I was first drawn to this book because of the adorable cover! I loved the pink! This had all the makings of a cute YA. I enjoyed the premise and had high hopes for the story. Sadly, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The book had a lot going on and the pacing felt off. It also read a bit immature for YA.

I was impressed with Macy’s ambition, but she wasn’t a character I wanted to root. I also didn’t see her being a character young readers would be able to relate to. I did find Caleb on the other hand, to be a very likable character. I’m also not sure about the romance between Caleb and Macy. They didn’t seem like the right match to me.

There were aspects of the story that felt undeveloped and rushed. I wish the mystery had been a little better flushed out. I felt like we were left with some unanswered questions.

Overall, a YA with a lot of promise. I think it just needed some more flushing out and maybe a little less going on. I do think a lot of people will enjoy this one, it just wasn’t my favorite.

A big thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc. I totally loved the book and the characters so much!! Didn't really see that ending coming...

I'll post full reviews all over my social media platforms by the end of November.

Wowzaa!! An electrifying and poetic read for romcom lovers! Danielle Parker has spun a golden tale of broken kinship, loss, first loves and bonds in a fittingly bookish setting.
Macy and Caleb are overshadowed by their respective parents literary accolades, find themselves in a romantic book writing retreat. Their inner conflicts, meshed within a search for a lost manuscript, makes this a multi hued read, catering to a variety of genres.

I was able to complete the book in a day. Thank you Danielle for the beautiful tale and special thankyous to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for the ArC!!

If you like your YA with romance, family feuds, a writing retreat, and some good mystery, Love on Paper might be a great fit for you!

I enjoyed the main characters of Macy and Caleb a lot. They are both children of famous writers, and they know there's some bad blood between their families - but they don't know what exactly. So they can't deny their chemistry when they are at the same 4-week writing summer camp in California.

They find out the theme of the camp is romance writing, and their focus go to recently deceased writer Betty Quinn, a prolific author who seems to have left a trail of clues for the young writers.

Pros:
- Always, always glad to have YA with people of color, and lots of diversity
- Sweet romance between the two characters and no huge miscommunication
- Caleb has some grief and trauma from losing his mom; Macy has a hard relationship with her mom and her parents have been married and divorced twice. They help each other deal with these things in a healthy way.

Not my favorite:
- As an adult reader, I just wasn't sure this was tied together super well. I didn't quite get where we ended up with the mystery OR the family issues.
- I wanted to feel more of the chemistry between Macy and Caleb.
- I felt like the modern day teen talk might be outdated in a few years.

For me as an adult, this was a fine and readable YA romance. I'm glad that Joy Revolution is giving voice to new authors, and I look forward to seeing what comes next from this publisher and author.

This was a fun book with heart and wit. A YA-romance, the book would be great for middle through college students, and I enjoyed it as well. The main characters, Macy and Caleb, are a cute couple of literary nepo-babies who want to make their own mark in the publishing world. There is a bit of a Romeo and Juliet issue, with their families apparently hating each other, but in the liminal space of a prestigious writing camp, they are able to explore their feelings while trying to solve a mystery about the world's biggest romance writer, one that involves the early days of their parents' literary careers as well.

I liked that the book covered the privilege both kids have from growing up in the literary and publishing industries, but it also showed how each was creating their own work, looking for their own voice, and attempting to move out from their parents' limelight rather than riding coat-tails to publishing success. Parker showed Macy and Caleb's growth as writers, taking them from writer's block through strong short stories even as she pulls us and her characters through the mystery of the romance writer and her legacy.

The book heavily delves into themes of what legacy means and how to create a legacy, as well as the struggles teens go through trying to both emulate and break away from their parents. As a high school teacher, I found the characters real and relatable, even if the book ends of a slightly-too-good-to-be-true ending. Although, don't we read rom-com novels for the happy ending?

Overall, a fun read, great for HS, clean and cute romance.

