{"id":8727,"date":"2018-07-01T00:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T22:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=8727"},"modified":"2023-06-13T17:50:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T15:50:11","slug":"worth-the-wait-stetz-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/worth-the-wait-stetz-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"Worth the Wait by Karelia Stetz-Waters: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Worth<\/a>Worth the Wait by Karelia Stetz-Waters<\/b><\/span> is a friends to lovers, second chance lesbian romance. It\u2019s the third book in her Out in Portland series, although it doesn\u2019t matter if you haven\u2019t read any of the other books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Avery Crown and Alistair King have ruled the home renovation reality show space for 15 years, taking them all over America to restore ramshackle homes into something beautiful. Everyone in the world knows they\u2019re the perfect couple, with the kind of relationship we all aspire to. Except, of course, Avery is a lesbian and like everything else on King & Crown, their relationship is fake (even if their close friendship isn\u2019t). <\/span><\/p>\n

When Avery goes to her high school reunion, she\u2019s both excited and nervous to see her Merritt Lessing, her old high school crush and best friend. Nothing ever happened between them 15 years ago, since Avery left before she got the courage to share her feelings with Merritt. And while she\u2019s done her damndest to forget Merritt, Avery can\u2019t ignore the spark that\u2019s still there. <\/span><\/p>\n

Merritt had been in love with Avery in high school and was crushed when she left without a word. Despite the anger she still holds, Merritt still agrees to a night with Avery. When Avery\u2019s work brings them together in a way that means they\u2019ll have to see each other throughout the summer, things get a lot more complicated. Can Merritt let Avery into her heart? And can Avery find a way to make things work, even though her career requires her to stay in the closet?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Characters<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

I have to admit that I found Avery kind of difficult to like for a lot of the book. She\u2019s very sweet, kind, and thoughtful, all of which are to her credit. And while she really is a total sweetheart, I kind of wanted to tell Merritt to run the other way! It\u2019s a huge deal for Avery that she stay closeted because of her career, and I thought Merritt deserved better than that. Thankfully Avery makes up for it in the end and I was very happy with how they ended up.<\/span><\/p>\n

I liked Merritt a lot. She\u2019s the ultimate androgynous dreamboat, and doesn\u2019t trust anyone with her heart for a number of really good reasons. I especially loved watching her get vulnerable because we know there\u2019s a strong emotional cost to it, and I\u2019m glad that it pays off for her. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are a bunch of side characters in Worth the Wait, between the people who work on King & Crown, and Avery and Merritt\u2019s close friends. Hands down, my absolute favourite was Avery\u2019s other best friend DX. She\u2019s a huge pop star and not only are some of her antics outrageous (there might be a helicopter), but several times she said things that had me laughing out loud. Like, look at this conversation!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you do if you weren\u2019t a singer?\u201d Avery asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d start a cult.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, for real?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

DX\u2019s face said, Yes, for real.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

The Writing Style<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

This was a really easy, fun book to read. I\u2019m a huge sucker for reality show stories, plus I adore second chance romances. Some of the premise didn\u2019t really work for me, and I\u2019m going to talk about that down in the cons section, because it\u2019s hard to explain without mild spoilers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pros<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

DX! Seriously, I haven\u2019t laughed that hard at a character in along time. Also, I enjoyed the relationship development between Merritt and Avery.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cons<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Okay, so like I said, kind of spoiler-y. Jump down to the conclusion if you don\u2019t want to see it.<\/span><\/p>\n

No seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, are you still here?<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t understand why it was such a big deal that Avery couldn\u2019t come out. She\u2019s hosting a renovation show, not an A-list actor. Even more baffling was that there\u2019s some blogger who was always following her. While that added threat to the situation, it seemed silly, because that dude would have to spend a bunch of money following them from city to city, but for what? To get the scoop on the equivalent of an HGTV star? <\/span><\/p>\n

That aside, I really enjoyed the book. I just couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that it didn\u2019t make sense.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

I had a lot of fun reading Worth the Wait and I\u2019d happily read more from this author in the future. This is probably one of those \u201cyour mileage may vary\u201d kind of books (especially since it\u2019s a second chance romance, and people tend to love or hate those), but I really enjoyed it and would love to catch up with these characters again later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Excerpt from <\/b><\/span>Worth the Wait by Karelia Stetz-Waters<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Avery walked slowly across the courtyard, past the people enjoying the wine bar and the perfect, eighty-degree twilight. Merritt leaned against a concrete pedestal. Her short, silky black hair fell over her eyes just as it had when she was eighteen. Her dark eyes and dark hair made a striking contrast with her pale skin. She was wearing tuxedo pants, suspenders, and a crisp white shirt that revealed the lace edge of her black bra. She looked at ease in the flock of women in pastel linen suits. Just like always. A half smile played on her lips, saying, I\u2019m better than this, but I don\u2019t care<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Olive, the class president, appeared at Avery\u2019s side, leading her toward Merritt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you two remember each other? Merritt transferred in our junior year.\u201d Olive fluttered a hand over her frizzy hair. \u201cMerritt Lessing was our alumni speaker two years ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Merritt had always made the Vale girls nervous, and even the straight girls had looked at her at least once and thought, Maybe<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe famous Avery Crown,\u201d Merritt said, leaning back a little and pushing her hands farther into her pockets. \u201cFifteen years.\u201d She eased off her pedestal. \u201cIt\u2019s been so long. I thought maybe you were in jail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAvery is the star of King and Crown<\/i>,\u201d Olive exclaimed. \u201cThat travel decorating show. You\u2019ve got to have seen it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I know Avery Crown,\u201d Merritt said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get This Book On Amazon<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

(this link works for Amazon UK, US and Canada)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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[tweetthis]I just read this review for Worth the Wait by Karelia Stetz-Waters[\/tweetthis]<\/p>\n

Series<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Something True\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

For Good\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Worth the Wait<\/span><\/p>\n

Bits and Bobs<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n