After really LOVING D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding I had really high hopes for this one and most of those expectations were met.

We've got two badass Black sapphic MCs, one a fat lesbian stud and one a midsize bisexual femme. They've been best friends for three years and their friendship is unmatched. That energy had me fucking cheesin for the first 40% of this book. I was stupid grinning for the first half. I loved it.

I love the way Cyn talks about music and Jucee and I especially loved the way Jucee loved on her son Amani and talked about food. I swear if some of those restaurants aren't already real things, they definitely should be.

Cyn is a Grammy winning music producer and Jucee is an exotic dancer.

When one night their friendship energy turned sexual, things got a little rocky. Neither one wanted to risk their friendship for a little sex.

While I still really enjoyed this whole book, I do feel some things were missed. I don't hate the miscommunication trope but it's not my favorite either and a ton of this could've been solved if they just actually said what they meant instead of expecting the other to read their mind.

I'm gonna withhold any detailed spoilers or any of my other thoughts for now and will add on when I do a reread after it's released.

What I will say is that this one should definitely be on your radar, especially if you're into friends to lovers. The representation is also unmatched since I know a lot of y'all got bingo cards to fill up.

It's rare for me to read a digital book in it's entirety so quickly and that is always a good sign for me. I finished this one in about 24 hours. I literally couldn't stop. I would try and do something else and then come back for just one more chapter. Jucee and Cyn are both strong emotional women with lots of feelings even if they try to hide some of them and I really genuinely enjoyed their story.

I'll 100% be doing a reread via audio when this releases. Thanks to netgalley and Harlequin Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own. 4.5 stars2024-ebook author-bipoc author-queer ...more14 s The Lesbian Library (Maddy)106 69

4.5 Stars :)

Cyn Tha Starr is no stranger to beautiful women as a successful music producer. And with her career taking up most of her time she’s elected to keep her circle small. Who needs a relationship when you have your dream job and an endless rotation of groupies? But when a night out with her best friend Jucee takes a flirtatious turn she realizes her feelings may be more than platonic. Does Cyn have what it takes to commit, or will she sabotage her first chance at real love?

Juleesa Jones is one of the top dancers in Houston with a fiery personality and a body to match. Not to mention she’s just as confident off the stage as she supports her son and friends with enough unconditional love to fill the city. But when she makes a move on her best friend Cyn she’s stuck reeling. Is what they have enough to make it romantically? Or will Jucee be left picking up the pieces of her heart? Commitment issues and community have met their match in, A Little Kissing Between Friends.

I binged this in a day it was so fun. A vibes fueled friends to lovers featuring themes of family, trust, communication, sex, and body positivity. With a Black mid-size femme bisexual single mother and a Black fat masc lesbian as main characters. Talk about underrepresented characters in queer, contemporary romance. Truly another win for the sapphics by Chencia C. Higgins. And spice!!!!! If you are a person who loves masc x femme spice then you will be so happy.

Cyn is one of the most authentic masc characters I have ever read. I expected her to be well-written since Kris from D’vaughn and Kris Plan A Wedding was such a solid character but Chencia has truly outdone herself. She was masculine in her style and mannerisms but didn’t overcompensate with toxic masculinity. She was a genuine butch lesbian which is hard to find in the media since they operate so explicitly outside the male gaze that they are excluded and written off. So to read a character Cyn who is largely respected and well known in the music industry is refreshing. Not to mention her being a switch!! I don’t want to spoil the spicy scenes but if you’re a sucker for butches bottoming (me) then you’ll enjoy yourself. Cyn is also sober which is amazing because I never see sober characters in romances.

Jucee was such a complex and fun character to read as well. She is one of the best representations of femme bisexuals I’ve ever read and the most sex-positive character. Her confidence in her sexuality and work is a highlight of the story. No one batted an eye at her career and encouraged her to excel. It was never used as a diss or drag, especially towards her as a mother. She was just shown as a working parent who provided handsomely for her child and was supported by her community. Plus her relationship with Cyn’s family made me tear up at multiple points. It was a genuine and heartfelt connection that anchored the whole story together. Honestly, that family deserves the entire world.

Now if you are the type of reader that needs high stakes and a rigidly structured plot you may not be the biggest fan. This book is 1000000% character-driven. The entire time Cyn and Jucee are just trying to get their ish together and figure out what they want from themselves and each other. Which I love because it feels so authentic. Real-life love stories aren’t out here with a seven-point plot outline. They are messy and full of back and forth. However, I am not normally a fan of the miscommunication trope, which is a key point in the story. I’ll admit it is why I didn’t give this book 5 stars because it was exasperating at times. But overall it did make sense for these characters and their love story. So, although it was a bit much at times it was done well and didn’t take me out of the book.

