Those Who Wait

Those Who Wait #1

by Haley Cass

ASIN moved from less recent edition

Sutton Spencer’s ideas for her life were fairly simple: finish graduate school and fall in love. It would be a lot simpler if she could pinpoint exactly what she should do when she graduates in less than a year. Oh, and if she could figure out how to talk to a woman without feeling completely hopeless, that would be great too.

Charlotte Thompson is very much the opposite. She's always had clear steps outlining her path to success with no time or inclination for romance. Her burgeoning career in politics means everything to her and she’s not willing to compromise it for something as insignificant as love. Fleeting, casual, and discreet worked perfectly fine.

When they meet through a dating app, it's immediately clear that they aren't suited for anything more than friendship. Right?

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

632 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2020

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

To everyone who told me how good this book was… you all were right! This was an excellent romance and one of my favorites I’ve read this year. The fact that this was a debut blows my mind a bit. Yes, it did have some debut bumps, but the story was so good that I didn’t care and it deserves the full 5 stars on just my enjoyment alone.

I’ve been hearing “Haley Cass”, “Haley Cass”, for what seemed like the last 6 months straight. For a brand new indie author to be causing this kind of buzz, well let’s just say my interest was really piqued. I eagerly purchased this book, her debut, and was excited to finally experience “Haley Cass”. But then I looked at my Kindle and realized this book was somewhere in the 600-700 page range. Umm 600+ pages, are we sure this isn’t an epic fantasy book in disguise? There has to be dragons or a space ship right? Or maybe this is about a serial killer who’s on a long crime spree and the detectives can’t catch him. I mean this can’t only be a romance book at 600+ pages, right? Well let’s just say that this romance book found a nice home on my kindle, sitting unread. Fast-forward to now, when I’m ending the year reading books that were high on my to read list. After hearing “Haley Cass” just about every day for the past month, I knew I had to finally read one of her books. Do I take the chance and read the 600+ page romance behemoth, that might actually make my head explode, or do I read her new normal size book When You Least Expect It? As I was making a decision a friend told me that Those Who Wait was originally based on a Game of Thrones fanfic. Damnit! There was no way I could pass this book up now, and I just had to hope my head would stay in one piece. Well, I ended up loving the damn thing:)

There are so many wonderful reviews for this book already, and I agree with many of them, so I’m not going to go into too much detail here but I want to mention a few things. I’ll start with the length since I complained about it. It is too long. There were parts I would have easily cut out, but I was shocked by how fast this book actually flew by. I read it all day yesterday and was sad when it was over. I don’t always have the patience for just romance, but I really wanted to savoir every one of these pages. The slow-burn romance worked so well for this book. These characters are trying to just be friends with benefits, but it was wonderful watching them fall in love when they didn’t even want to. The story was a nice mix of politics and the romance, so that the book always stayed out of the boring zone. And even though I could see the big conflict coming from miles away, I think I cried for almost ten minutes straight. These characters really got to me and I love when a good book can make you feel. While the big conflict, at the end of the book, actually working is rare occurrence nowadays, this is a perfect example of a well done conflict moment for a romance. The difference is that in this book it actually means something to the characters and the readers, and is not put there just for formulaic purposes.

This is a must read for WLW romances fans. Don’t let the epic length put you off like it did me. This book is absolutely worth the read and there is a reason why everyone keeps saying “Haley Cass, Haley Cass”. I’m running out of time before the new year so I’m not sure when I will get her new book read but I’m very excited to read it. I have a feeling that Cass is an author that will be around for a long time to come. The book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 2.25 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

I always feel like it's me when I read a character driven story and find myself less than impressed. I've realized, it's not me... the characters are just too boring to carry a 600+ page novel in this case.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I'm starting to think that Haley Cass is becoming the sapphic romance version of Emily Henry for me... I'm just going to keep forcing her novels down until I find one that clicks. 😩 Why do I do this to myself?

With almost 630 pages or 21 hours of listening, this book was incredibly long and drawn out. I'm slowly figuring out that Haley Cass seems to write extremely long and wordy character driven stories and I'm just not sure if they're for me, considering I don't find her characters very likable.

It's a shame because she's such a talked about author for sapphic romance but her characters just don't appeal to me. Not to mention ☝️, I'm not particularly a fan of the writing - also ☝️, it's my understanding this was a debut novel? I get that but this isn't the first long and drawn out, needs a good editing trim down book I've read from her.

»» ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ 𝓜𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓐𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰... ｡˚⊱ꕤ⊰˚｡

The focus is on 25-year-old Sutton Spencer, a literature student at NYU, and 28-year-old Charlotte Thompson, deputy mayor of New York, running for the House of Representatives.

Sutton is naïve, sometimes awkward and shy, but more likeable than most characters in this story. I didn’t like her that much at first, but eventually, I warmed up to her. Clearly, not enough though.

Charlotte is in the middle of her life and knows exactly what she wants. Still, when Sutton enters her life, she questions her ideas about the future.

I just didn't like these two together at all. I thought Charlotte is a bit of a jerk and Sutton is really a pushover. I wasn't a big fan of I guess a stab at some kinda 'power dynamic' that was going on here.

The secondary characters were annoying in parts, to be honest. I don’t know if that was intentional or if it was just me. But it doesn't really matter because I don't remember any of them anyway.

The story is a mix of friendship, romance, desire and politics. I liked the political part because it sets the story apart from other love stories. And yet the rest of is dragged on for me.

Of course, a novel about “friends with benefits” calls for conflict and drama, I just wish it had more, maybe then I wouldn't have zoned out so much during this story.

I personally can’t recommend this blindly but if you like very character driven stories with many pages and you have more patience than me - I’d say give it a try- I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.


˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. Politician + Grad Student/Writer
•*⁀➷ʚɞ LGBTQ+
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. Friends with Benefits
•*⁀➷ʚɞ Secret Relationship
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. Naïve, Insecure FMC vs Experienced FMC
•*⁀➷ʚɞ "I'll teach you" in the Bedroom

[gloria .☆ﾟ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

➥ 5+ Stars *:･ﾟ✧

"I want to touch you," she repeated. "But, can you just- can you tell me what to do?"

"It just so happens -" Charlotte spun them, and started walking Sutton backwards until her knees hit her mattress, and she sat down. Charlotte ducked her head, brown curls curtaining the two of them, as she leaned to nip at Sutton's earlobe. "That I love telling people what to do."

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

As previously mentioned, I'm throwing myself off a cliff, slicing my head off, and bashing my head against the wall. This is probably one of the best (if not, the best) sapphic romance I've ever read. It is now my purpose in life to force everyone to read this book and I am slowly succeeding. My eyes and my heart have been truly blessed to be able to read and experience this book. This review is going to be long, and will have quotes from the book. No spoilers, but if you want to go into it completely blind, maybe don't read it? But also, you're obligated to read all of it if you're my gr friend btw, just saying.

Even the synopsis of this book is just delicious; sapphic friends-with-benefits to lovers. Charlotte is a (hot) politician who's eloquent and charming as fuck, but because of her work and reputation does not let herself get into relationships (because she's lesbian duh). She usually just finds hook-ups on a dating app called "SapphicSpark" (lolol) and that's where she and Sutton meet. Sutton has only just realised that she is bisexual and her friend, Regan, 'encourages' her to get on this app and find herself a hottie by sending a message on behalf of Sutton, that's quite riskay. Of course, Charlotte is the one who receives this message. The message that Charlotte received was quite um...suggestive (and embarrassing):

"Hey there. I saw your profile and you look really interesting - and hot. Do you wanna hook up meet up sometime?"

