The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics

"This book is soooooo cute and so sapphic "

"I enjoyed the beginning of the book setting the story, start of the romance ect. I loved the queer history aspect part of this book it was my favourite part. There were also some beautiful passages and quotes that resonated deeply with me as a lesbian and I think will resonate with a lot of other queer people as well. <br/>However I felt that after the beginning of the romance between Lucy and Catherine it began to feel contrived. A lot not all but a lot of their relationship problems throughout the book felt silly and annoying. The chemistry just wasn't really their after the beginning of the story and that showed throughout the rest of the book.<br/><br/><br/> <br/>Thanks for reading this review"

"Perfect for sapphic #bridgerton fans— #lgbtqromance "

"Were I basing this solely on its genre— pocket-sized historical romance paperbacks— it likely would have merited a perfect score. However, a candid personal review is more honest and helpful. While I did enjoy the novel quite a bit, it was problematic. The first glaring problem is one of advertisement. There is not nearly enough astronomical nor mathematical content. I realize it's mainly romance, but this could have been a major boon. Second— oddly, the character of Lucy could just have easily been male without changing much of the book. The third is not entirely the writer's fault, perhaps, because any book in which women find happiness and security in boldly sapphic relationships in 1800s England will be, by necessity, ahistorical. It seemed all attempts were made to make it plausible enough, but I very much doubt that Lucy Muchelney would have so vehemently held Priscilla's marriage against her— though, the incident in the library does speak to the internalized misogyny of the time period. Not to say that Priscilla was blameless or without personality defects, but given the constraints of the time, she did what was necessary to survive. It does make her a perfect foil for the more risk-taking iconoclastic Lucy, but she is judged far too harshly for it. Catherine, too, is trapped in the conventions of the time, lest we forget. Though the novel seems to excuse this by implying her bisexuality buried her sapphic side, Catherine also has her own fortune and title that she inherited that allows her the privilege to indulge in a lesbian affair with impunity. While danger is mentioned, Catherine's circle is very loyal and discreet. So though Priscilla did break Lucy's heart with the sudden marriage announcement, it was hardly the vile and villainous act in context. This plot point did expose the internalized misogyny of the time, but the novel is also peppered with beautiful proto-feminism that I greatly appreciated."

"Love her"