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Cosplay and Confrontation
Pride and Prejudice meets the legends of King Arthur in this sapphic rivals-to-lovers, sweet romantic comedy packed with plenty of banter and tension.
Obstinate and headstrong cosplayer Elaine Knight prided herself on two things; her quality cosplays and being a good judge of character. Gwendolyn Reid took both of those from her. They used to be best friends, until Gwen broke their best friend’s heart and skipped town. At least with Gwen out of the way, Lanie was a shoo-in to win the upcoming cosplay contest.
Except now Gwen’s back.
Gwendolyn Reid should be thinking about meeting her fans, winning the cosplay contest, and dancing at the ball. Instead, all she can think about is Lanie, their unresolved issues, and her unrequited feelings. Unfortunately, there’s no denying that the only feeling Lanie has for Gwen is hatred.
Lucky for them both, it is a truth universally acknowledged that rivals are bound to fall in love.
Obstinate and headstrong cosplayer Elaine Knight prided herself on two things; her quality cosplays and being a good judge of character. Gwendolyn Reid took both of those from her. They used to be best friends, until Gwen broke their best friend’s heart and skipped town. At least with Gwen out of the way, Lanie was a shoo-in to win the upcoming cosplay contest.
Except now Gwen’s back.
Gwendolyn Reid should be thinking about meeting her fans, winning the cosplay contest, and dancing at the ball. Instead, all she can think about is Lanie, their unresolved issues, and her unrequited feelings. Unfortunately, there’s no denying that the only feeling Lanie has for Gwen is hatred.
Lucky for them both, it is a truth universally acknowledged that rivals are bound to fall in love.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2023
74 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Zane
13 books63 followersSarah is an author of happy endings for traumatized queers. As a bisexual, it should be shocking to no one that she has more than one genre she loves and writes. She writes across genres but guarantees that a Sarah Zane book will always be queer and always have a happy ending eventually. She has a particular fondness for writing sapphic pairings since they tend to be underrepresented in books. She lives in New England with her 2 black cats named Gatsby and Mr. Darcy. When she isn't writing, she can be usually be found taking forest walks, visiting castles, planning exotic trips she can't afford, or cuddled up with one of her cats crying over fictional characters or yelling at them about how badly they need therapy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
December 12, 2023
Actual rating: 2.5 stars (I think?)
The first chapter starts with the mc (Gwen) mentioning 5 different people in only the first page and a half, plus being super cryptic about a breakup and a "secret". I understand what the author was trying to do, but it felt too confusing to actually work.
Then the second chapter is from the POV of the love interest (Lanie) and from her we also get some more names and some cryptically explained info and it just gets even more confusing, as well as more ridiculous because she’s being so upset for something that happened to someone else—who, by the way, knows the truth about Gwen and is clearly not upset at all, and keeps telling Lanie that she doesn’t know what actually happened and she should stop harassing Gwen.
The narration/thoughts of the characters in the chapters are very repetitive. Both of them repeat that they hurt the other/the other hurt her at least 3 times in each page, and well as repeating how Arty is such a sweet and kind soul. The book would be half the pages it is now if weren't for all of that.
Lanie frustrates me so much since she first appeared and nothing will ever make me root for her. She has too much unchecked aggression, resentment, jealousy and entitlement.
Lanie literally says she wanted to see Gwen cry and that she enjoyed seeing her unhappy. In one scene she sees her being happy with her friend, she gets mad because she doesn't think she deserves good things, and goes up to her to harass her, literally saying (and I quote) “I went there to make my feelings her problem”. In another scene she straight up verbally abuses her in public (enjoying it) and tears her dress almost stripping her naked in front of everyone.
The whole thing between them started because of a misunderstanding, and from Gwen not feeling safe enough to come out yet. If I were Gwen, and Lanie abused me and publicly humiliated me every time she saw me, I wouldn’t be able to forgive her or let her off the hook even after the explanation of the misunderstanding. That is not relationship material… to say the least.
But I was in an abusive relationship with a woman, so this dynamic is probably more delicate for me.
Gwen is also not that great of a character. She spends most of the book telling everyone that her and her gay friend Ollie are just friends and they're not together, only to then come up with the genius plan to make out with him and grind against him to upset Lacie. She literally digs her own graves wtf.
Lanie and Gwen's relationship was actually just Lanie verbally abusing and humiliating her till around 65% of the book, and then they made out kind of randomly and suddenly Lanie believed that Gwen didn't cheat on Arty and that she left because of a misunderstanding. Then it's like a switch has been flipped and Lanie suddenly becomes "good" and loving and her toxic behavior is forgotten. Literally the next time they met after that, Gwen confessed her love and they got together....
I personally feel like Gwen went from not being able to even think about being gay, to suddenly coming out publicly in front of a crowd with no problem a bit too quickly, but I think this might be more of a subjective view and might not bother other readers as much.
It made sense that she wasn’t ready to come out publicly since she is a public figure with lots of fans, but I didn't really understand why she was scared to come out to her friends considering every single one was already some kind of queer (and all of them were already out it seems).
In the end, I was more interested in Gwen and Ollie's friendship (minus that making out arc), and in Ollie and Eli's relationship.
Content Warnings: fear of coming out and fear of being targeted for being queer, toxic and possessive behavior, mention of cheating (believed to be happened but actually didn't), emotional and verbal abuse.
The first chapter starts with the mc (Gwen) mentioning 5 different people in only the first page and a half, plus being super cryptic about a breakup and a "secret". I understand what the author was trying to do, but it felt too confusing to actually work.
Then the second chapter is from the POV of the love interest (Lanie) and from her we also get some more names and some cryptically explained info and it just gets even more confusing, as well as more ridiculous because she’s being so upset for something that happened to someone else—who, by the way, knows the truth about Gwen and is clearly not upset at all, and keeps telling Lanie that she doesn’t know what actually happened and she should stop harassing Gwen.
The narration/thoughts of the characters in the chapters are very repetitive. Both of them repeat that they hurt the other/the other hurt her at least 3 times in each page, and well as repeating how Arty is such a sweet and kind soul. The book would be half the pages it is now if weren't for all of that.
Lanie frustrates me so much since she first appeared and nothing will ever make me root for her. She has too much unchecked aggression, resentment, jealousy and entitlement.
Lanie literally says she wanted to see Gwen cry and that she enjoyed seeing her unhappy. In one scene she sees her being happy with her friend, she gets mad because she doesn't think she deserves good things, and goes up to her to harass her, literally saying (and I quote) “I went there to make my feelings her problem”. In another scene she straight up verbally abuses her in public (enjoying it) and tears her dress almost stripping her naked in front of everyone.
The whole thing between them started because of a misunderstanding, and from Gwen not feeling safe enough to come out yet. If I were Gwen, and Lanie abused me and publicly humiliated me every time she saw me, I wouldn’t be able to forgive her or let her off the hook even after the explanation of the misunderstanding. That is not relationship material… to say the least.
But I was in an abusive relationship with a woman, so this dynamic is probably more delicate for me.
