I loved this book!

It is a beautiful age gap lesbian romance novel with many very moments.

I haven’t laughed this hard for a long time.

There are so many funny situations that the reader can barely recover the next from the previous funny scene.

“The Adventurers” by Bryce Oakley is a friends to lovers, slow-paced age-gap lesbian romance involving Joey and Kendall.

Joey Moore is a 28th year old French-language translator, mostly of manuals, most recently of hair-dye instructions and shampoo bottles (how funny is that!!!) and she is new in town (Denver) after moving from her home town nearby, because she wanted a fresh start after a terrible breakup with her ex Raina. She has a cute dog named Ozzy and she has a great relationship with her family, especially with her sister Sunny.

Kendall “single forever” O’Hara (:—)) is a veterinary doctor at a clinic, she is 42 years old, she’s vegan, divorced, and has a close circle of queer friends. She was married for 6 weeks with a woman who has left her and since then she has sworn celibacy and her work certainly helped her in staying single. For a woman with such a presentation she certainly has a lot of knowledge regarding sex toys and she is a deadly kisser. She has two cats named Bacon and Eggs, considering she is vegan this is really hilarious. She has a bad relationship with her parents, who own a house in Hawaii, it is bad because of her failed marriage.

Kendall is working in a clinic owned by another doctor, Paul, who is an older man with a terrible attitude. She has a great relationship with her tech co-workers Taylor and Kat.

Joey and Kendall’s first meeting is also very funny. For different reasons they are waiting on a laundromat on a Saturday night, just the two of them, they have an original introduction, where Joey resumes Kendall is a lesbian, but then she awkwardly talks to her bag (she had small kittens that needed to be fed in her bag) and makes a rushed walkaway and she gets the wrong pile of clothes which belong to Joey and Joey gets her clothes. The chaos results in them switching laundry loads and leaves her in a “lost scrubs, found thongs” situation.

Then, Ozzy has swallowed something and Joey rushes to Kendall’s  clinic. This second encounter is even more hilarious : Ozzy has ingurgitated Joey’s red harness and when the receptionists asked her “Full name?” She proudly says “Ozzy Pawsbourne, Prince of Barkness!” only for the receptionist to reply that “…Oh, I mean your full name…” and Kendall overhears the discussion and laughs out loud and Joey is really mocked on. 

They become great friends and as they get closer and realize there is an attraction between them, but neither one knows if the other feels the same way. 

I loved this stage of their relationship.

The adventures begin when Joey challenges Kendall to make a jar of wishes where they can have 5 wishes each. They had 3 wishes each for now, but they are amazing at implementing them.

There are even more hilarious scenes, especially at the sex shop and when Kendall cuts her hair in Kristen Stewart’s style.

They both have pets which they love, they even love each other’s pets and Kendall is fostering and bottle feeding two small kittens and Joey helps her.

I adore characters who show their love for animals.

Then, they learn more about their pasts.   

Joey finds out about Kendall’s marriage and her bad relationship with her parents and the reason for which Kendall is called “single forever”.

And Kendall learns about Joey’s relationship with Raina and how Raina walked out on Joey at their engagement party, when all Joey’s family and friends gathered.

In time, it’s obvious the reason Raina hurt Joey so bad by leaving her at their engagement party, was that Raina was in love with someone else, who happened to be Nikki, one of Joey’s closest friends. Of course, Joey feels betrayed, as all her dreams were left as just dreams, but maybe it was because Raina wasn’t the right person to make them true with and  Joey loves her new life.

Kendall knows how it’s like to be hurt and left and she quite understands what Joey is going through and tries to make her life beautiful, she is carrying, kind and helps Joey as much as she can and takes her out as much as her job permits.

They establish Joey needs a one-night-stand. So, they go dancing to a lesbian club in Denver.

The scene where they are dancing is hilarious and when Kendall looks for women for Joey is so funny. Things get a bit serious when Joey spots Raina and Raina is not alone, but with Nikki. They’re friends, they hang out, so it’s cool.

Then, Kendall has the brilliant idea to kiss Joey while Raina was watching, not to make her jealous, but to pretend they were lovers.

This is their first kiss and it’s a very passionate and it is a consuming kiss for both, Joey runs to the restroom, while Kendall is left a little bit struck in the middle of the dancefloor.

In the restroom, Joey overhears Raina call Nikki “baby” and that does it, she is angry and tells them Kendall is her lover.

But, this isn’t true, Kendall apologies for the kiss and Joey understands she has done it only for Raina’s eyes.

They still have two more wishes left.

Going camping was a bad choice and they have a little argument.

Then, going to Hawaii was a dream come true for Joey and being there with Kendall it makes it even more special.

I loved their first night together and their lovemaking is magical.

This is Joey’s dream come true. Kendall becomes her one night stand, because she doesn’t want more, as she is Kendall “single forever” O’Hara. But, Joey wants more and fast.

The turning point is their one night stand and their different views on it and Kendall’s law suit at the clinic, as Paul dies and leaves a mess behind, which complicates their lives more.

Kendall doesn’t want to tell Joey her issues, because she has her own to deal with, but she will have to at one point. She becomes distant and cold to Joey and that isn’t fair.

How will Kendall and Joey’s adventures end?

Can Kendall become “Kendall loves Joey forever”?

Can Joey slow down and give Kendall time?

Who “punished” Raina and Nikki?

I adored this book, I enjoyed so very much all the hilarious and unexpected moments.

I haven’t encountered as many as the ones  in this novel.

I loved their adventures and their courage to trust each other.

I enjoyed their attraction, their doubts, the age gap, that amazing first kiss and all the rest of them, their first night, their love for animals, their care for their friends.

The side characters were also great : Imogen, Gerti, Edward, Roger, Taylor, Sunny, Raina, Nikki, Joey’s parents, Kendall’s mother and loved the pets : Ozzy, Eggs and Bacon, the little kittens.

The language was awesome, loved the “translation” points for some situations.

I absolutely recommend this lesbian age gap romance for the main characters, the whole idea, the age gap, the turnovers, the side characters and the pets.

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