Loved the first chapter, a light frothy feel to it. The second chapter, from the second mains point of view, was well written, but it felt a bit written by someone that uses coffee shops and can imagine what it is like and is supportive of the staff role but not the manager role. (This could of course be unconscious bias on my part?)
Amaerican novels often age their characters in relation to school or college but as a UKer I am sometimes not sure what the ages folk are. This is no exception. The light banter and language suggests younger than the other info is hinting at so I’m a bit confused. It’s not an age gap, so the ages aren’t relevant but just pulling me out a bit. Gosh I’m being picky with this book! Me deffo, not the book! The book is as well written as any classic Georgia Beers. Not only are the conversations frothy but so too are the descriptions and internal thoughts. This makes for an enjoyable, smile on my face read. However, I know there will be conflict, and I’m expecting it, and I think that is what is making me picky about the immediate banter, and not buying in to the mains interaction (‘tho loving their interaction🤷🏻‍♀️because I know it is going to blow up. Now every romance that comes to mind has meet/ break up/make up so it's not like the plot arc is a shock, but what is so well done is the land mine that we suddenly see about 30% in. It’s not the one I expected from the blurb but it was kind of hidden in plain sight and suddenly we have the spectre of conflict that was needed and missing. 40% in and the spectre of the BIG OMISSION is preventing me enjoying the burgeoning relationship, and if I’m totally honest it is impacting my enjoyment of the really well crafted sentences and pithy banter that Beers has put together. I am pretty sure once it all works out I will reread this quickly so I can enjoy how well written the chat is. Well the plot bomb has gone off, with another unexpected one. This is so well written. The section in the storage unit I found so well balanced I was emotional reading it.
Well, I write reviews as I’m reading books. I’ve done it with this too but it hasn’t really worked because the book is the whole thing not the first part where I was really picky, or the second part where the whole “doesn’t just tell her” arc, so beloved by many writers, not so much by this reader, happened but actually the complete piece and it is a Classic Beers! It gave me all the feels, as the young things don’t say!

Cherry is hustling to make her influencer career take off while juggling her day job and she is sooo close to making that happen! When she meets Ellis, a new manager at her favorite diner, it’s instant attraction but Ellis might have an issue with this whole influencer thing 👀

I really liked the various storyline arcs in this book. Beers is amazing at creating characters that are instantly likable, so very adorable and Ellis and Cherry are no exception. There’s immediate attraction, lots of cute flirting and things move quickly from a romance perspective and with the whole influencer shoe dropping revelations (which occurred in the most interesting way 😬), there was a lot happening but the pace felt just right.

Apart from all the lies by omission drama, there’s oodles of emotion in many of the scenes and I was a sob-a-licious mess at each point. Those scenes when Ellis meets her cat or when Cherry is reading her mother’s letters or Cherry meeting Ellis’ sister were just amazing 🥹. Despite those scenes causing loads of heart squeezees, they are my favorite in the book ♥️.

So how do two people on opposite ends of the social media worthiness debate get their HEA? well read the book to find out - but what I can say is that the resolution was nicely done followed by a very cute epilogue. 🥰. Another fantastic book by Georgia Beers and not to be missed! 4.75⭐️s

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Georgia Beers is one of my favourite authors in this genre, but I’m going to come right out and say this isn’t her best. Or maybe, more accurately, this one doesn’t suit my personal tastes.

Cherry is an upcoming influencer, already this is something I can’t stand. Especially all the fakeness she puts in. I do like that Beers writes about all the editing and glamourising of Cherry’s life. Cherry meets Ellis at her local diner, where Ellis is the manager. The chance meeting that comes after at Junebug Farms (way to go Georgia Beers to keep Junebug relevant and lovely) is what sets off what seems to be a very easy and fun relationship between two people who seem eager to commit. They happen to omit some parts of their life and I was interested in finding out how that would play out. I didn’t expect it like this, I was expecting something juicer, more angsty maybe.

