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Starting from Scratch
My name is Avery King and I’m probably a lot like you. I’m a 34-year-old single lesbian and my heart belongs to my rescued mutt, Steve. I work as a graphic designer and my life is quiet and comfortable. All in all, I’m a pretty regular girl and for the most part, I lead a pretty regular life.
Things I look forward to: baking goodies and then sharing them; spending time with my grandmother; reading anything I can get my hands on; enjoying dinner with my friends; a quiet evening and a glass of wine; hiking new trails and exploring nature with Steve. Things I’d like to avoid at all costs: in-depth discussions with my ex; dealing with children; online dating; babysitting; falling for somebody’s mom; taking my perception of myself all the way back to square one.
See that list of things I’d like to avoid? Yeah, guess who’s going to hit every single one of them this year… What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn? What happens when you need to protect the one you love from the one you want to love? What happens when you lose something you never knew you wanted?
Lambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers brings to you her long-awaited seventh novel, Starting from Scratch, a story where learning, laughing, loving, and baked goods are just a few of life’s basic ingredients.
Starting from Scratch…where life is what you make it.
Things I look forward to: baking goodies and then sharing them; spending time with my grandmother; reading anything I can get my hands on; enjoying dinner with my friends; a quiet evening and a glass of wine; hiking new trails and exploring nature with Steve. Things I’d like to avoid at all costs: in-depth discussions with my ex; dealing with children; online dating; babysitting; falling for somebody’s mom; taking my perception of myself all the way back to square one.
See that list of things I’d like to avoid? Yeah, guess who’s going to hit every single one of them this year… What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn? What happens when you need to protect the one you love from the one you want to love? What happens when you lose something you never knew you wanted?
Lambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers brings to you her long-awaited seventh novel, Starting from Scratch, a story where learning, laughing, loving, and baked goods are just a few of life’s basic ingredients.
Starting from Scratch…where life is what you make it.
294 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2010
87 people are currently reading
3823 people want to read
About the author
Georgia Beers
57 books1,488 followersLambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers lives in Rochester, New York. She has been writing for as long as she can remember, and published her first lesbian novel in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
December 19, 2019
4.5 stars for audio version. It is a re-reading week for me. I re-read books quite a lot. I think it's comforting and I know I will enjoy it and what I'm getting.
The audiobook is read by the author, Georgia Beers. She does a good job with the dialogue but her cadence and pacing during the non-dialogue parts is distracting at times. She does do a great job in the angsty part of the book. I felt the pain Avery goes through. In many ways I can relate to Avery. This maybe why this is my favorite Beers book. Most of her other books are just "Ok" for me.
The audiobook is read by the author, Georgia Beers. She does a good job with the dialogue but her cadence and pacing during the non-dialogue parts is distracting at times. She does do a great job in the angsty part of the book. I felt the pain Avery goes through. In many ways I can relate to Avery. This maybe why this is my favorite Beers book. Most of her other books are just "Ok" for me.
September 16, 2022
I was looking for a new audiobook for my dog walk and I pulled this one out of Hoopla. Good old library card. The author narrates her own book which was a plus for me because her voice pulled me into the story in a personal way like a friend telling me her story. It’s a deceivingly simple romance between two women who quietly fall in love, the book showcasing the day to day moments of tenderness and vulnerability that create the intimacy that can elevate you or break your heart. So no big events here, just some ferocious baking, a saucy grandma, adorable little Max, Tball, and Steve the dog. Avery King with her unabashed self and her generous spirit stole my heart. There’s no doubt I felt her highs and lows. Fantastic book.
October 9, 2019
Avery King is a graphic designer who has a big crush on her bank’s branch manager. She likes keeping her crush from a distance but when her best friend asks her to help coaching a tee ball team, she’s up for a surprise…
This is one of my favourite books by Georgia Beers, it’s a beautiful romance that highlights all the important things in life: love, family and baking! This is as much a romance as a story about family, loyalty, and friendship. It will take the reader through a gamut of strong emotions. Every single character is well-written and, considering there is a range of very different characters from small children to elderly, they are all very distinctive and realistic. Among them, ‘Steven King’, the dog, who steals the show. Both main characters are very likeable and the author is great at building their chemistry to very hot levels.
