I was initially very excited by the premise of this book, but something about the writing style just threw me off. It came off a little stilted and I just couldn't get into it.

Sometimes you read a book and characters feel so close to who you are as a person - that you could easily step into their shoes. The characters in this book and what they are looking for in life and partnership is very different from the mainstream. To say that they are unconventional maybe understates the premise of the book. Overall - I think the main theme of this book is how to live outside the mainstream, how to be comfortable with yourself and live outside the mold that so many people find comfort and joy in.

Sidney identifies as nonbinary. They have a popular YouTube show called Your Spinster Uncle. When they meet Declan there is an immediate connection between them. I think Declan and Sidney, before they even really knew each other sensed a deeper connection born of two people who are looking for the same thing - and that thing is outside the lines of what most people would consider normal.

Declan is a queer cis male with high style and a serious aversion to commitment of any kind. His friends introduce him as "Hi this is Declan, he left his last boyfriend at the altar so watch out." His very close knit group of friends have become his chosen family and they include that last boyfriend who was left at the altar. After meeting Sidney, Declan agrees to appear on Sidney's show as part of a dating experiment they call the Love Study. As they move forward, however, it becomes increasingly clear that Declan and Sidney are really the ones who should be together.

Neither Declan, nor Sidney are truly interested in "dating" as a concept or marriage or the ways many people define a romantic relationship. But they each care deeply for the other. I adored Declan and Sidney - the book is told only from Declan's point of view - but I feel you truly got to know Sidney almost as well. Declan's sense of humor and personality are, however, the best part of the book.

There isn't any on-page sex in the book, which I think in a lot of ways is purposeful. Both Declan and Sidney feel that is private for them (which is a first for Declan). So even though the book is very sex-positive and Declan and Sidney talk a lot about sex - their experiences are kept private even from the reader.

The only thing that didn't work for me very well in the book was the constant reminder that Declan left his former boyfriend Mason at the Altar. It is a pivotal part of the story and so important - but the way Declan's friends keep bringing it up seems like none of them have really forgiven Declan for it. Even though Mason says he has moved on - I'm not really sure he has - at least not in a way that has allowed him to truly forgive Declan. Declan certainly hasn't forgiven himself. Overall - I didn't find it particular humorous (and I'm not sure it was meant to be entirely). I felt an edge of meanness to it - which seemed incongruous with his group of friends.

Overall, however, I really loved this story and can't wait to read more about these friends.

The Love Study is a cute, fun and entertaining queer romance about two Millennials.

My first book with non-binary, gender queer people. I feel , after reading this book , I have a better understanding (still need to learn much more) into this area of LGBTQ .

I think this story would be perfect for High School age teenagers . There lots of emphasis in opening up and talking about ones feelings . The romance part is about the relationship and friendship instead of the sexual aspect of it. By the way, all sexy times are fade to black.

This is a very inclusive story . I am happy, took the chance , with a new to me author, and read his/her/theirs book.

I just reviewed The Love Study by Kris Ripper. #TheLoveStudy #NetGalley

This book was lovely! I appreciated the chance to read a book with a non-binary protagonist. My partner is non-binary and I felt this helped me understand them more.

The Love Study was a witty LGBTQI+ romance to read. The awkwardly adorable chemistry between Declan (queer commitmentphobe) and Sydney (enby YouTuber) was fun to read and see how their relationship changed throughout the course of the book. Kris Ripper does an excellent job introducing Sydney using they/them pronouns, though it may be confusing for some mainstream readers without an author's note at the beginning as to WHY that is necessary.

I am rating this a 3/5 because on the positive, it's a good book and I enjoyed the premise for the story and appreciate the inclusivity. Conversely, I didn't really vibe with all the characters and I found myself skimming though parts of the book.

Advanced readers copy provided courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a book! The title totally knocked me off the pedestal .The Love Study is about Declan the guy who left his partner at the alter . He did in fact leave his boyfriend at the altar and he did it because he was scared and now he has to move in .Imagine being known as the guy that dumped someone at the altar. But at this party he meets Sidney who is funny,creative and funny. It's such a wonderful read and oh my my that cover. Huge thanks to the publisher for my copy .

2.5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is 100% up my lane and I actually ignored my August TBR to read this book as soon as possible. In the end, what didn’t work out for me was a mixture of writing style and pacing.

