somewhere you're going to like Small Change.
Ginger is a total Wild Child, and totally marches to the beat of her own drummer. I admire this strong woman, and totally respect the way she processes the world around her. Even though she's in her mid-thirties, Ginger recognizes she's got lots of room to grow. She's surrounded herself with a great support network, and I loved the way they all interact. There's also several terrific scenes with Daniel (cameo!).
Roan Parrish also includes tons of fun Philly scenes (South Street), and there are loads of colorful Philly characters in Small Change as well.
We also meet Christopher's brother Jude, and I can't wait to get his story in Invitation to the Blues. I had a feeling I shouldn't dive straight into that one, and I'm glad I waited.
May 24, 2023
3.5 stars
I generally don’t like contemporary m/f romance at all, but I gave this one a shot because like Roan Parrish folks and I want to read book 2. This is a standalone though a lot of the same characters pop up again in the next book. It was looking as if it was going to be 4 stars until 50% in, but then as the book went on I started disliking Ginger more and more. Yeah, I got that she had a lot of emotional baggage and commitment issues, but did she have to be so damn mean to Chris? And what she did to him at the 90% mark was just unbelievably cruel. As for Chris, I loved him; he’s such a mensch. I’m looking forward to reading Jude’s and Faron’s book.
I generally don’t like contemporary m/f romance at all, but I gave this one a shot because like Roan Parrish folks and I want to read book 2. This is a standalone though a lot of the same characters pop up again in the next book. It was looking as if it was going to be 4 stars until 50% in, but then as the book went on I started disliking Ginger more and more. Yeah, I got that she had a lot of emotional baggage and commitment issues, but did she have to be so damn mean to Chris? And what she did to him at the 90% mark was just unbelievably cruel. As for Chris, I loved him; he’s such a mensch. I’m looking forward to reading Jude’s and Faron’s book.
June 8, 2017
4 Stars
This struck me as a great romance story for the modern woman. Ginger is a strong, independent woman who's very set in her ways. I thought the author did a thorough job showing us the many sides of Ginger - her passion for her tattoo shop, Daniel and her employees who are essentially her family, her art, her staunch feminism, her quirkiness and her intensity. While I was fascinated by her and thought I got a pretty good handle on her, I don't really know if I ever actually connected with her because her mental and emotional walls were so impenetrable. Each time she questioned her feelings for Christopher or rebelled against the idea of being in a relationship because she was afraid of losing her autonomy and her independence, I wanted to shake her and wished she'd just give for once and not just receive, receive, receive all the love Christopher wanted to shower on her.
Christopher was a wonderful hero, almost too good to be true, and I loved the way his story was revealed over time, adding more depth and nuance to his character. While I enjoyed his messages to his brother Jude and I thought that was a brilliant way to show us Christopher's POV, I was particularly glad when Jude became more than just a ghost on the page. His relationship with Christopher gutted me and his exchanges with Ginger proved to be essential to the story in the end. Also the possibility of him paired with the enigmatic Faron in a future book has me super stoked.
While I enjoyed its powerful and positive feminist message, I thought the #nodrama drama and the ensuing social media campaign happened way too late in the book and as a result it felt very forced, especially as it sort of overtook the final third of the story (it was even the focus of the epilogue). It's a shame that it popped up unexpectedly and so late; I think it would have flowed so much better (and filled some of the slower early-middle parts) if it had occurred towards the end of the first third.
Overall, I wish I'd seen more reciprocation (thoughts or actions) from Ginger towards Christopher. I don't really recall any point during the book when he was first and foremost in her mind (it was Christopher doing all the chasing and swooning and sandwich-making). Even her grand gesture in the end, which was obviously a desperate attempt to win him back, was presented days after her Massive Realization that she wanted him in her life - and this was some time after she'd chased him off with some cruel, horrible words. For someone as independent as she is, I also really hated how co-dependent she was on Daniel. I get missing him and wanting to spend every minute with him during his visits, but when her first instinct after her Massive Realization was to call Daniel (instead of, say, immediately hunt Christopher down to apologize and maybe tell him that maybe she cares for him too), I sort of checked out.
