What I loved most about “At first glance” by Melissa Tereze is the acceptance and non-judgemental character of one of the main characters. This is also one of the main themes.

I read the kindle and I have, also, listened the audiobook. I loved Emma Griffiths accent and enthusiastic voice.

Imagine how it would be like that you meet an amazing woman you find attractive after so long living a dull life and she turns out to be a pole-dancer at a local strip club. You like her more and you want to understand her more, because you really, really like her and want to know her better, while your so called best friend and everyone around do anything that stands in their power to keep you two apart due to the sterotypes about strippers.

Well, that’s what happens to Faye.

Faye Holmes is a bestselling writer with a cozy yet lonely life. She lives in her home in Liverpool, spends her days writing at the local bistro and sometimes goes out with her best friend Pheobe. She is in her forties and she was hurt in a relationship before, so she tries to stay away from one, but deep inside she craves for a woman who loves her for who she is and understand her work. She really likes Talia, the new worker at the local bistro, she has those incredible dark eyes and seems to be super nice. She even asks Talia out on a drink, but she is stunned by Talia’s refusal. She thought that Talia is young and beautiful, way out of her league.

I like how Melissa Tereze created Faye: a blonde beautiful writer with a broken heart, in her forties, a little unsure on her looks compared to Talia, she even thinks she is not good enough (that was interesting), while everyone around her tell her she is too good for her or them.

One night Phoebe takes Faye somewhere new, to a strip club called Vision. And, even more she offers Faye a gift, a lap dance from one of the strippers. Faye loses herself into the familiar stripper’s eyes and dance and she is bewitched by Adria.

Talia Gregory is a 29 years old dark haired beauty who follows her dream: to dance. She has dreamed all her life to dance.  And, due to some unfortunate circumstances the only place she could dance was Vision in London as a stripper. What people don’t understand is that they are performance not only lap dancers or pole dancers, they have shows and contests. Talia has won the European title as the best pole dancer and she has worked hard for it. Unfortunately, her family doesn’t agree with her lifestyle and have abandoned her. That happened, also, with the last woman she loved, who has asked her to stop dancing at Vision and Talia refused. At one point in her life everyone judges her choices and ask her to leave dancing or they will leave. So, Talia refuses to enter a new relationship to get her heart broken again. The only one who stood by her side was and still is Jay, her best friend. But, he is in London now and Talia had to move to Liverpool to dance in the new Vision club there that Paul, the owner opened and asked her to do so, as the star of the place.

She took a job at a bistro because she worked in the club on the weekends and needed a 9-5 job during the week. She meets Faye at the bistro and she is really taken by her attire and senses a little sadness in those beautiful blue eyes that she so much wants to take away.

When Talia sees Faye enter Vision that night, she couldn’t believe it and even more when she is dancing for Faye at her friend’s request. She gives Faye her best moves and watches her intently, but Faye doesn’t seem to recognize her from the bistro. She wants to date Faye, but she is afraid dating her because in the end none wants to be in a relationship with her alter ego, Adria. That was why she refused Faye from the start.

And, Phoebe seems to really hate her.

That is the conflict: Talia can’t pursue a relationship with Faye because she thinks she will get hurt when Faye winds out about her alter ego, Adria.

Faye still goes at the bistro and enjoys Talia’s friendship.

It all changes when Phoebe tells her the truth: Adria is Talia’s alter ego.

I loved the fact that this was such a mystery for Faye, clever idea from the author.

Phoebe not only tells Faye about Talia being Adria, but also gives Faye all the reasons why she should stay away from Talia and even threatens Talia to stay away from Faye.

I enjoyed their friendship and how they learned more about each other, even cooking for each other or taking care one of another (Talia of Faye while caught up in a bad cold).

Phoebe is a bad friend and a terrible person. Faye not only cannot date Talia, because she wants only her friendship, while Pheobe keeps telling her all Talia’s flaws and does a terrible disgusting thing. Phoebe is the villain of the book, the total opposite of Faye disguised in her best friend.

Instead, Talia is encouraged by her best’s friend Jay to give her and Faye a chance after talking a little with Faye at the bistro. Talia is reluctant because of her still broken heart and Phoebe’s attitude.

A deciding point happens when Faye starts dating Jenna and accidentally brings her to the bistro. Talia sees them light kissing and that does it, she has to make a choice If she wants Faye or not.

And, this is how they relationship goes from friendship to relationship.

I loved their supportive relationship, Faye is truly an angel on how she never judges and forever defends Talia from anyone. Talia is a really beautiful person inside-out, always smiling and make everyone around laugh.

I adored their steamy scenes, awesome sex and beautiful communication.

They are a really lovely pair with a little age gap and different backgrounds, but those make it even more appealing.

I liked Faye’s mother, she is a sweetheart to Talia and loves her daughter immensely and welcomes Talia into the family.

Talia and Faye are really happy and none can change that. I love them two together. They are amazing characters.

The themes touched in the book where really good: supportive non-judgemental partner, strippers stereotypes don’t apply, egocentric best friends, age gap, job gap a.s.o

The tile: at first glance, suggests how Talia and Faye’s love started, mainly at first glance.

This book was something else. I loved every bit of it. I couldn’t recommend it more.