Book: Well Met
Author: Jen DeLuca
Genre: Contemporary
Rating 4.5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
My Review:
“someday, I wanted someone who would love me. Not for what I could do for them, but for who I was to them.”
There was quite a buzz about this book on instagram a few months ago which made me add it to my tbr and finally pick it up for my January reads. When I started this book and was a few pages in, I thought, ‘OMG, this is not going to live up to my expectations.” Man, was I wrong about it. Only after 100 pages I could not even put it down. Well Met is a beautifully written love story, maybe a little bit slow in the beginning, but it definitely does not blur its beauty.
This book tells the story of a girl who is new in a small town, Willow Creek, and has to participate in a Renaissance Faire. She meets a few interesting people during rehearsals who becomes her friends, except for one certain English teacher, Simon. Emily and Simon don’t very much like each other in the beginning. They can’t just stand each other. Where Emily is bubbly, vibrant girl, Simon is a man of few words who always takes his responsibilities a bit too seriously. But the faire made the change their personalities for some time where they had to act according to their assigned roles and entertain patrons. Where a certain tavern wench Emily/Emma is unable to stop herself from being attracted to a certain pirate Captain Blackthorne/Simon. What do you think would happen? Are they going to fall for each other? Would Simon be able to keep his responsibilities aside and notice his own love for a certain wench?
I liked this book because of a number of small things showed in this novel. Firstly, I just watched Pirates of the Carribean and was fangirling over the entire pirate thing, about Jack Sparrow and Will Turner. So, the personality switch of Simon from an English teacher to a mischievous and hot pirate had me all giggly. Secondly, I loved all the scenes about “Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare” because being an English teacher myself, I can’t help but love all the mentions of Shakespeare in the story. Thirdly, this book made me a bit nostalgic. Though I have never attended any Renaissance Faire, I’ve been a part of the organizing committee of a Family Fair and it was very much like the Faire mentioned in this book. I could not stop reminiscing about those days.
Overall, it is quite a beautiful story that will completely take over your heart and keep you fully invested in what happens to various characters especially Simon and Emily. Not only Simon and Emily, but you are going to love Stacey, Mitch, Chris and April. It was really an entertaining and cute book. Definitely recommended!
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