Of course, poor Sutton is appalled at what Regan sent on her behalf and apologises profusely to Charlotte, but Charlotte isn't quite so bothered...

"My, that is one of the less subtle approaches I've received on here, I must say."

Because Charlotte uses this app for hook-ups, she's not opposed to Sutton's original approach, but as they begin to talk with each other, Sutton makes it clear that she's not a one-night-stand kinda girl.

Charlotte: "Tell me, why did your friend deem it necessary to create this account and send messages from you that seem to be more suggestive than you would like?"

Sutton: "She thinks I need to get out more, I guess. And she thinks that I should, um, go out and hook up with someone."

Charlotte: "And is that not what you want?"

Sutton: "I - well, no. Not that I don't want to ever meet someone, it's just...I'm not wanting to go out and find a hook up for just the sake of hooking up. You know?"

Charlotte: "Unfortunately, that is where you and I differ. Which is a shame, I might add."

But, because Sutton is new to dating women, she asks Charlotte to be her advisor or, as they called it, "lesbian guru" (LMAO PLS). They end up becoming friends until Sutton proposes a friends-with-benefits situation because she thinks she'd be more comfortable getting used to lesbian sex with someone that she knew and trusted. Charlotte is hesitant because she does not want to take advantage of Sutton's inexperience, but they agree and there begins the magic. But even before, in several other occasions while they were 'just friends', the sexual tension was tearing at the seams.

Where to even begin? Characters? Yes, that seems like a good idea. I'm a mess over this book. Both characters have my entire heart, and it's rare for me to love both mc's in a book, because it always seems to be made that one is swoonier than the other, but in this book, that is not the case, personally. Also, can we talk about how cute the names are? Charlotte is perfect for her classy-ass and Sutton is so fucking cute too. Reminds me of button but in a good way.

➥ Charlotte is my fucking girl. She's beyond charming and unfairly elegant. She's flirty and hot, every time she smiles or smirks I let out an audible scream. Her confidence and her demeanor oozes through the pages and I couldn't get enough of her and Sutton's interactions. She's kind and caring, but also strong and success-driven. She works her ass off at her job and deserves more than this world could ever give her. And as lovely and strong as I find her, her weak moments of vulnerability just hit you so hard. When she finally gives in to getting taken care of, when she expresses her emotions, her love for Sutton, my heart all but falls out of my chest with a plop to the ground. Genuinely one of the best female love interests I've ever encountered. Did I mention that she calls Sutton "sweetheart", "sweet girl", and "darling"???? I'm disgustingly in love with her, seriously.

➥ Sutton is such an angel. She's so sweet and innocent but in a kind, good-hearted way. She, too, deserves better than this world could ever give her, which makes her absolutely perfect for Charlotte. (Maybe I'm better suited, actually, but whatever.) She's honest, so caring and she's currently studying english literature at uni. Not only that, but she also has moments of her own when she's in the more commanding position over Charlotte, which were, just mmm.

I'm not hesitant when I say that the romance in this book was perfection. Full stop, end of story. We have everything: adoring inner monologue, kind and personal acts of affection and love, and hot sex of course. The way these girls think about each other? Someone pass me a cigarette.

1: God, of course Sutton blushed like that. In another situation, Charlotte might have found it cute. Actually, she did find it cute.

2: She didn't realise that she'd inched in until she was close enough to see the way Sutton's eyelashes fluttered, casting light shadows over her cheeks. She had freckles this close, Charlotte realised, and god, it was be so easy to just lean in.

And when their heart-melting thoughts of eachother merge with their preciously tender touches, I die. Fully and completely, a quiet, merciless death.

1: Charlotte looked at her inquisitively as she reached up to take Sutton's hand with her own. She was so warm, Sutton thought, dimly, as she spoke softly, "Darling, take a deep breath and tell me whatever it is that you're trying to say."

2: Before she slid her eyes to fix on Charlotte's and her heart pounded in her chest at the heat in them, before Sutton took in another one of those strength-gathering breaths. "So, you know everything. And you kissed me."
"I did," she murmured, and the fact of the matter was that she truthfully had no resolve left.

3: Grinding her leg slowly against her, she bent down so that she could press a series of kisses down Sutton's jaw, before she reached her lips. And she leaned in enough to brush their mouths together, breathing the same heavy air, as Suttons hips started working in a slow matching rhythm with her, murmuring, "You're very beautiful, Sutton."

My heart no longer functions now. The way she says her name? "You're very beautiful, ___" just punch me in the face at this point. You know what's worse? The fact that they're hot. So so very, because it makes me want to actually throw something.

It was only when Charlotte licked her now swollen lips, eyes dripping, that Sutton even realized Charlotte had somehow unbuttoned her shirt without her even noticing. When her gaze flew back to Charlotte's, wondering, "When...?"

All she got in return was a mischievous smirk that somehow turned her on even more, because it should be illegal to be that attractive. Sutton was sure of it.

Then Charlotte shrugged, before she winked. "You'll learn."

Excuse me? The way this had me kicking my legs, twirling my hair. It's terrible. And when Sutton presumes that Charlotte only agreed to be fwb because she wanted to be a good friend and Charlotte quickly corrects her? God, help me.

Rather than a complete lapse of control, Charlotte leaned forward again. But paused when she felt Sutton eagerly lean in as well. She could feel Sutton's breath against her cheek, and she closed her eyes, as she whispered, "You are such a smart woman, Sutton, but so wrong."

Oh, to be called a 'smart woman' by Charlotte 😔. Would I kill for it? Yes, (very) possibly. I was very close to the point where I needed to put my asthma pump into use because of how much this book made me stop breathing. Some moments are just so perfectly written and articulated, it just concerns me that I've never read anything so utterly wonderful before. And yes, I'm talking about Charlotte's dirty talk, duh.

She thought of the desire that was evident on Charlotte's face as she took her in, murmuring, "So, you wore this -" She hooked her finger into the lacy cup of Sutton's bra. "For me?"

Though her brain felt like it was short-circuiting again and her breath left her in a rush, she nodded. "I wanted to look nice," she murmured, in place of the voice in her head that belonged to Regan telling her to 'show off'.

"You do," Charlotte assured her, stepping closer so that her tank top rubbed against Sutton's bare stomach, and she felt goosebumps erupt from the contact. "But just so you know, you don't need to wear anything special when we do this."

Sutton was about to nod again even as she felt slightly dizzy with how hard her heart was pounding from Charlotte's proximity. Because - they were just friends. She wasn't Charlotte's girlfriend, trying to impress her with matching bra and underwear.

But then Charlotte's hands were on her waist, then scratching around to her back as she brings her mouth to Sutton's ear. First she sucked on the lobe and she felt her knees weaken before Charlotte's words were roughly whispered, "Because it's just going to end up on my floor."

Now, from these very significant, very valuable extracts, you can tell that Charlotte is hot in everything she does. She scratches and bites and it drives everyone crazy. If it doesn't drive you crazy, there's something wrong with you and you should be worried. The number of times these girls had their hands on the other's thighs, had me screaming and melting.

In the background of the blood roaring in her ears, she realized that she could feel Charlotte's smirk against her skin, just before she moved down to stroke her tongue over the hollow of Sutton's throat.

