i loved this book. it felt like i was reading a CW show about being poly (in the best way) drama? smut? what more could you ask for. *chefs kiss* it was fast paced and fun. i love the inner turmoil and struggles we got to see from our group.

Thank you so much to the author for the arc!

Sadly this one didn't work out for me! I DNF'd at about 50%. This is a slice of life, queer/poly romance and the characters are lovely. For me I just couldn't keep engaged with the story and as much as I loved the characters I was struggling with the pacing massively.

The cover is GORGEOUS and the premise is so so good. If you really enjoy slice of life type books I think you may enjoy this. Just didn't work out for me!

I love queer stories, but this one sadly didn't work for me. I think this book could be very entertaining for people who are looking to start reading about poly/queer romances and what those could look like. Unfortunately, I already know what I love and want from this genre and this book didn't deliver. I don't think I could explain further and keep this review spoiler free, so I will leave it at that.

This review will be uploaded to Goodreads.

Unfortunately I DNFed this book at around 18%. The story sounded very interesting to me and the cover is amazing, but the book just wasn’t for me. The writing wasn’t bad but the plot was moving a bit slow and I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. Not to say it’s not a good book and nobody else will like it, because I’m sure they would! Just not for me. Thank you for sending me the ecopy and offering to send a physical one too! Best of luck!

Do you know what I usually don't pick up? Spicy books. Can you guess what this book was? That's right Spicy.
Did I really enjoy it anyways? That is correct, I was quite amused most of the book.

Why would you want to read this?
- Polyamory (a really cute and healthy if I dare say relationship)
- Neurodivergent characters
- Queer representation (duh)
- Found Family
- Communication, Consent?? (They do that in these types of books??)
- Idiots in love (My favourite trope ever)

The book follows our girl Addison or 'Addie' as her best friend's really hot friend Mary calls her. Wait... it's totally straight to be attracted to other women right? Yeah, Addison may get a bit excited about tussling with Mary in the bedroom but that's totally normal, right? The story unfolds as Addie realizes no... that may not be normal for your average straight girl.

My complaints;
- Honestly, it took me a minute to warm up to Addison
- There were a few places I wasn't sure who was speaking

My positive complaint:
- Next book when? More of these characters when?

My positives:
- Oh my goodness some of the scenes in this book were so tender and loving
- Some scenes were also so sad (ie; When Addie nonchalantly brought up abuse in her past)
- The respect of boundaries and heavy stressing of consent.

This was a cute story but it left me wanting me more and not in a good way I felt the story was under developed

Thank you NetGalley for the copy!
Okay, I actually saw this book on TikTok that another person had recommended. And this was actually the book that got me into NetGalley. I adored reading this. I would consider this a light hearted read that is full of just the right amount of spice. I enjoyed reading about Addie's self-discovery of "maybe I'm not 'totally straight' but rather able to love multiple people who are different in more ways than their sexual identification and orientation." And the patience that Mary has while she waits for Addie to figure it out.....Gods! I only had a few moments that I felt like I struggled with Addie's personal thoughts. I don't know if it was the info dumping or the length of time it felt like it took Addie to come to terms with herself, or the insta-love vibe. I'm not sure.

The cover is heckin cute. 5/5
Story Themes 4/5
Overall dialog and plot 3/5
Diversity & Representation 4/5

Honestly. This book was a fun time. There was some fun queer representation, and while I wouldn't say it's a literary masterpiece, I had fun reading it, and would probably read more about these characters and their little polycule.

I found the writing style hard to sink into. I frequently found myself wanting dialogue in areas without it and feeling rushed through scenes. The characters and premise were interesting, but in the end unfortunately wasn't a fit for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review*

The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil felt like a good pick to reserve as a read during this pride month, and I will say that I am happy I did so. The dialogue was charming and relatable to get into, as well as helpful to give insight on certain elements of the LGBTQ+ community and/or polyamory. I enjoyed the amount of diversity included in the cast, Cyrus and Addie were enjoyable to read about in their own ways and I was able to envision the setting well. the supernatural aspects were also a nice dose of fun, as well as the bits of smut thrown in.

For me, where it fell short was the plot itself and even Mary to a certain extent. Despite Mary not being a bad character in theory, I couldn't find myself caring for her as much as the others - especially Addie, though it could be because the novel is from Addie's POV. Mary felt just a little distant to relate to and to enjoy. The plot also took a bit to get into. Aside from the starting smut, I found myself wondering when it was gonna pick up the pace. Eventually, it got there and it was worth the read.

Overall? I would recommend!

The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil by Riley Quinn

🌶️😈💘🏳️‍🌈😳

“The absurdity of the last two days struck me; she had consumed my thoughts. Even in breakups in the past, I had hardly mourned the loss of anything but the self-esteem boost. Now I was coloring my entire life in shades of Mary.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5 stars)

2-sentence synopsis: When shy, introverted, and “straight” Addison gets drunk and falls into bed with Mary, a gorgeous, fiery friend-of-a-friend, she is beyond confused. Her confusion (and curiosity) only grows as she learns of Mary’s supernatural heritage and her polyamorous relationships - can she be brave enough to let herself be a part of Mary’s life, even if it means fundamentally changing her own?

