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unareads11 's review for:
Love At First Fright
by Nadia El-Fassi
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Everyone who knows me knows that I'm absolutely obsessed with Best Hex Ever. It's the only standalone I have multiple editions of. I love that story, its coziness, its diverse rep, just all of it. So hearing Nadia El-Fassi is writing another interconnected standalone had me FERAL and I'm so thankful to Dell Romance for sending over an ARC for this book.
Dina is one of my favorite FMCs of all time so I didn't think Rosemary could ever compete, but Nadia being the gifted writer she is reminded me throughout this story that nothing is competition and two gloriously flawed FMCs can coexist. I loved Rosemary's character (even if I was a little confused about her ties to the American South) and admired her bravery in the face of an extremely misogynistic field of work (horror writing). Her friendship with Immy and Dina is such a cozy addition to the plot and I love that all of them have their little magical quirks. Seeing ghosts as a horror author is a fun plot point, and the ghosts she encounters while on set for her book's film adaptation are such a hoot! I think the topics of bi-phobia and bi-erasure are handled quite consciously in this book and I can see it being a point of contention to some readers. I'd like to remind everyone who reads this book that creating a monolith of "the bisexual experience" is also hateful, so maybe make space for the many experiences bi men and women have? Including those of Ellis and Rosemary.
I thought the magic system (the rules for ghosts and seeing them) was fun, cozy, and heartwarming. I hope Nadia never stops writing these adorable love stories!!
Dina is one of my favorite FMCs of all time so I didn't think Rosemary could ever compete, but Nadia being the gifted writer she is reminded me throughout this story that nothing is competition and two gloriously flawed FMCs can coexist. I loved Rosemary's character (even if I was a little confused about her ties to the American South) and admired her bravery in the face of an extremely misogynistic field of work (horror writing). Her friendship with Immy and Dina is such a cozy addition to the plot and I love that all of them have their little magical quirks. Seeing ghosts as a horror author is a fun plot point, and the ghosts she encounters while on set for her book's film adaptation are such a hoot! I think the topics of bi-phobia and bi-erasure are handled quite consciously in this book and I can see it being a point of contention to some readers. I'd like to remind everyone who reads this book that creating a monolith of "the bisexual experience" is also hateful, so maybe make space for the many experiences bi men and women have? Including those of Ellis and Rosemary.
I thought the magic system (the rules for ghosts and seeing them) was fun, cozy, and heartwarming. I hope Nadia never stops writing these adorable love stories!!