I first heard about this book on Twitter and it sounded right up my alley. I love Greek mythology and some starcrossed lovers. I immediately added it to my wishlist, planning on buying it once it was out. Then I came across it on Netgalley and when I actually got accepted I couldn’t wait to read it. I think I finished it in about 3 or 4 hours. That’s how much I loved it!

Content warnings for this book include: mentioned alcoholism and abuse, trauma, love triangles

The Greek mythology nerd in me has never been happier about a book. I was giddy and happy while reading it but the last chapter and the epilogue felt a bit like they were from another book.

This book was technically a coming-of-age type of story so it makes sense that the ending is one typical for such a story. The book itself didn’t read like your typical coming-of-age story though so I was surprised that the ending was such a typical one. The book itself reads like a fun contemporary book about someone who has to try and manage her job, her faiths and her faults. When you get to the last chapter and the epilogue though, most of that seems forgotten in favor of a love story and that just disappointed me a little.

Having said that, I truly loved this book! The characters are great, I love the world this is set in and the humor is right up my alley.

First, the world. This book is set in our time but the Greek gods still watch over us. All of the Greek gods are there and they have multiplied. Everyone has their jobs in the ‘mortie’ (mortal) world, trying to help those in need. I love the way the godly world is described and you learn what their purpose is. You might need some knowledge of Greek mythology to fully understand it because they are explained very briefly. Some modern troubles are present in the godly world which makes it even more enjoyable.

Then the characters. The main character is a daughter of Eros and she is studying to become a matchmaker herself. She has two best friends, one being Aphrodites daughter, and thus her fathers sister, and one being Apollo’s son. The story is about Kalixta and told solely trough her but you still know what her friends are up to and what their storyline is, which I think is very well done. All of the characters learn things and become better people, but all in their own way and I just really liked they way that was done. All of the characters have their own distinct personalities and I loved most of them.

The writing style of this author was something I really enjoyed. She added some humor which made me giggle out loud several times, and the way she described things was just amazing. There is one scene were Elysium is described and I truly felt like I was there with all of the characters. I loved the interactions between the characters and how they really depended on a lot of factors, it made it so much more realistic and enjoyable. The author also offered some possible explanations for the way the godly world interacted with the mortie world and just how thing could work and that was just fascinating to me. I love reading other people’s takes on these things, especially when they’re different from mine.

In short: I loved almost everything about this book. I would definitely recommend this book and especially to people who love Greek mythology. The ending disappointed me a little but it wasn’t a bad ending at all, just not what I had expected from this book. One thing I learned while reading: I am not over my love for Greek mythology so if anyone has any recommendations on this subject, they’re more than welcome!

Lovestruck by Kate Watson is out on the 2nd of April 2019.

I posted this review on Goodreads and on my blog: queenofreadingbooks.wordpress.com

Finally, a book to help fill the void that Percy Jackson left in my Greek-mythology-lovin’ heart. Lovestruck by Kate Watson is a fun read with great characters and an interesting plot and world to explore. Our main character, Kalixtra, (Kali for short) is in training to be an Erote, an Olympian match-maker who strikes her intended targets with an arrow to speed up their love story. She used to enjoy her job and take matching very seriously, before the Thunderclap. One of the things that kept me engrossed in Lovestruck is the fact that we don’t find out what changed Kali’s attitude toward love and fate until later on in the novel.

Much of the novel is set in Olympus, where Kali interacts with her own demi-god friends, as well as full-fledged gods, like Apollo, Artemis, and Aphrodite. I loved reading more about Greek mythology, as well as Watson’s own spins and interpretations on the original stories. Kali’s friends aren’t two-dimensional support characters – they’re all fleshed out with their own backstories and unique struggles.

As you’ll know from the main description, the story really begins when Kali accidentally sticks herself with an arrow, thus falls in love instantly with Ben (Benicio), a mortal. Kali’s feelings on this event are mixed throughout the novel, as she struggles with feeling powerless against the Fates and feeling love towards Ben as she gets to know him better. I liked Ben, but like Kali, found myself annoyed by his insecurity. Hector, on the other hand, is a big ole dreamboat. Seeing Kali torn between Ben and Hector was realistic and heartbreaking.

The plot takes several turns throughout Lovestruck, involving Deya, Cosmo, and Teresa Kali’s best friends; Artemis, the goddess fated never to love; and Kali’s own mission to take back her fate and her heart. I was never bored and was often surprised at the twists and turns that occurred.

