Was I initially sucked in by the cover? Absolutely, but I was also fascinated by the combination of pageant queen and horror fan that is our main character Corie. This was such a fun book overall, and Corie's undiagnosed ADHD was worked into the story without it feeling like a "very special" episode. The romance is incredibly sweet, and I loved the Corie was all about going as gory and scary as possible while Everett was trying to keep the costume pretty. Overall amazing debut from Rivera, I can't wait to see what she does next.

Adrienne Rivera’s My Fair Monster is a heartfelt, quirky mashup of pageants, practical effects, and personal growth that charms as much as it surprises. Seventeen-year-old Corie Nielson lives in a world of sequins, stage lights, and relentless expectations—but secretly dreams of trading tiaras for terrifying screams as a horror movie actress.

Corie is an endearing, high-energy protagonist trying to juggle the impossible: Miss Teen America ambitions, her family’s boutique, caring for her great-grandma, school, and a looming ADHD diagnosis she hasn’t quite put a name to. The chaos intensifies when she signs up for a local monster makeup contest, hoping it will catapult her into horror stardom. Enter Everett, the gruff, wildly talented special effects artist who becomes both her creative partner and unexpected crush.

Rivera skillfully blends humor, heart, and just enough horror to keep the story feeling fresh. The monster makeover competition is pure fun, but it’s Corie’s emotional arc—learning to define success on her own terms and cope with the pressures of perfection—that gives the book real weight. Her relationship with Everett is a slow-burn delight, full of banter and vulnerability.

While some plot threads—particularly around Corie’s ADHD and family tension—could have used deeper exploration, the story still delivers a satisfying mix of personal empowerment and spooky flair.

For readers who love stories about chasing big dreams, embracing weirdness, and smashing stereotypes with glitter and fake blood, My Fair Monster is a joyful, empowering ride.

a cute romance which is perfect for the spooky season is just what I needed. The concept is refreshing and I absolutely devoured the grumpyxsunshine trope of this book. I loved that even though it was a light read there was enough focus on the families, thus adding layers to the characters.

This was an incredible YA-on-the-cusp-of-NA romance that explores the power of one young woman’s journey to find—and more importantly, understand—herself. Corie Nielson is a wonderfully rich and real character, and her emotional, familial, and psychological struggles are portrayed with deep empathy and nuance.

The story sits right at that transitional edge between YA and NA—where characters are still in high school but beginning to shoulder adult responsibilities. Everett is preparing to graduate and step into his college and pre-professional life, while Corie is navigating the end of her junior year, passing on her beauty queen crown, caring for her great-grandmother, and juggling school and work. Rivera captures that “pre-adult” stage perfectly—the moment when the world starts demanding maturity before you feel ready, and the pressure to grow up hits hard and fast.

While the monster costume contest adds an original, fun, and quirky backdrop—and serves as a brilliant catalyst and frame—the true artistry of this story lies in its emotional stakes: the portrait of a young woman longing to be understood, and a young man’s quiet commitment to being who he knows himself to be. That’s what makes My Fair Monster so powerfully human and unforgettable.

As someone who grew up undiagnosed with ADHD until later in life, I can say that Corie’s fears, insecurities, and social faux pas reflect a reality more common than many might realize. Rivera’s storytelling shines in the sweet, dynamic romance between Corie and Everett. His own quest to be seen by his two dads—not as an extension of their ambitions, but as himself—mirrors Corie’s longing for recognition. Everett doesn’t just love her; he sees, understands, and accepts her in ways even she struggles to do.

This book is more than just a fun and comedic story—it’s a narrative about self-love, accountability, and the power of human connection. It helps readers understand the emotional weight of responsibility and the importance of accepting one’s own neurodivergence. Teens will fall into this story easily, but it’s also a vital read for parents, educators, and anyone working in social services or education.

For me, My Fair Monster felt vivid, realistic, and truthful. It reflected the feelings and experiences I carried through my teen and young adult years—years when, like Corie, I was often criticized and penalized for things I didn’t yet understand about myself. Rivera has given voice to a reality that deserves to be seen, heard, and embraced.

And I want to add my heartfelt thanks—for allowing me to see, even after all these years, that others feel and experience life the way I still do. I saw myself at every turn in Corie’s story. Rarely have I read a book that so precisely captured the internal landscape of ADHD—the racing thoughts, the emotional spirals, the quiet ache of feeling “too much” and “not enough” all at once. My Fair Monster doesn’t just tell a story; it gives language to the invisible pressures and identity struggles that so many of us carry. It’s not just a book—it’s a mirror, and for me, a lifeline.

Thank you, Adrienne Rivera, for seeing me and allowing me to see myself. #OWNVoicesReview

If you’ve ever felt unseen, misunderstood, or mislabeled—this book is for you.