Based on Ginger's deeply ingrained attitude towards love and independence and autonomy, I would label this book a HFN. The epilogue taking place only a month later simply underlined the impermanence (in my mind) of their love affair. I just imagine her reverting to her old ways and rebuilding those walls over time, and poor Christopher would have to tear them down each time (which bless him, he seems to be perfectly willing and able). I don't see it as a bad thing and it doesn't mean I think that Ginger is somehow "unloveable" or doesn't deserve love/to be loved, but as far as being in a long-term, committed relationship with HEA, I'm not sure if that's something she would even want? A worthy read despite the pacing issues I had and its HFN ending.
This struck me as a great romance story for the modern woman. Ginger is a strong, independent woman who's very set in her ways. I thought the author did a thorough job showing us the many sides of Ginger - her passion for her tattoo shop, Daniel and her employees who are essentially her family, her art, her staunch feminism, her quirkiness and her intensity. While I was fascinated by her and thought I got a pretty good handle on her, I don't really know if I ever actually connected with her because her mental and emotional walls were so impenetrable. Each time she questioned her feelings for Christopher or rebelled against the idea of being in a relationship because she was afraid of losing her autonomy and her independence, I wanted to shake her and wished she'd just give for once and not just receive, receive, receive all the love Christopher wanted to shower on her.
Christopher was a wonderful hero, almost too good to be true, and I loved the way his story was revealed over time, adding more depth and nuance to his character. While I enjoyed his messages to his brother Jude and I thought that was a brilliant way to show us Christopher's POV, I was particularly glad when Jude became more than just a ghost on the page. His relationship with Christopher gutted me and his exchanges with Ginger proved to be essential to the story in the end. Also the possibility of him paired with the enigmatic Faron in a future book has me super stoked.
While I enjoyed its powerful and positive feminist message, I thought the #nodrama drama and the ensuing social media campaign happened way too late in the book and as a result it felt very forced, especially as it sort of overtook the final third of the story (it was even the focus of the epilogue). It's a shame that it popped up unexpectedly and so late; I think it would have flowed so much better (and filled some of the slower early-middle parts) if it had occurred towards the end of the first third.
Overall, I wish I'd seen more reciprocation (thoughts or actions) from Ginger towards Christopher. I don't really recall any point during the book when he was first and foremost in her mind (it was Christopher doing all the chasing and swooning and sandwich-making). Even her grand gesture in the end, which was obviously a desperate attempt to win him back, was presented days after her Massive Realization that she wanted him in her life - and this was some time after she'd chased him off with some cruel, horrible words. For someone as independent as she is, I also really hated how co-dependent she was on Daniel. I get missing him and wanting to spend every minute with him during his visits, but when her first instinct after her Massive Realization was to call Daniel (instead of, say, immediately hunt Christopher down to apologize and maybe tell him that maybe she cares for him too), I sort of checked out.
Based on Ginger's deeply ingrained attitude towards love and independence and autonomy, I would label this book a HFN. The epilogue taking place only a month later simply underlined the impermanence (in my mind) of their love affair. I just imagine her reverting to her old ways and rebuilding those walls over time, and poor Christopher would have to tear them down each time (which bless him, he seems to be perfectly willing and able). I don't see it as a bad thing and it doesn't mean I think that Ginger is somehow "unloveable" or doesn't deserve love/to be loved, but as far as being in a long-term, committed relationship with HEA, I'm not sure if that's something she would even want? A worthy read despite the pacing issues I had and its HFN ending.
July 25, 2021
This is the first book I’ve read by Roan Parrish, and I really enjoyed it. This is an absolute grumpy/sunshine pairing. Christopher is a top notch cinnamon roll, but never in a way that lacks depth. (Love notes in the form of sandwiches!) Ginger is a Difficult Heroine, which is my absolute favorite kind of heroine. She’s tough and prickly and sometimes angry and deeply loyal. She has crap to work through and a lot of the narrative is her trying to sort through that junk and figure out how she can open up her life to someone who loves her. (“I don’t really think my job is to make myself easy to like.”) I related to her on so many levels, even if we might express our feelings in different ways.
There is a side plot line that supplies some external conflict, and I could kind of take or leave it. I did appreciate the detail about tattoo artistry and misogyny in the industry. The setting is great (I always love when authors write a non-NYC/LA city that they obviously know well).