All in all, this heartwarming, spicy, and family-centered romance is a must-read! From the sexy club scenes to the hunger-inducing BBQs you’ll go from sad tears to frustrated tears back to happy tears. All while your stomach growls from how mouth-watering all the food sounds. Not to mention mad you can’t stream Cyn’s latest hit on Spotify. If you romances that are vibes-driven with uniquely diverse characters and enough sexual tension to fill a room then you’re in the right place. Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for sending this eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For more sapphic follow @the.lebian.library on Instagram, Goodreads, and Tiktok2024-sapphic-releases april-24 arcs ...more10 s Nev1,219 178

There was a lot I really appreciated about this book. It was great getting to see a romance between two Black women, especially with one of them being a stud. That isn’t something that I’ve personally encountered a lot of in books. I also thought Cyn being a music producer and Jucee being a dancer at a strip club added a lot of interesting atmosphere to the story. There was also excellent chemistry in the steamy scenes. I enjoyed how Cyn and Jucee had one of those friendships where everyone around them assumed that they were already together or already in love.

Where the book lost me a tiny bit was that I didn’t feel I totally understood where Cyn and Jucee were starting off in regards to their friendship. I think I just wanted to know a bit more about their background and how things started out before getting into them having sexual and romantic feelings for one another. I also got a bit overwhelmed with how many side characters there were. The book is pretty low plot, it’s mostly just them going back and forth between being friends, hooking up, having miscommunications, and repeat. I generally there to be a bit more going on in the romance books that I read outside of the relationship itself.

But even though I have some complaints, I still had a nice time reading this book. I think people who really enjoy low plot sapphic romances should give this one a shot.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.2024 lgbtq8 s AlanaAuthor 6 books31

If you low/no plot, just two hot women trying to figure their shit out for over 200 pages, this one's for you. If poor communication annoys you, this isn't the one. Did I want a plot? Nah. The characters stand on their own, and their path is complicated enough to fill the book.2024-reads arc ebook6 s Shelby (allthebooksalltheways)764 122

A Little Kissing Between Friends
Chencia C. Higgins

An up-and-coming music producer, and her bestie, club Sanity's top stripper, put their friendship on the line when they take things to the next level.

This steamy body-positive, besties-to-lovers, Black sapphic romance pulled me in from the first page! Blending themes of music, friendship, family, and the importance of communication, I thoroughly enjoyed taking this journey with Poppa and Jucee.4 s Uyen308 6

I love that this is a sapphic romance between two plus sized black women.
I also love how one of them is a sex worker and how we support sex work.

I could see the characters and their personalities.4 s Jen (mrs-machino)588 47

4.5 stars, rounded up. I absolutely loved both characters, and enjoyed the book a lot. It lost half a star for being more vibes than plot, for me - but still a fun read.

Cyn Tha Star aka Cyndi aka Poppa is a famous music producer in Houston, with a large loving family. Her best friend Juleesa is an exotic dancer with the stage name Jucee, and often Cyn’s new mixes gain popularity after Jucee dances to them. The two have a sweet and supportive relationship, with Juleesa as an extended part of Cyn’s family, until one night something sparks between them.

The majority of the book sorts out how these two navigate their way from best friends to a potential romantic relationship - in particular, the risks along the way. How do you pursue your best friend? Cyn in particular isn’t a relationship person, so she had difficulty committing which inadvertently hurt Juleesa.

There was amazing representation all over this book - both characters are Black and plus size, and Cyn’s family was such a supportive warm hug. Juleesa was a single mom who shared custody of her son in a really healthy way, and the city of Houston felt a character in the book with a gorgeous mix of food and culture. Bisexuality was part of the conversation also, and Cyn’s need to confront her fears about being in a relationship with the bisexual Juleesa felt very authentic. 4 s N.G. PeltierAuthor 4 books280

Chencia has done it agaiiiiiiiin!! I as really grateful to get an ARC of this and it DID NOT MISS!!

Jucee and Cyn aka Poppa were so fun to read from the start. Loved their friendship and when the feelings started to do their thing??? Yes hello! I love me some friends to lovers cuz I have been there. So I truly got their fears and insecurities when they both started seeing each other in a different sexy light.

Jucee is fine as heck and Cyn is sexy and suave. The two together hot hot hot. Many times I wanted to shake Cyn because she was just doing some nonsense (side eyes the whole Jackie thing) but the author does a really great job of highlighting these characters' flaws and even though at times they shied away from really communication how they felt they had their support systems to get them together!

