Thank you Delacorte Press and Random House Children’s for the advanced copy of this book and thank you to @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Favorite Quote: “I fell for someone who is from another world but who feels more like home than any place possibly could.”

Evie is on a school trip to Venice, the inspiration behind her hidden obsession, Elven Realms, a series of novels set in its beautiful city, when she hears rumors of an underground fan club and she sneaks out (in her cutest Elven Realms inspired costume, mask included) to see if she can discover where the club meets. Along the way she stumbles, literally, into someone else dressed in Elven Realms garb and strikes up a friendship. Together they search for clues and share their love of the series but the more time she spends with “Angelo” the more Evie begins to wonder if the masked stranger is really a such stranger after all?

I had such a fun time reading and listening to Love Unmasked! I love a well written YA and this one more than fits that bill. The tension and banter between Evie and Gabriel is so great and the setting is fantastic. I really enjoyed exploring with Evie and her classmates during the day and then getting to tag along as Evie snuck out to celebrate her favorite fandom at night. I thought that the whole story came together beautifully and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a tried and true YA.

This book is just the sweetest! It’s my first by Becky Dean but it won’t be my last! I’ve already been eyeing her hit from last year called, Heart’s Overboard!

Read if you like:
✩ YA
✩ Grumpy x Sunshine
✩ Hidden Identity
✩ No Spice
✩ Travel Romance
✩ Celebration of Fandoms

Audio Notes: Elena Rey did such a great job narrating this story! She had me hooked right from the start! I would definitely recommend the audio of this one!

It wouldn’t be summer without a fantastic Becky Dean release 😊

I loved this addition to her completed works and was left feeling so happy during and after my read!

What I liked about the book:
I love the grumpy x sunshine trope and that’s exactly what we got in Evie and Gabe! Evie was a people-pleasing, rule following (for the most part…), popular girl/teachers’ pet, while Gabe was a misunderstood, grumpy loner who was assigned to the teacher’s pet.

I loved watching these two banter, especially once they found out more about each other and started to grow a friendship. Their chemistry was so good that I yearned for the next conversation when they were apart. We learned so much about them and I feel that they were able to give each other perspectives they hadn’t considered before, which lead to character growth for both of them. While Gabe learned that he could open up to people, Evie learned that it was alright to put herself first.

In typical Becky Dean fashion, this book was super swoony!! Not only did we have the sarcastic bad boy fall for the goodie two shoes, but we had the goodie two shoes who could take everything he dished and serve it back! The romantic tension was phenomenal, as always!

I loved following these two around Venice during the day, journeying with them through all the historical points of interest and learning some facts I didn’t know. I also loved following Evie and “Angelo” as they explored more hidden parts of the city to live out their “nerd fantasies” associated with a popular fantasy series. Dean truly captured what it feels like to travel and feel like the world is your oyster as a teen stepping away from home for the first time.

Speaking of the fantasy series, Becky Dean always brings the nerd culture references to her books, but she truly outdid herself this time by creating a whole separate world within the world: the Elven Realms universe (side note: that’s totally inspired by LOTR right???). I loved the experiences the group put together for the fans of the series, watching Evie connect with others about her secret obsession, and the overall “I’m sneaking out after hours, but it’s to LARP” rebellion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance, and Becky Dean for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

4.25 STARS!

4⭐️
Thoughts: clichéd romance story but cool plot regardless! Although she has a very different personality than mine, I connected with the main character a lot in this book as she has the same hobbies as me (reading and drawing). I loved the fmc’s friend group, they had such a cute dynamic especially with their “what are you thinking?” game that resulted in so many funny moments in the book, it makes me want to play it irl with my friends. I love how the author brought the fictional book series, “Elven Realms” that we saw mentioned in Love & Other Great Expectations to life in this book. It was really fun to hear about this whole other book series within Love Unmasked including characters, settings, and costumes; the author even included a short guide to the Elven Realms at the end of the book. I appreciated the cosplay and secret club elements, they were so fun to read about! I loved how she set the scene for Venice, learning about the setting has been my favorite part of each of the four books that Becky Dean has published, It’s clear that she does an impressive amount of research for her books. One thing I didn’t like/thought was weird was how Evie, the fmc, hides her love of books, it just seems like an odd thing to be embarrassed about imo as reading is an incredibly common hobby.

