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A review by hollidayreadswithme
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
4.0
For more of my reviews, check out my book blog at www.readingreckless.wordpress.com.
Please explain to me why the only things that spur female characters in books to change their lives are men cheating on them or a sudden job change. Can someone tell me why they always have absolutely nothing going on?
Well Met by Jen DeLuca is a complex, witty romantic comedy set in a small town during a Renaissance fair. Emily Parker is a down on her luck sister who comes into town to help her sister April out with caring for her teenage daughter after April has suffered injuries when she got into a car accident. April’s daughter wants to be apart of the Renaissance fair and in order for her to participate, she needs a chaperone. Emily is suckered into being that chaperone.
Simon is the antagonist in this story, which means of course we are getting an enemies-to-lovers trope. I’m usually not okay with that because there is always something that I find utterly unforgivable in the actions of the man during the “Enemies phase” (ex. Unhoneymooners, The Hating Game), but this just felt like an unveiling of emotion. He was wound up so tight that he needed more than anything to see that there was another way to live and that the people around him liked him for who he was, not his brother’s shadow.
I’m noticing in a lot of the books that I have been reading lately, that sibling drama plays a large role, the distance or the closeness does something to the younger sibling that mars them in some way. Familial dynamics, in general, are being explored with more depth and purpose.
With romance being the main story arc, I fully expected Emily to be fully ensnared with the romance. However, I would say that her personality didn’t change; she started to find her own love for the town that she developed for herself. Making friends, though being terrified due to long-standing trust issues. Her character was developed well and Simon was a well fleshed out character. I found myself squealing with delight when they finally got together. And it’s not a spoiler because duh. I did appreciate that she didn’t directly move in with him, he suggested it and she held her ground about taking things slow. The last two romances I read ended with engagements, and in those cases, it didn’t really feel like they were warranted just yet.
The writing was a bit flowery, but I did appreciate the descriptions of the fair, the dresses, the queen. It did really make me want to find a renaissance fair and go. The book takes place over a 6 week period and instead of isolating the narrative to those weekends when Simon and Emily were sure to see each other, DeLuca used that time to develop Emily so that every weekend she grew. It was almost like a progress report. She would talk to someone during the week and then see them at the fair and the closeness was established.
The one reason I’m not going to give this a five star is because of the bookstore conflict. It seemed like she was getting along really well with Chris, but when she started having doubts about whether or not she would still have her job at the bookstore, she didn’t really do anything to talk about the situation. Her communication skills are so poor. But there is nothing in her past that would indicate that she has this lack. Perhaps from feeling unwanted from her ex-boyfriend. But even then, that was something outside the realm of rational thought.
In any case, was this a good book? Yes.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Should you read it? Hell yes.
Please explain to me why the only things that spur female characters in books to change their lives are men cheating on them or a sudden job change. Can someone tell me why they always have absolutely nothing going on?
Well Met by Jen DeLuca is a complex, witty romantic comedy set in a small town during a Renaissance fair. Emily Parker is a down on her luck sister who comes into town to help her sister April out with caring for her teenage daughter after April has suffered injuries when she got into a car accident. April’s daughter wants to be apart of the Renaissance fair and in order for her to participate, she needs a chaperone. Emily is suckered into being that chaperone.
Simon is the antagonist in this story, which means of course we are getting an enemies-to-lovers trope. I’m usually not okay with that because there is always something that I find utterly unforgivable in the actions of the man during the “Enemies phase” (ex. Unhoneymooners, The Hating Game), but this just felt like an unveiling of emotion. He was wound up so tight that he needed more than anything to see that there was another way to live and that the people around him liked him for who he was, not his brother’s shadow.
I’m noticing in a lot of the books that I have been reading lately, that sibling drama plays a large role, the distance or the closeness does something to the younger sibling that mars them in some way. Familial dynamics, in general, are being explored with more depth and purpose.
With romance being the main story arc, I fully expected Emily to be fully ensnared with the romance. However, I would say that her personality didn’t change; she started to find her own love for the town that she developed for herself. Making friends, though being terrified due to long-standing trust issues. Her character was developed well and Simon was a well fleshed out character. I found myself squealing with delight when they finally got together. And it’s not a spoiler because duh. I did appreciate that she didn’t directly move in with him, he suggested it and she held her ground about taking things slow. The last two romances I read ended with engagements, and in those cases, it didn’t really feel like they were warranted just yet.
The writing was a bit flowery, but I did appreciate the descriptions of the fair, the dresses, the queen. It did really make me want to find a renaissance fair and go. The book takes place over a 6 week period and instead of isolating the narrative to those weekends when Simon and Emily were sure to see each other, DeLuca used that time to develop Emily so that every weekend she grew. It was almost like a progress report. She would talk to someone during the week and then see them at the fair and the closeness was established.
The one reason I’m not going to give this a five star is because of the bookstore conflict. It seemed like she was getting along really well with Chris, but when she started having doubts about whether or not she would still have her job at the bookstore, she didn’t really do anything to talk about the situation. Her communication skills are so poor. But there is nothing in her past that would indicate that she has this lack. Perhaps from feeling unwanted from her ex-boyfriend. But even then, that was something outside the realm of rational thought.
In any case, was this a good book? Yes.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Should you read it? Hell yes.