Any Girl But You: An unputdownable queer holiday romance (Meet Cute in Minnesota)

In ANY GIRL BUT YOU, Dana Hawkins returns us to the delightful small-town Minnesota world she’s created for her latest sapphic rom-com. And to make things even better, this one is a Christmas story, too! As usual, Hawkins introduces us to two lovable, compelling characters who are destined to fall in love—but we aren’t sure how they’re going to get there. In ANY GIRL BUT YOU, those lovebirds are Quinn, a free spirit who recently moved back to Spring Harbors, Minn. to run a family tree farm, and Zoey, the hometown owner of Spring Harbors’ popular bakery. Quinn and Zoey seemingly couldn’t be more different. Zoey is a sensitive soul still healing from a break-up with her ex-girlfriend. True love is what she’s looking for. Quinn, on the other hand, has never been in a committed relationship—and doesn’t want to be. The two have an awkward (but charming!) encounter at the bakery and we’re like, “How are these two ever going to get together?” Well, that’s not my story to tell, Dear Reader! But believe me, you’ll enjoy every page-turning chapter. And no spoilers, but the ending of this novel had me feeling the Christmas spirit! The spirit of caring and kindness weaves its way through the book, and I am here for it. The real joy is in how Hawkins tells this story. She gets us deep inside Quinn and Zoey’s heads and shows us all the jumbled and so relatable emotions they experience. And you would expect from one of Hawkins’ novels, the sensory details are exquisite. She makes you…

Cute story, PG-13 cute. Characters were interesting and relatable. The blizzard was unsettling and provided some tense moments. A little more spice would have made it better.

Quinn’s jaded, standoffish personality clashes gloriously with Zoey’s ray of sunshine persona in this delightful opposites attract romance. As main characters, Quinn and Zoey are authentic and lovable despite their flaws and they fit in perfectly against the backdrop of side characters and the small town Minnesota setting. Seeing the characters evolve separately and in relation to one another while navigating their businesses during the holidays is entertaining and immersive, and you walk away from the story feeling like you’ve made new friends in the process. Any Girl But You is destined to have a place on your favorite holiday reads shelf.