Book Review: Love in the West End

 

Tropes:

• Second Chance
• Rivals to Lovers
• Musical Theater
• 30s/40s characters
• Found Family
• Showmance
• One That Got Away
• Queer Joy
• LGBTQ romance
• WLW Romance

What if the rivals of SMASH—Karen and Ivy—stopped fighting for the spotlight and realized they belonged in it together?

A decade ago, they lit up the West End. Now, Broadway is calling… and so is unfinished business.

When young Leah Roughy made her West End debut as Queen Victoria, the world saw a breakout star. Lourdes Lennon, a West End vet, saw a nepotism case. But beneath the tension and barbed banter in rehearsal, they each felt something more—an undeniable connection neither was ready to name.

Their chemistry crackles onstage, but offstage? It’s tension, snark, and stolen glances that say more than either of them will admit. As their careers take them in opposite directions, Leah and Lourdes stay connected across time zones, heartbreaks, and years of what-ifs.

Now, a ten-year Broadway revival of Victoria offers a second chance: to return to the roles that changed their lives… and to finally ask what might have been if timing had ever been on their side.

As the lights rise once again, Leah is ready to build a life with Lourdes, but her costar still isn’t sure where she fits in a world that asks her to choose between love and ambition. When the chance to build a family unexpectedly lands in their laps, they must choose. Can they find a rhythm that works both on and off stage?

Love in the West End is a sweeping sapphic romance about second chances, love under the lights, and redefining what it means to build a wild life in a rigid world.

My Review

Lourdes and Leah, you could say are enemies. Lourdes is the main star of the West End show. She acts like a diva. Leah being understudy appreciated the opportunity. So, it would not cross your mind that these two actually would have more in common and be good together. 

"One chapter was over, but our life together was just beginning." 

While I liked the tender relationship that Lou and Leah had and their interactions; I did find myself struggling with this book. I thought it would be a bit more angsty with hyped tension between the two ladies as enemies to lovers. Additionally, as much as I liked reading about L&L's story, I found myself never fully connecting with them on a deep emotional level. While I may not have loved this book, I would try another by the author as there were aspects of the story I still enjoyed.