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A review by yourbookishbff
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
That feeling when the inside of a book is even more beautiful than its stunning cover art - indescribable. A Shore Thing is so refreshing for about a hundred reasons, but primarily for its sensitivity to queer and trans history and representation in historical fiction and romance. Our male main character, Kit, has started a new life as himself in St. Ives, a destination for painters (the light!) and cyclists (the coastal paths!) and algologists (the seaweed?!). Muriel "Penny" (but-only-if-you're-Kit) Pendrake is begrudgingly in St. Ives to collect seaweed specimens and commission an illustrator for an upcoming botany lecture. The two end up partnered in a bicycle race around the coast, naturally (god I love romance).
What I love most about this story is how the various political subplots - early cyclist tension over cycle prototypes that were more or less accessible to women and less experienced riders, advocacy among artists seeking greater representation for women in competitive galleries, shifting friendships among sapphists as Kit begins to live openly and authentically - all contribute to a really nuanced portrayal of late 19th century England. Our love story weaves so naturally into these discussions, as our characters have to navigate a lot of fluidity in their sense of self and others and embrace new ways of being in relationship with one another. I live for the quiet, yearning moments in stories like this - the jealousy Muriel feels over Kit's friendship with Lucy, the yearning Kit feels for a life where a partner will see him for who he is, the grief Kit feels over his lost connections and friendships, the frustration Muriel feels as a woman in STEM at a time when she has to claw her way to recognition. I was weepy by the end, desperate for Muriel and Kit to feel loved and safe.
And it has to be said just how lush Lowell's scene-setting is and how beautifully gutting her emotional insight feels. And it's FUNNY! This was a joy to read.
This was my first by Joanna Lowell and easily stands alone! I was grateful for this entry point and will be going back into her backlist now.
What I love most about this story is how the various political subplots - early cyclist tension over cycle prototypes that were more or less accessible to women and less experienced riders, advocacy among artists seeking greater representation for women in competitive galleries, shifting friendships among sapphists as Kit begins to live openly and authentically - all contribute to a really nuanced portrayal of late 19th century England. Our love story weaves so naturally into these discussions, as our characters have to navigate a lot of fluidity in their sense of self and others and embrace new ways of being in relationship with one another. I live for the quiet, yearning moments in stories like this - the jealousy Muriel feels over Kit's friendship with Lucy, the yearning Kit feels for a life where a partner will see him for who he is, the grief Kit feels over his lost connections and friendships, the frustration Muriel feels as a woman in STEM at a time when she has to claw her way to recognition. I was weepy by the end, desperate for Muriel and Kit to feel loved and safe.
And it has to be said just how lush Lowell's scene-setting is and how beautifully gutting her emotional insight feels. And it's FUNNY! This was a joy to read.
This was my first by Joanna Lowell and easily stands alone! I was grateful for this entry point and will be going back into her backlist now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Deadnaming, Misogyny, Sexism, and Transphobia
Kit is deadnamed by other characters in the story, but never by the narrative. Muriel experiences misogyny and sexism in her research and day-to-day life as a woman in STEM.