by Becky Dean
coming July 15, 2025
(4 / 5)
I received a free review copy of Love Unmasked from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own and voluntary.
Evie is on a school trip to Venice, Italy, where she seeks out a secret nighttime club for fans of a popular fantasy book series. Meanwhile, she’s partnered with Gabriel, an antisocial new student, for a school project.
This one was a cute, quick read for me. There wasn’t anything all that surprising about the story, but I wasn’t really expecting it anyway. I liked both of the main characters (Evie and Gabriel) and enjoyed the dynamic between these two very different people. They really brought out a side in each other that helped them both grow. I think it was a great message about building self acceptance, trust, and being more assertive. The romance was a bit of a slow burn but also felt like a natural progression. The other part of the story took place at night, with hidden identities and a secret fan club. This part felt a bit too “over the top” to feel like something that actually exists in the real world, but it was also an interesting idea. There’s a lot of referencing to the fictional fantasy series that Evie is a fan of that I could see maybe losing some readers. Personally, I didn’t try to think too deeply about it and saw it more as a representation of something Evie was really passionate about. Bonus points for the beautiful setting in Venice! This was my second book by author, and I’ll definitely be reading more books by Becky Dean in the future.