An extra special character in this book is baking. Avery uses baking as stress relief and it’s her connection to her grandmother, who brought her up. It’s also her way to express her emotions and connect with other people. This novel features a few recipes that will keep your mouth watering. I recommend not to listen to this audiobook while hungry!
I’ve read this book a few years ago and really liked it so when I saw that the audiobook was available with both the Audible Escape and Scribd subscriptions, I decided to give it a go. I didn’t do it straight away because the author is the narrator and I was a bit wary of the result. I thought that Ms. Beers’s narration was quite decent, her tone and different voices were ok, but I think that a professional audio artist could have taken the story to its full potential, specially when conveying the diversity of emotions that the characters go through. Despite that, I’ve really enjoyed this listen.
Overall, a very good lesbian culinary romance audiobook. My rating for the story is 5 stars. Narration 4 stars. Average 4.5 stars.
This is one of my favourite books by Georgia Beers, it’s a beautiful romance that highlights all the important things in life: love, family and baking! This is as much a romance as a story about family, loyalty, and friendship. It will take the reader through a gamut of strong emotions. Every single character is well-written and, considering there is a range of very different characters from small children to elderly, they are all very distinctive and realistic. Among them, ‘Steven King’, the dog, who steals the show. Both main characters are very likeable and the author is great at building their chemistry to very hot levels.
An extra special character in this book is baking. Avery uses baking as stress relief and it’s her connection to her grandmother, who brought her up. It’s also her way to express her emotions and connect with other people. This novel features a few recipes that will keep your mouth watering. I recommend not to listen to this audiobook while hungry!
I’ve read this book a few years ago and really liked it so when I saw that the audiobook was available with both the Audible Escape and Scribd subscriptions, I decided to give it a go. I didn’t do it straight away because the author is the narrator and I was a bit wary of the result. I thought that Ms. Beers’s narration was quite decent, her tone and different voices were ok, but I think that a professional audio artist could have taken the story to its full potential, specially when conveying the diversity of emotions that the characters go through. Despite that, I’ve really enjoyed this listen.
Overall, a very good lesbian culinary romance audiobook. My rating for the story is 5 stars. Narration 4 stars. Average 4.5 stars.
May 14, 2019
My second audio book this week and a re-read from Georgia Beers. I started it on the author’s birthday (May 14) and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to listen to her read her own story.
Starting from Scratch was published in 2010 so it could almost be a fall back Friday book. I first read it in April 2016 when I was just discovering the joy of lesfic again (after solely reading fanfic for many years).
I remember really loving this book and listening to the audio version now hasn’t changed my opinion. It’s one of those perfect romantic feel good reads. I had to get used to Beer’s cadence but after a chapter or two I smoothed into it and really had a fun 7 hours. Beers did a great job.
f/f explicit
Themes: raised by grandma, Steve the dog, lots of baked goodies, introvert, character crush on bank manager Elena, T-ball coach, dating a woman with a child takes some getting used to.
5 stars
Starting from Scratch was published in 2010 so it could almost be a fall back Friday book. I first read it in April 2016 when I was just discovering the joy of lesfic again (after solely reading fanfic for many years).
I remember really loving this book and listening to the audio version now hasn’t changed my opinion. It’s one of those perfect romantic feel good reads. I had to get used to Beer’s cadence but after a chapter or two I smoothed into it and really had a fun 7 hours. Beers did a great job.
f/f explicit
Themes: raised by grandma, Steve the dog, lots of baked goodies, introvert, character crush on bank manager Elena, T-ball coach, dating a woman with a child takes some getting used to.
5 stars
April 3, 2017
This is a review for the audiobook version.
Story: 4.2
Narration: 4.0
This is my first Georgia Beers story and I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.
The story is told through Avery's point of view and, Beers includes so much of her thoughts down to the minor details, it felt like it was in my own inner stream of consciousness which is a style that's unusual to capture and still be interesting.