Gwen is also not that great of a character. She spends most of the book telling everyone that her and her gay friend Ollie are just friends and they're not together, only to then come up with the genius plan to make out with him and grind against him to upset Lacie. She literally digs her own graves wtf.
Lanie and Gwen's relationship was actually just Lanie verbally abusing and humiliating her till around 65% of the book, and then they made out kind of randomly and suddenly Lanie believed that Gwen didn't cheat on Arty and that she left because of a misunderstanding. Then it's like a switch has been flipped and Lanie suddenly becomes "good" and loving and her toxic behavior is forgotten. Literally the next time they met after that, Gwen confessed her love and they got together....
I personally feel like Gwen went from not being able to even think about being gay, to suddenly coming out publicly in front of a crowd with no problem a bit too quickly, but I think this might be more of a subjective view and might not bother other readers as much.
It made sense that she wasn’t ready to come out publicly since she is a public figure with lots of fans, but I didn't really understand why she was scared to come out to her friends considering every single one was already some kind of queer (and all of them were already out it seems).
In the end, I was more interested in Gwen and Ollie's friendship (minus that making out arc), and in Ollie and Eli's relationship.
Content Warnings: fear of coming out and fear of being targeted for being queer, toxic and possessive behavior, mention of cheating (believed to be happened but actually didn't), emotional and verbal abuse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
![Profile Image for Yves V.H. [Slow reading].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1710076694i%2F170151541._UY200_CR5%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 4, 2024
It's very repetitive. The whole thing started because of a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding that could have been fixed that same day if Lanie bothered to listen to Gwen first before screaming at her. And Lanie, oh my god, how can she even think that Lanie meant it that way???
Also, if I was eveeeerrr humiliated that way in front of people that I don't know (or I know), all of my feelings would simply vanish; not even a spec of it. So I don't know how Gwen managed to keep loving her despite that.
I don't think Lanie ever felt anything for her. I never felt the spark. Lanie made sure that we all know she hates Gwen so when she admitted that she also love her, I was wondering how true it was.
I would also like to mention the half-Filipino/half-japanese part. Idk the significance of it being ever mentioned in the book (it felt like Filipino baiting and I am Filipino so I know I could say that). The only other time it was mentioned was when she said that her Filipino mother kicked her out and she thinks it's a curse to look like her. The characters didn't feel Filipino or Japanese at all. I mean maybe because they didn't grow up in that culture but the 'half' should have been felt even just a little.
The name changing also confuses me. Idk who's who anymore because they go by their cosplay names.
Also, if I was eveeeerrr humiliated that way in front of people that I don't know (or I know), all of my feelings would simply vanish; not even a spec of it. So I don't know how Gwen managed to keep loving her despite that.
I don't think Lanie ever felt anything for her. I never felt the spark. Lanie made sure that we all know she hates Gwen so when she admitted that she also love her, I was wondering how true it was.
I would also like to mention the half-Filipino/half-japanese part. Idk the significance of it being ever mentioned in the book (it felt like Filipino baiting and I am Filipino so I know I could say that). The only other time it was mentioned was when she said that her Filipino mother kicked her out and she thinks it's a curse to look like her. The characters didn't feel Filipino or Japanese at all. I mean maybe because they didn't grow up in that culture but the 'half' should have been felt even just a little.
The name changing also confuses me. Idk who's who anymore because they go by their cosplay names.
January 5, 2024
If you read the way Lanie treats Gwen and think that's what romantic tension looks like, you might need therapy. Truly, verbally humiliating and physically assaulting someone because you think they might have cheated goes beyond forgivable. This book had a nice premise, but it was repetitive and the characters were not likeable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2024
2.5 stars!!
the ending was cute, but the rest of the book was a bit eh. lanie was insufferable and really mean and if i was gwen i wouldn’t have forgiven her.
it felt really repetitive too, especially with the explanation of arthurian legends. i already know about it, but it wasn’t necessary to say it so much in one chapter, we get it.
us sapphics deserve better.
the ending was cute, but the rest of the book was a bit eh. lanie was insufferable and really mean and if i was gwen i wouldn’t have forgiven her.
it felt really repetitive too, especially with the explanation of arthurian legends. i already know about it, but it wasn’t necessary to say it so much in one chapter, we get it.
us sapphics deserve better.
September 1, 2023
I received a digital ARC of Cosplay and Confrontation from BookSirens.
I was not blown away. This was an overly repetitive book that really starts an undefined amount of time prior to the book itself. Much of the book is spent in either Gwen or Lanie’s thoughts, and they circle around and around until eventually, it feels as if you have already read the line you are on (which you probably have). The entire conflict is based on a miscommunication — which I generally dislike anyway — that, once revealed, is really quite a letdown.
The characters act like middle-to-high schoolers, to the point I would not be surprised if this were a YA novel (it is not). Gwen is okay, but Lanie…her entire character is resentment. I need to feel some connection or spark between characters for a romance to feel believable, but she never felt dynamic in any way. The things she says to and about Gwen, and the things she does to her, are horrible. Their romance was not for me.
There is also a side plot of sorts that, to my knowledge, connects to another book by this author, but seems incredibly out of place here.
Of minor note: there was a line, at least in the ARC, about one character who is transgender that I absolutely hated. If someone close to me were to think of me / refer to me in such a way, I would be rather livid.
EDIT 28 August 2023: for what is billed as a Pride and Prejudice meets Arthurian Legend book, I am not really sure where the Pride and Prejudice was? Is it just that this is enemies-to-lovers? Because Austen’s work is more than just that…
EDIT 01 September 2023: It was still enjoyable enough, though! Even if it was not what I anticipated or hoped for, I did get a sense of the Portland, and definitely the convention, that the characters experienced. I also found myself liking the whole “Round Table” aspect of the friend group; it was rather amusing how unserious it was (beyond Laine’s insistence that their stories mirror Arthurian legend).
I was not blown away. This was an overly repetitive book that really starts an undefined amount of time prior to the book itself. Much of the book is spent in either Gwen or Lanie’s thoughts, and they circle around and around until eventually, it feels as if you have already read the line you are on (which you probably have). The entire conflict is based on a miscommunication — which I generally dislike anyway — that, once revealed, is really quite a letdown.
The characters act like middle-to-high schoolers, to the point I would not be surprised if this were a YA novel (it is not). Gwen is okay, but Lanie…her entire character is resentment. I need to feel some connection or spark between characters for a romance to feel believable, but she never felt dynamic in any way. The things she says to and about Gwen, and the things she does to her, are horrible. Their romance was not for me.
There is also a side plot of sorts that, to my knowledge, connects to another book by this author, but seems incredibly out of place here.
Of minor note: there was a line, at least in the ARC, about one character who is transgender that I absolutely hated. If someone close to me were to think of me / refer to me in such a way, I would be rather livid.
