this is a brilliant depiction of the coming out late theme. its felt so raw and real but also so very fun, smiley and lovely.
i felt this is such a realistic story. the portrayal of coming out at that time of life felt hard,real. and sometimes sad. because at that age both sides have to be patient. oooohhhh so patient. and at time the balance goes more one way. if you are on the side of Ava you have to have staying power. but then isn't that love, its not a hardship to stay when there is now love thrumming, you just do. but yeh, i felt for her all the way as that push back from Jean must feel hard. but then on the other side you of course have Jean who has got this whole weight on her shoulders with having to come to terms with so much. and her own push me pull me must send her head into spiral upon spirals. you know shes a good person, you are rooting for her. so you can see how much both sides dont want to hurt each other.
but what i love is how much i cared about both our characters and was rooting for them both.
this is a really good read and i enjoyed it thoroughly.

I really liked Strap In by Lou Morgan. It was not what I was expecting, given the title and tagline, but where the story diverted from expectations, I was happily following.

Yes, this IS a spicy sapphic story, but I'd argue against the superlative in the tagline. It's certainly spicier than many sapphic stories on the market but this book has so much more! There's swoon-worthy romance, yearning, redemptions, side-plots and a cast of great side characters. But also, yes, there is strapping. If that's going to be the title tho, I'd actually like to see more of it tbh.

I absolutely adore a later-in-life coming out and I thought Jean's grappling with her own sexuality, unpacking comphet and catholic repression was done well and compelling to read. I wasn't expecting the drama with former colleagues as part of this journey but it added positively to the character arcs.

This is very much Jean's story. It is her journey, and I loved it. That did make Ava's character feel a bit less defined and solid. Sometimes it felt like Ava was there purely to further Jean's story. I would like more of Ava's point of view; her background and career trajectory sounded interesting and I wanted more!

If you're looking for sapphic stories on the spicier side, give this a try. But be warned, you will get sucked into the full story and will be happier for it. You're welcome.

gorgeously written and fun romance with some good vibes and great settings. would definitely recommend this book. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. The story is fast-paced, funny, and full of sharp wit, perfect for anyone looking for a fun, engaging read. The characters are relatable and bring a lot of personality, and the writing style makes it hard to put down. A great pick for fans of clever, modern storytelling with a bit of edge. Definitely recommend!

This is a very decent debut. After reading there’s a page or two with a letter from the author, from that I gathered the author planned on doing 2 different POVs at first, I feel like you can still tell. If I were to write my biggest annoyance is that I got confused about whose POV we were in. Turns out we only should have been in one character’s, I feel like the author didn’t get the best results there.
The story is nice enough, one of the main characters might be a little bit too good to be true, but that’s ok. I feel like the whole sex acquaintance thing might go on for too long. It’s understandable an older character is hesitant to come out of the closet, but pfff it dragged on a bit.it started with so much sex I feared this book was just going to be some mild erotic book, luckily it wasn’t. I write luckily because that definitely isn’t for me.
Where most characters are super supportive, I don’t care much for Jean’s friends, with one exception.

Overall it’s a decent book, very steamy as well, especially the beginning.

I had to DNF this one at like 30%. For me, I kept getting frustrated at the style of the book, where changes in POV weren't clear and the story wasn't compelling enough to get past that.

This was not what I expected at all but in a good way! From the title I was expecting just a fun spicy silly book but it actually had way more depth. I really liked the portrayal of the queer realization and their relationship. The sex scenes seemed realistic as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Y’all, I am so bummed.

Sapphics need more strap on scenes. We have been begging for them. This book delivers.

Unfortunately we also have a main character who is straight and can’t be with a woman and feels the need to continue to have this be a thing. When do readers get queer joy? This felt so weirdly homophobic.

I love the cover. The writing style wasn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed it. I would have loved this one had there been queer joy and some good spice.

Please know this book also contains the following CW,
-racial slur

I made it to a bit past 15% before I was just angry that this character needed to be a straight woman. DNF for me unfortunately. I will be on the search for books with sapphic joy in them.

