Well Met by Jen DeLuca
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: September 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Recommended Age: 14+
Genres & Themes: Adult, Romance, Family, Love-Hate, Summer, Humor
REVIEW:
This romance was both familiar and unfamiliar for me.
If you’re like me, then you’ve probably never been to a faire before and thought that was a thing for Hollywood movies. I’m not even sure we have those in Montreal but maybe I just haven’t known where to look thus far.
So the setting of the Renaissance faire in this story felt very original to me. The fact that a love-hate, slow-burn romance blossomed at the faire only made things better and more exciting of course. I couldn’t wait for the wench (Emily) and the pirate (Simon), whose real-life alter egos despise each other, put their differences aside and make out.
But it was also very familiar, because it has a rom-com vibe and lots of rom-com tropes, such as miscommunication, enemies-to-lovers, self-doubting-heroine, cutesy-‘‘unexpected’’-situations and the feel that the world is working to bring the two lovers together. It’s pretty predictable and sometimes annoying because the reader often knows more than the main character does and waits for her to catch up. I also would have cut many of the descriptions that went on and on.
In a nutshell, it’s a slow and basically formulaic romantic storyline, but the setting is absolutely original and I did quite enjoy the back-and-forth between Emily and Simon.
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