I picked up Pity Play without having read anything from Whitney Dineen before, nor any of the previous books in this series, but the gorgeous cover immediately pulled me in. And while I genuinely enjoyed the book because it was a quick, easy read with a fun small town setting, I have some mixed feelings about it.

The biggest thing that stood out to me? This book is essentially Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls fanfiction. And I don’t mean that lightly, because the names, the character dynamics, and even the diner/B&B dreams are all straight from Stars Hollow. The book even acknowledges it, which made it feel less like a fun homage and more like a direct copy paste. If you’re a Gilmore Girls fan, this might be fun, but if not, it could feel a bit too familiar.

As for the romance, it had some frustrating elements. Luke spends half the book looking at Lorelai as his best friend’s annoying little sister, even going so far as to say she’s not all that attractive at first. Then, almost out of nowhere, he suddenly starts seeing her as a romantic partner. I love a good slow burn, but this felt more like an emotional switch was flipped rather than a natural progression.

That said, I did enjoy the supporting characters (who clearly have history from previous books), the dual POV, and the cozy small town vibes. It wasn’t a standout read for me, and is not one of my favorites, but it was a fun, rom com for an easy weekend read.

Would I recommend it? If you love Gilmore Girls and don’t mind a very on the nose retelling, then yes! Otherwise, you might find the similarities a little too distracting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Whitney Dineen for the eARC of this book.