If I had to describe how this book is written, I think the best way would be to say that it reminded me of what a transcription of a video diary might sound like. There are a lot of “um”s, “like”s, “…”s, and question marks (to indicate a raise in pitch rather than a real question) in the narrative that you don’t normally see in adult novels. While this type of formatting might work for YA novels, I felt like it didn’t quite fit in with the age bracket of our characters (who were around 30 years old). I often felt like the characters behaved like teenagers rather than established adults.

Another thing that bothered me about the writing was that I felt like everyone was constantly tripping over themselves about what the most PC way to say something was. It happened so often that reading conversations between characters was actually quite exhausting.

That being said, I think this book has a lot of potential. I would have liked Declan to go on more dates and for the chemistry between him and Sidney to have more time to build, but I can’t deny the fact that they shared many cute moments together. And though this book is full of queer characters of different genders and sexualities, there was absolutely no focus on queer pain/tragedy which is something that I very much appreciated.

I also always enjoy when books include supportive side/background characters and Declan’s friend group basically consists of the most supportive people you could imagine. Although it seems the next book in this series will be about Oscar (there was a sneak peak at the end), I’d really like to read a book about Mason as I felt he had a lot of character depth that wasn’t fully explored.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! If you’re looking for a feel-good, light-on-drama novel with lots of queer rep, then I’d recommend checking out The Love Study, either on NetGalley or when it comes out in September!

Review posted on Goodreads: 2020. 08.14.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3496037086

A shortened review with a picture will be posted on Instagram: 2020. 08.18.

A review might be posted on Amazon as soon as it's eligable.

I received this copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for Kris Ripper and NetGalley for providing me a copy to read.

The Love Study was a unique read in every way imaginable. It provided insight to a part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum that I knew very little about. That is non-binary/genderqueer people.

Declan is our main character who is queer and lives a satisfactory life as an office temp. He has a great group of LGBTQ+ friends (there is, actually, a part when they are all described and their diversity is heartwarming) who refer to him as 'the friend who left his boyfreind at the altar'. When he's introduced (yet again) like this to the intriguing Sidney, who is a genderqueer youtuber, he did not expect to find himself with an offer to be set up on dates, and then analyse said dates on YouTube to give advice on queer dating.
A rather spectecular setting for a story focused on the challanges of navigating in the labirynth of queer relationships (from hook-ups to life partners).

The Cover:
Simple, yet informative and adorably queer.

The Story:
I picked this up mainly because of the GQ character but honestly the whole 'YouTube channel as a way of getting closer to each other' trope was a good selling point. I think the story itself was average. Two people meeting through freinds then starting a project together and realising they like the other after spending a good time in each other's company. Then one of them needs to work out their past issues that causes conflict. If you don't consider the queer factor I would have found the story lacking. There weren't really exciting peaks or twists that hook the reader.
I wluld have loved to see between the sheets scenes but the sexual innuendos made it fun to read.

The Characters:
I can say condfidently that this story is epic and unique because of its LGBTQ+ characters. Declan's queer and a little awkward with a heart of gold which makes him an extremely loveable leading male character. Sidney is a captivating GQ person with killer fashion sense and a blunt and honest personality. They were the main reason I started this book and wanted to know more. GQ is something rarely talked about both in real life and in books. Probably, because it is really hard to put yourself in their shoes. But reading about Sidney through Declan's eyes was exciting and very informative.
Their on page chemistry and funny but sometimes awkward conversations made it easy and fun to fall in love with them. Their shy stumble through dating is sweet and makes you a little giddy.
The supporting characters were also amazing, a lesbian couple preparing for their wedding which raised some good points about legalising gay marrige in the US. (In my country it's constitutionally prohibited so it's always nice to read about). The ex who was left at the altar who seems to be coping way better than Declan who spirals down in self-doubt because of it. And the sour, lonely but still loved friend who's always their to lovingly ask you to shut your face when you get too sappy. Then, there's a co-worker who kind of puts a lot of things into perspective for Declan.
So basically, our hero is surrounded by a bunch of really great, very queer friends who help him stumble through life (and love).

The Writing:
The author used a writing style that at first was a bit weird for me but not in a bad way. The focus was on conversations, Declan's reactions on what was happening and his innermost thoughts. This perspective gave the whole book a little philosophical atmosphere. The story went faster than when there are heaps of descriptions. I would have appriciated some more details on people's appearances and the places and sometimes I felt like I am missing something because the conversation went so fast.
After getting used to the style it was quite enjoyable and never got boring.

