I really loved this heart warming novel. From the loveable characters, to the warmth and humour, it was like a hug in a book.

I really loved following Bette's odyssey, along her journey of self-discovery and exploration - and really loved the supporting characters and their contributions too. I was rooting for Bette and Ruth from the start, and the development of their relationship was also deeply heart warming and felt so realistic.

As someone who studied at Bristol Uni, I also really enjoyed a trip down memory lane in the setting of Bristol.

Would highly recommend this uplifting novel to other readers!

A big thank you to Kate Young, Fourth Estate & NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not normally a Romcom reader, but the beauty of Netgalley and my 52 book club challenge means that I am really pushing out of my normal go to genres and I'm so glad I did because this was just delightful. An easy read with characters who I can picture instantly. Funny, engaging and relatable. Was it predictable? yes, but I loved that about it.

If you love lesbian romcoms, you're going to love it!

Simply put, I really enjoyed it. It was a nice, easy, fun queer romcom. I liked that it didn’t just feel like it was solely about the romance and it was about self-discovery and identity too. It was pretty predictable but that’s pretty standard with a romance so no worries.

I did find Bette a little annoying at times. I think the “hot mess” main character trope is bordering on overdone, and by the end I was ready for her get her shit together. I also found some of the pop culture references jarring, especially when I didn’t recognise them.

I’d definitely be interesting in reading more from Kate Young in the future! Thanks NetGalley and 4th Estate for the arc!!

This book was warm, funny and ‘girl done good’ in the end.

Great character development and a clever shift in realisation for the main character about what and who she wants.

Some pretty hot scenes in the book too - tastefully done, which is hard, and although it was the first book I’ve ever read with a (newly out) gay character, it didn’t detract from the overall themes of the book.

One of the best romcoms I read in the last year. Sexy, realistic, swoony and really fun. I was really rooting for the mc.

This was a really enjoyable, rom com style book! The characters were likeable, had depth, and I felt very attached to them. I got through this really quickly as it was an enjoyable read, starting off fun and quirky but got actually quite emotional towards the end.

Thank you for my earc of this book. I absolutely loved this. The premise and its execution was great, the characters were loveable, and I loved the way it ended! I can’t wait for more from this author!

I absolutely adore Kate Young and love her work so I was really excited for this novel. Mei and Bette were loveable although flawed characters. It was a lovely story following Bette as she has her first queer relationship since she came out. After Mei suggests a "break" to allow Betty to experience more relationships before settling down with Mei, Bette goes on a romantic/sexual/life adventure and signs up to a dating website.

It was funny, heart-warming and well written. Recommend!

I absolutely loved this book. Bette is a woman we can all identify with regardless of our sexuality. Warm, generous but ultimately a little scared of her new life as a lesbian. She's madly in love with her girlfriend Mei, but it's her first relationship with a woman. In fact, her first any thing with a woman. She's realised a little later than most she likes girls.
Apparently, this is a problem for Mei, who thinks Bette will one day regret not having one night stands in her twenties, been with other women. So she's setting Bette free for 3 months to gain more 'experience'.

I hate Mei. She presents Bette with this ultimatum like she's doing her a favour. She isn't, and despite Bette having some fun, ultimately, Mei forces her to behave in a way that's not comfortable to her.

I hate Mei, by the way.

But to be fair, Bette is set on an odyssey of discovery. About sex of course, but more importantly, about herself.


This book is a tad predictable but aren't all rom-coms? I don't care that I worked out what was going to happen from the blurb. It's about the journey, not the destination, and this was a great trip.

An ok read, but not really my cup of tea.
Some of the characters really annoyed me unfortunately.
I wanted to shout at them to get their act together!

I absolutely adored this book. Bettes attempts at casual dating were very funny. I loved the slowly building friendship between her and Ruth which obviously becomes more than that given their chemistry. A very funny and heartwarming book that I can only recommend.

Loved it! It's a mix of genre romcom, skilled litfic prose, and women's fiction character work that is so incredibly real. Books about millennial lesbians figuring their lives out are my weakness, and this was just so well done. A really great sapphic romance.

A great premise I was very happy to find was lived up to once I began reading. A sapphic romance of the highest order.
Am catching up on all the reviews I haven't left over the year, so sorry this is late, but my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the reading copy.

A very funny look at dating as a newly out lesbian - I really enjoyed reading this one. Bette warmed my heart and caused me to laugh out loud at so many points. 4.5 stars

This is a hilarious and cleverly written book that hooked me from the beginning. Bette is heading for thirty, realises she's into women and falls for Mei. After a little while, however, Mei suggests they take a break so Bette can explore the dating scene and make sure they've got a future. Bette agrees (this is a bit annoying as she lets Mei dictate what she does), and off she goes to navigate the funny and cringy moments of modern dating for lesbians.

There's lots of sex in the book if that's your bag. It's well-written, and I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other - both as friends and lovers. It was a great insight into today's lesbian dating scene and well worth a read.

i really loved this! i liked the characters, the setting, the layout. would really recommend!! and to have a lesbian romcom was v fun

this book was good & honestly very refreshing to read about a happy queer romance! the writing still just wasn’t really for me. i felt that things were over-explained and bits were dragged on for no real reason. the chemistry between the main characters was totally believable but their banter was sometimes too cringe. it was a nice , light read but i feel as though it would’ve suited being a novella rather than a novel.

I read this book over a couple of days and enjoyed it on the whole. The characters were all well explored and the friendship group each of the major characters have is well covered.

I did find that Bette could be tiresome at times and I am not sure I would have the patience that Ash has with her. Bette seems to be very needy throughout.

However, the story was good, I liked Ruth's character and fully understand her self-preservation. Predictable ending, but I guess that's why people read romcoms.

I really liked this one! It was sexy and fun, while also being heartfelt. I really connected with our main character and though she was frustrating at times, I ultimately found her to be really rather loveable.

I’m excited to read more from this author!

Experienced is the story of Bette. Well, it begins as the story of Bette and Mei; Bette has recently come out as gay and now is head over heels for her girlfriend - but one day Mei explains that she wants Bette to have the freedom to go try out her lesbian sexual awakening and come back more experienced, Mei advocates for them to take ‘a break’ so Bette can do some experimenting.

Understandably Bette is confused, bruised and overwhelmed at the prospect of embarking on a casual sex ‘odyssey’ at the suggestion; nay, request, of her girlfriend… And from here on, it truly becomes Bette’s story.

Bette’s forays into this whole new way of being can only be described, at least at first, as Bambi on ice. We all know the scene I mean. Cringeworthy missteps, a desperate scrabbling to regain solid footing, and lessons learned the hard way of just how fragile feelings can be. Communication is complicated!

Without giving too much away, whilst multiple characters in this book aggravated me on multiple occasions (unsurprisingly, Bette more than most!), they really were a cast I rooted for. I loved the writing of friendships, the way that the feel good, friends dinners and gatherings were written, as well as the scenes of heartbroken evenings watching figure skating and crying into ice cream. I also loved Bette and Ruth’s burgeoning relationship, as well as her interactions with her housemate, Ash. As a collective they really did feel like the sorts of friendships people build and have and seek in their late 20s, early 30s.

There was something inherently moreish about Experienced - even in the moments when my toes were curling with cringe, or my heart was in my mouth, the common threads of found family, community and really knowing oneself really brought this together for me.

I was so SO pleased to be able to have heard Kate speaking about this book prior to its release - and to have been gifted an advance copy by the publisher. I’ve been sitting on this review for a long, hot minute but this really was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I loved reading it!