What a unique reading experience. You get two romance novels for the price of one. Interspliced with Joonie's adventure to find the man who inspired her favorite romantasy character is excerpts from the romantasy itself.

While at the outset, the reader believes we're going to see Joonie get her HEA with said inspiration, we soon see that we're getting an enemies to lovers story with her brother's best friend instead (even better). Joonie's internal monologue and banter with Nico are fantastic. And there are so many easter eggs and references to romancelandia, it's really a love letter to romance readers everywhere. I was hoping for a bit more spice, and there were times that I was frustrated we were going back to Atlantia, but overall I had a great time reading this and hope to see more from this author.

I loved this book before the story even began. Iman Hariri-Kia got me hooked in the Author’s note! “Sometimes, you need to pick up a light rom-com just to feel a shred of hope and happiness as the world is burning…” YES! She knows romance readers. This book was delightful, and it felt personal and almost voyeuristic in offering insight into the author’s psyche. Every character had personal flaws that were caricature-like of common tropes. The dueling storylines overlap entirely with common elements between Merriah and Ryke, and Joonie and Nico with each being over the top in absurdity but in such a great way. I could not put this book down, nor did I want to. It was almost satire, but like reverent satire, which should be an oxymoron- but in this case isn’t. I absolutely recommend this masterfully crafted delight of a book. Read this if you like mermaids, abduction, brother's best friends, or romance novels.

A chaotic, clever, and laugh-out-loud rom-com that doubles as a love letter to romance readers. Joonie’s road trip quest to find her fictional crush brought to life is messy, meta, and full of banter—with plenty of tropes turned upside down. Unhinged in the best way.

Imagine if your favorite fictional character was real. That is what Joonie is searching for when she decides to take a trip to NYC to potentially meet the man that her favorite character, Ryke, was based on. What she doesn’t expect is her childhood crush and brother’s best friend to join her on the journey filled with twists and turns. Utilizing the skills and lessons learned from romance novels, Joonie is ready to face any challenge that comes their way - and there’s a lot.

As a romance lover, I loved the premise of this novel. Like the FMC I think that romance novels are so much more than what meets the eye. The addition of the excerpts of Joonie’s favorite novels added another layer to the book as they provided parallels to her real life. This was a great start to Cosmo Reads and I’m excited to read more from them!

Thank you Cosmo Reads and Netgalley for the ARC

I was really excited to read Female Fantasy. The premise is refreshingly original, which caught my eye, and it takes place in Mystic, which is a town I visited and loved, so it was fun being able to picture the places that were referenced. What I liked about FF was its adoration of romance and determination to uplift it as a genre worth loving. However, I also felt that the message of the novel was unsubtle. It felt very heavy-handed, to the point where I could almost feel a genre shift from fiction to essay as the author’s voice came through the mouth of the main character.

I think Junie is an endearing character at times, and I was genuinely excited to see what shenanigans she’d get into. Unfortunately, I also found her a hard character to respect at times. The way she approached relationships did make sense based on the background information we learn about her, but I also still struggled with the way she treated her dates. She could be very abrasive at times and like she had a very shallow view of feminism. I felt similarly about the other characters. Nico is rude over and over again and hasn’t done a lot of work to resolve his issues.

I really tuned in when the plot took a turn into action and adventure, and I wish the story leaned into that element even more. I also really liked Junie’s friends and was super interested in their dynamic, which was largely unexplored by the end of the novel. But as someone who doesn’t typically love dual timelines, I actually did like the way the fantasy story was incorporated into the book. It was a little insta-lovey and one-note for me, but it was still fun to see what this other set of characters were up to each chapter.

I really applaud the author for this concept and hope to read more from them in the future. I think there’s a lot of potential here, so I’m excited to see what will come of more time and growth.

This was entertaining and I love the love for romance books but overall the story was too ridiculous that it took away from the entertainment and the depth that it was trying to achieve. But the authors note at the start was great and very important

It’s 12:26am and all I can say right now is …. FINALLY a good freaking book! This was so good and interesting and REAL but mystical & magical! I’m thoroughly impressed and so so thankful for the eARC! I truly think this could be the next big series especially with the tie ins of it being about a real reader who enjoys romance novels while also dealing with the day to day ups and downs of 2025. So impressed!

