This was everything that I was looking for from a mystery-romance element that I was looking for. The concept had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall way the characters were used in this universe. Becky Dean has a strong writing style and enjoyed the journey in this.

I absolutely inhaled this book! I knew from the first page I was going to love it and it didn’t disappoint. What a fun concept, and I love YA books where the characters learn to embrace their quirks, their “nerdiness”. The writing is witty and fun, the banter/dialogue feel so real. Our MC’s inner thoughts are so relatable! I adored every second. This is one of those rare books I could read over and over and love every time. Can’t wait to get a physical copy!

tl;dr
A super cute grumpy/sunshine high school rom com with a relatable lead and a fun supporting cast. Weirdly, the part about masks and a secret club somehow feels superfluous.

Thoughts
I'm incredibly split on this book. I showed up expecting the thread about book-lovers donning masks and seeking out a secret club to be my favorite part. It's literally the point of the book, right? But not only was it not my favorite part, I don't think I liked it at all? But let's rewind and start with what DID wind up being my favorite part. Evie and Gabriel are very cute together. We get a touch of grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a heavy dose of "got off on the wrong foot" energy, and it was very sweet seeing them slowly open up to each other. The little sparks of joy Evie gets when she makes Gabriel smile were exceptionally cute, and the progression of their relationship felt very natural. Plenty of blushing, hand-holding, and some sweet kisses tie up the daytime arc as a very cute rom com. Other highlights of the daytime events include Evie's outgoing friend group (and a bonus rom com happening off screen with one of them), and a family where problems eventually get solved via open communication. Hooray for open communication!

But as much as I enjoyed the characters and their interpersonal interactions, I simply could not get into the plot. The promise of Evie using a mask to be "more herself" seems only half-fulfilled, as she doesn't really behave any differently as Fantasma. I'm not asking her to be an axe murderer in her downtime, but I had expected her to be a little more exploratory under the cover of anonymity. Maybe go back to all that piano she liked, but wasn't allowed to do? The closest we come is that she shows fanart to more people, but she was drawing fanart in front of Gabriel already, so even that doesn't feel like a huge leap.

Angelo is likewise very similar to his daytime self. I imagine his identity isn't supposed to be a huge secret for the reader, but I definitely expected there to be a starker contrast between the two of them in-world. An art-lover who doesn't care what other people think of him, encourages Evie to think more about herself, and makes clever jokes? I'm shocked Evie didn't pick up on it by night three even though by her admission, they have the same physical build.

But I think what threw me the most was the club itself. I expected a modest underground library or LARPers in a gym. Instead, we get something the scale and cost of a certain wizarding world, packed with a night market, a bar, an art gallery, monthly balls, LARP battles, and a fully recreated forest. It's an all-year convention, but at a significantly higher budget, run entirely by volunteers. How is this place functioning at all? Apparently the author funded the purchase of the building, but how is it still running? And surely the city of Venice can't be happy about this extremely large daily event where alcohol is being served. I would have believed it more if it turned out they found a literal portal to an elven realm. If I sound like a curmudgeon with all my gripes about where the money comes from and food service permits, I get it. It's supposed to be about the magic and connection and community that books bring us. I'm not supposed to overthink it. But it's the scale that really got to me. We've moved past the fan community into something that's starting to feel a little more commercial. It's big and grand and the focus winds up on being on how great the place is rather than the connections made with the other attendees. The "belonging" that Evie was hoping for feels superficial at best.

The daytime story is sweet and cute and a great high school romance packed with blushes, crushes, and learning to be more true to one's self. Fans of Becky Dean will almost assuredly love the ride. I just didn't find the nighttime arc to land nearly as well.

This book had some fun moments but I felt overwhelmed with everything going on. It is a fun story but not memorable. Characters are delightful.

Becky Dean has done it again! I truly resonate with the main characters of her books every time. This time the main character is on a class trip to Venice with her art and architecture class during her senior year. What her teacher doesn't know is that she is a huge fan of a book series that is based out of Venice. Each night she sneaks out to visit the fan club and meets a "stranger". I knew from the getgo that the stranger was going to be her complicated last minute partner, Gabe. Even so it was a sweet story and talked about her struggles with perfectionism.

Becky Dean has written another spectacular novel with “Love Unmasked”. Some might call it swoon worthy, and it certainly is! My favorite part of her novel though isn’t just the romance between the leads, but the everyday life that her characters are dealing with. In Love Unmasked, Evangeline “Evie” Whitmore is a self-conscious popular girl who lives to help others. She has a hard time saying “no” and when her teacher Mr. Owens asks her to partner with Gabriel Martinez, the new student who gives off loner vibes and seems to be the only person who does not like Evie, she once again gives in and agrees to be his partner. Evie has secret plans to find the fan club for the Elven Realms books while in Venice, but because of her fear of not being accepted by her peers for her “nerdy fangirling” she keeps this part of herself hidden from all but her best friend Natasha. While trying to sneak out to find the club, Evie befriends another masked student who is trying to locate the club as well. During the day, Evie and Gabriel start to learn to work together and realize that they may have judged each other hastily when they first met. Through her time in Venice, Evie must decide who she wants to be and whether she should let others see her true, authentic self. Throughout the novel the theme of being authentic to yourself and not hiding behind masks is present. I think this is a valuable lesson for all of us today. We cannot be afraid to be who we are. There were elements of learning not to judge others too quickly or assume others won’t accept you for who you are in this novel as well. I highly recommend it, and I love that Becky Dean writes in a way that I can feel comfortable putting them in my 6th-8th grade library. My students love her books and always eagerly await her newest one!