Modern Cupid stories have always interested me, and Greek mythology retellings have always been one of my favorites. So it's no secret that I went into this book quite excited about how a teen goddess would juggle high school relationship drama and her destiny. Kali wants to be a Muse, not an Erote, but stuck in probationary matching, and jaded over the whole institution means she is not giving her all to the job. Being the daughter of Eros and Psyche herself, and the other side of a one-sided match with her childhood friend Hector (and now her ex) means she gives Fates the stink eye and doesn't believe they have free will. To add to her complications, she sticks herself and falls in love with a mortal, and to get rid of it, she takes on a quest. Between trying to make it work with her mortal boyfriend and having complicated feelings about her ex, as well as trying to fulfill the requirements of her quest, she is stretched thin trying to defy her Fate.

Firstly, the modern setting in this book worked well enough for the Greek mythology - there being whole worlds, and gods with jobs and all. It is however, a very Disney version of Greek mythology; while there are some callouts about the agency of goddesses and ridiculous lore, for the most part it is just going along with sanitized versions (I mean, even the words used are like 'cursing' instead of 'effing'). Another thing: it was Very Heteronormative considering this is Greek mythology and this is 2019! Everywhere you look there are straight couples and they don't even come across a single queer character; like, are you kidding me? (I mean, Artemis was right there! Make her a lesbian FFS!) Also, there's the whole slutshaming of the goddess of love and her descendants so that wasn't cool either. Plus, Hades =/= Hell (Tartarus is a better analogous name) so it was hella awkward for this book to use that in its 'creative' swearing; like 'go to Hades' doesn't have the same gravitas as go to hell.

Onto the story: it is good, but the ending sort of ruins the whole 'oh no what do we do about the eternal match thing' that was the main conflict of the story. As for the other theme, though - about matches not necessarily meaning the love will endure - that was done well enough throughout the book. Kali is entertaining as a protagonist (her rage at every mention of the Romans was hilarious), and her realizing some important truths during the course of the story was well done. The quest was a good mystery to solve, but I wish it had been more of a team effort than it was. Teresa was cool but mostly absent; Deya was underutilized as a best friend; you already know my views on Artemis. The romantic developments were sweet but since it mostly happened off page, I can't really say I cared much about them.

Overall, a decent enough story in a well-done setting, though it could've been made better with some diversity.

What a fun and unique story. The cover and title drew me in, and the title perfectly fitted the premise of the story. A story of love and all its predicaments when it involves pricking yourself with Cupid's arrow. A great read to introduce people to stories with Greek mythology in and a good young/teen story for them to read. I do not want to give too much of the plot away but this book is aimed more fir the young adult ]. teen reader rather than adults. But for those young of heart and needing something different this could very well be for you.

Lovestruck
By Kate Watson
Flux Books; North star Editions Publication Date April 2,2019
five star *****five Star***** Five Star *****

Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old cupid-in-training Kali is in an Olympus-sized mountain of trouble. Rule number one in arrow-toting matchmaking: don't stick yourself. But accidents happen, and Kali instantly falls hard for her indie rock, bass-playing target, Benicio. The God of Love is going to kill her. Even if he is her dad. Being the daughter of Eros isn't all it's cracked up to be. For one thing, a girl can get jaded when her parents have the most beautiful and fatalistic love story in history. For another, immortality royally sucks when the Oracle condemns you to eternity in the wrong profession. Do the Gods care that Kali wants to ditch the love stuff and be a muse? Nope. To reclaim her heart and her destiny, Kali is left with no choice but to defy the Gods, tempt the Fates, date the mortal love of her life, and hope she doesn't lose her best friend, Hector, in the process.

For my complete review on Wordpress including my cast of characters for this stunning book
https://floetrygirl123.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/happy-publication-day-lovestruck-by-kate-watson/

OMG I am stillllll swooning.
For a long time I have warded off romance, and since this book was categorized as YA Scifi Fantasy I went ahead and picked it up to review.

First I minored in Humanities, and for me to continue reading a book about Mythology it has to be A. close to accurate, and B. something I haven’t already read or studied a hundred thousand words ago. And it can’t be cliche.

