Review: The Peach and the Poppy by Caesar J.M. Kauftheil


Note: This ARC was provided by Less Than Three Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heading to Paris on a trip she was supposed to take with her cheating ex-girlfriend is a good way for Poppy to get away from all the anxiety left behind by the recently concluded relationship. The beautifully exotic Rochelle makes Poppy stand up and take notice. Without her pretentious ex dictating what they should do and where they should go, Poppy finds herself wondering if she could fit in a bit of a Parisian fling in between all the sight-seeing and Rochelle is the one she’s got her sights set on.

The Peach and the Poppy by Caesar J.M. Kauftheil is a standalone contemporary F/F romance about a woman who goes on vacation to Paris, France and finds herself reminiscing about her life and the women who meant the most to her. Lead character Poppy isn’t really as heartbroken as she is angry by the fact that her ex-girlfriend turned out to be the very cheater that she accused Poppy of being. The vacation planned for two becomes a solo trip and she appears to prefer kicking back and relaxing to experiencing the sights and sounds the world famous city has to offer. The story doesn’t follow the usual timeline of Poppy meeting Rochelle and they go and have a fling. Readers are treated to flashbacks that give an idea of how Poppy first realized her being a lesbian and her acceptance of her sexuality interspersed with her going around Paris and getting together with Rochelle.

Rochelle being half-Filipino got my attention because, well, I am Filipino, plus I’ve met and know of people who have the half-Japanese, half-Filipino combo going on, so I had a clear picture of how she must have looked like and why Poppy was so taken with her. There’s was an interesting story and I was happy to note that there wasn’t any insta-love going on nor any unnecessary flowery declarations because I feel either would have been a disservice to the overall storyline. The ending was a surprise because I certainly didn’t see the story going that way but I was, nonetheless, satisfied and my overall reading experience was a pleasant one. The Peach and the Poppy wasn’t just one woman’s Parisian journey but was about the different roads she’s been on while on her own life journey and how she continues to travel it, not knowing what roads lay ahead of her but learning from whatever her experiences may be. Four stars! ♥

Release Date: 24 June 2015

Date Read: 14 June 2015

Learn more about Caesar J.M. Kauftheil here.

Pre-order The Peach and the Poppy on Amazon | B&N | Kobo.

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