Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was like nothing I have ever read before and it was very unique, I enjoyed the premise of this and the characters and storyline and would recommend

I’ve had this one day in my review notes and ultimately forgotten to post a review. Another sadly I didn’t love, the synopsis would lead me to believe it’s round about my bread and butter for what I enjoy reading but alas I nearly DNFd which I don’t put lightly cause it takes a bit for me to tap out in a book cause usually there could be something wild in the middle or end that could ultimately tip the scale. But this one just didn’t. Writing felt middle grade level, characters development was verrry flat one dimensional to the point it’s shown to you that you want to feel bad for this or that and care about this or that but doesn’t take you on the journey with our main character clover to ever get to these points with her.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This book sounded interesting (which is why I requested it on NetGalley); however, the more I read it, the less I enjoyed it. It's not that the plot or overall story was bad. It was the execution that ruined it.

The writing somehow felt juvenile and outdated at the same time. I would expect something similar from a middle schooler, though there would be far fewer uses of things like "sweetie," "dearie," and "my, oh, my." It was full of cliches, used similes in copious amounts, and tried a bit too hard. The treatment of the Seelie and Unseelie courts in this book was also different from any other book I've ever read. I've always been given the impression that while the two courts contrast each other, they're not quite good or evil. I mean, they're fae--they're devious. But in this book, the Seelie faeries are portrayed as good, and the Unseelie faeries are portrayed as bad. They also have rather human-sounding names (Anthony, Liz, etc.).

Even the characters suffered from the same problems as the rest of the writing. The villains were stereotypical and somewhat melodramatic. The other characters were okay, albeit kind of bland. It has a sometimes awkward love story between a naive 18-year-old girl and a who-knows-how old leprechaun who admits he's been with many, many women throughout his life (but of course he's never loved anyone like he loves her). It's got the obligatory rivalry with another female character. It attempts to have a love triangle, but it feels like it's just tossed in there before it's conveniently resolved. In fact, several relationships randomly popped up at the end of the book.

As I approached the last 10% of the book, I consoled myself with the fact that at least it was a standalone book and would be resolved before the end, thus leaving me without any lingering questions. Apparently I was wrong. Either the author is/was planning a sequel, or she just didn't feel the need to actually resolve some pretty important plot points.

Note: Maybe some swearing. Awkward innuendo. Unenjoyable writing. Unresolved plot points.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Title: Clover
Author: Nicole Kilpatrick
Pub. Date: December 1, 2021
Rating: 1.5 (DNF @ 56%)

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I was going to really enjoy this. Based on the synopsis, I was almost guaranteed to love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up finishing it and had to DNF at 56%. I couldn’t force myself to finish a book where I cared about nothing that was happening.

I’m supposed to care about Clover and her bad luck, but I didn’t. As the reader, I’m left completely in the dark to the scheming going on, and why the antagonist needed to use Clover. And because of this, I didn’t care.
Then you have Finn, and if he’d been secretly pining over Clover for years, or whatever, I might believe his desire to save her, but he legit just switches sides, and then out of the “goodness of his heart” wants to save her.
I’m sorry, it’s been 18 years, and you never once thought to question anything? All other “assignments” were short lived, but this one 18 year one, you don’t even bother questioning? You just take orders like a good little soldier?
Nope.

Finn just didn’t work for me. He was charming and dashing and good-looking and apparently the best soldier ever, but like, so what? That’s not a personality and he had none. So, I didn’t care about his reasoning.
And every character interaction was too handsy and peppy, even after a first meeting. Like, everyone was just incredibly happy and go-lucky and had the energy of the Leprechaun on the box of Lucky Charms.
Due to the lack of emotional weights for anything in this book, I just didn’t care. I was reading chapters and scenes, moving on the next one and promptly forgetting what had just happened. Everything happened so easily. Besides Clover losing her luck, and a bought of the munchies, there are basically no hardships. And the few that there are, are magically solved.

Since I didn’t end up finishing the novel, I can’t speak for the ending, so maybe it gets better. But I kept re-reading the same lines, paragraphs and pages over and over, and in the end, I had to make the tough call.
I wish I’d enjoyed this, and I thought I was going to. But when I don’t care about the characters or what’s happening in the book…it’s hard to force myself to continue.

This was a light and fun read at the beginning , but unfortunately it couldn’t really hold my attention, I just kept wanting to skip to the end, I always know I’m not really invested in a story if I want to skim it. I just couldn’t really connect to the characters, the bad guys (and I say that because that’s what they were ) were panto villain in nature. Just not good at all ultimately.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Clover by Nicole Kilpatrick
Publisher: Melange Books, Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA
Release Date: December 1, 2020

Clover by Nicole Kilpatrick is a young adult, sweet fantasy romance. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to more by this author!