What the fuck, I'm in utter awe and astonishment, I'm going feral. I need to recollect myself because I can't stop blushing and grinning at everything. When they do it in the art gallery? One of the best, hottest sex scenes I've ever read, seriously. When Charlotte gets jealous??? OHMYGOD. Here's how it begins.

"So, I'm not the only one of us who was...jealous," she murmured, taking a step closer to Sutton.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed hard, glad that Charlotte admitted to it, first. It made it easier to say, knowing it was allowed.

"Well. She is very pretty," she whispered, "And, um, dedicated. Wealthy. Influential," she listed the only highlights of what she could remember from the articles she'd read, but it was a bit difficult to think when Charlotte was so close to her now that she could feel her warmth through her dress.

"True," Charlotte agreed. She lifted her fingers and walked them over Sutton's hip, trailing her eyes down Sutton's body and then back up, her eyes hungry. "In all honesty, there's no one who could quite distract all of my attention from you."

Her heart jumped, heat sliding through her at the admission. How did Charlotte make her feel this want with just a look? She could feel the fingers on her hip grip tighter and she pushed into it.

"Yeah?" She could hear her own breathlessness, but she couldn't control that. Not when Charlotte pressed even closer, her breasts brushing against Sutton's, her breath hot against her jaw.

She reached out to Charlotte's waist, stroking over the curve there that was just barely highlighted in her dress.

Charlotte leaned up, stopping just a breath away from Sutton. Her warm breath washed over Sutton's mouth and she parted them, ducking her head to try to connect their lips.

But Charlotte pulled back. Just a hair, just enough to evade her kiss. Her body pressed against Sutton's, her hand tightening on her hip even more as her other stroked up Sutton's bare shoulder.

...

"Do you want me, darling?" Charlotte's voice dipped, to the timber she had when telling Sutton what she wanted during sex, when she cried her name as she came.

"Charlotte," she breathed, a whimper falling from her mouth. "Kiss me."

You'll have to read the book to read the rest now 😊💗 HAHA.

The love confession? Someone end my fucking misery.

Charlotte pressed her forehead against Sutton's temple. "A month ago, you said that I was just too scared. And you were right. I'm so many things, Sutton. And many of them are not quite so simple to love, I imagine. But you are."

Sutton felt like her heart was going to give out with how hard it was beating. She let out a shuddering breath, waiting to hear the words.

"But I'm here because I would rather be terrified and openly myself and," she drew in a sharp breath, giving Sutton goosebumps. "And with you, than closeted and feeling like I'm hiding myself away."

She pulled back a bit, using the hand still holding Sutton's jaw to gently turn her face, and her eyes fluttered open. Her eyelids felt heavy, almost intoxicated, but she needed to look at Charlotte.

Who looked miraculously not afraid, as she stroked her thumb along Sutton's jaw. "I'm in love with you, Sutton. Terrifyingly, irreversibly, life-alteringly in love with you."

She hadn't been delusional. She hadn't imagined all of the times Charlotte touched her and held her like she was precious.

"I very much hope I'm not too late." Uncertainty clipped into her tone. "Because I know how much I hurt you and a month went by that must have been agonising. And you deserve everything you want, Sutton. More than anyone else I've ever met, you deserve all of the goodness in the world." Sutton could be the slightest way the hands shook. "I don't want to miss my opportunity to be with you."

I think I've gushed enough, now. Other fantastic aspects of this book include the side characters; very likeable and quite well characterised. The writing was also perfection. There is a decent amount of internal monologue in this book (which is something I normally hate), but it just works here; it strengthens the atmosphere and just shows insight to these girls' fucking adorable feelings for eachother. Feelings of admiration. Not to mention that this book was so addictive. I could not put it down; I was in school, sneaking it under my desk, reading it during my bathroom breaks, in the car. Everything. I read this 800 page (on my phone) book in four days and that's not so common for me. So if you're worried about the length of this book, don't be. It doesn't even feel that long.

Unfortunately, however, no book is perfect. But, if anyone has the potential to write a perfect book, it's Haley Cass. Here were some minor complaints of mine:

➥ We are told that Charlotte gives Sutton head but it goes fade to black. Truly, utterly, devastatingly tragic. Although the sex scenes were impeccably and immaculately done, there was a frequency of having one explicit sex scene, them going for round two, but then not showing us?? Excuse me, I needed to see the eating ok?

➥ But actually, my worst complaint of all is the miscommunication. These girls don't talk to each other for a month and it was deeply frustrating because, even when they get back together, it's sappy and almost melancholic, rather than snarky and sexy with their banter and all, you know? And it felt like it wasn't Charlotte's decision to go back for her, she was encouraged by her family members to do what was right and made her happy, but I feel like that's so out of character for her. I would've preferred if, at least, she realised her mistake right after and groveled for the next weeks after coming to the conclusion herself.

➥ Personally, I find marriage/proposals to be really cringey so it wasn't something that I was swooning over.

➥ Why is it repeatedly mentioned that Charlotte is shorter than Sutton? That is literally, unacceptable. In my mind, Charlotte is just a little taller than me, fight me.

➥ The fact that Charlotte didn't win the election????? I understand that it was (maybe?) realistic but I do wish that Cass had taken the dreamy/idyllic route when deciding that outcome. Maybe we'll see it in the sequel though?

➥ I know this sounds kind of silly, but I wish we would have had a shower scene. Not necessarily a sex scene, but idk...like the girls washing each other's hair and stuff would've been so cute!!

➥ Phone sex is always cringey to me, sorry. It only happened once, and at the end there's some quote about only being able to see Charlotte's neck straining which was kind of hot but everything else about it is bleh to me.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

[Diane Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

**'Don't be afraid to get weird or empathetic when telling a story. Once readers gets a taste of all the ideas and energy that is put into telling this story then they will surely respond glowingly..'

Exhilarating read!
Such a well told story. Highly recommended!

[lea ִֶָ☾. · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at "only" 40% (i suffered through 250 pages and i'm not even halfway through...)

i feel like i deserve financial compensation for wasting my goddamn time on this. i picked it up because i wanted to read a slow-burn sapphic romance and when you scroll down the reviews for this book, you'll literally only come across 5 star ratings. now my question is: what book have these people been reading? how does this mess have an average rating of over 4.50?? 😭

this is just published fanfiction, but not of the good sort. the writing was so immature and repetitive. it needs some serious editing, it's full of incoherent sentence structures, so many damn repetitions, and the sentences just ramble on and on. this book could've easily been cut down to half its size. I MEAN WHY IS IT 600 PAGES?? FOR WHAT?? i hate this trend of calling books "slow burn" just because they're longer than necessary. no, it's not slow burn when the book is 600+ pages long but just consists of 80% filler and useless information. it's just fucking slow. i want a slow burn to give me some good tension and pining, none of which this book had.

how can you like any of these characters when none of them had any personality? all i know is sutton blushes a lot and charlotte smirks at everything that happens. that's pretty much this entire book summed up because they had no other personality traits and their "romance" was dryer than any sand grain in the sahara. there was barely any chemistry between them, they were both just incredibly horny for each other right off the bat. so romantic 😍
also, sutton's best friend was fucking insufferable, my god, i wanted to punch her the first time she opened her mouth, and she got even worse as the book went on. i don't think i've ever wanted to reach through a book and strangle a character this badly. she just goes around humiliating sutton at every chance she gets and doesn't respect her boundaries at all. sutton must have a humiliation kink cause what?? why tf do you put up with that? just begging you to have some self-respect and get a grip. please.

so bottom line: unless you want to read 600+ pages of the only romantic tension being a character smirking and the other blushing, i can't recommend this book. please spare yourself the agony.

