Cover Image: The Life Revamp

The Life Revamp

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Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin - Carina Adores for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

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Oh, my freaking goodness what a wonderful; and delightful story, the relaxed atmosphere, the build-up to some anxiety, the vulnerability, all the feelings, the adorable characters, the banter, the humor, from the first page on, I enjoyed it all immensely!

Okay, Diego, the upcoming famous fashion designer, was married but that doesn’t mean Mason couldn’t think about him. Even though Mason was in a sort of relationship with someone else, Diego made him smile, gave him butterflies.
Claris, Mason’s friend, introduced him to Diego. Claris and Diego have a happy and open marriage. Confused yet? No need, it’s all quite lovable.

What Mason really wants is to get married, have a house, kids, and a hea, to be someone’s person. In his opinion, those things aren’t possible with his new, charming, delightful, married friend.

To paint the picture in short, Mason and Claris are friends. Claris and Diego are married and in an open relationship and polyamorous. Claris introduces Mason and Diego with the purpose to bring both men together. Mason and Diego are into each other, deeply. Even though it sounds chaotic and maybe even a bit awkward, at some level it all feels quite natural and comfortable.
The difficulty here is Mason has some expectations for his future, to change those isn’t easy.

I got all giggling watching Mason and Diego. Diego was an emotional, romantic, tentative man and madly in love.

“Are we allowed to kiss?” I said softly. “Definitely and completely and yes, please. Please,”

Just like Mason I had to accommodate into these new circumstances. It sounds all maybe natural and simple, but gosh, it is far from simple.

While Claris was a great vibrant personality I wanted to hush her away, stop meddling, please! Until she spoke seriously that’s where I loved her the most.

Both men are so incredibly sweet, pure, honest, super romantic, super intense, and passionate. They are, I’m not sure how to express, but it’s almost something like grateful to have found each other. It felt amazing.

It was a slow burn, they were absolutely adorable together, but I wanted to push them in some directions, get them to act more clear, it took them some time to come together, maybe this is my only complaint with this story, but that’s me and my impatience.

The thoughts and argumentations between Mason and Diego about their relationship, about polyamory, about confusion, jealousy, about the future, were justifiably and well expressed.
It was such an intimate story, Mason shows us the farthest corners of his mind, all the passion, all the doubts, all the glory, his and Diego’s, marvelous!
Let’s not forget The MF group of friends, they are there for each other, always, hilarious, honest, warm, and dedicated. MF stands for The MotherFu… yeah, you got it.

Overall quite an engrossing story, captivatingly and beautifully written, with humor, banter, fun, seriousness, a lot of romantic gestures, and emotional moments. A winner!

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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

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This book can be really great for those who can get into it. I was unable to really settle into the book and not a book I may pick up again.

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I didn't realize this was Book 3 when I requested it, but it was still a great novel by itself without the first two!

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So far I've really enjoyed everything written by this author and this was no exception. I was a bit afraid because I don't usually read books with polyamorous relationships. I get jealous for the characters somehow, I know it doesn't make sense but I do and I end up not enjoying the book as much because of this.
But here things are different. The love interest is married but their marriage is an open one so they can be with other people, not all three or more together. So it was totally different from what I was used and, yes, I had feelings and these feelings were maybe jealousy or something similar but I got over it quickly seeing how they were really cute together. It's an easy read, fast and very enjoyable. This series is one I'd recommend often!

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After being stood up at the altar by his best friend, Mason has been on a mission to find the life he’s always wanted; married with kids and a fulfilling job that gives him a sense of success and being desired long term by ONE person.

When a friend sets him up on a date with her husband, he realizes love may not just go the way he’s always imagined. Can he be open to a love that isn’t what he’s used to, and instead get swept up in the intrigue and charm that is Diego? Or is he safer staying in a boring relationship with Tim, who checks all the boxes but whom he still hasn’t even introduced to his friends?

Before picking this one up, I hadn’t realized The Life Revamp was the third book in the series but thankfully, this one was great as a stand-alone title as well. I was drawn to this m/m title with the adorable cover, and am really glad I picked it up to read. I am always happy to be an ally for everyone on the rainbow, I make it a point each month to continue to read different voices than my own and this book did such a great way of developing characters with different sexualities, focusing on a polyamorous relationship.

My favorite scenes were when Mason and Diego got their flirt on, Ripper wrote these moments so well! Even as they found themselves questioning how their relationship could work together, the emotions manage to convey hope and tenderness that felt so real and intimate.

What starts as a kind of uncomfortable dip into dating a married man, soon turns into an interesting, vibrant relationship as the three people involved find ways to make each other better as people and lovers. I love how they each were able to express what they wanted and expected from a relationship and how it was explored in the book from different points of view. Even as he doubts the situation, I loved how the friendship and love Claris has for both men are shown making it obvious there is consent, trust, and a desire for joy for all of them involved. No matter who you love, that message is important, and I found it to be the best takeaway from this particular title.