One thing I struggled with in Lovestruck was its end. After everything Kali goes through to reverse her match and take back her fate, the ending comes across like a deux ex machina, and so simple it seems a bit unbelievable. However, I still enjoyed where things ended up. I would dive back into the world Kate Watson has created in a heartbeat, and there’s potential for so many great stories following Kali or her other friends in Olympus. I highly recommend Lovestruck for fans of Percy Jackson, Greek mythology in general, and anyone who enjoys a fun, twisty story.

I have enjoyed Kate Watson’s previous books and was very excited for Lovestruck. While I enjoyed some of it, for the most part I think it’s a case of just not being the right book for me.

I thought the first half or so of the book was kind of messy. The world-building left a lot to be desired for me. It mostly consisted of throwing out random bits of information on different characters from Greek mythology – most of whom had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. I think it also relied on the assumption that the reader was already familiar with the subject, which I’m not super into. I know there are a lot of fans of Greek mythology out there, so I can see a different audience really appreciating it.

The characters were ok and sometimes humorous, which I enjoyed, but I never really fully connected to them. Another reason why this may not be the right book for me is that there was a lot of teenage, love-triangle angst. It was one of those situations where I just felt a little too old for what was going on. However, I did like how the love-triangle resolved. Just from reading the synopsis I felt like I knew exactly how it was going to play out, but once I got into the book I realized it might go down the less obvious path and I shipped it.

Overall, I thought Lovestruck was an ok read, but just not for me. I think a younger audience and fans of Greek mythology will appreciate it a lot more than I did.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

How refreshing to read a book with a storyline that seems totally new.

Kali is a goddess. She was given the calling of matching. When a special human being longs for true love, Kali is among those who match them. She strikes them with an arrow and they fall in love.

But Kali recently made a terrible match and its haunting her. It haunts her so much that it makes her question the fates. It makes her question love. She feels like if the one you love isn’t your choice, do you have any free will? Why even both trying when someone else makes the decision for you?

This feeling is also connected to two life altering events.
Kali’s mother was struck with an arrow and Kali feels her parents’ love isn’t real.
Kali’s best friend Hector is in love with her. Kali has feelings for Hector too but he also struck himself with an arrow. So Kali feels that him loving her us out of his hands. If she were to be with him, she wouldn’t know if it was his choice or the fates’ hand.

Great story, great characters. I loved the quest. I absolutely loved the end.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Lovestruck is such a cute story! It's a clumsy cupid sort of thing. The characters are adorable. The story is lively and fun. It's full of romance and silliness. Also a good bit of Greek mythology. It's an excellent read for a relaxing day.

Ok so this is my first “galley” review so bear with me. First, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I love how the book contains Greek god slang. But before I get into hoe great it was let me give some background. So the book starts out with Kali, which is Eros’s daughter, making a mismatch making a mismatch of love with “Beach Rat”. So she gets it reversed yada yada yada moves on with her life and then she goes to her other assignment Ben, who she, accidentally, falls in love with after she pricks her self with a arrow.So basically the whole book is about her trying to regain her “fate” from the Fates. WARNING, major (or to me) plot twist. Oh... and did I mention the love triangle, which is great.So as far as classification goes this book is definitely a fantasy set in the Greek goddess,Kali's, mind set. I totally enjoyed this book and I think anybody who has the mind set to write such beauty should be rewarded.

I really loved reading this book! It was so cute and fluffy and the characters were great. The characters all acted like immature teenagers which is not as common in YA fiction as one would assume. They kept making stupid decisions and cringe jokes and I loved every moment of it. This also had one of my favorite oddly specific (and somewhat problematic) trope of accidentally casting a love spell and the subsequent angst of do-they-really-love-me-or-is-it-the-love-spell. And as that implies there is some pretty serious insta-love and a love triangle and good angst.
It wasn't perfect however, I can imagine someone reading this and not enjoying it, heck, I loved it but there were plenty of things that irked me.

I'd recommend this if you are in the mood for a light fluffy fantasy novel with lots of romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC:

Good book, especially for a young adult audience who would be interested in Greek mythology. An easy, entertaining read for those days you need some lighter fluffy material to get you through. Sweet on the romance without being overwhelming. Would have liked to have seen more with Artemis (personal favorite) but it was a good story.

