Margin of Error by Rachel Lacey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great follow up to Learning Curves. The opening was spectacular! What a way to hook the reader.

Here’s the blurb:

From Rachel Lacey, author of Learning Curves, comes a tender, hopeful romance about how fate is what you’re given but love is what you choose, and how small sparks can change everything.

Two years after an accident in Manhattan almost claimed her life, Marin is determined to take advantage of her second chance. She’s left her husband, her job, even her home to pursue the life she’s always wanted. Now she’s teaching statistics at Northshire University and preparing to do something she’s spent decades dreaming about: date a woman. But the last woman she expects to encounter on her journey is the one she’s been fantasizing about since their chance encounter the morning Marin nearly died.

Charlotte has made big changes in her life since that fateful day too. Most importantly, she’s moved back to her Vermont hometown, determined to finally solve the thirty-year-old mystery of her mother’s disappearance. An unexpected—and unexpectedly intense—friendship? That wasn’t in the plan. Neither was questioning her sexuality, but the more time Charlotte spends with Marin, the more she realizes her feelings run deeper than friendship.

Surely this would be a disaster, both of them being each other’s first, except the chemistry between them feels too strong to deny. But as they get to the heart of the mystery—and the heart of who they are—what brought them together just might tear them apart.

We’ve got Marin, who has moved to Vermont to start a new job at Northshire University. And Charlotte who has moved back to her home town to investigate the disappearance of her mom thirty years ago. So we’ve got some starting over and some deep family trauma to deal with. We’ve also got a bit of Audrey and Michelle from Learning Curves. There’s A LOT going on with this book. Oh! Charlotte also believes herself to be straight while Marin has always known she’s a lesbian but is getting her first opportunity to live as one. She’s never even kissed a woman before.

What follows is a sweet story of falling in love and self-discovery. Lots of bumps in the road for our two ladies but they can’t deny what they feel. You know the romance novel drill. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

What made this a 4-star book for me instead of a 5-star book is that there was just toooooo much going on. Also, Audrey felt annoying in this one. I loved her so much in Learning Curves but she was a little too much for this time around. Also – everything is “so hot!” or “so fucking hot.” There were other issues with repetitive info and stuff but the hot thing was a lot.

I still absolutely recommend Margin of Error and will obviously read the next Lacey book because I love them.

OH! I forgot to mention that while I got an eARC from NetGalley, I was late getting it read so I picked up the audiobook and listened to it instead. Quinn Riley, as usual, did a lovely job. Not sure why, but her extra breathy sex scenes were a bit distracting. Maybe I never noticed before? I don’t know.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!



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