The characters were wonderfully developed and I loved the storyline! The romance was sweet. I also loved the leprechauns and the faeries! What a wonderful tale! I hope the author elaborates more on this world she has created. Travelling to the Seelie Court and the world of faerie (through Ireland) was such a fun adventure!

I would definitely recommend this book to any fantasy fans! This is a quick read and a great escape!

I'm so grateful to Nicole Kilpatrick, Melange Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Clover sounded right up my alley. I'm always looking for something new and fresh to read. Especially, in Fantasy. And I wanted to love Clover because it is that. But, unfortunately, I haven't finished it because it's not holding my interest. Maybe the writing is a little stilted. I'm sure others will love it. I'm just being extra picky lately because *gestures at the world* and am having trouble focusing. Thank you, for the opportunity to read and review Clover. I plan to pick it up again at a later date.

I really enjoyed this take on the leprechaun troupe. My review will be live on my website and I will be posting about the book on Instagram.

DNF 30%--- I really tried to get through this book, I really did. I wanted it to be good and kept giving it chances, but ultimately it wasn't for me.
The synopsis really sounded good. I was looking forward to a fresh take on Seelie fantasy novels with a focus on Leprechauns. I was expecting a really good story, but it just didn't cut it for me. The writing was too simplistic, almost like talking to a child and the storyline was all over the place.
I found the characters were flat and uninteresting and was kind of grossed out by Finn being the love interest, when he was watching over Clover since she was born.

Review was posted on Goodreads on December 12th, 2020.

You know that feeling of disappointment when a book that you’d been really enjoying hits the 50% mark and just starts going downhill? That statement describes my feelings toward this book almost perfectly. I loved the first half, and then the second half made me want to stop reading.

Blurb
After her father accidentally gambled all of his luck away, the leprechaun he lost to “blesses” his daughter with 18 years of luck in exchange for naming her. Once Clover’s 18th birthday arrives, the leprechaun tasked with charming her luck appears to her, and they begin a quest to undo the evil spell.

I want to start this off by saying that I absolutely loved how Irish this felt. Full of redheads, Irish landscapes, and leprechauns, I loved it. And, even better, the leprechauns weren’t short little guys who guarded pots of gold. They were lucky faeries, and as attractive as could be. As someone who is Irish, I really enjoyed seeing that in this book.

Sadly, that’s one of the only things I liked about this book. It’s hard for me to enjoy a book when I dislike the protagonist, and I loathed Clover. She was ridiculously naive, made stupid decisions, and completely screwed things up multiple times. She felt one-dimensional, and irritated the heck out of me.

Sometimes, a romance can save a character I despise. That wasn’t the case in this story. Clover and Finn had no chemistry, and their relationship was slightly creepy. I didn’t necessarily mind the age gap, but I hated their interactions. I can’t stand love declarations in YA, and this one was worse than most. Not only did it felt like it was only there to move the plot along and cause conflict, it also felt extremely unrealistic.

My last problem with this was the way the plot moved along. In some books, every event feels natural and carefully planned. In Clover, it felt like the opposite. Things happened solely to cause conflict, and our characters acted like idiots just to move the plot forward.

This book had potential, but it really didn’t work with me. I can see why some people might love it, but I was irritated by too many things for that.

Thanks to Netgalley and Nicole Kilpatrick for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

ARC from NetGalley

This was an interesting premise. Leprechauns aren't the stereotypical box-of-cereal rascals that we are used to. Instead, they are along the same vein as gentry fae in other stories, incredibly attractive to the point that they need to dull their looks when around humans. They trade in luck, and Clover's father had a bad round of gambling with one such gentleman.

The writing in this could use some polishing. There weren't any glaring errors, but it read a bit young for me. Clover is kind of a placeholder character. There isn't really anything remarkable about her or her personality. She just kind of exists and the flow of the plot carries her along. I also didn't really understand why <spoiler>Clover had to gain 18 years of good luck and then be immune to luck after that in order for Alastair to complete his plans. Either that wasn't addressed, or it was very quickly glanced over, because I certainly don't recall any justification... which is the whole point of the book so yeah.</spoiler>

For my romance lovers, there is romance in this book. It isn't overtly sexual, but if you are in the camp that dislikes the infinity old fae getting with the teenage human trope, you won't like this. It's particularly iffy considering that this fae has been watching over her since birth, and she falls in love with him apparently a few days to a few weeks after meeting him for the first time (I can't remember the exact timeline, but it's not long.)

I adore spending time in Fairy, the atmosphere and all the different types of fae that dwell there, and this was no exception. The plot was interesting. Not so interesting that I couldn't put it down, but interesting enough that it wasn't a chore to read, and I am interested in reading the next one.

