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itscassreads's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Netgalley & The Parliament House for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
TW// loss of a parent, parental death, mention of mental health and child abandonment
I want to preface that I went into this book with completely different expectations because of the blurb and how it is targeted towards readers. It comes off as a rom-com twist on a classic holiday fairytale we as a society have played into. I was both pleasantly surprised and a tad disappointed that the story didn't match my expectations. Without spoiling and giving too much away I want to focus on the positives that this book brought to the table.
+ There are important discussions of loss, love and healing (loss of a parent, parental death etc.) and I appreciate the way the author handled these topics and the discussions the characters had.
+ Humorous/funny moments: Cupid & Megan's interaction made this book extremely enjoyable.
+ The second half of the book was much stronger and the epilogue was a pleasant surprise.
Some of the issues that overall made this a 3 star read for me was definitely the pacing and the overall execution of the story.
- Even though I was fully rooting for that breakthrough moment with Megan, she as a main character was very unlikeable, and pretty insufferable at times.
- The story felt rushed at times and every trope was pretty predictable.
- And lastly the love interest was not only a little bland (he was mentioned very little throughout the story as it was more focused on Megan's character development) but the connection between Megan and Jay came off very insta-lovey.
Overall, this book dealt well with heavy topics and showed great character development but fell short on delivering what I wanted with my reading experience.
★★★ stars
TW// loss of a parent, parental death, mention of mental health and child abandonment
I want to preface that I went into this book with completely different expectations because of the blurb and how it is targeted towards readers. It comes off as a rom-com twist on a classic holiday fairytale we as a society have played into. I was both pleasantly surprised and a tad disappointed that the story didn't match my expectations. Without spoiling and giving too much away I want to focus on the positives that this book brought to the table.
+ There are important discussions of loss, love and healing (loss of a parent, parental death etc.) and I appreciate the way the author handled these topics and the discussions the characters had.
+ Humorous/funny moments: Cupid & Megan's interaction made this book extremely enjoyable.
+ The second half of the book was much stronger and the epilogue was a pleasant surprise.
Some of the issues that overall made this a 3 star read for me was definitely the pacing and the overall execution of the story.
- Even though I was fully rooting for that breakthrough moment with Megan, she as a main character was very unlikeable, and pretty insufferable at times.
- The story felt rushed at times and every trope was pretty predictable.
- And lastly the love interest was not only a little bland (he was mentioned very little throughout the story as it was more focused on Megan's character development) but the connection between Megan and Jay came off very insta-lovey.
Overall, this book dealt well with heavy topics and showed great character development but fell short on delivering what I wanted with my reading experience.
★★★ stars
shelvedthoughts's review against another edition
5.0
Reader Notes:
– there are a few uses of ‘ass’ and many uses of ‘hell’ (as in ‘what the hell’,etc)
– the mom passes due to cancer in the prologue and this book mentions how the husband and daughter each deal/dealt with her death
– another character’s mom has schizophrenia and is in a mental hospital
Review:
This was such a cute and heartfelt story about love ❤️
We follow our main character, Megan, into the end of her last semester of high school. She is on her way out so she can begin college early and get away from the people who see her only as a girl who’s mom died from cancer. The last thing she needs to do is pass her Home EC final, which is also her worst class. Unfortunately for her, she is paired with the laziest person of her class, the one who tended to drop all the work on his partner for projects, and popular guy: Jay Michaels.
Then she accidentally hits someone with her car, Megan is clearly stressed. Now the person is claiming to be a cupid and enlists her to take over the last 3 marks for his arrows? She must be going delusional! So the next day, that’s what she thinks, it was just a dream…then the cupid pops out of thin air startling her and making her think, maybe the cupid is telling her the truth.
