This novel had an interesting concept behind it. After watching shows about matchmaking, as well as the k-drama, Dating Agency Cyrano, I thought that this was an interesting spin for the New Adult genre.

I really liked the concept. A person able to read people just by their movements and observations. I suspect there was some kind of magic to it all, but it was an interesting concept, having Sparks being almost like a puppet master, trying to orchestrate the perfect ending for everyone. I also liked the overall attention given to special needs people. I really enjoyed getting to know those characters especially, and I liked that it opened the door of opportunity for Ollie and other characters.

While we’re on the subject of characters, the ones in this book were extremely interesting characters to read about. Ollie is a little selfish, even towards the end he has a very “me, me, me” mindset, though it had been slowly falling away throughout the novel, it never quite finished polishing him off. However, this didn’t bother me. It just meant that while the character has made improvements, he still has room to change and grow with the new things coming his way. I also loved Greg. He’s a cute character when in the mood and his relationship with Ollie, while odd, was sweet and heartwarming at times, and fairly alarming at others. Again, I really liked him, as well as Marie, in all their appearances throughout the novel! Ollie’s friendship with his roommates was cool. While he was getting readjusted to hanging out with him, I felt like they were really cool about everything. It’s always awesome to read about friends who have each others’ back, no matter what they’ve been through.

One thing that I want to comment on is the narrator’s voice. The book is third person except in small lines here and there where the narrator would stick in a random “I” line. I’m not sure if it’s that character thinking or whether the narrator just felt like they should just plop themselves here and there to make sure you remember that they’re still there. It was just something I noticed throughout the book that I found odd, and yet interesting enough that it managed to get me to pay more attention to the narrative instead of annoying me, which is definitely something new.

Overall, this novel was really enjoyable and was a very fun read. I love the unpredictability of the story line and the fun upbeat (for the most part) characters. Definitely a book I’d recommend you pick up! I’m also really hoping that we’ll see more from Sparks soon !

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4/5

-review by Between Printed Pages