I loved the queer representation specifically the Pan character and a non-binary love interest! But the characters were a little flat and overall kind of boring

If I had to describe The Love Study in one word it would be ‘cute’. It’s a sweet look in to what it is about relationships that work for some people and not others. Declan is simply too darn adorable for his own good and Sidney is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people ever.

Declan still has misgivings about how he left his ex at the altar on the wedding day even though Mason has forgiven him and they’re still good friends to this day. His uncertainty about his choices and his fear of commitment makes him feel that he might never find something that’ll work for him. He meets Sidney through his friends and the two hit it off immediately. They both get the difficulties of relationships, especially when neither of them are terribly interested in conforming to traditional relationship norms. Sidney suggests that he appear on their podcast and agree to go on a series of blind dates so they can discuss his experiences. The dates are interesting but the chemistry between Declan and Sidney becomes more comforting by the minute.

I liked The Love Study and what makes it work is how endearing Declan, Sidney and the rest of the friends are. Declan’s personality reminds me a lot of someone I might read in an Alexis Hall novel – sweet, a bit awkward and a bit self-deprecating. I liked that about Declan. As for Sidney, I liked their openness and they don’t come with any judgment. I think Declan needed someone like that in his life who was new to him and could offer a fresh perspective on life and love to him. Declan also has anxiety and I was amazed by how well that was handled here. Anxiety manifests differently for people and at different times and for Declan to eventually make connections (along with Sidney’s help) to what’s happening in the moment is such a big step for his own growth. Sidney is the type of friend you want in your corner with their patience and what seems like bottomless empathy to listen and encourage. I just loved the two of them together.

Would I recommend The Love Study? Yes! On a personal level, I appreciated looking at love and relationships not only from a LGBTQ+ perspective but also through the lens of someone who feels the pressure of the typical expectations of relationships. Maybe not everyone wants everyone else wants like flowers, or a big wedding or chocolate hearts. I found it to be delightful reading where I could happily root for a couple to find their own version of happily ever after.

Okay. I have been on a contemporary kick, plus I am also loving the diverse reads that are now readily available to readers and I was really hoping that The Love Study was going to be another addition to my collection of feel good queer romances!

What The Love Study gave me was a beautiful LGTBQAIP+ representation- with non -binary/gender queer protagonists as well as sapphic and queer secondary characters who made up the friend circle of the MCs.

And while I flew through half of the book; because who wouldn’t when the plot has been publicised as a dating for a show; with one of them a proven commitment - phobe; because he left his boyfriend (now one of his best friends!) right at the altar!

But what could have been a hilarious and emotional and adorable romance between two very special characters; turned out to be a forced connection; because that’s exactly what the blurb said should happens

When I had to force myself to even read after reaching the halfway Mark, I just knew that this one wasn’t for me. It could be for you, but that’s of course your personal preference!

It's hard to say that this book was fun (even though it was) because the main character, Declan, carries so much pain, self-doubt, and at times even self-loathing that I wanted more for them. This is one of those really great books that proves (gasp! horrors! what has the world come to?!) that gay people are literally human beings and experience exactly the same emotions and rollercoaster rides in romance that cis hetero people do (sorry haters).

The premise is something straight out of any mainstream (re: book that the traditional publishing industry has been pushing since the dawn of time) fiction: an up-and-coming video-documentarian asks Declan to be their interview subject on a series of dates. It's meant to be a glimpse into the modern dating world, even though Declan has his doubts. After all, he's left someone at the altar and still hasn't forgiven himself for it, even though his love-victim has and is still close friends with him.

The book was endearing in all the right ways and shone a spotlight on a number of issues. Apart from the aforementioned "omg they're just like us and by us I mean stereotypical status quo," the author seamlessly uses correct pronouns without batting an eye. It's a beautiful example of how this whole thing works when people put a microscopic smidgen of effort into it.

Fun, insightful, heart-wrenching at times, and yes, you want to cheer for the good guys! (Make that, good people!)

The Love Study is a wonderful and heartwarming read, with two characters that you instantly connect with and by the end feel are your friends. It's a book that is really lovely to read and one you will want to pass on to your friends.

I have to give a huge thanks to Carina Loves and Kris to begin with as on a personal level I felt I learned so much from this novel.  I vowed to try and expand my reading into own voices recently and I felt as though this novel gave me such a great, genuine LGBQT perspective of dating.  

