✨ARC Review ✨
***
Thank you to Kilby Blades and Valentinepr for the ARC to review.
***
Looks good on paper was a really sweet love story. Both characters meet by being part of a pen pal program which gives the story an old time feel. The story is very sweet and unique because of the letters and paper making. The setting is beautifully described and makes the story so much cuter. The chemistry and love between the characters is so sweet and cute. This story definitely made my heart so happy. Zuri is a very strong and loving character and Nico grows so much in this story thanks to Zuri. This was definitely a clean romance story but it was so cute and sweet.
***
⭐⭐⭐.5

** Thank you Netgalley for this free arc**

Looks Good on Paper is definitely a sweet/cute contemporary romance that you will read and maybe love after. The book cover and synopsis intrigued me and I was glad that I was approved to read the arc. I really love how the book was written and I also love the plot, especially that one steamy scene. I did fell in love with the main characters -- Zuri and Nicco -- yes, Nicco wasn't truthful with Zuri but come on now (lol). The only part of the book that made me screamed to the heavens was that unexpected cliffhanger. But, all and all, I did enjoy reading this book and I give this 5/5 stars!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. Which is entirely my fault and not the books fault. I grew bored with the overly polite tone of the letters and I just didn't connect. I am sure that a lot of readers will massively enjoy this, though.

this book was FUN and CUTE, i love the pen pal trope the romance was adorable and i couldn’t help but love both characters. this book also highlighted the journey of finding yourself and i love that, The authors writing was amazing i found myself swooning and giggling with each page, the words felt very real and i over all enjoyed the journey this book took me on

I didn’t love this as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this, but the lack of communication drove me batty. However, I thought Zuri and Nico were adorable. They were both nerdy, and I loved it. There were some lovely and beautiful moments, but the development could have been better.

If you’re familiar with Cyrano de Bergerac then you know how this will go. However, I think you’ll still enjoy it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Zuri’s and Nico’s letters, but I also loved that Zuri was fun and quirky. I thought she was a fantastic lead character.

I enjoyed Blades writing style. The pacing was fine, but I would have liked more details. Nevertheless, “Looks Good On Paper” is a quick, fun read that has something for everyone. Could it have been better? Sure. Will you still enjoy this? Absolutely.

What a refreshing take on romance novels! This book focuses around Zuri, an African American woman working a dead end job at a start up company that has produced their version of Tinder. Zuri has been at the job for 6 years and has been slowly paying off her student loans and trying to survive her 20’s in Oakland, California. She’s been burned in the past by her stepfather, a gambling addict, who gambled away all her college money, forcing her to have to drop out and derailing her overall life. She has a fascination with letter writing and frequents a local shop with high end paper and inks, but rarely buys herself anything there. She finds herself on blogs and instagram posts focused around paper making and ends up becoming pen pals through a program set up by her favorite paper company ( a brand of paper she loves, specifically the Amalfi collection of paper).

Her pen pal is Alessandro, and soon they hit it off sending letters more frequently and getting more personal as time goes on. They speak about their past, share gardening tips, and recipes. She looks forward to seeing his letters in the mail and can tell it is him by the stock of the paper. Through a series of events, Zuri’s company has merged with another and she is given a large sum of money that allows her to pay off her remaining student loans and she takes time off to travel top Europe. She missed out on the chance in college when her stepfather stole her money, so she’s eager to go. She writes to her pen pal Alessandro to let him know she is coming to Italy and would like to meet. They agree to meet and Zuri has never been more excited.


Cut to Alessandro Fabricare. He is the younger brother to Nico Fabricare, and the two are heirs and CEO’s to the Fabricare paper company. Sandro wrote to Zuri the first time and lost interest in the program and so Nico has actually been the one writing to Zuri all these months under Alessandro’s name. Alessandro doesn’t want to be the CEO and has taken Nico’s place while he is fighting a nasty divorce. Alessandro would rather be sailing on his boat. Nico is a better English speaker and writer and at first enjoy fulfilling the pen pal initiative set forth by their company. Soon he found that he truly loved Zuni’s company and looked forward to trying out her tips and tricks for gardening. So when she asks to meet when she comes to Italy, he is so excited to finally meet her.

The only issue is, Nico has been writing as Alessandro this whole time and should have let Zuri know it was him. He thinks he might be able to pull off being Alessandro but the day before he is set to meet her at the cafe, he gives her a secret tour of the paper company and introduces himself as Nico. The jig is up! Rather than confess at lunch, he drags the lie further by making Alessandro attend the lunch with him and an awkward lunch ensues. Nico knows how Zuri feels about lying and her betrayal of her stepfather, so he should have just told the truth then but he does not and soon Nico and Zuri find themselves falling in love and she still doesn’t know she’s been writing to him all these months.

