DNF at 27%

I adored the premise of this book and was so excited to jump in. I definitely think this book has an audience, it's just not me!

Starting with places to improve, I feel like we were dropped into this characters story at an interesting point. I really would have liked an introduction to our main players like Mary and Addie. I think even starting right before the party that night would have given me a firm grasp of what to expect going forward. Addie being our sole narrator I think also does this book a disservice in my opinion. Leaning so far into diversity with no diversity that can be named in our narrator at a quarter of the way through feels like an interesting choice. Letting Mary's voice shine I think would have been really cool. I also feel like Addie is awkward to the point of being an unreliable narrator and could make some readers uncomfortable. I saw in other reviews that the intention may have been to go with undiagnosed autism. I think even just naming that would have given me a lot of clarity as a reader.

Moving onto things I loved. I saw so much of myself represented in this book. We have queer, poly, poc, and BDSM rep at the point of me ending this novel and I do think it's a good place to start for anyone exploring their sexuality and identity through fiction. It's represented WELL, too, which I think is important to point out. The relationships in this book are healthy and communicative and give a great example for curious minds. The emphasis on consent is really appreciated. Mary I think is such a stand out character I think. I adore her and hope that she gets her own spin off.

So grateful to the author for sending this book my way as an ARC. I can't wait to see what comes next:)

DNF at 10%

I was not going to rate this as I am well aware that I did not read nearly enough of it to have a fair opinion on the overall quality of the story. However feedback requires a rating so I will be doing three stars in the interest of fairness. Based on a brief skimming of other reviews, it seems that some of my issues with the story are addressed later in the book, but I cannot say that definitively or explain how that happens.

I requested this through NetGalley because I thought the synopsis sounded really interesting and, as someone who frequently reads LGBTQ stories, I don't often encounter many polyships. This seemed like a fun way to try something new and also explore aspects of queer lit I don't usually encounter.

That being said, I ended up DNF'ing because the characters' actions made me uncomfortable. This is very much insta love but there are conflicting details within the way the story is being told that didn't settle well with me. Addie is persistent in maintaining she is straight while also devoting every third thought to how she can't stop thinking about Mary and frequently reiterating that she'd do anything Mary asked. I get that people can be in denial while discovering their sexuality but these two mindsets don't align when considering they characters JUST met and one of them was convinced they'd gotten black out drunk on that same night..

What pushed this over the line for me was that Addie told Mary she believed she was straight and then when they go on their first date, Mary is CONSTANTLY touching Addie - Holding her hand, putting an arm across her shoulder, leaning into her space, and sitting next to her in a booth instead of across from her - all without asking whether the character was comfortable with that or not. She doesn't ask if the touching is okay until AFTER she's rearranged the Addie's body once they're back at Mary's apartment. And then that same character who's being touched without being asked if its okay, goes on to talk about how the love interest wouldn't do anything without consent.....could've fooled me.

In the middle of this cringey touching with debatable consent is a very abrupt conversation about Addie's "sexuality epiphany" which is approached with very little tact or understanding on Mary's part IN PUBLIC and without any lead up. Why after sitting in a car and saying nothing to each other, then briefly discussing a menu, does that seem like the conversation to have on what's basically a first date?

Sorry but no. I'm sure this story is for someone and that plenty of people with enjoy it, I'm just not that person.

This was provided to me free of charge by NetGalley in return for an honest review. The above opinions are my own.

This book starts with a total gay crisis. The main character wakes up after a hookup and only slowly starts to realize she didn't do this with a guy, but with a girl. These two characters then start hanging out without being drunk and slowly grow closer. Their interactions are absolutely adorable and fun and I really enjoyed those. For me Addison and Mary really carried the book and it was so great to see how they were growing closer together.

Addison also starts meeting new people who are "really interesting" and she starts falling for them too. This turns into a polyamorous chaos, and it was such a great chaos to see unfold. We see her struggle with what it means to be polyam, and how she wants to shape that for her own life. The book showed this in a very truthful way sharing all the struggles that can come with it but also highlighting all the great joys.

A big part of this book is Addison's mental health as well. She has anxiety and stresses out a lot which is very relatable. In the beginning she barely communicates about this though and is often lost in her head. However Mary and her other friends and lovers teach her and repeat to her that she's got to communicate and you see her slowly growing in this. She is nowhere near perfect at the end but the character growth is significant and amazing to follow.

Last this book has a small paranormal edge too it too that made the book have just that little bit extra. I thought it fun how it wasn't the main focus but still created great moments in the book.

All together I greatly enjoyed this book and I hope other people will love it too.

I have to admit that I didn’t love this book. All the elements were there but it didn’t really work for me. I think pacing was the majority of the problem for me as I never really settled with the protagonist’s voice.
It was enjoyable and well written at times but not a hit for me.

This was cute and smutty, but the story was kind of lacking plot in my opinion. That said, the characters seemed fairly well developed.

From the cover and description I already knew that it would be centered around a poly relationship. I really enjoyed the f/f relationship and, admittedly, even the m/f relationship and smut scenes were nicely written. However, I was glad that most things were centered around the f/f couple.
The book was charmingly written. I liked how the MC came to terms with her identity and how her anxieties and autistic traits were portrayed.
One thing that surprised me were the paranormal aspects of the story. It might've been just my understanding of the description, but either way, I wasn't displeased by it.
Overall, I think that I'm not the right audience for this story, which is why I didn't enjoy it as much as other might have. Either way, I think the story was intriguing and it certainly has its audience.

This book was very interesting. From the cover and synopsis, I knew it was going to be about polyamory but what I didn't expect from it was it to be a very smutty paranormal romance book.

I loved the LGBTQIAP rep, the anxiety rep and how we got to see Addi's point of view on accepting her sexuality. I liked the sapphic smut, and admittedly the mf smut, but I liked that there was more sapphic than mf.