Her characters were so amazing I have already cast them in my head.
Lovestruck hit all the points of a wonderful rom com, It had action and told each of the characters mythological backstories ; just sliding in details that made each of their characters come alive. The reader is transported into this magical dimension between Earth and the heavens with a mere swish of an arrow hitting the target. Kate Watson doesn’t make this all about the characters inner drama, she takes great care in making each page a cinematic experience for the reader. This isn’t just a book, this will transcend just like Divergent did to the big screen and hopefully ( fingers crossed) NETFLIX so we can binge watch over and over and over.
So if it isn’t obvious, why this book is a five.
. 1. I have cast the whole set of characters, and this movie is in glorious technicolor.
2. You continue to want to go back and reread points in the story, and you get more beautiful details each time you do.
3.Lovestruck has overshadowed every thriller , every YA and every fantasy I have read this year. It is one I will definitely add to my collection of books.
4.Enter the giveaway on Instagram .. Storygramtours has partnered with Flux books ( my new fave publisher) to give a copy away to a lucky person.
5. Kate Watson.. can there be Lovestruck two???? I mean you need to do Cosmo's story..
6. Is there an audio book... really we need my cast of characters to read the parts.. ( please see link above to my blog post!)
Ack... I have gone totally fangirl for this book.. just read it.

I'm always in for a good retelling or a story with good allusions. Once again Kate Watson has weaved an excellently romantic story with a modern twist.

Lovestruck by Kate Watson is an intriguing can’t-put-down YA book.

Kali, a 16-year old “Cupid” – professionally known as a love goddess – in training has always been passionate about the match-making profession. Until the Thunderclap, which flipped her world upside down. What is the point if the Fates have already decided your outcome?

To further thicken the plot, she accidentally stuck herself with an arrow and falls for last assignment, Benico, an indie rock base player. She didn’t mean to, but accidents happen, right?

She is willing to risk everything to claim her heart back.

Hector is Kali’s best friend and is in love with her. Kali questions his true feelings as he was struck by an arrow when he was 12 years old.
Follow Kali, Deya and Theresa on a quest to change her fate and defy the Fates.

A feel good story, with twists and turns, love, romance, heartache, a bit of adventure and a dash of Greek mythology. My past teenage self would feel warm and fuzzy.

I highly enjoyed Kate Watson style of writing. I will definitely keep an eye out for future books, and (when I am able to) read her previous books. 

** I received a copy of Lovestruck by Kate Watson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

16 year old Kali is the daughter of Eros and is a Cupid in training. While she is out to make a match, she accidentally manages to stick herself with the arrow and is lovestruck. Kali decides to visit the Fates to see if it can be reversed and is given a prophecy.

This was a fun, light read - nice to see some of the Greek gods/goddesses in our modern world. It was cute.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Lovestruck by Kate Watson
If you enjoy a good romcom and Greek Mythology you will like this story. It’s a funny light fun read. I enjoyed the different situations involving the Gods and the mischief the main character and her friends got into. Overall its a quick read that can be read in one sitting.
#netgalley #lovestruck

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Lovestruck by Kate Watson. I've read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lovestruck is about Kali, a Cupid-in-training who accidentally pricks herself with an arrow and falls in love with a mortal boy named Ben. In order to reverse being "lovestruck" and change her destiny, Kali defies the Fates and goes on a journey of self-discovery.

Lovestruck is a light, fun read filled with Greek mythology. It's funny, heart-warming and fast-paced. The short backstories on different Greek Gods made the writing even more compelling. Very enjoyable and cute.

If you enjoy a good romcom and Greek Mythology, then you will definitely enjoy this book!

Sigh. This is sad. Really thought I would enjoy this Ya fantasy romance but alas, it fell really short and had to DNF it.