EDIT 28 August 2023: for what is billed as a Pride and Prejudice meets Arthurian Legend book, I am not really sure where the Pride and Prejudice was? Is it just that this is enemies-to-lovers? Because Austen’s work is more than just that…
EDIT 01 September 2023: It was still enjoyable enough, though! Even if it was not what I anticipated or hoped for, I did get a sense of the Portland, and definitely the convention, that the characters experienced. I also found myself liking the whole “Round Table” aspect of the friend group; it was rather amusing how unserious it was (beyond Laine’s insistence that their stories mirror Arthurian legend).
January 20, 2024
I just had too many issues with this book.
This is an enemies to lovers “romance” (although I really didn’t get to actually experience the romantic development, so that was a disappointment). But the enemies/rivalry is brought on because of a misunderstanding and is one-sided. The character who doesn’t know everything was HORRIBLE to the other. I could not find a redeeming feature to her, and I don’t understand how the romance was able to start or how she was forgiven.
This is obviously based on Arthurian tales as our main characters (and one side character) are Gwen, Arty, and Lanie. However, we are bashed over the head with the Arthur elements because one of the characters has to constantly tells us the parallels. Did the author not trust us to understand?
And then, there is random magic and characters from an author’s book series who show up during the cosplay contest. This appears to be alluding to a different book by this author, but with zero explanation, it just takes you out of the story.
🤷♀️
This is an enemies to lovers “romance” (although I really didn’t get to actually experience the romantic development, so that was a disappointment). But the enemies/rivalry is brought on because of a misunderstanding and is one-sided. The character who doesn’t know everything was HORRIBLE to the other. I could not find a redeeming feature to her, and I don’t understand how the romance was able to start or how she was forgiven.
This is obviously based on Arthurian tales as our main characters (and one side character) are Gwen, Arty, and Lanie. However, we are bashed over the head with the Arthur elements because one of the characters has to constantly tells us the parallels. Did the author not trust us to understand?
And then, there is random magic and characters from an author’s book series who show up during the cosplay contest. This appears to be alluding to a different book by this author, but with zero explanation, it just takes you out of the story.
🤷♀️
October 1, 2023
I picked this Cosplay and Confrontation is a funny, sweet and all around charming story about two friends who had a falling out and are going to see each other again at a convention. I loved so many things about this one! The setting was super fun and interesting. I loved getting to explore a convention scene without all the crowds. I also loved the found family aspect of this book and the how it played with themes from Pride and Prejudice and King Arthur! The cosplay was a super fun way to tie in the King Arthur references. Cosplay and Confrontation is also a coming out story that addresses the difficulty of coming out when you are living in the spotlight. I really hope there will be more books in this universe. I think Artie needs an HEA! I highly recommend this one to anyone who likes a sweet sapphic romcom or a coming out story!
Thanks to booksirens and Sarah Zane for letting me read this one early! All opinions are my own.
Thanks to booksirens and Sarah Zane for letting me read this one early! All opinions are my own.
August 17, 2023
This is a classic enemies to lovers story, mix that with a dash of references to the classics and the love of cosplay and you end up with a story of miscommunication, anger and a lot of love. I have no knowledge of the act of cosplay but I found it very entertaining to dive into that world.
I received an advance review copy for free from Booksirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Lanie/Morgana is looking forward to the biggest Cosplay weekend of the year. If only her former friend Gwen would stay at home. Gwen broke up with Lanie’s best friend Arty and Lanie caught her cheating with another guy. Gwen fled the city and friends she loves. She can’t tell Lanie what really happened so she hides herself, away from Lanie’s wrath. When the cosplay weekend is nearly there Gwen decides that she won’t let Lanie and her misinformed conclusions about what happened hold her back from the things she loves. As a popular social media influencer she owes it to her fans but most of all herself.
What I loved most about this book is the unique bond between friends. The way people can be loyal and have each others back is heartwarming. Everyone in the friendgroup has a well thought out individual character, but somehow they all work perfectly together. It’s a great example of found family!
Gwen and Lanie’s connection is blown up into full hatred (Lanie) and a broken heart (Gwen). For me the build up towards the epic confrontation took a little too long and felt repetitive. When that epic clash happens though, you can’t stop reading to find out if Lanie can see past her assumptions and if Gwen can forgive her. Lanie is the most hardheaded person I’ve come across in writing or in real life. Even when the friend she tries to protect says she doesn’t need to, she still keeps going. Personally I feel like she goes way to far and I wouldn’t be able to forgive so easily.
All in all this is a good story. Especially if you like cosplay!
I received an advance review copy for free from Booksirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Lanie/Morgana is looking forward to the biggest Cosplay weekend of the year. If only her former friend Gwen would stay at home. Gwen broke up with Lanie’s best friend Arty and Lanie caught her cheating with another guy. Gwen fled the city and friends she loves. She can’t tell Lanie what really happened so she hides herself, away from Lanie’s wrath. When the cosplay weekend is nearly there Gwen decides that she won’t let Lanie and her misinformed conclusions about what happened hold her back from the things she loves. As a popular social media influencer she owes it to her fans but most of all herself.
What I loved most about this book is the unique bond between friends. The way people can be loyal and have each others back is heartwarming. Everyone in the friendgroup has a well thought out individual character, but somehow they all work perfectly together. It’s a great example of found family!
Gwen and Lanie’s connection is blown up into full hatred (Lanie) and a broken heart (Gwen). For me the build up towards the epic confrontation took a little too long and felt repetitive. When that epic clash happens though, you can’t stop reading to find out if Lanie can see past her assumptions and if Gwen can forgive her. Lanie is the most hardheaded person I’ve come across in writing or in real life. Even when the friend she tries to protect says she doesn’t need to, she still keeps going. Personally I feel like she goes way to far and I wouldn’t be able to forgive so easily.
All in all this is a good story. Especially if you like cosplay!
February 2, 2024
omg 🥹
This was ADORABLE!
Allllll the queer rep making my heart melt. The main couple is sapphic but the strong side characters are NB, transmasc, gay. The story wouldn’t have been the same with all of the side characters either! They were all so strong and well written.
A beautiful story of found family and friendship with multiple HEAs to make you swoon! No spice, just some steamy references in the ending chapters.
This was ADORABLE!
Allllll the queer rep making my heart melt. The main couple is sapphic but the strong side characters are NB, transmasc, gay. The story wouldn’t have been the same with all of the side characters either! They were all so strong and well written.
A beautiful story of found family and friendship with multiple HEAs to make you swoon! No spice, just some steamy references in the ending chapters.
April 26, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Sooo cuteee!! This book was very enjoyable and the plot was really good! However, it was quite repetitive at times😅 the last 30% of the book was my favourite!!🥹
Sooo cuteee!! This book was very enjoyable and the plot was really good! However, it was quite repetitive at times😅 the last 30% of the book was my favourite!!🥹
March 2, 2025
Absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The love confession where she quoted Pride and Prejudice completely had me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2024
I wanted to like this so bad and I can absolutely see how some people did have an enjoyable time reading this. However, it wasn’t for me. I apologize for how brutal/harsh some of the following might be, but these are notes I took as I read, in the moment. The concept/idea of the book was great but personally don’t think it was executed well.
Not gonna lie… these first chapters were a little painful? So repetitive and obscenely “oh woah is me” type of stuff. Lanie is honestly insufferable. They are all clearly adults but Lanie is acting like an actual child.