I could relate to Avery's introverted, not liking or relating to children ways and she made for a unique protagonist. Growing up with a crappy parent (or parents) can definitely leave a brand of 1) never feeling like a kid yourself, 2) thereby not "getting" kids or feeling comfortable around them, and 3) feeling the crappy parent gene will most definitely be passed down so, nope, not going there...only to realize how much one can surprise themselves just by being conscious and putting in some effort. It's nice to see that storyline represented well.
Beers sells Elena hard and I'm not sure any reader could help but fall in love with her. The chemistry between the two leads is strong, though Elena never makes it clear what exactly she loves about Avery other than how well she treats her son and she finds her attractive...
But, other than Elena's goddess-like depiction, the story felt very real on many levels, especially the depiction of a single mother and what it's like to bring together a couple where one person is childless and the other is not.
There's a lot of heart, some humor, definitely chemistry, and a somewhat long but strong story woven together here.
Georgia Beers also did a decent job of narration and I liked hearing how she must've written it in her head.
Enjoyed.
Story: 4.2
Narration: 4.0
This is my first Georgia Beers story and I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.
The story is told through Avery's point of view and, Beers includes so much of her thoughts down to the minor details, it felt like it was in my own inner stream of consciousness which is a style that's unusual to capture and still be interesting.
I could relate to Avery's introverted, not liking or relating to children ways and she made for a unique protagonist. Growing up with a crappy parent (or parents) can definitely leave a brand of 1) never feeling like a kid yourself, 2) thereby not "getting" kids or feeling comfortable around them, and 3) feeling the crappy parent gene will most definitely be passed down so, nope, not going there...only to realize how much one can surprise themselves just by being conscious and putting in some effort. It's nice to see that storyline represented well.
Beers sells Elena hard and I'm not sure any reader could help but fall in love with her. The chemistry between the two leads is strong, though Elena never makes it clear what exactly she loves about Avery other than how well she treats her son and she finds her attractive...
But, other than Elena's goddess-like depiction, the story felt very real on many levels, especially the depiction of a single mother and what it's like to bring together a couple where one person is childless and the other is not.
There's a lot of heart, some humor, definitely chemistry, and a somewhat long but strong story woven together here.
Georgia Beers also did a decent job of narration and I liked hearing how she must've written it in her head.
Enjoyed.
June 18, 2020
I. Absolutely. Loved. It.... Starting from Scratch is just my cuppa.... What is it that I loved about SFS? Everything!! Loved the introverted Avery King and all the baking that she did when under stress, the sexy Alena Walker, Grandma King, 6 year old Max and even Steve King... Story was so well-written, the romance was endearing and sweet, the first kiss was just perfect, the sexy scene was just that...sexy and hot. I had many moments reading SFS... from all smiley and laughing, angsty, anger and teary... That’s one ride that I won’t forget 🙂
September 6, 2025
I really enjoyed every second of reading this novel! It's funny, deep, sweet and . . . very sexy!
On second reading I might like it even more!!!
Now I've listened to the audio version, and have to say Georgia Beers is as good a narrator (Amazing really) as she is writer!!!
On second reading I might like it even more!!!
Now I've listened to the audio version, and have to say Georgia Beers is as good a narrator (Amazing really) as she is writer!!!
August 21, 2016
I really enjoyed this book as an audiobook narrated by the author. Georgia Beers is not only a good writer, but a good narrator as well.
July 28, 2019
This was a lovely pure romance with some tears shed along the way to a HEA.
August 11, 2020
I had a hard time engaging with Avery. I get the introvert part. And her love and peace through baking. But I didn't like how passive she tended to be and that she relied so much on having her friends push her into things she's uncomfortable with. I worried about what that'd mean once she started actually dating. And I was right to do so.
Elena was hard to figure out. The book is single PoV so we have hints of her feelings and can kind of see that she might be into Avery, but not very clearly. It doesn't help that Avery is determinedly denigrating herself all the time and thus circumventing any potentially positive messages Elena might be sending.