Follow Megan as she helps a cupid and relearns what love is by helping 3 couples find their best other halves. ❤️
– there are a few uses of ‘ass’ and many uses of ‘hell’ (as in ‘what the hell’,etc)
– the mom passes due to cancer in the prologue and this book mentions how the husband and daughter each deal/dealt with her death
– another character’s mom has schizophrenia and is in a mental hospital
Review:
This was such a cute and heartfelt story about love ❤️
We follow our main character, Megan, into the end of her last semester of high school. She is on her way out so she can begin college early and get away from the people who see her only as a girl who’s mom died from cancer. The last thing she needs to do is pass her Home EC final, which is also her worst class. Unfortunately for her, she is paired with the laziest person of her class, the one who tended to drop all the work on his partner for projects, and popular guy: Jay Michaels.
Then she accidentally hits someone with her car, Megan is clearly stressed. Now the person is claiming to be a cupid and enlists her to take over the last 3 marks for his arrows? She must be going delusional! So the next day, that’s what she thinks, it was just a dream…then the cupid pops out of thin air startling her and making her think, maybe the cupid is telling her the truth.
Follow Megan as she helps a cupid and relearns what love is by helping 3 couples find their best other halves. ❤️
illidia316's review against another edition
4.0
This is a cute book! I liked the characters and really enjoyed the storyline.
bookshelves4paperelves's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book!
I’m not usually into romance-y books but this ticked all the boxes and then some.
Yes, it was fluffy and a bit predictable but it was also funny and entertaining.
Definitely gave me the pick me up I needed!
I’m not usually into romance-y books but this ticked all the boxes and then some.
Yes, it was fluffy and a bit predictable but it was also funny and entertaining.
Definitely gave me the pick me up I needed!
the_bookish_raven's review
3.0
3/5 stars
I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, this cover is insanely gorgeous! That's what drew me to this book, and I really wanted to read it once I saw the MC and I shared our name.
Megan's mother died, leaving Megan alone with her father. Overwhelmed with grief, he becomes distant and leaves Megan to get through her grief and life alone. She's tired of their strained relationship and her high school where she has no friends. Her solution is to graduate early, but her grades in home ec are bad, and she needs to ace the final if she wants to graduate early. Unfortunately, she gets partnered with Jay, who is notorious for skipping out on projects. On top of that, she hits Cupid with her car, injuring him and leaving her to fulfill his role. Between the final and playing Cupid, Megan's life gets pretty crazy.
As much as I liked some aspects of this book, others fell flat for me. The prologue and many other parts of the book were beautifully written. I also liked the idea of cupids and their realm. However, Megan and Jay weren't that great. Megan did something towards the end of the book which was completely not okay and it was just glossed over. And even after we learn why Jay has been skipping work, I don't think that it was enough to justify his actions. I was expecting more of an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it was pretty much insta-love with Megan being mad at Jay while also admiring how attractive he was. They rarely interacted and their chemistry was almost non-existent until the end. I did like the ending and thought it wrapped things up nicely.
All in all, I liked some parts of this book while disliking several others. Maybe another reader who likes YA and insta-love would appreciate this more! The ending was satisfying and the book was pretty clean with only a few swear words.
I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, this cover is insanely gorgeous! That's what drew me to this book, and I really wanted to read it once I saw the MC and I shared our name.
Megan's mother died, leaving Megan alone with her father. Overwhelmed with grief, he becomes distant and leaves Megan to get through her grief and life alone. She's tired of their strained relationship and her high school where she has no friends. Her solution is to graduate early, but her grades in home ec are bad, and she needs to ace the final if she wants to graduate early. Unfortunately, she gets partnered with Jay, who is notorious for skipping out on projects. On top of that, she hits Cupid with her car, injuring him and leaving her to fulfill his role. Between the final and playing Cupid, Megan's life gets pretty crazy.
As much as I liked some aspects of this book, others fell flat for me. The prologue and many other parts of the book were beautifully written. I also liked the idea of cupids and their realm. However, Megan and Jay weren't that great. Megan did something towards the end of the book which was completely not okay and it was just glossed over. And even after we learn why Jay has been skipping work, I don't think that it was enough to justify his actions. I was expecting more of an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it was pretty much insta-love with Megan being mad at Jay while also admiring how attractive he was. They rarely interacted and their chemistry was almost non-existent until the end. I did like the ending and thought it wrapped things up nicely.
