Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
Get ready to dive back into another small-town ren-fair-obsessed rom-com with Well Matched by Jen DeLuca. DeLuca's third book in the Well Met series brings you two fan favorites, the assured April and magnanimous Mitch.
April's daughter is a senior now, and as her time at the high school comes to a close, so does April's time in Willow Creek. With an empty nest, she had planned to move out of her home and into the city, but first, she has to fix the place up and she has just the guy in mind to help her out. Mitch has always been an iconic confident, kilt-waring, gym teacher who everyone can't help but like. When April asks for help, of course, he says yes... As long as she can pretend to be his girlfriend at a family gathering. He needs to be seen as respectable and settled and April's confidence will surely help him at the latest family gathering. Between home-reno and fake dating, a pretend relationship might just develop into something with roots.
Let me just say I am a big fan of the trilogy as a whole. DeLuca always places her characters at realistic turning points in their lives. New towns, new jobs, and new stages of life all come with different challenges. In a Romance, we can walk through these issues with our characters and the people around them, knowing they will work their way through the problem. It is as reassuring as the romantic plot that comes with it. You know your characters will end up together and their problems will mostly work out. April and Mitch are no exception.
April's struggle with determining her place in town as an outsider is both heartbreaking and anxiety-producing. After retreating from town life as a result of particularly damaging gossip following her divorce, April obviously feels distant from the community. Joining a book club and small gatherings are fine, but she begins to reimagine her place in her community throughout the book. It helps that she has such a wonderful support structure to back her up. While she doesn't need Mitch to fix her problems, he gives her a bit more support and her protective instincts allow her to go out on a limb for him instead of herself.
Mitch needs a bit of support himself as the odd duck in the family who hasn't gotten married or become a lawyer or finance bro. He needs April to help him embrace the confidence he pretends to have. I guarantee you too will be a big fan of an epic verbal takedown to come. He does have a cinnamon roll, himbo energy and I will protect him at all costs.
The banter is funny, the fake-dating trope is wonderful, and, most impressively, the book got me interested in an empty-nester side plot. As someone with neither children nor a home that is quite the feat. If you are already a fan of DeLuca you cannot say no to book three.
As an aside, it is particularly impressive to write not one but two books that focus on public gatherings during the year of our lord 2020. Nevertheless, the renaissance fair continues to be a joy.
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca is set to release on October 19th, 2021, just in time to take out some mulled wine and crack open the rom-com. Thank you, Berkley via NetGalley for providing the eARC of Well Matched by Jen DeLuca in exchange for my honest review.