Genre: romance
POV: first person, past tense
Trope: grumpy x sunshine, rivals to lovers

Age rating: 12+
Violence: none
Romance: a few non-semi descriptive kisses, hand holding
Drinking/drugs/smoking: none
Language: none

Trigger warnings:
- death of parent

Publish date: 15-July-2025
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for providing an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Popular girl and extreme overachiever Evie Whitmore has a secret: she’s a nerd. A big one. A huge fan of the book series the Elven Realms, she hasn’t shared her love for it with anyone since her dad, who read the series with her, died. Based on the canals of Venice, it turns out there’s a secret club for fans to visit based on it there, and funnily enough, Evie’s class is going on a trip.

So she has to form a master plan: sneak out to the club at night, tour the city by day, and yet there’s one small snag- her project partner for the trip is the extremely rude, antisocial Gabriel Martinez. But as the two get to know each other by day, and Evie begins to form a friendship with another masked fan during the night, her worlds begin to collide.

Can she reveal herself to the mysterious boy known as Angelo? Or will she be forced to remain a nerd in secret forever?

Love Unmasked was a fantastic love letter to fan culture. No matter if it’s a book series, a tv show, or a movie, fans will always find a way to get together and celebrate what they have in common. I loved the setting in Venice, seeing the city through the lense of a fan as the books she loved came to life! Gabriel and Evie are the definition of “girl who yaps, boy who listens,” and I am here for this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Underlined for the e-arc in exchange for my review! Love Unmasked releases on July 15th!

It was a light fun book that takes place in Venice, Italy. I enjoyed this book, but probably wouldn’t reread this book. I would recommend this though.

This is an ARC from NetGalley. A YA romance set in Italy with opposites attract troupe. I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters and how the location was worked into the story. The ending felt a bit lackluster, and felt like a missed opportunity. #netgalley #loveunmasked #ya #romance #italy

Delightful, inspiring, comedic, and romantic. The awesome FMC is discovering herself and what she wants in life while also making a new friend in a beautiful city.
This is a great read for anyone who loves exploring a new city, dismantling first impressions, or tackling your fears and learning to be proudly your whole self.

The Lizzie McGuire movie vibes with a little hidden identity, masks, and obsession with the Elven Realm books.

Evie is on a trip with classmates to Venice where she’s heard about secret gatherings for people who are in love with the Elven Realm books. These books have a special meaning because it’s something she and her dad bonded over before he passed. However, she’s afraid of being viewed as a ‘nerd’ and keeps her obsession a secret.

She sneaks out several times to find and go to these gatherings and ends up bumping into a guy around her age that’s equally in love with the series. She has a suspicion on who the masked guy could be. This story was super cute and fun to read!

Thanks Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for the ARC!

This - this is a YA romance done right. It was so powerful. I really enjoy that despite this being a lighter YA romance vibe read, it has excellent reminders like following your heart, enjoying your hobbies for YOURSELF, and setting boundaries.

Fasten your seatbelt, and prepare to be transported to Venice, by day the beautiful city, and by night a secret place where book fans gather in masks and costumes. Evie is a the perfect student, but she has a secret. Gabriel is nothing but secrets with a chip on his shoulder. When the two of them are assigned to be partners, it feels impossible at first. Slowly, the ice begins to thaw between them. What about Angelo, the mystery guy? Be prepared to be swept off to Venice and entangled in a sweet romance.

swoony and fun romance in the daytime. the two characters bond so well there that i almost feel that nighttime was a bit superfluous, although exciting and interesting. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Becky Dean is such a good YA author! This book is so vivid and having been to Venice, brought me back to my trip there years ago. I love the fantasy fan tie in. This book has multiple chaste kisses with high school seniors on a school trip. The pacing is steady, the intrigue and excitement is consistent to keep pushing you along. I will always recommend Becky Dean to middle grade, young adult and adult readers that love stories in different parts of the world.