I found the characters intriguing and all uniqe in their personalities.  I loved their bond and the banter they had between them and how they had been friends for a long time.  I have to say that I thought Declan may be an unlikable character - especially after leaving his fiance at the alter but then the more of Declan that was revealed, the more I was actually annoyed with his mates for the constant reminder.  He grew on me quickly and I admired him.  I love flawed and real-life human characters who make mistakes and have to figure things out throughout the plot.  Sidney is more of a mysterious character.  Quiet and unassuming but not shy they aren't an 'in your face' character to begin with but as their relationship develops with Declan via The Love Study, more of them is revealed.  It's as though we are learning about them through Declan's eyes and I enjoyed doing this. 

The Love Study is an interesting way to create a romance plot and there were some tender and at times hilarious moments between Sidney and Declan. as they discover true feelings about themselves but also about relationships.  It's about self discovery as much as a romance relationship. 

I enjoyed the diversity in this novel and I found the romance plot cute and really enjoyable.

I read this ARC through NetGalley. It’s brimming with queer characters, good communication and mutual respect.

It wasn’t for me, though. I had to read through some reviews to be able to put into words what made me dislike (or rather, just not like) this book. I mean - a super queer cast, a genderqueer love interest, a Love Study (queer dating and analysing on YouTube), a group of wonderful friends. What’s not to love?
Well... Even though communication is good, it’s a whole lot of telling and not much showing here. Of course you should talk through every aspect of your relationship, but as a reader, it became quite repetitive and dull. It’s also Declan. While fun and fresh in the beginning, he’s not so much so halfway through. It’s not that he’s got anxiety and is trying to figure out what sort of relationship he wants to have - those are stuff I want to read about - it’s just him. I didn’t like him as a character.

I hope others will enjoy this, but I will look for the author’s other work to see if I find something I like - because I am curious and love diverse reading.

/ Denise

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

I really enjoyed this romance. I found it very fresh and original. The storyline was fun and had a lot of heart. The characters were likable and in Sidney's case, quite groundbreaking. I felt that Declan and Sidney made a cute couple, that worked well together. A beautiful and important love story that was a pleasure to read.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book so much from the very beginning. I loved Declan and his group of friends. Declan is the most adorable goof ever. If he was your friend he'd be that friend you probably wanna yell at for something but just end up hugging him and making sure he's feeling ok. I just loved him so much. I also loved his relationship with his friends. They're an amazing group and are not afraid to tell it like it is, but also, they're always 100% there for each other. They will definitely make fun of you, but they'll also go to war for you and I loved them. I loved Declan's relationship with Mason and I really am crossing my fingers for his HEA.

Declan meets Sidney at the beginning of this book and they develop a quick and easy rapport. I loved watching them hang out cause they just seem so relaxed with each other. Declan tends to overthink things a ton but there's definitely moments while he's spending time with Sidney that he just lets go and kind of forgets to overthink and I loved that about their relationship. I loved watching them through Sidney's advice show and I loved watching them explore and develop what it is they truly wanted from each other and their relationship.

This book was super fun and one I definitely didn't want to put down.

Let's start with the characters in this book. They were very divers. It was the first time I read a queer book, and I totally loved it. I loved Declan, and his relationship with his friends. This group of friends 'The Motherfuckers', is just the greatest group ever. They were so sweet for eachother, and most important of all, they were always honest with each other. Even when it was something someone didn't want to hear, they said it anyways. I loved this!

I wasn't sure about the chemistry between Declan and Sidney. Sometimes it was all fun and games, and sometimes they were acting very awkward. But they accepted each other, and saw only the best in each other. This was beautiful to see. When Declan was afraid of something, Sidney was there to comfort him.

This book adressed multiple difficult real life situations. It talked about having issues with mental health in the LGBTQ+community. And also having panic attacks and doubting about love.

Overall, this book was a wonderful read! I loved Declan's friend group, and I loved Declan with Sidney at the end.

This story is so sweet and angsty…all in a good way. Although these characters are round about 30 years old, there is still such an innocence to Declan. And while Sidney seems quite wise beyond their years, there’s still a sort of naiveté to them, too.

From the moment Declan and Sidney are introduced, there’s a wonderful chemistry between them. But Declan blundered a very important relationship many years ago and doesn’t have much confidence in himself to be able to hold a serious relationship without hurting the other person. Sidney is just frustrated with people not understanding them and has given up on dating altogether. Their perfectly content to give advice on romance and dating on their YouTube show.

