For a book I ended up loving, I struggled at a couple of points early in the book. First of all, there is a medical emergency in the first chapter that brings Nomi and Julian back together. That had me putting the book down for a week. The other challenge I had was Julian for the first quarter or so of the book. He is an anxious, uptight, know-it-all and he stressed me out so much I put the book down and almost didn’t pick it back up. I did not know how he was going to become a love interest I could root for. I bring these things up because, in the end, I loved this book. I loved Julian and Nomi, and the weird little community of Sparrow Nook, New Jersey. Laura Piper Lee built the foundation and structure, and put Julian through the work to get him from arrogant menace in the medical clinic, to active partner in health, community and love.
Maybe you won’t struggle with the first section of the book, but if you do, here is why I think you should stick with it.
- Pot Shot is funny. Even when I was struggling, I was laughing.
- Pot Shot is kind. Julian is never a bad person, his intentions are always good. But, people with good intentions can do terrible damage when they don’t approach people with kindness. I wrote a whole paragraph about Julian’s anxiety, trauma, and arrogance, but I want you to read the book, and not my page by page recap. The kindness is intergenerational, intersectional, and community oriented.
- The focus of the romance goes beyond falling in love and focuses on the care in a romantic relationship. Nomi takes care of many people as well as monitoring her own chronically ill body. Julian always wants what’s best for the people around him, so when he learns how to listen, he is very good at translating that into caring for Nomi in a way that is supportive.
- Slutty little shorts – the trend we want for 2026.
I really loved this and I can’t wait to read more Laura Piper Lee.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Union Square & Co. and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
