The perfect Halloween rom-com for fans of horror movies, beauty pageants, and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, My Fair Monster is a charming and delightful page-turner made all the more compelling by FMC Corie's familial dynamics and eventual ADHD diagnosis. With adorable banter, scary movie references, and a glimpse into the exciting world of creature make-up and prosthetics, My Fair Monster is my new favorite seasonal read!

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!

‘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👏

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