Becky Dean writes YA contemporaries set in interesting and fun locales and this one was no different - it is set in Venice! Everything about the setting came to life. I’ve been to Venice before so that helped, but it was nice to revisit my memories of Venice - and the book made me feel like I was there and made me want to go back! That’s how lifelike the setting was.

The story is centered around popular girl and people pleaser Evie, who secretly loves a fandom and doesn’t want anyone to know because she’s afraid they will judge her. She is most excited for the trip to Venice because there is an underground club celebrating the fandom so she sneaks out to meet up with others. She wears a mask to hide her identity and meets up with a guy (also masked) and they decide to attend the fandom events together.

This story had major vibes of The Lizzie McGuire movie, from the Italian setting (though the movie is set in Rome) to the main character sneaking away from her school group. I happen to LOVE the Lizzie McGuire movie so that made the book even more enjoyable for me.

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I liked experiencing Venice again through Evie’s eyes and how she becomes friends with the offish Gabriel, who pushed her out of her comfort zone a bit. The story was sweet, and while predicable, the anonymous romance was enjoyable to read about.

A perfect light, summery read!

“Beyond everyday magic,”

I love it. That's all I have to say about that.

Honestly, it took me maybe a quarter of it to get into it but once I was in, I was in. Like, get irritated with my cute toddler, don't want to eat in. Gabriel and Evie are such an awesome couple. A quintessential opposites attract. I love how they come together because of their differences and they don't try to change one another. Definitely try to help each other grow but only to emphasize the good. I appreciate that.

If you like Venice, fantasy novels (this is a contemporary romance about a fantasy novel) school trips, masks, canals, fun side characters, and art, check this one out!

The nerdy adorableness was fantastic! I loved that issues were resolved fairly quickly, and that the whole book was a short journey of growth, nerdiness, friendship, and support. Honestly 10/10 what I want for all young adults.

This book was so cute! It was the perfect summer read about a young woman who is trying to figure out her life and gets to spend time in Venice on a school trip, while sneaking out each night to find a secret club that reenacts things from her favorite book world. The secret club, along with the romance in this book was so great (I want a secret club like that about a fantasy series please). It was great to see Evie and Gabriel come out of their shells throughout the book and really just explore all the city and to offer, as well as getting to know each other.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Delacorte Romance, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

This story of becoming comfortable in your own skin, while following your heart, set against the gorgeous backdrop of Venice was such a delight!

On a Spring Break school-sponsored trip to Italy, Evie is hoping to find the super secret fandom club that is hidden in the city while also maintaining her secret love for the fandom from her classmates and closest friends. She doesn’t want any of them to judge her love for the fantasy world built around the city, so she resorts to sneaking out each evening, fully masked and cosplaying as her favorite character. What advice doesn’t expect is to fall for a masked fan who is also sneaking out of their hotel each evening for the same reason, nor is she expecting to befriend and start to develop feelings for Gabriel, the closed-off bad boy of the group.

As Evie and Gabriel partner up on a school project, we get to explore the art and architecture of Venice and see how opening yourself up to others (and love) can help you become confident in the best and most authentic version of yourself. I adored every moment and the romance angles truly had me swooning! I highly recommend this and Becky Dean’s other books.

I received a free review copy of Love Unmasked from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own and voluntary.

This one was a cute, quick read for me. There wasn't anything all that surprising about the story, but I wasn't really expecting it anyway. I liked both of the main characters (Evie and Gabriel) and enjoyed the dynamic between these two very different people. They really brought out a side in each other that helped them both grow. I think it was a great message about building self acceptance, trust, and being more assertive. The romance was a bit of a slow burn but also felt like a natural progression. The other part of the story took place at night, with hidden identities and a secret fan club. This part felt a bit too "over the top" to feel like something that actually exists in the real world, but it was also an interesting idea. There's a lot of referencing to the fictional fantasy series that Evie is a fan of that I could see maybe losing some readers. Personally, I didn't try to think too deeply about it and saw it more as a representation of something Evie was really passionate about. Bonus points for the beautiful setting in Venice! This was my second book by author, and I'll definitely be reading more books by Becky Dean in the future.

