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Patty's Potent Potion

Robin Alexander

Start date: May 1, 2017

Finish date: October 19, 2017

Discussion: Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

May 11, 2017 Luce rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-read, relocation-old-or-new-place, romance, humor, there-is-a-kid, job-academic-teacher, 5-stars

4.5 Star book. Rounded up to 5 STARS

I really enjoyed the interplay between Shawna, Ashton, Jet & Megan. It was pleasant to read about true friendships. And of course with the usual Alexander LOL humor. I read much of this book in public - difficult not to guffaw too loudly!

I could do with less of the crazy Grandmas. It got old after awhile. I agree with Kurt's review that Alexander doesn't need them to write a very humorous book.

I can't wait for the next Alexander book! ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

May 03, 2017 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: humor, kindle, romance, lesbian, american-south, louisiana, parent-child-relationships, intaglio-publications

All of my lovely lesfic friends here on GoodReads can't get enough of Robin Alexander, but for whatever reason, I just hadn't cracked one of her books yet. Plenty sat on my to-read list, but they never happened. But this book, the monthly pick over at Mostly Lesfic, seemed like the perfect cozy romance to dig into on a chilly, rainy afternoon. I was right--it definitely hit the spot!

Patty's Potent Potion is a great mix of humor, romance, family drama, and Southern charm. I've never read a lesbia All of my lovely lesfic friends here on GoodReads can't get enough of Robin Alexander, but for whatever reason, I just hadn't cracked one of her books yet. Plenty sat on my to-read list, but they never happened. But this book, the monthly pick over at Mostly Lesfic, seemed like the perfect cozy romance to dig into on a chilly, rainy afternoon. I was right--it definitely hit the spot!

Patty's Potent Potion is a great mix of humor, romance, family drama, and Southern charm. I've never read a lesbian romance with such a fresh and modern take on lesbian motherhood and dating past 30. It allows the characters to be themselves and not compromise their identities to suit their surroundings. Sure, Shawna and her ex (and still current BFF) Meg play it cool at their daughter Jet's new school, but they only do it to keep themselves out of the small-town spotlight while Jet gets adjusted. And Ashton may not come out right away to the girls she's coaching on the school's color guard team, but she's more worried about not gaining their respect if they know too much about her personal life than about possible homophobia. This is a romance that is firmly grounded in a 2017 sensibility, which allows new life to be breathed into the genre.

I can see why everyone loves Alexander's books so much--her lesbians are not tragic or troubled, they're real, and they're absolutely hilarious. Maybe all the humor didn't work for me--some of it fell flat, even. I'm not sure how much more I could take of Shawna's grandma's revulsion towards "dirty" words. But I was absolutely busting a stitch reading about Ashton and Shawna fumbling their way into some semblance of a sexual relationship after not seeing each other for 21 long years. They have real-woman insecurities, real-woman hang-ups and fears, but they also have the real-woman attitude of "I don't care how saggy you are or if you still talk to your ex or if your 16-year-old daughter caught us humping on the couch, I like you and you're pretty, so let's do this." It's so refreshing.

The family and friendship dynamics are absolutely perfect. Every character is rich and real and full of life. Jet sounds like a real teenagers, Patty is pretty much exactly that annoying friend you can't help but adore despite her flaws, and even the "villain" has her own realistic redemption arc. The plot itself (besides the romance, which is amazing) is actually pretty decent. It feels distinctly Southern with all the moms getting involved in high school sports drama and trying to figure out what is real and what is rumor. It's low stakes and just what is needed for a little pick-me-up.

This is so, so petty of me to say, but it's seriously bugging me--the worst part of Robin Alexander's books are the covers. They are so bad! They look like something I could make in ten minutes with PowerPoint transitions and Google image searching. Her book Scaredy Cat, which sounds amazing and is next on my list of her books I want to read, has probably the worst one. For a talented author who appears to write for a legit small press, she'd really benefit from a better cover artist. These books just look way to unprofessional compared to the level of her writing.

Despite that book-snob complaint, I'm excited to read more of her books. She's a breath of fresh air in the lesfic community. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review