These heroines were wasted on a boring, looney-tunes level story. The heroines Violetta Beachamps and Bertice Martin were relatable and complex. The setup was intriguing, and I was all geared up to enjoy a good romance. Only, this was the silliest, most ridiculous thing I've read in a long time.

The premise is Bertrice's no-good nephew is living rent-free in a boarding house Violetta works at, but when Violetta points this out, she's fired by the landlord. Violetta then goes to Bertrice to scam the woman out of some money to make up for her firing only for Bertrice to decide SHE is going to single-handedly remove her nephew from the boarding house. What ensues is sheer lunacy. It's just shenanigan after shenanigan, and not once did I laugh. At one point, there was a gaggle of geese being shoved into the nephew's room. I mean, why is this charming? It's like stuff out of Tom and Jerry. I'm not exactly looking for sophistication but geese? And what was with the obsession with grilled cheese? Practically every chapter mentioned grilled cheese. Maybe I'm too much of a stick in the mud, but I found this novella too cartoonish to be funny.

I could have ignored all that, except Milan spends most of her time describing the shenanigans or describing Bertrice's classist faux pas to really delve into the romance. The sex scene was super short, and I couldn't help thinking that a couple of geriatric lesbians had to have a little more stamina than what Milan presented. Overall, I just felt like the story cheated them. Instead of showing two older women falling in love, there was more time spent on the stupid crap they got up to or how privileged Bertrice is to not realize how the other half live. I didn't really feel like I got to know the characters let alone believe they got to know each other.

The climax promised to be interesting, but it was dodged so easily that I was honestly bored. I was on a plane with nothing else to do, and I didn't want to finish this novella. I did, because there was nothing else to do, as I said. But I didn't want to. Read this if you're trapped on a plane and have some time to kill. Otherwise, this really isn't worth the time invested in it. ( )

I've read 15 or so books by Milan, several of them twice, and this is the first one I've given below 3 stars to. I found the younger, poorer heroine to be such a nincompoop. She kept her scheme going past all sense! And decency! And the rest was a large stretch of buyability. It was probably going for a 'fun lighthearted romp' or something but it felt just wacky and off-key to me. ( )

4.3 stars

*This is a TBRChallenge review, there will be spoilers, I don't spoil everything but enough, because I treat these reviews as a bookclub discussion.
(also, a tv show Succession spoiler!)

“They've had seventy-five years to defeat you,” Violetta said, turning to her. Her eyes were wide and dark, and she was almost certainly the dearest thing that Bertrice had seen in years. “What do you think it means that they've yet to accomplish it?”

As with most Milan stories I read, this had some light and deep. The kind of quotes that make my eyes water out of nowhere, introspect, cheer, and rage with. A novella that read super quick but left me satisfied. I can just about guarantee I'll always recommend a Milan.

Violetta has just been let go from her job of overseeing the accounts and running of a tenant building right before she is about to turn seventy, a move by her boss to stop from having to pay her a pension. Having funds that could see her through a few years, Violetta knows she has to plan for the later years of her life. She comes up with the scheme to go to the aunt of one of the tenants who hasn't paid his rent in two years, claiming to be the owner of the building, getting the aunt to pay the back rent and then disappearing with her ill gotten gains.

Bertrice surprises Violetta, though, when she refuses to pay for her “Terrible Nephew” and instead comes up with her own scheme of “helping” Violetta evict the T.N. This, of course, won't help Violetta but she gets wrapped up into it all with a contract drawn up of Bertrice saying she'll pay the back rent if T.N. can't be kicked out. This kicks off some goofy schemes (a choir waking up T.N. in the morning, attacking fowl) and some “do you see what I'm trying to get you to think about” schemes (paying off sex workers to not sleep with T.N.).

While Violetta and Bertrice get together to enact these schemes we get a budding friend and romantic relationship building. Both women in their late sixties, Bertrice forced to marry for security but having that money now and Violetta growing up without much security, they both represent the trials and tribulations women face/d in a society that works to disenfranchise and take their power from them. Their bonding, connecting, and friction from their two different lived experiences was felt.

When the T.N. catches on, he starts to threaten Bertrice with having her declared mentally unstable and while Bertrice acknowledges the danger, she still pushes on, Violetta is beside her alternating worrying, cheering on, and helping. One of the aspects of Bertrice I loved, was the inclusion and discussing how present death can be later in life. She's been depressed as she's had people in her life pass on at greater numbers in the last two years. I haven't been able to shake a comment I saw about the tv show Succession, when Logan Roy's brother gave a brief eulogy I saw a comment discussing what it would feel like to have the only other person who shared memories and moments with you pass on. The lonely feeling that would give to not be able to laugh, cry, discuss, or have that understanding of those things with people who shared that with you. I thought that was touched on here wonderfully.

With the shorter page count, the problem with the T.N. wraps up fairly quickly with Bertrice going for it and the third act breakup of Violetta's lie looming over them but actually brought more lightness than dark drama when readers find out what Bertrice actually knew.

The epilogue was short but sweet and had me cheering for how it wrapped up. I found this a little lighter in tone than other Milan's, even with some of the deeper stop and make you think moments of social commentary. I often bemoan the shorter page count of novellas, but this was just about perfect (and an added bonus saying that I'd never heard about, how eating toasted cheese at night can have you dreaming about Lucifer!). Violetta and Bertrice had a sweet romance, there was bonding over shared experiences, depth, and a man got shown what was up, what more could you ask for? ( )

I'm going to add my voice to the chorus of people who loved this story. I'm not into F/F at all but it's Courtney Milan, so I came for the ride anyway. And what a ride it was! I loved how they outfoxed the Terrible Nephew at every opportunity and how the MCs each learned their worth from the other. It was funny and witty and so very touching. So much applause!!! ( )

This was like a Tom & Jerry cartoon and the entire Sesame Street cast got together and decided to have a baby, and this was their offspring. I read M/M romances all the time, so when this showed up on the "bargain books" table...I thought okay. How different can it be? Well... let me tell you... about 500%. It was supposed to be humorous...but it was instead, more than a little redundant. At one-point these two looney tunes women actually sent an entire flock of geese into the deadbeat nephew's room. If the landlord wasn't concerned about the guy living, there rent-free...and I'm betting he was paying something in some form...why should his aunt and her friend give two figs about it? I've learned my lesson and I think I'll just stick with the "hot, sexy" guys. I know I'm probably sitting in the top row, of the minority grandstand with this one... all by my lonesome, but I've sat there before...and I know that we can't, and don't, all like the same things. I'm sure the rest of the grandstand is saying, "She didn't like this??? What on Earth is wrong with her?" NOTE: I do feel that I should add that Courtney Milan is a wonderful author, and this is NOT a good representation of her talents. I have read several of her other books and really enjoyed them. This just didn't happen to be one of them. ( )