Mason Deaver is a gem of the queer ya community and I hope to see more of their books in the future! This was a sweet, light-hearted read with plenty of queer welcoming and great atmosphere.

I enjoyed Mason Deaver's next book -- I chose to request it because I greatly enjoyed the author's previous book. I am a fan of their writing and will keep reading anything that they write.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I am so sad that it took me so long to catch up on ARCs, because this was stellar!!

I love books with welcoming queer atmospheres. Makes me want to crawl inside & live there. This is a light & easy read. I feel like this book was meant for me because I love comforting stories, that bring a smile to my face.

Cannot recommend this enough for anyone wanting an uplifting quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for a copy of the ARC!

This YA tale of a cupid who catches feelings for a human and all that comes after is precious. I love Deaver's writing and the way they get you inside the characters' heads. You feel their authenticity without any preaching.

I was guessing about the ending up until the very last page.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. Whenever you hear about cupids, it’s usually a little cherub shooting arrows, or an adult engineering chance encounters and meet cutes. Having a teen cupid, going through normal teen-age angst, is a refreshing new twist.

I don’t want to give spoilers away with this review, so I’m going to try to keep things pretty vague.

I loved the characters, especially Jude, and having the entire story told from their point of view was perfect. Especially since Jude feels everything, and feels it deeply. He makes a great cupid because he cares so much, but I also think that he is so deserving of being a human. The fact that he has to miss out on so much because of his cupid-ness is heartbreaking.

On the human side, Huy and Alice are both complicated. They are more reserved with their feelings, because they were both hurt and confused in the past. Once they get to know Jude (and repair their own past issues), they really open up and become great friends. Neve is perfect as the bridge between everyone.

Then there’s the cupids; Richard is mentioned frequently, but is really only in one scene. I didn’t really like him that much. Leah was more present and supported Jude to an extent, but there were times I felt that she kept them from being truly happy. That leaves Cal, I have mixed feelings about him. I figured out his motives pretty early in the story, and as things progressed, I could see him working towards his own interests. I do suspect that Cal redeemed himself in the end, but that isn’t confirmed.

I was so rooting for Jude through the entire story, and I really wanted them to get their happy ending. The ending of the book is very open-ended, which part of me likes, because I can take the story anywhere I want in my head. But another part of me really wants a solid resolution, and we don’t get one. So I choose to believe that Jude gets to spend their life with their true soul mate.

Disclaimer: I received a DRC on behalf of the publisher through Net Galley for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay, Cupid follows the story of Jude, a teenage Cupid whose purpose on earth is to help humans fall in love. After Jude breaks one of the sacred rules of being a Cupid, they are put on probation and given the chance to redeem themself through a month-long assignment where they must attend high school and help two former best friends reconcile and become something more. Unfortunately, as Jude befriends them and grows more involved in their lives, things begin to go awry and Jude wonders whether they know all that much about love afterall.
This book was really fun! Jude was an endearing main character to follow and I enjoyed their story, from their struggle with figuring out what being a Cupid versus being a human really meant to them, to the way they worked through how they felt most comfortable expressing their Agender identity. The way they spoke about their identity felt informative yet also natural within the story and most, if not all, of the other significant characters in this book were LGBTQ+ too so the representation was great.
There were some very sweet friendships in this book, though there wasn’t much development in those relationships, as they formed pretty instantaneously. We also didn’t see that much of a focus on them but whenever scenes did feature moments of friendship, I enjoyed them. Most of all, though, I was delighted by the romance! The official book summary doesn’t mention who the love interest is so I’ll leave it out too in order to avoid spoilers, but the relationship that person developed with Jude was so adorable. Their banter was great and I loved watching the two of them get to know each other, form a friendship, and slowly but surely fall in love.
The relationship between Jude and their guardian, Leah, on the other hand, left something to be desired. Leah was an adult Cupid who raised Jude because, if I’m understanding correctly, Jude’s parents were also Cupids and Cupid parents don’t have time to raise their own kids. Jude said numerous times that they loved Leah and looked at her like a sister, but they didn’t interact much throughout the book and most of the times they did were very tense. Leah seemed secretive, unsupportive, and more concerned with what she wanted for Jude than what they wanted for themself. It felt like the actual relationship we saw between them conflicted with the way Jude described it but their dynamic wasn’t explored enough to be completely sure.
As for the Cupid aspect of the story, it wasn’t the most thoroughly explained. It’s not really clear whether Cupids are a different species than humans, how they came to exist, or what exactly the capabilities and limitations are of their powers. That said, there is enough information provided for most of what happens in the story to make sense so unless you are someone who needs to understand every aspect of the magic in a book, it probably won’t negatively impact your reading experience; at least it didn’t impact mine.
Unfortunately, the ending of this book kind of ruined it for me. I won’t say much because, again, I don’t want to spoil anything but it was extremely open-ended. Jude’s future was very unclear, it made me a bit confused, and in a lot of ways, I felt like it made the rest of the book pointless. Therefore, I would say if you don’t mind endings like that and you’re looking for great queer representation, magical realism, and a fun young adult romance you should give this one a try. It was well-written and fast-paced and if you don’t think the ending will bother you, you might really like this. However, if you prefer a more concrete ending where you’ll leave off certain of what’s happened and where the characters have ended up, then this one is most likely not for you.

