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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
This book showed up at my library and I thought it sounded so bonkers that I had to read it. I consume a surprising amount of Mothman media. My expectations were low. It was not too bad. Heather is a feather-headed lady but she’s sweet. She’s also ready to roll with whatever happens. Mothman is alright. He’s a mothish man really. The bad guy is so much like Gaston I wouldn’t have been surprised if he ate 4 dozen eggs.
It’s enjoyable if you don’t think too hard about it. I have no idea how to rate it.
It’s enjoyable if you don’t think too hard about it. I have no idea how to rate it.
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is and reads like a debut novel. The writer finds their stride about halfway through the book. At that point the scenes and diatribes begin to flow better.
Overall, it was a fun read but I as much as I love Mothman, I don’t think this is a fit for me. Based on the growth in the writing seen by the end of the book, I expect the next two to be even more enjoyable if this type of monster romance is your jam.
Overall, it was a fun read but I as much as I love Mothman, I don’t think this is a fit for me. Based on the growth in the writing seen by the end of the book, I expect the next two to be even more enjoyable if this type of monster romance is your jam.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping
Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Misogyny
fast-paced
The irony here is I used to live in the Orlando Florida area and now I'm the neighbor of the Mothman just like our protagonist Heather i.e. HoneyLatte. Heather grew up online. Her mother was the original Online Mommy Influencer who has morphed into a different online personality now that Heather is a grown woman. Heather had no choice but to follow in her mom's footsteps but at the opening of the novel she's fed up. She wants to unplug and live a 'normal' life.
The big problem here is Heather has jack in the way of real world skills, nothing but the scads of money she's made. She comes north and buys the first crappy cabin in the woods she finds, honestly believing it'll be just like the cottage core stuff she sees online. I mean she doesn't even check to see if the roof is sound (it's not). In fact, Heather is rather annoying in general.
She goes into town to the general store (why there and not to the Piggly Wiggly, dollar general or family dollars that dotted this area in abundance, I'm chalking it up to author choice and/or hasn't really looked up the setting, more on that in a bit.) and runs into the owners, a lesbian couple whom she bonds with instantly. They own a farm as well and provide a lot of the locally grown stuff in the store. One of them has a brother, Chris, who is a cryptid hunter who is after, naturally, The Mothman.
Of course, The Mothman crashes into her life (quite literally) and as Heather takes care of the injured cryptid what normally happens in a romance novel, happens. Of course, he does have a more human form and since he is one of those legends that doesn't have much going on outside of the initial report and him being a 'harbinger spirit' it's a wide open field for Lavoie to make up some backstory for him.
I had two rather large disappointments with this story. One, Chris. He starts off as a half-assed potential love interest who seems genuinely concerned about Heather being out in the deep woods by herself and having no idea how to handle a house (or a cryptid for that matter) but it was like half way into the book Lavoie decided, oh right I don't have any conflict let's make Chris jealous, bullying and outrightly nasty. (Personally I think he should have been the hapless cryptid hunter and her overbearing mom could have filled that role because half Heather's story is stepping out of Mom's shadow. That would have made sense storytelling wise). The ending for him (and the story in general) just didn't work for me at all.
Secondly it feels obvious that Lavoie loves the legend of The Mothman (even working in his original descriptions as The Owlman) but it felt like she spent no time at all researching Point Pleasant. If this was the 90s, I'd be more forgiving. But you can pull up Google Earth for free and scope out a place. There is so much information on towns online that it seems a shame that to a local the lack of research is so glaring. Could we argue Heather is being melodramatic bemoaning it's a hundred miles to the nearest Wal-Mart? Sure. On the other hand, it's like 5 miles across the Silver Bridge to the one in Gallipolis (and about 30 to the ones in Jackson and Barboursville). There is literally no sense at all we're in Point Pleasant. The setting was wasted and that's a shame. Heck there wasn't even a mention of The Mothman Festival (I'm sitting here typing this wearing a T-shirt from that festival)
I'm side eyeing the twist at the end. There will be a sequel and as much as I like helping my local bookstore (which had this prominently displayed) I don't think I'd buy the next one (maybe if the library had it)
The big problem here is Heather has jack in the way of real world skills, nothing but the scads of money she's made. She comes north and buys the first crappy cabin in the woods she finds, honestly believing it'll be just like the cottage core stuff she sees online. I mean she doesn't even check to see if the roof is sound (it's not). In fact, Heather is rather annoying in general.
She goes into town to the general store (why there and not to the Piggly Wiggly, dollar general or family dollars that dotted this area in abundance, I'm chalking it up to author choice and/or hasn't really looked up the setting, more on that in a bit.) and runs into the owners, a lesbian couple whom she bonds with instantly. They own a farm as well and provide a lot of the locally grown stuff in the store. One of them has a brother, Chris, who is a cryptid hunter who is after, naturally, The Mothman.
Of course, The Mothman crashes into her life (quite literally) and as Heather takes care of the injured cryptid what normally happens in a romance novel, happens. Of course, he does have a more human form and since he is one of those legends that doesn't have much going on outside of the initial report and him being a 'harbinger spirit' it's a wide open field for Lavoie to make up some backstory for him.
I had two rather large disappointments with this story. One, Chris. He starts off as a half-assed potential love interest who seems genuinely concerned about Heather being out in the deep woods by herself and having no idea how to handle a house (or a cryptid for that matter) but it was like half way into the book Lavoie decided, oh right I don't have any conflict let's make Chris jealous, bullying and outrightly nasty. (Personally I think he should have been the hapless cryptid hunter and her overbearing mom could have filled that role because half Heather's story is stepping out of Mom's shadow. That would have made sense storytelling wise). The ending for him (and the story in general) just didn't work for me at all.
Secondly it feels obvious that Lavoie loves the legend of The Mothman (even working in his original descriptions as The Owlman) but it felt like she spent no time at all researching Point Pleasant. If this was the 90s, I'd be more forgiving. But you can pull up Google Earth for free and scope out a place. There is so much information on towns online that it seems a shame that to a local the lack of research is so glaring. Could we argue Heather is being melodramatic bemoaning it's a hundred miles to the nearest Wal-Mart? Sure. On the other hand, it's like 5 miles across the Silver Bridge to the one in Gallipolis (and about 30 to the ones in Jackson and Barboursville). There is literally no sense at all we're in Point Pleasant. The setting was wasted and that's a shame. Heck there wasn't even a mention of The Mothman Festival (I'm sitting here typing this wearing a T-shirt from that festival)
I'm side eyeing the twist at the end. There will be a sequel and as much as I like helping my local bookstore (which had this prominently displayed) I don't think I'd buy the next one (maybe if the library had it)
I'm disappointed in myself for wanting more spice and Mothman to not talk.
Cute!
Such a cute little romance! It's incredibly entertaining as well.
also, uh, i now have a crush on the mothman.
Such a cute little romance! It's incredibly entertaining as well.
also, uh, i now have a crush on the mothman.