Love on Paper is a cute YA book about a young author who comes from a family of successful writers meeting another young author at a youth writing retreat who comes from a family of successful authors. How their own passion for writing can stand up to family legacy while getting along with their peers and maybe falling in love. It is a nice story and I individually liked the characters. They are super young dealing with some heavy topics (the book is not heavy). The book jumps around a lot and the pacing is a bit off. For someone who really dislikes her mother and wants nothing to do with her, Macy sure does obsess over her. Overall this is a good story that falls short. On a plus side, Caleb is a super cute MMC and really makes the book better. For a YA book it does contain enough to keep younger readers interested.

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Parker, and Joy Revolution for an advanced digital copy of this book.

I will say while I’m glad I finished this book, it didn’t grab my attention right away! It was cute and I always love the summer theme! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Maybe it was just the timing but I could not connect with this story. It had so many plot points that should be right up my alley but I never invested in the many storylines going on. The love connection didn't make a ton of sense to me but I did love the writing retreat setting. I will explore more from this author but this one was just okay to me.

'Love on Paper' is such a cozy read. The central romance is satisfyingly soft and supportive. Sometimes you crave romances where their central conflict isn't their compatibility and this duo fills that need perfectly. There's a lovely blend of romance, personal creativity and self confidence, grief and complicated family dynamics with a side of mystery here. Parker's voice feels modern in the dialogue and prose, but one that feels timelessly relatable for years to come. Bonus points for excellent romance references and a Cheesecake Factory scene.

This novel was an incredibly enjoyable twist on a romantic comedy. I adore stories that include a bit of a low-key mystery element, and this one nailed it. The characters were delightful, and watching them collaborate to unravel a mystery was entertaining. I highly suggest it! Plus, the cover is absolutely adorable!

I feel like this had potential, but it was under developed. The “generational rivalry” between the two families was never explained, and the relationship between Macy and Caleb was weak. I found him to be insufferable. Every time Macy mentioned her family, especially his mom, he would get angry and storm off. I get that they agreed to not talk about their families and how he might be sensitive about the topic of mothers, but I feel like that was too much. Like if Macy mentioned how something they were going together was something she used to do with her mom, or that her mom liked this one thing, he’d get mean. I didn’t see any sort of evidence at all that they cared for each other, and this wasn’t enjoyable at all. It felt extremely under developed and rushed. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone, I’m extremely disappointed.

Love on Paper was such a sweet and fun romance to read. I loved the writing retreat setting and mystery surrounding Betty Quinn. Macy and Caleb were a really cute couple and the dynamic with Macy’s parents was interesting too. Love on Paper was a fun and fast read that I recommend to any other reader & enjoyer of YA romance books.

Thank you to Danielle Parker and Joy Revolution for an advanced copy of Love on Paper. While I was provided this ARC it was in exchange for an unbiased review. This book was absolutely a 4 star read. It was really a coming of age story where a girl finds herself at a writing retreat. Throw in a little mystery, a little love, and a whole lot of healing, you’ve got a recipe for happily ever after. It was sweet and charming, and a little silly at times. It’s a YA just over 200 pages with nothing more than a kiss or two. It’s appropriate for kids and a quick palate cleanser for adults.

Macy is the daughter of famous authors who is trying to find her own voice. Imagine her surprise when she’s at a writing retreat for young adult authors aspiring to be romance writers when she’s never been in love. With the help of her friends, an author’s mysterious life, and a budding romance, she’s able to find her voice and heal some of her personal traumas.

Starting off with what I like: the cover. The pink background, green typewriter, and cup of coffee are adorable! I love how it immediately shows you the book’s genre and target age range (I still haven’t recovered from seeing "Icebreakers" in the children’s section of my local library.) I definitely think "Love on Paper" caters to the younger side of YA, but I can see adults looking for a light-hearted read enjoying this, too.

I want to start by thanking the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. I thought this book was pretty good. Not exactly what I thought it was going to be, but still good.