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: November 13th, 2020

I kind of needed to cry about something else than myself because this time of year is tough (Monday will be the fifth anniversary of the day I couldn’t go back to work) and Haley Cass’s debut novel is one of my favourite books of 2020 so when my friend Gaby kept saying the audiobook was so good, I jumped on it. With Lori Prince narrating, why resist? She’s the perfect choice for these types of characters.

So I didn’t. Resist, I mean. Which led to me pretty much smiling since I started listening last Monday because damn, it really is good. And crying some too because ugh. Sutton is so incredibly awkward and adorable, Charlotte makes kindness sound really sexy, Regan (Sutton’s best friend) might be one of my favourite secondary characters, and Lori Prince is once again the perfect choice. Or did I say that already?

Caleb and Dean’s voices are a little too cartoonish but who cares. All the women voices are impeccable. And so what if the story is a little long and could probably have used some editing? It’s so sweet I didn’t want it to end, even though it’s already twenty-one hours long. Seriously, a credit very well spent. Twenty-one hours of delight.
------------------------------------------------

4.5* – Okay, this story gave me all the feels. I think it’s a debut novel, which makes it even more impressive.

Sutton is coming to terms with the idea that she’s not only attracted to men. To help her take the first step into dating women, her best friend Regan creates a profile for her on a lesbian dating app then sends a very non-subtle message to a woman whose picture has caught Sutton’s eye. To Sutton’s surprise, the woman, Charlotte, answers, prompting Sutton to immediately apologise for the first message and deny she’s into hooking up. Amused, Charlotte starts giving advice to Sutton on how to navigate dating apps, and dating in general. Then, as Fate would have it, the two women meet in completely unexpected circumstances, making their personal and professional worlds (in particular, Charlotte’s political ambitions) collide. And it’s only the beginning of blurring lines.

Those Who Wait is one of these stories where trying to summarise even just the first few pages gets spoilery very quickly. The storyline is pretty traditional but it’s told in a way that feels surprisingly fresh and new. As readers, we know where this relationship is going (it’s a romance, innit?), but the way the author paints it, the way she makes it grow from a carefree friendship to this inescapable need that both feeds and tears the heart is excellent.

This would have been a 5* book if not for a few editing glitches – repeated words here and there, several rather long-winded sentences…– and one not-so-small detail: I don’t understand why Charlotte doesn’t speak about the closet with her brother and his politician boyfriend. Two of the people closest to her know almost exactly what she’s going through (with the added bonus of her being a woman in a man’s world) and she doesn’t take advantage of their experience? Why? Anyway, there were enough small flaws for me to notice, but not enough to dampen my enjoyment. Furthermore, the pace is quick and coherent and the narrative flows organically.

I loved both main characters, Sutton is lovely and earnest but in an enchanting way, not in a boring way at all. Charlotte is driven but unknowingly sweet. I felt her pain deep and had to stop at times to remember to breathe. If I had to let go of the person I love more than life itself, I would probably become so hard I’d be no use to anyone. I’m so glad Charlotte wised up before it came to that. And I loved how Sutton – once she got over some miscommunication at the start of their relationship – understands Charlotte in a way no one else does.

The secondary characters are also fantastic and everyone deserves a brother like Caleb, friends like Dean, Regan and Emma (I enjoyed the interaction between those two a lot!), parents like Kate and Jack and a former President as a grandmother. Or maybe not. But she’s a terrific mentor nonetheless.

Have I said how much I loved this book? No pressure, Haley Cass, but I’m definitely looking forward to your next novel, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.

ARC provided by the author to www.lezreviewbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

[chan ☆]

soft dnf

[Corporate Slave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was trying to find a 10 rating to hit it! I could only find a 5!!

Now I understand why my friends were pushing me to read this! You guys rock!

I don’t feel like I need to review this book! I wouldn’t do it justice, just like a 5 star rating isn’t doing it justice !

If anyone out there hasn’t read this, you are lucky ! Because you get a chance of reading this for the first time!

Damn, this was unbelievably good! Outstanding!

And oh god, I feel bad for the next book I’m going to read, whatever it is!! 😂

[dd · Rating 4 out of 5]

✧ ↝ 4.5 stars

this review is going to be very unhinged so bear with me. not that anyone would be interested in my extremely messy notes but here they are:


✭ the absolute softness in this book was everything. it was also built up correctly so that the emotions between charlotte and sutton were believable and didn’t feel forced or cheesy. there were so many cute interactions mfhdjajjjfks



for example:


❥ when sutton says she knows charlotte doesn’t have a lot of moments where she shows vulnerability to other people besides sutton, and that makes sutton feel special.

like?? aaaajhdhshsjshdh i’m weak.


❥ when sutton makes charlotte her favorite food after charlotte has a busy day and doesn’t have time to eat or smth
(even though we don’t get specific descriptions of the delicious food which 😔😔)

but anyway. that’s so cute?? i want a girlfriend who’ll make me food pls (partly because i can’t cook lmfao)


❥ “Charlotte’s hands slid to cup her jaw lightly, thumbs brushing her cheeks. “Darling, take a deep breath for me.””

help i think im hyperventilating (and yes im finally not too lazy this time to include quotes what about it)


❥ every single time sutton accidentally refers to charlotte as “her charlotte”

HELP THATS SO CUTE but also the denial lmaooo


❥ when sutton takes care of charlotte when she’s sick.

yall are always freaking out about the straight romcoms where the guy takes care of the girl when she’s sick but?? this is 1000x better??? also especially because charlotte is one of those people who doesn’t stop working and doesn’t do the best job at taking care of herself so sutton coming by and taking care of her was everythingggg


❥ in that same scene when charlotte wakes up to sutton finger combing her hair

again i want a gf who does that like aww. or i want to finger comb someone’s hair like that but pls give me the cute sapphic domestic shit


❥ “Until Charlotte had shifted slightly and whimpered when Sutton had pulled her hand away. Those big, doe eyes hadn’t even opened as Charlotte had shifted again, and her voice had been heavy and rough with sleep as she’d mumbled, “Don’t go.””

charlotte being soft >>>


❥ charlotte and sutton networking together at sutton’s parents’ party

my girls are such a power couple


❥ “The sheer concern in her voice was almost enough to bring Charlotte to her knees.”

THEYRE SO SOFT FOR EACH OTHER


❥ when sutton knew charlotte was struggling with her feelings but she’d be patient for her while she figured it out

like that’s so sweet bye


❥ “Charlotte was frozen. Giving Sutton a look that was so . . . full. That was the only way to describe it. That there was so much going on in one single look, it could have filled a novel.”

this quote was 10/10 especially because novels & writing were very significant to sutton


❥ “I can’t believe you did that,” she murmured, rubbing her hands up and down Charlotte’s back. “You are so brave.””

