I really liked Experienced! A Bristol-set lesbian rom-com about a girl who came out in her late twenties, it's chaotic yet believable, and has exactly the sort of setting and characters that I always really enjoy reading about. I empathised with Bette, the protagonist, for her attitude towards relationships (I literally married my first proper boyfriend and hate when people say you have to date around to experience life in your 20s properly!) and I really liked her love interest, Ruth – I would like her as a friend pls. The writing did feel a bit stilted at times, but it didn't upset my reading experience, which is good because I'd been looking forward to this one for ages!

I absolutely love EXPERIENCED! Who wouldn't love a sapphic romcom with the best ending!!

The story had us exploring what 'experience' truly means. It's very common in the lesbian dating world to fast forward to living happily ever after and skipping all the other steps. Gosh, I've done it a couple of times, and honestly, it never ended well. It took a good chunk of my life to accept my own sexuality, likes, dislikes, wants, and needs, etc, so I can relate to how Bette is feeling at the beginning of this book.

This was a rom-com in every sense of the word. It had fake dating, a life changing epiphany, the straight best friend who I felt definitely rolled her eyes on more than one occasion, lol But I absolutely loved Bettes' journey it was an absolute must to get to the happy ending. 😊

I adored all the characters they were all diverse and had many different perspectives, which added so much more depth to the various scenarios Bette found herself in.

I loved how the author covered many topics from the LGBTQ+ community that aren't always talked about such as knowing what you like instantly and the feeling of having to prove yourself and also how someone's family may take the news of coming out. Sometimes, it's not always unicorns and rainbows, sadly.

Yes, this is a masterpiece. I'm so excited for this one to hit the shelves, and I'll definitely be ordering a copy. I can't wait to recommend this to my friends.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a sweet romance of girl meets girl in an unconventional way. I loved Ruth and all of the side characters really made the novel.
I did feel the characters acted a bit younger than their proposed ages, but overall I liked it.

Warm sexy writing that tries to set out the frustration of someone who is not sure if they are bi or lesbian?

It does go into graphic detail of sexual acts and this might be distasteful to some readers. I felt that the book could have done with a bit more editing as it seemed to drag in places. All in all a light hearted read.

I really enjoyed this book. Great characters and a really interesting insight. The relationships were really well written. Highly recommended.

This is funny , sexy and sweet novel with realistic characters, believable friendships and relationships. A really enjoyable read.

So, last week was lesbian visibility week. At the weekend, I went to an event to hang out with my fellow London lesbians. Naturally, this devolved into us talking about being unlucky in love, about how ideally we'd like to meet a woman in real life, about whether it's simply easier to give up on that dream and download dating apps (despite there being a dearth of apps actually aimed at lesbians)...

This book very much resonates with the experiences we shared that night. Take this premise: 'A fresh, sexy romantic comedy about a newly-out lesbian finding herself, finding her tribe, and finding her partner—in that order.' I think it's a very common experience to try to skip to that last step. One of my first forays into the gay scene in London was a speed dating event! It took several years to form deep friendships with other lesbians and come to terms with my own sexuality. And this certainly isn't exclusive to gay people.

At its heart, 'Experienced' is a romantic comedy. It has many of the classic traits of the genre, including the long-suffering best friend who supports the protagonist, fake dating, the epiphany realisation, the quirky job and especially<spoiler>the love interest the main character wants versus the love interest the readers are rooting for</spoiler>. But as with all romantic comedies, the journey is more important that the inevitable destination, and Young pulls all these traits together skilfully. I emphasised very deeply with Bette's situation. She is a sensitive soul and whenever she had a punch-to-the-gut moment, so did I. The ending was very emotionally fulfilling.

I wish all the success for this impressive debut and I hope that we continue to be blessed with well-written novels about the lesbian experience, like this one!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and 4th Estate for the ARC!

This book is just such a gorgeously warm and witty depiction of a woman finding herself with the help of friends, both old and new.

Not for me. Don't think I am the target audience. I tried something new and different but it's well written and I can see it appleaing to a younger than me audience. I really liked the premise of the story.

A sweet boy meets girl romcom, but instead girl meets girl, however, it’s typical of its genre.

Bette is on a 3-month break from Mei, instigated by Mei so that Bette can experience other women. So Bette sets out to do as she’s told, and swipes right, making a friend, Ruth in the process.

I feel that the blurb is targeted at an adult audience, but actually is more suited to young adult.

It was an easy read and fun.

I'm really glad I picked this one up! More of a coming-of-age story than a romance really, though the romance was really sweet and I could definitely see how the final couple ended up together and was really rooting for them. I liked how specific the queer culture of Bristol felt and the emphasis on building a network of queer friends after coming out later in life and I really appreciated the exploration of the anxieties and euphoria which came with that. Unfortunately, while it was in many ways necessary because of the set-up, I really felt the passivity of the main character made me struggle to fully love the book. Not just in her relationship with Mei, where she obviously was following someone else's rules, but also in her friendships. I liked Ash but she was constantly telling Bette how she felt and what to do in a way which was consistently validated by the narrative, even when Bette thought she felt differently. I just wanted her to gain more agency by the end of the story and take the reigns of her life a bit more, rather than just finding someone who was a better fit for her.

A sweet, lovely, queer romance. I loved the friendships and the romance (even though I did find Bette a bit immature for her age at times).