How many times am I going to have to read about this man being too good for her or anyone? Jesus I GET IT
“Hey Lanie chill cause you don’t know the whole story and just trust the way I feel about it and her.”
“No you’re just a stupid boy that is too good for anybody and everybody and you don’t know how you should feel and I’m gonna put my own feelings above everything and everyone else, including you who I claim to be doing all this for. I am angry and I must make sure to embarrass her in front of all of her fans like the self centered trash that I am”
Why am I 17% of the way into this book and it’s just been a back and forth of Lanie saying how Arty (a man) is too good for everything and nobody deserves him and Gwen is such a stupid and mean bitch for hurting him and then Gwen talking about how she’s scared/nervous/etc about being back in Portland but couldn’t risk disappointing her followers and she’s so thankful to have Ollie (a man) with her because she couldn’t possibly do anything without him by her side?????? I thought this was gonna be a sapphic romcom type of book but it’s just like… rage bait? And very much “oh these men are so amazing and deserve the world I couldn’t do anything without them and/or will do anything for them!”
This Jade chick is cool cause she didn’t shy away from challenging Lanie/Mor’s views regarding Arthur, Gwen, and Lancelot.
“I’m a lesbian with a preference for women” what the fuck??????
Ope! More praising men!!! I get it! He’s a great human! Get on with it already!
Lanie seriously just immediately thought Gwen was cheating because she was on a FaceTime with a person? Seriously? This is so fucking ridiculous and stupid. I legitimately don’t see how she is supposed to be the love interest. Gwen was previously in an abusive relationship and now she’s about to get into another one with Lanie because there isn’t one moment where I don’t absolutely believe that Lanie would emotionally abuse and manipulate Gwen. (29%)
(42%) Being verbally abused in public and you can only think about how stunning her eyes are??? Get it together Gwen. Seriously. I stand by my earlier thoughts that it’s just another abusive relationship for her. I feel so bad for her honestly.
Lanie/Morgana trying to convince herself the Gwen was manipulating her and those around her. That she herself is angry, yeah, but not a bad person that would make someone feel worse about themselves EVEN THOUGH SHE LITERALLY SAYS THINGS LIKE “part of me was happy to see her unhappy” and “I had to break her”. Very much an abuser’s mindset to say that the person they are verbally and emotionally abusing is the one manipulating them into acting that way instead of owning up to what they are doing. Oh great- another line to add - “I went over there to make my feelings her problem.” JFC
Yeah let’s verbally assault and embarrass her in front of this entire convention of people and then also PHYSICALLY assault her by ripping her dress and almost causing her to be nude in this setting. Yep. Totally a valid thing to do. Mhmm. Totally a valid love interest thing. Super fantastic. And of course it’s all Gwen’s fault for making her into the kind of person who did these kinds of things and not her own fault for being a manipulative bitch with severe anger issues (putting it lightly).
The fact that all of this has happened and Gwen still somehow manages to maintain any sort of attraction to Lanie/Mor??? Girl is broken for REAL. Like ridiculously self destructive. I never had strong feelings either way about her character but now it’s just Jesus get a fucking grip??? No one deserves this treatment and I can only hope that someone steps in and at least TRIES to talk them out of dating cause if not, then every single character in this is a shit person 🤷🏻♀️
I could FEEL the look of disgust on my face the second the kiss between Gwen and Ollie happened… that was actually 1000000% unnecessary WTF.
Lanie and her fucking God Complex. Painful.
I would have loved a book that was just about this friend group (Ollie included). They’re pretty much the only enjoyable part about this to me.
Everybody seeming to be completely unworried and unfazed by the drastic change in how Lanie is treating Gwen is astounding, especially from Ollie. A bit ashamed that everyone was like “ooo love confession!! Nothing else before this matters!! Woooo!!!”
The last like.. 10%?? Maybe?? felt like an entirely different book if I’m being completely honest.
Not gonna lie… these first chapters were a little painful? So repetitive and obscenely “oh woah is me” type of stuff. Lanie is honestly insufferable. They are all clearly adults but Lanie is acting like an actual child.
How many times am I going to have to read about this man being too good for her or anyone? Jesus I GET IT
“Hey Lanie chill cause you don’t know the whole story and just trust the way I feel about it and her.”
“No you’re just a stupid boy that is too good for anybody and everybody and you don’t know how you should feel and I’m gonna put my own feelings above everything and everyone else, including you who I claim to be doing all this for. I am angry and I must make sure to embarrass her in front of all of her fans like the self centered trash that I am”
Why am I 17% of the way into this book and it’s just been a back and forth of Lanie saying how Arty (a man) is too good for everything and nobody deserves him and Gwen is such a stupid and mean bitch for hurting him and then Gwen talking about how she’s scared/nervous/etc about being back in Portland but couldn’t risk disappointing her followers and she’s so thankful to have Ollie (a man) with her because she couldn’t possibly do anything without him by her side?????? I thought this was gonna be a sapphic romcom type of book but it’s just like… rage bait? And very much “oh these men are so amazing and deserve the world I couldn’t do anything without them and/or will do anything for them!”
This Jade chick is cool cause she didn’t shy away from challenging Lanie/Mor’s views regarding Arthur, Gwen, and Lancelot.
“I’m a lesbian with a preference for women” what the fuck??????
Ope! More praising men!!! I get it! He’s a great human! Get on with it already!
Lanie seriously just immediately thought Gwen was cheating because she was on a FaceTime with a person? Seriously? This is so fucking ridiculous and stupid. I legitimately don’t see how she is supposed to be the love interest. Gwen was previously in an abusive relationship and now she’s about to get into another one with Lanie because there isn’t one moment where I don’t absolutely believe that Lanie would emotionally abuse and manipulate Gwen. (29%)
(42%) Being verbally abused in public and you can only think about how stunning her eyes are??? Get it together Gwen. Seriously. I stand by my earlier thoughts that it’s just another abusive relationship for her. I feel so bad for her honestly.
Lanie/Morgana trying to convince herself the Gwen was manipulating her and those around her. That she herself is angry, yeah, but not a bad person that would make someone feel worse about themselves EVEN THOUGH SHE LITERALLY SAYS THINGS LIKE “part of me was happy to see her unhappy” and “I had to break her”. Very much an abuser’s mindset to say that the person they are verbally and emotionally abusing is the one manipulating them into acting that way instead of owning up to what they are doing. Oh great- another line to add - “I went over there to make my feelings her problem.” JFC
Yeah let’s verbally assault and embarrass her in front of this entire convention of people and then also PHYSICALLY assault her by ripping her dress and almost causing her to be nude in this setting. Yep. Totally a valid thing to do. Mhmm. Totally a valid love interest thing. Super fantastic. And of course it’s all Gwen’s fault for making her into the kind of person who did these kinds of things and not her own fault for being a manipulative bitch with severe anger issues (putting it lightly).