Jude is a teenage cupid on probation, sent to a high school to get two best friends to see that they’re meant to be together. Unfortunately, right now, they’re not talking to each other. Jude is nonbinary, and this also has a trans masculine main character.

Quick and easy read about a Cupid who ends up being affected more by romance than those they are trying to help find true love.

Jude is a Cupid-tasked with helping humans find true love. They’ve had a stellar run until a bit of mishap where they might have fallen in love themselves.

Remedial Cupid duty might have helped heal their heart but the heart still wants what it wants. Jude’s assignment at a new high school brings a lot more than they expected.

Is love just for humans? Ok, Cupid gives us an answer to that question.

This book had a cute premise and the characters were engaging and interesting. The world building was a little thin.

Overall cute YA with a diverse cast and engaging first person narrative

3,5 stars

So this was objectively adorable. I love the premise and I loved the main character but after sitting with it for a day or two and looking at some other reviews, I realized that I want more. The entire idea of Cupids is fascinating to me but it was incredibly underdeveloped for a book called Okay, Cupid. The magical system was barely talked about and even the cupids themselves are such a small part of this book that it doesn't actually make a lot of sense.

I am always very wary of books involving soulmates or Cupid or arranged relationships because I think so much of that can fall into amatonormativity and unfortunately this book does fall a little bit into that category. Despite Jude, the MC, knowing that cupids can match people for romantic or platonic connections, they are completely unable to grasp that concept as it relates to their own experiences with the kids they're working with. They're also super blind to other queer relationships and that's totally cool, teenagers are selfish and have a one-track mind sometimes and that is all good. I love messy characters but I do think it could have been done a little bit better.

*DNF*

Unfortunately, I’m getting too old for YA and this was a prime example of it. The concept was interesting but there was not enough depth into it for me to finish this.

"Okay, Cupid" by Mason Deaver had all the promising ingredients for a captivating read: a supernatural twist on matchmaking, teenage protagonists grappling with love, and a non-binary x trans guy romance. However, the execution falls flat on multiple fronts.

The concept of cupids as supernatural creatures guiding love is intriguing, but the storyline's credibility suffers from inconsistencies. The protagonist, Jude, being a chosen Cupid but struggling with their role, feels contrived and unnecessary, detracting from the story's immersion.

Furthermore, the lack of realistic adult supervision and intervention in Jude's life, especially given their struggles and probationary status, strains believability. It's hard to fathom why responsible adults wouldn't intervene or offer guidance.

Moreover, the decision to place a teen with romance issues back into a high school setting for their first case post-probation seems unrealistic and illogical. Any sensible adult would prioritize keeping Jude away from potential romantic entanglements.

While the premise holds promise, the execution falls short. The writing style, while not reaching the depth and polish expected from an experienced author, still manages to convey the story. The humor and character voices, while not resonating with all readers, can still provide some engagement with the story.

The lack of sufficient world-building and character development undermines the story's potential. The intriguing concept of cupids remains underexplored, leaving readers wanting more depth and context.

Overall, "Okay, Cupid" disappoints as it fails to fully capitalize on its promising premise. It delivers an underdeveloped story and lacks narrative coherence and character depth.

A fun idea that struggled with the execution. The characters are layered and complex and well-done, but the ending didn't necessarily stick the landing.

3.75

This was definitely a quick and easy read. Huy was a lovely MMC and genuinely fun to read about!

My only complaints revolve around Jude and Cal — more separately than together. Jude was just so ‘lights on nobody home’ about… basically anything to do with love.. and it made reading their scenes with Huy difficult. I understand that they didn’t have experience when it came to that type of thing, not really anyway, but it felt like trudging through mud at some points. Cal was Cal. I didn’t expect the whole kiss thing, which I guess was the point of it, but it seemed sort of out of character and thrown in just for an additional plot point.

Still, I enjoyed my time reading the book!

