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A review by bookaroundandfindout
The Little Shop of Grand Curiosities by Iris Lake
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK AND THIS WORLD!!!
What started as a whimsical tale of girl meets annoying boy became our main character, Nepheli's, ascension into adulthood. Apollo, our rakish MMC, drags Nepheli out of her comfort zone to run away from monsters. All the things that Nepheli hoped and dreamed of, read about in her little shop of curiosities, are now very real and right in front of her. She should feel the excitement and wonder of all the things that she had read coming to life with her at the center to explore.
So why is she so scared?
Apollo doesn't have feelings, he doesn't care and yet he barrels into Nephili's in search of something that might solve the all the problems he's ran away from for so long. As he destroys the shop that he barrels into, he turns Nephili's world inside out.
And now he's stuck here's with this infuriating beautiful stubborn woman.
As the pair travels together, they fight the urge to kill each other (or is it to kiss each other)? They discover what it means to be themselves, to shed the skin of who they used to be, and to build themselves into who they can become. I personally loved this novel for its sweet love story and amazing banter—I love a good verbal parry, and the whole book is a verbal foreplay into something—ehem— quite spicy, and satisfying.
I also love the exploration of what it means to be human and how we constantly restrict ourselves, thereby restricting all our hopes and dreams along with it. Nepheli struggles to reconcile the ideas and images she has in her head with the reality of the magical world she is in, to put aside her immediate judgment of everyone and everything because it’s easier to judge than to be judged. She truly grows, and along with her, we find that Apollo grows as well, learning the kind of man he could have the chance of being if he could be that man for her.
100% recommend as a gorgeous summer day beach or garden read for those who love an enemies-to-lovers romance, the fantastical world of stardust, and vintage fantasy cottagecore vibes.
What started as a whimsical tale of girl meets annoying boy became our main character, Nepheli's, ascension into adulthood. Apollo, our rakish MMC, drags Nepheli out of her comfort zone to run away from monsters. All the things that Nepheli hoped and dreamed of, read about in her little shop of curiosities, are now very real and right in front of her. She should feel the excitement and wonder of all the things that she had read coming to life with her at the center to explore.
So why is she so scared?
Apollo doesn't have feelings, he doesn't care and yet he barrels into Nephili's in search of something that might solve the all the problems he's ran away from for so long. As he destroys the shop that he barrels into, he turns Nephili's world inside out.
And now he's stuck here's with this infuriating beautiful stubborn woman.
As the pair travels together, they fight the urge to kill each other (or is it to kiss each other)? They discover what it means to be themselves, to shed the skin of who they used to be, and to build themselves into who they can become. I personally loved this novel for its sweet love story and amazing banter—I love a good verbal parry, and the whole book is a verbal foreplay into something—ehem— quite spicy, and satisfying.
I also love the exploration of what it means to be human and how we constantly restrict ourselves, thereby restricting all our hopes and dreams along with it. Nepheli struggles to reconcile the ideas and images she has in her head with the reality of the magical world she is in, to put aside her immediate judgment of everyone and everything because it’s easier to judge than to be judged. She truly grows, and along with her, we find that Apollo grows as well, learning the kind of man he could have the chance of being if he could be that man for her.
100% recommend as a gorgeous summer day beach or garden read for those who love an enemies-to-lovers romance, the fantastical world of stardust, and vintage fantasy cottagecore vibes.