Luc and Oliver, four weddings and a funeral style? Absolutely charming and funny. 

This should've been right up my alley — great LGBTQ rep, vaguely Pride and Prejudicey, supportive friends, outgoing sunshiney character paired with kinda snobby buttoned-up character, examination of family dynamics and legacy of hurt — but the whole thing was a bit of a slog. I didn't connect with either of the characters, and the pacing and writing style didn't work for me at all. Almost DNF'd so many times that I finally started skimming the narrative and reading the dialogue just to get through it.

There's very little magic, very little myth, and very little original romance in this "TikTok made me do it" spicy romance. A good concept that fell flat. Book 2 is marginally better, but I'd skip both if I had a do over.

Beach Read might barely edge this one out because of its debut sparkle and shine, but Book Lovers is right up there. A subverted Hallmark movie plot, A+ banter, great family dynamics, examination of sexism and gender disparities, writerly fun and publishing insider catnip... It's 100% a rom-com for book lovers.