Multi-generational beauty queen Corie loves horror films and dreams of being a scream queen like her grandmother. A local TV costume contest has her teaming with Everett - SFX make-up artist - whose own aspirations are hidden from his family too. As they two become friends and more, they struggle how to balance responsibility with their own dreams.

So much wonderful character development in this novel. Each has their own voice and distinct personality. I just want to hug Corie sometimes and tell her that it will be okay. I look forward to reading more by Adrienne Rivera.

This book was such a delight to read! I absolutely fell in love with the characters, especially Corie. She was so relatable and I really enjoyed her unique character voice. She’s definitely a memorable character for me.

I adored the mashup of the pageant scene and the special effects and horror elements. It was like reading a cute romance with all the things I love about the show Face Off mixed in. I loved it!

With all of the artistic pieces woven into the story, the author did an amazing job and describing it all in a way where I had no problem envisioning everything perfectly in my mind as I read.

Read this if you like:
❀ Grumpy/sunshine
❀ ADHD rep
❀ Pageant Queen FMC
❀ Special effects artist MMC
❀ Halloween romcom

This is one that will stick with me for a while and is easily one of my new favorites.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of the book.

This was the perfect YA contemporary romance. It had a funny and charming FMC with undiagnosed ADHD and a grumpy and moody SFX artist. It's the perfect book to read during fall/spooky season!

Corie is a pageant queen who loves horror movies and dreams of being a scream queen. Everett is a theater kid who has found a passion in special effects doing props and creepy looking makeup and costumes. They join forces to participate in a contest that could help them both achieve their dreams.

This book is a love letter to classic horror movie fans. As someone who has never taken an interest in horror films, this book actually made me want to watch all the movies mentionned in the book. It was so fun to see our MCs bond over their shared passion and grow closer when working together. They both had their own struggles with their families and were there for each other.

It’s been such a long time since I’ve read a YA book but my god this was super cute and adorable but also heartbreaking.
It’s the kind of book that I wish I had read when I was a teenager. I think it would have resonated so hard with me at that age, and I think there are going to be tons of young readers who are going to love this one because it is so different from other contemporary YA books, and honestly perfect for those that are a fan of creepy culture, horror films and spooky season!

Honestly, this book had me near to tears on more than one occasion at what Corie was going through and how much pressure she was putting on herself even though she is just a teenager who should be enjoying her time with her friends. This is totally something that I think a lot of young people are going to be able to resonate with, especially if they have family members who have really high hopes and expectations for what they will do, but I also think it speaks a lot to how toxic certain groups can be, and how toxic the mentality of always being perfect and being the winner can be for a young person.
Obviously I’m talking about the pageantry aspect of this book, because Corie is a pageant queen who comes from a long line of pageant winners, and as someone who isn’t from America, the whole idea of there being beauty queens is so otherworldly to me that it is so obvious that it can have a really negative impact on someone.

More than anything I think this is a story about how messy families are, and how messy/unpredictable life is, yet you should always be chasing your dreams and fighting for what makes you happy.

Obviously the cutest thing was seeing Corie and Everett start to fall in love and end up in a relationship towards the end of the book, but the most beautiful thing was seeing them slowly open up to each other as they were spending more time together for this contest, and how they really grew to appreciate the other person for who they are not who they should be.

The funnest thing was without a doubt all of the mentions towards horror films, and all of the talk of spooky things in general. The constant talk between the two of them about what the costume was going to be, and all of the talk about the SFX makeup and different things they could do was so cool and it was so obvious that the author has spent so much time researching different elements to make this book as real as possible.
All of the time that they spend together was adorable, and I really really really loved the spooky twist that was put on this book because without it I don’t think it would have been half as fun!

"And Everett was smiling. Full force. It made sense, then, why he didn't ever do it. You couldn't just walk around with that out in the open; the light was too bright. It felt burned into my retinas, like I wouldn't be able to look at anything again without seeing the after image.”

Tropes:
-Grumpy x sunshine
-FMC beauty pagent
-MMC SFX artist
-Bad boy x good girl
-Friends to lovers
-Adorable meet cute

