A review by wordwilderness
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

 
I picked this book up hoping for a cute romance and got exactly what I wanted. The tone of Meet Cute Diary was light and comical, but there was an underlying vulnerability woven into the narrative. Lee writes with such love for the trans community and touches on how transphobia impacts trans people’s ability to see themselves as worthy of love.

Noah was a delightful protagonist to follow. He could be selfish and a bit snarky, but it was obvious he felt deeply. I had so much fun fantasizing with Noah about the perfect meet-cute. It reminded me of how I thought about dating and relationships when I was 16. Romantic comedies are as much about individual growth as they are about romance, so I loved getting to see Noah grow as a character.

I also loved how Noah’s blog was integrated into the story. Lee effortlessly shows the pressure to have the perfect life that comes from social media while also showing how it can be used as a tool for good. As a trans boy, Noah didn’t see himself portrayed as desirable in love stories. He uses his blog, the Meet Cute Diary, both as a way to create a better reality for himself and to give hope to other trans people. When the troll exposed the blog as fiction, I felt torn about what I wanted for Noah. I could see how much the Meet Cute Diary meant to him, but I also wanted him to focus more on his reality. I loved how Lee showed the conflict between needing some form of escapism and the damage we can inflict when we become too absorbed in our own worlds.

The romance in Meet Cute Diary was definitely as cute as you’d expect. The connection between the characters was subtle at first, and their growth as a couple felt very natural. I loved how [redacted] brought out the best in Noah. The unquestionably kind love interest was a refreshing change from the typical dark and mysterious YA love interests. This was one of those love stories that left me feeling all the warm and fuzzy feelings.

The only issue I had with this book was that the ending was too long. I got bored during the last couple of chapters and think the ending could have wrapped up quicker. But, overall this was a cute, fun read that I’d recommend to any fan of romcoms.

Thank you to the author, Emery Lee, for my gifted copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

 
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