Technically, I did find a spelling error (which is better than some of the other ARCs I’ve found). But other than that it was a solid copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest opinion.
I was first attracted to this book because of its setting in Greek Mythology. I am a big fan of the Cupid and Psyche story and I have read some amazing retellings of this story, but this one was just ok.
I thought the premise was good, about Kali accidentally striking herself with the arrow and falling in love with a mortal, but the way it was written was more juvenile puppy love than what I initially thought it would be. It seems like this book could be meant for a younger audience.
I still think the book was good, a bit slow, but funny and easy. I just think it is meant for a younger audience.

Honestly, this might be my new favorite book ever. I loved seeing this version of the modern day Greek Gods and all their children and everything. I really loved how they were all like family to one another and how they all looked out for each other.

I really loved Kali and the journey she went on to find herself and what she wanted. I loved watching her discover love and fate and find what she needed out of life.

I loved Hector. I want a Hector. And that’s all I will say on that.

Deya and Cosmo and Teresa are the best. Artemis is a badass. I really loved Kali’s parents and the story behind their love.

It was just s really cute story about love and destiny and I loved the modern day Greeks. I highly recommend this one, it’s so amazing and absolutely perfect <3

This book was cute but not usually what I go for when I want a good romance book. The premise was so interesting but I feel like the writing is geared more towards a younger audience rather than being labelled as young adult.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.
I love stories about Greek gods and immediately knew this would be a book that I had to read.
I loved our main character and really related to her struggle throughout the book.
Some parts of this were laugh out loud funny which is one of the best signs of a good book.
Overall I loved it and would recommend it to my friends.
I gave it 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Watson’s Lovestruck follows the life of Kalixta, goddess and daughter of Eros (god of love aka Cupid). Kalixta and Deya are in Erote training together. Feta is top of their class for perfect love matches, while Kali has a chip on her shoulder. Kali begrudgingly continues Erote training but everything changes when Kali accidentally pricks herself with her own love arrow while trying to match Ben with his best friend. Disaster.

This plot unfolds by following the journey that Kali embarks on in order to reclaim her own heart rather than being a paw to the Fates. She endures love, heartbreak, tragedy, and hope.

Without giving the plot away, the way this story wrapped up left me completely mesmerized. I love stories about Greek mythology, but the story of Eros has never really been my thing since it can be a bit romanticized. I completely emphasized with Kali in her disdain for letting her love life be predetermined by the Fates, but the lesson she learns in the end had my heart bursting at the seams.

My critique of the book was that there were several parts that were a bit slow during the middle of the story when the focal point of the plot shifted from main characters to the side characters. Other than than, it was a wonderful read!

My recommendation: 4.5/5 stars.

I got Lovestruck by Kate Watson as a freebie on Netgalley and was excited since I haven’t read anything by this author before. I've been meaning to check out her Mansfield Park retelling for a while but just didn’t get to it. After reading the synopsis, I thought this book sounded interesting and I was really excited about the Greek mythology aspect. Unfortunately, Lovestruck didn't struck a chord with me.

Let's start with the positive. The one thing I enjoyed quite a lot about Lovestruck was that it is was based on Greek mythology. The way it was done wasn't entirely new but it was still interesting to see the author adapt these mythical characters to a more modern story.

Ok now on to the negative - One of the major thing I took issue with was the writing. Despite it not being terrible, it was much too juvenile for me. I can hear people trying to tell me it's a YA book (I know, I know!) but it was still  too young and simple for me to really enjoy it.  The book felt like an attempt to make it young and fresh - I just didn't think it worked. There were at times some superfluous descriptions that didn't seem to bring anything except filling space and those kept taking me out of the story. It seemed like the author was trying to tie loose ends that didn't need tying in the first place. Stuff like "I magick a chair up and sit down" -  I don't really care where the chair comes from and we haven't gotten a layout of the room so who's to say there is or isn't a chair there. Just say "I sat down" no one is going to know there wasn’t a chair there. It sounded like it was there only to remind us that most of the characters are Greek gods and can do magic. For me they crowded the story with unnecessary description.

And oh, let’s talk about the characters, how can I say this... I disliked most of them. The main character Kali is such a brat. She came off as entitled and selfish as well as super whiny. She treats her friends like crap, she seems to be so disinterested in their lives because she is more centered around her own. She kept referencing a certain event that changed everything in her life and it is made out as pivotal point for her but we don’t get to learn what it is till about three quarters in the story.  When they finally reveal this life-changing moment it's  so anticlimactic. It was such a disappointing reveal. I just couldn't care about what was happening to any of these characters. This story was so predictable, from about the second chapter I could tell you exactly how it would end.

