
Member Reviews

This book just wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t get into it. I did try a couple of times but I couldn’t get gripped.

Bette is a relatable main character who you can't help but root for. From the start, it's clear her relationship "break" won't go as she expects, and while her hesitation with casual encounters makes the ending a bit predictable, it's still a fun read.
As for the secondary characters, Bette's best friend Ash and her new friend Ruth are both wonderfully supportive and likable. I wish Ash had a bit more depth, as we don't get much insight into her struggles, making her feel a bit two-dimensional. Ruth, on the other hand, is fun, open, and caring from the get-go, providing Bette with a much-needed entry into a wider supportive queer network.
The contemporary cultural references throughout the novel are spot-on, especially for readers around Bette's age. The writing style is easy and fun, the sex scenes are hot and well-described without becoming tedious. Overall, this is a really enjoyable read, perfect for bringing on holiday to enjoy by the pool!

Really enjoyed this sapphic romance! Although I wouldn’t say it is solely romance, the characters had a lot of depth and was kind of about them finding themselves as well. It was fun and witty and well written, for Kate young’s debut novel. Definitely would recommend this.

Experienced is cookery writer Kate Young’s debut novel: I read it during Pride month, largely on audiobook, and it was a great companion for our few sunny days. It’s a simple premise: thirtysomething Bette has recently come out as gay, and she’s dating Mei, and falling hard for her. But then Mei suggests that they separate for three months so that Bette can sow her wild oats and can catch up on a decade worth of sexual experiences – much to Bette’s horror, as you’d imagine. But she soon gets into the swing of gaining some experience and embarks on a “Sex Odyssey” - the result is a very fun read. I picked it up unsure if it was a literary romance or a more commercial one; it is decidedly the latter, which is no bad thing, but it’s worth being aware of going into it.
Bette is neurotic, make no mistake, but she is also sweet, funny and still figuring things out – which is refreshing, given that she is in her thirties, not twenties. Not everyone gets all the answers when they turn 30, you know!! She gets a little frustrating at times, mostly her unwillingness to see the romantic love that’s right in front of her. Her love for her friends and housemates – a kind of chosen family – gets just as much fanfare as her romantic liaisons: Experienced is a novel celebrating so many different kinds of love. The central romance of the novel – spoilered by the cover??? – is a slow-burn one, and you can see it coming a mile off, but I still enjoyed it, even if I was yelling JUST KISS ALREADY by 60% into the novel.
I found a few elements of Experienced frustrating; it opens with the aforementioned breakup so we never get enough time with Mei to learn why Bette is so obsessed with her. She’s thinly drawn – not villainous or sympathetic, and the result was that I didn’t really care if herself and Bette got back together or not. That, combined with the aforementioned ending you could see a mile off, meant that the novel ran out of steam for me as it progressed. I would have loved to have had more time with some of the novel’s bigger ideas, too – namely Bette’s struggle with her religious family.
Overall, Experienced was a light and funny read, an excellent exploration of queer relationships, and an ode to the many kinds of love we can find in life. And you can’t ask for much more than that.

I guess I am in the minority in being a straight male of 65 reading this book. A debut novel that teases and torments the reader and I have to admit did not conclude as I anticipated. Good research and guidance to provide accuracy to the story and read within a day of receiving my ARC copy. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Setting: UK
Rep: lesbian protagonist; bisexual love interest
This had so much potential and at first I thought maybe 5* vibes, but the writing style knocked it down to a 4* and then I started to get bored. This very much feels like a debut by an author who doesn't have much experience writing. The style and characters felt flat and underdeveloped and it dragged. I wanted so much more from this.

A sometimes chaotic romp through the ups and downs of trying out casual queer hook ups for the first time, this debut novel is a fun and fresh rom-com packed with heart.

"Experienced" by Kate Young is a delightful romp through the complexities of love and life after forty. With sharp wit and relatable characters, Young delivers a story that's both humorous and heartwarming. Perfect for readers looking to laugh and reflect on life's second chances.

Described in the blurb, as a sexy romcom that made me chuckle I’ll give it a go
This book is could be likened Sex in the city for modern gay girls
The story follows the inexperienced Bett who has come out as a lesbian in her 30s . Her girlfriend.Mei gives her an ultimatum, in order to stay together she needs to have a period of separation in which she has relationships with other women. we follow Bett as she joins the dating apps and meets other lesbians.
The story is modern British and fun, the sex scenes are great and the relationships described feel very real
Also has the ability to describe characters perfectly and the main characters in particular are well defined . I also liked the cameo characters some of him I suppose might be described as stock gay characters but there was an additional something to each of them that made them feel more than that.
I felt the book was just as accessible to the straight audience as it will be sure to to the gay audience.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book was published on the 6th of June 2024 by 4th estate.
This will appear on NetGalley UK Goodreads and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.Wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.

