Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Love Study is filled with laughter and the finding of love, even when you might have given up or you might have been afraid to start dating again.

In The Love Study, we are introduced to Declan Swick-Smith, a man who left his ex at the alter years ago, constantly has to hear about it from his friends when being introduced to other people. And we have Sidney, a non-binary Youtuber who is the host of The Love Study live streams, who invites Declan onto their show.

I gave The Love Study three stars, loving Declan and Sidney and their chemistry together. But I also felt that while this was definitely something that was cute and funny, I just wasn’t invested in the story itself. It felt like a hastle to even pick up the book and the reluctance I felt throughout reading this just showed that I wasn’t really interested in reading this story. Which has nothing to do with the characters and their romance, just that this story wasn’t for me at all.

I loved the aspect of the Love Study live streams and that was definitely the first time I’ve heard of such thing but I felt disconnected from Declan and Sidney. They were cute together and you could tell that they have many laughs together and the physical chemistry is definitely noticeable, which I enjoyed greatly.

I’m not going to tell you to not pick up this book, because that’s not true. I think The Love Study is a story that is definitely interesting and you should definitely pick it up, but for me, I think that this was a good read and that I do wish that I was a little more invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Find me on:
My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | Twitter

It's enjoyable and lovely and fills the time (I read it while on a plane after frantically downloading random books from the library that looked interesting as it was taking off *shrug*). I liked Sydney much better than Declan, but the book focuses on Declan's POV so ....

I really appreciate that this book had a genderqueer love interest. This book is somewhat trope-y overall and it follows the rom-com formula to a T (

Spoiler

with the usual almost break up at the end, this time because Declan has a panic attack, which is realistic but feels somewhat like a plot device at the same time? I just don't think the book needed that, per se

), but the (relatively, in our day and age) novelty of the main romantic pairing helped make it more enjoyable. The set-up is very forced

Spoiler

to the extent that it is abandoned about 25% of the way through the book

, with the initial interaction between Declan and Sydney being peak cringe (I feel like Kris Ripper just had to get a way to get Declan and Sydney to interact more for the plot to work or something).

I loved Sydney though, they're really great. Also, I know there has been a recent trend in GenZ rom-coms to focus on YouTubers and streamers and such, and this book fits into that mold, but I like that Ripper focused a lot on the time Sydney spent on editing. Those were some of my favorite moments, when Declan was just hanging out at their apartment. (This is probably why my ideal romantic book right now would just be reading about a happy and nice queer relationship - no rom-com tropes needed!).

I also liked the scenes that showed Declan at work because he's good at what he does and I enjoy reading about competent people, what can I say.

3.5
This could’ve been a new favorite— discussing queer relationships, relationships in general, romance, and how people feel compelled to fit these norms but actually don’t need to. But the writing style was so horrible, it effectively ruined the whole book.
Still willing to give the next book a try.

Declan is not great at romantic relationships. Haunted by the choice he made to leave his best friend and fiancé at the altar, Declan has chosen to forgo dating in favor of casual hookups. But now he's considering giving dating a chance but doesn't know how to start.

Enter Sidney, a new arrival in town and the host of a YouTube channel that offers advice to viewers. Sidney wants to start up a new program called The Love Study in which real life dating advice is shared. Declan, intrigued by the idea, decides to go for it: he'll go on dates that Sidney sets up and report back.

With dates varying from good to bad to exceptional, Declan relearns what he's always known -- dating is hard! But he also learns that he's attracted to Sidney, even though Sidney has said that they are not interested in dating. Will their real life chemistry and growing friendship be enough to convince Sidney to give Declan a try?

I really enjoyed this book! Declan is an anxious and self-deprecating character who truly wants to do the right thing even though he sometimes messes it all up. Sidney is patient and kind and really does offer the best advice. It was delightful to read their journey and all their banter! One of my favorite parts of the book is that Sidney is nonbinary. As someone who is also nonbinary, it's not often that I get to encounter nonbinary characters in general, let alone as love interests, and I thought the portrayal was really well done. I also enjoyed Declan's diverse and eclectic group of queer friends. Altogether this was a fun, low angst, quick read that left me feeling happy and satisfied.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HARLEQUIN - Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.
The Love Study is a rarity because never have I read a book about a group of diverse, queer characters and related so hard to all of them. Not necessarily the characters themselves but the dynamics, the attitudes, the friendships. This is the story of Declan, a man who has struggled with dating in the past and has huge commitment issues. He meets a nonbinary Youtuber called Sidney and together they start a new streaming show. Sidney will set Declan up on dates and Declan will discuss what diverse dating is like in the modern world. However, Declan soon starts to fall for Sidney just as his commitment issues start to kick in hard.

Ripper has perfectly captured something I almost never see in books and that is to be commended. The group of people in The Love Study interact like my friendship group does, like so many predominantly queer groups do. That alone makes this book refreshing and highly entertaining, but the plot that goes alongside that is also great. I am a huge fan of cute dating project type stories, and this is a brilliant example of the trope. The romance is sweet but realistic, never quite crossing into outright fluff and addressing a lot of genuine relationship issues which can come up in queer groups. This is all done extremely well.

The only thing that stopped this book being perfect for me was that at times, it felt a bit cringey? I'm not sure if it was just that I'm not used to reading books which actually reflect real life experiences but at times, it got a bit intense. This bothered me quite a lot but I recognise it is likely a me problem which is why I didn't take too much off the rating for it. If you are not used to these kind of social environments, you might not 'get' this book and you might find it a bit off putting as a result. If you're open-minded though or used to predominantly queer spaces, this is a real gem.