The fact that all of this has happened and Gwen still somehow manages to maintain any sort of attraction to Lanie/Mor??? Girl is broken for REAL. Like ridiculously self destructive. I never had strong feelings either way about her character but now it’s just Jesus get a fucking grip??? No one deserves this treatment and I can only hope that someone steps in and at least TRIES to talk them out of dating cause if not, then every single character in this is a shit person 🤷🏻♀️
I could FEEL the look of disgust on my face the second the kiss between Gwen and Ollie happened… that was actually 1000000% unnecessary WTF.
Lanie and her fucking God Complex. Painful.
I would have loved a book that was just about this friend group (Ollie included). They’re pretty much the only enjoyable part about this to me.
Everybody seeming to be completely unworried and unfazed by the drastic change in how Lanie is treating Gwen is astounding, especially from Ollie. A bit ashamed that everyone was like “ooo love confession!! Nothing else before this matters!! Woooo!!!”
The last like.. 10%?? Maybe?? felt like an entirely different book if I’m being completely honest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2025
Oof, I really wanted to like this. I’ll start off by saying that I did appreciate the setting of Portland, because I’m fond of the PNW (I lived in Oregon for 20 years). Honestly, though, it was a difficult read mostly because I feel like I got dropped into the middle of a story. So many people are introduced with no context, cosplay names and actual names are used interchangeably, and as for the references to the characters that Lanie and Gwen cosplay, who TF are Cassandra and Ivy? WTF was that whole Damien thing about? It was never explained. And sorry, but Lanie was just downright abusive. I would never be able to get over . Lanie needs therapy and anger management.
A third of the way in, I feel extremely misled by the insinuation (i.e., the title of the damn book) that this was going to lean a lot more on Pride and Prejudice. Nope. Just a reference to the book while at Powell’s, and a reference to the 2005 film near the end. (Edit to add: I just saw the acknowledgements. This was supposed to be a P&P retelling. In what universe? I saw no parallels at all.) And boy oh boy, did this book need an editor (or perhaps a better one). “Him and I laughed” (take out the “and I”; does it still make sense? Nope!)? The wrong “than”? “Spared” instead of “sparred”? Ugh.
A third of the way in, I feel extremely misled by the insinuation (i.e., the title of the damn book) that this was going to lean a lot more on Pride and Prejudice. Nope. Just a reference to the book while at Powell’s, and a reference to the 2005 film near the end. (Edit to add: I just saw the acknowledgements. This was supposed to be a P&P retelling. In what universe? I saw no parallels at all.) And boy oh boy, did this book need an editor (or perhaps a better one). “Him and I laughed” (take out the “and I”; does it still make sense? Nope!)? The wrong “than”? “Spared” instead of “sparred”? Ugh.
January 20, 2024
Dnfed at 60%.
I wanted this to be the nerdy sapphic romance of my dreams but god this was miserable.
This book is less than 300 pages and yet it felt like 600.
Gwen and Lanie are the most annoying main characters I’ve ever read and being in their perspectives was mind-numbing, especially Lanie.
There are more than 10 different characters introduced in the first 10 chapters and it became incredibly confusing to follow along and keep track of everything.
Also what the hell is Lanie’s problem? Why is she so obsessed with Arty and defending him when HE himself has accepted the break up and is asking for peace? It’s never explained if they are siblings or have familial ties. It comes across as her being so obsessed to the point of creepy.
This was so disappointing and such a bad representation of sapphic love.
I hope young sapphics don’t read this and assume that verbal abuse, cyber stalking and cyber bullying is romantic.
I wanted this to be the nerdy sapphic romance of my dreams but god this was miserable.
This book is less than 300 pages and yet it felt like 600.
Gwen and Lanie are the most annoying main characters I’ve ever read and being in their perspectives was mind-numbing, especially Lanie.
There are more than 10 different characters introduced in the first 10 chapters and it became incredibly confusing to follow along and keep track of everything.
Also what the hell is Lanie’s problem? Why is she so obsessed with Arty and defending him when HE himself has accepted the break up and is asking for peace? It’s never explained if they are siblings or have familial ties. It comes across as her being so obsessed to the point of creepy.
This was so disappointing and such a bad representation of sapphic love.
I hope young sapphics don’t read this and assume that verbal abuse, cyber stalking and cyber bullying is romantic.
June 19, 2024
I won't shit on a sapphic story during pride month.
But Lanie needed friends that saw her going down the full psychotic-break delusional road and got her professional help. And Gwen needed friends that didn't cave to her every pick-me whim.
But Lanie needed friends that saw her going down the full psychotic-break delusional road and got her professional help. And Gwen needed friends that didn't cave to her every pick-me whim.
December 27, 2023
girl do not get pride and prejudice from temu….
fr read this in one sitting because i was so shocked at how long the plot was drawn out. the characters were very fun though!
fr read this in one sitting because i was so shocked at how long the plot was drawn out. the characters were very fun though!
February 17, 2025
2/5 stars
I wasn't a big fan of this book. The good points are that it’s a short easy read, it has slice of life/ low key high school story vibes, its really nice to have a sapphic story and queer characters, and I think those who are into Book Balls will find it relatable.
For the bad...For me, I really hate a miscommunication trope. It was a very simple miscommunication (that should have been resolved easily for “best friends”) but it was blown up to a 10. It didn't really make sense why this escalated the way it did. It was really strange for the main love interest Lanie to be so heated about this miscommunication that was pretty flimsy. I understand this was a hot-headed character but this was over the top and not believable, and down right messed up. It was really frustrating to hear just how aggressive and horrible the MAIN LOVE INTEREST (Lanie) was to the other love interest (Gwen). The majority of the story was just enemies and then very quickly lovers. Honestly Lanie was straight up insufferable for the obsession and anger she had most of the book.
Another problem was with the coming out aspect.
A big issue, especially in the beginning, that others have pointed out was “repetition” issues it had. It felt that it was supposed to be character driven but the only thing the characters did was telling or moving plot for plots sake. No matter what was happening it would go back to the center problem in a way that was annoying and one dimensional. The main thing you know about each of the love interest is that Lanie hates Gwen and Gwen is upset that Lanie hates her, very little about these characters. I think some revisions and strong editing to refocus what was there would of really helped this book.
Overall, this had potential but needed some stronger developmental editing to create more engaging characters and dynamic. Some things I had an issue with the author tries to address it but it didn’t land for me. I could see what the author was wanting to do and I could see the vision but the writing is not there.
I wasn't a big fan of this book. The good points are that it’s a short easy read, it has slice of life/ low key high school story vibes, its really nice to have a sapphic story and queer characters, and I think those who are into Book Balls will find it relatable.
For the bad...For me, I really hate a miscommunication trope. It was a very simple miscommunication (that should have been resolved easily for “best friends”) but it was blown up to a 10. It didn't really make sense why this escalated the way it did. It was really strange for the main love interest Lanie to be so heated about this miscommunication that was pretty flimsy. I understand this was a hot-headed character but this was over the top and not believable, and down right messed up. It was really frustrating to hear just how aggressive and horrible the MAIN LOVE INTEREST (Lanie) was to the other love interest (Gwen). The majority of the story was just enemies and then very quickly lovers. Honestly Lanie was straight up insufferable for the obsession and anger she had most of the book.