3.5 ★ this was a fun time! I liked how it went back and forth between the story we are reading and the main character’s favorite story. This book was fast paced, chaotic, a bit unhinged, but an entertaining ride. The story itself was a little over the top for me and the characters kind of drove me insane, but I really appreciated the message underneath it all about romance books, the community, and what that means for women. A super important, heartfelt message that I really resonated with and connected to, the plot and characters just weren’t my favorite!

I enjoyed Female Fantasy and found it entertaining from start to finish. The premise is delightfully chaotic with its fanfic meets romantic comedy setup. I appreciated how the story poked fun at tropes while still honoring the power of love stories and the readers who live for them.

I loved how passionate the main character is about her favorite romance novel and how that passion drove the plot forward. Some of her choices felt wild to me and even a bit over the top, but that matched the tone of the story so well that it didn’t feel out of place. At times I felt a bit disconnected when the fan culture didn’t mirror my own, but overall I had a good time reading it. It was fun, playful, and felt like a love letter to romance readers everywhere.

Obsessed. I started reading the second I got this ARC and didn’t put it down until I was done. The author’s note at the very beginning pulled me in and it was great from there. I loved the main character despite her being a tad kooky stalker at parts. The love interest was just fine but that actually fit the themes of the book. I am a sucker for a book within a book and this was well done. It was a funny send up in a way that shows how much the author respects the genre AND it helped illuminate the main plot in a way that didn’t feel too on the nose.

4.5 stars

So charming, fun and meta. I will read everything from this author from now on!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the ARC!

Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia is my first book of hers and I LOVED it! Honestly, it’s basically a love letter to romance readers and I am HERE for it.

Look, I relate to Joonie so much. In high school, there was a fictional character (who I will not name, thank you very much) that I was completely obsessed with. I just knew no one in the real-life dating pool could compare. And now, thanks to amazing romance books, we know exactly how we should be treated, and what makes a swoony romance. So how do we let ourselves find the perfect guy when romance books keep giving us the best fictional boyfriends?

Joonie’s answer - Ryke. Men in the real world have disappointed her over and over, so she keeps her heart reserved for Ryke, her merman book boyfriend who somehow meets all her needs. But when she finds out Ryke is actually based on a real person (a friend of the author), Joonie decides it’s time to track him down and go for her happily ever after.

Cue a road trip, borrowing her brother’s car, and of course his annoying (but also HOT) best friend ends up tagging along.

Joonie starts to see the blend of real life and fiction, and that love can come from the most unexpected places, and people.

**ARC Review**

📖: 4⭐️
🌶️: 1 🌶️

Are you the type of reader who gets completely obsessed with a romance book or series? Do you find yourself googling fan casts, looking up fan art, or piecing together exactly what the characters look like? Do you write fanfic, run a booktok account, or secretly believe that no real man could ever compare to your favorite book boyfriend? If so, this book was written for us.

Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia is described as “a heartfelt love letter to romance readers everywhere,” and it absolutely delivers. It follows Joonie, a girl so devoted to her favorite romance series that she refuses to accept any relationship that does not measure up. The story also works like a book within a book, switching between Joonie’s life and her favorite book A Tale of Salt Water and Secrets (ATOSAS for short, and yes it will remind you of something familiar).

The romance is a slow burn with very little spice, but the charm lies in how fun, clever, and heartfelt it is. The details are sprinkled with inside jokes and nods that only a true romance reader will fully appreciate. At the same time, the book makes profound points, especially when Joonie reflects on how patriarchy has been used to minimize the value of romance novels and to dismiss the power and autonomy these stories give women.

Overall Female Fantasy is cute, smart, and silly in the best way. It is not dark, honestly is my prefer genre, but I still loved how beautifully it captured the impact reading romance has had on those of us who love reading it. I felt truly seen, especially as a woman of color, which was important to me since our stories aren’t always told. For those reason recommend this book even if contemporary romance is not your usual go to.

The book releases in October, with the audiobook coming out the same day. I think it will shine in audio, and I would love to see it adapted into a series, especially since ATOSAS is also imagined as a series within the book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a true love letter to all Romance readers! Had so much fun reading this one and it had me literally laughing out loud and giggling the whole time. The structure was so entertaining as it switches from Joonie's quest (to visit the man who is based on her book boyfriend) to excerpts of A Tale of Salt Water & Secrets (her favorite Romantasy book). This story was real treat because it felt like I was getting two books in one and I just couldn't put it down!