THE UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT OHMYGODDD💗💗


❥ “I didn’t want you lonely at your brother’s wedding; I wanted you to have something special.”

charlotte’s so considerate fjdhsjjsjd<333



in conclusion sutton and charlotte were so fucking good for each other i was close to crying during the third act conflict lmao


____________________ ❦_______________________

✭ i was going into this expecting charlotte to be one of the hottest characters in any sapphic romance ever and i was not disappointed. she was so elegant and gorgeous and just so hot. (help me)
the stuff she said?? 😫

like:


❥ every time she called sutton “darling”

FJFHSHAKAHDDHDHSHSJSJHD


(unhinged i told you)


❥ ”sutton spencer, you flatter me.”

the use of sutton’s full name and just?? and if i’m remembering correctly there was so much sexual tension at this part like damn


❥ “I’m sorry, darling. I think I’ve spent far too long working today; I mistakenly heard you propose having sex with me.”

LMAO HELP even when charlotte’s flustered she’s so calm and collected like damnnnn


❥ “I just… I’m really attracted to you.”

pretty sure sutton said this to charlotte but same.


❥ “Because saying she’d be getting nothing by having the pleasure of making Sutton Spencer come would be such an understatement.”

bchdsiajhshddiekakdjjdj


❥ “So, just let me,” she tugged slightly on the zipper, enough that it gave and started to slide down, “Make you feel good.”

screaming.


❥ “you’re very beautiful, sutton.”

this had me a wreck fr


❥ “fuck, Sutton. Open your legs as much as you can for me.”

🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️



but anyway. charlotte >>

____________________ ❦_______________________

✭ some of the interactions with family and friends in this book were really cute too so:


❥ “”Regan, you’re the one who has always been telling me to get out of my bubble and live a little.”“ It was actually a major component of their friendship.”

regan annoyed me a little bit sometimes but ig i liked her? i ship her with emma, haley cass should write a book about them falling in love since they moved in together and everything lmao


❥ it was kinda funny when alex attacked charlotte in the middle of the night; i liked alex a lot until she outed sutton to her family, not that her brother cared but other people could’ve heard too and you kind of shouldn’t do that lmao especially because sutton hadn’t actually purposely came out to alex in the first place


❥ “{william} trailed off, shrugging sheepishly. “I prefer the company of animals to people, usually.””

no bc i relate to this on a spiritual level. william you king


❥ “Katherine pushed the pen toward Sutton. “You love to write and you are so good at it so now you can experience this: writing through the pain can make some of the most beautiful of words.””

thats👏true 👏
slay katherine


❥ dean and caleb were the superior friends/family members thank you and goodbye


____________________ ❦_______________________

✭ this didn’t feel nearly as long as i was thinking it would considering it was 650+ pages. i’ll even probably read that novella about charlotte and sutton lmaoo

____________________ ❦_______________________

✭ the smut was so good. i’m not used to finding such good smut in a contemporary sapphic romance novel so i was taken aback because this shit was top tier 😭😭 i’ll probably even reread the smut scenes if i don’t reread the whole book

____________________ ❦_______________________


i’m really fucking tired now so i guess i might add to this review later if i can think of anything else, but in the meantime go read this book 😘

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I know I’m basically the last person to have read this, and unsurprisingly, I loved it. Honestly, it wasn’t perfect. But my small issues are excused as this was a debut and they are really just minor things. I’m giving this all 5 stars because of how much I enjoyed this.
Also, I now know to never suggest a Haley Cass book for our book club. We are doing weekly zoom meetings and only reading around 100-150 pages a week. I kept having to wait to read this when I just wanted to sit down and read it all at once. Hah.
Highly recommend!

7/8/22 re-read

I loved this just as much the second time around 🥰

[Agirlcandream · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello Haley Cass and welcome to my auto read list along with my best of 2020 books.

I loved this KU read and recommend all subscribers to give it a look. I loved the confident career in politics focused Charlotte schooling the innocent and blushing grad student Sutton in the fine art of dating women. I loved how Charlotte teases Sutton but always in a kind and gentle way, how their texting friendship changes into a real friendship and then into a really hot relationship. Sutton is a quick study and you never feel like she is not worthy of Charlotte’s attention. Her naïveté makes the sex scenes even hotter. This book sizzles.

I also loved the storyline and secondary characters. Charlotte knows her private life will impact her political career. The handwringing challenges are there knowing her rivals might use her sexuality against her. I was fully involved and cheering Sutton and Charlotte on to their HEA no matter the consequences.

This book has a few editing issues, very few and could use some belt tightening but those are mild complaints and not a reason to skip this excellent read.

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this debut book twice.

Charlotte and Sutton meet on a dating app but instead of hooking up, they become friends. That is until one of them proposes to include benefits into the friendship. Everything seems to work out well for Charlotte who needs to keep things casual  because of her bright political career and Sutton who needs to explore her sexuality with someone trusted. But all bets are off the table when feelings get involved.

This is Haley Cass' debut book and I have read it twice. Both times I came to the same conclusion - this author can write a damn good romance novel. This book made me smile, gave me butterflies and made me tear.

On the surface, Charlotte comes off as the character with the stronger personality and the one with upper hand. Its true, in some sense, given that she's the one with experience with women, the one who appears to be loved more, the one who does the seducing and the one who dictates how the friendship would be. But to be honest, she is also the more vulnerable of the two - which can be seen from how she who would act on her jealousy and be so desperate to salvage their friendship. This vulnerability actually makes Charlotte more desirable than she already is. Sutton has a certain charm that comes from being innocent and it complements Charlotte so well.

The attaction between both characters is apparent from beginning to end and this intensifies with every love scene. On this note, should I add that this book has more love scenes compared to any other romance novels I've read? Well, I'm not complaining. They were hot.

[Sprinkles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, uh. I'm done. And more than satisfied.

I love. I love. I love, love, love this book.

I had a weird journey with it. I gobbled it up, but once it got to the bit of necessary conflict that all stories need, I got super busy with life and set it aside. I wanted my wonderful couple—Charlotte and Sutton—to stay pristine until I was ready to lose myself reading in general.

Months later, and I remember all the characters and what was going on. Do you people know how good a book has to be to achieve that!? Haley Cass can easily become a new favorite if this her style, wow.

Charlotte has made my brain list of top hottest lesfic characters because WHAT THE HELL. Her....everything...had me all flustered. Her flaws were realistic and not overdone. Another testament to Cass's talent. And Sutton is just the sweet, blossoming-in-gay woman for her without being overly naive.

I can't belabor enough how this book just does it for me. The chemistry, the politics, the necessary side characters, the humor, the quotables.

And it's sexy! Intensely re-readably sexy! Like clutching my Kindle to my chest, whining sexy! I love the details and communication. I'm a burnt cupcake because it all set me aflame, thank you very much.

Is this a good review? I'm so sorry. This is more than five stars, goodreads! Get it together!

[hubsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook: I had forgotten much of this story so am glad I re-visited it in audio form. Just as good as my first read! Bravo, Ms. Cass.
--------------------------

There isn't much more I can add that other reviewers haven't echoed already. I loved this story. I am actually going through it a second time immediately, and the only other authors I have done that with are Ms. Noyes and Ms. Ashton. As one reviewer stated, this story isn't exactly new content but there is something fresh about it, and I totally agree.

The way the author created the two MCs, Sutton and Charlotte, was remarkable for a first time author. She got right into the depth of them, the heart and soul without being cheesy. The nuances of their interactions, humour and amount of emotion was staggering at times. I almost felt that I was sitting with them during some of their intense moments, with my breath catching and all the feels happening. They are two strong, independent and intelligent women, and Sutton's naivete and sweet romanticism coupled with Charlotte's assertiveness, drive and experience leads us to such a power couple that I sure hope Ms. Cass has more stories for them down the line.
 