There is a side plot line that supplies some external conflict, and I could kind of take or leave it. I did appreciate the detail about tattoo artistry and misogyny in the industry. The setting is great (I always love when authors write a non-NYC/LA city that they obviously know well).
Read
June 6, 2017Oh my god. Oh my god, I'm just so happy and satisfied and full of FEELINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. What a wonderful, human, loving story ❤️❤️❤️ I loved this to bits and pieces ❤️❤️❤️❤️
June 8, 2017
Small Change by Roan Parrish is the first in a new series, a spin-off from her Middle of Somewhere novels. It’s set in the bustling busy streets of South Philadelphia and stars a feisty tattoo shop owner and her business neighbor down the street who runs a sandwich cafe. It’s my first experience reading this author, and definitely won’t be my last!
Ginger Holtzman is a workaholic. Getting her tattoo shop off the ground has come with a price, most notably the lack of time for a personal relationship. She’s still struggling with the departure of her best friend Daniel who has found life and love in a new city. Proving herself to her family, her friends, her community and herself is taking a toll. So when she meets sandwich shop owner Christopher, the spark of attraction she feels for him comes with a bit of wariness too.
Christopher Lucen loves being part of the community of South Philly and making people happy – it’s what he excels at. Meeting Ginger is an experience unlike any other, and though others might be put off by her brash attitude and flamboyant tattoos, he finds her quite fascinating. Little by little he is able to break through some of Ginger’s defenses. But will she be willing to let him all the way in?
This is an excellent example of a character-driven romance that captivates the reader from start to finish. Though the story is told from Ginger’s point of view, we get a glimpse into Christopher as well. He has a brother who is being treated for manic depression, and Christopher writes him a letter or text message every day. Those letters are his voice in the story. I thought this was a really interesting plot device that reveals aspects of Christopher’s character by his thoughts instead of his deeds. But his deeds are definitely generous and thoughtful when seen through Ginger’s eyes. Christopher starts showing up at Ginger’s tattoo parlor with meals for her, understanding how much her business means to her and how little time free time she really has. It’s his way of showing his interest in her while not compromising her work ethic. In return, Ginger finds her own way to show Christopher that she cares for him too, using her artistic talents at his shop. It’s a sweet give and take as they get to know each other.
The development of their romance proceeds with some expected ups and downs. Sexual attraction is definitely not a problem for them and there are some very sexy scenes that show Christopher might be a ‘nice’ guy but he’s quite handy in the bedroom. Ginger has a lot on her plate – a fractious relationship with her family, a shop with too much business and not enough staff, the discovery she’s being used unwittingly in a social media fight, and a deadline to complete some artwork for a gallery show. It will take a lot of courage on her part to find room in her life for Christopher – and Christopher will have to show patience and perseverance to convince Ginger that he’s the right person to stand by her side. There are some laughs and some tears on the way to Ginger and Christopher’s happy ending but it’s a wholeheartedly enjoyable affair. I look forward to reading more of this series, and catching up on the author’s backlist!
This review also appear at: https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...
A copy of this story was provided by A Novel Take PR for review
Ginger Holtzman is a workaholic. Getting her tattoo shop off the ground has come with a price, most notably the lack of time for a personal relationship. She’s still struggling with the departure of her best friend Daniel who has found life and love in a new city. Proving herself to her family, her friends, her community and herself is taking a toll. So when she meets sandwich shop owner Christopher, the spark of attraction she feels for him comes with a bit of wariness too.
Christopher Lucen loves being part of the community of South Philly and making people happy – it’s what he excels at. Meeting Ginger is an experience unlike any other, and though others might be put off by her brash attitude and flamboyant tattoos, he finds her quite fascinating. Little by little he is able to break through some of Ginger’s defenses. But will she be willing to let him all the way in?
