Ok, so I saw the book art for this a while ago and was like, I need to read this! So, I was very happy to get an early arc and it did not disappoint, in fact it got me out of my reading slump!

I loved the authors note in the beginning and just how much this love is a love letter to romance books and industry in general. You can learn so much from romance books, and it is a serious genre. Like the book says “Romance…it’s about more than happily ever afters. More than smut or spice. It’s about people. Relationships, connections. Communication.” You can also learn so many skills like our FMC did reading books (hot wiring a car or knowing how to get out of a sticky situation, I won’t give up my secrets on what I’ve learned 😉).

If you never had a fan-fiction phase, you never lived! I really enjoyed how this book was telling it’s own story while also referencing a popular fantasy book (I see all the nods to ACOTAR lol). I wish I could be transported into some of my favorite books, but I think it is also great, like we see here, that the community you can build with books is just a strong.

I literally LOL’d at the Mohegan Sun reference – to local to me as a New England girl lol, but also true.

Overall, I had a great time reading this book and would recommend to anyone who likes to read romance and fantasy books, and the parallels between those and real life.

Female fantasy was so so fun. I loved the concept of reading two books, Joonie’s story and the fantasy she’s obsessed with. (loved the similarities to ACOTAR, lol.)

Iman did a great job of describing that internal battle that all romance readers have faced at some point in their life, “are my expectations too high?” I know I’ve asked myself that multiple times. I felt seen through Joonie and really enjoyed her development throughout the story. This was such a love letter to romance readers. Thanks for the arc!

I ended up enjoying this one more than I thought I would! Female Fantasy is a fun rom-com that plays around with romance tropes and delivers a positive message about the ways romance can be empowering to women.

The story is told in two parts that are woven together. The first story centers our main character, Joonie, a fan-fic writer. She journeys to NYC to find the man her favorite fictional male character is based on. It's told in alternate with Joonie's favorite romantasy, A Tale of Salt Water and Secrets (ATOSAS). But perhaps Joonies real love is her grumpy enemy, Nico, who accompanies her on her road trip?

If you are in the mood for a quick romantic comedy that isn't afraid to poke a little fun at itself, you'll enjoy the story and laughs in Female Fantasy. There is a little spice but it's quite light. It goes beyond closed door, but isn't very detailed or drawn out. This rom-com is mostly about the story and less about the spice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Cosmo Reads for the electronic ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Silly, sharp, and unapologetically heartfelt, Female Fantasy is a wildly original meta-romance that celebrates the power of love stories—and the readers who cherish them. Iman Hariri-Kia masterfully blends tongue-in-cheek humor, clever critique, and emotional depth in a story that feels both joyously unhinged and deeply moving.

At the heart of it is Joonie: fandom-obsessed, complex, and unforgettable. Her journey is full of quirky twists, laugh-out-loud moments, and gut-punching insight about worthiness, desire, and refusing to settle.

A love letter to romance readers—especially those from marginalized communities—this book is both a riotous road trip and a powerful reminder that wanting love is never something to be ashamed of.

holy shit this was so insanely fun, this was my first title by hariri-kia but i’ve loved her vibe and energy for a while and this did not disappoint, this was so fun and light hearted and i loved the nod to romance readers and how it’s a real genre, i did feel like a few small things were missing but overall would recommend 1000%

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

Hariri-Kia's best work yet! I absolutely loved the parallels between the real world chapters and the mer chapters. Each romance felt so fun and connected yet entirely separate in a way that surprisingly really worked. Joonie and Nico have great chemistry and I am a sucker for a bit of a road-trip comedy. Funny, smart, silly, and uplifting of the romance community and the importance of the romantic novel. Recommend for anyone looking to have a ton of fun reading this fall.