And the sex. jesus christ in a life-vest the sex. Hot, beautiful, creative, mouth went dry more than once. I give this author Almighty Applause.

This was also very long and god was that welcome in the land of 200 page max lesfics. This led me right through a long wknd at the cottage and I couldn't wait to pick it up again. While hiking, while kayaking, while paddleboarding....I couldn't help but wonder what Ms. Cass had in store for me. I was never bored, and it was easy to look past the typos and repetition at parts b/c I was just so damn engaged. 

CANNOT WAIT to get the follow-up short story. Woo hoo!

[katia · Rating 4 out of 5]

charlotte is SO HOT. her confidence was so attractive for no reason. also her terms of endearment omg. “darling”, “sweetheart”

i was completely invested in the romance, despite it being a very long slowburn where they start dating in the last 10 pages (it was 700 pages long 💔)

but i know for a fact haley cass did not just deprive us of the ice cream scene. i’m so upset

[Guillermo Alberto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everyone seems to be loving this book, so I think I'll be the party pooper.

I took it up for a number of reasons. It's part of me reading more female authors this year and getting more into LGBT literature. I had never read romance before, and because of the good critiques I thought it was a good place to start.

I'm not focusing on how long and unedited the book is.

I'm not focusing on how the main characters hardly develop throughout the plot.

I'm not focusing on the fact that the author built two very unrealistic women who happen to be one of the best at their field, beautiful, stunning, highly educated and with a great focus on youth as a virtue.

However, I am focusing on the following two points:

1) Charlotte is toxic and manipulative and we're led to believe that that will somehow turn into a meaningful relationship. She takes advantage of Sutton's inexperience, no matter how many times she agreed to having sex, sexually and emotionally. A great example of this is when Charlotte stops talking to her for an entire week and then inadvertedly videocalls her to have virtual sex, not giving an actual fuck about her feelings. But that's nothing compared to what happens at the end. In an interview, Charlotte outs Sutton to the entire world without her consent and without knowing if she had already talked about the subject to all of her friends and relatives, which we only learn about in the following chapter.

You don't trust me or you think I'm reading too much into things? Here's an extract from the very end of the book.

"From the very beginning you were so refreshing. This whole world we're in." She lifted her hands and gestured in a circle, before she pressed her fingertips together in front of her. "Is full of people who play games and lie and omit the truth and manipulate - and I'm a part of all of it, too. Then there's you. And you're so refreshing and honest and genuine, and I was so drawn to that."

2) The whole angle of tackling LGBT issues is wrong.

I'm perfectly aware that it is still hard for a politician to be openly gay. But losing an election a week after coming out while she previously held a 22% lead in the polls? In the United States, where people seem generally disinterested in politics and voters are known for not registering to do so? In New York, probably one of the most gay friendly cities in the country? After they had a female president for eight years who just so happens to be Charlotte's grandmother? While a gay man is sitting in the Mayor's office who just so happens to be the boyfriend of Charlotte's brother? (closeted, I'll grant it, but it would have been interesting to have it driving at least part of the plot and we get nothing of that).

Then there's the outing of the girlfriend she's supposedly so in love with that I mentioned in my previous point.

And the lack of mention of LGBT issues from a lesbian who is highly invested in politics, particularly in the department of social affairs. Does LGBT homelessness ring a bell?

Overall, the book is setting a high standard for youth and beauty as inherent virtues, is perpetuating the myth that the only way for LGBT to meet is through dating apps (even though the characters' families had strong political ties and they could have met in an entirely different way), and is telling us LGBT people that in order to find love we have to settle for someone that will mistreat us.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those Who Wait was a book I thought I’d never finish and I almost gave up on it.

Haley Cass’ debut is quite impressive and so are the amount of 5 stars the book has gathered. I started reading it in November but due to the slow pace (and also maybe my reading mood at the time) I lost interest for a while as other books snuck in. So it sat there for a few months. To perk things up again I switched to the audio book narrated by Lori Prince and then two things happened.

As often the case with self published books, Those Who Wait was basically too long. When I saw the audio book was over 20 hours I almost chucked it. And on top of that, I was not a fan of Lori Prince. Shocking revelation, I know ;-) I started my favorite Robin Alexander (The Fall) once and was so turned off by Prince at that time that I had to stop after one chapter and I avoided her since.

But… I kept with it and after we had cleared the middle part of the book it got interesting. And Lori grew on me. And towards the end I was crying with Sutton and Charlotte as the rift happened. And I started to reserve a plinth in my goddess room for Lori. So I guess this book taught me a few things, which is always great.

Haley Cass has written a lesfic romance wet dream and is here to stay!

Audio book available on Scribd.

f/f yowzah!

4.5 Stars

[Amy Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Now this was a fantastic romance novel. This review is just going to be incoherent rambling because this book was incredible! Haley Cass has become an instant buy author for me.

There wasn't a single thing I didn't like. I loved Sutton and Charlotte's POV's equally, I loved the supporting cast, I loved the background plotlines of the election and Archives.

This has everything. Slow burn, friends with benefits, jealousy, looking after each other when they're ill, supporting each other, slowing coming to the realisation that they have feelings, like deep, I'm in love feelings. I really felt their connection grow and develop. It was fantastic.

This is a long novel, but it didn't feel like it. I breezed through this in a couple of days because I couldn't put it down. The only hiccup in this for me was the 'villain'. She was a touch too cartoonish, but I could live with that.

I'm totally rooting for Charlotte to become the president one day—if I were American I would absolutely vote for her haha! Damn I loved this book. It's become one of my all time favourite romances. Please read this if you haven't already!

EDIT:
After rereading this it's just as good as I remember! I did notice that more editing was needed, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. Fantastic book!

[Lau ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if your best friend installed an app on your phone to hook up with other women after realizing your bisexual? And if she sends your match a hot text you are not ready to make it true? Being Sutton, you apologize, explain the situation and succeed in getting friendzoned. But since Sutton is the kind of girl who is all about dates and commitment and beautiful Charlotte only does one-night stands, they decide it’s the best decision. Even if sometimes it’s hard to remember why they can just give in to the chemistry between them.


Charlotte has always been focused on one thing: follow her grandmother’s steps and become the next president of the USA, sacrificing whatever is needed to get there. She never thought it would only take one woman to put her world outside down.


Those Who Wait is a slow paced story about two strangers meeting in an app, becoming friends and falling in love. While it’s a long book-over six hundred pages- not meant for someone who likes their scenes fast and easy, it was not nearly as slow burn as I thought it was going to be. From the title, I was expecting a Mariana Zapata type book, where we will have to wait until 80% to see some action but, even though nobody would call it fast, it was also not as nerve-inducing. Sutton and Charlotte’s relationship followed the organic pace you would expect when you put together two people who are the complete opposite when it comes to commitment in a relationship, yet oddly compatible as soulmates and very attracted to the other.


“I want to touch you () but, can you just-can you tell me what to do?”
“It just so happens-” Charlotte spun them, and started walking Sutton backwards until her knees sat down. Charlotte ducked her head, brown curls curtaining the two of them, as she leaned in to nip at Sutton’s earlobe. “That I love telling people what to do.”