The Book was really refreshing with a new take on a romance novel. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the landscapes in Italy and the paper making process was really interesting to me! Some areas of the story seemed to take a long time to get through and could have been cut down. I loved how they handled Vanessa in the book and didn’t make her a crazy jealous Ex, even though she was soooo far reaching in the book with what she wanted in her divorce settlement. The romance didn’t feel rushed since they were pen pals for so long, but Zuri didn’t know that part and it felt like she was being swindled for sure. But I loved that Nico helped her heal her past traumas with the intention scene with making paper. A very cool concept.

Looks Good On Paper is such a sweet contemporary romance. I was hooked right from the beginning. Of course that might be because I'm a sucker for romances that start out as two strangers connecting over a shared passion. In this case it is pen pals Zuri and Nico. Zuri is an American who signed up for a pen pal exchanged hosted by her favorite Italian paper company. Nico is the part owner of the paper company and recently had to step down as CEO due to some conflict in his personal life. He shares the company with his brother Alessandro. Alessandro is originally supported to be Zuri's pen pal but due to his poor English he asks his brother for help. So Nico writes the letters disguised as Alessandro and finds himself unexpectedly falling for the woman who shares his love for paper.

Zuri has loved paper and stationary for as long as she can remember. Having a pen pal in another country is the distraction she needs right now. Between her awful job and some personal family issues, she feels like she is about to lose it. It is really nice for her to find someone who she connects with on so many different levels. When she finds herself taking a vacation to Europe, she knows she needs to meet his mystery man.

When Zuri heads to Europe is when things really start to get interesting. Their letters to each other are sweet but when they meet face to face the sparks are flying. Except Nico is still keeping his true identity a secret. I understood why he would do that as a way to protect himself and the business but I also knew that the secret keeping was likely going to blow up in his face. I couldn't help but feel for Nico though as he is such a sweet guy who has gotten in way over his head.

The characters growth that is seen through the story is well done. Both characters become stronger individuals are they each finally deal with incidents that happened in the past. They are also quite the force together as they collaborate on how to make the paper company stronger. I thought Zuri and Nico balanced each other out perfectly.

Looks Good On Paper had me wanting to buy more stationary and take a trip to Italy. The descriptions of Italy were so beautiful and were gr such a wonderful background for Zuri and Nico's growing relationship. The romance is sweet with a little bit of heat that will give you butterflies in your stomach. Basically everything really does good look good on paper.

This was such a fun romance book. I enjoyed the story and really loved the characters. The ending fell a little flat for me but would still recommend. Such an easy read.

You'll enjoy Zuri and Nico's story. She starts a pen pal situation with a guy in Italy that she thinks is Alessandro. She has no clue that his brother Nico is actually writing the letters since he is more proficient in French. The more Nico writes the more he falls in love with Zuri. This was a quick, fun read that will grab your attention right at the beginning. Cute characters and humorous dialogue. I read a free copy via Net Galley and voluntarily chose to review it.

What a fun book! I absolutely adored Zuri and her love of paper! Definitely a girl after my own heart!

Her and Nico’s love story is one for the books and the fact that they began falling in love through written word was extremely romantic…especially in a time when technology runs the world and can lead to such shallow connections.

Zuri and Nico definitely had some individual issues to work through, which led to them having some issues to work through together. Seeing their commitment to “fixing” themselves first was refreshing and to be commended. Once they worked themselves out, they were able to work their relationship out.

A beautiful story, for sure! Highly recommend!

We all know the power of written words, but letters between fake pen pals, can this work? Are you ready for another adventure? Grab those passports Kilby Blades takes on another fantastic journey in Italy, Campania proper. In "It Looks Good On Paper,” we dive into the lives of the Fabricare brothers, Niccolo and Alessandro.


Zuri Robinson has a story we have all heard before; working for a company that does not appreciate or value you, taking notice of your ideas, but passing them off as their own. Paper is her jam, and she finds peace in all things paper, taking great care in scouting out the best pens and paper to write. After becoming a pen pal, she finds herself falling for the man behind the pen...and he not only looks good on paper!


Nico Fabricare is CEO of Emporio, the family's paper company. The Fabricare legacy comes under attack after one wrong decision causes him to step down from his position and into a reclusive state. The brothers decide it best to do a duty swap, leaving him with the task of writing to his brother's American pen pal. This is not a hardship for him because he can always find his center in the presence and use of paper.

Can you imagine how things transform from those letter exchanges? During a scandal, secrets or lies are the last things Emporio needs to come to the surface. Therefore, starting this new venture with Nico and Zuri is risky. When the truth is finally revealed, will the company take another hit? Will love be lost again? That is something you will have to run until the very end to find out.

Things I enjoyed most about this read; the couple's unique journal centered around their love for paper and the written word. How the author highlighted the couple's struggles and their healing process. Again, the author's ability to provide visuals of the settings and character emotions.

I recommend this for your reading pleasure!

* I received a copy for review.*
I love a book that has an epistolary element. There is just something about two people getting to know one another through correspondence. Something intimate in actually putting pen to paper and sharing yourself.
The added element of Nico making paper himself and Zuri being drawn to stationary stores , ink, & pens.
It is a quieter story that is a lot about growth & letting go. I enjoyed the depth & ease of the story.