Obsessed. I adored Iman Hariri-Kia's voice in this: funny, heartfelt, reflective and quippy. Their previous works were star-bombed for being too GenZ/Tik Toky, which I can't stand, but I thought this writing wasn't too *online.* Female Fantasy flips between Joonie's adventure to NYC for love and her lifesaving, favorite book, A Tale of Salt Water & Secrets (a magical mer people fantasy). I really like Joonie and Ryke (hands up for a cynical baddie) together - their story was fun, steamy and romantic. The only hitch is I hate the third-act conflict, which Iman makes fun of herself in the novel, so I'll forgive. (aka - Joonie still going to meet Ryan Mare....)

3.5 round up for an absolutely fun novel (yay for a net galley arc!) loved the brown girl representation, loved the fact that Iman Hariri-Kia is obviously writing this from a place of love for romance & romantasy as a genre, love the two stories in one. such a fun & earnest FMC, this book was clearly written as a love letter to romance readers & I appreciate that

I feel really bad but this is a DNF for me. I love the concept and I appreciate satire and camp. However, I felt like the main character was preaching at me about the power of romance novels - I get it. I'm a romance reader. I'm not a giant fan of a story within a story, so having two stories at once was meh for me. I am empathetic of the racism and abuse the female main characters faced and how that shaped their approach towards others. But the abuse was brushed aside - could that not have explored that more? So, ok 30% in I was slightly annoyed.

But the real reason I stopped 37% through (and this is really minor and kind of stupid) is that I could not shake the suspension of disbelief that it takes 6+ HOURS TO DRIVE FROM MYSTIC CONNECTICUT TO NEW YORK CITY. WHAT? This was a major plot point. Why make such a point about having the FMC being from Mystic? Just make it a rural coastal town in CT. The whole time I was like - Why are they on a back road? How would that even happen? Why borrow a car vs take the train? It's stupid and not the point of the book, but I just couldn't get past it. Sorry.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I sincerely hope others aren't as geographically literal as I am.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is funny and sarcastic in all the best ways possible, the FMC is so relatable with her obsession with her book. the romance plot plays in so well with everything else. The whole book feels like a nicely wrapped gift with a big ole bow.

Female Fantasy is simply unputdownable.

Iman Hariri-Kia delivers a meta romance and critique on how romance as a genre is not taken seriously. This book is truly a love letter to romance readers and anyone who has ever been told they have to lower their standards to be happy. From Hariri-Kia's author's note, readers know they are in the hands of a writer who feels passionately that enjoying and consuming romantic media, specifically romance books, is a radical act against patriarchy and the marginalization of minorities.

Hariri-Kia's writing is witty, bizarre, and joyously magnificent. It was truly bittersweet to finish this book. Joonie is hands down one of my favorite main characters I've read in a long time.

I love reading romance!!! This book felt so empowering. It embodies the love of a genre that often draws in criticism and judgement. Not only does Jonnie love romance loud and proud, she’s an open contributor as well. She is not afraid to tell people she writes fanfiction and loves these characters as real people. I think everyone has that one book and those few characters that got them through a difficult time, so it was exciting and cathartic reading about a character who is proud of that.
Among that storyline, we also have a storyline of self discovery and realization. I loved watching Joonie put the pieces together of her love story with Nico. There was a tad bit of miscommunication trope in there, but it was done in a realistic way.
AND THEN, the piece de resistance, the mermaid storyline. I loved getting to know Ryke and Merriah as actual characters and not just as characters mentioned. I love that their story matched up with Joonie’s. It showed that not every romance actually had to be a fantasy, the baseline of the story can come true for everyone.
Overall I give this book a 4.5 - only because I was hoping for a spicier mermaid sex scene ;)

A book for romance lovers by a romance lover! This book blends fantasy, romance, and women’s fiction. Iman also adds unhinged elements which make the plot interesting. It’s so refreshing to read a book that helps celebrate the romance genre.

Plot: A fan fiction writer looks for love outside of her favorite book.

