Love Unmasked

I'm incredibly split on this book. I showed up expecting the thread about book-lovers donning masks and seeking out a secret club to be my favorite part. It's literally the point of the book, right? But not only was it not my favorite part, I don't think I liked it at all? But let's rewind and start with what DID wind up being my favorite part. Evie and Gabriel are very cute together. We get a touch of grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a heavy dose of "got off on the wrong foot" energy, and it was very sweet seeing them slowly open up to each other. The little sparks of joy Evie gets when she makes Gabriel smile were exceptionally cute, and the progression of their relationship felt very natural. Plenty of blushing, hand-holding, and some sweet kisses tie up the daytime arc as a very cute rom com. Other highlights of the daytime events include Evie's outgoing friend group (and a bonus rom com happening off screen with one of them), and a family where problems eventually get solved via open communication. Hooray for open communication!

But as much as I enjoyed the characters and their interpersonal interactions, I simply could not get into the plot. The promise of Evie using a mask to be "more herself" seems only half-fulfilled, as she doesn't really behave any differently as Fantasma. I'm not asking her to be an axe murderer in her downtime, but I had expected her to be a little more exploratory under the cover of anonymity. Maybe go back to all that piano she liked, but wasn't allowed to do? The closest we come is that she shows fanart to more people, but she was drawing fanart in front of Gabriel already, so even that doesn't feel like a huge leap.

Angelo is likewise very similar to his daytime self. I imagine his identity isn't supposed to be a huge secret for the reader, but I definitely expected there to be a starker contrast between the two of them in-world. An art-lover who doesn't care what other people think of him, encourages Evie to think more about herself, and makes clever jokes? I'm shocked Evie didn't pick up on it by night three even though by her admission, they have the same physical build.

But I think what threw me the most was the club itself. I expected a modest underground library or LARPers in a gym. Instead, we get something the scale and cost of a certain wizarding world, packed with a night market, a bar, an art gallery, monthly balls, LARP battles, and a fully recreated forest. It's an all-year convention, but at a significantly higher budget, run entirely by volunteers. How is this place functioning at all? Apparently the author funded the purchase of the building, but how is it still running? And surely the city of Venice can't be happy about this extremely large daily event where alcohol is being served. I would have believed it more if it turned out they found a literal portal to an elven realm. If I sound like a curmudgeon with all my gripes about where the money comes from and food service permits, I get it. It's supposed to be about the magic and connection and community that books bring us. I'm not supposed to overthink it. But it's the scale that really got to me. We've moved past the fan community into something that's starting to feel a little more commercial. It's big and grand and the focus winds up on being on how great the place is rather than the connections made with the other attendees. The "belonging" that Evie was hoping for feels superficial at best.

The daytime story is sweet and cute and a great high school romance packed with blushes, crushes, and learning to be more true to one's self. Fans of Becky Dean will almost assuredly love the ride. I just didn't find the nighttime arc to land nearly as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!