My favorite part was how complex the characters were. I was never into the shy, inexperienced girl who seems to let everyone take advantage of her, but Sutton quickly made me apologize for my mistake. Yes, she was shy and inexperienced, yet brave and honest enough to surprise you-and Charlotte-, every time you thought you had her figured out.


Charlotte was my achilles heel. I wanted to be annoyed at her so badly, but I only accomplished to be annoyed at myself for being exactly like her. Charlotte was the kind of girl who will do everything to achieve her dreams. She was competitive, cold, focused, hard-working and thought romance didn’t need a spot on her life goal. Being young and a female, I understood why she thought being a lesbian would not help her chances as a politician in the USA, why she decided to hide it for at least a couple of years. When you see her hesitating between giving Sutton what she needed, what they needed, or keep sacrificing everything for the sake of her career, you can’t really blame her. Or, at least, I couldn’t without hating myself in the process because the last one may be my choice of preference.


Overall, Those Who Wait was a long book, but it was so worth reading. I knew the characters, I cared about them, I loved coming back every night to read a bit more of how they were doing. It was sweet and hot, but also complicated like life itself. Even though the angst of thinking like Charlotte and not wanting to think like Charlotte gave me less escapism than I usually go far, Those Who Wait is my favorite sapphic romance so far. It left me wanting to try so many more-if you have recs, I’m all ears!


Thank you so much aria for convincing me to give this a try with your amazing review!💛


↬Those Who Wait series:
💛Sutton and Charlotte:
1. Those Who Wait: 4.25 stars
1.5. Forever and a Day: 4 stars
3. Midnight Rain:: dnf @65%

💛Regan and Emma:
2. The Snowball Effect: 4.5 stars

[MZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this is not a surprise, but yes, this book scores all 5 stars! The book is funny, sweet and sexy. It has all the ingredients of a good romance, even the conflict (which you can easily see coming) was perfect.

Sutton and Charlotte meet through a sapphic dating app, and not in the normal way a dating app works as they appear to have totally different dating goals. But, they connect anyway and what is that saying? Opposites attract? Yep, exactly that!

I just loved Sutton, she’s a grad student who’s so awkward and adorable, but also warm and the ultimate romantic and she has the worst case of word vomit. Charlotte, on the other hand, is sexy, seductive and very ambitious. First and foremost, in Charlotte’s life, is her career. She is on a track to become a big-time politician. Her political career and ambitions play an important role in the book and I really enjoyed the world of politics (although I was instantly reminded of how I would hate a life in politics).

This book is relatively long (in audio ~21h), but it didn’t bore me for a second, even the rather extensive internal dialogues kept my attention the entire time. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Lori Prince, who is an excellent choice for both Sutton and Charlotte. I always like Prince’s narration for slightly obnoxious people and Regan (Sutton’s obnoxious but loyal friend) fit the bill perfectly for this voice and was easily my favorite secondary character.

21 hours and I could have listened to more :-)

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Epic fail.

I bought this one after reading two other Haley Cass books that I found enjoyable. This one? Just, no.

Cass has a formula that she relies upon in all of her books (or at least the three that I've read). It's an opposites-attract trope, taken to an extreme. She sets up two women who are about as diametrically opposed as can be, and then has them slowly fall in love.

In When You Least Expect It, it's a single lesbian opposite a divorcing, (seemingly) heterosexual parent. In In the Long Run, it's a free-spirited wanderer opposite an uptight homebody. Here, it's a politically ambitious, promiscuous lesbian opposite a sexually inexperienced, bi-curious, non-political woman looking for a monogamous relationship.

It could have worked, if only Cass had worked harder to develop the characters and make the plot more believable. Instead, both characters are superficial and one-note. Charlotte, the politician, is especially ridiculous. In an alternate universe in which her grandmother was a two-term President of the United States from 2008-2016, Charlotte plans to follow in grandma's footsteps and become President. Based on what?! She's an assistant in the New York City mayor's office, for heaven's sake! Her ambition borders on a delusional disorder. Meanwhile, she's terribly worried about being outed as a lesbian, yet she surrounds herself with out gay people, including the mayor she works for and her police officer brother, who happens to be the mayor's lover. And her platform is politically progressive - or at least liberal - on social issues like homelessness and education, yet she's an uncritical fan of the film "Gone with the Wind," which has come to symbolize white racist fantasy yearnings of the antebellum South. I could go on....

Oh, and the writing. Cass still hasn't mastered the basics of grammar or punctuation. I mean, come on! If you fancy yourself a writer, take a writing course. Or hire a copy editor and/or a proofreader. Or even Google the correct use of apostrophes. I'm far from the only reader to comment on these issues in Cass's writing, both here and on Amazon. I just wish more reviewers would knock off stars for crappy writing until an author starts to get the message and make more of an effort. If we want amateur fanfic, we can get it for free. People are paying to read this stuff!

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't do my thing of tallying the repetitive use of smirks and quirks: 58 smirks and 48 quirks for a total of 106 quirks/smirks - I think we've got a record-holder! Mostly, the quirks involve eyebrows, making me envision two very jittery-looking women. And not only quirks and smirks, but quirks and smirks together, as in "[her] lips quirked into a smirk" and "the smirk that quirked up his lips was smug and irritating." Or this doozy:

"She pressed a kiss against the corner of her girlfriend [sic] - fiancee's? - mouth, right where her gorgeous smirk would quirk typically."

Ouch! Such sloppy and lazy writing!

I don't get the rave reviews. I just don't.

2.5 stars.

[LEAH · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ★ | SHRINE to lesbian fiction. The HOLY GRAIL of sapphic novella. The EPITOME of WLW romance. I love this book more than life itself. I will not EVER stop loving this book. Or this author.

I will continue to read and re-read this finely crafted masterpiece. Over and over and over again. I would be lying if I said it couldn’t be condensed by 300 pages or so but you know what? With Haley Cass I see no wrong. EVER. 5 stars all the way!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am kicking myself for not reviewing this earlier. For a book as good as this, I find it so disrespectful to the author that I didn't immediately do so. So my apologies to Haley Cass and to all of you that haven't read this yet. I just read this a second time and it only made me feel more guilty.

Sutton just recently discovered her probable affinity toward the same sex. All it took was a hot makeout session in a club and she has been stewing over it from the comfort of her apartment ever since. Her roommate, Regan, is tired of Sutton being dull so she decides to take matters into her own hands. Well, Sutton's phone into her own hands anyway. To Sutton's horror, Regan has created a profile on the SaphicSpark dating app which sets the stage for Charlotte to enter Sutton's life.

I absolutely adored Sutton. She comes from an affluent family. She is smart and beautiful yet a little bit awkward with words. Which is ironic because she is a literature major and aspires to be a writer. Charlotte is likable, too. For all of her practiced ways of navigating her political world, she is sensitive and caring.

The main premise of this story is these two ladies liking each other enough to allow a friendship to develop. As things get a bit complicated, Charlotte's public political career trajectory is put at risk.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. I'm not saying this was without issues. It was longer than it needed to be and there were some items needing editing. But honestly, this was so good that I don't even care and I don't think you will either. That has to say something, right?

What was special about this book was how much I FELT from these characters. There was no doubting their feelings even when they weren't even admitting them to each other! And there were some sentences in this book that really hit hard. I love that when a single line can just wreck you for a bit. Where you have to stop for a second and just process what you read.

