A very rounded up four stars. I really enjoyed this fun romp around Olympus.
Kali, the young daughter of Eros, and a matchmaker in training accidentally stabs herself with her own arrow and falls head over heels for a mortal boy. This book is a coming-of-age tale full of twists and turns, and a lot of growing maturity. (And as a bonus, Artemis, who is one of my favourite members of the Greek pantheon, gets to be happy).

Yes hello I'm always a sucker for books featuring ancient gods in a modern scenario. And this was no exception. I expected a light, fun read and that was exactly what the book turned out to be. The story was light and fluffy, easy to read and so much fun. I snorted and laughed a lot while reading. Seriously, this was so fun from start to finish. For one, there is the hilariously dramatic story. Sorry, I don't know how to put dramatic and hilarious in one word. If there is a word for this, please let me know. Because that word would describe the book in its entirety perfectly!

The characters were not really deep. I would have wished for more background information for most of them. But then there were a lot of people there and the book is not that long. It was sufficient for the story though. There is Kali, the protagonist, who is kind of a special snowflake in my opinion. She is one of those characters who are different from the other people. Or feel different, because she isn't that much different, actually. Kali is the daughter of Eros and Psyche and is training to be a cupid. She accidentally pricks herself with an arrow and falling head over heels for Ben, a boy she is supposed to match with his best friend. Of course, drama only starts there. Kali finds a way how she could undo the spell, but it will be difficult. Luckily, she gets help from her best friend, Deya. She is a daughter of Aphrodite and in the same school year as Kali.She is always there when Kali needs her, even doing unpleasant things for her if need be. She is very loyal and always trying to prove her worth.The two of them are supervised by the goddess Artemis who gets sucked into the drama of love as well, especially when her brother Apollo starts to sabotage everything.I found Ben to be rather annoying. He is one of the characters with a backstory, even if we only meet his family very shortly and they aren't important to the story. But to be honest? I'm not sure about his character. He was just so childish(?) at some points and overly jealous and just acting weird. I liked Hector way more, even though he, too, was acting kind of weird from time to time. Well, they're all teenagers, and remembering myself during that age... I was probably the same way. Urghs. I did not like the love triangle drama much, but I was relieved that it was only a light triangle? I don't know how to explain this, but there were signs of it, but it was not really explored. Luckily.

The story was interesting as well. As I said earlier, I love ancient gods in modern settings. And everyone in this story was so quirky and loveable and fun? I loved it! There was a lot of stuff happening, especially feelings and drama and complications thanks to it. It was well explained how and why the gods interact with the mortal world and what their purpose is. The writing style really fit the character of the book, it was light and fun, modern and easy.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot and basically flew through the book. It was such a great mix of romance, fun and weird gods.

This book had some really good things. I love reading different takes on Greek Gods and this was a fun one. The world building was good. I also liked the idea of her pushing against fate because what teenage hasn’t had that feeling. I loved Kal’s parents...Cupid and Pysce. I really liked Artemis, Hector and even Apollo
I struggled a little bit with the main character, she was not completely likeable until the second half however what I did like about her was that she was relatable in a really messy way.

This book was a light, fun and interesting take on the Greek Gods and teenagers

Wow this book's premise-- Percy Jackson meets Romance when Kali,a cupid in training, cuts herself with her own arrow and falls in love with a mortal boy-- just told me I would be lovestruck . . . and I was with all the side character. Can't say the same for the main character Kali or her love interest Ben.

I want to start with what I loved and circle back to that though.

The side characters had their own romantic interest, made their own mistakes, and had flaws and arcs that kept me reading to see what would happen to THEM. They each jumped off the page with strong personalities and they alone would have made me rate the book four stars.

Unfortunately Kali and the love interests holding the main plot together was never possible to enjoy.
This "forced" match between her and Ben is toxic from the moment Kali cuts herself with an arrow. She is there to match Ben with a mortal love interest after all, and is about to do so when she love-strikes herself. The heartbreak she has created in Ben's supposed-to-be-match makes you feel guilty for turning the pages to read what happens next. To complete Kali's character arc, this was necessary and understandable, but it didn't make it enjoyable. I would have still continued reading the book (I really loved those side characters) and rated the book four stars.

What made me ultimately decide to drop the book's rating to three stars was the message behind how to react to a catty, romantic rival. Note I use the term romantic rival and not the word bully. Kali and the others humiliate a girl so bad she pees herself, and Kali calls the event the "best day of her life". This rival interest was never violent to Kali, or does anything as low as this event stoops. (We've all seen Stranger Things. We have a good rating system for what deserves to end in bully-peeing-his/her pants). In fact, this romantic rival is not that different from Kali herself, using magic to attract an unattached boy to her. In the end, the whole scene and the message behind it disappointed me to the point I did put the book down and considered walking away. I picked it back up for the side characters.

In short, read for the side characters. They have the real "romance" going on behind the scenes. Not to mention the glimpse of Hade's granddaughter's life in the underworld was a fun side adventure.

This was amazing!

"Lovestruck" was about a teenager being truthful with not just herself but with everyone around her.