The rom-com of the summer!
Bette and Mei are happily dating when Mei suggests they take a 3 month break so newly out Bette can experience life as a queer single woman. AT first, Bette is confused and heartbroken but the longer she spends apart from Mei meeting new people, the more she begins to question whether Mei is right for her.
Experienced is so warm, delightful and sexy. The surrounding cast of characters are wonderful! The bestie, Ash and her wellmeaning boyfriend, Tim, the new friend, Ruth (obsessed!!!!), Ruth's flatmates!
What I particularly enjoyed was the specificity of the characters and their niche interests, it made the characters and the world feel very believable. I've already recommended to all my romance loving friends.
Can't wait to read what Kate Young writes next!
Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Bette's head over heels in love with her girlfriend, but Mei has just made her take a break from their relationship so Bette can get some more dating experience - supposedly a short-term break up and they'll be back together for a friend's wedding at the end of the summer. So begins Bette's life surfing the dating apps, some super awkward conversations, some very hot sex, some great new friendships, particularly with Ruth. The supporting cast of Bette's friends is great, they feel like real people even when they don't feature all the time and it's nice to read a book with a proper friend group in it rather than the usual main character only has one friend scenario (particularly as it's well done here). Kate Young also manages to make Mei not too much of the "bad guy", but a more complex character even though she doesn't feature too much, Bette herself is realistic, sometimes she screws up and her slight cluelessness about dating as a gay woman is engaging, as is her discovery of herself and what it is that she wants.
Overall I really enjoyed this! I mostly knew Kate Young from her food writing, so it was good to enjoy her fiction just as much as her other work!

I enjoyed this book. The main character makes the most of the situation she is put into. You go on the journey along with her, I think she came out better for it. I liked the ending, which of course I won’t spoil in this review. I thought the plot flowed well and the writing seemed genuine. Thank you #netgalley

I had some really mixed feelings throughout reading this book (mainly hatred towards Mei) but over all I did enjoy it! Bette was a wonderfully complex character and I really loved that a lot of her story was centred around a later in life coming out story but still being so sure of herself. Seeing her come to terms with the break being a breakup was a really lovely aspect for me, these situations are more common than people think and having someone go through that was really well done. I loved that Bette was exploring herself and after a while wasn’t doing it for Mei, the chemistry between her and Ruth from the get go had me on the edge of my seat and was a really good slow burn which i may have cheered when they finally got together. The aspect of female friendship between Bette and Ash was arguably my favourite part of the whole book, I think platonic love is such an important part of girlhood and it was so comforting in this read.

I absolutely loved this, I loved the character of Bette although I did feel frustrated at her many times, I was really rooting for her.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of Experienced. This would not be mine usual genre as it is a lesbian romance with quite a hefty handfull of spice. I found it to be an interesting story with many relateable charaters and would probably have enjoyed it even more if there hadn't been quite so many references to collar bones,yes you read that right. Maybe they are the writers fetish, maybe not, I just found myself making bets as to how soon into each encounter this body part would be referenced. Other than that, good fun.

Loved this slightly different take on the typical rom com which was an amazing change. First book I’ve read by this author & look forward to reading more.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this exceptional book
when mei told bette to go and enjoy herself for 3 month whilst they had a break from their relationship, bette was overwrought with grief... after all they were in love right.....
but bette thought process did a turn around and kept to the the bargain after all they were going to get back together so she set off on her quest....
the disasters that followed were unique for bette but she struck lucky in her friendship with ruth first time out who gave her some very good advice.... trouble was bette was a disaster at this flirting and dating... lucky us...
for a first time novel by this author i have to say it was a exceptional ride... i fell into all the characters and instantly was routing for bette to get better and loved the count down till she and mei got back together.... and though i could see where it was all heading it was a fun ride to follow along
looking forward to more books by this author

Bette is late to the lesbian dating scene, she realised what was wrong with her dating life when she fell for Mei but Mei thinks Bette is missing out on experience so proposes that Bette goes out with other women for 3 months to check what she feels is real. Bette is so unhappy she only wants Mei but she reluctantly agrees. So Bette apprehensively dives into the on line dating scene and starts a series of encounters. I felt for Bette in this story as she fumbles around the dating scene, interesting if a bit predictable.

I appreciate that I don't fall into the key demographic for this book, but I absolutely loved this book from start to end.
The characters are simply perfect and the story is a perfectly formed precious jewel. Superlatives just won't cover how amazing this book is and I really hope that this book is read and loved by as many people as possible.
I'm really grateful to the publisher for allowing me to read this early, as this is simply a beautiful love story story, told with a unique style and approach.