I liked the idea of this book – being pen pals and all. But at some point in the beginning I lost interest in this book. When I restarted it (from where I left not the very beginning) a couple of days ago after more than two weeks of not reading it (or any other book) I was shocked to discover that it only has 150 pages! It definitely feels longer than that.

Anyway, I didn’t like the reason why Nico didn’t tell her the truth. It wasn’t a good enough reason for me.

I feel like some scenes were rushed and the spice level was medium which barely feels like spicy. It was all about magical moments and connection and that’s just not my kind of smut. The rest of them was more telling and showing with them losing into one another in the morning, on the grass, against a wall, and so on and that’s just too mild for me.

I liked reading about how the paper is made but at the same time, I feel like if I skipped those parts there wouldn’t be any scenes between Nico and Zuri. It was always about some kind of paper making around them.

The whole ex-wife scenery wasn’t developed enough either. She was causing problems when Zuri was away but didn’t seem that bitchy once Zuri came to Italy. The end just showed how one magical letter that was made with hope figured it all out. Makes you question why Nico didn’t try that months ago.

All in all, I like a book that was set outside of the USA and I liked how passionate they were about paper. I just wish I saw the passion between them and scenes outside of paper making industry.

2-2.5 stars.

This isn’t my normal reading material but I’m glad
I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion.
It show me a sweet clean romance can be the right book
to help unwind from a hectic day.
Well developed and interesting plot and very likable characters.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book via netgalley

A fine, light, UNIQUE romance I think a lot of people will love.

For me, the passionate paper talk overshadowed the relationship aspect, but I don't know much about paper so maybe I'm not the intended target for this book. That being said, even without that aspect, I have to say the book took a while to get going. The pen pal aspect was something I really wanted to love, but despite the Cyrano meets Letters to Juliet vibes, the letters don't turn romantic. They discuss paper and Nico's divorce, Zuri's job, and their gardening hobbies but not much more than that for a significant portion of the book. I really wanted them to develop a deeper connection through their writing so that when they met, everything would be more impactful. Unfortunately, their letters stayed pretty surface level friendship, so it was hard to root for them as a couple when they were barely more than strangers. Their writing to each other lacked chemistry. To me, it seemed more like they were taken with the idea of pen pal letters being written on quality paper than they were with each other.

I actually loved Zuri in the opening chapters and her job was hilarious to me. I really wanted to see more of that, and hoped she would advance in that aspect and get the credit she so deserved for her ideas. I would genuinely be friends with Zuri. She seemed so cool to me. Nico on the other hand... I was bored a little by his chapters because frankly, he had like grumpy little old man vibes lol. I love grumpy MCs but he was a bit of a downer. I understand he was going through it with his ex (that storyline was wrapped up too fast for me), but his personality outside of paper was pretty lacking. He did improve as the book went on, I just wish the paper obsession had been sprinkled rather than showered, especially in the beginning because it really slowed down the pacing for me. At 150 pages, the book is short but the first 40 percent felt really long to me and took me a while to get through.

One thing I will say, Kilby Blade's writing style is really great. I will definitely read more of her work. This particular one just isn't for me... However, if you love paper and are interested in the paper making process and are a fan of romance books, then I think you will like this one!

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.

This book perfected the slow burn - I at first wasn’t sure if I’d love it, but Kilby is an author that lures you in and it’s more than worth the time it takes to be completely down the rabbit hole of Zuri’s journey and adventures. And I love that it has a historic twist without being a historical romance. I’d gladly recommend this book to all of my followers.

idk if it is because it was pen pals so the story of them was slower to get to the conversations/letters but i skipped through a lot in the beginning. honestly i didn’t really start enjoying the book until after about 40% into it. It just had a lot of word jargon that i didn’t really understand or care about BUT once that 40% hit and they were interacting… instant swooning. me swooning over them and over Nico, and Nico swooning over Zuri and vice versa. had me giggling and blushing😩😩 it was SO adorable how instant their chemistry and connection bonded. i wouldn’t say it’s instant love from the very beginning of the story because they didn’t really meet until halfway but their adoration for each other and connection when they officially met face to face was immediate! Nico was so respectful, sweet and charming. like charm your panties off type of charming 🥹. maybe it’s bc i’m used toxicity/dark romance/asshole men in books so Nico felt like a breath of fresh air <3 i loved how you also learned so much about not only Italy but Europe in general! now i know if i ever visit Italy, it’s a possibility the train workers will be on strike since they go on strike about 4 times a year lol! overall i really enjoyed it even with the slow start (for me)! once they were actually in each others presence, i couldn’t put it down 🫶🏼

For such a short book, I had a hard time getting through it. I liked the premise of pen-pals and how much Zuri loved paper. For some reason, the whole “mix-up” got on my nerves. The writing isn’t bad I just found the book to be boring and had to DNF at 50%.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a really cute and sweet contemporary Romance. I found it was really quick to read.

The story and characters were enjoyable but I felt like something was missing.

I recommend reading it if you need a quick and sweet read