Written in a first-person narrative, as the story progressed I was impressed by how well we saw what other characters were doing and thinking from Mason’s voice. As a reader who typically prefers dual POV stories, I was thrilled at how fluid this book felt from scene to scene with a variety of cast members. The friend groups for both Mason & Diego had me them rooting on, with the fashion show group and the nights out for drinks being great scenes to keep the momentum going.

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was the pacing, at times it felt a little slower for me than I would’ve liked. It would recover and recapture my attention with a great scene — the picnic, Mason going to his mom’s, particularly witty banter with Claris — and I overall enjoyed it, but was the main reason I would give this book 4 stars. For readers who love a variety of romance in their characters and grand gestures, I would recommend picking up The Life Revamp!

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Thanks Carina Press. ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing. We don't talk inhoff about this kind of things, so I'm reaffirming the importance of this kind of storys.

Thanks again.

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I absolutely loved this LGBTQ romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend

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This is the third book in The Love Study series, and while I love *all* the books in the series, I think this one might be my favourite. Mason, the only remaining single Motherfucker, is trying to find his HEA. Out of all his friends, he wants the most “normal” life – wedding, white-picket-fence life. But he falls for Diego, a married guy…which sounds slightly damning, until one counts in that Diego and his wife Claris was the one who set them up on dates. I haven’t read many polyamorous books before, and I think only one had the so-called V relationship and while I had my expectations…I *adored* the book so much. It is another one that got added to my comfort books and I loved Mason, Diego and Claris. I would love more Claris but I loved the focus on Mason and Diego and getting over their insecurities!

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Didn't connect with the characters and DNF'd around 46%. From the synopsis I had high expectations but how the relationships develops it wasn't my cup of tea because I could't understand the character and didn't like the dynamic between the trio, always felt like they weren't equals.

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I think that my favorite part about this series is the group of friends these characters have surrounded themselves with. ❤

Confession time… three books into The Love Study series and I still haven’t read The Love Study – which would be the first book in the series. I honestly have no excuse. I adored The Hate Project and I really want to get to know the rest of the characters. I just haven’t gotten around to playing catch up. *sigh*

So, how did I feel about The Life Revamp? I have to admit, I started reading this one with just a little bit of trepidation. Somewhat the same as Mason entered this unconventional relationship. But, just like Mason, the more time I spent around Diego and his wife, the easier it was to see exactly how a real relationship with them could actually work.

Mason wanted the “fairy tale” kind of relationship though – which didn’t include the love of his life having another equally important love in his life. It was hard not to adore Diego as much as Mason did and although there were several bumps along the way and not everything was totally figured out by the end, I was pleasantly surprised by the way their eventual HEA was reached.

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I really love this series - the way that it follows a group of friends and their various quirks, the casual queerness, and the fact that the books are romcoms that don’t feel cheesy. This one in particular I was really looking forward to, because it deals with a queer man in a polyamorous relationship - not something I see much of in queer romance novels! The two men were both fully fleshed-out characters and their interactions were delightful, and I loved the way Ripper writes “different” relationships with such sensitivity and tact. It was a joy to watch Mason fall for Diego and gradually let his guard down, and it was so nice to see all the Motherfuckers (the name for their friend group) happy!

Delighted by this series and wishing there was another one in the works!

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I loved this installment of ze's series. This friend group is everything anyone could wish for, queer or not. We finally get Mason's story and that it's part of a polyamorous love story was honestly perfection. Ze did a wonderful job of depicting the complications of this but also the benefits.

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I didn't like this one as much as the rest of the series, but it's still a solid read. I just had a hard time relating to Mason in the beginning, and I found myself wondering if the author was struggling with that as well.

Mason is coming to terms with the fact that going after what he wants/thinks he wants from a relationship has him underwhelmed, and he's trying to figure out what he's doing wrong when the last guy he should make sense with is the one he has the most fun with. But that first chunk of the story gets a little drawn out and repetitive as Mason tries to wrap his head around his current situation.

The trick is, you have to buy into both the fact that polyamory is something he would never, ever be interested in *and* the fact that he ends up dating a man in an open marriage. But Mason's voice doesn't lend itself as well to the stream-of-consciousness style of writing the rest of the series has, so it feels very forced and unnatural in the beginning. There were moments it felt like a writing exercise for the author to get in the character's head, and it felt like we had that "aha" moment at the same time when the writing suddenly smoothed out just when I finally got a handle on the character.

From that point on, I really enjoyed Mason and Diego's story. Diego was very easy to root for and I liked the role his wife played in the book. But the central relationship conflict through the whole thing is Mason's struggle to understand how exactly this polyamorous relationship would work long term, and the book ended without fully answering that question. (Although I did feel confident they would work through it successfully, which was Diego's stance the whole time.)

Of course, Mason had to be all in the relationship before they could figure those specifics out, and it took him the whole book to go all in, which is why we didn't get the answers. But that ended up re-doubling my frustrations with the pacing issues in the first chunk of the book since I think it contributed to short-changing the ending. (I just checked to see if maybe there's been a sequel announced because I could totally see that. I would happily read a whole book about Mason navigating his role in Diego's marriage, especially if we got more scenes with Jack and Oscar!) Usually I would consider it an author's prerogative to to be as vague or specific as they want about the dynamics of a particular polyamorous relationship, but in this case Mason was the one who wanted a clearer picture of the specifics, so I did, too.