Its been a long time since I have read a story where there's a book within a book (if you ever saw Alex and Emma, its got that kind of vibe). I really liked the main character and totally understood who she was as a person from the very first page and loved her. That being said, the entire book made me feel like I was being lectured by a social justice warrior on every single page, that wasn't involved in the book inside the book. its exhausting. I understand that the author was pulling from her own experiences, growing up as the daughter of Iranian immigrants, and I respect her point of view. However, mentioning climate change, gender identity, marginalized communities, racism, micro aggression, and any other "left leaning" propaganda point on every page was exhausting and it took me out of the story completely every time. This book took me 3 times as long to get through because every time, its like being lectured by someone on a TT live who has never considered that all people everywhere experience some level of struggles in their life.

The FMC focuses on 3 main injustices that she has experienced in her life that have shaped her insecurities and, in part, her personality. One of them is a girl from high school who stopped being her friend because of the war in Afghanistan and the fact that our FMC is Iranian American. Its suppose to be this big profound thing but the reality of growing up is that you have friends, and then some times you fall out of friendship. Sometimes that's because you have fundamentally different beliefs. Girls are mean, that girl could have stopped being friends with her because she wore socks on a Tuesday and it still would have been a legitimate reason (for a teenage girl) to stop being friends with her. Being in your late 20's and still caring one iota about what happened in high school is a privilege, it means nothing more dramatic has happened to you in your life.

And maybe that's my problem, the FMC is so privileged and she still is crying woah is me. Girl! Be so for real right now. Like we all haven't had a best friend turn mean girl. Like we all haven't had a boyfriend scare us or try to control us. Like we haven't been on a date with someone who said something slightly out of pocket. Making it about the fact that you are a first generation Iranian American rather than just an experience that all people have makes me roll my eyes to the back of my head so hard it hurts some times.

So I had to sit with myself for a while and ask myself, if this were in reverse, would it bother me as much? If the FMC in a romance book was forever talking about gun rights and banning abortions and the free market, would I hate it as much. The answer is a resounding YES! That would drive me nuts- probably more so.

That being said, there are people who will love that every other paragraph feels like it has blue hair and an nose piercing, and for them, they are going to love this book.

The book I really want to read, is the book within the book. I want the author to write that book so bad! It was the element of this book that captivated me the most and I want more of it, the whole series!

Joonie is a copywriter by day and fanfic author by night. After a toxic relationship, she finds solace in reading a romantasy series. She feels so deeply connected to this story that she begins writing fan fiction and builds her own community of like-minded readers. The male main character, Ryke, becomes her new standard for men and relationships, and she struggles to find anyone who comes close. Joonie discovers that her book boyfriend is actually based on a real person, so she sets out to find her real-life Ryke.

While Joonie’s story is unfolding, we simultaneously get glimpses of chapters of her favorite romantasy series. From the very beginning, I was locked in on the plot between Ryke and the female main character, Merriah. I would shamelessly read this story if it were a standalone novel. Who knew a Mermaid Romantasy was exactly what I needed in my life?!?

This book was refreshing and funny. It was a sweet ode to all romance/fantasy/romantasy readers. Joonie, receives much of the same criticism that readers face which makes her highly relatable. She is able to embrace the criticism and spin it into a positive light to boost her creativity. The plot of this sounds actually insane (which makes it even more fun), Joonie is basically stalking a random man because he was the blueprint to her favorite novel. This story was so much fun to read and it made me laugh and made me feel incredibly seen - I geek out on books and fictional men give me butterflies and I fully embrace loving romances and being a fan girl.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cosmo Reads for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was SO excited for the opportunity to read this ARC and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. I’m really looking forward to future Cosmo Reads projects.

I will admit, the premise of a fandom-entrenched woman, Joonie, hitting the road to hunt down the man who inspired her favorite romantasy character while accompanied by her pessimistic, non-love-believer brother’s best friend sounded a bit kooky to me at the beginning, but it made my experience of sobbing tears of joy for how moving this story was that much better. I have so much happiness and love and joy in my chest right now there is a physical sensation of molten lava swirling around in there that i’m not sure I’ll ever recover from.