The story itself plods a bit. It's all push on Avery. Reach a new plateau. Push some more. I'll admit that I really liked Avery interacting with the kids in the story and realizing that she can handle them just fine. And her relationship with Elena's son, Max, was touching. But I'm not a fan of the whole "My son comes first, always and forever" doctrine. It's too simplistic and absolute and only really holds true when it comes to needs (and even then it'd get tricky if adult needs ever competed with child needs, for some very rare reason). So Elena making that such a big deal struck me as a bit odd. Even more so when she persisted despite Avery's agreement.
So when the dark moment hit, I fell completely out of charity with everything. But particularly with . I freely exercised my superpower to edit the story in my head to delete that entire crappy piece. Which makes that last bit a little abrupt, but whatever—a feeling not helped by that over-the-top happy-families epilogue.
So this is a really weak three stars and mostly for the sake of Avery making a journey of self-discovery and her relationship with Max. Everything else was pretty weak, really.
A note about the Audiobook: Georgia Beers narrates this herself. She's a decent reader, better than most with some natural talent, so I can see why she'd take that step. But she isn't an actress and the story suffers a bit for it.
A note about Steamy: I forget the explicit sex scenes. Like entirely, I mean. Well, I know there were some. And that I was thinking that it'd be the middle of my steam tolerance but almost breaking out of it. So backfilling that would put it at three to six or so. Probably?
Elena was hard to figure out. The book is single PoV so we have hints of her feelings and can kind of see that she might be into Avery, but not very clearly. It doesn't help that Avery is determinedly denigrating herself all the time and thus circumventing any potentially positive messages Elena might be sending.
The story itself plods a bit. It's all push on Avery. Reach a new plateau. Push some more. I'll admit that I really liked Avery interacting with the kids in the story and realizing that she can handle them just fine. And her relationship with Elena's son, Max, was touching. But I'm not a fan of the whole "My son comes first, always and forever" doctrine. It's too simplistic and absolute and only really holds true when it comes to needs (and even then it'd get tricky if adult needs ever competed with child needs, for some very rare reason). So Elena making that such a big deal struck me as a bit odd. Even more so when she persisted despite Avery's agreement.
So when the dark moment hit, I fell completely out of charity with everything. But particularly with . I freely exercised my superpower to edit the story in my head to delete that entire crappy piece. Which makes that last bit a little abrupt, but whatever—a feeling not helped by that over-the-top happy-families epilogue.
So this is a really weak three stars and mostly for the sake of Avery making a journey of self-discovery and her relationship with Max. Everything else was pretty weak, really.
A note about the Audiobook: Georgia Beers narrates this herself. She's a decent reader, better than most with some natural talent, so I can see why she'd take that step. But she isn't an actress and the story suffers a bit for it.
A note about Steamy: I forget the explicit sex scenes. Like entirely, I mean. Well, I know there were some. And that I was thinking that it'd be the middle of my steam tolerance but almost breaking out of it. So backfilling that would put it at three to six or so. Probably?
July 11, 2019
This was my first lesbian romance, discovered / read it a few years back and I was happier and more excited than Dr. Abigail Chase when she discovered the National Treasure +
The City of Solid Gold.
Scribd has the audio and Ms.Beers narrated this herself. I'm not sure if this was her first but she excelled as Avery King and since Avery was the storyteller + the story was pretty interesting, taking off the earbuds was never pleasant.
Avery was not a stranger in the dating / relationship circuit but she was never wholeheartedly into anyone until the alluring bank manager, Elena Walker that made her heart beat faster than the Banknote counters and her libido acting like a pinball machine. This was Avery's quest towards happiness in which she had to slay a few inner dragons along the way.
Ms.Beers nailed the romancing the single mum plot by not letting the lead misused the child as the golden ticket to win the parent's heart. Avery was not a fan of children but thanks to Tee-ball and Stephen King(her dog), she got to know the kid first then slowly developed a friendship with him. She cared about him as much as his mother, smart move, GB!