OVERALL STAR RATING: 4/5
CLEAN RATING: 5/5

I will forever be drawn to a book that promises to whisk me away to Italy! I read and loved Hearts Overboard by Becky Dean, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this upcoming release. I truly appreciate her commitment to writing clean and closed door books and this one gave great grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-more vibes.

This story is perfect for true book lovers. Have you ever been so incredibly devoted to a book series that you’d even dress up in cosplay to express your passion? Well, this describes our FMC, Evie Whitmore. She’s deeply in love with the Elven Realms book series, but she keeps her level of obsession a bit of a secret. When her school plans a trip to Venice, Italy, she finds out about a secret Elven Realms fan club that meets up at night. Costumed, mask-wearing fans embark on a true adventure of seeking out clues within the city to determine the location of the secret fan club. Evie is bound and determined to make her bookish dreams come to life while in Venice. While Evie has never EVER been a rule breaker, her love of the Elven Realms causes her to sneak out of her hotel each night and hit the town on her own. Well, she assumed she’d be alone, but she winds up running into another mysterious masked character at the hotel where she’s staying. The mystery man goes by the name of Angelo, and they decide to embark on this journey together.

As you can probably guess, Angelo and Evie strike up quite a connection and contemplate whether to reveal their true identity to each other. It’s fairly easy to predict from the start how it’s all going to pan out.

The premise of the story was very fun and unique, but I feel in a way the story romanticized the whole “adventure” of breaking school rules so I just wanted to make that little note for anyone who may be giving this to a 12-17 year old to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was the perfect mix of Love and Gelato and a little bit of Miraculous ladybug!

In my opinion, it was super cheesy but I loved the way that Evie managed to come out of her shell and the growth that she had from before Venice and after Venice. And I think that not hiding who you are is such an important lesson to younger audiences!

This had a scholar girl x bad boy trope and it was giving to the max! I recommend it to anyone who likes grumpy sunshine YA! A cute spring-summery read!

I have such mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, I loved the story between Evie and Gabe during the day, but it was a slooooow burn. Nothing really happened until 80%, which is fine but good to know going into it! On the other hand, the night escapades with Fantasma and Angelo unfortunately fell flat for me. I really wanted to love this, and there were some parts that were great, but overall I couldn't get into it like I have been able to with other Becky Dean books. Nevertheless, she paints a beautiful picture of Venice and there's definitely a lot of creativity that went into this!

I really enjoyed Hearts Overboard by this author last summer so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, I did not connect with these characters at all, or the storyline. I felt like it was too in the fantasy world of the book that the main characters were dressing as. It was a little confusing especially as you haven't read the book they are going on and on about. I did love the setting in Venice. I went last summer and this transported me right back there.

This was such an absolutely adorable grumpy/sunshine high school romantic comedy. The book being set in Venice made for some wonderful descriptions, and then with the added drama and secrecy of an underground club surrounding a book series? It was absolutely captivating. The slow-burn and tender romance was also very well done and their banter was witty and cute. I'd say that this one was fairly predictable overall, but it made for a great quick & soothing afternoon read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review

2.5 rounded up

Set against the enchanting backdrop of Venice, this grumpy x sunshine romance follows Evie, who spends her nights masked, cosplaying as her favorite book character while searching for a secret club. Along the way, she collides with a mysterious stranger known as "Angelo," who is also dressed up and on the same quest. By day, however, she’s stuck as an art project partner to the brooding loner Gabriel, who seems indifferent to everything around him.

