Sadly dnfed this one, love triangle trope is a HARD no for me. As in no thanks I’d rather not. It is my one I’ll set a book down for trope as soon as it’s evident it has it. I just do not want to sit and listen to characters whine and hobble on a horses back between two dudes (or whatever tickles their fancy)

This book did not do it for me. I was hoping for a cute supernatural romance, but what I got was disappointment. I should have expected that after DNFing 'The Hating Game'.

I was thinking maybe I wasn't giving Sally Thorne a fair chance after not liking The Hating Game... but her writing is as terrible in Angelika as it was in The Hating Game.

This author is not for me.

sally thorne can do no wrong and I truly mean that!! loved how quirky and silly this one was. I will read anything sally writes!!!

Thank you so much @AvonBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 06 September 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Angelika is struggling to find a partner so decides to reanimate a corpse with the intention of making him her fated mate, except once he is alive, he has more interest in finding out about his past than creating a new future with her.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the dialogue had humor & bite
- it was a fun, silly premise for a story

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- unnecessary love triangle where it's blatantly obvious who Angelika will choose
- i'm not really sure what this book was trying to achieve... a serious character study of Angelika or a whimsical historical romcom?
- the pacing really slowed down about halfway through and the story started to meander
- overall I felt like it was a really disjointed story & the romance itself was lacking

Who doesn’t love a good reimagining of a horror classic around Halloween? When I saw this book was releasing I put some of my reservations aside when it comes to Sally Thorne and jumped right in. And I have to report back that I have some mixed feelings.

synopsis

Angelika Frankenstein is Dr. Frankenstein’s sister and she wants to make her own monster. Except what she wants is to make her perfect man. All at once proving herself and her capability to stand her own but also to find love and not be left a spinster. She decides to bring life back into one particular man at the morgue, with a few minor changes here and there. But instead of immediately finding a devoted mate, he comes back to life in search for his old life. Angelika then embarks on the task of trying to figure out what happened to him and finding his family.

review

Like I said, I have some mixed feelings with this one. Starting out with the fact that I felt so much contradiction reading this between finding it entertaining and being slightly put off. I think if you try to keep logic at bay you may be ok enjoying the ride of this book. But I found that I didn’t like Angelika enough to do that. Her actions as well as her attitude and personality made me feel uncomfortable about the situation the hero found himself in.

Angelika felt at times like she saw Will as a possession. In fact, from the very beginning! As she’s browsing through the morgue looking for just the right man to be her compliant and willing partner. I just didn’t like her!

While this has that small touch of paranormal, it reads a lot more like a historical romantic comedy. Which can be fun and at times reminded me of Soulless by Gail Carriger. This is a particular niche subgenre that I do tend to enjoy and I just wish I would’ve found the heroine and the execution a bit more tasteful.

Now when it comes to the mystery and the sleuthing of finding out more about Will’s past life, I loved every part of those. When it comes to that I think this was done really well and actually fun!

in conclusion

Will this book be a good fit to read this Halloween season? Absolutely! Will I rush to pick up a book by Sally Thorne? Sadly, no. This is now my third and I can’t say we seem to be a good fit.

This was a DNF for me. I tried to start and stop this around three times but I just couldn't get into it. Unfortunately, I think it was a little too "quirky" or "weird" for me. And I was sad because I loved THE HATING GAME and the spooky/gothic vibes.

So, I dove into "Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match" by Sally Thorne, expecting a quirky historical rom-com. But, truth be told, I couldn't shake off the creepiness of the plot. Angelika creating the perfect man from a cadaver? It just felt a bit too weird for my liking. Thorne's writing is solid, but I couldn't fully get into the story with those unsettling undertones. I guess it's all about personal taste, and this one didn't quite hit the spot for me.

3.25 Stars

Angelika and Victor Frankenstein are very odd siblings. Together they have decided to resurrect the dead. Victor is hoping to create a giant of a man to boast about his genius, while Angelika is looking to make the perfect man for her to love. Victor's creation unfortunately runs off upon waking, while Angelika's man stays, with no memory of his past. She names him Will and vows to help him find out who he is and how he ended up at the morgue. Along the way the two must resist the urge to fall in to each other's arms, as they try to discern Will's history and find out whether he has familial obligations in his past life.

This is probably the strangest romance novel I have ever read. First of all, I was annoyed at the amount of times they talked about Angelika's resuscitated man's penis (one joke was sufficient to get the point, pun intended, across). Several times they brought up how she had picked a bigger one than he had originally had, but don't worry not the biggest available... I understand it added levity to the story, which is dark and serious due to the situation and themes, but once was really enough.

I did enjoy that this was sort of an insta-love story (generally not my favourite, but handled well in this case), while also being a friends to lovers story. Angelika is smitten with Will right away, but it is more his looks, while he is more concerned with who he is and his past (what kind of man he was and whether he is worthy of her). But, as the novel unfolds these two bring out the best in each other and work together to make the world they live in better for themselves and those around them. They see the truth in each other's hearts and fall for each other's personality and goodness rather than their looks.