Spice:
1/5

Pleaseee
This is so good!!
I loved this book so so much!
Firstly, this has got to be the cutest meet-cute that there has ever been! I mean like ahhhh! Okay, throughout this book I laughed, I yelled, but mostly I fell in love with Everett and Corie. The vibe that they both give off, I ate up. Everett is very grumpy, hot, bad boy vibe. While, Corie is more good girl, nerd, bubbly vibe. Together, ugh my heart melted!
My Fair Monster is told through Corie's perspective, basically it's kind of like a pact/deal that if Everett helps her with her monster beauty pagent makeup, she'll help him become a more well known SFX makeup artist.
You know, I live for this kind of stuff, just the banter, the jokes, the vibes, the everything immediately drew me in. The chapter spacing was perfect and on top of that, I also loved the chapter names, like Young Frankenstein, Night of The Living Dead, and Theatre of Blood. I mean... How could you not want to read a book that has those sort of chapter names?!
Another thing I really liked about this book is the flaws both Corie and Everett have. I like that they have REAL human flaws that people ACTUALLY have. Like for instance Corie has ADHD, anxiety, and like dealing with parents/grandparents aging. I love the Everett has two dads, I love that Adrienne has an LGBT+, mental health, and ADHD rep.
I actually was surprised with how much I loved Adrienne Rivera's writing. It enthralled me and just made me want to keep reading and reading, the way she wrote Corie and Everett's characters were so uniquely well written and her writing is just so freaking good!
Last but not least, can we please just talk about this beautiful cover?! I'm in love, and the chapter marks and the section breaker symbol is too cute.
Overall, this book was just way too cute, and this has got to be in my top 3 of favorite romance books I've read! Love it!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher/author. All opinions remain my own. Thank you so much for the ARC!

“Yeah! It'll be fun. Teambuild-ing. Like a trust fall with more open wounds."

This was so sweet and the banter/interactions between the two characters had me kicking my feet and giggling like a schoolgirl.

A reigning Beauty Queen and an amateur SFX artist enter a monster costume contest. The beauty queen, Corie struggles with ADHD and anxiety which was represented wonderfully in this book.

I just really liked this one! Thank you NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for the opportunity to read this one early!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This was such a cute book. I needed something silly and sweet and this was perfect. There were parts that I was a little annoyed with, but you have to think about the age of the characters and also what is going on in their lives.

I resonated with Corie a lot. Sometimes I feel like a lot. Like I’m doing too much and being too much. Like I’ll mess everything up no matter what and people are better off without me. She also had a lot on her shoulders. I understand the fears and apprehension. I also didn’t think I’d love a beauty queen character but everyone here was so kind. And Corie loving horror movies and dressing up I know I could be friends with her. Everett was also so cute and their relationship was heartwarming.

This had a heavy focus on family and Corie’s family was both frustrating and loving. Ingrid was so cool. I had my great grandma in my life but didn’t have such a strong relationship with her. Ingrid seemed badass. I appreciated how open Corie was. When stuff bothered her about Everett she told him to his face. Even if she wasn’t the best at expressing her feelings she was ready to say when she was being mistreated.

This story was really cute and I loved reading it. It made me laugh and it was exactly what I was looking for. And the cover art is so pretty.

Corrie's character feels like someone took all the sweetest, and best, and most confusing parts of being a teenager and wrapped it up to make a love letter about figuring out who you are.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of MY FAIR MONSTER by Adrienne Rivera from a Shelf Awareness/Publisher's Weekly giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy summer!

My Fair Monster is such a fun read! Did I originally pick it up because I thought it was a monster romance? Yes. However, to be perfectly honest this isn't the only great book I have found that way (also check out Love and other Conspiracies). I really loved watching Corie chase her dreams and loved how Everett supported her (once he got over the whole rear ending him thing). The world of horror makeup was really cool to dive into.

I also really enjoyed the ADHD representation in this story. A lot of women have undiagnosed ADHD and the more we see representations of what ADHD looks like in women the more women will get diagnoses.

If you want a fun romcom that is explores a fun niche, with a lovable but imperfect heroine and a hero who is not perfect but will climb under a bush to save your cat, look no further!

This was phenomenal for a debut YA novel. The banter and dialogue was cute and felt cheesy, but in a way that sounded like two horror obsessed teenagers would come up with. As a teen romance, I appreciated the balance in Corie and Everett's life, that they had more to their characters than just romantic interest in each other. It also made the relationships with their friends and family feel more real. I liked that they had time in the book to be a couple, rather than it ending with them finally being together, as it allowed them time to go through conflict, have arguments, and resolve it in a healthy way. Finally, Corie's struggle with undiagnosed ADHD was seamlessly introduced in how it came up in her relationships, self esteem, and how it drove the rest of the plot. It was a driving force of her story, but it also felt like only one part of her character.

I truly loved this story, and it's easily one of my favorite YA reads of 2025. Corie was a fantastic mental health rep, and I related to her struggle in so many ways. Corie and Everett have great banter and chemistry, and I loved getting to see their teamwork to win the monster makeup competition. It was really cool to get to learn some of the intricacies of special effects makeup, prosthetics, etc, and it gave me a little more of an appreciation of the behind-the-scenes of movies and shows we love. Rivera gave an accurate portrayal of what it is like living with ADHD, and as a teacher with numerous students who have ADHD, as well as having it myself, I truly appreciated this aspect of the story. I am definitely recommending this story on my insta as well as to my high school students.

