Title: The Love Study
Publisher: HARLEQUIN- Carina Press
Pub. Date: September 29, 2020
Length : 448 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: NetGalley Arc
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Book Synopsis
Declan has commitment issues. He’s been an office temp for literally years now, and his friends delight in telling people that he left his last boyfriend at the altar.
And that’s all true. But he’s starting to think it’s time to start working on his issues. Maybe.
When Declan meets Sidney—a popular nonbinary YouTuber with an advice show—an opportunity presents itself: as part of The Love Study, Declan will go on a series of dates arranged by Sidney and report back on how the date went in the next episode.
The dates are…sort of blah. It’s not Sidney’s fault; the folks participating are (mostly) great people, but there’s no chemistry there. Maybe Declan’s just broken.
Or maybe the problem is that the only person he’s feeling chemistry with is Sidney
Book Review
The Love Study is a charming and heartwarming story of Declan on his quest to find love.
What really captivated me about the Love Study was the characters. The ‘Marginzalied Motherfuckers’ are so authentic and relatable that anyone reading can recognize them either among friends or peers. The chaos and harmony of their friendship was truly beautiful and Kris Ripper did an excellent job penning them. At the beginning of the novel I was a bit hesitant of impending drama, as among this fierce fivesome are some seriously strong and dominant personalities, but somehow Kris made their dysfunctional but happy family work.
Declan, the MC of this novel and his aversion to commitment was seen not only in his “leave you at the alter” moment but also in his jobs. His interactions with the elusive Sidney were the best part of the novel for me, as it felt raw and real, even the cringy awkward moments.
I truly enjoyed the inclusivity of the novel – non binary, bi-sexuals, gender fluidity and pansexuals for broad representation. I also loved the unconventional themes that were explored and intimacy vs. sex centric writing which I was on board with. I feel like though Sidney and Declan did not set me on fire, they had a comfortable relationship with a quiet understanding which was nice. The awareness of issues within the community as it relates to mental health was extremely important and definitely opened my eyes to scenarios I may never have considered before.
Things that may have taken away from the story for me personally was the amount of “fluff” scenes. There was a lot of elaboration on things that could have been straightforward. Additionally, when I read the title- Love Study, I immediately thought analysis and a scientific component but all it really ended up being was an intense (but relavant) insight into Declans dates.
Despite these small details, I was truly inspired by the diversity of characters, love, and friendship in this novel. I am actively trying to expand my knowledge base to new genres and enjoyed reading this novel.
About the Author
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and zir pronouns are ze/zir. Kris shares a converted garage with a kid, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that
Jessica Reads It 