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The Life Revamp is the third book in the Love Study series by Kris Ripper. It can be read on its own, but returning readers will have more knowledge of Mason and most secondary characters.

All Mason wants to do is fall in love, get married and live happily ever after. The hunt is beginning to wear him down…until he meets (slightly) famous fashion designer Diego. Everything sparks between them—the banter, the sex, the fiery eye contact across a crowded room. There's just one thing: Diego is already married and living his happily-ever-after, which luckily (or not) for Mason includes outside courtships. But not quite in the way he'd always imagined. Mason thought he knew what would make him happy, but it turns out the traditional life he'd expected has some surprises in store.

The Life Revamp is a wonderful addition to the Love Study series, and a charming romance as a stand alone. I loved Mason's character, but while the author does a good job of describing his backstory and friend group, I think returning readers will not be as invested or understand all the history and connections Mason has. I liked the way non traditional relationships were discussed and shown, helping those that have never known anyone in a poly relationship understand at least one way it can all happen and work, since like any kind of relationship each can be different. I loved the emphasis on communication and understanding what you really want versus what we have pictured for ourselves since the two do not always match up. The secondary characters were very well done, and as usual I want more of them. I loved the support systems, family, and found family here. I wish everyone had the kind of support these characters did. The only thing I wanted but did not get from this book is multiple points of view. I really wanted to see the story from the eyes of Diego or even Claris at certain points of the story to get a bigger picture view of what people were thinking and feeling. However, I know not all readers like the switching viewpoints so I get why they might not be used.

The Life Revamp is a wonderful romance with complex characters.

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There are a lot of things I really like about this book. Maybe I am wrong, but this seems to be my first polyamorous book. Now, I have read polyamory love stories before where the triad all gets together at the same time, so to speak. In this story, Diego and Claris are already firmly established as a couple before Claris even meets Mason. Long before she introduces Mason to her Diego with the thought that he is exactly what her husband wants/needs in another partner.

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The Life Revamp is the third in Kris Ripper’s The Love Study series, and I’m seriously hoping it’s not the last we’ll hear from the Motherfuckers! This is Mason’s story, and I think it’s best to read the series in order, so start with Declan’s romance in The Love Study, and find out how it all began.

Kris Ripper always challenges traditional relationship dynamics, and this is an incredibly thought provoking look into polyamory. Having spent most of his life longing for a traditional relationship, where he’s the sole focus of his partner’s attention, Mason has to reevaluate everything when he meets Diego.

Diego and his wife Claris have different ways of incorporating polyamory into their lives, and their relationships. And this is Kris Ripper’s point, that this is a personal and unique understanding each person must make for themselves. It’s Mason’s journey to make, and find out if he’s able to take the plunge, and “revamp” his whole outlook on his future.

It took me a couple weeks to work my way through this book. Ripper’s intensely personal exploration of everything that Mason is experiencing, plus finally getting Mason’s side of his relationship with Dec, made The Life Revamp an incredibly meaningful story. I highly recommend this powerful series.

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Kris Ripper keeps delivering fresh takes on love in a modern age! This story made me question relation structures and concepts, while focusing on love and respect.

Our last single member of the self-proclaimed group of The Motherf***ers, Mason is looking for his own HEA. He dreams of pairing up, getting married, kids and a suburban address. He thinks he has found a guy that checks off all the items on his life goals checklist, until he meets Diego.

In an open marriage, Diego’s wife sets him up with her friend Mason. They hit it off and Mason realizes that life is more that a list of boxes to check off… but what if some big boxes can never be checked off??? Like marriage…

This story delivered a slow burn romance and a true pairing of soulmates. I loved Mason and Diego together and their journey to find their own ideal HEA!

As always, Carina Press delivers the happily ever after I crave! A cute read that I could not put down and totally recommend!

The Life Revamp by Kris Ripper was released November 30th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin and the Harlequin Publicity Team. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheLifeRevamp #Kris Ripper #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

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Five stars simply do not do The Life Revamp justice. In fact, I'm calling the third and final book in Kris Ripper's The Love Study series as my favorite of 2021.

The Life Revamp is the most romantic, sweet, fuzzy, squeal-inducing romance I've read in a while. I just adored Mason and Diego. And Claris was a delightful conduit for their coming together.

As I've mentioned in my reviews of the previous two books, the Marginalized Motherfuckers is the group of friends I would only be so lucky to have. Their support of each other is unwavering and they rally around Mason to help him get his happily ever after.

I enjoyed Mason's gradual realization and acceptance of what he imagined his HEA looking like and the reality of it. Diego is the perfect love interest, his attentiveness to Mason's needs and his passion in romancing Mason. Diego and Mason truly are the perfect couple.

I am thrilled how Mason's HEA turned out. He absolutely deserved to find a partner to give him the love he craved and had to offer.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

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