I did find the men often belittled the women, being too judgemental of Angelika and the other women in their lives. They viewed the women as having little power, of needing men to protect and care for them. I liked especially when Angelika would do things to put the men in their places, forcing them to reconsider and respect her more. This can especially be seen in the macho shows between Will and Christopher, the military man who was interested in Angelika. They seemed to care little for her opinion on who she loved and only wanted to show each other up. Will was awfully harsh on Angelika's lifestyle, giving her very little leeway in being rich and having lived in luxury (not really allowing for her to learn and adapt without his continuous down talking). I think he could have handled all of that in a better way, instead of continuously making her feel foolish for not knowing something that at that time no rich person would even have considered. And, later, when it comes to the hypocrisy in terms of the churches need for monetary offerings and riches.

My favourite aspect was the connection of the characters. The love story unfolded beautifully, but there was also emotional moments between Angelika and Victor (some of the funnier moments were between these two as well), between Angelika and the elderly maid she views as a grandmother figure, and between Angelika and her future sister-in-law. Or even, Angelika being the most open minded when it came to the giant, Adam, who was created by Victor. She is kind, caring, and devoted to all those around her, making sure to add happiness where she can and try to learn to be a better person. All of these small character growth moments added such depth to a story about a woman who decides to sew together a good looking man to be her husband.

A good horror romance for around this time of year, but be prepared for a lot of phallic references.

DNF @ 30%

The voice this book was written in was just not for me. I think it would be a good fit for people who like unconventional/sci fi romances, or even historicals, and who have the mental presence to focus on the tone of voice this is written in.

This was the weirdest, strangest and absolutely swooniest book I have ever read. I am absolutely Obsessed with it.

Even though Angelika was very vapid and spoiled at the beginning of the book, I still really loved her as a character. I loved how much growth she made as a person throughout the book, it made me like like her even more.

I did a hybrid read of this and I freaking loved the narrator. Her voices for all of the characters were so good, but I especially loved the voices for Vic and Lizzie.

This was so weird and so much fun. I had no idea how this was going to end but I absolutely loved it.

This book has absolute perfect spooky vibes and you absolutely need to read it if you are a historical romance fan.

Up until I started reading this, I thought that it was a YA story and not adult romance. So I may not have had the right expectations for this, but I didn’t enjoy the take on Frankenstein and Angelika essentially creating her own love interest,

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for my chance to review.

I thought this was such a fun fall read. I was into this book the second I read the synopsis. There’s nothing more fall than a Halloween vibe romance! Would definitely recommend.

I have loved Sally’s first two books, but this one did not do it for me. I’m not sure if it was the concept that didn’t draw me, but this one was a miss for me. It makes me sad because I love Sally’s work. I will continue to support her and read what she publishes.

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match has a queasy start, not from the corpse part but from the playing God part... or the "tinkering with people's bodies, dead or undead, without consent" part. Which is very in line with Frankenstein, so full speed ahead. Adding romance to the mix, though? I was cautious.

Angelika is a girl who's known both great tragedy and extreme sheltering, a combination that makes her lonely and unsure how to cure it. She's been raised by her older brother since they were orphaned at a young age. Victor Frankenstein is both fond of his little sister and intensely self-interested in his own ambition and academic competition. This is another nail in the coffin of Angelika's self-awareness and social skills. And it leads to her assisting Viktor in his experiments with the vocal ulterior motive of reanimating a husband for herself since none of the live ones will do. Or rather, none of the live ones want to deal with her intensive get-to-know-you questionnaire before entering a courtship. Honestly, on that front, you can't blame her. It's easy to see how we get from her list of requirements for a potential husband to creating her own to assure she meets the exacting specifications. Note that this apparently includes penis size, something she selects with care when cobbling together a groom. She literally chooses her favorite bits from several corpses to build her future husband, something he finds disturbing on waking in addition to the intense pain he suffers and the complete lack of memories at his disposal.

And it only gets more ill-advised from there as Angelika tries to mold herself into a new shape she hopes her creation will find appealing. She observes Will's behavior to figure out how she ought to act to please him. To make things yet WORSE, she tries to stop him from learning his past and identity in large part because he died with a ring on his finger. What if he has a wife or betrothed he would prefer to Angelika? No, she'll do anything to prevent that revelation. Once Will learns of the mysterious ring, she claims that said maybe-wife could never love him as she does because she brought him back to life. While Will is quick to curtail that line of thought (just because you have the knowledge and means to achieve what others can't doesn't make you more worthy, Angelika), its mere existence is alarming in the extreme.

And yet Will feels indebted to Angelika since being brought back from the dead is kind of a big deal. Even though he's in constant agony. He notes that she would have been just as infatuated with one of the first three reanimation attempts if they had succeeded. He can see the toxicity as the unwilling participant in this drama while it all seems perfectly reasonable and romantic to Angelika. And when his past is finally revealed, I think it makes the dynamic all the sadder, even though it's brushed off in the moment to focus on true love, etc. Ew.