All in all, I liked some parts of this book while disliking several others. Maybe another reader who likes YA and insta-love would appreciate this more! The ending was satisfying and the book was pretty clean with only a few swear words.
kyrumption08's review
3.0
I got this novel as an eARC from Net Galley but all opinions are my own.
I started out this novel excited about a story based on cupid and his matching system. What I got instead was a typical YA novel with very little of Cupid.
Something I found great about this novel was the emotional scenes. They were so beautifully written and poignant. The relationship between Megan and her dad was so well executed.
However, this was otherwise fairly plain. The characters felt one dimentional, the main character was oblivious to anyone but herself. It also had a very strong aura of the "I'm not like other girls" trope that I dislike very strongly.
There was so little action in this novel, almost none of it was actually about cupid. Instead it was repetitive inner dialogue that could have been cut out.
This novel was not for me, and I had a very difficult time finishing it.
I started out this novel excited about a story based on cupid and his matching system. What I got instead was a typical YA novel with very little of Cupid.
Something I found great about this novel was the emotional scenes. They were so beautifully written and poignant. The relationship between Megan and her dad was so well executed.
However, this was otherwise fairly plain. The characters felt one dimentional, the main character was oblivious to anyone but herself. It also had a very strong aura of the "I'm not like other girls" trope that I dislike very strongly.
There was so little action in this novel, almost none of it was actually about cupid. Instead it was repetitive inner dialogue that could have been cut out.
This novel was not for me, and I had a very difficult time finishing it.
emmal_'s review
2.0
2.5 stars
This was a solid read! It was a fluffy pick-me-up, perfect for a bad day or you want something quick to read.
Playing Cupid follows Megan as she agrees to aid a cupid, Amadeo, with fulfilling his love match quota after accidentally running over him with her car. Of course, chaos ensues.
Grief, loss and love were themes prominent throughout the whole novel and I found them deftly handled. I felt Megan’s pain and loneliness through the pages and I rooted for her happiness.
I didn’t feel connected to the characters, unfortunately. Megan was slightly annoying and judgmental but she was so endearing, it was so hard not to root for her. Jay was kind of bland. This was possibly due to not enough page-time and we never get to know him as a person.
That being said, the romance felt rushed and insta-love. Megan and Jay hardly interacted with each other I would have preferred some more interaction between the two to see their dynamic.
Amadeo, on the other hand, was so much fun! He was sassy and incredibly understanding. I chuckled when he showed up on the pages.
In terms of the plot, it felt fairly coincidental. Everything just fell into place and arcs were easily resolved in a couple of pages. Except for the addition of cupid, this book didn’t really bring anything new to the table. It was fairly predictable but I had a fun time reading it regardless.
Thank you to The Parliament House and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a solid read! It was a fluffy pick-me-up, perfect for a bad day or you want something quick to read.
Playing Cupid follows Megan as she agrees to aid a cupid, Amadeo, with fulfilling his love match quota after accidentally running over him with her car. Of course, chaos ensues.
Grief, loss and love were themes prominent throughout the whole novel and I found them deftly handled. I felt Megan’s pain and loneliness through the pages and I rooted for her happiness.
I didn’t feel connected to the characters, unfortunately. Megan was slightly annoying and judgmental but she was so endearing, it was so hard not to root for her. Jay was kind of bland. This was possibly due to not enough page-time and we never get to know him as a person.
That being said, the romance felt rushed and insta-love. Megan and Jay hardly interacted with each other I would have preferred some more interaction between the two to see their dynamic.
Amadeo, on the other hand, was so much fun! He was sassy and incredibly understanding. I chuckled when he showed up on the pages.
In terms of the plot, it felt fairly coincidental. Everything just fell into place and arcs were easily resolved in a couple of pages. Except for the addition of cupid, this book didn’t really bring anything new to the table. It was fairly predictable but I had a fun time reading it regardless.
