#QueerLitLoft

I love how Zak takes the instalove trope – which I greatly dislike as it’s usually inconceivable – and consistently transforms it into a believable and spicy, yet heart-melting romance.

When Worlds Collide follows award winning author, Grace Elliott, as she begins the anxiety-inducing journey of turning her Sapphic novel, “The Tide Will Pull You Home” into a movie. As if that wasn’t enough to wrap her head around, Grace suddenly finds herself faced not only with the ideal actress to play protagonist Eliza Burke, but perhaps also the most perfect woman for herself in Heather McCarthy. A star of Broadway and a Tony nominated actress, Heather is newly divorced from an ex-husband who left her hurting. As Grace and Heather’s undeniable connection continues to soar, contractual obligations and the prospect of a long-distance relationship results in some hard decisions needing to be made. But is success really all it’s cracked up to be when you have no-one to share it with?

As per usual for a Zak novel this is a beautifully written book, which weaves a tale of a perfectly imperfect journey to happily ever after. When Worlds Collide is an age-gap romance, featuring a stunning (bourbon drinking) older women – a characteristic which Zak absolutely knows how to nail, ensuring that readers always get to appreciate the allure that older women exude.

If that weren’t enough Zak also gives us a bisexual character on a level which is more than just paying lip service to Heather’s sexual orientation.

The story is told across three parts or ‘acts’ which is a refreshingly novel approach. The first act is distinctly more than just a scene setter, with the tension, longing, and passion literally jumping from the page. One of my favourite parts of the book style wise is the second act, as it depicts the story via way of text messages, voicemails, and journal entries which fitted well with the long distance aspect of Grace and Heather’s relationship.

The only niggle I had is that as time moves on (the story spans fourteen months at one point), the third act is partially built around the lack of communication between Grace and Heather; personally I have an aversion to this type of plot point because it makes me want to bang the heads of the main characters together in stupidity. BUT, this is personal preference, and whilst I don’t like it within stories I will say that I can understand why Zak went down that path. Throughout the story, readers really get a sense of the mental health struggles of Grace and Heather; from anxiety, panic attacks and imposter syndrome to self-doubt, it’s clear that they are a work in progress, that therapy is an on-going part of their lives. And so, whilst a lack of communication is used as a point of contention in the third act, it also serves as an actual representation of how a persons mental health experiences are not just a plot point in their life, but an aspect which can have very real implications for their day to day relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Another spectacular longing filled novel, which delightfully makes known the magnetic pull of older women. I hope whoever picks up When Worlds Collide enjoys it as much as I did.

I received an arc of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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