Mr. Romance (ARC Review)

Book Title: Mr. Romance
Author: Louisa Masters
Release Date: September 8, 2022
Genres: New Adult, M/M Romance, College Romance
My rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Synopsis:

When you’re clueless, Mr. Romance can help.

Charlie
I’m not sure how it happened, but it turns out I’ve unknowingly been dating three people.
Friends don’t spoil other friends, apparently. My trust fund means I can afford to, though, and what’s a meal here and there? Or some clothes? Or textbooks? That doesn’t mean we’re dating, right?
Others disagree. If I want to get through the rest of college knowing who my friends are, I need help from someone who knows all about dating and can tell me what not to do.
Someone like Mr. Romance.

Liam
When people look at me, romance is the last thing they think of… but I’m still the first person they call. Need a first date planned? A big romantic moment? Gotta beg for forgiveness? I’m your man. When it comes to romance, I’ve got it handled.
Not personally, though. My romantic life is… barren. All I really want is someone to snuggle with and spoil me. What I’ve got is planning dates for people who have no clue about romancing someone.
But now I’m somehow Charlie Martin’s anti-romance consultant. Charlie, who’s completely clueless yet the most accepting and friendly person I’ve ever met. Who’s giving and generous. Who’s befriended me and wants me to be happy.
I’m supposed to help him stop his friends from falling for him. The last thing I need is to fall for him myself.

My Review:

Mr. Romance had such a cute yet bizarre premise, so I was incredibly excited to see where it would go. The main character certainly finds himself in quite the pickle at the beginning of the book. I couldn’t wait to see how he got himself out of it!

While I did enjoy parts of Mr. Romance–especially the last 30%–I am sad to say that the humor in this book and I unfortunately did not mesh. I have a strange sense of humor, so this is not the first time I’ve read a book where everyone said they were laughing every few seconds, only to laugh once, maybe twice the whole time. I can definitely see why others found it funny, but I think the largest part of why I had trouble getting into the story was because I didn’t understand the humor.

Charlie, the main character, has got to be hands down, the most oblivious person I have ever met, in real life or on a page. And that’s coming from someone who’s rather oblivious herself. It was a little confusing to me why he was so oblivious, especially in regards to dating and love, when his mom focused a lot on women’s rights, especially in relationships. I feel like it’s something she would’ve sat him down and seriously discussed at some point. Especially since she saw him struggling in high school.

I think the best way to get the most out of this book is to put all reservations aside at the beginning and just go with all the whacky situations and see where it leads you. If you get the humor and find it funny, I have no doubt this book will be a joy to read.

I will say that I did enjoy the story a lot more once it focused less on Charlie’s relationship failings and more on his relationship with Liam. The two of them were cute, and I really enjoyed watching their bond grow. The ending was especially endearing, and almost bumped the book up to a three stars for me. I really loved all the scenes at the theme park! It really brought the book full circle and solidified their relationship.

So, while I had some issues with Mr. Romance, I still recommend checking it out. I see why so many people have enjoyed it thus far, and I’m sure lots of you will too!

Thank you to Gay Romance Reviews for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Purchase it at: Amazon

Check out my last blog post: The Sunbearer Trials (ARC Review)