Female Fantasy is by far one of my favorite books of the year now. What a masterpiece! The commentary on the female experience was so precise and pointed. The juxtaposition of fantasy vs. femininity. The "tropes" that played so well into the purpose of the storyline. I could dig so deep into all the ways this novel succeeded. I love the idea that we can be women of intellect AND women of desire, of softness and silliness. I am desperately appealing to my book club to choose this as a fall option. I adore everything Iman writes. 100000/10!

This was such an amazing read that you can just sit down and start reading. I loved it because it wasn’t a book that made me think it was just something that I could do mindlessly without overcomplicated anything.. I haven’t read a book that has given me peace and such a long time so I absolutely love that female fantasy was able to do that for me. Also, I am not mad at those steamy scenes. Oh my.!!!!

Joonie is tired of dating men who don’t live up to the romantic heroes in her books, but she’s not giving up the fantasy. When she hears the MMC in her favourite romantasy series (the same one who inspired her to write her own fanfics) is based on a real man, she sets off on a quest to get her meet-cute with the perfect-on-paper guy. The only hitch in this plan? Her brother’s best friend is tagging along and ready to burst her bubble.

Okay, WOW! This was such a good time! Hariri-Kia satirises the romance genre whilst creating a love letter to those same books and their readers -sounds like a contradiction? Good! The result? A self-aware, laugh out loud adventure that’s slightly unhinged in the best possible way.

Expect: your favourite tropes, a road trip, kooky side characters, a strong FMC, and plenty of unexpected twists along the way.

A fun surprise? The book within the book. I did not expect to enjoy the excerpts of our FMC’s favourite fantasy book half as much as I did.

Final thoughts: I’ve not read anything quite like it… but I’d really like to. It was unique but familiar and simply unputdownable.

Thank you to Cosmo Reads and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review to post week beginning 22nd September

time of dnf: 35%

I really feel conflicted about this dnf because I think if this story had slightly different elements to it, it might be absolutely perfect for me but the actual reality of it, was a little lackluster

to start, I really conceptually liked the parallel narrative between Joonie’s romantasy life and IRL life but I hated that it just kinda gave one big ACOTAR reference (I refuse to read or engage with that series sorry) and truthfully I didn’t really think the story gave the kind of romance that would be worthy of a fangirl’s devotion (I get that there’s supposed to be a satirical element to the story but if it’s just bad romantasy then isnt the victim of the satire…people like Joonie?)

also merriah & ryke were sooo insta-love-y anyway like BOOOOOO

secondly, though I was a bit of a fan of Ryke, I found that Nico was a little distant from the plot (granted, it was still early on) and I didn’t really enjoy what I assume was supposed to be their “banter” anyway…like my final straw was the 5th time Nico critiqued Joonie’s particular personality trait and she would be like “ugh you just hate romance readers you misogynist!” aka the author launching into another monologue kind of explaining what I already know to be true bc I chose to read this book…in the first place

also why was it taking them SIX hours to get from connecticut to new york was that part of the satire bc ??? that just made me confused

Ultimately I think the writing was so easy to follow and I really loved the idea of this conceptually that I was bamboozled by the first few chapters but couldnt bring myself to read it and be disappointed in the actual romance of it all

thank you to netgalley and cosmo reads for this arc to review nonetheless!

Female Fantasy was such a romp and I truly had the best time reading it! I love how Iman Hariri-Kia can strike such a mixture of humor and heartfelt in her writing. It was abundantly clear throughout the novel how much love Hariri-Kia has for the romance genre. I loved Joonie as a main character and I loved her dynamic with Nico. Female Fantasy was silly and sweet and truly a love letter to romance novels (and their readers!) I can’t wait to recommend this book to everyone I know! Thank you to NetGalley and Cosmo Reads for the opportunity to read this arc of Female Fantasy!

This was quite the fun read. Combining excerpts from a fictional romantasy novel along with the plot of this story about a fantasy loving heroine wanting her own happily ever after, Female Fantasy, is a fast paced and addicting read.