Watching these two fumble their way into a relationship is very endearing and quite satisfying. They have grown up intentions that take the most wholesome and delightful path because of their insecurities and lack of experience over the last few years. It’s truly a joy!

Declan overthinks everything. And I truly mean everything. This was one of those books that I had a hard time reading the end because at a certain point I could see where Declan’s mind was going and I didn’t want to watch him or Sidney go through the heartache that was sure to happen. That’s how invested I got into this couple.

The friend group Declan has, in which Sidney is invited before they even dip a toe in the relationship pool, is fun and supportive and amazing. I love their banter. The author did a great job in portraying the authenticity of this kind of deep and understanding friendship.

I’m sure I’ll pick up more by this author soon. I very much delighted in this story.

I really wanted to love The Love Study by Kris Ripper, but the positives didn't outweigh the detractors for me with this story. I absolutely love that this was a story where one of the main characters Sidney identifies with the pronouns: they/their/them. In reality, it was a little confusing in the beginning of the book. Once the story started moving along I became accustomed to it and really enjoyed the normalization of non binary pronouns. The story between Sidney and Declan was sweet and awkward and nerdy. I didn't feel that the scenes at Declan's work added much value to the story, and it made the book feel very long. Additionally I was very disappointed that all the intimate scenes were fade to black. I really wanted the author to tackle a more detailed bedroom scene. There was a moment at the end of the book that was beautiful and emotional and did bring a tear or two to my eyes, but it wasn't enough to redeem the rest of the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Voluntarily give my review

This was a fun, quick read, with a lot of feels. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Declan is utterly adorable, so sweet and bouncy, but also so incredibly insecure and thinking so little of himself. Feeling like he can never be involved with someone without hurting them after leaving his fiance at the altar, he has decided that he should never date again. He takes commitment issues to the extreme, not even being able to commit to a job and forever working as a temp.

Sidney is less marshmallowy and more serious than Declan. Having also chosen not to date, they came by their decision more because they feel like they don’t fit anywhere or with anyone. They have their own share of insecurities, though they come across as more settled in themselves than Declan does.

I identified with both characters so much, from the self-doubt, the self-blame and panic attacks that Declan suffered, to Sidney’s feelings of not belonging and being invisible at times. But I feel that even with all of this, they brought out the best in each other.

The supporting characters are all pretty awesome as well. The Motherfuckers, as Declan’s friend groud refers to themselves are the true image of found family. They’ve been best friends since college and include Mia and Ronnie -whose wedding takes place during the story, Oscar -the grump, and Mason -Declan’s ex-fiance. Also featured are Declan’s co-worker Jack- another grump and their boss Deb. The whole group, even the grumps, are supportive and want only the best for Declan. Sidney’s contribution is their Youtube audience, which includes their younger brother Arman.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Harlequin Tours and Carina Press/ Carina Adores for a book tour via Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m trying to step out of my ‘comfort zone’ of m/f romances and I am so glad I chanced to see this one and request to give it a try. It’s the first m/gq romance I’ve had an opportunity to read and I really, really enjoyed it. (Note, I’m not saying nonbinary or enby because Sidney explicitly states that they identify as genderqueer rather than nonbinary).

Declan, the first-person protagonist, is a queer white man with a major romantic disaster in his past - he literally left his last boyfriend at the altar, and his friends have a horrible habit of introducing him to potential love interests by telling them about it. Sidney, however, is first introduced as a potential partner for a different member of their little gang of ‘misfits’. Strongly attracted to them, Declan is nevertheless put off by Sidney’s rejection of ‘dating’ as a premise. The two end up collaborating on Sidney’s relationship-advice-for-queers Youtube show as Declan volunteers to go on dates as a case study, and things progress fairly predictably from there as Declan eventually declares his feelings for Sidney.

This was… pretty early in the book, surprisingly early, in fact. And that’s because Declan is an absolute disaster with no idea how to have an actual relationship, and though Sidney is somewhat more together, they are actually uncomfortable trying to do conventional dating, and the two of them end up with massively crossed wires through failures to communicate. They’re cute and messy and adorable and I was massively rooting for the pair of them to get together and just talk it out (which of course, because this is a romance, they eventually do).