The story did seem familiar to me and I think that's just because it was a cute, predictable romance. But I still enjoyed it nonetheless and will happily pick up more of Kate's work in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is a nice, cosy book. The characters are likeable, if a little prone to introspection and angst, and normal, except that they all seem to be very good looking, and the dialogue and situations seem authentic. There is nothing controversial or objectionable, no tension or twists, just a solid slice of life.

I enjoyed it but I am a bit old, I think, to be the target audience and I imagine many people will enjoy it and relate to it absolutely. There are some sex scenes but they are not cringey and it makes a change to read about female rather than heterosexual sex. Bette and Ash have a great friendship which is well described and the hetero couples in the book are not caricatures.

I think this would a great holiday read.

There were lots of things things about this book I liked (two that stand out were the sex scenes were great- some of the best WLW sex I’ve read- and the characters were likeable and I found them to resonate with me) but in terms of the plot I felt frustrated for the first half where each chapter seemed like “talk about the apps/meet a girl/ misunderstanding of some kind/ sex or self loathing.” It missed something for me until about 2/3 of the way through (but then I adored it and was rooting to Bette and Ruth). This will be enjoyed by fans of Laura Kay. Overall very enjoyable and I’d like to read more queer stories from this author as I can feel that there’s lots still to come (and more good spicy scenes!!)

An absolutely perfect romcom.

Experienced is Kate Young's debut novel, and it's absolutely wonderful. We're following Bette, who came out in her thirties and jumped head-first into an all-consuming relationship. But then Bette's girlfriend, Mei, suggests that they go on a bit of break, so that Bette can get all the experiences she's missed out on - hookups, flirting, having sex with women other than Mei, etc. Bette reluctantly agrees, and her story begins!

Tender and honest, Experienced is as much a coming of age story as it is a romance. It's about finding yourself, making mistakes, and navigating your thirties. It's also a very funny, very charming, and very sexy romcom. The balancing act of doing both is so difficult, but Kate Young makes it look easy, and there wasn't a single page where I wasn't enjoying myself.

I also loved that it was set in Bristol, where I'm from - it was so fun to recognise the places in the pages!

Experienced was a breath of a fresh air - a tender explorations of self discovery, with steamy sweet romance and a lot of fun. It’s a coming out and coming of age story about a young queer woman finding her place in the world on her own time and learning the many different ways love can manifest in her life.

Between the meaningful friendships that change your life, the sweetest romance and the hottest sex that left me a little hot under the collar and reminded me just how stunning women are.

The storytelling was fabulous — vivid and brightly descriptive in ways that brought waves of nostalgia for youth rushing back. Bette was a fabulously messy woman trying to figure things out in a way that was so relatably chaotic I loved her instantly and all of the antics she found herself in even when it was too painfully accurate. And honestly every single character was perfect — I felt like they were all my friends and the complex, beautiful relationships they had were so lovely to see. With the three months counting down above our heads, it moves through her adventure with an exciting and easy pace and I just couldn’t stop reading.

Every single chapter had me not sure whether to laugh, cry or cringe in the best way possible- and while I had my inkling where this was going from the start the journey there was so much fun.

384 pages of pure queer joy and heartbreak - this book was an experience*

This is a genuinely lovely romance that favours realism over tropes, with characters who feel very realistically flawed and are easy to root for. I always like when it feels like the author is introducing conflict that purposefully isn't based on miscommunication (or if it is, it's very understandable and because of other issues!) - this felt like that. I came out of this book really rooting for the protagonists, believing that their romance would be healthy and appreciating the good character development that had happened along the way. Aside for that, this book is an easy read and the sex scenes are really well written. The way sex is portrayed in this book is so good - it's very sex positive but appreciates the spectrum of sexual experiences and the inherent conflict in figuring out what works for you. A fun, grown-up romance.

Loved this book.

It was refreshing to read about a later in life lesbian, in a way that isn't solely focused on their coming out journey; to see what Bette did post initial coming out is something I haven't read a lot of so was great to see!

I loved the friendship between Ash and Bette, and thought the way they cared for each other felt super realistic - it was so lovely to see how much Ash was ready to drop everything and show up for Bette.

I was rooting for Bette and Ruth from their first encounter, and thought the way they played out was a great read. Both of them felt authentic in their worries and their apprehensions, and it made their relationship feel a lot more multi-dimensional, opposed to both just rushing straight into a relationship.

Of course, as a lesbian, I loved the MUNA mention too!

A great book that I've already told friends to add to their TBR, and will certainly be looking out for more from this author!

Oh I loved this book! Bette and Mei decide to take a break (at Mei’s request) so newly out Bette can find her feet in the new queer world she’s landed in, outside of her relationship with Mei. But the longer she spends apart from Mei meeting new people, the more she realises her relationship with Mei might not have been as perfect as she’d thought. I really enjoyed how when you start reading the book you’re as heart broken as Bette with the break - Mei seems like the ideal girlfriend, shes funny and hot and adores Bette. But as the book progresses and we find out more about their background, we come to the realisation right there with Bette that true love has been there along.

I always find side characters make a book, and I absolutely adored this supporting cast. They added depth and feeling to the main characters and seeing their relationships develop throughout was a joy.

If you’re after a feel-good romance this summer, look no further.

Phenomenal! Fun, sexy, absolutely astonishing for a debut, highlighting a world not often seen in fiction. Big recommend.