As the romance progresses, even if you look beyond the premise (I couldn't), there's plenty to irritate. A miscommunication drives a wedge between them when Angelika questions him about his intentions toward her and finds his answers lacking.... But Will was sleepwalking at the time of the conversation and remembers none of it. It's like preteens playing games to find out if their crush likes them only to be despondent when the results sour the whole affair. That's the maturity level we're working with. And the angst (pervasive) is SO preventable. Like maybe don't a) bring a random man back from the dead because he's handsome for the sole reason of loving you and b) act surprised when there's drama because he feels beholden to a possible wife in his previous life even though he thinks you've got a rockin bod that you ever-so-conveniently keep throwing at him as a reminder. Things meander yet further into tropes I hate when midway through the book, instalove is confirmed between the characters (on top of the already known instalust) in the same scene when a love triangle is manufactured whereby two men will vie for Angelika's heart. Sooooooo she already loves one man but her bestie thinks she *deserves* to have men duke it out for her, so they go for it. There's a lot to unpack there, and I'm pretty sure I loathe all of it.

The only thing I liked to some degree was the banter. Frankenstein sibling bickering is blunt and crass, at odds with their station and era, which adds to the humor. It's clear why they're viewed as oddities by the other townsfolk with how they've raised each other to act. The flirting (if you can call it that) is also very direct, which is kind of fun even when it's shocking. Also, the casually morbid thoughts Angelika has because of her many interactions with the dead would have been right up my alley in a different context.

As a comedy, it might have worked for me. As a ~romantic~ comedy, not so much. Like if you want this to be a dark but funny commentary on how we seek romantic partners, that could be entertaining. Instead, this is meant to be a love story with a happily ever after. And I might have felt differently if they fell in love on accident rather than out of Angelika's orchestration.

Also, I have a real problem with romance novels that use a love story where therapy should be. And Angelika desperately needs a confidante and a loving social circle, but she reaches for romance in lieu of those things to solve all her problems in one fell swoop. I read it through to the end, searching for character growth. Angelika's disregard for the consequences of her own actions from page one was not a good beginning. Such a bad start is hard to overcome, but I've seen it done well. Unfortunately, Angelika's reason for self-improvement is to appeal to the man she loves, who just so happens to have a sturdy moral compass. Like if someone says "examine your privilege" and you respond "ok, I'll make some changes ASAP," that's good, on the whole. But if your reason is "I hope to get in your pants while I'm at it because I'm desperate to deserve you," now I feel uncomfy. I also feel that we get a deliberately unflattering view of Angelika at the beginning, so when it turns out she's clever and tender-hearted in different circumstances, it feels like a win even though she's simmering at bare minimum. And I actually sympathized with a lot of her emotions and fears, so the manner and subpar dimensions of her growth were extra disappointing. For example, when Angelika suggests asking for Will's consent to carry out further experiments (which her brother heartily ignores), I wasn't sure whether to mark her progress as intended or darkly laugh at the irony that the concept just occurred to her after undeath was already achieved.

Sadly, this spooky romance was not for me. It would have to be completely gutted and renovated for me to find any joy in the story and characters.

This book had great characterization, excellent story telling, and made me want to keep reading. I will continue to read from this author and look out for their new releases.

By far my favorite of Sally's books. So quirky and weird and warm and lovely. I loved how it was a mix between Paranormal and Historical romance. Everything about it made me melt inside.

I kept seeing divided opinions on this book. So, I went into reading this expecting to dislike it, but instead came away oddly touched. I mean what wouldn’t you do to keep someone you love with you? I really enjoyed this book. Yeah, some parts are strange and disturbing but I think it just goes with the territory of writing an alternate version of Frankenstein. Angelika is someone who is not at all perfect and we see her flaws from the start, but I think at the heart of it she is kind. She learns from her mistakes. We see her character growth and how Will really changes everyone around him for the better. Sally Thorne novels always have such witty and heartfelt writing. I wasn't expecting to cry with this book but I did. Victor as the teasing, vain, but loveable brother was also just really fun to read. It was sweet to see what he would do for his sister. This had unexpected humor and whimsical parts and overall, I thought it a perfect balance.

This was not my favorite Sally Thorne book but it was still readable. I didn't like Angelika's character much at all.

Cosy, quirky historical romance. I absolutely loved the character development and overall vibe of this book.

Coming at you with a “controversial” choice! This book had such divided opinions , (which is what caught my eye). The romance community has been absolutely salivating over the Hating Game, and to see such divided opinions on this one… I knew it was my time to read it!

BLURB: Clever and odd Angelika has been called a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. Tired of the predictable society men, she decides now is the time to use her scientists brothers latest experiment to her benefit. Creating the perfect man! If only it were that easy… because who would have guessed it, her life is about to get a lot more complicated!

My thoughts, if you’re going to enter this book expecting the Hating Game, this is not that…. Think of this as the “hot topic cousin” to that book. I see a lot of people comparing this to twilight, with “two hot guys vying for our heroine”, but we know right away who wins her heart…. The half dead cold hearted one 😉

Another thing this book reminds me of, is a Tim Burton romance, where a lot of whimsical gothic mayhem occurs. That being said, I’m completely removing The Hating Game when I think about this book (I feel like you have to, or you’ll be disappointed). This book is the perfect piece of chaotic fluff to read around Halloween, or just when you’re feeling your inner chaotic gothic queen.

Heat Level: 🔥🔥