When I read the synopsis of Female Fantasy, I was sold. I loved the idea of our main character looking for the man who inspired her favorite book boyfriend. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley, Cosmo Reads, and RBmedia for providing me with an eARC and ALC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
All’s fair in love and lore.
Joonie is living in a fantasy—at least that’s what people tell her. Men in the real world have done nothing but disappoint her time and time again, so she keeps her heart reserved for Ryke, the fictional male lead of her favorite romance series, who just happens to be a merman. And so far, her book boyfriend is meeting her needs more than any other “real” man ever has.
But when she learns that Ryke’s character is based on a friend of the author, Joonie is determined to track him down and take her shot at a happily ever after.
She’ll need to borrow her brother’s car for the road trip, with the one condition that his annoying (but also hot) best friend can catch a ride to New York with her. But as she makes her way to her male lead, she’ll learn that once you wish fantasy into reality, you have to take all the tropes that come with it—not just the fun ones.
As unhinged as it is brilliant, Female Fantasy is both a self-aware dive into the concept of genre and a wild, steamy romp. Most of all, though, it’s a heartfelt love letter to romance readers everywhere.
Review
After reading the author’s note at the beginning of the book, I completely understood why she wanted to have this as a satire of the romance world. A lot is said about women who read romance or the unrealistic expectations women have about men after reading romance. But also just a woman’s sexuality. Women still get different treatment when it comes to going after what they want in bed or relationship wise. Reading romance really is a great way to find out what you want or what might work for you.
Our main character Joonie has had it with men. They all seem to be disappointing and can’t meet the criteria of her favorite book boyfriend. When another date goes wrong, she’s fed up. Until she find out who her favorite book boyfriend is based on. That’s where the search for this man starts. That’s when we meet her brother’s best friend, Nico. She used to have a crush on him, but something happened when they were younger and that was over. He’s not letting her go to New York on her own to find this guy, so tells her he has to be there as well.
Let’s just say their road trip feels unrealistic at times, but it also had me laughing out loud. The two of them getting close while together was really interesting and also proves in many ways when we just sit down and talk to someone things can be solved in a normal way. I think both of them have expectations when it comes to love and letting each other in definitely opened both of their eyes.
I appreciated Joonie’s journey for love but also just about herself. Learning what she wants in life and going after her dreams. While also meeting her family’s expectations. That was a very interesting aspect of Female Fantasy. I also really appreciated the author showing that sometimes online friendships that start over a shared fandom are the real thing. And I can’t forget the bits of Joonie’s favorite book we get at the end of each chapter. This really was the cherry on top.
We also can’t forget the narrator, Samara Naeymi, who really brought this book to life.and made it hard to put down. I love the way she narrated this story.
Female Fantasy definitely won’t be my last book by this author. I really loved her take on romance books and the dating world for women. Have you read any books like this? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
