A humorous coming of age story... I Was Told There Would Be Romance by Marie Arnold (Review) #newbooks #bookx #IWasToldThereWouldBeRomance #MarieArnold #yalit #yabooks


This book sold me on the title and cover, so I was happy to sign up to review. Read that review below...

I Was Told There Would Be Romance
By Marie Arnold
Young Adult Contemporary Romance, Romcom
Audiobook, Hardcover & eBook, 224 Pages
October 15, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary

For fans of Never Have I Ever and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before comes a hilarious and heartfelt novel about a young Haitian girl navigating high school, friendship, and crushes.

Fifteen-year-old Fancy Augustine is a Haitian American girl with simple desires. She’d like to trade in her floppy, oversize boobs for cute, perky ones. She’d love a boyfriend. And she’s desperate for an invite to the biggest event of the school year: Imani Park’s birthday party. When Fancy learns her BFF, Tilly, has received a coveted invite and has a secret boyfriend, she is (understandably) devastated and wholeheartedly determined to do whatever it takes to get her own happily ever after.

So what if she makes a deal with the devil (Imani) that guarantees her an invite—but only if she can bring a boyfriend? And what’s so bad about letting her crush, Rahim, believe that she can create a voodoo potion for him in exchange for him posing as her boyfriend? And, yeah, maybe she’s destroying her friendship with Tilly and falling hopelessly behind in her schoolwork, but Fancy knows it’ll all be worth it in the end. Plus, it’s not like Fancy’s parents would really make good on their threats of sending her back to Haiti...right?

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My Review

I WAS TOLD THERE WOULD BE ROMANCE is a humorous coming of age story about a girl who is trying to find her place in high school. The heroine is full of humor and snark, a heart full of dreams, and some mistakes to make as she tries to figure out what is important to her and who she wants to be. A great read for those who want a relatable main character, lots of laughs, a few tears, and some swoon!

Read if you like:
- Girls full of personality, snark, with their own nerdy interests
- Genuine, relatable and likable characters
- Strong family relationships
- Important friendships that are a bit rocky
- Swoon-worthy romance that isn't the main focus
- Coming-of-age stories

These characters were real, easy to relate to and lovable, while the story was entertaining, heartfelt and fun. I so loved Fancy! Her humor, sarcasm, snark, and warm heart. I loved her obsession with books and the NY library being her favorite place on earth! I loved her relationship with Tilly and that Tilly was into miniature spooky houses. Rahim initially appeared superficial or one dimensional (although isn't that how almost everyone can appear until we know them?), but he ended up being a genuine guy who was complex with his own life problems. There were some characters that were the usual high school stereotypes, but the main characters were well fleshed out. I loved the friendships and family relationships in this book as well. Fancy did have her disappointing moments, and I did get a bit frustrated with her with the trainwreck she created, but she got her second chance and showed up. Luckily those in her life also equally showed up and let her redeem herself. And I loved the swoon-worthy ending.

There were some legit realizations in this book. Like Fancy placing a coveted party so high on her list and then needing to decide how important it really was. Figuring out boys, friendship, family and school. Life always throws so much to juggle. This was one piece of wisdom that I thought was pretty poignant:
"What happens when you keep telling the world you're perfect? Does the world force you to prove it every day? Isn't it exhausting?"

In the end, was it what I wished for? This story made me cringe, smile, laugh, swoon, empathize, and warmed my heart. It was an adorably fun read with a main character who was perfectly flawed. Definitely a book to pick up for YA contemporary romance readers!

Content: Some mild swearing, bullying, some religious references that may offend some.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through TBR & Beyond Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author


Marie Arnold was born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti and came to America at the age of seven. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York alongside her extended family. She attended Columbia College in Chicago, where her main focus was creative writing. As Lola StVil, she is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling indie author. Over two million readers have downloaded her Young Adult fantasy series GUARDIANS. She currently has 3 projects under development at Disney Junior and Disney Plus, one of which is an animated show based on her middle grade novel The Year I Flew Away.

Photo credit: Vanie Poyey

Find the author on Goodreads.

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Have you read any of this author's other books? Have you read any other books with Haitian characters?

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