While this is a sex-positive book, the actual sex scenes are closed door, which I actually think was really nicely done; it avoided going into any specifics about Sidney’s body in particular which fit well with the way their gender identity was respected (and was what I’d expect from a nonbinary author). This is probably the most diversely-cast book you’ll read in a while, too; almost everyone is queer and there’s lots of racial diversity, and it doesn’t feel in the least forced. Because marginalized people do form friendship groups with other marginalized people. With the queer, BIPOC, fat and disabled. It felt normal and wonderful and there was a beautiful sense of found-family to it. I was delighted to see that another of the friendship group in Oscar is getting their own story next in the series, and I hope Mason gets a book too.

Five stars for a gorgeous queer romance, and I’ll definitely be looking for more by this author.

The Love Study, by Kris Ripper
funny lighthearted slow-paced
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters centre-stage? Yes
4.25

Rating: 4.25/5.0
ARC: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Queer: YES! Queer MC, queer friends, nonbinary love interest!

Review:

Okay, so this book is super exciting to me. As a queer, nonbinary person, I was screaming when I got my hands on this book. A nonbinary love interest? I've only seen it a handful of times, and even then, mostly in YA. I loved, loved, loved Sidney. Loved Declan. Loved the whole friend group. Not once was a character deadnamed, misgendered, etc. It was just simply understood to love and respect each other for who they are. So to the author: THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. That was such a joy to read!

The book itself was great. There were a few parts that seemed to drag a little for me, but other than that, I really enjoyed it. I loved the nuances into queer friendships/etc. The friendships/banter was great. I loved how diverse the group of friends were. I loved the YouTube plot-line and thought it was fabulous. I wish there had been a few more dates before Declan figured it out, just because it was fun to see them bantering with Sidney and I love a slow-burn.

I'd recommend this book to a friend, especially someone who was struggling with they/them pronouns because Kris Ripper knocked that out of the park. There was never a moment when I was confused (perhaps because I use they/them pronouns, but I think, more so, it was how well Ripper used them.)

And I'm super excited to read the next book, The Hate Study with Oscar. It's gonna be great; I already know it.
Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

I couldn't get invested in Kris Ripper's The Love Study. I was sick and unable to keep my interest in this book. If I read it later, I will update with a review.

Poor Declan.He left his last boyfriend at the altar. To say he has commitment issues is an understatement. He's not looking for anything permanent. When he meets Sydney, a nonbinary Youtuber with an idea for The Love Study, he ends up signing on to help.

The idea is that Declan will be the case study for The Love Study and as Declan and Sydney investigate just what Declan is looking for they become friends.

There's no insta love here, but a gradual building of friendship that grows into something more. Only Declan's insecurities cause some major angst. I don't want to spoil it for you, so that's all I will say.

This was a very sweet and romantic story of two people who find they need each other. I really liked both of the main characters and found them interesting. It took a bit for me to get used to the pronouns during reading this, but I liked that about the story. It's good to normalize them / theirs.

Their friends bring some levity and fun to the story, even though they can come off a bit immature since they are in their late twenties, but that didn't really bother me. The story was a bit wordy in spots and that took me out of the story in a few places, which is why I didn't rate this five stars.

Overall, a cute story that deals with twenty-somethings and their dating ups and downs. I really liked Declan and Sydney and their story.

I thought this story was super sweet and simple. It has a very unique idea and great representation. There are not many books out there with genderqueer MCs and I was really excited by the idea of reading about one. Unfortunately, Love Study was a pretty slow read for me and had a narrative that seemed to be quite forced at times. The relationship between the main characters didn't really seem real to me. The dialogue was the most unnatural part, it was very unnatural and didn't sound like adults talking.....and don't get me started on the giggling. There were some laugh out loud moments, but not enough for me to call this a romantic comedy.

I think this book had a lot of potential, it was just not the book for me.

- 2.5 stars -

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVED the diversity in this, and it was such a nice, light-hearted romance that was great to pick up if you want a sweet and uncomplicated romance. This is also, sadly, why I couldn't give it above 3 stars.

I enjoyed the characters and the representation, I just felt like I wanted something...more. I didn't really believe the physical or emotional chemistry between Declan and Sidney. It seemed to happen very easily and organically, but without any type of spark or strong emotion (other than the expected curve ball of angst thrown in at the very end and then quickly resolved). I guess I just wanted more build up and connection between them. It wasn't a "bad" book by ANY means, it just left me feeling neutral. I'd definitely give this author another try in the future, and I am so grateful for authors such as Ripper because the more LGBTQIA+ romance rep we can get, the better!

***Huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review***