A big thank you to PUSH and Mason Deaver for providing me with an ARC :)

I really enjoyed this!! Mason's writing style is enchanting and very easy to read. The character relationships were beautifully built and I fell in love with this book overall. Would love to read more of Mason's work in the future!

this book was so sweet!! my only problem was the dialogue, it just seemed so off sometimes, and i would’ve liked if they explored the Cupids more because i thought they were really interesting.

thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

I wanted to love this book, because I love Mason Deaver's writing and stories but book did not work with me. I struggled with the concept, there was very little background/world building in the book to help the reader understand cupids but at the same time, it was very slow to begin and I felt like the story was really weighed down in the beginning with Jude recounting their previous instance of falling in love and then getting put on probation.

Overall this book had too many plot holes for me to really enjoy it. With the concept of cupids not having a solid, well thought out and articulated foundation at the start of this book, it was hard to be invested in Jude's story and want for them to fall in love again and have it work out. Unfortunately this is not a book that I will be recommending but I am still a big fan of Deaver's and excited to see what books they write next.

Okay, Cupid is my first Mason Deaver book, though I own a couple and have even more on my TBR! It was a great one to start with, and appropriate for Valentine’s month. I love the magical addition of actual cupids, beings who orchestrate that perfect moment or moments that lead to a couple falling in love. Jude is a hopeless romantic, though they’re a cupid and are in charge of making love matches, rather than getting their own. After falling in love, and it being a spectacular failure because they’re a cupid, Jude is ready to prove themself to be the perfect cupid. If only they could resist falling in love again. How could they not, after all? It’s their first really long term assignment, all on their own, and of course they get paired up with the perfect guy.

With how bubbly and fun the characters are, each with their own personalities, Okay, Cupid was easy to fall into and enjoy; I finished it in only a handful of reading sessions. Huy is an amazing character. A good son, active in sports at school, with good friends and solid relationships outside of his budding friendship with Jude. He’s super athletic but also enjoys making mix tapes, on actual cassettes. I know modern teenagers might not realize what cassettes are, or how they work, and I love Huy for the nostalgia he gave me.

I would have liked more about the cupids in general. Perhaps a look at the older cupids and what they do on the daily. How they get their assignments, how they know who is on the verge of falling in love. Do they get an email with an assignment? Like a bizarre government agency? All clandestine and secretive except instead of nuclear codes and state secrets, it’s love. Which, honestly, is much more difficult to understand and manage, especially as a teenager navigating their first relationships.

I love how much respect is placed in the feelings of teenagers. People always discount the feelings of teenagers, dismissing them and telling them they can’t experience love or deep feelings because they aren’t old enough. Because of that, I would recommend this book for teens who enjoy romance with a little bit of supernatural thrown in. Also for people hoping to expand their repertoire of queer books. With a non-binary narrator and a transmasc love interest, this book is sure to please! I will certainly be reading more of Mason Deaver in the future and will definitely be digging into my bookshelf to finally read those books that have been on my shelf for months.

My heart was breaking by page 12 and I wanted to rip it out by page 16. Mason Deaver has done it again.

In this story, we follow Jude, a teenage Cupid, who is trying to live up to the expectations of the adults in their life while also finding their own identity and way. After a heartbreaking mess up, Jude is back in the field, determined to make up for their misstep and prove that they have what it takes to be a Cupid. Sent on a long assignment, where they’re tasked with making two former best friends fall in love, Jude is thrown into the human world of being a teenager.

Being a Cupid can be a very exciting and fulfilling career, but it also lends itself to being a lonely existence. Everyone you meet and interact with will forget your face once you’ve completed your assignment, and the roots you lay down are always temporary. Sure, Jude has their best friend, Cal, and mentors, Leah and Richard, but once they get fully licensed as a Cupid, they’ll be sent somewhere away from the only family they’ve ever known to start over again.

In their long-term assignment, Jude meets Alice, Huy, and Neve. The goal is to get Alice and Huy to reconcile after a fallout a few years back around the time Huy came out as trans. They have a goal and a deadline, but the more involved Jude gets in the lives of these three friends, the more they start questioning their purpose and path in life.

Jude faces an existential crisis when they try to figure out whether it’s braver to face the lonely road ahead that has been paved for them since birth or to forgo all they know and become human.

This book will have you feeling all the feels. Have tissues on hand because this one will make you sob.

In hindsight, I should not have requested a book that was T4T (non-binary x trans guy, in this case) romance. It just isn't what I prefer to read. It was just okay. The writing style wasn't for me and I couldn't connect to the characters. The romance didn't draw me in. The concept of cupids was so interesting and it was a fun idea, but the story lacked world building and background.