Psyche and Eros was one of my fave greek myths growing up. So finding this gave me a bit of a thrill. It's a beautiful retelling, and I'm pretty sure fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint will enjoy this!

I wasn’t familiar with the mythology behind Psyche and Eros’ story before this book but this is a stunning rendition. There are a ton of myth retellings out there so it can be tough to sort through the mediocre ones. This book is a diamond in the rough. So adventurous, so many great cameos from other gods, and characters you genuinely want to spend time with. An unexpected 5 stars!

Eros, primordial god of desire, messes up a task handed down to him from his demanding adopted mother, Aphrodite. Instead of cursing the mortal woman he was aiming for, Eros ends up cursing himself and he falls irrevocably in love with Psyche, a fierce Mycenaean princess. The bounds of the curse are such that if the two would-be lovers ever come face to face, they will be forever separated. Eros's tricky friend comes up with an absolutely inane plan that somehow works, and the two live in pitch-black bliss for a time. They are doomed to enact the curse though, and each will have to overcome the odds, defeating a monster feared even by the gods, in order to return to one another.

I loved this slightly twisted retelling of the myth of Psyche and Eros! I think the addition of Psyche's childhood and background stories make this novel special, lending it a more emotional quality than the myths usually have alone. Eros is also humanized a good bit, struggling with his eternity and the powers he has unleashed upon humanity.

As Luna McNamara details in her author's note, "eagle eyed" mythology connoisseurs will notice a few deviations from the traditional story, but the majority is the same and I think some of the tweaks (the inclusion of Medusa and Atalanta, specifically) really enhance the feminist perspective of the narrative. The pace is excellent and the detail is vivid; I finished this book in two sittings because it was so engrossing!

Thank you to Luna McNamara, William Morrow, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Psyche and Eros.

Let me get right into it. This book is a lot of world building, a lot of Psyche's point of view, a bit of Eros point of view, and really lackluster on them being together. Also remember this book is a retelling, not all the characters line up to Greek mythology.

This story is not for someone who wants non-stop character togetherness. These characters are brought together by a curse and then separated. The characters are immature in my eyes because they are not forthcoming to one another and there is a slight disconnect.

I go give this a 4.5 because the author did a fantastic job with her story telling. The author did a great job portraying that sometimes all relationships need is more communication and openness.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book.

This was a fun take on an old story! Not my favorite version, but still very enjoyable. Thank you for the early copy!

If you're looking for a stunning, feminist reimagining of the tale of Psyche and Eros, look no further. While the bones of the story we've all read and loved remain, the way it's been written through the eyes of the women and girls who lived through ancient Greece completely transforms it into something tragically beautiful.

I find it difficult to write a review on a book such as this one because half of the contents are things readers will already know, such as Eros striking himself with one of his arrows and immediately falling in love with Psyche. Or the way she was never allowed to lay eyes on him lest something terrible happen. The other half, the reimagining, would be spoilers, so what is a girl to do?

I'll just tell you that if you like stories with bittersweet, emotional endings (and beginnings and middles), flawed characters, and immense commentary on the silent suffering of women at the hands of "heroic" men, this is an incredible read.

I rate Psyche and Eros five out of five stars.

Readers will cry, laugh, and cry again, and fall in love with this against all odds story of romance, secrets, and forgiveness.

I loved this book! I've been interested in Greek mythology retellings and this was one of the most interesting to me, possibly because I'm less familiar with the tale of Psyche and Eros than others who have reviewed this book. I enjoyed the dual narrators, and the ways in which the author portrayed Psyche especially, as a woman who was unafraid to seek her own life. I would recommend this book to any fans of fiction!

I really enjoyed this one! What a fun, fresh take on greek mythology. I don't know and really don't follow Greek mythology, but I enjoyed the storyline.

I couldn't finish this title. I'm all for retellings of mythology, but this became too much and too confusing. Unfortunately I didn't really see how the romance Psyche and Eros played out because there's so much unnecessary worldbuilding around a vastly unnecessary changed universe before they meet.

I just reviewed Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara. #PsycheandEros #NetGalley

This book was at it's best a disappointment, and at it's worse a girl boss take on a myth that suffers at the changes the author forced upon it. We get it, the only way we can respect a #Feminist is if she ditches her feminine pursuits and works to become a warrior. We've all read that story, it's 2023 we should be able to recognize that femininity is not equal to weakness but whatever.
I love authors taking liberties with source material, I'm pro-changing things that need to be changed. I don't even need a good reason, just change it for a vibe! But this book was just... odd in it's choices.

