This is the latest novel from Mason Deaver, a bestselling and award-winning young adult novelist. Their books have been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award and won the Pink News’ Best Young Adult Book Award. Their first novel, I Wish You All the Best, is currently being made into a film, directed by Tommy Dorfman.
Jude is a non-binary Cupid, disguised as a human, who thinks they understand love a little bit more than the average human. On Jude’s last assignment, he fell in love with a human boy and kissed him, an act forbidden for Cupids. Immediately afterwards, the boy’s memories of Jude were erased, and Jude was put on probation by their Cupid mentors, Leah and Richard. Now, after months of menial tasks, Jude is given their next big assignment. They must go to high school with kids their own age. There, they must bring together two former best friends, Huy and Alice, who are meant to be more than just friends but who aren’t currently speaking to each other after a huge falling out. Jude thinks they’ve got this one all under control and that they won’t be emotionally involved whatsoever until he starts spending more time with Wuy. As an unspoken mutual attraction is sparked between them, Jude becomes more determined to quickly finish this assignment, get out of high school, and continue their Cupid existence elsewhere. But when Alice and Wuy’s mend their relationship but remain platonic and Wuy professes his feelings for Jude, Jude is forced to make a tough decision to follow their heart or the path that was given to him. At the same time, Jude’s Cupid family won’t let any reckless, love-sick teenage decision-making destroy their Cupid destiny.
This is a lighthearted, original YA romantasy story. The story starts off with a lot of promise as listeners are introduced to Jude, a Cupid who’s on assignment disguised as a barista to bring two individuals together. Right from the onset, Jude’s character is very expressive, and there’s a lot of underlying humour in the story’s dialogue. The whole concept of cupids walking the Earth disguised as humans is very interesting and unique. However, it would have been even more interesting if Deaver provided more information about the Cupid lineage and their community on Earth.
After a really interesting beginning, the story was a little slow in parts and felt a bit repetitive, especially after Jude moves into their assignment at the high school and is repeatedly adamant about not getting their feelings involved with Huy. The book also includes important topics, including feelings of alienation, loss, and trans and non-binary identity. The relationship between Jude and Huy begins as quite platonic and uninteresting but evolves into a very meaningful, special relationship. It may take a while to get behind them as a couple, but the bittersweet conclusion will definitely make you adore them. Another central theme in the story is about choosing one’s own path instead of fulfilling the path that is expected of you. This story is an extreme example of this, as Jude isn’t human and their decision to follow their heart is counteracted by the magical laws that govern the Cupids. The story can also be viewed from different perspectives. Is Jude truly following their heart by pursuing Wuy, or are they making a reckless decision typical of a teenager that they’ll later regret? Given the short amount of time that Jude and Wuy know each other in the story, the latter may well be true.
Narrator Max Meyers delivers a fun and animated performance of Jude. He utilizes his talented voice to accurately portray an awkward teenager who’s trying to find their place in the world. The narration is well-paced, full of emotion, and includes a variety of different, unique voices for all the characters. Overall, this is a really special and quirky YA romantasy story with meaningful themes and topics seamlessly woven into it without creating any real triggers or making the story heavy. If all of this sounds interesting, then you’ll likely enjoy this one!
