Table for Two – Kate Gavin

I’m not sure why I was surprised that I enjoyed this so much, but this is definitely falling into the category of one of my favourite books of the year so far.

Reagan owns a number of restaurants with her best friend. She’s dealing with the terminal illness of her father and is convinced to take a break for a few hours. Whilst getting lunch she finds herself sharing a table with Jillian.

Jillian, or Jill, is an ice queen workaholic, who automatically makes presumptions about Reagan. They both “enjoy the view” over lunch, but don’t leave each other on good terms. They’re thrown back together when Jill ends up planning her stepfathers birthday party and Reagan’s company is hired to do the catering.

Gavin provided the perfect mix of sadness, disappointment, hope, joy and love for me. Whilst Jill and Reagan’s family issues are very different, they have a shared knowing and understanding that makes them great partners for each other.

I loved that Gavin didn’t automatically make Jill less of an ice queen just because Reagan walked into her life one day and I especially enjoyed her character arc because of this. Her enlightening moments are really well done and the internal conflict and understanding she comes to feels very genuine.

Reagan has to take a leap of faith, and I enjoyed the aspects of the storyline where she is attempting to connect with Jill. szadfrerI also liked that Reagan calls Jill out regularly and that it becomes a great part of their relationship.

The parts of the narrative that take place when the MCs are apart from each other really add to the storyline. Reagan’s friends are well written and I love the protective gestures and holding Jill to account that take place. The scenes with Reagan’s mom are really well done, with a kindness and gentleness to them that act in stark contrast to Jill’s family. The way they are articulated ensures that you can understand where Jill has come from and why she is the way she is.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but anyone who has read lots of my reviews knows I’m a sucker for the inclusion of a pet in a book, so the added addition of a number of dogs in the narrative was definitely a positive factor for me, even without the impact they have on the storyline and allowing us to see some things.

I think any sapphic romance fan will enjoy this, especially ice queen fans and would happily recommend this.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.