Thank you for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

After 40% I dnfed the book. I liked the sexual tension in the beginning and their sex scenes. As a queer woman myself i think i got tired of Jean's "i can't be with a woman" approach after she mentioned it one time too many. I liked Ava's character and her bad bitch attitude and that she works in a charity sector as a lawyer rather that anything else.

I really enjoyed the development of Jean and Ava’s relationship and Jean’s journey towards finding her identity as a queer woman, but this novel just wasn’t for me. The writing was fantastic, as well as the spice, but I just think that I personally didn’t really get into this book- and honestly, I think part of it was that this was my first age-gap romance and I realized that it’s just not something I’m into. I am so thankful to have been able to read this book and I absolutely recommend it to those who enjoy gay awakenings and age-gap romances!

This was a great book, a strong 4 star book to me. Why I struggle to rate as 5 star is the fact that I was so frustrated with how long it took for Jean to realize that Ava was so much more than a sexual acquaintance. I understand that difficult to come out at her age but being that oblivious for that long?

The book starts so strong and grabs my interest. Then for a while a bit too much lawyer talks and Jean struggling with realizing that Ava is beyond amazing. Meeting someone so dreamy, Jean is so lucky, and not just get it faster is a bit hard to understand. Jean treats Ava in a way she does not deserve for way too long, she is so lucky Ava is so into Jean and not look for someone else. I think the book may have benefited with a dual POV to understand what Ava feels about how it all plays out. I love Ava so much and would love more of her, perhaps a short story possible?

4.5 rounded up

I've read a lot of debut books in my time as a reader/reviewer/proofreader/editor. Some of them shine with promise, some are lackluster, and some are painful. Strap in was none of these things. It was damn near perfect.

I started out not feeling the story. Jean, in particular, is a tough character to get behind. But Ava balanced it out. Seeing Jean through Ava's eyes - even though we don't get Ava's POV - helped me to see her in a different light. Just as Jean began to see herself differently.

Lou Morgan's writing voice is engaging, and her language is evocative. Strap In was a lovely read and I look forward to more books by the author. Also, be sure to read her Author's Note. It made me love the book even more.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the hook-up.

I really enjoyed "Strap In" by Lou Morgan! We follow Jean, a 50 something white straight divorced corporate lawyer in a single POV story of self discovery. I was surprised that there was no switch to Ava (mid 30s biracial lesbian charity lawyer), but found it refreshing and it made even more sense as the book progresses.

I loved so much about this book
Suddle and not so suddle ways that internalized homophobia/lesbo hobia was shown
The way Ava kept calm, supportive and non pushy throughout everything
How Jean found silent support in her PA
The mentioning of drag kings and Hamilton
The way how Jean and Ava were so similar yet so different from one another
The insight we get into Jean starting as a lawyer back when it was 100% a man's world, what that lead to and how it can still happen today
Ava's dad (do I have to say more?)

Some small parts I wish would be different/more:
I would've liked the cover to show the age difference more. If I look at the cover, those people don't look 18 years apart to me. Now I am sure Jean is amazing at skin care and doesn't look her age, but in my opinion the people on the cover could be the same age
I wish we would've touched a bit more on the topic of race in a private matter. Avas life experience or small things like how different it is for her to take care of her hair compared to Jean. More things like the bonn that Ava uses to go to bed.
In the first half of the book I was not very sure how much time passed. That got better in the second half and gave me an idea in retrospect, but I feel like that could be improved upon.
Personally I wouldn't consider this book super spicy, it is open door, but not kinky and while there is a bunch of "sex acquaintance" in the beginning, there is definitely enough plot to even it out.

All in all, this is an amazing debut novel by Lou Morgan! I recommend reading it if the blurb sounds interesting to you.

This is an honest review in exchange for an e-ARC. Thank you to Hera Books, Lou Morgan and NetGalley for the e-ARC