From beginning to end, Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S Valley captured my attention; the characters were well developed and the story was well-written. Sexuality and love were the main themes of this heartwarming story.

I absolutely loved this cover. Then I read the description and loved it even more. It starts off great and introduces the MC and all the different powers in the school. They are hidden away X-men style in a special school which peaked my intrigue and left me eager for the world building. Somehow it all feels like it gets pushed to the side for a plot centered around a baby project. The romance was cute yes, but not enough to keep me hooked. Wasn’t too much enemies to lovers either. More like one side couldn’t stand the other while other side couldn’t even be bothered. It was a cute love story but would have been amazing with the magic playing a more prominent role in the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I had high hopes for this but I didn’t love it like I thought I would. My main problem is that it’s quite problematic in areas. I also just wasn’t a fan of the main plot point, and thought that Tim and Elliot’s relationship didn’t start off in the healthiest way as Tim seemed to be using Elliot as a way to deflect from his feelings after the breakup with his ex-girlfriend and his own mental health. Saying that, I did think it was cute, and the last third of the book got way more engaging and fast paced. I might read more from this author in future.

I enjoyed this so much! A secret magic school, hidden underground, full of magical students and staff learning different specialities of magic. This was such a fun mix of a YA, high school romance, magic mayhem, and queer exploration.

Tim and Elliott are nemesis, have been since first day of school. They can barely stand being in the same room as each other, and yet, after a sudden, mutual dumping lands them in a pairing to complete a very important project together: caring for their egg baby. Yes you read that right. A golden egg, spelled to act like a baby, which they must care for in order to get a passing grade. What starts out as a desperate attempt to get back at their exs slowly evolves into friendship, and eventually, into something more.

I though this book was so fun! I loved the characters and the romance, there were some moments where I literally laughed-out-loud! My only complaint would be that some of the side storylines felt unfinished (such as Tim's dad, like there was no conclusion to that at all), but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

3.5 stars

This was a super adorable coming-of-age story.
The setting was what drew me into this book because it's set in one of my favorite places in the world New Zealand and a magical school?!?!? Yes, please!
This was very steamy for a YA book yet very tastefully done.
I loveeeee both MCS Tim Te Maro and Eliott (my cinnamon roll!) They had great chemistry and the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance was fantastic. Also Meggan stole my heart.
The side characters were fun and although the plot was a bit messy at times I really enjoyed the story.
Overall this was a very fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hardie Grant Children's Publishing for this eArc of <i>Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues</i>. All opinions are my own!

I will start by saying that this book, with its mouthy title had me absolutely hooked in the way that a great work of fanfiction does—it's catchy, it has characters you immediately like and couple you're instantly rooting for, and just that little spark of something that makes you want to keep reading. I ended up devouring this book over the course of just a couple of days. H.S. Valley created some beautiful characters and some truly ridiculous situations for them to be in, giving this YA queer magical/fantasy romance the feeling of a teen romcom. As Tim slowly discovers things about himself with the help of his reluctant class project partner Elliott—his "I don't really know why, he just <i>is</i>, okay?" nemesis, we see Tim grow and start to accept a part of himself he had always only suspected.

Heartwarming queer romance aside, though, I have some quibbles. Though Tim's mother works at their school, she is barely a blip in the story. Other adult characters are similarly and unrealistically underdeveloped. The plot felt like a tried and true trope for a work of fanfiction that I adore, but I'm not quite sure how well it translated to a full-length novel with original characters. And finally, if you're going to set something in a magical boarding school, you better make the magic a more ingrained part of the characters' lives. To me it felt like a mere afterthought, which was really too bad—with native Maori characters, I wish that aspect had been more developed and that aspect of culture perhaps more explored.

All this to say, if you are looking for a quick and fun queer enemies-to-lovers read, here it is. The cover art is also absolutely stunning!

I really enjoyed the characters of Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues. I think the story could have benefited from more time spent on world building and resolving plot holes. It was a fun read and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read the book.

This is a great debut novel by HS Valley.

Tim and Elliott are rich and layered characters that you can't help but root for. Tim is shy and Elliott is more open and extroverted. A class assignment puts them together but magic keeps them together.

A delightful read

This book was so good!
I see it so much and I love it
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the book

Fun, easy to read enemies to lovers romance with a touch of magic!

Tim Te Mark and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues is a funny, oddly sweet novel about two boys, Tim and Elliott, who pair in a magically egg-baby assignment which leads to feelings and magical bonds.

I did really like this! If you’re looking for magic lore or a complex magic system, you’re not going to find it here. This is a romance with a touch of magic, the magic is more of a background character/plot device.

Our main character Tim is funny and realistic. Elliott is his sarcastic, flirty “enemy”. They have good chemistry together, with funny banter and plenty of tender moments.

It’s just a fun read. Nuff said! I liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tim Te Maro attends an underground (literally and figuratively) school for magic in New Zealand. He has a hit a rough patch, with his girlfriend dumping him and his dad suddenly leaving. When a boy he has never gotten along with suggests partnering up for a school project, Tim’s life changes in very unexpected ways.