This book was slow but I mean slow with a capital S. It started off pretty good and then it seemed to get on the back of a turtle and lagged from there. Nothing was happening for what seemed an eternity until we got very near the end where BOOM! action for a chapter or two. From the synopsis and the start of the story I thought Kali and her friends would go on a quest to change her fate and defy the gods, and it would be a more action oriented book but it kinda was just static. Like seriously guys it took me about a month to get through this book cause I kept losing interest.

Lovestruck is a YA contemporary fantasy but I felt it was much more of a contemporary in the over feel of it. I wish I would've liked it more but it was a 2 ½ stars overall for me.

Thank you Flux and Netgalley.  ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Something I would have 100% five-starred if I were younger, but because I'm older now and have new certain requirements for that, I'm settling on four. THIS WAS SO CUTE, THOUGH! Totally into the whole concept of incorporating Greek mythology—my high school self would have just gushed all over! Recommended for those who like YA shenanigans and of course, Greek gods and love arrows!

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review, so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
Sixteen-year-old cupid-in-training Kali is in an Olympus-sized mountain of trouble. Rule number one in arrow-toting matchmaking: don't stick yourself. But accidents happen, and Kali instantly falls hard for her indie rock, bass-playing target, Benicio.
The God of Love is going to kill her. Even if he is her dad.
Being the daughter of Eros isn't all it's cracked up to be. For one thing, a girl can get jaded when her parents have the most beautiful and fatalistic love story in history. For another, immortality royally sucks when the Oracle condemns you to eternity in the wrong profession. Do the Gods care that Kali wants to ditch the love stuff and be a muse?
Nope.
To reclaim her heart and her destiny, Kali is left with no choice but to defy the Gods, tempt the Fates, date the mortal love of her life, and hope she doesn't lose her best friend, Hector, in the process.

The cover and title is what originally drew me to this book.
This is my first book by this author. It was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
4.5 star rating!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was super excited to read this story of a Cupid-in-training that accidentally pokes herself with her own arrow, falling for the human she was about to help. I feel like there is a super cute story here, but for me it was hard to follow and keep up with all of the characters. I found myself rereading chapters just to try to keep track of the story.

The Quick Cut: A Cupid in training finds her life (& emotions) turned upside down when she accidentally sticks herself with an arrow and falls for a mortal.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Flux for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have a confession to make: one of my FAVORITE fantasy subjects is gods. Blame it on my early childhood love for Stargate (& continued love for all the Stargate series), but something about their varied roles, relationships, and emotional outlashes make me intrigued. Taking those gods that have played a crucial cultural role for centuries and putting a fun spin on it can be difficult, but when done right can educate and delight at the same time. With this romantic book, there was a happy balance of both smiles and drama to be found in a story centered around Kali.

Kali is a fifth year Cupid in training, begrudgingly so, and following in the footsteps of her father Eros - the god of love. She's always wanted to be a muse, but when fate is against her and she can't get her own way, she starts to slack as a Cupid to make a fuss. Unfortunately, she also accidentally sticks herself with her own arrow and ends up developing feelings for a human she was tasked with being a Cupid for. Oops?

This book really was an absolute delight to read and for me a lot of that is admittedly because I love stories about gods. However, Kali makes a great lead character because she's relatable for the frustrations she has over controlling her own destiny and trying to figure out her life. Once she gets pricked by the arrow and ends up falling for Ben, its interesting to watch her relationships change around her. This girl's best friend is a guy (the sexy Hector), so you know that friendship is complex. It's fun watching it play out.

There was some small downsides. There are a lot of subplots running, which made it hard to really focus on the core romantic tale. I really would've fallen in love with the book full force if there was more time with the central characters as well.

If you're a lover of mythology, this lovely read is one to enjoy.

My rating: 4 out of 5

So cute and I hope there's a sequel in the works!! A perfect blend of Greek mythology and modern influences. There was lots of depth to all of the characters and relationships and I think adults and teens alike will appreciate this novel.

I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lovestruck is the first book that I've ever read like he wants it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kali is a Greek goddess who is training in becoming a Cupid. When kali accidentally sticks herself with an arrow and falls in love with a mortal she decides that she needs to change her fate. This book is definitely different some other ones that i have ever read and I enjoy how the Greek mythology interwoven into the story. I think this is a great book to read for any age.