Lesbian Fantasy Book Review of ‘My dream woman’ by C.H. Clepitt

A really great premise but the execution didn’t hold up. This is my first novella by Clepitt. As a lesbian fantasy and paranormal fan, I was excited to read this. I really liked the premise and I thought it had so much potential. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for Clepitt’s story choices or her chosen pace for this novella.

The main story is about a woman named Andi who works two jobs just to pay the rent. Her self-esteem is at an all-time low with a mother who is constantly putting her down. But when Andi dreams, she becomes a sword-wielding warrior with all the confidence in the world. When Andi meets another warrior woman in her dreams but then also in real life, Andi realizes her dream world might have real-life consequences.

I enjoyed both main characters in this story. Andi, the sarcastic lesbian that is unsure of herself in real life but a tough warrior in her dreams. And Dionne, a bisexual woman, who is wheelchair bound after an accident, and is a confident warrior woman in the dream world and out. I liked the quick connection between these two and I had high hopes for their possible romance and adventures.

My problem was after the book setup this cool premise with good characters, it’s like the story went in fast forward. The pacing became so fast it felt spastic, and my enjoyment started to go downhill. Instead of being immersed in this adventure, I felt like I was being told this, then being told that.

New concepts, bad guys, good guys, powers that Andi had, it is just thrown at you one after the other and got my head spinning. Instead of taking the time to explain why this is happening, we are on to the next big thing. I understand there is a limited time in a novella, but this was just too many things, too many concepts all packed in like a can of sardines without enough room for any of these concepts to grow.

I hate to say this but I think Clepitt should get rid of this novella and turn this story into a full-length book. She could give all of her ideas room to grow. She could expand on all the secondary characters, what the Dream Guild is, why the bad guys are bad and the good guys good, Andi’s powers, and even the budding romance between the mains. This really is a cool premise with such potential that it is a shame everything was rushed and squashed together. Unfortunately, I can’t really recommend this novella as it is, but there are such good bones here that I’m disappointed to say that.

A copy was given to me for an honest review.