The cover was beautiful. The blurb sounded promising enough. Sadly... The book was unable to keep up. In my opinion it was confusing as heck. I also have a personal dislike for books which are named after the main characters of the book, so I probably went into this read too biased.
The idea of this book is not bad, but the execution fell flat for me. I couldn't really see any distinctive voices in the characters and it felt like too much telling instead of showing. It read a bit like a children's book, not a book suitable for teens and young adults. I was disappointed because I love Irish folklore and I had hoped for a good, refreshing book on that matter. This book did not deliver on that end.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I admit this book was not what I expected but i'm not complaining. One thing is for sure I didn't expect to like it as much as much as I did. I really liked the characters & the story itself. I have always been a fan of faeries so it's no surprise I loved that aspect. I also loved the twists and yeah maybe they weren't exactly unpredictable but they were welcomed all the same.

This was a such a charming & fun read and I really hope it gets a sequel in the future, I would love to visit these characters & world again. I'm also hoping it gets an audiobook so I can experience it again in a new way.

Overall a captivating & fun easy read that I highly recommend..

I loved the unique take on the fairy theme and how the author spun the tale of leprechauns and luck and that is what intrigued me about the book in the first place. However, this book did not hold my attention and at time some of the scenes seemed rushed in particular the action sequences. I feel like the author could have been more detailed and given each of the characters more depth. One detail in particular I had a hard time believing was the love interest between our main characters Finn and Clover. Yes in many Fae fantasies there is an age difference however it was a little hard to believe with Finn watching Clover grow up.

I'm giving Clover a mid-range rating because I actually did not finish it. So, I'm just going to briefly go over my reasons why. Firstly, the way Clover is told felt kind of scattered and unfocused. It was constantly jumping between POVs, and I had a hard time getting connected to any of the characters. Also, the Irish culture felt extremely shallow and stereotyped, although I personally don't know much about it. Anyway, Clover wasn't badly written, but I could tell pretty early on that it wasn't for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ebook copy to read.

Clover is one lucky girl, until she’s not... Just 18 and it all starts to crumble! Clover has unknowingly stepped into an unbelievable adventure, full of creatures she never even knew existed and a few got leprechauns. As the truth of her crazy life begins to unravel, Clover decides to take a chance and follow a steamy leprechaun to her own pot of gold.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are very likable and I love the relationships Clover builds along the journey. I appreciated the way the author built the world of Faerie. I really like that even as you watch Clover grow in strength she still is only 18 and she doesn’t lose her naïveté. It’s refreshing to find a young girl not acting as a fully grown woman.

Good story line, definitely a bit of a cliffhanger. I look forward to the next book in the series!

Clover introduces the legend of the leprechaun in a new way. Clover has spent most of her life on the ultimate lucky streak. To her, this just a normal part of her life with everything going in her favor. Without even knowing it, her life's luck was bargained away before birth by her father to a scheming leprechaun. Clover's luck was only to last until her 18th birthday, and her guardian leprechaun, Finn, is finally done with helping her lucky streak. Just when he thought he could move on to a new assignment, Finn finds out that Clover could be in danger, and the deal on her life is more sinister than he thought. He has no choice but to do the unthinkable and reveal himself to Clover. They will race against all odds, with mythical creatures in tow, to make sure Clover's life gets back on track.

I've read a lot of YA in my time of being a bookworm so I've read a lot of YA fantasy in my time. Dragons? Yes. Witches? Of course. Fairies? Oh yeah! I can confidently say that the concept of leprechauns is something I've never read before, and I was excited to dive in.

Clover's life and its backstory were so interesting to read in the beginning. I can't imagine having 18 years of solid luck on my side to get me by. Now having it taken away just because you happened to have a birthday? Talk about starting adulthood on the wrong foot in the worst way. I loved that she was learning everything as it came to her so we went on a journey with her. I hate when novels attempt to give us the Perfect Main Character without ever trying too hard.

With that said, if I could describe this book in a few ways, I would say it would be perfect pitching this at Hallmark to make it into a new St. Patrick's Day-themed movie. It has that cheesy fluff aspect that we need to read every once in a while. It wasn't that difficult to unpack and I could determine the ending pretty early on. That doesn't mean it's not worth reading, but it's not spectacular by any means.

It could've been helped if some development happened in all aspects of this novel. That includes writing, character development for most of the characters, and also fleshing out some complexity in the story to not make it seem so straightforward. There were a lot of bits that felt unnecessary and only happened because the plot needed it. As I said, this was a good read, and I'm glad I got an eARC, but that's all I can say about it at the end of the day.

Clover is the story of leprechauns and fairies and the girl that they help. On her 18th birthday, the main character Clover loses her luck and finds out that leprechauns are real. From there the story takes off on an adventure, from New York to Ireland, to Las Vegas and back. The characters are well written. The setting is fun. The story itself is a bit cliche but it is still a good time. I really enjoyed it.