Another problem was with the coming out aspect.
A big issue, especially in the beginning, that others have pointed out was “repetition” issues it had. It felt that it was supposed to be character driven but the only thing the characters did was telling or moving plot for plots sake. No matter what was happening it would go back to the center problem in a way that was annoying and one dimensional. The main thing you know about each of the love interest is that Lanie hates Gwen and Gwen is upset that Lanie hates her, very little about these characters. I think some revisions and strong editing to refocus what was there would of really helped this book.
Overall, this had potential but needed some stronger developmental editing to create more engaging characters and dynamic. Some things I had an issue with the author tries to address it but it didn’t land for me. I could see what the author was wanting to do and I could see the vision but the writing is not there.
January 27, 2024
Thank you to BookSirens for granting me an ARC of Cosplay and Confrontations. Admittedly, I was super excited to read this book! The premise sounded enticing and I loved that it promised drama and representation. However, I must admit that I don’t think this as the book for me. I do believe that fans of the writing style that I have come to associate with authors like Elena Armas may like this book (i.e. the story’s emphasis being on characters’ internal dialogue and turmoil).
The book is a dual POV “enemies” to lovers, told from the perspective of our two MCs, Gwen and Lanie. Former best friends, Gwen is struggling to navigate an upcoming cosplay event where she’s meant to appear alongside Lanie, as Lanie seems to have a vendetta against Gwen ever since Gwen dumped the third member of their bestie trio, Arty. Arty seems to be over the break-up, yet Lanie, being super protective of Arty, feels like Gwen should pay for hurting Arty (“pay” by not daring to show her face at the cosplay event or face humiliation).
I’ll start with what I loved! The side characters in this book felt so real and relatable to me. They were written with such depth that I truly felt like a member of their friendship circle. I could totally see myself hanging out with this group of friends.
Sadly, beyond that I felt like the book had potential but didn’t quite tick my boxes. Most of the first third of this book consisted of the two main characters having the same internal dialogue over and over, to the point that if we had to remove the repeated references to the very obvious dilemma Gwen faced, we’d probably have a novella. This meant we had multiple pages without anything happening as we spend the entire time in the character’s head, mulling over the same thing. The rate at which additional dynamics were added to the dilemma was very slow, which meant we ended up reading the same phrases repeatedly.
As someone not familiar with the cosplay world, I found there were a few gaps in understanding what was happening and why. I would’ve loved to dive into the world in the same way that Jen De Luca writes about the renaissance fair- you don’t have to be a participant to understand the dynamics of the event because they are fleshed out organically with the characters. It took me a while to realise that people were using pseudonyms and that some confrontations were a part of the event.
Again, I’ll say that I am sure people who love this style of writing will absolutely love this book! For me it’s 2.75⭐️
The book is a dual POV “enemies” to lovers, told from the perspective of our two MCs, Gwen and Lanie. Former best friends, Gwen is struggling to navigate an upcoming cosplay event where she’s meant to appear alongside Lanie, as Lanie seems to have a vendetta against Gwen ever since Gwen dumped the third member of their bestie trio, Arty. Arty seems to be over the break-up, yet Lanie, being super protective of Arty, feels like Gwen should pay for hurting Arty (“pay” by not daring to show her face at the cosplay event or face humiliation).
I’ll start with what I loved! The side characters in this book felt so real and relatable to me. They were written with such depth that I truly felt like a member of their friendship circle. I could totally see myself hanging out with this group of friends.
Sadly, beyond that I felt like the book had potential but didn’t quite tick my boxes. Most of the first third of this book consisted of the two main characters having the same internal dialogue over and over, to the point that if we had to remove the repeated references to the very obvious dilemma Gwen faced, we’d probably have a novella. This meant we had multiple pages without anything happening as we spend the entire time in the character’s head, mulling over the same thing. The rate at which additional dynamics were added to the dilemma was very slow, which meant we ended up reading the same phrases repeatedly.
As someone not familiar with the cosplay world, I found there were a few gaps in understanding what was happening and why. I would’ve loved to dive into the world in the same way that Jen De Luca writes about the renaissance fair- you don’t have to be a participant to understand the dynamics of the event because they are fleshed out organically with the characters. It took me a while to realise that people were using pseudonyms and that some confrontations were a part of the event.
Again, I’ll say that I am sure people who love this style of writing will absolutely love this book! For me it’s 2.75⭐️
September 13, 2023
I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via BookSirens.
About a month or so ago, I was involved in this book’s cover reveal. After reading what it was about, I knew I had to read it. And just so happens I found it on BookSirens, so I applied. I mean, it combines some of my favourite things, reading and cosplay.
I have to say, I wasn’t blown away by the story. The writing felt clunky and the author played the pronoun game….a lot. There were times in the book that felt repetitive and feels like I’ve read a certain line before (which I probably had).
Most of the book is written in the point of view by either Gwen or Lanie. Typically, I don’t like that style as it gets confusing. But overall, I felt it actually worked for the story. Now, I’m not going to give anything away, but this book revolves around Gwen and Lanie having a conflict that’s based on a miscommunication. Lanie is looking forward to the biggest Cosplay weekend of the year, if only her former friend now enemy Gwen would stay at home. Gwen broke up with Lanie’s best friend Arty and Lanie caught her cheating with someone else. Gwen can’t tell Lanie what truly happened, so she decides to hide herself away. Flash forward and the cosplay weekend is nearly here, and Gwen decides that she won’t let Lanie and the miscommunication hold her back.
The characters act like high schoolers, and it wasn’t until I sat down to do this review that I realised this book actually wasn’t a YA novel. That being said, it’s a still an enjoyable read. I enjoyed that enemies and lovers story line, that was mixed in with cosplay. What I loved about this book is the bond between friends, and the way people can be loyal and have each other’s backs. It’s a great example of found family.
All in all this is a good story. Especially if you like cosplay!
About a month or so ago, I was involved in this book’s cover reveal. After reading what it was about, I knew I had to read it. And just so happens I found it on BookSirens, so I applied. I mean, it combines some of my favourite things, reading and cosplay.
I have to say, I wasn’t blown away by the story. The writing felt clunky and the author played the pronoun game….a lot. There were times in the book that felt repetitive and feels like I’ve read a certain line before (which I probably had).
Most of the book is written in the point of view by either Gwen or Lanie. Typically, I don’t like that style as it gets confusing. But overall, I felt it actually worked for the story. Now, I’m not going to give anything away, but this book revolves around Gwen and Lanie having a conflict that’s based on a miscommunication. Lanie is looking forward to the biggest Cosplay weekend of the year, if only her former friend now enemy Gwen would stay at home. Gwen broke up with Lanie’s best friend Arty and Lanie caught her cheating with someone else. Gwen can’t tell Lanie what truly happened, so she decides to hide herself away. Flash forward and the cosplay weekend is nearly here, and Gwen decides that she won’t let Lanie and the miscommunication hold her back.