This is a perfect summer read. A contemporary YA romance truly suitable for YA readers, this story weaves the complexity of grieving a parent, navigating setting healthy boundaries, as well as learning to be vulnerable with trusted friends in an adventurous romp through Venice Italy. This story gives all the vibes of a feel good early 2000’s high school flick in a beautifully described setting.

If you enjoyed Bye Forever I Guess but are looking for a slightly more mature romance look no further.

<I>"a mask let you choose to be anyone you wanted, and go figure, i had apparently decided to be one hundred percent me."</I>

<b>plot</b>
tbh...going into this, i had low expectations considering i didnt like hearts overboard, so that definitely helped because this book was extremely stereotypical. its popular group and nerd group and oh my gosh my social status is going to die if i get caught touching a fantasy book AHHH. that was like the only annoying part about it, and we could have gone without it. i enjoyed going on the little scavenger hunt for the secret club clues, and the shared love she had with her dad over the books (although i wish this was fleshed out a lil more), and the school assignment, but now that i think of it, we never saw the completed assignment LOL. anyways.

the theme was like "you can be a fan of something even if youre not totally obsessed"/ "you can say no to people and have healthy boundaries"/ "you can open up and trust people more without assuming theyre all bad" and ik this because it might as well have been lit up in a neon sign saying "THIS IS THE THEME. THE THEME IS HERE, AND ITS THIS". i got it, thanks.

but basically just expect lots of exploring in italy! and cosplay and secret fan clubs.

<b>characters</b>
ah, my favorite part

<I>evie</I>
so aside from her being like this:
"actually, i would likely crack under pressure and immediately admit the wrongdoing so no one else got in trouble, because I WAS A HUGE DORK LIKE THAT." (emphasis added by yours truly)
and the fact that she was so scared of her classmates finding out she liked fantasy books (ABSOLUTELY ABHORRENT LIKE HOW DARE SHE LOVE A HUGE GENRE OF LITERATURE OMG THE WORLD IS ENDINGGGGG) that she (prepare yourself) shoved a piece of paper in her mouth to hide it and then proceeded to gag it back up... um... mom pick me up im scared. how was she not more nervous for people seeing her throw up paper like a vulture?
but yeah, aside from that, she was pretty good mc! i liked her well enough lol. she had hobbies (art) and was kinda relatable!

<I>"you can never have too many rhinestones," gabe muttered.
"I'm putting that in the yearbook as your senior quote."</I>

<I>"i think he's the type i didnt know i wanted but that i need. the rumors are wrong. he didnt get arrested, he didnt go to juvie, he didnt terrorize hamsters-"</I>

<I>gabriel</I>
call him gilbert blythe 2.0 for how many times his eyebrows moved to express his emotions
anyways,
i was eating up gabe and evie's banter hehehe. theyre the perfect couple bc they have some similarities, but theyre personalities are so opposite. he's, in evie's words, "mr. zero words. mr. unappreciative. mr. broody loner." who is secretly a softie and very introspective (we all know and love the overused type LOL)
he barely smiled or laughed much so evie made it her goal to get him to and it was just so adorable. if youve read powerful it was basically a mak and adena situation.
not to make yet another reference to another book, but gabriel also did the mr. darcy hand flex LOL.
he's just a chill guy...the embodiment of unbothered, moisturized, happy, in my lane.
but someone get this man a canal.
he needs them to live.

<I>misc.</I>
ive never been more confused than when i read: "are you carrying a phaser? because your beauty stuns me. beam me up, hottie." WHAT LOL (dw it was not gabriel saying that)

i liked how the conflict at the end was fixed...like instead of one character going to make amends, both of them did. it wasnt just one person apologizing, and the issue didn't last very long which i appreciated bc i hate miscommunication

id definitely recommend if youre in the mood for a lighthearted palette cleanser! the vibes are fun and adventurous, perfect for summer :)

cw: kissing, romantic tension

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for accepting my request for this arc of Love Unmasked.

This novel seems like the perfect rom-com for the high school and maybe even college age. Although I wasn’t able to fully connect because I’m older, I will say there were some cute moments and the writing gives off a good flow that is easy to follow.

Definitely would recommend this to the younger audience or the younger people in my life.

