Hot Lips

Hot Lips is a second chance romance where Frankie, a Californian musician-on-the-rise, runs into her ex, Ben, a young photographer who she dumped via email.  In her debut novel, Liz Castle brings us to Chicago, both the scene of the crime and place of their reunion. 

 

Before, Frankie was a student in Ben’s photography class. Her only focus seemed to be music and fun (but what can you expect of a girl in her early 20s).  After a coffee shop meet up (and some drugs), they begin a whirlwind romance.  Soon, Frankie is meeting Ben’s friends, going to his family’s lakehouse, and introducing him to her band.  But the romance implodes when Frankie disappears with only an email.

 

Years later, Ben found a way to heal. However, a crack in his new self appears when he learns that Frankie returned to Chicago as a vocalist for the band Sexodus. Ben confronts her, and Frankie is forced to come to terms with what she did and who she is.  It all comes to a head during a tense conversation between the two. Frankie explains that she left because her estranged mother was very sick and admits (in my opinion, more importantly) that she felt insecure about herself in Ben’s life.  Ben was a trust fund kid inviting Frankie, the “secret child” from a less than glamorous life, into his world.  Eventually, they find a way to move past their fears and hurt and end up together.  Of course, this was after great sex, a few low blows, and an adoring declaration that left me kicking my feet. 

 

Liz Castle does a great job of creating messiness that feels real.  Throughout their “before” time, Frankie’s insecurities stand at the forefront of her mind. She questions their relationship constantly, to the point that she ends up at a party and kissing a stranger.  Her decision to run away and leave, while not great, was completely understandable given her thoughts. It was messy. But it makes sense. I can see a young adult in their early 20s thinking sexual pictures were risque and fun.  It makes sense to me that a person like Frankie used sex and attraction to heal the wounds of feeling neglected.  I understood why Frankie made the decision to pick up and leave, hoping that it was the best thing for Ben. It was an immaturity that is not surprising of someone at that age.

 

But just as the author does a great job of creating realistic messiness, she does an equally great job of showing growth.  Frankie’s actions on her return to Chicago felt authentic.  The same girl that ran away with no notice could grow up and appear out of nowhere with the same red lipstick.  I totally believe that the same girl who internalized the insecurities would stand up to someone she felt was a cause of them.  Someone who was the lead vocalist of a band called Sexodus would also be the kind of person that gave her boyfriend a blow job while he drove down the road. 

 

To me, Frankie’s POV was the most fun and the clearest.  But Ben’s POVs were also great in that they gave us context. I did have some issues with the character.  Specifically, I found his “I’m not like other trust fund babies” characterization not as compelling.  I didn’t find it really realistic that he grew up the way he did, but was also someone who shied away from his wealth and privilege and disliked other “dip brats” while also being one. Regardless, I found his POVs fun and his little pieces of frustration (his annoyance with Cam and his frustrations with Frankie) interesting.  I also really enjoyed learning more about his familial and non-romantic relationships; there was a complexity to them that also felt real (Liz Castle’s skill!). 

 

The spicy scenes were also very fun! The scenes felt intentional and sloppy and romantic. I could tell that there was chemistry on the page (which honestly left me blushing sometimes).  I also noticed a bit of an evolution to those scenes.  The beginning drug induced experience soon evolved to young adult fun. There was definitely a shift from straight “fucking” to “making love”.  That doesn’t mean there was a decrease in the fun, but there was a sense of comfort and ease that I read into in those scenes. It just felt like comfortable people who genuinely enjoyed each other.  Liz Castle did a great job having the character’s personality growth also reflect in their sex. 

 

In between the messy and complex relationship between our main characters, we are also introduced to Celine, Pete, and Luna.  There were times I was over Celine and Pete. I get it; you wish it was you. It was a bit heavy handed sometimes. But I did enjoy the characters and the way their presence triggered something with the main characters.  I only have a real issue when it comes to Luna. On the one hand, thanks for the representation. I think being in Chicago, it would have been crazy to not have at least one latinx person involved in this story. But her use of Spanish felt inauthentic. It was too formal at times or had the issue where Luna would repeat what she said in English.  Overall, though, I did enjoy how Liz Castle fleshed out all of the characters (my heart broke for Tony). 

 

For my final thoughts, Liz Castle did a great job braiding the inner monologue with what was happening in the external world (for example, Frankie/Skye at the party with boat boy).  I’ll also add I completely forgot I was reading this to review once we got to the lakehouse. The tabs and notes almost all disappeared because I was sucked in. Finally, the odes to Chicago were great. 

 

Overall, this is definitely a lovely book to read on a vacation or if you wanted a nice, chill read to get you back into reading.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves second chance romance, messy people, and miscommunication tropes.  Liz Castle’s writing style also reminded me of Ali Hazelwood and Becky Chambers; so, you would also enjoy this book if you like them.  I look forward to seeing more Liz Castle books on my bookshelf.