The Secret Crush Book Club | Karmen Lee

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🌟 The Secret Crush Book Club by Karmen Lee 🌟

📚 Genre: Sapphic Romance

📅 Release Date: August 26, 2025 — Purchase Link

🖊️ Publisher: Harlequin

🔗 Goodreads: The Secret Crush Book Club on Goodreads

💫 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Synopsis

Single mom Dani is used to putting everyone else first, but when her sister moves out, she starts to realize how lonely her life has become. Enter Zoey—the town’s new librarian—who starts a local book club looking for inspiration and ends up finding Dani instead. Their connection is instant but unexpected, and as their friendship deepens into something more, both women have to decide if they’re ready to turn the page and take a chance on love. 💗

My Thoughts 💭

🔍 Why I Picked This Up:

Honestly, the cover was cute and the title had “book club” in it—how could I resist? 📚 Thank you so much to Karmen Lee, Harlequin Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

✨ What I Loved:

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. It started off as a cute read, even though I was a bit bored in the beginning. That’s not unusual for me with romance novels, but I’ll admit the slow start had me unsure for a while. Around the halfway mark, though, I found myself getting more invested—and by the end, I was really enjoying it. 🎀

This is the third book in a series, but it works perfectly as a standalone. The story progresses in such a warm, charming way. The romance between Dani and Zoey is incredibly sweet, and I was rooting for them from the moment they met. The characters shine throughout the book, and I genuinely cared about every single one—even the side characters, which says a lot considering I hadn’t read the previous books.

I especially appreciated that this is a romance about adults with actual adult problems. It made everything feel more relatable and grounded rather than a lot of the young adult romance I typically come across. Once I hit the 50% mark, I was hooked and didn’t want to stop reading. The pacing picked up nicely, and the overall length felt just right—no unnecessary fluff or drag. ✨

✍️ Room for Improvement:

The beginning was definitely too slow for my taste. While the tone and writing were fine, it lacked that spark to immediately pull me in. I think some readers might lose patience before the story really gets going, which would be a shame because it’s worth the wait.

🥈 Overall Takeaway:

A very enjoyable read! I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adult sapphic romance with lovable characters, cozy vibes, and a satisfying payoff. If you're into slow-burn love stories with a side of community meddling and heartfelt moments, this one's for you. 💖

💡 From The Margins:

• Mood Board: 🕯️ Cozy library visits, book club meetings, late-night heart-to-hearts 🌙

• Favorite Quotes:

  “I never really dated much. I never felt the need or saw the appeal of trying to get to know someone, but with you, I want to know everything.”

  “Zoey’s shock continued when Mrs. Pauline, one of the older members, had suggested and voted for a book with content warnings that looked like a grocery list.”