In a short, condensed version that I hope no one ever reads because I feel really bad, this book just wasn't for me. I can't even pinpoint what it was about the book that just didn't hit for me. Maybe it was the main character, who seemed to have zero personality, or maybe it was the love interest that I just found insufferable. Maybe it was the "best friend" that was so annoying. Or maybe it was just me. It was probably just me. One thing that I can say is that the author didn't seem to show, she just told. There were multiple instances where she would introduce a character and just have them state every single aspect of their lives. Like, "My name is (insert name here) and I'm a girl with blonde hair and dark eyes. I'm a Virgo, my birthday is (insert Virgo birthday). My parents don't like each other so they separated when I was ten. That caused issues. My favorite color is blue. I hate mushrooms. I'm allergic to cats." And so on and so forth. It seemed blunt and quite frankly took me out of the narrative. It just didn't seem natural, and it confused me. Again, this has nothing to do with the author herself, it's just a personal reading peeve of mine.

All that to be said, this book just wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It had so much potential in my mind to be great, but it just wasn't my taste, and that's fine. Thank you so much for this ARC, and I hope I'm able to get another one in the future.

The book captures a compelling mystery element, primarily centered around academic rivalry. I found myself wishing for a deeper exploration of the 'enemies to lovers' trope between Caleb and Macy, as the romance aspect seemed somewhat lackluster. Caleb is a very sweet character. It felt as though there was untapped potential. The conclusion also lacked the expected climax. Nevertheless, it serves as a decent read for those seeking a brief and pleasant experience, potentially acting as a refreshing palate cleanser following a more intense read.

Do you ever find a book that sounds like it’s written for you? One that has all your favorite tropes sandwiched between an adorable cover? I thought I would love this book, and nobody is more disappointed than I am that it ended up being an okay read. 

Starting off with what I like: the cover. The pink background, green typewriter, and cup of coffee are so stinking adorable! I love how it immediately shows you the book’s genre and target age range (I still haven’t recovered from seeing “Icebreakers” in the children’s section of my local library.) I definitely think “Love on Paper” caters to the younger side of YA, but I can see adults looking for a light-hearted read enjoying this, too. 

“Love on Paper” follows Macy, an aspiring author hoping to escape her parents’ shadow and establish herself as a writer. She applies for Pennovation (an annual teen writing retreat) and starts taking her work seriously. I think a writing retreat is such a cool setting! I love reading novels about writers and book lovers. This story delivers on that end! 

I also really like this book’s mystery subplot. It has hidden clues, a missing manuscript, and a hollowed-out book filled with thousands of dollars in cash (sign me up for the next visit to that library!). I think the mystery element is a great addition to the story. 

If mysteries aren’t your thing, there’s also a healthy dollop of scholarly competition among the characters. The writer’s retreat comes with the opportunity to have the students’ work published in an anthology (a collection of short stories). I’m a huge fan of the rivals-to-lovers trope, and while we don’t get that here (Caleb is a total cinnamon role, especially where Macy is concerned), I still think it’s a cool spin. 

Unfortunately, I also feel like that’s where this book falls short. It tries so hard to be something, but it juggles so many subplots that it fails to deliver on any of them. The missing manuscript’s grand reveal is underwhelming, the romance is bland, Macy’s rocky relationship with her mother barely has any page space, and the writing competition feels like it’s resolved as an afterthought. I wish the author focused on one or two of these plots instead of throwing them in a blender and hoping it works out. 

Which brings me to my last complaint: the pacing. With so much going on, I thought the story would be fast-paced and hold my attention. Unfortunately, I never felt any urgency or connection to the story that made me want to keep reading. That’s my experience, though, and I’m sure this book will find plenty of readers who love it!

I think this book is perfect for readers on the younger side of YA. It covers a lot of teenage experiences (first love, new friends, a summer camp-ish retreat, etc.), and I can definitely see this story resonating with that audience. Overall, I’m giving it 3.5/5 stars! 

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.