The characters act like high schoolers, and it wasn’t until I sat down to do this review that I realised this book actually wasn’t a YA novel. That being said, it’s a still an enjoyable read. I enjoyed that enemies and lovers story line, that was mixed in with cosplay. What I loved about this book is the bond between friends, and the way people can be loyal and have each other’s backs. It’s a great example of found family.
All in all this is a good story. Especially if you like cosplay!
November 7, 2024
An unusual but fun premise, I liked the inclusion of the Arthurian legend and the parallels this brought to the story and relationships between Lainie, Gwen, Ollie and Arty. Honestly this was miscommunication (or lack of communication) done well - it felt realistic. When people are that upset, they don't think clearly and make assumptions and speak without thinking and so it made sense how the situation between Gwen and Lainie came about.
It did feel like a snapshot of their lives but enough backstory was given to make the characters make sense. Each character felt individual, distinct from each other but they made up a cohesive group. I liked that they were quick to forgive each other but also give each other a hard time in a jokey way, they felt genuine.
I didn't love reading the anger emanating from Lainie at the beginning of the book, at times it was hard to read and felt disproportionate to the situation. And her thoughts and descriptions of her hatred of Gwen got a bit repetitive and tiresome after a while. But I did particularly like Gwen's point of view, it added a lot of clarity to the situation.
I did love them together once it happened though, I'm glad it worked out for them and Lainie was quick to realise her feelings once they were made obvious to her. Looking back, her feelings were clear but she just didn't think they were an option because of her belief Gwen was straight.
Overall, an enjoyable book with a lovely ending for all of the characters involved.
It did feel like a snapshot of their lives but enough backstory was given to make the characters make sense. Each character felt individual, distinct from each other but they made up a cohesive group. I liked that they were quick to forgive each other but also give each other a hard time in a jokey way, they felt genuine.
I didn't love reading the anger emanating from Lainie at the beginning of the book, at times it was hard to read and felt disproportionate to the situation. And her thoughts and descriptions of her hatred of Gwen got a bit repetitive and tiresome after a while. But I did particularly like Gwen's point of view, it added a lot of clarity to the situation.
I did love them together once it happened though, I'm glad it worked out for them and Lainie was quick to realise her feelings once they were made obvious to her. Looking back, her feelings were clear but she just didn't think they were an option because of her belief Gwen was straight.
Overall, an enjoyable book with a lovely ending for all of the characters involved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2023
Fun, short, and sweet! A (kinda) short story adjoinment to her book “Off Script”. The novel - less than 200 pages - was filled with drama and characters that only know how to overreact. On that note, it was a little repetitive. Actually kind of a lot. Thus I was not blown away by this book. Yet I still had no trouble reading it. If anything it was a nice break in pace from the more intense fantasy I have been reading lately.
The diversity of the characters was wonderful to read. Especially the way the author introduced the non-binary character. Sometimes authors make it a big deal. Here it was brought up in one sentence and did not take up a whole paragraph. Furthermore, they were a major minor character who was brought up often. Clearly, Sarah was not scared to write them which I happily applaud.
I also appreciated the King Arthur metaphor. That was a fun aspect that added just a bit more depth to the otherwise particularly base-line story. The book made connections to one of Sarah’s other books as well. In some ways, I would almost describe this as a short story following the first book, “Off Script”. References to that did confuse me and did make me feel as if I should have read “Off Script” first.
Either way, “Cosplay and Confrontation” was simply a light, enjoyable read.
**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
The diversity of the characters was wonderful to read. Especially the way the author introduced the non-binary character. Sometimes authors make it a big deal. Here it was brought up in one sentence and did not take up a whole paragraph. Furthermore, they were a major minor character who was brought up often. Clearly, Sarah was not scared to write them which I happily applaud.
I also appreciated the King Arthur metaphor. That was a fun aspect that added just a bit more depth to the otherwise particularly base-line story. The book made connections to one of Sarah’s other books as well. In some ways, I would almost describe this as a short story following the first book, “Off Script”. References to that did confuse me and did make me feel as if I should have read “Off Script” first.
Either way, “Cosplay and Confrontation” was simply a light, enjoyable read.
**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
August 31, 2023
*I received an ARC from Book Sirens in return for an honest review.
A great enemies to lovers (YA?) romance with a well rounded LGBT+ group of characters. Easy to read. The storyline worked well & was told from the two main female character’s perspectives.
Definitely confused by the beginning - trying to follow along with who was who in chapter one was difficult, lots of pronouns & not quite clear which belonged to each character.
Loved how feisty & strong both lead characters were - Laine & Gwen definitely had a lot of emotions & this made for a great read!
Supporting characters were incredibly important to demonstrate the level of care & love the friendship group had for each other.
Appreciated the fact that the miscommunication was clarified with a grand gesture towards the end & enjoyed the HEA.
My one confusion was - with the declaration, had Gwen changed from being bi to being lesbian as she said she wasn’t at all interested in men? I know through the discussion with Aggie the comment made after coming out as bi was “I might as well be a lesbian”, but not loving the bi-erasure there.
Thanks for the enjoyable read!
A great enemies to lovers (YA?) romance with a well rounded LGBT+ group of characters. Easy to read. The storyline worked well & was told from the two main female character’s perspectives.
Definitely confused by the beginning - trying to follow along with who was who in chapter one was difficult, lots of pronouns & not quite clear which belonged to each character.
Loved how feisty & strong both lead characters were - Laine & Gwen definitely had a lot of emotions & this made for a great read!
Supporting characters were incredibly important to demonstrate the level of care & love the friendship group had for each other.
Appreciated the fact that the miscommunication was clarified with a grand gesture towards the end & enjoyed the HEA.
My one confusion was - with the declaration, had Gwen changed from being bi to being lesbian as she said she wasn’t at all interested in men? I know through the discussion with Aggie the comment made after coming out as bi was “I might as well be a lesbian”, but not loving the bi-erasure there.
Thanks for the enjoyable read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2024
DNF at 42%
Marked with a spoiler block just in case.
This was a slog-fest with how repetitive the narration is from both POVs.
Lanie is absolutely abysmal of a person to the point of borderline creepy. Not a person I would ever want to be associated with with how obsessed she was with a break up that didn't involve her.
At one point Lanie verbally abused Gwen in public in front of Gwen's friend and people they were having dinner with. She (Lanie) narrated thinking Gwen is putting on an act to make her (Lanie) "look like [she (Lanie)] was overreacting and bully her."
Considering Lanie had spread the rumors online that Gwen cheated on their mutual friend, Arty, and intentionally made her way to where Gwen was to harass her... Yeah Lanie is overreacting and bullying Gwen.
And seeing how this wasn't even halfway through the book. Did Not Finish. Don't ever care to pick it up again.
Not exactly a friends to enemies to lovers book. Also no idea where Pride and Prejudice were in the book. The Arthurian legend was bashed over the reader's head so often it became annoying.
Marked with a spoiler block just in case.
This was a slog-fest with how repetitive the narration is from both POVs.
