A review by craftshley
Okay, Cupid by Mason Deaver

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Okay, Cupid is my first Mason Deaver book, though I own a couple and have even more on my TBR! It was a great one to start with, and appropriate for Valentine’s month. I love the magical addition of actual cupids, beings who orchestrate that perfect moment or moments that lead to a couple falling in love. Jude is a hopeless romantic, though they’re a cupid and are in charge of making love matches, rather than getting their own. After falling in love, and it being a spectacular failure because they’re a cupid, Jude is ready to prove themself to be the perfect cupid. If only they could resist falling in love again. How could they not, after all? It’s their first really long term assignment, all on their own, and of course they get paired up with the perfect guy. 

With how bubbly and fun the characters are, each with their own personalities, Okay, Cupid was easy to fall into and enjoy; I finished it in only a handful of reading sessions. Huy is an amazing character. A good son, active in sports at school, with good friends and solid relationships outside of his budding friendship with Jude. He’s super athletic but also enjoys making mix tapes, on actual cassettes. I know modern teenagers might not realize what cassettes are, or how they work, and I love Huy for the nostalgia he gave me. 

I would have liked more about the cupids in general. Perhaps a look at the older cupids and what they do on the daily. How they get their assignments, how they know who is on the verge of falling in love. Do they get an email with an assignment? Like a bizarre government agency? All clandestine and secretive except instead of nuclear codes and state secrets, it’s love. Which, honestly, is much more difficult to understand and manage, especially as a teenager navigating their first relationships. 

I love how much respect is placed in the feelings of teenagers. People always discount the feelings of teenagers, dismissing them and telling them they can’t experience love or deep feelings because they aren’t old enough. Because of that, I would recommend this book for teens who enjoy romance with a little bit of supernatural thrown in. Also for people hoping to expand their repertoire of queer books. With a non-binary narrator and a transmasc love interest, this book is sure to please! I will certainly be reading more of Mason Deaver in the future and will definitely be digging into my bookshelf to finally read those books that have been on my shelf for months.