Overall, The Love Study is both a very important book in terms of its rep and just a fun, sweet romance. If you care less about rep than me, you will still love the story and the couple and everything that goes on. I would love to see more books like this, more romances where I feel I can relate to the characters. I am very glad I got a copy of this and I will definitely be looking out for more of Ripper's work.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up. I really liked the way this book bucked traditional romance and marriage tropes and focused on Declan and Sidney building a relationship that made sense to them, even if it didn't always make sense to the rest of the world. They are both very unique and likable characters in their own right and their strengths and weaknesses played off each other in an intriguing way. This book is very sex positive so I was a little surprised that it's fade to black, but I didn't mind it necessarily. I will say that Declan often came across as much less mature than his 28 years, and I felt that way about some of the other characters as well — at times I felt like I was reading about college or even high school students and not adults on the cusp of 30.

ah essa foi uma leitura tão boa, tão divertida e relatable e acho q arromântica(mas não ace o q é ainda mais raro)? o q me dá muito para pensar então ksksk

Merged review:

ah essa foi uma leitura tão boa, tão divertida e relatable e acho q arromântica(mas não ace o q é ainda mais raro)? o q me dá muito para pensar então ksksk

3.5 stars rounded up

Here’s how my friends describe me to new people: “This is Declan. He left his last boyfriend at the altar, so watch out.”

Bro I'm super glad I got the chance to read this fantastically queer, quirky, rom-com love story with a genderqueer love interest. Not everything about it worked for me, but mostly I liked the ways in which it was different, the ways it broke the mould. Declan, a grade-A commitment-phobe, finds himself as a guest on a YouTube show, being set up on blind dates. It's not exactly the plan for him to fall for the charming host, but that's what happens.

I love all the on-page character interaction we get, the way the author doesn't skimp on showing us little moments that bring the characters close together, mundane conversations that give a great sense of their personalities and character. There's a lot of great dialogue and communication in this book, and it's one of the rare cases where I'm not frustrated when lack of communication becomes an issue. Declan is kinda going through it, and his anxiety manifests in believable ways. That was one of my favourite things about this; how realistically and pragmatically anxiety is portrayed. I really loved Sidney, my new favourite spinster uncle, and how they were gentle and practical and sort of like a guiding force for Declan, while also prioritising themselves? This isn't quite friends to lovers, but we definitely get a deep sense of Declan and Sidney's friendship, which I loved. Maybe more so than their attraction? But I hesitate to list that as a detracting factor, because it worked for this love story imo.

I really liked the core group of friends; that's something I always like seeing in romances. They had a lot of banter and chemistry, and I look forward to seeing them in future books! The characters are in their late twenties, but this definitely had a kinda new adult feel to it sometimes? At least in the writing style/dialogue. It sometimes felt TOO quirky and a bit young and didn't totally work for me (as well as like, the strikethroughs). But it might for someone else. There WERE a couple fun references that I really enjoyed (those are my fave Zen/Mercy voice lines too!!) that might be lost on other people.

3.5 stars. This was a lot of fun; a quick read that made me smile in a lot of different places.

☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Declan's chances at love weren't looking too great after he left his to-be-husband at the alter. But when he meets Sidney, a nonbinary YouTuber, a new opportunity arises: he can participate in Sidney's series The Love Study, where they put the participant on dates with various people. However, The Love Study doesn't go exactly as planned...

I'm going to start this review off by simply saying this book just wasn't for me. The premise did sound interesting to me, but I tend to prefer romance novels that have more depth and substance to them than just the central romance. (However, if you are looking for a rather lighthearted, comedic romance novel with great representation, this one is for you!) I really wanted to see conflict that was related to more than just Sidney and Declan. My other issue was with the writing itself. I felt like the characters talked (and in Declan's case, thought) in a way that seemed much younger than the age they were supposed to be. As someone who tends to be a bit more serious, I really wasn't a big fan of vocabulary such as "amazeballs." It didn't necessarily distract me from the story, but I did think it was a bit childish. But hey, that's just my personal preference.

Other than that, I appreciated the diversity in characters. If you're looking for a book that has a wide range of LGBTQ+ identities, this one definitely achieves that. I also thought there were quite a few sweet, touching moments. I'm not exactly sure why I struggled so much with The Love Study (I'm going to assume it was mainly the characters and the writing style), but I do think someone who enjoys a much more casual form of writing would like this one.

Merged review:

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Declan's chances at love weren't looking too great after he left his to-be-husband at the alter. But when he meets Sidney, a nonbinary YouTuber, a new opportunity arises: he can participate in Sidney's series The Love Study, where they put the participant on dates with various people. However, The Love Study doesn't go exactly as planned...

I'm going to start this review off by simply saying this book just wasn't for me. The premise did sound interesting to me, but I tend to prefer romance novels that have more depth and substance to them than just the central romance. (However, if you are looking for a rather lighthearted, comedic romance novel with great representation, this one is for you!) I really wanted to see conflict that was related to more than just Sidney and Declan. My other issue was with the writing itself. I felt like the characters talked (and in Declan's case, thought) in a way that seemed much younger than the age they were supposed to be. As someone who tends to be a bit more serious, I really wasn't a big fan of vocabulary such as "amazeballs." It didn't necessarily distract me from the story, but I did think it was a bit childish. But hey, that's just my personal preference.

Other than that, I appreciated the diversity in characters. If you're looking for a book that has a wide range of LGBTQ+ identities, this one definitely achieves that. I also thought there were quite a few sweet, touching moments. I'm not exactly sure why I struggled so much with The Love Study (I'm going to assume it was mainly the characters and the writing style), but I do think someone who enjoys a much more casual form of writing would like this one.