As much as I wanted to love this book, it ultimately fell flat. The story was painfully slow, taking ages to get into, and even then, it failed to truly engage me. Evie’s chemistry with "Angelo" was virtually nonexistent, and I found myself completely uninterested in the details of the "Elven Realms" books that were woven into the story. That said, her dynamic with Gabriel was somewhat enjoyable, adding a slight redeeming factor—but unfortunately, not enough to make this a worthwhile read for me.

thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute romance that my freshman will enjoy. For me it wasn't as good as I was hoping based on the other book I've read by this author.

Grumpy x sunshine dynamics never fail to entertain me, and this book was no exception. The Venice setting, along with the secret underground club featuring masks and costumes, added a captivating touch. The slow-burn chemistry between Evie and Gabe was well done—their banter was fun, and they had some really adorable moments. What stood out to me was the message of self-acceptance, reminding us that perfection isn’t everything, and that’s something worth appreciating. However, the storyline was quite predictable, which took away some of the excitement. Still, if you're looking for a sweet, quick, and lighthearted read, this one is definitely worth considering!

I've read Becky Dean's other travel-centric YA novels, and Love Unmasked fits right into the squad! It features compelling language as usual, reads quickly and was plenty smart and cute. Plus, that ending and HEA was positively cute and was completely and totally smileworthy. Facts.

High School senior, Evie, is on the trip of a lifetime. She’s off to tour Venice, Italy, with her art class and teacher. She’s always wanted to visit since she fell in love with the descriptions of the city in her favorite fantasy book series, The Elven Realms. For years, she’s heard about a secret underground club where fans of the series meet up in the evenings. She’s hoping to find the club without exposing her fangirl side to her friends. Can she keep her secrets from her friends long enough to find the club? Can she ditch her new project partner, new student and loner Gabriel? In costume and on the hunt for the club, she meets a costumed stranger, named Angelo, also looking for the club. They decide to partner up and find they share a lot of common interests. But who is Angelo really?

This was a cute grumpy x sunshine story reminiscent of Cinderella Story the movie or the book Cinder & Ella, but I felt there were a lot of unnecessary details. She keeps mentioning she fell in love with the series because her deceased father introduced them to her. She keeps mentioning her father, but it feels forced and unnecessary. Her friend group seems pretty fake and shallow and it’s sad that she’s afraid to share her interests with her supposed friends. The setting also seemed very unrealistic for a group of high school students to be exploring Italy. I think the setting would have fit better with a group of college students. The mysterious identity of Angelo was also clear from the start. The confusion over his identity felt forced.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

Love unmasked is a story about the MC Evie and her adventures as she sneaks out every night to go to a fan event for a book series where she meets a boy that helps her be more herself.

I can’t begin to explain how much I love this book and honestly it may be my new favorite book of all time.

I loved the plot , and the characters and I really connected to the mc Evie as she has a lot of the same fears and thoughts we I do .

I am genuinely sad this book is over and wish there was more to read, guess it means I’ll just have to read more of the authors books.

Seriously though if you’re in to cosplay, larping, fantasy books and adventure pick this book up and hopefully you’ll love it as much as I did .

Thank you Netgalley Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance for the arc

A sweet YA with two plots that move separately until the final bit of the book. I liked the slow pace of the character development (especially for Gabe) and the way he encouraged Evie to set healthy boundries.

Love Unmasked is a sweet YA romance without the spice. It is a somewhat predictable storyline with fun characters and set in a place I'd love to visit. I had no problem reading this in one afternoon. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I was really expecting to love this and rate it 5 stars, but sadly, it's only a 3 star book for me.
In the beginning, I was instantly hooked. with the whole TSA scene, the humor, and the change in Evie's plans, but then it started going downhill...
it just felt so cringy and unrealistic to me.
I just feel like everything with Evie's mom (especially how it resolved at the end) was way too convenient and there's SOMETHING about the writing that really irked me?
I LOVE GABE though
^so I really wish we got his pov
even the whole school trip felt very unrealistic, and it wasn't very developed?? like it was mentioned and then it would be ignored for a while and focus on 'the night club', idkkk this just wasn't for me :(