Exactly as it says on the tin—this is a heartfelt love letter to romance readers everywhere, especially those of marginalized communities that are hit doubly hard with every criticism thrown the romance genre’s way. Iman Hariri-Kia gracefully walks a line of tongue-in-cheek humor about our favorite genres and the elements of ridiculousness that can come with them, and poignant praise of how romance has impacted the world for the better, in small circles where women use it to come together and learn about themselves, and in bigger circles where the very existence of our favorite books is a fight against the patriarchy.

My favorite thing I take away from this is the excellent examination of what tropes and mainstays of certain genres tend to appeal to us and why. They’re the things everyone yearns for, treated with respect and a sense of neutrality that recognizes that it’s okay to want these things—worthiness of love, your big heroine moment, etc.—and to feel like you still don’t have them, even when others may view you as being surrounded by them. So we turn to books, where the best of them make us feel like we belong, like we are inherently worthy of love, like we are never too much, like we never have to stop believing in happy endings—something this book has accomplished tenfold.

I’ll now go into my books with an even bigger sense of love and joy, knowing Joonie would be proud of me.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than having to constantly defend the merits of romance to naysayers. Women, especially marginalised women, deserve more credit. Period. We’re not frivolous and delusional.”

this was one of the most fun, insightful, witty, self-referential romance books I’ve read in the longest time. truly such a joy to read. It reassures & validates romance readers that not only do we belong in bookish communities, we move the needle on important conversations, keeping the industry alive & thriving.

There’s a fantasy book interwoven between the overarching romance storyline (tell me why I want to read a full version of that book now) & it was a book I inhaled.

We follow Joonie, a copywriter by day, and fanfic writer by night, who is incredibly optimistic about true love & what she deserves from a relationship (I love her), after she read a romantasy book randomly a few years ago.

This book had everything - a small town called Mystic, a road trip, mermaids, prophecies, a kidnapping, a badass FMC, character growth, and so so many lines that I’ve highlighted on my kindle.

“I learned how to be strong and independent from reading my “silly little fantasy series”. Physically agile and mentally tough. I’ve trained. Practiced. Just like Merriah. And I’m saving your ass, so I better not hear any more complaining about the ‘fairy-tale’ world I live in.”

Female Fantasy is the epitome of a book written for romance readers everywhere! This was the most fun I’ve had reading in a while, and I practically binged this book in a day.
Joonie learns that her favorite book’s love interest is based on a real life person, so after a long string of failed relationships, she makes it her mission to meet her supposed “soul mate”. She spends more time in her fantasy world than not, according to her brother’s next friend, who invited himself along for the journey. Joonie soon finds herself in a wild adventure and may find love along the way.
Joonie is overlooked by a lot of people in her life, and is seen as a silly girl with her head in the clouds. She has such perseverance displayed throughout the story, and especially when it comes to her love life backstory. Her love for romance books makes her a stronger person, and shows everyone around her how full of love she truly is!
The snippets from A Tale of Salt and Water and Secrets were fantastic! I totally understand Joonie’s obsession with the book and the MMC, Ryke. The two stories were interwoven perfectly and added depth to the plot of the overall book.
Both Joonie and Marriah had suffered through abusive relationships, but overcame their pasts to become strong women. The book has an overall fun vibe, but also contains important messaging about how the romance genre can be beneficial for readers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Cosmo Reads for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The best parts of this book were Joonie and Nico, which at times felt like my heart was being squeezed, to be followed immediately by switching into the storyline of Marriah and Ryke. The underwater fantasy storyline resembled closely domed aspects of ACOTAR (a little too closely at times where I was cringing). I enjoyed Iman’s entry into romance writing and look forward to her expanding in this genre.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Female Fantasy is a sharp, funny, and refreshingly original take on the romance industry in all its chaotic glory. Her voice is instantly recognizable—witty, compelling, and impossible to put down. And Joonie might just be my favorite FMC she’s ever written.