This is an excellent example of a character-driven romance that captivates the reader from start to finish. Though the story is told from Ginger’s point of view, we get a glimpse into Christopher as well. He has a brother who is being treated for manic depression, and Christopher writes him a letter or text message every day. Those letters are his voice in the story. I thought this was a really interesting plot device that reveals aspects of Christopher’s character by his thoughts instead of his deeds. But his deeds are definitely generous and thoughtful when seen through Ginger’s eyes. Christopher starts showing up at Ginger’s tattoo parlor with meals for her, understanding how much her business means to her and how little time free time she really has. It’s his way of showing his interest in her while not compromising her work ethic. In return, Ginger finds her own way to show Christopher that she cares for him too, using her artistic talents at his shop. It’s a sweet give and take as they get to know each other.
The development of their romance proceeds with some expected ups and downs. Sexual attraction is definitely not a problem for them and there are some very sexy scenes that show Christopher might be a ‘nice’ guy but he’s quite handy in the bedroom. Ginger has a lot on her plate – a fractious relationship with her family, a shop with too much business and not enough staff, the discovery she’s being used unwittingly in a social media fight, and a deadline to complete some artwork for a gallery show. It will take a lot of courage on her part to find room in her life for Christopher – and Christopher will have to show patience and perseverance to convince Ginger that he’s the right person to stand by her side. There are some laughs and some tears on the way to Ginger and Christopher’s happy ending but it’s a wholeheartedly enjoyable affair. I look forward to reading more of this series, and catching up on the author’s backlist!
This review also appear at: https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...
A copy of this story was provided by A Novel Take PR for review
October 9, 2018
4 hard-won stars!
Though I knew and loved Ginger from the Middle of Somewhere Series , I couldn’t get into this book initially. To say the beginning 20-25% of the book didn’t work out for me would be an understatement. It was slowww and not engaging enough.
I started and stopped this so many times that I had given up and was about to skip the whole thing and head straight to the next book in the series. I somehow convinced myself to give it a final try and boy am I glad I did.
After the initial slowness, this book just blossomed right in front of my eyes. It was great to read.
I loved Ginger and though sometimes I wanted to shake her, I knew her heart was in the right place & couldn’t really stay mad at her. I guess kind of like Christopher huh? That guy was just a ray of sunshine. I couldn’t get enough of him.
I stand to be corrected but I’m of the opinion that M/M writers write better female protagonists than their purely M/F writers. Their heroines are mostly less “dormat-y” and more of the “if you speak to me like that again i’lo mess you up” variety and I’m soooo here for it!
Though I knew and loved Ginger from the Middle of Somewhere Series , I couldn’t get into this book initially. To say the beginning 20-25% of the book didn’t work out for me would be an understatement. It was slowww and not engaging enough.
I started and stopped this so many times that I had given up and was about to skip the whole thing and head straight to the next book in the series. I somehow convinced myself to give it a final try and boy am I glad I did.
After the initial slowness, this book just blossomed right in front of my eyes. It was great to read.
I loved Ginger and though sometimes I wanted to shake her, I knew her heart was in the right place & couldn’t really stay mad at her. I guess kind of like Christopher huh? That guy was just a ray of sunshine. I couldn’t get enough of him.
I stand to be corrected but I’m of the opinion that M/M writers write better female protagonists than their purely M/F writers. Their heroines are mostly less “dormat-y” and more of the “if you speak to me like that again i’lo mess you up” variety and I’m soooo here for it!
August 29, 2019
La verdad es que en In the Middle of Somewhere ya se cuenta parte de la historia de Ginger y Christopher, y aquí en su libro hay momentos que parece más una trama secundaria entre otras tramas y personajes que me han parecido muy interesantes.
La historia entre ellos no es especialmente complicada, pero igualmente me parece bonita.
En breve me pongo con la historia de Jude y Faron que me he quedado con ganas de conocerla; me han parecido dos personajes muy interesantes.
La historia entre ellos no es especialmente complicada, pero igualmente me parece bonita.
En breve me pongo con la historia de Jude y Faron que me he quedado con ganas de conocerla; me han parecido dos personajes muy interesantes.
June 17, 2017
I really, really liked this story. I could so identify with Ginger's anger. Maybe more will be added later to make this more of a review and less of a few disconnected sentences thrown into the same space.
Side note: It was nice to see Daniel from In the Middle of Somewhere again.
Side note: It was nice to see Daniel from In the Middle of Somewhere again.
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