Review: Gulf Breeze

Gulf Breeze by Gerri Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finished on April 9, 2021

Favorite Scene/Quote: Waiting out the storm together

I absolutely adore this book, even if it might contain flaws. This is one of those books where I tend to overlook the flaws and problems because I just love it.
    
Carly is opening a nature reserve (I think that’s what it’s called) for Habitats for Nature. She is in the process of getting the area cleared out and developed and one of the things that’s needed is advertising. They need to appeal to other people and, in order to do that, they need pictures. Pat Ryan is a photographer whose aunt graciously volunteers her for the work. She’s resistant at first but caves due to her relationship with her aunt. The two grow closer as they are forced to work together, but when a big storm comes will they be able to save the things they want to protect.

One of the absolute best things about this book is the banter and dialogue. Between the two mains as well as between the mains and their friends and family. Hill knows how to write people talking to each other, and it shows. It’s funny and engaging and, for the most part, realistic. This adds a good level of authenticity to the story to make the characters seem more real.

I loved all the characters involved in this story. Pat is a gorgeous butch who is also so very sweet. She’s resistant to show that she genuinely cares for things, especially when being around Carly is causing her to care more about the project and animals involved. Carly is hesitant to want to be around Pat, a bad past that burned her bad. She also tends to be a bit negative about certain things and that can eb a bit annoying, but she loves her friends and the project. There are also supporting characters such as Carly’s coworker, Carly’s best friend, and Pat’s aunt who are all fun and engaging in their own ways. The entire cast is entertaining, and it makes them a pleasure to read about.

I doubt this book is perfect, in fact the reviews tell me that it’s not, but I adore this book. I adore Pat and Carly. I love reading about the birds and the project. I just love it. It’s not an overly serious book with a lot of drama. Most of the drama is centered around will-they-won’t-they and the storm.

If I wanted to write a critical review of this book, I could probably read through it with that exact intention and find the problems, but I don’t. I want to give my honest review. My honest review is that, even if this book has problems, it’s probably in my top 20 favorite sapphic books.