This was a triumph. I have always loved the myth of Cupid (Eros) and Psyche. My first introduction to a myth retelling was Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis so this myth in particular is dear to my heart. I adored the way McNamara reshaped this myth breathing in new life and giving Psyche more agency. She expertly explores the nuance of the gods, and the world they inhabit. It’s a very different take, but if you are a fan of strong female protagonists, gods behaving badly, and the examination of the connection between love and the soul, you’ll find something magical here.

I love myth retellings. I am not super familiar with the story of Psyche and Eros so I was interested to learn more about them. I did enjoy this story and the nods to other myths.

Some of the changes to myths worked really well for me and others fell flat. I didn't understand some of the changes but I did like the story as a whole and would encourage people to pick it up if they enjoy Greek myths. It is certainly a retelling and reimagining. I did like reading this novel and will pick up other titles about these characters as I am now interested to learn more.

While many people I've heard; favorite greek mythology story would be Persephone and Hades, mine was always Psyche and Eros. Probably because of a beautiful illustrated children's book I now own of this story but as a child I reread and borrowed from the library more often than any book in my life. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.

I thought the author did a phenomenal job of created and meshing so many characters and stories to make this book. I loved diving into the world of Greek mythology and just sat back and let this author take me on a beautiful adventure.

I loved the vibrant visualization of the story and the Gods and mortals, the world building and character development.

The narrators were fantastic, the dual POV and dual male and female narrators were fantastic and I really enjoyed them. Narrators can make or break a book and these 2 did an amazing job and kept me riveted to the book.

Anyone who wants just a lovely story, would totally enjoy this book.

My one problem was the development between Psyche and Eros seemed "too fast" while everything else seemed to take time and depth, I felt like when Psyche and Eros first were together their feelings for each other and their in-house story came about too fast and then when they were torn apart then things slowed down again.

Other than that I loved the book, the overall story was beautifully written and I enjoyed it!

*Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow & Company for this ARC*

This book prides itself on being subversive and nuanced. I'm not so sure about that. A few notes:

1) I am not opposed to taking liberties with the source material. My issue is that any potential consequences are not interrogated well (if at all). Okay, fine, make Penelope the sister, not cousin, of Helen and Clytemnestra. Make Psyche the niece of Agamemnon and cousin of Iphigenia. Eliminate Psyche's sisters entirely, using Iphigenia as a stand-in for a crucial aspect of the myth (and not very well, imo. The sisters would've been a better source of tension. Iphigenia spends like three seconds questioning Psyche about her mysterious husband). The book does precisely nothing to justify these choices. The Trojan War side storyline felt like window dressing and took oxygen away from the core myth, which frankly needed more breathing space. Why change anything, then? There are a million examples like this but I don't care to type them all out.

2) There is a type of historical romance novel which embodies #GirlBoss #Feminism. It values physical strength and traditionally "masculine" pursuits over "girly" hobbies like embroidery and housekeeping. Any silly female who enjoys the latter is merely validating patriarchal ideals. It's one-note in a misguided attempt to dismantle the patriarchy. The more thoughtful books, like Olivia Waite's THE LADY'S GUIDE TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS, have a more nuanced interpretation of feminist revolution.

PSYCHE AND EROS isn't a historical romance, but it suffers from the same problem. I was open, if cautious, to the idea of making Psyche an accomplished warrior with hero ambitions. Psyche wants to train under the hero Atalanta? There's zero evidence for this characterization in the source material, but I initially didn't care because I assumed the worldbuilding would be nuanced. Well, maybe I should have cared, lol. Perhaps it's possible to create a subversive "Psyche is a badass warrior" retelling, but this book isn't it. There are so many *actual* badass female warriors in Greek mythology. It seems like a waste to haphazardly slap on this backstory to Psyche of all heroines.

3) I could forgive #1 and #2 if the romantic ship was great. Alas, it was not.

4) The Eros sections were far more interesting and thoughtful than Psyche's point-of-view. The book would've been a lot better if it was solely from Eros's perspective.

