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A review by justagirlwithabook
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
We're back in Willow Creek, small town home to April Parker and her daughter, Cait. After the events of "Well Met," April has fully physically recovered from a terrible accident, but there's still a lot of healing inside that she doesn't even realize needs to be done. As a single mother whose husband walked out their family nearly two decades ago, April has gotten used to doing things herself and making decisions that are best for her and Cait, and the newest decision is a big one: fix up her house, put it on the market, and move.
When an unexpected family get-together looms on the horizon for the town's hottest kilt-wearing bachelor and Ren Faire volunteer, Mitch, April agrees to help her friend out: play the part of his girlfriend just for the weekend so his family will finally get off has back about settling down and maybe take him a little bit more seriously, for once. In exchange? Mitch will help out with fixing up April's house so she can sell it and move on.
As April spends more time with Mitch she discovers that maybe there's more to this man than meets the eye. Caught between Mitch, Willow Creek, and big life changes (Cait graduating and going to college, friends and family getting married and settling down, potentially moving to a new place), April has some big decisions and big feelings to contend with.
What I Loved:
- Fast-paced story (I read this in under 24 hours!)
- Lighthearted with fun characters that were easy to love and enjoy, with plenty of returning characters but of course a few new ones! It's fun to read about each of their stories with each book in the series.
- The Renaissance Fair aspects are completely my favorite (though of course I wish there had been a bit more attention paid to the fair in this third book).
- The second book of the series (Well Played) fell a little short for me (it didn't quite have as much charm or depth as the first book, Well Met), but I was happy to see that this third book bounced back a bit and did a better job in having the reader connect with the characters. There seemed to be a bit more attention paid to both Mitch and April's stories and it felt like there was more depth this time around.
What I Didn’t Love:
- I was most disappointed (and by disappointed, I mean truly gutted) to discover that Mitch is a CrossFit dude. I think adding workout details in regards to Mitch's character is totally fine and great, but I desperately wish that CrossFit hadn't been the chosen golden child to fit that purpose, especially because I feel like having that CrossFit association colors Mitch's character in a less-than-lovable light (he never comes across as a self-absorbed gym rat, but throwing out the C name like that makes the reader rethink how down to earth Mitch really is).
- It took a much longer time than the first or second book to revisit the Renaissance Fair (it wasn't really reintroduced officially until around 50-60% in). The Renaissance Fair aspect is what makes this rom-com series unique and fun, and with every next book in the series, it becomes less and less an anchor in the storyline. I hope this doesn't become a trend and that the fourth book contains even less.
- This series follows a very clear formula in regards to the plot (but I'm STILL here picking these books up because I do really love and enjoy them!) and one of those aspects is that the characters declare love to one another fairly quickly. But, for the sake of the propose of a fun rom-com that has to be wrapped up in under 350 pages, we just suspend our disbelief and lean into it.
- This one didn’t quite have the same amount of charm as the first one of the series (I don't know that any of them ever will - there's always something extra magical about the first book in a series) but I was also happy to see that it had a bit more depth to it in comparison to the second of the series.
Overall:
I read this one in under 24 hours because it was truly that fun! I realize that no subsequent books in this series will ever be as pleasantly delightful as the first book, Well Met - there was something extra special about that one (perhaps discovering a fun, unique twist to the classic rom-com with the introduction of a Renaissance Fair!). That being said, this third book was an improvement over the second one (Well Played), and I felt like readers were able to return to some characters that meant a lot, that had gotten a lot of page-time in the first two books, and whose stories we were invested in. As always, the Renaissance Fair aspects of these stories are my favorite parts and the most fun; they make this series truly unique and will always leave me ready to pick up the next book. I do wish that the Renaissance Fair had gotten a bit more page-time (and perhaps something new and fun could've been introduced there), but as it stands, it was still enjoyable! The ending gave hints as to who will be the focus of the fourth book (as each of the books in the series tends to do), and I'm curious to see where that story will go (and how the Fair will hopefully be well-incorporated).
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an e-ARC of this book!
When an unexpected family get-together looms on the horizon for the town's hottest kilt-wearing bachelor and Ren Faire volunteer, Mitch, April agrees to help her friend out: play the part of his girlfriend just for the weekend so his family will finally get off has back about settling down and maybe take him a little bit more seriously, for once. In exchange? Mitch will help out with fixing up April's house so she can sell it and move on.
As April spends more time with Mitch she discovers that maybe there's more to this man than meets the eye. Caught between Mitch, Willow Creek, and big life changes (Cait graduating and going to college, friends and family getting married and settling down, potentially moving to a new place), April has some big decisions and big feelings to contend with.
What I Loved:
- Fast-paced story (I read this in under 24 hours!)
- Lighthearted with fun characters that were easy to love and enjoy, with plenty of returning characters but of course a few new ones! It's fun to read about each of their stories with each book in the series.
- The Renaissance Fair aspects are completely my favorite (though of course I wish there had been a bit more attention paid to the fair in this third book).
- The second book of the series (Well Played) fell a little short for me (it didn't quite have as much charm or depth as the first book, Well Met), but I was happy to see that this third book bounced back a bit and did a better job in having the reader connect with the characters. There seemed to be a bit more attention paid to both Mitch and April's stories and it felt like there was more depth this time around.
What I Didn’t Love:
- I was most disappointed (and by disappointed, I mean truly gutted) to discover that Mitch is a CrossFit dude. I think adding workout details in regards to Mitch's character is totally fine and great, but I desperately wish that CrossFit hadn't been the chosen golden child to fit that purpose, especially because I feel like having that CrossFit association colors Mitch's character in a less-than-lovable light (he never comes across as a self-absorbed gym rat, but throwing out the C name like that makes the reader rethink how down to earth Mitch really is).
- It took a much longer time than the first or second book to revisit the Renaissance Fair (it wasn't really reintroduced officially until around 50-60% in). The Renaissance Fair aspect is what makes this rom-com series unique and fun, and with every next book in the series, it becomes less and less an anchor in the storyline. I hope this doesn't become a trend and that the fourth book contains even less.
- This series follows a very clear formula in regards to the plot (but I'm STILL here picking these books up because I do really love and enjoy them!) and one of those aspects is that the characters declare love to one another fairly quickly. But, for the sake of the propose of a fun rom-com that has to be wrapped up in under 350 pages, we just suspend our disbelief and lean into it.
- This one didn’t quite have the same amount of charm as the first one of the series (I don't know that any of them ever will - there's always something extra magical about the first book in a series) but I was also happy to see that it had a bit more depth to it in comparison to the second of the series.
Overall:
I read this one in under 24 hours because it was truly that fun! I realize that no subsequent books in this series will ever be as pleasantly delightful as the first book, Well Met - there was something extra special about that one (perhaps discovering a fun, unique twist to the classic rom-com with the introduction of a Renaissance Fair!). That being said, this third book was an improvement over the second one (Well Played), and I felt like readers were able to return to some characters that meant a lot, that had gotten a lot of page-time in the first two books, and whose stories we were invested in. As always, the Renaissance Fair aspects of these stories are my favorite parts and the most fun; they make this series truly unique and will always leave me ready to pick up the next book. I do wish that the Renaissance Fair had gotten a bit more page-time (and perhaps something new and fun could've been introduced there), but as it stands, it was still enjoyable! The ending gave hints as to who will be the focus of the fourth book (as each of the books in the series tends to do), and I'm curious to see where that story will go (and how the Fair will hopefully be well-incorporated).
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an e-ARC of this book!