Pre thoughts
- Makeup? monsters

Overall
- This is a lovely YA read, the main characters are great and have lovely journeys. Honesty it is a great story with a good flow and easy to follow. Everett a grumpy guy with a lovable demeanor. It is a great representation of mental heath and the struggles Corie faces and overall just a great adventure as we learn more about Make-up and the complexities of prosthetics. A lovely Ya romcom, I will be re visiting this read.

stars
4.5/ 5 rounded to 5

tropes
- Movie references
- complex family dynamics
- Grumpy MMC
- Contemporary YA
- Internal monologue (FMC)
- ADHD rep

Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street, all thoughts and opinions are my own xx

Thank you Netgalley and Page Street YA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Adrienne Rivera’s “My Fair Monster” is a delightful mash-up of horror geekery, heartfelt coming-of-age, and slow-burn romance—with a generous dose of fake blood and beauty pageant sparkle. Equal parts quirky and empowering, this YA debut is a breath of fresh air for readers craving authentic representation, clever banter, and a protagonist who unapologetically loves both glam and gore.

At the center of the story is Corie, a seventeen-year-old aspiring special effects makeup artist with undiagnosed ADHD and a passion for horror movies. She’s bubbly, chaotic in the most endearing way, and incredibly relatable—especially for those who’ve ever felt underestimated by their family or doubted their own worth. Her journey toward self-acceptance is messy, funny, and deeply affirming, making her one of the most lovable protagonists in recent YA memory.

Corie is paired with Everett, her complete opposite—a grumpy, brooding type who slowly, reluctantly, and very believably softens as the two bond over SFX makeup and unexpected emotional vulnerability. Their dynamic is a perfect example of the grumpy/sunshine trope done right, with just enough tension and tenderness to keep you rooting for them. Though the romance leans on familiar beats (yes, there's a third-act breakup), the chemistry and emotional payoff are satisfying and sweet—clean and perfectly suitable for younger YA readers.

One of the book’s standout features is its detailed and passionate portrayal of special effects makeup. Rivera clearly knows and loves the horror genre, and it shows. From references to iconic horror films to the vivid descriptions of blood, guts, and prosthetics, the book practically begs for a movie adaptation. Every chapter title nods to a horror classic, and the appreciation for scream queens and creature features runs deep. Even non-horror fans will find themselves charmed by Corie’s enthusiasm.

But the real heart of “My Fair Monster” lies in its honest depiction of ADHD. Rivera “shows, not tells” what it’s like to live with a neurodivergent brain, avoiding heavy-handed exposition in favor of nuanced, lived-in experiences. Corie’s thoughts spiral, her emotions spike, and her need for support is clear—but so is her brilliance, creativity, and resilience. This is the kind of representation that feels seen, not simplified.

There are a few minor missteps—the pacing can be uneven, with internal monologue occasionally overstaying its welcome, and some conflicts (particularly involving Corie’s parents) are introduced but not fully explored. Still, the overall story is cohesive, warm, and emotionally rewarding.

Overall, “My Fair Monster” is a charming, horror-tinged romcom that wears its heart—and its fake blood—on its sleeve. With lovable characters, a unique premise, and affirming neurodivergent representation, it’s a must-read for anyone who’s ever dreamed of being both a beauty queen and a scream queen.

‘My Fair Monster’ is a YA romcom that I didn’t know I needed—a mashup of tiaras and fake blood, where our girl Corie Nielson dreams of swapping the sash for a scream queen crown. But plot twist: she’s also low-key drowning in undiagnosed ADHD, and her internal monologue is so real it hurts🥲

Corie teams up with Everett, a grumpy goth makeup artist who looks like he escaped from Hot Topic’s brooding cousin collection, and together they plan to win a monster makeup contest.

It’s heartfelt, it’s hilarious,it’s SO CUTE, and creative and completely new to what I’ve typically read that it gripped my heart from the start. It was so enjoyable that I finished it in one sitting.

And also a round of applause for the cover because that is the reason I found this phenomenal book and read it👏

Adrienne has one of the brightest, bubbliest voices I’ve come across in YA contemporary. Corie is so charming, you can’t help but want to spend time with her, and her struggles with ADHD are lovingly rendered. I have huge appreciation for the way the author has balanced Corie's love life with her other interests, friends, and family—it makes for an immersive experience, and the characters feel real.

This is a fantastic book with the same kind of warmth and heart as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. You don’t have to be a horror nerd or a pageant fan to enjoy this one, Corie’s niche interests make her a clear and compelling character, but the appeal is universal!

Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street for an early look at this book!