I am still three-starring because I liked the audiobook narration and the writing was good enough for me to finish. NY publishing is flooded with subversive Greek retellings, so it's unsurprising that some of them don't live up to the advertising. If you're looking for a Madeline Miller readalike, this isn't it. If you don't give a fuck about the mythological source material, you might enjoy PYSCHE AND EROS.

Read via audio (narrated by Rachel Petladwala and Joshua Riley).

Disclaimer: I listened to a free audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. (less)

Alright, disclaimer this is my favorite myth of all time. And…I barely recognized it here. I usually can swing with changes in mythology and stuff for plot necessity but calling the book Psyche and Eros which is a Roman myth, told by a Roman and then…changing everything about the myth?? Psyche is supposed to be clever and resourceful, and she outwits Aphrodite who is a terror in this myth. Earning her divinity. So…making Eros the primordial god, and…not Aphrodite’s son, seems an odd choice.

the ages, sure to satisfy fans of Madeline Miller and V.E. Schwab

Who said true love is a myth?

A prophecy claims that Psyche, princess of Mycenae, will defeat a monster feared even by the gods. Rebelling against her society’s expectations for women, Psyche spends her youth mastering blade and bow, preparing to meet her destiny.

When Psyche angers the love goddess Aphrodite, she sends Eros, god of desire, to deliver a cruel curse. After eons watching humanity twist his gifts, the last thing Eros wants is to become involved in the chaos of the mortal world. But when he pricks himself with the arrow intended for Psyche, Eros finds himself doomed to yearn for a woman who will be torn from him the moment their eyes meet.

Thrown together by fate, headstrong Psyche and world-weary Eros will face challenges greater than they could have ever imagined. And as the Trojan War begins and divine powers try to keep them apart, the pair must determine if the curse could become something more . . . before it’s too late.

I cannot get enough of Greek mythos retellings and this one is no acceptation. I loved the story that was chosen to be the focal part of this story. And although there are a lot of creative adjustments to the characters and line of the original myth, fiction wise I loved it. The writing is beautifully done, lush and lyrical it completely enfolded me in. The characters were well written, and I enjoyed the relationships that formed between them. I was love when storied that have pieces of Greek mythos overlap and enjoyed seeing the sacrifice of Virginia from the eyes of the women that were there with her. I will definitely be recommending this one to readers over and over again.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. ❤️

I've always been passionate about greek mythology. One of the best memory of my life was in Greece - I was sitting on a bench under an olive tree, starring at the Parthenon for hours thinking about its history and the myths and culture of its country. Thinking about how centuries ago, people passed on stories that would still fascinate us years later.

I didn't read much of today's greek myths retelling. So many came out recently as there's this "trend" to rewrite them through the eyes of these mythical women and call them feminist. It's cool. I asked an ARC for Psyche and Eros as I wasn't that familiar with that story, and I didn't regret it.

What I prefered was how I felt swept away in this older world. The prose was really beautiful, going from flowery and poetic to more blunt according to the mood and stakes of the scenes. I loved all the references to the gods, the heroes, the Trojan War. It's an immersive story, and the author was inspired by different "sources" to put her words on the myth (The Golden Ass by Lucius Apuleius, Euripides...) and I really liked it.

I loved Psyche as a character, she was fun and interesting to spend time with. I didn't really buy the romance between her and Eros. It didn't feel credible, especially how easily Psyche accepts this marriage was out of character for me. It's weird because these two are the centre of the story, but their relationship isn't developed enough. However, it's not just a romance book, it's about fighting for what we want and what we love. It questions what a hero is supposed to be, how so-called monsters are victims.

"I saw now that the legends were drenched in blood, the blood of women."

The first part is slow and the second part is a bit rushed, but I didn't mind as I binge it and never grew bored of it. The writing, Psyche, and the travel in time and place were my favourites things about Psyche and Eros.

I had fun with ‘Psyche and Eros’ by Lucy McNamara! It was funny, had characters worth rooting for, and was, overall, a great, fresh reimagining. Recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the E-Arc!
I really enjoyed this book. I have seen a lot of Greek retellings but this is the first Psyche and Eros story I have seen and I thought it was extremely well done. While it had a slow start if you continue on, further into the book picks up and is very fun to read. I think the story itself did a great job of taking a artist ABBA Schmidt and building up on it in a way that was modern and entertaining for readers. I loved psyche as a character and Think they started a great job of portraying the doomed romance.