The instant romance didn't bother me as time did not stand still, the secondary characters were great - always supportive and respectful of Avery's space and the baking sessions featured in this book made me play such scenes in the kitchen to inspire my oven.
The oh - oh scene happened and the way it happened and the effect was exactly like this -
https://youtu.be/KWpEBUgRAcQ
I do love this story especially since it was my first wlw book and despite some minor issues, I am still going to color all the stars provided by Goodreads.
The City of Solid Gold.
Scribd has the audio and Ms.Beers narrated this herself. I'm not sure if this was her first but she excelled as Avery King and since Avery was the storyteller + the story was pretty interesting, taking off the earbuds was never pleasant.
Avery was not a stranger in the dating / relationship circuit but she was never wholeheartedly into anyone until the alluring bank manager, Elena Walker that made her heart beat faster than the Banknote counters and her libido acting like a pinball machine. This was Avery's quest towards happiness in which she had to slay a few inner dragons along the way.
Ms.Beers nailed the romancing the single mum plot by not letting the lead misused the child as the golden ticket to win the parent's heart. Avery was not a fan of children but thanks to Tee-ball and Stephen King(her dog), she got to know the kid first then slowly developed a friendship with him. She cared about him as much as his mother, smart move, GB!
The instant romance didn't bother me as time did not stand still, the secondary characters were great - always supportive and respectful of Avery's space and the baking sessions featured in this book made me play such scenes in the kitchen to inspire my oven.
The oh - oh scene happened and the way it happened and the effect was exactly like this -
https://youtu.be/KWpEBUgRAcQ
I do love this story especially since it was my first wlw book and despite some minor issues, I am still going to color all the stars provided by Goodreads.
September 19, 2022
3.7 stars
Enjoyable, but not Beers’ best.
Enjoyable, but not Beers’ best.
Read
April 22, 2023Georgia Beers is probably one of the most successful writers of contemporary lesbian fiction. The writing in Starting From Scratch is good, and it’s a solid novel, but for some reason, I thought it was missing a certain “spark” to keep me captivated. For me, the novel had too little conflict and suspense. Maybe that’s just me.
But what I really liked about this book is that it portrayed complex and realistic relationships between the main characters and minor characters. Avery’s grandmother, for example, is not the (stereo-)typical grandmother. She’s not the “huggy” type, and she’s not all-accepting about her granddaughter’s sexual orientation, but she loves Avery.
But what I really liked about this book is that it portrayed complex and realistic relationships between the main characters and minor characters. Avery’s grandmother, for example, is not the (stereo-)typical grandmother. She’s not the “huggy” type, and she’s not all-accepting about her granddaughter’s sexual orientation, but she loves Avery.
December 13, 2013
After all the hype this book received here on GR, I was excited to read something new. But, to echo another review, the book fell very short of expectation. The characters were flat and frankly unbelievable, the story a bit trite and not engaging. And, to be honest, I expect some heat from the sex scenes. The interaction between the two lovers was written so distantly I felt bored: at one point the writer glazes over one such scene with a movie montage description. The immediate intimacy of the lovers was another thing that bothered me, along with the hastily constructed and rushed conflict, complete with frustrating reconciliation in which I just wanted the whole thing to be over.
January 26, 2023
I chose this book because it has so many good reviews from people, I’m friends with in here.
I never connected with the MCs relationship.
To be completely transparent, I heard this one (audiobook), it was read by the author herself, Georgia Beers, which I consider is a different type of experience because who knows the emotions of each character and what they are going thru better than her.
Regarding the audiobook for me something that threw me off a lot was Max’s (a six-year-old kid) voice. He sounded like a teenager and acted like a kid between 5 and 17 depending on what you were reading.
In this type of writing, you get to know a lot about what’s going on in the life of your MC, in this case, Avery. Her POV is extremely detailed, so it helps you to understand the people that surrounds her; this also means that you get to know the not so good aspects of her, the things she (we) internalized, the character is very blunt and I liked this because we try to be good people but deep inside sometimes our thoughts betrayed us.