*I was given an E-ARC from NetGalley in Exchange for my Honest Review*

I Unfortunately have to give this book 2 stars. I'm not sure where it went wrong. I wasn't a major fan of the writing, and the story it's self was just meh. The plot just didn't pull me in and I couldn't for the life of me connect with the characters. I was really intrigued when I the whole greek mythology we mention, however it just didn't feel right whenever the author would mention one of the greek gods. I always pulled me out of the story, and it could very well be that maybe this book wasn't for me. It's honestly a shame I didn't like it because I really wanted to.

I can describe Lovestruck as a celebration of love. It has a unique take on Greek mythology and features aspects of everyday life as departments in Olympus for gods and goddesses to handle. It’s light-hearted and funny and if you don’t take it too seriously, pretty okay all things considered. I found it to be a good, fast-paced book for a lazy afternoon type read.

Our main character, Kali is a Cupid-in-training and a daughter of Eros and Psyche. Unfortunately, she might not be cut out for the job after several mismatches and accidentally pricking herself with an arrow and falling in love with her target. In other words, Kali is pretty much an unlucky Cupid and has to turn around her luck soon and reclaim her heart. Otherwise, she might have to spend a few decades in love with a mortal.

The plot follows Kali and her friends as she tries to break the spell. In the process, Kali discovers a few things about herself and she has a rather strong character arc. Although, I do have to say that I wasn’t a fan of the slut-shaming and girl hate that we see for a few chapters. I didn’t find it funny and I thought the book would be stronger without it although the character was essential for Kali to see how jealous she was for some reason? Kali isn’t exactly the most likeable of characters. Fortunately, the side characters are a lot of fun. They alternate between comic relief and providing significant plot and character development.

I’m not really a big fan of the twist in the end. I admit I felt kind of blindsided and I thought it was kind of a cop-out how things turned to be. I appreciated that it differentiates between being in love with someone and having crushes but I still don’t know if I liked it. It’s a decent twist, yes, but I wished it was something more than that.

Overall, Lovestruck is pretty okay as long as you don’t take it too seriously. It’s a light-hearted read that’s perfect for a slow day. It’s pretty fast-paced too so you can finish it in an afternoon or so.

I have to admit Lovestruck by Kate Watson sounded like a lot of cheesy mythology inspired fun. I have a soft spot for Greek mythology and I couldn't resist a story about an Erote, aka a cupid-in-training, who breaks the first rule of the job - accidentally sticking herself with an arrow and falling hard for the target. For me, the mythology aspects were my favorite - Artemis' has some of the best parts even though she's one of the side characters. Unfortunately, Kali really began to grate on my nerves after a while. I don't know maybe I'm getting to old for this stuff, but I do know I'll stick with Rick Riordan's brand of mythology in the modern world.

This book started out so good, but i felt by the end it Kali was just so Whiny and was just complaining all the time. which was disappointing, cause the book had a lot of potential.

*3.25 Stars*

Kali is an Erote, which is basically a Cupid (since the romans stole their religion and renamed most things). For months now, shes's been very unsure of her calling and being Eros daughter hasn't exactly helped. She's been messing up a lot and screwing up matches, until she really messes up and sticks herself on an arrow, matching herself with a mortal.

This was a fun, light read. I had a good time reading the drama between all the gods, I do love a good Greek mythology story. But I was often a bit bored. Still, the characters were fun and I liked getting to know them. I liked the secondary characters, they were kinda fun. My main issue was how straight this was, like as Erote, Kali and her best friend, assumed a woman's match had to be with a man without even knowing anything about the person. And all the discussed matches were between a man and a woman. Even withing the Greek god, everything was m/f and I don't know as much as I wish I did Greek mythology wise but I do know it's very much not all m/f.
Anyway, that kinda bugged me but other than that, this was kinda cute and fun.

I was really intrigued by the synopsis and was excited to find out I'd gotten approved for this ARC. I'm always up for something about Greek myths/gods/heroes/anything, and this sounded like a good read. The book started out really well, but a few chapters in, I noticed some errors. I sometimes got half a page double, where I turned the page and I had two paragraphs that were the same as the last two of the page before. Now, this didn't bother me too much, I skimmed over them and continued. Then, I turned the page and found a few pages missing. This happened more times, and I'm sorry to say that this made continuing really difficult. I hope I can get to read this book when it gets published because I was definitely liking it.