All in all, I would say this was a really great book. It's an experience through querr dating emphasizing the diversities in the LGBTQ+ community. I learned a lot about GQ people and would definetly look for more books with non-binary characters. Declan's story through dating was adorable, entertaining and absolutely educational.

I am so torn on The Love Study by Kris Ripper. I really loved the fast pace of the dialogue when the MF’s group gets together, along with all of their snark and how they hold each other accountable and feel comfortable calling each other out. I felt a kinship with Declan since I often talk in tangents and say awkward things.

But I just couldn’t get over how for a bunch of people in their late 20’s and Sydney being mid-20’s (at least that’s what I gathered) act like a bunch of junior high kids. And all of that giggling. I can’t. I’m a happy person and laugh a lot, but everyone continually giggling, it just kept pulling me out of the story. If this was marketed towards a YA audience I would be giving it a higher score. And I do recommend high schoolers to give The Love Study a read.

There was so much talking about every aspect of the relationship which is great because I feel communication is the most important thing in every relationship, but it was through the entire book. I know communication should not stop once you start sleeping together (you should probably even do more), but as a reader it was too much. I felt like I had a teacher repeating the lessons on love and relationships over and over, instead of enjoying a romance book and seeing the two main characters grow.

Talking about growth, there was very little of it in regards to Declan. In fact, at 80% into the story he had a total meltdown and just threw it all away. Now I know this happens all the time in romance movies/books where the main character doesn’t feel like they are good enough for the other one, but the world is open here. With so much new in queer and glbta writing, why do the conventional norms need to be followed. Ripper could have just skipped all of the drama and continued on with the happily ever after. Or skipped over the breakdown and given us more of a look into queer dates. Sure there were three before Sidney, but since this was a study in queer dating, having Declan go on more dates would have enhanced the story even more.

There is a lot of potential with The Love Study if the story was tightened up, but I think before reading another romance by Ripper I would check the reviews to see if the writing style has changed at all.

Declan has a great group of friends despite the fact that they insist on introducing him by saying that he left his last partner at the alter. He did that. He left Mason at the alter... in fact, he had a panic attack and fled the scene of the crime. Now, Declan and Mason have put it behind them... mostly, but it still weighs heavily on Declan's mind. He's that guy... the one who broke someone's heart, the one who couldn't live up to the romance and wanting to spend his life with someone. He gave up dating.

When one of Declan's friends invites a new person to a get-together it's because she wants to set up Declan's ex. But, Declan is immediately drawn to Sidney. Sidney identifies as non-binary and is a wonderful character. They are creative, quirky, funny, intelligent and a YouTuber! During the course of a conversation, Sidney asks Declan to appear on their youtube channel. They two decide upon a series in which Sidney finds dates for Declan. They will come together to live stream Declan's reaction to the dates.

One of the most striking things about this novel is the way that the date-ship between Sidney and Declan unfolds throughout the story. They have long and interesting conversations about gender, romance, the way that we try to fit in with other people in spite of what we may want ourselves.

"People making an effort to fit themselves inside a script that doesn't work for them, and then being unhappy with the result." - Sidney

The time that Declan and Sidney spend with one another is far more wonderful for Declan than any of the dates he goes on. It takes him a long time to admit that he has feelings regarding Sidney. The thing about Declan is that he's still bearing the weight of leaving his (now) friend Mason at the alter. He has many questions about it. Does it make him wrong? Is he defective in some way? Will he make the same mistakes again? Will he hurt someone else the way that he is confident he hurt Mason?

There are some great discussions in this novel about relationships and the way that we may try, at times, to fit in with the expectations of others. At times, I wished that there were more actions rather than dialogue but conversations were interesting enough to be engaging most of the time.

It was wonderful to see a non-binary character depicted so well in a novel. Sidney is introduced in such a way that disperses pre-conceived ideas. I even found myself stumbling over my own assumptions while I was reading - and I really enjoyed that! I love books that make me think carefully about what I'm reading.