In addition to those feelings and their chemistry, I really enjoyed all of the different settings and situations that happened throughout the book. Sometimes books are a bit boring and formulaic. This one felt a bit like a roller coaster. I was up and down throughout the entire thing and I loved the ride. So much that I rode it again!

I don't know what else to say. I feel mostly like a fan girl about it. Hot politician with lofty political aspirations befriends adorable and beautiful college student and there is absolutely no way to resist her.

Do not miss out on this one.

I recommend this to anyone who likes to read about romance, politics, discreet affairs, hot intimate scenes, super likable leads, great side characters, major feels, and flirty texting.

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huh. I didn't notice how long this book was when I started reading it. Since I read ebooks I never pay attention to the number of pages (practically meaningless) or the number of words. To tell you the truth I didn't even notice as I was reading it that it is long book. Because it is that good. 5 Stars!

Sutton Spencer (25, Literature grad student) recently discovered that she is attracted to women but has not acted on it out of fear. Her friend Regan puts Sutton's profile on a SapphicSpark dating site. Regan notices that Sutton seemed interested in a profile for a very attractive Charlotte, (28). Sutton won't message her, so Regan does it for her. Afterall what are good friends for? She gets a response back from Charlotte and they begin messaging each other. In truth, Charlotte was in the app to delete it when she saw Sutton's message. Charlotte, currently a NYC Deputy Mayor, was about to announce that she was running for the House of Representatives and was very much in the closet so she was going to delete her profile when she saw Sutton's (or rather Regan's) message that she couldn't resist answering back. And so begins a friendship that becomes friends with benefits to something more. It turns out they have quite a lot in common. Both come from wealthy and political families. One thing I was wondering about, is why it took so long for Charlotte to remove her profile from the dating site since she had her political trajectory planned for a long time. I guess because it was an anonymous site and safter than usual hookups and being seen in lesbian bars/community?

Politics is low on my reading list. But with all the positive and 5 star ratings, I could not, not read it. I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed the slow burn but hot romance, loved both the characters and their friends and families. And yes, I even enjoyed reading about the political campaign and strategies. And that is saying A LOT. I'm looking forward to reading more by Haley Cass.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm abandoning this at about three-quarters, even though I really like the characters. It wore me down, frankly. The main issue I had is that Charlotte has a monster negative motivation* that has been a drag on the story from the beginning, continues to be a drag, and there's no end in sight of it being a drag. And it doesn't help that the motivation makes zero sense, but that's largely because the author did a very creative thing that I actually found very intriguing.

You see, from the start, we find that Charlotte has political aspirations based on her Grandmother, who, we are informed, was the first female U.S. president. So we're in alt-history, at least a little. Cass doesn't name any real-world political party, at least to as far as I got, but it is mentioned that Charlotte and her Grandmother are dedicated to "progressive" causes. This was fascinating to me at first. I wanted to see where this would go and if Cass would define more or get more creative. Unfortunately, she did neither and I started chafing more and more as it went on. Charlotte is running in New York for a newly-open congressional seat. So if she's "progressive" then she should be literally a no-brainer so long as she can get her party's nomination. But parties don't exist in this world, so we get this really tedious subplot with a caricature of every bad politician trope ever invented. Okay, that's not true because her opponent is female so take everything Republicans say about Hillary Clinton or everything Democrats say about Sarah Palin and that's pretty much what you have in her opponent.

So what may have been interesting has become simply a good-politicians are honest and noble and that means agreeing with our protagonists. And bad-politicians are corrupt and dishonest and that means everyone who disagrees with our protagonist. So it's very black and white and thus doesn't serve to support the central conceit of Charlotte's sexuality; namely that she's deeply in the closet because she doesn't want the political fallout of coming out. Which doesn't square with anything modern (let alone this specific alt-hist), particularly in New York (where we have two openly gay African-Americans entering congress this year—yes, I had to look that up). So Charlotte's negative motivation* is outright stupid, doubly so if you take it that her timeline includes already having elected a woman as president of the U.S.

But all of the political trappings wouldn't have mattered if Charlotte's nonsensical motivation weren't dragging everything to an unbearable slow-down. The two main characters were so good for each other. And I bought their relationship and really wanted them to be together and have their happily ever after. But I still had hours and hours left of the audiobook and I found I just couldn't bring myself to continue.

I wish I could bring myself to rate this higher than three stars because I loved the characters and the story was strong despite the plot problems. But I just can't. So this is a strong three stars and if you can plow through the plot drag, there's some great relationship stuff going on (including with the secondary characters, though Sutton's sister, Alex, is a straight-up bully and I kept waiting for someone to call her out on it).

A note about Steamy: There are explicit sex scenes and it seems like a lot until you consider the length of the book (it's huge). So it's really about the middle of my steam tolerance. The intimacy was extremely well-done and an integral part of their relationship. I think Cass does an incredibly good job making it a meaningful part of the story.

* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.

[Mika Auguste · Rating 5 out of 5]

all you need to know is that this is an angsty, friends with benefits, slowburn sapphic romance and has officially made haley cass an auto buy author for me

[Daly Cogards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider choosing the audio version of Haley Cass's "Those Who Wait" (AUDIOBOOK) for an immersive and touching listening experience. The performer brings Sutton and the big-hearted emotionality of her journey to life, offering the listener a richer, more emotionally resonant take on this engaging contemporary romance. This tender romance captures real life love, and the growth that comes when we wait for it.

This book is a beautifully written romance that addresses the matters of the heart with both gentle and emotional writing. Cass gives us a vulnerable Sutton Spencer exploring life and the unpredictable ways love can sneak up on us.

Additional attention has been given to developing relatable characters and relationships in a more realistic and deeply moving way. The tensions and humor make intricately woven plotlines that entice readers and make the kind of story that has you still thinking about it days later.

The audiobook does an excellent job at giving the listener an immersive listening experience that allows for a richer connection to the story. This would be a recommended read for readers who love their romance to be thoughtful and full of heart.

[JulesGP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sutton and Charlotte are one of my new favorite couples. Haley Cass is the real thing, no hype is enough. She can keep writing epic tomes about romance and they will never be anything but too short. Steamy scenes, angsty moments of true love, and first class writing. Those Who Wait should now join the shortlist of Must Read Lesfic.

That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Everyone else nailed it so l’ll just say, I concur with all of the accolades.

[khi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, it’s decided- I like this author and will keep my eye out for all of their coming books.

Don’t let the word count scare you, I read this book in one day.

Highly recommend!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my favorite book. It's perfect, so perfect that it hurt to finish it, because I didn't want it to end.
I can't even explain how much I love it.

I laughed, I cried, I had my breath taken.

What you'll experience reading this book is like you're living it, all the pain, all the love, everything, is just amazing. I already want it to read it again.

Thank you, Haley Cass, for sharing this fucking incredible story with us, I can't wait to read more from you, you're an amazing author and this book is something else.

I recommend this book to everyone, because if you're reading this GO FOR IT, YOU'LL NOT REGRET IT, especially if you like love, conflict and hot moments, you need to live this too.

I'm even gonna miss Charlotte and Sutton's love. Im gonna miss even Regan, even her being a little annoying.

God, it's perfect, I wanna cry because I finish it. I need to read it again. PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT?

F/f explicit. Super hot and cute.
hot level 🔥: 5/5