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jenbookish 's review for:
Love At First Fright
by Nadia El-Fassi
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This enemies-to-lovers romance has a promising premise, but in trying to do too many things at once, it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. While it’s marketed as a paranormal romance, the ghostly elements often take a backseat to the strong LGBTQ themes, which are central to the story but aren’t mentioned in the plot synopsis.
Both Ellis and Rosemary are queer—established early on—but their experiences are very different, which comes through in their characters. I loved Rosemary with her optimism and quiet confidence; she felt well-rounded, though I wish her paranormal gift had been explored a bit more. Ellis, on the other hand, left me feeling conflicted—we glimpse some of his emotions, but never the full weight of them. I get the intended contrast between his public persona and his true self, but showing it mostly through surface traits rather than digging deeper meant the book missed a chance to fully explore its LGBTQ themes.
As a couple, Rosemary and Ellis have chemistry, but their initial push-and-pull tension quickly gives way to a full-blown romance, which ends up feeling rushed. The secondary romance (which I won’t discuss to avoid spoilers) also felt incomplete.
My biggest issue with the book is the uneven queer representation. With so many one-dimensional queer side characters, the author unintentionally took focus away from the central romances and their LGBTQ themes.
That said, there’s a lot to enjoy here: an original premise, creative world building, and the potential for some really compelling queer storytelling. But ultimately, it felt overextended and underdeveloped. Fans of paranormal romance or quirky, ambitious stories may enjoy it, though I kept wishing the story had focused on a few core elements rather than trying to do everything at once.
Thanks so much to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.