I am giving this three stars because I feel like there could have been more to this story. I felt like there was no plot, and it was more about sex. But in saying that, I did really enjoy the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

tldr: If you want a fun poly romance with unique characters, this might be for you! But it wasn't for me.

I grabbed this book because the cover was super cute and it looked like it had a Tarot theme. The cover was cute, but there wasn't really a tarot theme (although there is a fun fantasy element to the whole thing).

This is an interesting take on a sapphic/hetero poly romance. There is great representation of different characters, including a demi/grey ace trans character, BIPOC, and character with strong anxiety.

I've waffled on my feelings about this book, but I think I'm feeling just meh. There are aspects I really enjoyed, but the plot seemed rushed in a lot of ways. To me, it feels like the whole relationship was just thrown together without any sort of background. The queer discovery also seemed like she was denying it one moment and then was fine with it the next without a clear line between the two. This could be how some people go through their journey, but it often isn't in my experiance.

There's also some BDSM and other spicy scenes if that's your thing! Consent is a huge part of it and it's always nice to see that in a romance book.

I really enjoyed this book, love the representation. It did take me a bit to warm up to Addison she really wasn’t my favorite at first. I also feel like the book felt super slow and dragging at times but overall I think it was a great read!

This book was very enjoyable!

I loved seeing a representation of polyamorous relationships that included constant communication! It is difficult to find stories that have Poly representation. And often times if they do, the representation is not accurate or healthy.

Seeing Addie struggling to handle her anxiety in the context of her new relationships is something not often seen in media. Giving the reader a chance to see how you can work to develop communication skills with your partner/s is something I wish we saw in more books!

I think that this book is a great representation of the polyamorous community and even offered examples of multiple forms of polyamorous arrangements.

My only qualm is that the beginning of the book felt a bit like fan-fiction in how quickly the initial relationship between Mary and Addie developed.

But overall, I highly enjoyed the book and hope to see more books from Riley Quinn in the future!

I ended up DNFing this one… I love queer stories, and as someone who is poly and bi myself, I was excited about the summary.

Unfortunately, I really struggled with the prose itself, and the characters fell flat for me. There was a lot of Addison saying what was happening and not much description of people, spaces, or anything to ground me in the story. In other words, a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. I don’t mind a slower pace when I feel invested in the characters, but even after putting it aside and coming back a few times, I couldn’t get into it.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for letting me read this book as an ARC.

The cover art is what got my attention, and then having a poly relationship in fiction did too, but I just couldn't get into it sadly.

It wasn’t a *bad* book it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t connect with the writing style or the characters.

Loved this - so cute, loved the queer awakening, loved all the characters. I relate to Addie's gay panic and how she really tried to convince herself she was so straight (looking at you, 16-year-old self...). Overall, this was such a cute lil read and I'll be keeping an eye on when Riley Quinn publishes more books!

There’s a lot about this to like: LGBTQ+ and poly representation, casual magical realism, and a gorgeous cover. Mary and Cyrus were lovable, and I enjoyed Addie’s exploration of her sexuality. There’s also plenty of very fun spice.

The premise is excellent and the cast of characters is wonderful, but lack of polish ultimately holds this book back from reaching its full potential.

While I appreciate that indie authors may have limited resources, the story would have strongly benefited from additional editing and/or beta-reading. The pacing was uneven and often dragged. Unneeded details and filler hanging out scenes could’ve been cut without negatively impacting character development or the plot. Character reactions also seemed odd at times. While much about the magic was fascinating (I especially enjoyed Mary’s magical tattoos), I was left with unanswered questions. For example, I didn’t understand why magic was used in lieu of one type of gender-affirming surgery, but not another type. It’s also unclear whether the general public knows about the existence of supernatural creatures and magic.

I’m curious to read more from the author, especially if the next novel is tighter.

If you’re looking for a cozy yet spicy poly fantasy novel, this book might be your cup of tea.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

dnf'd at 20%.

i liked the premise of this book but i couldn't get into it at all. there was no build up & the way addison's sexuality was discussed was strange. the writing style also just wasn't for me & didn't really hold my attention.

thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the cover art and the overall idea of the book. The synopsis pulled me in and made me interested in trying this book. I ended up DNF'ing this one on about chapter 4. There was so much detailed description of the surroundings/setting it ended up losing me. Of course, this is just my opinion and I know this book has an audience that will love it!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!

DNF
Not for me at all for many reasons. How the story begins feels kinda forced and I felt kind of uncomfortable while reading it (your very first time with a girl, and you were dead drunk? and she didn’t stop when seeing how drunk you were that you didn’t remember a think the next morning? i was just uncomfy reading it because friends of mine have gone through this and is a horrible situation if not dealt with correctly), the questioning protagonist with very deep internalised homophobia and mention of pansexuality and its definition which I very personally do not agree with (but that is a debate i will not start here because its not the place nor I have a right to debate people’s sexuality) and finally not having been able to care completely about any character was just not for me.

This of course doesn’t mean that it can’t be for other people, I think many others would enjoy this book and I encourage you to give it a chance, you’ll never know until you try!!

I DNF’d at 12% I was already struggling with Addie’s extreme hesitancy to same-sex attraction (this was abundantly clear through the whole date; for example, Addie literally stuttered her way through intimacy) and then Mary offered her “choccy milk” after doing the deed. This could turn into something enjoyable for other readers but it is not for me.

I would like to express my gratitude to both the author and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read an ARC of The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil.

I must admit that this book did not resonate with me as I had hoped. I found myself unable to maintain my interest beyond the first chapter. The internal monologue of the main character appeared disorganized, making it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the book.

I must note that the cover art is beautiful. I hope this book finds its audience.