⋆⋆½
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this ARC!
Content Warning: murder, death, violence (including gun violence), assault, misogyny.
Rowan and Jules have some things in common, like being the daughters of two of Boston's biggest crime lords. But their fathers are deadly rivals, caught up in a dispute that has lasted for years, leaving many casualties in its wake -- and meaning that any contact between the two girls is strictly forbidden. When Rowan and Jules meet, though, they have an immediate connection, one that neither of them can ignore. Rowan, who will one day inherit her father's empire, is as tough as nails; Jules, who longs to live a normal life, far away from the violence of the world her family belongs to, has aspirations of going to college and having a career of her own, one that won't involved blood money. But as the two women keep seeing each other, they have to come to terms with the fact that it can't be a secret forever, and that their relationship could be the undoing of everything -- including their families.
This is another book I chose in an effort to venture out of my reading wheelhouse. Not that I never read books like Forbidden Girl -- a mafia lesbian romance -- but for the most part, I typically stick to historical fiction, lit fic, and fantasy. However, I've recently been craving a book that is a little out of my norm, something that is a bit more fun and a little less serious, and I thought this would be a perfect option.
If you're at all familiar with the romance genre these days, you'll know that mafia stories are a dime a dozen, particularly since the "dark romance" trope has become more and more popular. With that being said, I'm sure Forbidden Girl is not the first lesbian mafia romance, but it's certainly one of very few. I've talked about this a bit in some of my other reviews, but while heterosexual romances are allowed toxicity, complications, and darkness, nearly all lesbian ones are reduced to something soft and "unproblematic." I say specifically "lesbian," because this is not an issue that gay men face to the degree that WLW do -- their representation is often allowed to be a little messier, and a little darker, and a little more complex. So, I was very excited and intrigued by the premise of this story, which seemed as if it my hold something quite interesting in its pages.
Unfortunately, Forbidden Girl just didn't quite land for me. The writing is relatively faultless, quite well-done, although it's not my style -- too many witty zingers, not enough exploration of emotional depths -- and I do think that Zimmer is undoubtedly very talented. The plot is pretty thin, but as romances typically focus primarily on characterization and relationship development, this isn't much of a problem for me, unless it's actually nonexistent or too absurd. My main problem lies with Rowan and Jules, our heroines, and the establishing of their relationship: it happens off-page.
Yes, this is a romance, and we don't actually get to see their first kiss, first interaction, or how they came to really be attracted or interested in one another in the first place. It's around the 10-15% mark (I can't recall exactly) when they say "I love you." Other readers might not be bothered by this, but I was baffled by the decision. It felt like a cheap copout to have us already in the middle of their relationship, instead of letting it build and grow in front of our eyes. Isn't a romance half about the anticipation of the first time together, the first date, the complexity of being vulnerable?
It was particularly hard to believe that Rowan, who is extremely repressed with most of her emotions (at least, the ones that aren't anger), would be so easily vulnerable. We could say it's because it's "true love" and Jules unarms her, but if we don't experience any growth to get to that moment, it just falls flat. I really like Rowan's character: she's tough and no-nonsense, but there's obviously a softer core hidden within her, one she has to conceal mainly for her own safety. Jules was less interesting, the princess-type who doesn't have much personality going for her beyond that.
I think it would've been rewarding to get to see Rowan have to go through denial after denial, and it would have made sense not only because of her characterization, but because her romance with Jules is extremely forbidden in the first place. I wanted some back-and-forth, but Rowan and Jules never even argue or disagree, or at least not that I can remember. It was all smooth sailing, aside from the obvious disapproval from their families, and it disappointed me that once again, it seems a lesbian relationship is depicted as absolutely perfect, sunshine and rainbows all of the time.
There's certainly none of the darkness that mafia heroes are allowed; Jules and Rowan are both good people, who only ever act out of love, kindness, or a desire to protect one another. Frankly, it's boring. It would have been interesting to see Rowan more caught up in the gangster lifestyle, perhaps a little more enamored with it, in contrast to Jules's outright dismissal of it. Or perhaps to see her unwillingly drawn into the violence, but occasionally relishing it nonetheless. Anything else would have added a bit of complexity and depth to them, instead of making them seem so wholly virtuous.
Also, why is it that these sexy, contemporary lesbian romances are strangely sexless? There's about three sex scenes, I think, with Rowan and Jules, and they are extremely brief - typically less than a page. I found it a bit underwhelming, especially in comparison to the exploration of sex and chemistry that most heterosexual couples get in their romances. This is just a taste thing, as some people probably prefer less, some prefer more, but it's something I've taken note of that strikes me as a little odd.
However, there were a lot of moments where I did enjoy Rowan and Jules, and for that, I think it deserves two and a half stars. This book held a lot of disappointment for me, but I think my expectations were maybe a little different than what Zimmer was intending to deliver, so perhaps it's my own fault. The writing, as I mentioned above, was also very good, and I think Zimmer did an excellent job of delivering on the details of a gangster lifestyle, and it never seemed as if she were confused or perhaps a bit unsure about what she was writing about. The emotional beats aren't quite there (for the reasons I listed, and because there were times when I was slightly shocked by how Rowan and Jules didn't seem to really care that much about certain things that happen at the end), but I think many readers will find a lot to love in this book.
Not quite a success for me, but again, I must repeat that my expectations might've been skewed. Zimmer is a good writer, and I think she does a good job with making her relationships cute and sweet; this wasn't my cup of tea, but I can already imagine that there will be many people who love this book, and enjoy Rowan and Jules's playful banter.
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