This is a cute YA book! I read it in one day, it’s a quick read. The majority of the book, the FMC is seventeen, and it’s definitely feels like the target audience should be around that age as well. The ending was sweet!

Thank you NetGalley for this early copy!

Books that have characters who love to write or love books are something I'll always want to read. Love on Paper has a main character who wants to be a novelist and who goes to an exclusive writers' retreat. Need I say more? For me the added mystery of a missing manuscript really made this book. It brought our main characters together even though their families didn't seem to like each other. I felt like this helped them grown and make their own way. Maybe even giving in to the feelings they have for each other!

Love on Paper by Danielle Parker is a fun, bookish YA romance set at a summer writers’ retreat, where aspiring author Macy is forced to team up with her family’s literary rival, Caleb. With witty banter, a hint of mystery, and a slow-burn romance, the story blends coming-of-age themes with a love letter to writing itself. Readers enjoyed its diverse cast and lighthearted tone, though some felt the mystery subplot overshadowed character development. Still, it’s a sweet and engaging read for fans of rivals-to-lovers stories with a creative twist.

A book about a writer's retreat is something I haven't seen before, so I was very excited to pick this one up. I loved the concept, but I did feel like there was a bit too much going on. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole mystery sideplot as the characters uncover clues and easter eggs left by a romance author, and I felt like a lot of the story was underdeveloped. However, this is still an enjoyable read that fans of books about books, with a touch of mystery, will enjoy.

By no means was this a bad book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I thought it was nicely written, it just didn't click with me.

This wasn't quite the right romance for me but I thought for some readers in a different, younger stage of life would enjoy!

This was a cute, quick summer read.
The setting is a college campus and it takes place over the summer. The main characters are off to college in the fall, but they read younger to me. The students are there for a writing retreat and the activities they engage in sound fun, but the main draw in this book was the additional scavenger hunt that they went on to find a hidden manuscript. I liked that Macey was trying to find her own way, become her own person away from her famous parents. I liked the summer rivals to lovers vibe, and while there was some chemistry, they was also something hindering it. Every time something with Macey’s mom came up I groaned; even in the end, I did not like that woman. Her dad was fun though. The dialogue was alright, but did feel mid-YA rather than upper YA.
Overall, I would recommend this book to a mid-YA crowd, despite it being near-college aged students, trying to break out of their shell and discovering their limits.
Many thanks to Random House Children’s (Joy Revolution) via Penguin Teen Canada and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are provided voluntarily and are honest and my own.

This book was an ok read. Definitely Middle School appropriate. I liked this idea of a literary scavenger hunt. The relationship moved to hot and heavy too quickly. I appreciate the mother daughter conflict and resolution.

2.5/5 Stars

Macy is the daughter of two successful authors. Her mother pulls some strings for her to attend a writing retreat with other teens in the hopes of gaining a published story. When it is announced that the topic will be romance, she is a bit hesitant. She isn't prepared to connect so deeply with her critic partner, and son of her parent's rivals, Caleb Bernard.

I found this to be a bit cheesy, which made it difficult for me to connect with the characters. I usually like the enemies to lovers trope, but this felt like it lasted about two seconds, which was disappointing. I also hated all the slang and gen z sayings that were used, it just made me cringe and took me out of the story. On the bright side, it was extremely quick and I finished it in one sitting.

Love on Paper finds Macy Descano, Black Korean daughter of two famous authors, spending four weeks at Penovations, a teen writing retreat. There she is paired with Haitian American Caleb Bernard, a writing "nepo baby" himself, and son of her parents' sworn enemies. The theme of the retreat is romance writing in honor of author Betty Quinn, who recently died. She left behind a mystery for the teens uncover as to where her final manuscript is hidden. In addition the attendees must submit a short story, and the five winners will be published in an anthology. As Macy and Caleb follow the clues all around the Bay Area, they learn more about Betty's legacy, as well as each other and their families, Their growing chemistry and support of each other in their writing endeavors is charming and informative for budding writers. The story concludes with a reading list which includes recommendations from Shakespeare and Jane Austen to contemporary YA authors like Elise Bryant and Maureen Goo.

This was a fun read. I always enjoy characters that are writers, being one myself, and how it makes them a little more relatable. I will say it wasn't one I enjoyed as much as I wanted to, but it was still a good read. It's one of those books that could probably get someone out of a reading slump.

What a sweet, tender read. (And OMG I am *obsessed* with that cover!!!)

The story follows Macy Descanso, the daughter of two writers who goes on a summer-long writing retreat. As she tries to find her voice and put words to paper, she also uncovers the mystery behind elusive romance writer Betty Quin; as well as the mystery behind her family's feud with the family of her summer crush Caleb Bernard.

I love that this book combines the love of romance writing and reading with a plot-twist, easter-egg-filled mystery. It felt a little disjointed at times, and I thought it could have been developed a little more, both plot- and character-wise, but overall, this is a really enjoyable YA read from a great voice in the genre.