If you like quirky characters, queer folk, intellectual conversations, and a lovely friendship - this is a novel you will enjoy!

review will be posted August 15

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HARLEQUIN - Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.
The Love Study is a rarity because never have I read a book about a group of diverse, queer characters and related so hard to all of them. Not necessarily the characters themselves but the dynamics, the attitudes, the friendships. This is the story of Declan, a man who has struggled with dating in the past and has huge commitment issues. He meets a nonbinary Youtuber called Sidney and together they start a new streaming show. Sidney will set Declan up on dates and Declan will discuss what diverse dating is like in the modern world. However, Declan soon starts to fall for Sidney just as his commitment issues start to kick in hard.

Ripper has perfectly captured something I almost never see in books and that is to be commended. The group of people in The Love Study interact like my friendship group does, like so many predominantly queer groups do. That alone makes this book refreshing and highly entertaining, but the plot that goes alongside that is also great. I am a huge fan of cute dating project type stories, and this is a brilliant example of the trope. The romance is sweet but realistic, never quite crossing into outright fluff and addressing a lot of genuine relationship issues which can come up in queer groups. This is all done extremely well.

The only thing that stopped this book being perfect for me was that at times, it felt a bit cringey? I'm not sure if it was just that I'm not used to reading books which actually reflect real life experiences but at times, it got a bit intense. This bothered me quite a lot but I recognise it is likely a me problem which is why I didn't take too much off the rating for it. If you are not used to these kind of social environments, you might not 'get' this book and you might find it a bit off putting as a result. If you're open-minded though or used to predominantly queer spaces, this is a real gem.

Overall, The Love Study is both a very important book in terms of its rep and just a fun, sweet romance. If you care less about rep than me, you will still love the story and the couple and everything that goes on. I would love to see more books like this, more romances where I feel I can relate to the characters. I am very glad I got a copy of this and I will definitely be looking out for more of Ripper's work.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

3.0-3.5 stars

The Love Study is was my first book experience with not only Kris Ripper but also a genderqueer/nonbinary character. (We all have to start somewhere, right?)

I will say my cishet brain took a bit of a moment with the pronouns game to realize that they/them was not, in fact, referring to multiple people. (I know, I know, stop eye-rolling at me... baby steps.)

Overall, the book was very cute and sweet about two people with a generally bleak outlook on love and relationships find each other and find a way to romantically relate to one another that absolutely works for them. (Which, I felt, was kind of a mystical unicorn sort of situation for them both).

Declan was known as the man who left his last boyfriend at the altar. Like literally, that is how his BFFs (the 'Marginalized Motherfuckers') introduced him to people. (Ugh, the boy HAS A COMPLEX already... stop making it worse- sorry, sorry...- ::deep breath:: ) Declan is struggling and pretty much just wallowing in guilt, and anxiety related to his last beau, with whom he is still friends. Two of Declan's BFF's are working up to their own nuptials, which kind of has him working up into a tizzy when he is introduced to Sidney. Sidney has a YouTube channel called Your Spinster Uncle where they discuss all sorts of queer-life and just life-life issues. Through their introduction and conversations, Sidney propositions Declan to be the subject of a series of shows that have him dating others and discussing his dating 'results.' Since Declan has been in not a great place emotionally and mentally since his last relationship anxiety/panic attack fiasco, the whole idea of letting someone else help the process is absolutely appealing to him. Thus, the Love Study begins.

Sidney has always felt on the outside of life. So much so that they never really fit in. Moreover, this created such a resonance with them that the outside of the norm sort of felt like home to them. In the book, they talk about the alien-ness of chia seeds make them feel comforted in some way. They really took this whole concept so far into their life that relationships became a challenge because of the heteronormative (giving of chocolates and flowers) felt like a slap against their idealized self. (I have this whole hierarchy of needs- self-actualization thing I want to write but I think I will lose most of you- And- it may not even be the author's intent- so...) Sidney's experience in life and fulfilling relationships were basically nil due to coming up against accepted norms that everyone wanted to place on them.

Sidney and Declan, through their interactions with the show and then afterward grew and soon it became all too clear to them that they had a spark that really shouldn't be dismissed. The Love Study (the book) basically works through their navigation of Declan's sometimes crippling anxiety and Sidney's need to feel free and seen for who they are and outside of society's assigned expectations.

