Book Review: Love, Only Better by Paulette Stout

Love, Only Better by Paulette Stout is a contemporary romance. For Rebecca, sex is a joke missing a punchline. No crashing waves. Only pangs of inadequacy. At twenty-eight, shouldn’t she have had one by now? Her snickering ex thought so. As did every guy who came before him. No way she’s dating anyone again. At least, until she can take “clueless in bed” off her dating resume.  When Kyle moves in across the hall, his blue eyes and black motorcycle are magnetic. Sparks flew from the moment he rescued her takeout dinner from hitting the lobby floor. It’s the worst time for Rebecca to meet someone this dreamy. But how can she resist love notes taped to her apartment door? Hallway kisses? Sitting behind his hotness as the world zips by? It’s risky, though. To get past whatever’s blocking her in bed, Rebecca needs expert help. Sure, it’s unorthodox, but she’s desperate for answers. Rebecca doesn’t expect anyone to understand—least of all Kyle. If he learns her secret, he’ll think she’s a freak and bolt. Just once, Rebecca wants to get the guy and everything that comes along with it. Would she forever have to choose between feeling whole and being loved?

Love, Only Better left me with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the set up, and thought there was so many ways this story could go. I loved the frank discussion of sexuality and how much more complicated achieving satisfaction can be for some people. I think this is a very important topic, and one that is left behind for a variety of reasons. I think the entire book could have been about Rebecca's journey in that arena and have been a wonderful book. I found the characters in general to be a little one dimensional, and many of the interactions to be pro functionary rather than interesting. So much more could have been done with Rebecca and her circle of friends, more could have been done to build the relationship with her and Kyle as well. It felt more like the other character were after thoughts rather than important to the story, which is why I think it could have been more about just Rebecca or given us more depth to the other characters (especially Kyle). There were some really good moments, but as a whole the read left me a bit meh. 

Love, Only Better is a good book about a woman understanding her own sexuality and needs.