It took all of the myths and legends of Gods, not just Greek Gods but Norse and many other kinds, and turns them all on their heads. The gods were humanized in this story and were made relatable and equal. Artemis and Apollo acted like siblings. Huge, potential-world-destroying siblings but siblings none the less.

Kali was the quintessential teenager. She, despite being a god, was jealous and petty and ignored her friends to have more time with her boyfriend. But in the end, she was a god. She needed to decide whether to let her mortal boyfriend go or not.

In that aspect, the story was the same as so many others. It was about a girl loving two boys(yes there's a love triangle, but it's a good one) and deciding who she loved more.

In all the other aspects, it was awe inspiring. The characters, the background. The relationships between all the gods were amazing. Kate Watson did an amazing job creating a family feel between all of the gods that appeared in the book. Artemis acted like the Goddess of the Hunt and a disgruntled little sister that is way too overprotected. Apollo acted like the vengeful God of the Sun and like an idiotic big brother that loved his little sister way too much.

The different looks into the variations of the myths were so fascinating. Ms. Watson was in her element gathering all of the legends and injecting them into the story.

I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book was written in such a way that you kind of needed a background on Greek mythology prior to reading it, which I didn’t have. I didn’t think the writer developed the protagonist well; I just couldn’t get attached to her. Not my favorite, but I’d try more books by this author.

I received the e-ARC through NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kali, 16 years old cupid and daughter of The God of Love Eros is really problematic. She couldn't match anyone with proper responsibility. One of the very few rules of the love god was to never struck yourself with an arrow. But Kali accidentally struck herself when she was about to match cute indie bass player Benicio with someone else. That's how a greek goddess fell in love with a mortal. But that's not the only thing here. The real problem is she can't reverse the spell and will have to spend eternal life with Ben which she doesn't want at one point.

What I disliked about this book was it was very slow at first few chapters. I had a hard time proceeding with it. Kali seemed selfish and immature to me. At few part of the story author couldn't describe properly. For that I had to go back a few lines and re read it. There were many things undescribed, missing too. And i also don't like how Kali kept wanting both Ben and her best friend Hector (who also struck himself with an arrow an fell for Kali) at a same time. Like she gets jealous when Hector's with someone else. But also gets jealous when Ben talks about other girl.

What I liked about the book is the Greek mythology that I learned. The world building seemed good which made me wanna know about Greek myth more. This book also teaches friendship. It was focusing on friendship too. The friendship between Deya-Kali-Hector-Terresa was amazing.

I would still recommend this book for YA contemporary and romance lovers to give it a try.

loved this story. Cute, quirky, easy read. I love all times of fairytale/makebelieve retelling and this story was no exception.

2 stars

Kali, a cupid in training has just made a terrible mistake. She has just broken the number one rule, don’t stick yourself. Now she is head over heels in love with indie rocker, Ben. Now Kali has to risk it all it fix her wrongs even if she has to tempt the fates and defy love.

The whole idea of cupid in training is one of my favorite tropes. I love the idea of working for Cupid, the love master himself. It's always such a cute story! And I won’t deny that this was also a cute story, but it was just not for me.

The main character Kali was so unlikeable. From the moment I was introduced to her, her attitude just put me off. It’s hard to connect to a story when you don’t like the characters especially the MC. The plot lines were okay but very predictable for a story like this. The one thing I liked the most was all the Greek Mythology. It’s always fun to get little modern tales about some of my favorite Greek Gods.

Personally, I don’t think I am the appropriate audience for this book. Everything seemed so juvenile to me. ( I get that it is YA, but this feels like it’s more of on the younger side of things ) With that said, I do recommend this to the younger generation as it does have a nice message at the end of it.

Written by Kate Watson, this novel follows Eros in training Kal as she mistakenly shoots the wrong people with love arrows. Only this time, she may have done it to herself.

I completely loved this book! This is a great fantasy young adult book that just hit all of those sweet spots. Well written and with compelling characters - I will take my own Hector, please - it was a joy to read.

Great for anyone who enjoys fantasy YA with sweet romance, or just anyone who enjoys a sweet romance.

This was an adorable tale of believing in Fate and a twist on Cupid! I really enjoyed it and read it within two days!

Will be posted on my Instagram and goodreads by February 14, 2019.

Growing up I was fascinated by anything and everything having to do with the gods. Lovestruck definitely gave me that outlet! Kali is a character you fall in love with from the very beginning. From her first mistake you are constantly left wondering what next?? The entirety of Lovestruck is phenomenal and is a must read for anyone.

At first the plot seemed good although it's nothing new. I really liked the cover and thought it would be a light enjoyable read. But. I was disappointed. It didn't work out for me. At all. It's all seemed one sided. The heroine was always whining about something. And childish which didn't even seem funny. So yeah. It could have been much better.

A new spin on “Cupid’s”.
I found this novel to be such a good page turner and I kept wanting more!

About: Kali, being the daughter of Eros the God of Love, is a cupid-in-training and should be the ideal matchmaker. But when she accidentally pricks herself with the arrow instead of her target, she falls in love with her target, Ben and vice versa. But dating a mortal is not as easy as it seems. What happens when Cupid falls in love with her own target is what this story is all about.