As I said before, aside from my initial hiccup with pronouns, I found the book to be very cute. This is a fade to black and fairly slow burn. Definitely not an insta anything. While the whole fade to black works here because it places the emphasis on the 'relationship' rather than the 'romance' of it all... But, I'm kinda a perv and I wanted a little sneak peek or something of what their bedroom times looked like. (Look, it was mentioned more than once how 'compatible' they were in that aspect of their relationship- I'm just curious- seriously, stop with the eye-rolls)

I felt like that in the struggle to be super-inclusive of everyone's feelings and the while navigating everyone's 'schtick' ended up feeling like they were all super fragile. I didn't ever really feel the spark or any chemistry between Sidney and Declan other than they kind of liked the same things, maybe? It kind of felt like they just ended up being besties that also, erm, had sexytimes and defaulted to being homebodies. I would have liked to see how Declan and Sidney grew emotionally and became better versions of themselves rather than just say they figured their best relationship out for themselves- HEA- the end.

In the end, The Love Study was cute and sweet about two people finding love in a dreary world of expectation. I would recommend this book for those looking for a sweet story about finding love that works for you with very low to no drama.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars
If you're looking for a great fun and sweet love story in the LGBTQ+ romance this book is definitely for you.
I enjoyed the overall story and the characters are so great , so real and the book touches many stereotypes of our nowadays that many young people are experiences. It has insightful moments in the lgbtq world and how acceptance and discovering ones desires and focusing on what they really want for their future and life is a big part of their life.
The banter was great and many times i have laughed at the snarky replies or quick thinking but other times i just felt like the story it's dragging so that's why i can't love it enough for a five stars read.
Overall it's a great book that many people will enjoy for sure.

Declan left his fiance at the alter - if his friends introduce him it's the first thing you will know about him. Sidney has a YouTube channel with a decent following where they dispense advice to their viewers. On their first meeting Sidney convinces Declan to get back on the dating horse and be the subject of a new web series about queer dating. That is where we start, and if you want to know the journey, you will have to read for yourself.

Ripper's novel has a cast of Gay, no, pan, trans, genderqueer misfits who support each other and call out the BS when they see it.

For me, this was a first in reading a novel where a main character preferred they/them pronouns. Although it too me a page or two of adjustment, I loved this.

I felt the novel had a strong premise, but in the end I felt a little let down. It was enjoyable, but despite the post-college age of the cast, it read like a teen novel, with an equivalent level of emotions maturity and awkwardness. I thought it was a fine read, and I could see myself recommending it for a younger audience, but for me, I was hoping for a bit more depth.

This was such a lovely book! I think the writing was beautiful and sample straight to the point. I want to thank the publisher and netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely book

I really liked this book and the characters. It is a quick read. I am so happy to find good LGBTQ+ books. The author wrote these characters in a way that I felt connected to them. I liked them, heck I would love to hang out with them. I recommend this book.

Declan and Sidney experience the world of dating through Declan's participation in Sidney's "Your Spinster Uncle" YouTube advice show. Soon it is obvious that they are both really only interested in each other, leading to their building a fun, satisfying relationship despite Declan's fear of commitment. In addition to the two thoroughly appealing main characters, there is a great supporting cast of Declan's long-time friends, including the man he once left at the altar. I thought it was cute and an easy read!

So, I did not fully enjoy this book BUT I'm giving it a four star because I think for a lot of romance readers, they're going to love it.

Its a gentle romance, about Sidney and Declan who are both leery of relationships for varioys reasons that come down to, the conventional doesn't suit them.

They were both awkward, shy people surrounded by friends who love and support them.

Personally, I didn't quite connect with the queer culture Ripper wrote (because its not like the queer culture I've experienced and am a part of) but I think it will resonate with many other readers.

Declan and Sidney explore the world of dating through Declan's participation in Sidney's "Your Spinster Uncle" YouTube advice show. Soon it is obvious that they are both really only interested in each other, leading to their building a fun, satisfying relationship despite Declan's fear of commitment. In addition to the two thoroughly appealing main characters, there is a great supporting cast of Declan's long-time friends, including the man he once left at the altar. This is an all-inclusive queer romance that is breezy and delightful, even with the requisite anxiety and heartache, and I cannot wait for subsequent entries featuring secondary characters.

Declan and Sidney were cute and had amazing chemistry together, I loved their relationship, but I didn't like all the debates and asking for permission about what to do or how to do it before everything,
I mean, I can understand something like that in a scene, talking about boundaries and what is a trigger or a kink, but in a romantic book it felt like I was being given a lesson about relationships and love instead of seeing that relationship. It felt off and a bit condescending.