Overal this is a super low angst book and maybe because of that, and the superficial influencer stuff, it falls a little flat for me. Beers’ writing is always comfortable and good, but I can’t help thinking this feels a bit lacklustre and just going with the motions. In my opinion the later chapters, after the “lies” have come out are what redeems this book. It shows the depth I know Beer is capable of writing. While still keeping it fun and light. We just didn’t get enough of it in this book.

This was such a cute story. I thought a few times while reading it was going to go a different way, but was excited with how it ended. Read this book!

Cute, but not the quality I've come to expect from this author. The characters have an instant physical attraction, but aren't developed enough to explain the emotional connection. Cherry was shallow and fixated on living the "perfect" Instagram-worthy life, and while she does grow and change throughout the story, she was still difficult to relate to and her growth seems rushed at the end. Ellis seemed more mature and thoughtful, so her attraction to Cherry seemed out of character. Overall, a quick, but forgettable, read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Georgia Beers is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. Cherry and Ellis were a fun pair and the stakes and pitfalls were obvious from the get go and Beers is a deft writer who kept me engaged and invested in how she was going to navigate the pitfalls she'd set for herself.

The inclusion of both the upsides and downfalls of social media, how we present ourselves to the world, and the consequences of lying gave the book and the romance depth and heft. Highly enjoyable.

Cherry on Top follows the story of Cherry and Ellis who have differing opinions on social media. This difference of opinion begins with a small lie by omission that blooms into major problems for Cherry and Ellis as their relationship is just getting started. This caught my eye as I have been thinking about deleting a few of my own social media accounts and was curious how this could play out. While I enjoyed the book, the relationship drama was more about the lies by omission than social media usage itself. I would have liked them to have a bit more discussion on the social media front though. Ellis and Cherry were great MCs and I really liked both of their friend groups as well. They both are without family for the most part and seem to bond well together in the struggle with that. Cherry ends up having some old family issues come up and Ellis provides great support for her, even while they are in the middle of a disagreement. The dilemma over perceived perfection in influencers is brought up a few times and I think Cherry and Ellis handle it very well in the end. It was a great read and another hit for Georgia Beers.

So this is Georgia Beers' 32nd book and holy cow it shows, this woman CAN WRITE!
I knew when I first read "The secret poet" I found a gold mine of great reads, I've gone through them all since and was never disappointed.

"Cherry on top" covers a topic I haven't seen in sapphic novels before and I'm glad Beers chose to write about it. She mentions in the acknowledgments how she found it interesting to have two characters with opposing opinions on social media fall for each other and she mastered this, nailed it on the head actually.

Cherry and Ellis are meant to be and I loved their fateful meeting, never has love at first sight been described so beautifully.
Both have good reasons for their takes on social media and influencers and I was anxiously waiting for the big blow up. I think their reactions to this were real and brutally true to life, a little bit of heartache and breaking of trust but of course we got our happy ending, done through great dialouge and great character development.

Apart from the freaking phenomenal romance, the whole story was just great, I loved the supporting characters and the pacing of it all. 100% recommend, even if you're not into the socials like me, I still loved it and actually learned a little bit as well.

eARC received from the publisher via NetGalley

This book happens slowly then all at once.

We are introduced to Cherry and Ellis and since their first interaction we can see the spark between them. Though individually (and on the surface) they may seem like totally opposites, when we go deeper we see they have this need of love and family in common. Cherry had a hard upbringing, and now wants to be a full time influencer, but she has an online persona different than her true self - and all the criticism regarding this was very relevant to our society nowadays. Ellis also had a hard time regarding her family, both parents are dead, and the only sister she has is in a care facility, alive but not really there; Ellis also loves to write and now got a gig with writing.... exposés. All the omission Cherry did got me on my seat ready to see how it would all blow up, but when it did it wasn't the way I expected. I was kinda mad that Ellis was so pissed at Cherry because of the omission (because Ellis has such strong views on social media and how it affects people) but she exposed one of Cherry's friends and it was ok (I know she left her gig after that. But that was an awful thing that happened!) It was good to show us nobody is perfect and things aren't black and white.