Lanie is absolutely abysmal of a person to the point of borderline creepy. Not a person I would ever want to be associated with with how obsessed she was with a break up that didn't involve her.
At one point Lanie verbally abused Gwen in public in front of Gwen's friend and people they were having dinner with. She (Lanie) narrated thinking Gwen is putting on an act to make her (Lanie) "look like [she (Lanie)] was overreacting and bully her."
Considering Lanie had spread the rumors online that Gwen cheated on their mutual friend, Arty, and intentionally made her way to where Gwen was to harass her... Yeah Lanie is overreacting and bullying Gwen.
And seeing how this wasn't even halfway through the book. Did Not Finish. Don't ever care to pick it up again.
Not exactly a friends to enemies to lovers book. Also no idea where Pride and Prejudice were in the book. The Arthurian legend was bashed over the reader's head so often it became annoying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2024
The book overall is very cute. Only a couple of stumbling blocks it felt like. The first third of the book is extremely repetitive about how the two leads feel about each other. Honestly could have been two chapters and then moved on to the rest of the story. Not sure how this was pride and prejudice or Authorian except for Lainey's weird obsession with thinking about everyone that way. Lainey also should have had quite a bit of groveling to do after how she acts. There were also some instances of the author misgendering her own character when talking about costumes. Gwen spends half the book saying that she's bi, but when she comes out she tells everyone about breaking up with Arty saying, "If I was at all into men, I'm sure he would have been the one." Also, felt really in the dark about who everyone was supposed to be cosplaying, some more information about that wouldn't have gone amiss. Otherwise it was a fun, quick read.
August 29, 2023
~ ARC received through BookSirens in exchange for an honest review ~
The premise of this one caught my eye, but I am disappointed to say the story fell incredibly short for me.
Lanie/Lane/Ash/Morgana/Mor shows some serious red flag behaviour regarding Gwen after the break up with Arty. She is possessive with uncontrolled anger, bordering on abusive.
Gwen goes from "I cannot tell ANYONE" to "Okay, let's tell the world!" in a hot second. I am not here to judge anyone's coming out journey, but considering the downright nasty behaviour being displayed by the person she is suddenly willing to make a public declaration for, I question her judgement.
The narrative was ridiculously repetitive. I am going to have dreams about gulper eels after how many times I just read "I gulped." in this book.
The premise of this one caught my eye, but I am disappointed to say the story fell incredibly short for me.
Lanie/Lane/Ash/Morgana/Mor shows some serious red flag behaviour regarding Gwen after the break up with Arty. She is possessive with uncontrolled anger, bordering on abusive.
Gwen goes from "I cannot tell ANYONE" to "Okay, let's tell the world!" in a hot second. I am not here to judge anyone's coming out journey, but considering the downright nasty behaviour being displayed by the person she is suddenly willing to make a public declaration for, I question her judgement.
The narrative was ridiculously repetitive. I am going to have dreams about gulper eels after how many times I just read "I gulped." in this book.
September 27, 2023
I absolutely loved Off Script and was so excited to join the ARC team for Cosplay and Confrontation!
In this installment we follow Gwen and Lanie who have suffered a major falling out. With the once best friends estranged leading up to one of the biggest cosplay competitions of the year - tensions are high to say the least! With their friends rallying around them can they resolve their issues and slay the convention? Or will their resentment for the part ruin their chances of taking home the crown?
This enemies to lovers romance is packed full of literary references, a cosplay competition, found family, personal growth, love, miscommunication, drama and all the Bookish vibes! Super fun series and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thank you Sarah Zane for the ARC!
In this installment we follow Gwen and Lanie who have suffered a major falling out. With the once best friends estranged leading up to one of the biggest cosplay competitions of the year - tensions are high to say the least! With their friends rallying around them can they resolve their issues and slay the convention? Or will their resentment for the part ruin their chances of taking home the crown?
This enemies to lovers romance is packed full of literary references, a cosplay competition, found family, personal growth, love, miscommunication, drama and all the Bookish vibes! Super fun series and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thank you Sarah Zane for the ARC!
September 17, 2023
I'm a little bit torn about this book. I really liked it, however although I was cheering for them in my own way, I sometimes found myself getting annoyed at Gwen and Lanie. With how they were going about things I really didn't see how they would ever get together. Lanie's behaviour was in my opinion quite abusive at times (like seriously, control yourself!) and I was relieved when Gwen finally started to show some backbone… In any case it was a twisted, emotion filled journey towards finally being with each other. I really liked the other characters and would like to see stories about them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 30, 2024
2⭐️ Fue una historia entretenida, rápida y ligera de leer. Me llamó leerlo por el tema de los cosplays ya que nunca había visto o leído un libro que trate esos temas y fue divertido.
Lo que no me gustó es que el enemies to lovers se sintió nuy forzado. Lanie era estresante por meterse tanto en una relación ajena y decir “hate” como 80 veces 🫠 la mujer odiaba todo literal
Además la forma en que le hablaba y trataba a Gwen fue horrible y el hecho que todos los amigos apoyaron la relación cuando se reveló que a Gwen le gustaba… la humilló y la insultó en frente de todos y lo pasaron como si nada.
El descenlace si fue cute 🫶
Lo que no me gustó es que el enemies to lovers se sintió nuy forzado. Lanie era estresante por meterse tanto en una relación ajena y decir “hate” como 80 veces 🫠 la mujer odiaba todo literal
Además la forma en que le hablaba y trataba a Gwen fue horrible y el hecho que todos los amigos apoyaron la relación cuando se reveló que a Gwen le gustaba… la humilló y la insultó en frente de todos y lo pasaron como si nada.
El descenlace si fue cute 🫶
August 20, 2023
I received an ARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
This reads like a Wattpad story. I wasn't a fan of that, but if that's something you like, you should try this book. It's enemies to lovers (with some serious HATRED. Like seriously.), with miscommunication trope (that one is a big one, the whole plot is based on a miscommunication, so be aware of that).
Overall I liked the plot, it was cute, but I'm not a fan of the writing style. That's mostly what made this book so Wattpad-ish. I felt like I was reading a Wattpad story wrote by a high schooler.
This reads like a Wattpad story. I wasn't a fan of that, but if that's something you like, you should try this book. It's enemies to lovers (with some serious HATRED. Like seriously.), with miscommunication trope (that one is a big one, the whole plot is based on a miscommunication, so be aware of that).
Overall I liked the plot, it was cute, but I'm not a fan of the writing style. That's mostly what made this book so Wattpad-ish. I felt like I was reading a Wattpad story wrote by a high schooler.
September 3, 2023
Enemies to lovers book with the hint being on enemies. Lanie aka Morganna, hates Gwen her former best friend for dumping their other bff Arty. Gwen on the other hand knows there’s a fine line between love and hate, and has form beliefs on which side of it she’s on.
The book is set in the world of Cosplay and is mostly set at a convention, where laughter and tears were in abundance. Looking forward to reading book 1 about Sadie now.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The book is set in the world of Cosplay and is mostly set at a convention, where laughter and tears were in abundance. Looking forward to reading book 1 about Sadie now.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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