The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil was a pretty darn cute book. There were lots of elements to love - a straight girl struggling to realize she is absolutely queer as hell, the forced proximity trope, a hottie with an incubus father (making her a cambion), an asexual male love interest (Cyrus), and a real fucking adorable polyamorous triad. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book featuring polyamory (REAL polyamory, not cheating or a love triangle) and it was really cool! It’s also kind of rare to see male asexual characters, and Cyrus was definitely my favorite character.

A few fav elements were:
- Mary giving Addison the space to figure out her sexuality and supporting her fully along the way
- Cyrus being a giant nerd and getting Addison into D&D
- the familial bonding between Mary, Addison, & Cyrus, and Mary’s father his family
- Cyrus being very upfront about his asexuality

I appreciated that the author made it abundantly clear that despite Mary being half-incubus, she never uses her powers of seduction on people without their consent. 🙏🏻

While this was a pretty fun read, there were a few things I had qualms with. My main issue were a few scenes where Mary’s friends-with-benefits were getting kind of steamy with Mary’s father and his wives - while in the same room as Mary, who was also having a flirty, gay ol’ time. It felt really weird, and I didn’t really think the implication that polyam people are into getting down in the same room as their literal father.

There was a fair amount of spice, and while most of it was pretty good, the author INSISTED on using the phrase “her sex” multiple times. A small complaint, but it made me 🤢 lol

Overall, this book was good. Not bad, not great, but it was good. The cover and premise had me really excited, but ultimately, it didn’t become a fav.

strong story? ⭐️
🤷🏻compelling characters? ⭐️
✍🏻enjoyable writing style? 💫
❤️‍🔥did it give me ✨the feels✨? 💫
👍🏻recommend? 💫

Adorable cover & book art by Claudia Cangini (@claudiacanginiart)

The fool, the lovers, the devil did not work for me at all. I love a good poly romance I wish I enjoyed it more but I just did not. The writing did not connect with me at all.

What a surprising turn of event this book was.

I absolutely LOVED the diversity and queer representation - and the fact that the author is very informative about LGBT+ labels and actually makes an effort to educate the reader without it feeling forced.

I was very skeptical of the supernatural element in the beginning of this book, but it actually kind of worked and made the story stand out as well as make more intriguing to continue reading.
However I do feel like it was somewhat rushed over at some points, as well as Addie’s reaction and very quick acceptance of the supernatural felt kind of forced and - again - rushed.

I didn’t expect this book to be as spicy as it was, but the communication and talks of consent between the characters made it perfectly fine. I loved the character dynamics in general and the banter in this book will have you chuckling several times.

The chapters are short which is definitely a plus for me!

Overall, this was a very cute and funny coming-of-age/coming-to-terms-with-your-sexuality story that kind of gave me Casey McQuiston vibes with just a bit of a magical/fantasy element added.

REVIEW:

I have a confession.
This is actually my first coming-of-age-burgeoning-gay-girl panic novel. And it was a whirlwind.
It opens with Addie who is so sure she’s straight, and straight girls can be into girls—google said so!!!
She’s knocked back on her heels and fumbles through her first queer relations which is awkward, stressful, and real.

Mary is a guiding wind for Addie. She takes her by the hand-literally, out to lunch, out to meet people, guiding her in and out of relationships in a sometimes-gentle-sometimes-not-so-gentle way.

It is slow paced and ambles through this queer exploration, very relationship focused.
Dealing with a combination of real life problems (like bills, losing housing, what to wear) and the magical SPOILER (Mary is the child of a succubus)

This book was such a journey and ended in a warm cozy place where love is aplenty.

I very much enjoyed this queer novel about sexuality, trust, friendship, communication, and self-discovery. The representation was superb and the commentary was amazing. The paranormal aspects of the story were delightful and interesting and kept me intrigued throughout the entire novel. The cast of characters were dynamic and well rounded and the plot was fast paced and unique. Would definitely recommend this book!

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one about 10% in. I don't have anything against it but I think the writing style just wasn't for me, and having to read a sex scene for two characters so early in the book when they've barely interacted at all and I know nothing about either of them just made me avoid reading the book so much that I was reading about a page a day max before I decided to just give up.

Again, I wish the author all the best with this book, it's just not for me.

Steamier than anticipated, this was a total delight. I loved the queer representation, the coming out storyline, and the wide representation of neurodivergencies, even if not explicitly stated. This was such a delightful read and a joy to experience cover to cover.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Unfortunately, I did not end up finishing this book. I got several chapters in and while I was excited about the premise and cover art, the book and narration felt very childish. Addie, the main character, felt more like a teenager than an almost 30 year old. I think this book has a lot of promise, but needs several more rounds of editing.

I LOVED the diversity shown in these characters, not just for queer representation but the neurospicy side too!!

Sadly, and I can't quite put my finger down on why, I felt a disconnect. As I read I just became uninterested in the plot. Felt like maybe things needed a little more depth overall. However, I am no writer so what the heck do I know!

While I didn't feel as connected to this story by the end as I hoped, that wouldn't stop me from recommending it. I can not stress how important the representation in this book is. ♥ I'm excited for any future works by this author!


little side note: It was nice to see the *ridiculous* amount of overthinking I do daily in a main character.

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review. I give this book 5 stars. You get to know the characters and love them. I love Addie’s growth in it. I also love the spice in it. It’s a must read.