By the way, the eagerness of Avery to go to the bank -to watch- Elena was a no-no for me. Anyway, Elena is your typical hot mom, that ends up being your neighbor and has the most awesome kid in a book. I think she’s one of the most genuine characters.
What happened between Maddie and Avery is a shame because it is explained that because Avery and Elena have kids, they have different interests than Maddie and JT but... wasn’t Maddie the one who was the coach of the kids originally? She had to like them, not necessarily want kids of her own but to portray that it was unimaginable, it was too much.
I never connected with the MCs relationship.
To be completely transparent, I heard this one (audiobook), it was read by the author herself, Georgia Beers, which I consider is a different type of experience because who knows the emotions of each character and what they are going thru better than her.
Regarding the audiobook for me something that threw me off a lot was Max’s (a six-year-old kid) voice. He sounded like a teenager and acted like a kid between 5 and 17 depending on what you were reading.
In this type of writing, you get to know a lot about what’s going on in the life of your MC, in this case, Avery. Her POV is extremely detailed, so it helps you to understand the people that surrounds her; this also means that you get to know the not so good aspects of her, the things she (we) internalized, the character is very blunt and I liked this because we try to be good people but deep inside sometimes our thoughts betrayed us.
By the way, the eagerness of Avery to go to the bank -to watch- Elena was a no-no for me. Anyway, Elena is your typical hot mom, that ends up being your neighbor and has the most awesome kid in a book. I think she’s one of the most genuine characters.
What happened between Maddie and Avery is a shame because it is explained that because Avery and Elena have kids, they have different interests than Maddie and JT but... wasn’t Maddie the one who was the coach of the kids originally? She had to like them, not necessarily want kids of her own but to portray that it was unimaginable, it was too much.
July 1, 2017
For the first time ever I listened to an audio book that was narrated by the author herself. What struck me as really interesting was the nuance of the characters dialog. I mean they were characters in her head once she knows what they should sound like. Wow is all I can say. Ok the book was awesome too, but.. from an audio experience it was absolutely brilliant.
August 6, 2016
Avery is a 30-something graphics artist and lifelong introvert. Her hobbies include baking, hiking with the dog and sneaking off to the bank for a peek at her crush. She gets roped into a tee-ball coaching stint and online dating by her pushy best friend, neither of which is something she looks forward to. But life can be full of surprises...
This is a light and easy read. The characters are likable and I got to care about them. I especially like the grandmother, as she reminds me so much of my own. But, there are a few things that didn't quite work for me.
Even with the first person POV, I never felt Avery's introversion until it was specifically mentioned in the book. Also, for a good while, the ladies don't interact beyond stolen glances and winks, resulting in a rather lengthy dry and boring stretch. Avery is solid and dependable, but not very interesting. On the other hand, Elena's a goddess. Whatever did she see in Avery? I didn't get it. The POV chosen by the author severely limits the development of Elena's character. There was some angst towards the end. But it felt a bit too little, too late, perhaps because of the rushed ending.
Overall, it's a 4-star-something book. If this were a song, I'd classify it as 'easy listening'. Pick it up if you want a nice, relaxing read at the end of a hard day.
This is a light and easy read. The characters are likable and I got to care about them. I especially like the grandmother, as she reminds me so much of my own. But, there are a few things that didn't quite work for me.
Even with the first person POV, I never felt Avery's introversion until it was specifically mentioned in the book. Also, for a good while, the ladies don't interact beyond stolen glances and winks, resulting in a rather lengthy dry and boring stretch. Avery is solid and dependable, but not very interesting. On the other hand, Elena's a goddess. Whatever did she see in Avery? I didn't get it. The POV chosen by the author severely limits the development of Elena's character. There was some angst towards the end. But it felt a bit too little, too late, perhaps because of the rushed ending.
Overall, it's a 4-star-something book. If this were a song, I'd classify it as 'easy listening'. Pick it up if you want a nice, relaxing read at the end of a hard day.