When I say this book happens slowly is because we see their relationship get built, we know there's a tension there with the omission, but when it all blows up there's a lot of things that happen at the same time and it's mostly at the last 7 chapters of the book.

All in all it was great reading this book, I loved the side characters as well. It's a quick read too.

Lovely romance set in „deeper waters“
This is another lovely sweet romance by Georgia Beers with two female main characters who are just ordinary leading an ordinary life: I loved how Beers started gradually to introduce us and the both of them and then leads us deeper and deeper into their backgrounds and the revelation of the deeper waters of seemingly ordinary lives. I also like the exploration of the pitfalls of social media - nothing is ever what it seems until it is.
The chemistry between the two was great and the twists of their new relationships were convincing. The cameo appearance of Junebug farms and the wonderful cat getting her forever home were welcome additions. I was a bit puzzled though how often Ellis emphasized that she has lost all her family and that she is alone when she has a perfectly lovely aunt present in her life.

Thanks to the Bold Strokes Books and netgalley for the ARC. The review is written voluntarily.

First of all, I love Georgia Beers since I read her the first time. I know that the story will be well developed, the characters real, and the characters will fit. This time was no exception even though I’m not a big social media user. But Georgia, made learning about influencers fun and interesting and I found that I enjoyed reading about it more than I thought. The romance moves at a slower clip but the characters are great. Cherry and Shea were my absolute favorite.

Thank you @boldstrokebooks and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review!        
        
A part-time hopefully soon to be full-time social influencer meets truth-seeking journalist in this sweet sapphic romance.        
        
Georgia Beers does it again. She has crafted a beautifully written novel with relatable characters, messy life challenges, and a completely relevant theme with today's social media surge.     
   
Cherry David and Ellis Conrad's chemistry is quite literally off the charts. Their initial meeting is something that I picture in a romantic comedy. Mix that with some adorably cute banter, predictable drama mixed with unpredictable moments, and you have yourself a great sapphic book.    
  
Georgia has written numerous sapphic romances but this, this was the cherry on top.

This is a story about newbie social media influencer Cherry Davis and restaurant and wanabe writer Ellis Conrad. Cherry works as an insurance adjuster by day and influencer at night. She alters her posts with filters and “lies” to get more followers. Ellis has a sister who is severely handicapped and works 3 jobs to help pay for her round the clock care. Everyday Cherry comes into the dinner we’re Ellis works and they meet up with instant attraction. Ellis has a side job of writing up investigative reports on false web postings, exposing shady businesses and influencers.

In general I avoid social media at all costs, except my friends on GR. I’ve liked all the Beers books I’ve read to date so I took a chance on this one, even though the subject matter was not at all what I want to read about. However, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this book. That is 100% due to Beers’ writing ability. Both MCs were real people and easy to relate to. And the side characters enhanced the book even more, especially Cherry’s BFF Shea. She had her head on straight was always there to help Cherry work out her problems.

The romance between these two MCs was very slow burn with lots of stops and starts. But once again failure to communicate reared it’s ugly head and they slid backwards.

I really enjoyed this book much to my surprise. And I recommend it to all of Georgia Beers many fans.

I am a big fan of Georgia Beers and the quality of her writing was top notch of always but this book unfortunately did not grab me. It was mainly because I could not connect with the main character, Cherry. Rather than the untruths stemming from her social media influencing, the fact that she was depicted as a shallow character who is obsessed with her social media image was the main issue for me and I just could not picture Ellis being into that as she seemed like a really down to earth person. Overall, it was a well-written book but not as engaging for me as the author's other works.

Georgia Beers has written a beguiling yet socially relevant romance in Cherry on Top. Social media influencers are rarely who they portray themselves to be which has resulted and is resulting in extreme detrimental affects on impressionable followers. Judging oneself against a false and manipulated perfection can be soul crushing.

