Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Why is it so unimaginable I could be happy raising my daughter and baking my cakes and living in my tiny house and working my ordinary job in a shop that sells pencils?

The last time I read a book (well, a series) by Alexis Hall, I concluded that I would have liked it a lot better if it wasn't written as a romance novel. There was a great story there that just wasn't suited for the traditional romance beats. I'm recalling that now because, well, this is another book by Alexis Hall that I actually really liked and didn't mind a bit that it wasn't written as a romance novel. It was only marketed as a romcom, and I'd dearly love to know why, because I think this is just... a contemporary? Chick lit? Something? It's a very well-written, very thoughtful, very touching and relatable story about a bisexual single mom coming into her own, letting go of expectations, putting a line between what she wants and what her parents taught her she's supposed to want, and generally taking control of her life. It's wonderful. The characters are, for the most part, awesome people, except for the ones who aren't supposed to be. There's definitely some romance here, and there are plenty of moments that are laugh-out-loud funny! This is just. Not a romcom. Or a comedy. Or a romance. And I admit I was a tiny bit disappointed when I realized that, in that way I once was disappointed when I was faced with one of those cakes that looked like an incredibly realistic giant hamburger. It really made me crave grilled meat, ketchup, and pickles. What I got was a caramel-flavored bisquit with fruity mousse, chocolate something, and fruity something. It was absolutely delicious and I was glad we met, but it was still weird for those first few moments to poke at it and think of hamburgers.

Anyway, book-sponsored baking metaphors aside, I did enjoy the story very much. Rosaline is an extremely relatable character, and her whole arc with her parents hit me uncomfortably close to home. Her friendship with her ex, Loraine, was super touching and—again—very much relatable for me. As for the romance, Harry is one of the best characters I've ever met with his all-absorbing kindness, his quiet confidence that, when it comes to certain things, even an anxiety disorder can't erase, his willingness to learn and adjust his behavior for other people's sake, and his devotion to upholding personal borders, both for himself and other people. I loved that he and Rosaline became friends first and how genuine and important that friendship clearly was for both of them. I didn't quite love that the more front-and-center romance-related plot was the trainwreck of Rosaline trying to make it work with Alaine, but I appreciate how necessary it was for the story and I enjoyed how the author handled that plot, slipping in those small hints at who Alaine actually is from the start, having them go somewhat over Rosaline's head in an entirely plausible way, and keeping a reader one step ahead but doubting.

I also liked how Rosaline's kid, Amelie, was such a big part of the plot, although I'm not sure she always felt like an eight-year-old she's supposed to be? I admit I don't spend all that much time around children, though I've Aunt Loraine'd for my share of friends' kids. I know all kids are different. But Amelie, to me, felt more like a very bright pre-schooler than an eight-year-old. Though maybe that was because we kept seeing her among adults only, and kids do tend to adopt slightly different patterns of behavior among adults than they do around other kids their age, to the point that you think they act younger, understand less/grasp less nuance, treat their own interests differently, etc, etc, than is actually true. (Seriously though, where are all Amelie's friends? We get a super passing mention of a best friend once, in a scene she isn't even present in, and that's it. If she doesn't have many friends, or if she's having trouble making some, where are the mentions of that, and how it affects her? This part seemed underdeveloped, I guess that's what I'm saying).

I wonder if the next installment of the series is going to be more of the same in terms of genre, or if it will actually be a romcom. I guess I'll find out when I read it!