February 10, 2017
Detailed score: 4.5
It's sweet but not sickly. It's kid-dy but very respectful of those who don't find kids instantly adorable (in fact, this is one of the main storylines). Unlike other Beers novels, our leads get together in time to grow their relationship, at least a little bit, before they move to the 'three words'. In short, lesrom at its best.
It didn't quite get the round up because there is nothing particularly memorable or notable about it to boost it into the 5 star zone. And the epilogue that tried to do too much maybe lost it a little shine too.
Overall, though, a must for the fans of a good old fashioned lesrom
It's sweet but not sickly. It's kid-dy but very respectful of those who don't find kids instantly adorable (in fact, this is one of the main storylines). Unlike other Beers novels, our leads get together in time to grow their relationship, at least a little bit, before they move to the 'three words'. In short, lesrom at its best.
It didn't quite get the round up because there is nothing particularly memorable or notable about it to boost it into the 5 star zone. And the epilogue that tried to do too much maybe lost it a little shine too.
Overall, though, a must for the fans of a good old fashioned lesrom
June 2, 2016
I enjoyed this! Still getting into romance, but this worked for me. I could go even fluffier, but that's me. It was also interesting to listen to a romance author read their own work as an audiobook.
December 29, 2020
This is my first Georgia Beers' book - reading this 10 years after it was published. I don't usually enjoy like reading books in first person narrative but this book didn't disappoint. Georgia really can write a book! I loved every moment of it, especially those with the gorgeous bank manager!
March 21, 2021
I admit that at first I found the book a bit boring and I read though almost 50%, thinking that I should leave it with that. But once Elena and Avery got together and their relationship started off, I couldn't stop reading anymore. So it's 1:30am and I shed some tears over their break up and some more about their cute way of making it in the end. I made me think a bit about my love. Just that there was no happy ending for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2019
I feel like I've been eating too many oysters (aka Geogia Beers book) and this one is tipping me over. I feel green and that's not an ecological reference. I so have a love-hate relationship with oysters.
There is that one trope, the one that screams "Destiny" and just annoys the hell out of me in this story : the multi coincidental meetings, namely : the bank, the kid-sport field, the new neighboor.
I was praying for the gorgeous banker to NOT be the second MC. It would have been so amazingly funny to have
> that first scene with the goddess like creature crush seen from afar.
> and a true romance, budding with someone else, and from something else that pure physical attraction.
This also felt like a one character story.
Everything is so filtered through Avery POV, that a lot of the secondary characters are shortcut because so much of her brainspace is flooded by hormons.
Thought I have absolutely no clue how the writer could have avoided the conundrum of having that kind of personal insight on her MC without pushing the other characters in the prop category (the gram, the kid, the best friends, the coworkers)
There is that one trope, the one that screams "Destiny" and just annoys the hell out of me in this story : the multi coincidental meetings, namely : the bank, the kid-sport field, the new neighboor.
I was praying for the gorgeous banker to NOT be the second MC. It would have been so amazingly funny to have
> that first scene with the goddess like creature crush seen from afar.
> and a true romance, budding with someone else, and from something else that pure physical attraction.
This also felt like a one character story.
Everything is so filtered through Avery POV, that a lot of the secondary characters are shortcut because so much of her brainspace is flooded by hormons.
Thought I have absolutely no clue how the writer could have avoided the conundrum of having that kind of personal insight on her MC without pushing the other characters in the prop category (the gram, the kid, the best friends, the coworkers)
December 16, 2014
To really get drawn into a book, u must have the opportunity to finish it within a reasonable amount of time.
Because of circumstances it took me a whole lot longer then normal to finish it.
This took the pace out of the story for me. Therefor my 3 star rating is only temporarily.
I must give this book another chance in the future, and read it again, and maybe change my rating.
As for the book itself. The sweet and funny characters, the sweet love story, really have a lot of potential, therefor definitely a book I want to give a second chance.
Because of circumstances it took me a whole lot longer then normal to finish it.
This took the pace out of the story for me. Therefor my 3 star rating is only temporarily.
I must give this book another chance in the future, and read it again, and maybe change my rating.
As for the book itself. The sweet and funny characters, the sweet love story, really have a lot of potential, therefor definitely a book I want to give a second chance.