Cherry Davis strives to be a someone of influence on all social media platforms. She is willing to edit herself and her photos to garner more follows. Ellis Conrad, on the other hand, lives unencumbered by any social media. She dreams of one day being an award winning journalist as she manages a diner for her living. The attraction is there from day one when Ellis and Cherry meet in the diner. Half truths and omissions hang over the budding romance until their two hidden truths collide.

Although we all see a train wreck coming you still want to watch. So can be said for Cherry on Top. The inevitable will happen. The journey to and through the inevitable is what is mesmerizing. Beers has simply outdone herself. Crafting her romance around an important and necessary social critique is an exceptionally brilliant use of her well honed talents.
Brava Ms Beers, brava.

I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

𝗙𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

I like that the romance is sweet and simple. The start of the relationship was easy and the characters were pretty eager to commit to each other. But as they kept a part of themselves from each other, I also wanted to follow through to see how the potential conflict would play out and I was glad that it wasn't overdramatic and overcomplicated.

As for the storyline, I'm ambivalent about the topic of the false reality of social media. Cherry deliberates for a long time about coming clean to Ellis about being a semi-popular social media influencer who makes up fake postings and I'm not sure if I was able to connect with Cherry on this because I didn't think it would have been a dealbreaker with Ellis in the first place.

Nice, sweet and rather low angst book but I don't think it's Georgia Beers' best.

Some say a picture says a thousand words and when pictures are designed in a way to convey certain messages and stir specific interests; some might say it has achieved its desired results. For influencer Cherry Davis, such enhancements are the norm and the way to go in the world of social media. And all is well for Cherry; until she is instantly attracted to someone who does not buy any of it.

Ellis Conrad is down to earth, loving and committed to the ones she love and her values. While she was caught off guard with the intensity of her attraction to Cherry, she did not realise there were bigger issues she had to content with in a blooming but precarious relationship.

What I really enjoyed about the book was the even distribution of time allocated to each of the main characters. Oftentimes, i wish I knew more and understood characters better; to hear their thoughts and reactions. In Cherry on Top, Beers spent time walking readers through events that led to Cherry and Ellis’ beliefs, behaviours and reactions. This is a well balanced book with plenty of likeable characters and one that ends with a cosy and delightful scene.

I just reviewed Cherry on Top by Georgia Beers. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

This has been another case of a predictable formula in which, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear what is going to happen. Of course, when one of the protagonists skips important details at the beginning of a relationship, it is quite clear that sooner or later the thing is going to blow up in her face. It's quite disappointing for me when I sense that things are going to be like this. But I have to admit that this time, even knowing that it was going to happen, the misunderstanding and its subsequent resolution have been less frustrating than other times.

Cherry with her perfect facade, artificially perfected, is positive and optimistic, until she isn't. There is no such thing as perfection, things are not black or white. Ellis hates falsehood and social media has enough of that. So when she and Cherry start dating and Cherry, who wants to be an influencer, notices that Ellis is not very comfortable with publishing her life, secrets or half-truths begin.

The story is on the soft side, without much fanfare or exaggeration. The two female leads are quite level-headed and mature, so the drama is tolerable thanks to that. And on the whole it has been a pleasant story.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Cherry is social media influencer she wants to make this her life while trying expand her brand she also works as a insurance adjuster. Cherry enjoys eating at this diner where she meets Ellie who manages the diner. Ellie dreams of being a journalist and while she works at the diner she also do writing even if it’s not the writing she wants to do but she determined to find the truth.

Cherry and Ellie grow closer as they find sometimes what you think is the truth isn’t always the truth. I enjoy this read both MCs have chemistry the dialogue flow was good.

Seeing that this book’s theme included social media, I was instantly interested as not only do I run this fun account, but I’m a marketing director for work. Georgia Beers hit the nail on the head with how she depicted social media influencers and the tactics for engagement.

You could feel the chemistry between the MCs. While both had struggles and hard pasts, that added to the storyline, and the way a few parts were tied back to social media were so well done.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.