Thank you to The Parliament House and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
rebeccamae7's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
xxjenadanxx's review
3.0
Since the death of her mother six years ago the only time seventeen year old Megan let's her guard down is when she is driving, fast and recklessly, down the back roads that she knows like the back of her hand. But one afternoon just as she takes a curve a small person darts in front of her, causing her to lose control of her truck and crash. When she comes to a few minutes later she is miraculously unharmed. Beside herself with the fear that she has killed someone she searches for whoever ran in front of her and finds, not the child she expected, but a small man dressed completely in shades of pink. Injured and insistent that he is a Cupid, an immortal being of love, he enlists Megan's help with making love connections for the last three names on his list.
Retrospectively this storyline reminds me of a Valentine's version of The Santa Clause (The Tim Allen movie). However for a book all about love and a mythical race of Cupids I found it to be unexpectedly heavy. With the exception of Amadeus (the Cupid) all the characters in this book are suffering from palpable loss and grief and more than once I found myself crying. Not exactly the fun romance I thought I was getting into!
I still liked the book but I'm not sure I would have picked it up had I realized how melancholy it would be.
.
.
CW: Terminal Illness, Mental Illness, Emotional Abandonment, Child Neglect
Retrospectively this storyline reminds me of a Valentine's version of The Santa Clause (The Tim Allen movie). However for a book all about love and a mythical race of Cupids I found it to be unexpectedly heavy. With the exception of Amadeus (the Cupid) all the characters in this book are suffering from palpable loss and grief and more than once I found myself crying. Not exactly the fun romance I thought I was getting into!
I still liked the book but I'm not sure I would have picked it up had I realized how melancholy it would be.
.
.
CW: Terminal Illness, Mental Illness, Emotional Abandonment, Child Neglect
saimabee's review
3.0
3/5 stars.
Content warnings:
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
In Playing Cupid, our main character Megan keeps everyone at a distance and has lost her faith in love after having lost her mother and developed a strained relationship with her father. Her main goal is to graduate early and move on with her life, but getting caught up in helping a Cupid reach their yearly love quota throws a wrench in her plans. It's a cute story about love and loss, with Megan opening her eyes up to love and learning to deal with her grief about her mother's death without letting it hinder her relationships now. Her grief was palpable and really made me feel for her, and I was more invested in her dealing with that loss and reconciling with her dad, rather than what was going on in her romantic life.
I struggled to like her love interest, Jay. I've always had a dislike for love interests who are shown to be arrogant and lazy, and Jay is that for majority of the book. For example, He flakes on Megan multiple times, and calls her 'Meggo' when he knows she has a problem with it since her late mother used to call her that. While we learn more about him later in the book, and I warm up to him a little, I still don't think it entirely justifies his actions in blowing off Megan and letting her do all the work (as well as other classmates in the past?).
Amadeo was an interesting character, and I enjoyed reading about him and wish we could have gotten more about him in a way that was less expositional. Overall, it was a sweet read that I think readers who love fluffy romances will enjoy.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
death of a parent, brief depictions of cancer, brief depictions of schizophrenia and hospitalisationThank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
In Playing Cupid, our main character Megan keeps everyone at a distance and has lost her faith in love after having lost her mother and developed a strained relationship with her father. Her main goal is to graduate early and move on with her life, but getting caught up in helping a Cupid reach their yearly love quota throws a wrench in her plans. It's a cute story about love and loss, with Megan opening her eyes up to love and learning to deal with her grief about her mother's death without letting it hinder her relationships now. Her grief was palpable and really made me feel for her, and I was more invested in her dealing with that loss and reconciling with her dad, rather than what was going on in her romantic life.
I struggled to like her love interest, Jay. I've always had a dislike for love interests who are shown to be arrogant and lazy, and Jay is that for majority of the book. For example, He flakes on Megan multiple times, and calls her 'Meggo' when he knows she has a problem with it since her late mother used to call her that. While we learn more about him later in the book, and I warm up to him a little, I still don't think it entirely justifies his actions in blowing off Megan and letting her do all the work (as well as other classmates in the past?).
Amadeo was an interesting character, and I enjoyed reading about him and wish we could have gotten more about him in a way that was less expositional. Overall, it was a sweet read that I think readers who love fluffy romances will enjoy.