October 15, 2022
There is something really cool about listening to an audiobook that is narrated by the author. Starting from Scratch by Georgia Beers was a first for me, and although it wasn’t as polished as others with narrators with a ton of experience, it added a personal touch that took it to a whole other level.
Delivering the story in the first-person narrative, Beers introduces the reader to Avery. Avery is happily living her single life, walking her dog, baking and drooling over the smokin’ hot bank manager, Elena. Then she is asked to fill in for a friend coaching a junior T Ball team, something she never imagined doing in her wildest dreams. Elena is suddenly everywhere, and they discover a mutual attraction, however such drastic change never comes easily in romance novels, so there is a bunch of miscommunication and angst thrown in to juggle things around.
Starting from scratch is a sweet, emotion filled book, with realistically feeling characters who develop throughout the book and a storyline that has ups and downs, but there is always going to be the happily ever after. Well worth checking out.
Delivering the story in the first-person narrative, Beers introduces the reader to Avery. Avery is happily living her single life, walking her dog, baking and drooling over the smokin’ hot bank manager, Elena. Then she is asked to fill in for a friend coaching a junior T Ball team, something she never imagined doing in her wildest dreams. Elena is suddenly everywhere, and they discover a mutual attraction, however such drastic change never comes easily in romance novels, so there is a bunch of miscommunication and angst thrown in to juggle things around.
Starting from scratch is a sweet, emotion filled book, with realistically feeling characters who develop throughout the book and a storyline that has ups and downs, but there is always going to be the happily ever after. Well worth checking out.
July 7, 2023
this book was one of the books i had on my list a long time ago when i first started looking for books with queer characters, and for whatever reason, it never made it to the list of books i actually ended up reading.
content/trigger warnings; ableism, ableist slurs, racism, cissexism, lesbophobia, domestic abuse recounted, body shaming, objectification, allonormativity, gender roles,
i did not like anything about this book. it’s just boring and the main character is kind of terrible. i thought i was going to get a relatable grumpy, introverted lesbian who loves her dog and baking and doesn’t want to have kids. but i actually got a baker lesbian who spends more time around people than alone, is barely shown as not wanting or liking kids and realizes she never truly didn’t want kids and ends up pregnant by the end, and lowkey neglects her dog when she’d rather be fucking her girlfriend or going for drinks with her friends.
i’m glad i didn’t read this when i was first looking for book with queer characters, because i would not want this to be in my introduction to queer books.
content/trigger warnings; ableism, ableist slurs, racism, cissexism, lesbophobia, domestic abuse recounted, body shaming, objectification, allonormativity, gender roles,
i did not like anything about this book. it’s just boring and the main character is kind of terrible. i thought i was going to get a relatable grumpy, introverted lesbian who loves her dog and baking and doesn’t want to have kids. but i actually got a baker lesbian who spends more time around people than alone, is barely shown as not wanting or liking kids and realizes she never truly didn’t want kids and ends up pregnant by the end, and lowkey neglects her dog when she’d rather be fucking her girlfriend or going for drinks with her friends.
i’m glad i didn’t read this when i was first looking for book with queer characters, because i would not want this to be in my introduction to queer books.
December 23, 2021
Great narration. I enjoyed the audiobook just as much as the original.
September 24, 2019
Loved this one! Was my first lesbian romance but very well done! Will be listening to more from her in the future
December 28, 2017
Cute and fluffy. I'm rather enjoying lately reading books about lesbians who are adults. No coming out stories necessary. Instead, they're just regular stories about meeting someone and falling in love. They're sweet and worth the few hours it takes to read them, if only to remind myself that when we get stories that don't treat us as "other," they can be wonderfully boring in their normalcy.
June 21, 2013
While I liked the characters and most of the plot, the ending seemed a little hurried and the conclusion a foregone conclusion. This said, it was a very easy and entertaining read, but not the best book that I have read from this author.
August 10, 2016
A lovely, heartwarming romance that will leave you warm, fuzzy and with a little lump in your throat.
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