A solid high 3 stars for "Not What I Ordered" by Raluca M. Matara, which drops June 30th—but lucky me, I snagged an early copy. And let me say, it’s a quick, steamy read that goes down smoother than a caramel macchiato on a Monday.
Here’s the 411: a spoiled princess finds out money isn’t bottomless, and gasp! She needs to get a real job. Naturally, she lands at a local coffeehouse… the same one where she recently threw a royal temper tantrum. Enter: the barista. Girl meets girl. Sparks fly. Some kisses, some sex. You know the drill.
Now, what worked: the writing is smooth, and the characters feel fleshed out despite the short page count. I actually wanted them to end up together, which isn’t always a given in stories this brief. Plus, shoutout to the underrepresented characters. They had depth and dimension. That’s always a win in my book.
What didn’t quite land for me: the tropes felt a little undercooked. Princess-to-commoner? Sure, but she adjusted way too fast. Enemies-to-lovers? Blink and you miss the conflict. There just wasn’t enough tension—things came together a bit too easily. And while the novella length makes it great for a one-sitting read, I wouldn’t have minded a few more chapters to let things simmer.
Final verdict: It’s a fun, flirty little tale with some hot and heavy petting—perfect for when you want a Sapphic shot of sweetness without a ton of angst.