Thank you to Joy Revolution and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

A super cute, witty, and fun read. I enjoy grabbing a YA from time to time and this was the perfect easy read for me. I will be grabbing a paperback for my daughter to read this summer!

This book is a good read for those just starting to read YA who are looking for romance. Unfortunately for me, the story fell a little flat.

Pros
* cool writers' retreat in Berkeley, even if writer mom pulled strings to get in
* talks a lot about the writing process
* there is a mysterious missing manuscript the students are looking for
* Macy is paired with "swoon" Caleb as a critique partner though their families have a strong feud.

Cons
* What kind of writers' retreat has them all write romance and doesn't tell them that ahead of time? That would seriously piss me off if I was attending or had a kid who was attending
* The issue between their families is never fully explained to my liking
* The story doesn't seem to know if it is a romance or a mystery and then it doesn't really manage to feel like either.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was short but a little on the slow side for me here and there. I would recommend for younger YA readers though. I enjoyed the little mystery scavenger hunt the characters went on! The characters were so fun and sweet and I enjoyed their little romance.

Love on Paper was a sweet, fun read. I loved the dorm-like scenario the characters found themselves in. The inclusivity of this book made my heart sing! I was so happy to see characters referenced that didn't fit the normal young adult "mold." While I loved the mystery of the plot at times I questioned if the focus was on the approval from family, romance, friendship, of the mystery itself. These all led to an enjoyable read!

This is one of the books that I was so desperate to love that I kept reading it even when I knew I shouldn’t have. It had everything that I would normally love tho so I just kept reading. It did in fact, not do anything for me.

The thing that stood out the most and honestly the reason I didn’t DNF this was because I HAD to know how the mystery ended. I really don’t remember a single thing other than this part. The mystery aspect was good because it involved everyone and at some point. It ended up being really cute and I was glad I stuck around for that part at least.

However, that was the only thing I really enjoyed. I’m not sure if it was my mood or the narrator or what, but I fell asleep every 30 minutes of this audiobook. I thought that maybe I was just tired because my cycle was coming, but I ended up listening to the one before and after this one with no problem. Idk, I just couldn’t get into it and I tried multiple times.

The romance was cute but unfortunately it wasn’t memorable. I can’t say that I remember anything besides the fact that their parents didn’t like each other. And then they stopped liking each other and I was like eh ok by that point. Y’all know I’m not a huge fan of enemies/rivals to lovers. So basically I lost interest. And no it’s not because its a teen book. I understand that sometimes books can just be HFNs. But this one just didn’t seem memorable TO ME. I don’t think I would have even realized if it was a HEA or not.

The relationships that I thought were more important that the romance was the one with her mother. I was glad that that got a lot of time and some explanation, but at the same time, it HAD to because it was the main plot point. It really made this feel more like a coming of age book instead of a romance. But I was glad that she got the answers from her mom. The other people she got answers from was kind of weird, but I had to admit it was kinda cool.

This usually would be something that I would have loved, but I just didn’t vibe with it. And that’s ok. Maybe someone else will. And when it finds its readers, I hope they genuinely love it.

"Learn a lot, write your heart out, take chances, be brave, find a story that surprises you maybe even scares you and dig deep into that."
"Because we all do, we all have important stories to tell if we allow ourself to."
"Break downs tend to lead to break throughs"
"Different doesn't mean bad, it just means different."

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Children for a E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute, quick read! I really liked how fast paced the story was! Macy is going to a writer's retreat and her journey with trying to get out of her parents shell and lime light was a typical growing pain that the average young adult goes through. I really enjoyed that the story and the growth of Macy and Caleb was extremely relatable and a full circle moment. The mystery behind the script and bread crumbs from Betty Quinn was the cherry on top for this story because it brought the characters together and find their interests and love on paper. Macy and Caleb not only have experiences with their growth in writing but their separate accomplishes with family was just as important in the story as well. Although different paths but same destination. There was an equal amount of plot, mystery, and romance.

This story definitely read like a young adult story, at first I thought Macy was 13 0r 14 but then in a random scene she said she was 17 and in the epilogue she is 19. So I was bit shocked due to the language, and dialect it read like a younger person than her actual age. It wasn't necessarily annoying or anything bad but her age did kind of shock me. However over all this was still a nice read and cute plot.

The cover is adorable. The story idea has so much promise.

Unfortunately for me it fell flat. I was bored. I found it hard to like the characters at all. It was also chaotic.

It also reads a little more middle grade than YA for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Young love at a camp for teen writers! Both Macy and Caleb are children of famous writers with a lot to prove. And their families don't get along. They team up as writing partners, trying to figure out a mystery, and find "romance."

Our characters felt really young at times. And while some of the moments between Macy and Caleb were sweet, the romance felt a little forced. The family drama felt lacking, too.

The overall book was just okay.

3 stars