Kali a 16 yearI’ll keep it in training on the lip the size mountain of trouble don’t stick yourself this this story. I think it was enjoyable. I really love green mythology so I’m a big fan of this book.This book was Provided to me by Net Gallet for an honest review. The whole idea of you being in Trina West Virginia it was a cute story the main character was very The hold are you it was a cute story the main character Have a very stand off fish at it to me so it was hard to like her. The plant was OK but it was also very pretty. I think the best part of the book with the group without lettin have a very standoffish attitude to me so it was hard to like her. The plant was OK but it was also very pretty. I think the best part of the book what is the Greek mythology. I think the book is great for teens.

This book was so darned cute! And dramatic, but in a good way!

What I liked:
-Kali is so wonderfully flawed! She has attitude and she’s selfish and in her own head a lot, but she also cares about those around her and is very determined. Super relatable!
-Greek gods! I loved seeing Watson’s take on the gods of Olympus (and team Artemis!)
-Prphecies—I love this trope, especially because this one wasn’t very predictable!
-The romance! Watson wrote what I felt was very realistic romance. It was messy, with many flaws and worries. She took the love triangle and really spun it.
-The humor! Gosh, this book is hilarious, and I just couldn’t stop laughing!

I really, really enjoyed this book, and I’m excited to see what else Kate Watson writes

Once again, Kate Watson's writing blew me away. Although I wasn't able to read in one go as I normally would have in the past, I could still feel the story's hold on me. Every time I picked it back up again, it didn't take me long to get into it at all. Which is brilliant considering I could only read two to three pages at a time and there could be days in between - oops.

Another good thing about this novel is more because I read those two other books by Watson. Both of those were contemporary, whereas Lovestruck is filled with mythology and has a definite fantasy-aspect present. Seeing how authors try different things, dwell in other genres is something I love. It shows another side of their abilities, their imagination and I am all here for just that.

The story itself was pretty good as well. My favorite part? Definitely Artemis' story! She's one of the side characters and I truly was way more invested in her than in any of the other characters. Not sure if that's.. really a good thing?

Okay. Actually, I know that's not really a good thing. Mainly because the main character got on my nerves a lot when I was reading. She felt ridiculously egocentric at times. Why? Well. Imagine your best friend being "cursed" to be in love with you, but you broke up with him a while back. Yet you still cannot stand it, at all, when he spends time with someone who might be a new love interest? All while she's focused on someone else herself. Like. No. I didn't like that at all and struggled with it quite often.

But that's not all! Unfortunately. I mentioned mythology. And that aspect is.. overly present. Maybe a bit too much for my liking? Gods and goddesses were thrown around everywhere, to the point of me not being able to figure out who's who again. That probably has to do with my lack of knowledge too but.. it took away from the story since I kept wanting to look up what a certain god's story was again. It made me feel like the mythology-aspect was a bit forced in some ways. It could just be me though!

It was an enjoyable enough read and I flew through it. I do wish some things were different but.. alas. I guess you cannot like every book a specific author writes, right?

3/5

LoveStruck by Kate Watson
4⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Flux for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to start this review by saying I LOVE Greek mythology retellings, it’s one of my absolute favorite things to read and I Highly enjoyed this book. When I was reading the beginning of the book my first thought was that it was going to be just like every other YA contemporary romance novel but I was wrong and I loved the twists and the direction the book took!

We have Kali, Greek Goddess, Cupid in training. Her life was going amazingly until one day she had a thunderclap and everything she thought she knew about fate and destiny was changed. With her feelings towards match making changing she doesn’t want the fates making her decisions for her anymore.

One bad match turns into one horrible mistake, kali needs to figure out herself and her passion within her life to rewrite her destiny, can she do it or will it all fall away with every twist of the story?

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a soft, but twisty love story and also to someone who loved Greek Mythology.

I wasn't into romance until recently and Lovestruck brought me down the rabbit hole. I couldn't put this book down, it was great!