Characters: Kali is a stubborn character and a little selfish. I liked her cousin Deya more than her. Deya is a helpful sister and always has Kali's back. Teresa is a fierce and bold character. Hector is a sweet fluff and Ben's character was okay at first but then became irritating because I was shipping Kali with Hector all along.

Feelings: This book had such a different story. The idea of being cupids in training and the love story of a goddess with a mortal was a very new concept and I liked it. I would totally recommend that before reading this you should have a basic knowledge of all the different Greek Gods because I was getting a little confused with what each God symbolizes. Overall it was a great read.

Recommendation: Maybe. This book has a really interesting concept so if you're into Greek mythology it is worth reading.

This book had me hooked right from the get-go. One - I'm Greek and love reading anything relating to Greek mythology. Two - I love Kate Watson's books! Three - The synopsis sounded amazing! Lovestruck finds our central character Kali, who is a Greek goddess, training in to be a cupid. She ends up accidentally shooting herself with an arrow, which makes her fall in love with the broody Benicio, a musician.

Kali's friends are great and are willing to do anything to help a girl out of a tough situation. Kali is trying to regain control of her life instead of leaving it up to Fate, the three Greek sisters who write the fate of everyone. Kali is a very stubborn Goddess. The characters are all well written. Exactly what you come to expect from a Kate Watson book. They were well developed as was the plot line. I think a book like this could be difficult to pull off if not done right, but Kate Watson does it right. It had just the right amount of Greek mythology, it had an amazing group of support characters, there was a nice love story and lots of overbearing family members. It was exactly what I was looking for when I found this book on NetGalley and I found the book to be overall delightful!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Not to sound biased or anything, but books based on Greek mythology are almost always enjoyable, and this one definitely is.

Reading Lovestruck was pretty much like watching a Disney movie. A girl is doing something she isn't enjoying while aspiring to be something else but is too afraid to go against her parents' wishes and decides to live the life that was set out for her. Queue some love struggles, cute friends to lovers feels and lots of adventures. I truly liked reading this book and I would recommend it!

Kali has a lot of issue's every since she heard the "Thunderclap" she doesn't want to be a cupid so she tries everything she possibly can to get out of it (i.e match couples who are wrong for each other or with objects) until she accidentally sticks herself with her own arrow and "falls in love" with a mortie aka mortal.

i love the whole concept of this story i don't think i ever read a story about cupid(s)

all in all if you like Greek Mythology and you like to see how authors put there own spin on mythology then go and pick this book up

“Lovestruck” would be a good companion to early high school students learning about the pantheon and complicated family trees of ancient Greek lore. The story revolves around Kalixta, a bumbling, immortal teen girl who aspires to be a muse, but who is training to be a cupid. The story frames the gods’ matchmaking as a business, and the gods’ and goddesses’ interactions as eyeroll-worthy family drama. While it was a cute story, the plot was just a little bloated. The Fates, jealous gods, oracles and prophecies were layered over a comedy-of-errors-style high school story. There was a lot going on. This book would be a good addition to a school library.

"It's everything I can do not to shoot him with an arrow. And not the love kind"

* * 
2 / 5

It's not often that I pick up a romance novel. It's a rare occurrence in fact, but a great romance novel can be a little guilty pleasure of mine. But unfortunately whilst Lovestruck had a pretty cool premise, it devolved into a bratty girl wanting to make out with a boy who was petty and jealous whilst not loving another guy but also not wanting to let him be with anyone else. How exhausting.

"She's already stolen one boy away from me. She can't have Ben too"

Kali is the immortal daughter of the Greek god of love. She's one of hundreds of cupids-in-training, who seek out mortals with rough lives and carefully pair them up with others who they think will make a great match. Previously, Kali was pretty good at her job, digging into people's lives to make sure she made great matches. Then she became a stroppy teenager who becomes obsessed with the idea that nothing matters and it's all down to fate so why bother?? To be honest I found this pretty funny and relatable.

Kali's job is on the rocks as she makes mistake after mistake. And then she does the unthinkable - she pricks herself with a love arrow whilst gazing into the eyes of a mortal, and now she's is desperately in love with a mortal teenager called Ben. And he's desperately in love with her. Unfortunately, they're both kind of terrible. Kali treats her immortal friends pretty badly. Her friend, Hector, pricked himself on a love arrow when he was young and now he'll be in love with Kali forever. Kali isn't in love with him - which is fine - but she also won't let him try and find happiness with anyone else either, actively sabotaging any of his dates.

Then there's Kali's new love, Ben. Ben is sulky, jealous, and a little bit of an ass. He and Kali share a few interests - music among them - but he can't stand it when she knows more than him. What a catch. Then there's Artemis, goddess of the hunt, who Watson makes into a woman who made a mistake as a child and is desperately in need of love, rather than the inspirational figure of a woman who doesn't need love and sex to be whole. The gods as a whole are weirdly portrayed. 

What did I like? Lovestruck was original and I really loved the idea behind it. The idea of immortal kids training to be muses and cupids and security guards was cool. Kali's friends are interesting and fantastic people. But unfortunately the romance just did not work for me.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of Lovestruck