Hi, friends! A great rivals to lovers YA book released yesterday called
I Think I Love You by Auriane
Desombre, and today I am sharing some fun things about the book (sans
spoilers, of course) like a tour to NYC places, favorite quotes, aesthetic + more. I've been sitting on this book (and post) for nearly a
year now with the publication being pushed back, so I'm excited to share why
you must add this book to your TBR asap. Thanks goes to TBR and Beyond for having
me on the tour, and to Underlined for providing an advanced review copy!
I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre
Young Adult Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ+
March 2, 2021 from Penguin Random House / Underlined
A sweet and funny debut novel about falling for someone when you least expect it . . . and finding out that real life romance is better than anything on screen.Emma is a die-hard romantic. She loves a meet-cute Netflix movie, her pet, Lady Catulet, and dreaming up the Gay Rom Com of her heart for the film festival competition she and her friends are entering. If only they’d listen to her ideas. . .Sophia is pragmatic. She’s big into boycotts, namely 1) relationships, 2) teen boys and their BO (reason #2347683 she’s a lesbian), and 3) Emma’s nauseating ideas. Forget starry-eyed romance, Sophia knows what will win: an artistic film with a message.Cue the drama. The movie is doomed before they even start shooting . . . until a real-life plot twist unfolds behind the camera when Emma and Sophia start seeing each other through a different lens. Suddenly their rivalry is starting to feel like an actual rom-com.
New York, US
New York Public Library
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Bryant Park
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Prospect Park
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Madison Square Park
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Central Park
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Washington Square Park
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Battery Park
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Brooklyn Botanical Garden
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Film References
Books Mentioned
Shoutout to Kate for calling out how misogynistic these works are! Someone had
to and it's about time. It's also meta how I Think I Love You is sort
of a loose retelling of Much Ado About Nothing but that it's challenges misogyny, turning Shakespeare's work on its head and we are so here for it.
Tropes / Themes
✩ (Sapphic) rivals to lovers
✩ Opposite pairing (hopeless romantic x cynic)
✩ Dual POVs
✩ Friendships/friend groups
✩ Falling for the competition during said competition
✩ Sabotage
✩ Coming out
✩ Rom-com meta references
✩ Matchmaking
✩ omg just kiss already
✩ Family & friend drama
✩ Much Ado About Nothing retelling
Rep
☀ Bisexual MC
☀ Lesbian LI/MC
☀ f/f
☀ Side character with illness (syncope)
[Side note: this is the first time a character in a book I've read that
has syncope - one of the illnesses I too suffer from, so it was a
surprise to see that little bit of rep hardly seen in media. Learn about syncope here.]
Content / Trigger Warnings
➤ Divorce
➤ Homophobia
➤ Misogyny/sexism
➤ Fainting due to illness + stress
➤ Public humiliation
Favorite Quotes
This could be my chance to tell the gay rom-com story of my life, the
kind I've never seen on-screen before, despite the hours of my life
I've spent glued to the Netflix romantic comedy section, falling in
love with the idea of love even as I yearned to see myself in the
stories about it. Just because the straights in Hollywood don't know
how to tell my story doesn't mean it's not out there.
The fact that I'm not out to my parents only makes me love the
on-screen romance even more. It's a safe place, a place to escape into
a world where love is not only possible but guaranteed, for
everyone.
Just because someone doesn't want to be in a relationship, that
doesn't make them uncaring. I care about things. I love my friends;
I'm excited about this movie. I'm not hardened.
"As the two resident gays of this squad, maybe we should have a
dance?"
"Okay, but only for the gay rights."
"Okay, but only for the gay rights."
All I know is that I love the way Emma's hand feels against mine. All
I know is that I'm not sure anymore why I've been fighting with Emma
all week. Now, in the warm embrace of the night sky and the blanket
hiding us from the rest of the world, all I want to be is soft with
her.
My bisexuality matters. It always has, and it always will, no matter
who I end up with.
"Being bi is a big deal," I say as I cross the living room to stand
by them.
"I spent a lot of time acting like because I could still end up with a boy, it's not a big deal. But it is, and it's a part of me no matter who I date. It took me a long time to work up the courage to tell you, and you can't dismiss it."
"I spent a lot of time acting like because I could still end up with a boy, it's not a big deal. But it is, and it's a part of me no matter who I date. It took me a long time to work up the courage to tell you, and you can't dismiss it."
The best love is matter-of-fact. It doesn’t need those big gestures
and those big romance moments. Real love comes in the every day
moments, the daily life you share.
[Disclaimer: quotes are from an unedited advanced review copy and are
subject to change in final publication]
Fanmix
(by me)
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I Love My Friends // Steve Aoki x Icona Pop
Headaches // Raveena
Cherry // Rina Sawayama
I Really Like You // Carly Rae Jepsen
Catching Feelings // Inigo Pascual x Moophs
Bad Friend // Rina Sawayama
i'm so tired... // Lauv x Troye Sivan
Only a Girl // Gia
Bad Girl // Daya
i like me better // Lauv
She // Dodie
What I Need // Hayley Kiyoko
fuck, i'm lonely // Lauv x Anne-Marie
Friends // Jesse McCartney
New York City // Owl City
I Think I Like You // sirenXX
Fuck Up the Friendship // Leah Kate
Girls Like Girls // Hayley Kiyoko
Meet Auriane Desombre
Purchase I Think I Love You
Amazon
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B&N
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Kobo
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Google Play
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iBooks
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Libro.fm
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Half Price Books
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Target
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Walmart
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Indiebound
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Bookshop
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Kepler's
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Books Inc.
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Eso Won Books
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Face In a Book
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Books A Million
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Powell's
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Hudson Booksellers
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Chapters Indigo
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Waterstones
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Blackwells
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Booktopia
| Book Depository
♥ Are y'all excited for this sapphic rom-com?
Have you read it already? Tell me what you think
or drop your links in the comments below! ♥
Follow the Tour!
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protesting safely
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here),
emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA,
register to vote/vote-by-mail, and
educating yourself and family members. More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on
BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co,
and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources
can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔
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months, destroying thousands of homes, displacing thousands of Filipinos, and
leaving many without running water or electricity. Please consider donating to
relief and recovery efforts if/when you're able to. Info and safe places to
donate to PH victims + families can be found on
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Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now
and ways to help:
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getinformed.carrd.co |
currentinfo.carrd.co |
dotherightthing.carrd.co |
allcards.carrd.co
your post is so cute!! it really reflects the ambiance of this book, congrats on your work!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ursa! The book had big NYC vibes so it seemed fitting to include visuals of the the places in NYC the characters go to. 😊
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