Saturday, August 29, 2020

‘The Love Study’ by Kris Ripper

Five stars

Book Blurb:

“What happens when the search for the perfect date goes perfectly wrong? 

Don’t miss this charming romantic comedy from critically acclaimed author Kris Ripper.

Declan has commitment issues. He’s been an office temp for literally years now, and his friends delight in telling people that he left his last boyfriend at the altar.

And that’s all true. But he’s starting to think it’s time to start working on his issues. Maybe.

When Declan meets Sidney—a popular nonbinary YouTuber with an advice show—an opportunity presents itself: as part of The Love Study, Declan will go on a series of dates arranged by Sidney and report back on how the date went in the next episode.

The dates are…sort of blah. It’s not Sidney’s fault; the folks participating are (mostly) great people, but there’s no chemistry there. Maybe Declan’s just broken.

Or maybe the problem is that the only person he’s feeling chemistry with is Sidney.”


Review:

‘The Love Study’ centers around our narrator, Declan, and his awesome queer found family.  Readers are privy to his every thought, which makes this tale realistic and highly relatable; both for readers within the queer community and for anyone who has ever been slightly awkward or felt anxiety.

The cast of characters are all in their mid- to upper-twenties and use adult language accordingly.  Though the actual romance is fade-to-black, the characters are sex-positive and openly discuss various aspects of queer life, both in and out of the bedroom.

I really enjoyed that the plot was centered around Declan’s fear, insecurities, and awkwardness, and also hopefulness about dating and his friends helping him get through it, rather than on the queer identities of the cast.  The effects of homophobia and transphobia on their lives is mentioned, but it is not the through-line of the story.  There is an actual plot here.


#TheLoveStudy #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book.  All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

No comments:

Post a Comment