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A review by lezreadalot
The Love Study by Kris Ripper
4.0
Here’s how my friends describe me to new people: “This is Declan. He left his last boyfriend at the altar, so watch out.”
Bro I'm super glad I got the chance to read this fantastically queer, quirky, rom-com love story with a genderqueer love interest. Not everything about it worked for me, but mostly I liked the ways in which it was different, the ways it broke the mould. Declan, a grade-A commitment-phobe, finds himself as a guest on a YouTube show, being set up on blind dates. It's not exactly the plan for him to fall for the charming host, but that's what happens.
I love all the on-page character interaction we get, the way the author doesn't skimp on showing us little moments that bring the characters close together, mundane conversations that give a great sense of their personalities and character. There's a lot of great dialogue and communication in this book, and it's one of the rare cases where I'm not frustrated when lack of communication becomes an issue. Declan is kinda going through it, and his anxiety manifests in believable ways. That was one of my favourite things about this; how realistically and pragmatically anxiety is portrayed. I really loved Sidney, my new favourite spinster uncle, and how they were gentle and practical and sort of like a guiding force for Declan, while also prioritising themselves? This isn't quite friends to lovers, but we definitely get a deep sense of Declan and Sidney's friendship, which I loved. Maybe more so than their attraction? But I hesitate to list that as a detracting factor, because it worked for this love story imo.
I really liked the core group of friends; that's something I always like seeing in romances. They had a lot of banter and chemistry, and I look forward to seeing them in future books! The characters are in their late twenties, but this definitely had a kinda new adult feel to it sometimes? At least in the writing style/dialogue. It sometimes felt TOO quirky and a bit young and didn't totally work for me (as well as like, the strikethroughs). But it might for someone else. There WERE a couple fun references that I really enjoyed (those are my fave Zen/Mercy voice lines too!!) that might be lost on other people.
3.5 stars. This was a lot of fun; a quick read that made me smile in a lot of different places.
☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.
Bro I'm super glad I got the chance to read this fantastically queer, quirky, rom-com love story with a genderqueer love interest. Not everything about it worked for me, but mostly I liked the ways in which it was different, the ways it broke the mould. Declan, a grade-A commitment-phobe, finds himself as a guest on a YouTube show, being set up on blind dates. It's not exactly the plan for him to fall for the charming host, but that's what happens.
I love all the on-page character interaction we get, the way the author doesn't skimp on showing us little moments that bring the characters close together, mundane conversations that give a great sense of their personalities and character. There's a lot of great dialogue and communication in this book, and it's one of the rare cases where I'm not frustrated when lack of communication becomes an issue. Declan is kinda going through it, and his anxiety manifests in believable ways. That was one of my favourite things about this; how realistically and pragmatically anxiety is portrayed. I really loved Sidney, my new favourite spinster uncle, and how they were gentle and practical and sort of like a guiding force for Declan, while also prioritising themselves? This isn't quite friends to lovers, but we definitely get a deep sense of Declan and Sidney's friendship, which I loved. Maybe more so than their attraction? But I hesitate to list that as a detracting factor, because it worked for this love story imo.
I really liked the core group of friends; that's something I always like seeing in romances. They had a lot of banter and chemistry, and I look forward to seeing them in future books! The characters are in their late twenties, but this definitely had a kinda new adult feel to it sometimes? At least in the writing style/dialogue. It sometimes felt TOO quirky and a bit young and didn't totally work for me (as well as like, the strikethroughs). But it might for someone else. There WERE a couple fun references that I really enjoyed (those are my fave Zen/Mercy voice lines too!!) that might be lost on other people.
3.5 stars. This was a lot of fun; a quick read that made me smile in a lot of different places.
☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.