Cover of Soaked by Tessa Jay
FictionSweet

Soaked

by Tessa Jay

2025

Years of quiet longing. One storm that changes everything. Nora and Ellie have been best friends forever-through marriages, divorces, and countless Florida downpours. But when a late-night thunderstorm leaves Nora soaked on Ellie's doorstep, something shifts. Stolen touches, lingering glances, and the slow, inevitable pull of desire threaten to upend everything they thought they knew. For Nora, recently divorced and questioning everything, Ellie represents safety... and a temptation she's never allowed herself to name. For Ellie, who's loved Nora in secret for years, this feels like a dream too fragile to trust. As rain falls and secrets spill, the two women must confront the storm inside them: Is this a fleeting flood, or the kind of love that washes everything clean? A slow-burn sapphic friends-to-lovers romance about late-blooming desire, second chances, and finding home in the one person who's always been there.

Friends to LoversSlow BurnSlow Burn
Editor ReviewedAI-AssistedRomance Profile Available
Your rating:

About This Book

Soaked is a fiction romance novel by Tessa Jay, first published in 2025 by Independently Published. Readers can expect friends to lovers, slow burn; sweet heat; a slow burn and emotional tone.

At a glance

Genre
Fiction
Trope
Friends to Lovers
Heat
Sweet
Mood
Slow Burn
Published
2025

Where to read or listen

Get Soaked by Tessa Jay

These store links are affiliate links (Amazon, Audible, Bookshop.org and Libro.fm). As an Amazon Associate, Eikna earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

Should I read this?

Why You May Love This Book

You may love this if…

  • A lifetime of friendship and a single night of Florida storms force Nora and Ellie to finally confront the romantic desire they’ve ignored for years.
  • Fans of pining
  • Readers who enjoy long-term history between characters
  • Romantic
  • Features Friends to Lovers

This may not be ideal if…

  • Readers seeking high-action plots
  • Readers who dislike slow pacing
  • Pacing might be too slow for some readers
Romance Profile

The Romance

Tropes, dynamics, and the chemistry that drives this story.

Tropes

Friends to LoversSlow BurnSecret LongingLate BloomerSecond Chance at LoveProximity/Forced Proximity

Relationship Dynamics

PiningLong-term bondEmotional sanctuaryProtective/Supportive

Details

Type: Sapphic Romance

Pairing: F/F

Power balance: Equal

Slow BurnVery strong (85 out of 100)
Relationship TensionVery strong (75 out of 100)
Emotional IntimacyVery strong (90 out of 100)
Emotional Experience

How It Feels

The emotional landscape you'll move through while reading.

High comfort, moderate tension, and a strong emotional payoff.

AngstMild (45 out of 100)
ComfortVery strong (80 out of 100)
HumorLow (20 out of 100)
TensionStrong (70 out of 100)
DarknessLow (15 out of 100)
Emotional IntensityVery strong (75 out of 100)
Emotional PayoffVery strong (80 out of 100)
Tear RatingMild (30 out of 100)
Pacing: Slow
Tone:AtmosphericYearningReflectiveIntimate
Heat & Explicitness

Heat Level

Based on available metadata and editorial review.

Explicitness: unknown
Heat information is based on available metadata and editorial review. Reader sensitivities vary.
Reader Fit

Who Is This Book For?

Best for

Fans of piningReaders who enjoy long-term history between charactersFans of late-bloomer discovery stories

Reading mood

RomanticCozyReflective

May not suit

Readers seeking high-action plotsReaders who dislike slow pacing

Recommended audience: Adult

Content Guidance

Content Guidance

Story & Themes

The Story

Spoiler-Free Synopsis

Nora and Ellie have been the constant in each other's lives through every major milestone—marriages, divorces, and the literal storms of Florida life. When Nora arrives at Ellie’s home soaked from a thunderstorm, the physical proximity ignites a long-repressed spark. Nora, reeling from a recent divorce and questioning her identity, finds herself drawn to the safety of Ellie, while Ellie must decide if she can risk their decades-long friendship to finally reveal her secret love. As the rain falls, the two women navigate the transition from best friends to something much deeper.

Central Conflict

The emotional risk of transitioning a lifelong friendship into a romance, combined with Nora's internal processing of her recent divorce and late-blooming sexual identity.

Setting

Florida

Themes

Sapphic piningFlorida atmosphereSecond act of lifeFriends to loversSapphicSlow BurnFriends to LoversLate BloomerEmotional

Strengths

  • Strong emotional foundation
  • Atmospheric use of setting
  • Highly relatable 'best friends' dynamic

Consider before reading

  • Pacing might be too slow for some readers
  • Reliance on the 'one storm' catalyst trope
Keep exploring

Similar Books You May Like

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Book Club

Discussion Guide

Questions to deepen your reading experience or spark a book club conversation.

  1. 1

    How does the central conflict shape the relationship between the main characters?

  2. 2

    Which theme — Sapphic pining — resonated most strongly with you, and why?

  3. 3

    How does the setting influence the characters' decisions and their relationship?

  4. 4

    Did the emotional payoff feel earned by the story's buildup?

  5. 5

    How do the relationship dynamics evolve throughout the story?

  6. 6

    Who would you most want to recommend this book to?

  7. 7

    How did the pacing affect your reading experience?

  8. 8

    Which aspect of the story did you find most compelling?

Questions are generated from approved book intelligence and may not reflect every reader's experience.
Trust & Transparency

How This Profile Was Created

Eikna uses book metadata and AI-assisted analysis to create structured romance profiles. Public profiles are reviewed and approved by an editor before publication.

Editor reviewed:
Yes
Last reviewed:
August 30, 2026
Confidence:
Moderate confidence
Profile version:
eikna-public-book-intelligence-v1
Meet the writer

About the Author

TJ

Tessa Jay

1 books
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What Readers Say

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Publication Details

Publisher
Independently Published
Published
2025
Language
English
ISBN-13
9798241899798

Soaked: quick answers

Who wrote Soaked?
Soaked was written by Tessa Jay.
When was Soaked published?
Soaked was first published in 2025 by Independently Published.
What genre is Soaked?
Soaked is a fiction romance novel, with friends to lovers, slow burn.
How spicy is Soaked?
EIKNA rates Soaked as sweet heat.

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Where to read or listen

Get Soaked by Tessa Jay

These store links are affiliate links (Amazon, Audible, Bookshop.org and Libro.fm). As an Amazon Associate, Eikna earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

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