3.75/4 ⭐️

Every time Becky Dean publishes a new book, I say it’s my new favorite Becky Dean book. And for Love Unmasked, it’s true yet again. I adore all her books, but the concept of a girl sneaking out to find a secret club for her favorite fandom and meeting a masked stranger is too good not to love. Pair that with strong banter, the best kind of romantic tension, and all the lovely details and descriptions of Venice, and I fell head over heels for this book.

I really love the way this story plays out. The juxtaposition of Evie during the day exploring Venice with her classmates versus Evie at night sneaking out to indulge in her favorite fandom is such a great vein to explore. I adore everything Becky Dean includes in this book about fandoms and nerd culture, and the theme of staying true to one self and what they enjoy has such a strong message for the YA audience.

Some elements might come across a little predictable, but I appreciate the lengths Becky went to keep readers guessing as to who might be under the mask. The theme of masks in general was also nicely done all around.

In addition, I adore Gabriel and his perspective so much. I love when two characters can complement each other in such great ways. I also like that the characters learn there are consequences for their actions. Not enough YA books address this in a realistic way.

Love Unmasked has everything that I expected from a Becky Dean book--great descriptions of a place that give me a longing for travel, banter and adorable romance, great friendships, and layers of story that indulge both the cute and fluffy moments and the serious, soul-searching ones. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year!

Evie is on a school art trip to Venice to study art & architecture and unexpectedly gets paired with the new student, Gabriel, on their class project. At first, Gabriel seems like a loner and immune to Evie's perfectionist, friendly charms, but Evie is initially more worried about finding a secret Elven Realms underground fan club devoted to her favorite fantasy series, which is also set in Venice. With her best friend's help, she's able to sneak out in her self/designed costume and ends up meeting the mysterious Angelo, another student staying at her hotel who is also an Elven Realms fan. Throughout the week, they explore the club, but keep their identities secret.

Meanwhile, during the day, Evie grows closer to Gabriel, but is he Angelo, or is it someone else? This was the only part of the story that wasn't quite believable. They spend all night together in a mask, but yet don't recognize voices/mannerisms, etc? It was obvious that Gabriel was Angelo! However, the fun of watching Evie truly be herself, share her fan art, and learn to stand up for her own needs while falling for Gabriel and learning why he often withdraws from others made this a strong read. I love the magic of Venice, & Dean does such a great job describing the city with its winding canals, many bridges, and terra cotta buildings. Our high school kids who love cosplay/fantasy would like get a kick out of this!

Thank you to Netgalley & Delacorte for the e-ARC. This one is out July 15th.

Evie is universally liked by everyone. Except Gabriel. So of course he becomes her partner on what feels like the most important project ever. Beyond being a lighthearted romance though, this book dives into the lasting effects of grief, the fear of the unknown, and the doubts we have about ourselves.

I enjoyed all of the aspects of this read and recommend it for teens and adults.

I'm trying to fairly review this as an adult who didn't realize this was a high school romance, but overall I didn't love it. I think the concept of another book series being the focus of this one really worked. I was pretty bored by everything to do with the Elven Realms. Otherwise I thought it was fine and cute. If someone is looking for a clean romance for their teen, this would be a good one. Personally just felt like it dragged a bit. I have read and enjoyed other high school romance books (ex: Lynne Painter) so I know it's not only that I felt like I was reading about children.

4.5 stars, rounded up for netgalley

My Quick Takes:
- 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 none/brief kisses
- Content 🤔 past death of parent

Let’s hear it for a TRUE 👏🏼 YA 👏🏼. Love Unmasked gives The Lizzie McGuire Movie meets Lord of the Rings cosplay and I ate it up!! This story was SO CUTE! And perfect for the high school aged reader.

The main characters are 18, on spring break in Venice, and working through big topics like fitting in, where to go to college, and what career to pursue, as well as fun teen topics like “is he flirting with me” and hand-holding/first kiss kind of butterflies.

For the extra cautious parent, the main character sneaks out at night, violating the school’s spring break trip rules.

This is the first book I’ve read by Becky Dean and oh my word I can’t wait to read more!