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maddireads13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
mabellene's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Car accident
Minor: Abandonment
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
4.0
Well Met by Jen DeLuca is a fun Renaissance Faire-themed romance between an English teacher with a piratey side and a woman looking for roots. I really liked Emily and Simon and how their relationship develops as the summer progresses. They're a bit grumpy/sass (I wouldn't call Emily sunshiney, but the vibes work). We're filtered through Emily's POV, so there's some ways she misunderstands Simon, but it works.
I loved so much that this book cuts off its potential misunderstandings by having characters actually talk to each other. Quite a few things were fairly obvious, and I appreciated that characters actually discovered those things by confronting assumptions.
For all this book is lighthearted and fun, it does deal with some serious topics. Content warnings for grief and death of a sibling, car accident, and toxic relationship (all in the past, not on page). I think all these issues were handled with care, especially the death of Simon's brother, which is the most central to the story.
I enjoyed Emily and Simon's banter, the relationships Emily builds with Stacey, Mitch, and Chris, as well as the sister relationship between Emily and April. I know this is the first in a series, so I'm excited to read the next one and see more of the characters.
I loved so much that this book cuts off its potential misunderstandings by having characters actually talk to each other. Quite a few things were fairly obvious, and I appreciated that characters actually discovered those things by confronting assumptions.
For all this book is lighthearted and fun, it does deal with some serious topics. Content warnings for grief and death of a sibling, car accident, and toxic relationship (all in the past, not on page). I think all these issues were handled with care, especially the death of Simon's brother, which is the most central to the story.
I enjoyed Emily and Simon's banter, the relationships Emily builds with Stacey, Mitch, and Chris, as well as the sister relationship between Emily and April. I know this is the first in a series, so I'm excited to read the next one and see more of the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cancer, Death, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
thesmutsister_emma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Song: hate u, love u by Olivia O'Brien
The Tropes
✔️ enemies to lovers
✔️ workplace romance
✔️ cheeky banter
✔️ small-town romance
The Characters
Emily: What a badass bitch. Holy hell. Girlie knows how to stand up for herself against who used to be Satan himself. I hope that someday I can have the nerve that Emily has throughout this book. I already have her support system 💜🥺
Simon: Sir, you could have been less insufferable at first for sure. You also desperately need therapy. Keep the earring though.
The Things I Loved
I truly loved the back-and-forth of the banter and the homey vibes this book gave off. I have avoided this series for so long because I was worried that it was a period piece (shows how much I read the blurbs of the books on my TBR), but this was such a comforting read. Don't get me wrong, it had its highs and lows during the book, but it was still very homey and comfortable.
The Things I Didn't Love
At times it did not feel like Emily was 24 or 25 (quite frankly I can't remember which one). It felt more like she was 21 or 19 based on her inner monologue. I can totally understand some of the conclusions she was jumping to, because what person who just went through what she did wouldn't? But there is a line between insecurities and flat-out maturity. This was a maturity issue in her case. It could just be me and my years of therapy and trauma, but it just felt like she was a lot younger than the book set her up to be.
The Final Verdict
Considering I now have the rest of these books on hold in my Libby app now, this is a pretty solid start to a series. I fully intend on making this series a staple of this year and cannot wait to have my next hold.
The Tropes
✔️ enemies to lovers
✔️ workplace romance
✔️ cheeky banter
✔️ small-town romance
The Characters
Emily: What a badass bitch. Holy hell. Girlie knows how to stand up for herself against who used to be Satan himself. I hope that someday I can have the nerve that Emily has throughout this book. I already have her support system 💜🥺
Simon: Sir, you could have been less insufferable at first for sure. You also desperately need therapy. Keep the earring though.
The Things I Loved
I truly loved the back-and-forth of the banter and the homey vibes this book gave off. I have avoided this series for so long because I was worried that it was a period piece (shows how much I read the blurbs of the books on my TBR), but this was such a comforting read. Don't get me wrong, it had its highs and lows during the book, but it was still very homey and comfortable.
The Things I Didn't Love
At times it did not feel like Emily was 24 or 25 (quite frankly I can't remember which one). It felt more like she was 21 or 19 based on her inner monologue. I can totally understand some of the conclusions she was jumping to, because what person who just went through what she did wouldn't? But there is a line between insecurities and flat-out maturity. This was a maturity issue in her case. It could just be me and my years of therapy and trauma, but it just felt like she was a lot younger than the book set her up to be.
The Final Verdict
Considering I now have the rest of these books on hold in my Libby app now, this is a pretty solid start to a series. I fully intend on making this series a staple of this year and cannot wait to have my next hold.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Car accident
strawberrycasualreader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Car accident
cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Cute concept but overall not the best execution. It’s the kind of book where you can let your brain turn off a bit and just enjoy all the silliness that is happening. Would recommend for a fun time but that’s all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, and Alcohol
bexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The heroine was kind of dense. The hero was a butthead. They both needed therapy.
Also,WOOING SHOULD TAKE MORE THAN ONE DAY! ✋️😭
But it was cute, I guess?? It kept me entertained 🤷♀️
Also,
But it was cute, I guess?? It kept me entertained 🤷♀️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Car accident, and Abandonment
carlyjoann's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Cancer
emilywemily6's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was so fun! I loved the setting and I adored the characters. Emily’s and Simon’s flaws drove me a little crazy, but in a relateable way. Especially how Emily kept self-sabotaging and over-thinking things. The third act conflict was very believable which I appreciated. It felt like a little bit of a stretch how their relationship evolved throughout the book, but I just wish I saw more of a slow burn/strangers to lovers thing instead of a switch flipping. Though I think it fit Simon’s character and his hot and cold nature that was hard to understand. Part of me feels like the relationship might implode down the line, I wasn’t completely convinced. The banter was fun and I could picture myself at the Faire, and it was just what I was looking for in a late summer romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
aklovekorn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Grief, and Car accident