I was hooked at LGBT+ fantasy with a cute cover, but I ended up finding this story to be very sweet, and I could not put it down! The characters and the romance were really endearing, if heavy on the lack of communication. I liked the tidbits about New Zealand culture and language, and would have enjoyed even more of that. It was also quite funny, and I liked Tim’s sarcastic, dramatic and occasionally poignant narration.

The only issue for me was the pacing of the story. I would have preferred more background and world-building in the beginning, and then the ending felt a little bit rushed. There were some loose ends that frustrated me, but could perhaps be setup for future ventures into this world. Despite its flaws, something about Tim and Elliott’s chemistry and banter kept me hooked, and I would definitely read more from this author.

Enemies to Lovers... in magic boarding school.

To start off, this is a cozy fantasy romance; there are no dark lords or world-ending-plots (aside from the feelings that the-world-is-ending that accompany heartbreak). The characters attend a magic boarding school which is more about preparing the characters for the next step of their magic educations than it is about any kind of good-vs-evil melodrama (beyond the subject of bullying). The magic is minimally explained, at best, and is more of a light background element than a plot point. Readers looking for high stakes fantasy should look elsewhere, but those looking for a low stakes cozy gay male school romance (with a little magical seasoning) may find much to love here.

Synopsis: Tim Te Maro attends Fox Glacier High School for the Magically Adept, under the glacier, to keep it hidden from non-magical folks, and has recently been broken up with. Faced with the likelihood of having to do a class project with his ex, he is saved by the leader of his former bullies, Elliott Parker, who suggests they team up to get back at their (now together) exes. The project, caring for a magic egg that sits in for a baby, ends up bringing them together; first for casual sex, but maybe something more?

The characters discuss sex in a frank and open manner, though the book never gets particularly explicit in its description of acts, with some "fade-to-blacks". Though presented initially as a school-bully villain, Elliott soon reveals himself to be a sensitive and giving partner, and the characters engage in discussions of explicit consent in expressing their affection towards each other.

The humor seems to, from the other New Zealand content I've read, have a bit of a Kiwi comedic sensibility (author H.S. Valley grew up in, and continues to live near, Auckland, NZ) the character's have a real sense of dramatic irony about their own situations, and a willingness to engage in crass, humorous commentary about that absurdity, in real-time. Tim and Elliott both certainly seem aware of the ridiculousness of doing the classic "care for an egg" school pregnancy/child-rearing high school exercise, but amped up to eleven with the egg (which they name "Meggan") being magical, so it cries and relates to the moods of its "parents". So naturally, it gets gurgly and happy when Tim and Elliott are spending time together, forcing them into close proximity, which results in...well, you can guess.

This book wears its anti-colonialist sentiments embedded into the lining of the sleeve, if not patched directly on top of it. Tim Te Maro is of Maori descent, and Elliott is White, which informs their initial conflicts, but the book is careful in the way it addresses bullying in a nuanced way; neither Tim nor Elliott are exonerated for their exclusionary behavior, with discussions of classism as part of the motivator for Elliott's clique's former poor behavior. Tim is bisexual, Elliott is (gay? bisexual as well? I regret I have forgotten since I read it) but both are surrounded by queer folks of other orientations as well.

This is a light, witty romance, that isn't afraid of saucy language and teen interpersonal drama set against the light backdrop of a magic boarding school.

Opinions are my own and do not represent the organization I work for.

There were so many reasons to be enticed to read this book. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I am a sucker for anything magic related.

Queer boys falling in love in a magical boarding school? Roommates? This book sounded like everything I love and more.

Tim and Elliott were sweet, and I definitely think they had chemistry. I enjoyed their individual characterisation, but I struggled to connect with their romance. I think the forced-proximity aspect of the co-parenting challenge was fun, and it resulted in a lot of interesting scenes. I wish I felt the intensity of their desire. I'm a sucker for yearning. Their problems could have been fixed with a single conversation. I wasn't a fan of any of the secondary characters, so whenever they were getting involved I was disinterested. I enjoyed the little egg baby plot. It was cute and something I haven't seen before.

I did not understand the magic system. It could have been more developed. This really just felt like your average contemporary romance. I don't think it needed the added fantasy elements, because they don't really aid the story. I wish we had spent more time learning about the characters and their abilities. I wish there was more of a plot besides the romance. I have actually read romance novels set in fantasy worlds before and loved them, but this one was not executed as well, and I couldn't help but compare.

This is another book that suffers because of marketing. Why is everything being compared to Red, White & Royal Blue, lately? This is nothing like RWARB.

There was a lot of mystery surrounding Tim's father, and I expected it to go somewhere but it never did. I felt like there were quite a few missed opportunities. This was well written, and I'm sure other readers will fall in love with the story. I was expecting something different, which stopped me loving this. I'd definitely recommend it for those that love romance books with little sparks of magic!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hardie Grant Children’s publishing for the digital arc in order to review.

I will never criticize a book for being reskinned fan fiction — a good author is a good author, and some of my favorite traditionally published books are adapted from transformative works.

However. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that is so obviously and carelessly reskinned. There was so much hand-waving about essential elements of the world — the magic system, the purpose of the school, the magical community at large, why the damn school is underground — for a truly well-developed story. It wasn’t really possible to be truly immersed in the world, since so much of it was so blurry around the edges. There are subplots that don’t get resolved or just raise more questions. An egg-baby as a plot device isn’t the worst trope to exist, but it felt especially thin here. I wanted to feel a real relationship with Tim’s parents, but that was flat and, later, confusing.

All that being said, I really did enjoy a lot of it. It was sweet and the relationship between Tim and Elliot was deeply felt. I’m a sucker for some idiots-to-lovers and damn were they idiots. I really was emotionally invested in them, and honestly that magic egg-baby got me feeling something, too.

It had potentional for days, and while it was a sweet, enjoyable read, it was too disjointed and flat to really deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Ok this book was adorable. I wasn't sure what to expect and from the beginning I was a bit hesitant because some of the writing felt different to me. I think that is because the book was originally written for the Australian market. That said, by the end of the first chapter I was engrossed in the story and never again did I feel like there was anything distracting by the writing, in fact I loved it. The general plot is that Tim goes to an underground residential high school where he and other students have magic. The school teaches all the regular subjects as well as how to control and enhance their magical skills. The student body is divided into little cliques based upon what kind of magic they have As the book begins, Tim already hates Elliott Parker. Elliott hangs around with some jerks and he is newer to magic as his parents didn't have any. Tim's always known about his magic and his parents actually teach at the school. Then Elliott's friend with benefits drops him to date Tim's steady girlfriend. Both boys are left hurt and confused. They decide to team up to 'get back' at their exes. During a school project where everyone is coupled up to take care of a baby (Its a large cooing, crying metal egg....its the cutest freaking thing ever, trust me), Elliott and Tim ask to work with each other instead of their exes stating their case. It would be far too emotionally damaging for their egg child to have tension between their parents. The teacher accepts this trade and of course there is still tension. The tension of two enemies who are very attracted to each other. This whole set up makes for the most lovely story of the school project and the relationship that forms between these boys. The magic school is a fun background but never really becomes a focus of the story itself. In fact, any criticism I have of this book is that the magical elements are just not explained well in the book. It would have been nice to have some more background on this. But I ended up falling just a little bit in love with Tim and Elliott and was bummed to say goodbye to them at the end of the book. If the author wants to give us a sequel of them at their next stage (as shown briefly in the epilogue) I think that would be very interesting.

Goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5165643985

I had so much fun with this story. It's campy, it's trope-y, it's ridiculous but also heartfelt and honest and sweet.

I wanna say right off the bat that this book is a little frustrating when it comes to giving details of this magic system (it's so interesting and it feels like we barely scratch the surface), the magical school setting feels more like window dressing than helping to shape the narrative and the adults present are mostly ignored - but it did not hold me back from having a grand o' time.
Tim is really not having the best of times when Elliott comes along and suggests that ridiculous plan of his. The magical egg-baby is just the tip of the iceberg. And it's just fun to watch them stumble around each other, going from teasing to friendlier banter, having a few heart-to-hearts and clearly falling for each other (well clearly to the reader). You get all the funny moments you would expect from their school assignment and I did not mind how convenient some of those egg reactions were. I also thought the bisexual representation was excellent.
The last third of the story has a little more serious tone that drives the rest of the narrative to a satisfying conclusion even if I still have plenty of unanswered questions.

While I am in favor of YA tackling topics of sexuality and sex, I think the balance between horny teenagers and plot-relevant moments could have been balanced better. Since the book does not go into explicit details (rightfully so), it also means that many of the scenes ended up feeling the same as the character development was stagnant and their situation remained unchanged.

I love it!!!!!! It really was a journey reading this. I loved it. Is a really good narrative. I love every single thing of this. I will be reading this real soon.

I want to talk about this book’s stunning cover more than I know what to say about its content. I was hooked pretty fast and really enjoyed the coming-of-age direction it took early on in the story, but then soon realized that was all it was to be about. Even the fact that there’s (allegedly) magic seemed like a pretense to me, then banter and nemesis soon disappeared. I tried, I really did, but I just couldn’t finish the last 30%. It’s not bad, per se, I just had no interest in knowing how it ended.

Tim Te Maro and Elliot Parker.

Kind of enemies but kind of not. Both attend a magic school but I’ll be honest, the “magic” part wasn’t very flushed out. It was more of a backstory. I would’ve loved to have seen more.

This is geared toward YA but it was actually pretty steam heavy in the middle. Not detailed but still there and still a big part of the chunk. For a heavy romance reader like myself it wasn’t quite enough but more than I was expecting for this genre.

The story was fairly interesting. It kept my attention for most of the book but the meat of the story was a bit too off center. I liked the storytelling and the prose so overall I really enjoyed this story and I’m interested in what other stories this author can give us.

A magical enemies to lovers story. Tim Te Maro has never gotten along with fellow magical classmate Elliott. However, when they are paired up to take care of an egg baby, they realize there is attraction underneath their dislike.

I wish the magic had been more obvious. It seemed more like a back note. I also didn't get as much of a connection early on from Tim and Elliott (I know their "enemies" at first, but even usually there is more spark). Good premise, ok execution for me.