Here we saw Jucee had a healthy relationship with Samir her ex and baby daddy as well as the girls she danced with. We also get to see Cyn with her dad, brother, close friends and other family members too. Cyn's dad had be rolling with each muttered "mmm" and the look we knowww black parents just all seem to have on the ready >.>

Anyhoo this was entertaining, steamy and had me all in my emotions too! So get it, read it, shout about iiiit

authors-of-colour black-authors books-devoured-in-20244 s Coffee&Books1,054 83

Nothing beats D’Vaughn & Kris plan a wedding— that book lives in my heart. A Little Kissing can stand next to it though! This was fun, flirty, a little frustrating (the friends to lovers trope drives me batty! And what was the sense in all those lessons Cyn’s dad taught her if she wasn’t going to put it to use later in life??? Cmon Cyn!). Juice was my GIRL. I was definitely team Jucee! This was well done. I always know I can settle into a Chencia Higgins book and know that she is going to take care of her readers. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2024-reading-challenge audio3 s Aster303 131

Chencia C. Higgins did it again! She truly is the queen of Black sapphic romances and I love her featuring fat and stud sapphics. A Little Kissing Between Friends is as the title suggests best friends who see their relationship evolve after sleeping together. This one was also very rewarding because characters from Higgins' previous novels (Things Hoped For) show up allowing for a web of complex friendships.

I love Higgins's willingness to let her characters live fully their identities. Both characters are Black and this is fully reflected everywhere in their lives. Jucee is a sex worker and a bisexual femme. She has a son from a previous relationship and deals with discrimination against sex workers when looking for relationships. Cyn is a stud lesbian and I appreciated how she was seen as attractive in all he masculinity but the story did not shy away from the backlash and discrimination masculine lesbians can receive. The friendship between Xeno and Cyn both stud lesbians is so rare to see in books and romance and really warmed my heart.

However, I would not recommend this one to miscommunication trope haters. After the first time, the characters sleep together start a long string of miscommunications that would have started to get on my nerves if it had lasted for longer.

The chemistry between the characters is incredible and so are their sex scenes. Higgins really has a way of writing romance in a way that makes connections feel tangible and real. I have had bad experiences with romances lately where I thought it was a problem with me rather than the writing and characters but A Little Kissing Between Friends proves that it's about the connection between the lead, it's about making the love and affection feel believable.4 s Mae BennettAuthor 1 book285

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f contemporary romance
-friends to lovers
-one night stand
-denial

This was a great steamy read. It really conveyed the absolute messiness of becoming more than friends, and battling that out and also not ruining your friendship but things are changing. These were two fiercely independedent characters coming together. Incredible chemistry, and when that strap on got pulled out for some public sex, I will never forget.arc denial dual-pov ...more3 s Julia174 10

Although I am not a lesbian, I can always appreciate a good love story. This was a super cute friends to lovers, forbidden fruit type of story that had me laughing out loud and shaking my head a moment later. The story centers around besties Jucee and Cyn. Jucee is a curvy, exotic dancer that loves her son, her art and her friends especially her bestie. Cyn is a music producer that loves music, her family and her muse is...Jucee. The story follows them as their feelings go from friends to something more and the bumps that road always has.
The supporting characters bring another level of life to the story as well. From Cyn's very supportive and loving family to Samir, Jucee's ex and father of her child. It was refreshing to read about a healthy and respectful co-parenting relationship among Black people. I definitely learned some things about biphobia and lesbian relationships reading this one.
This was another enjoyable read from Chencia Higgins that I could not put down. It was just the right amount of romance and spice! The songs referenced throughout the story make a nice playlist too.2 s sas156 14


Queer, poc, fat? Awesome. I'm here for this.

So, lets look at the good things in this book: no bi-erasure, found families, a look into a culture and space that often doesn't get much light in this genre, the hot as a fuck sex, and the appearance of women with legit sex drives that aren't ashamed of it.

These were great and they were all there. The problem for me is the sex was hot as fuck, all the elements that needed to be there were there, but it was just... not engaging at all. The plot was A to B to C, relying on miscommunication and pretty standard tropes. It was just fine.

If you want a nice, light read about families and women who want sex and aren't ashamed of it, with great body positive rep, this is for you.

3.5* rounded down.f-f kids rockstars ...more2 s S467 10

This was my first read by this author and it definitely turned out to be an interesting one. This turned out to be a really good book. I enjoyed reading about these characters I’m happy that I read this one and I recommend it.


Thank you to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest review.2024 kindle-books2 s Erica Bartsch514 37

There's excellent representation in this book and the spicy scenes were
Autor del comentario:
=================================