Morgan Matson

*Thank you to the publishers and the author for providing me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Darcy believes in love at first sight. I, on the other hand, don’t. At all. Which is why I went into this with a bit of trepidation.

The book follows Darcy, who suddenly finds herself stranded at the bus station after a music festival. While trying to find an iPhone charger, she runs into Russell. He’s cute, he’s funny, he’s everything she could ever ask for, and the two of them spend a single, whirlwind day together — which makes Darcy feel like she’s finally living the rom-com life she’s wanted for so long. Until everything comes crashing down.

I was pretty lukewarm on this at the start because it really does start off as a pretty uneventful insta-love type of romance. I found it difficult to become emotionally attached to Darcy and Russell’s story when it seemed their relationship was little more than light-hearted banter.

And then. And then. We get to the 30% mark, and everything changed. The twist is something I surprisingly didn’t see coming (I wasn’t thinking that much lol) but it completely changed the course of the book in a very good way. Suddenly, Darcy and Russell’s relationship felt much more high-stakes and real, and it became extremely clear: This is not a “love at first sight is real” type of book — it’s so much more than that. And I love a book that flips a trope on its head.

When the plot got interesting, so did the characters. Russell became much more than a manic pixie dream boy, and Darcy also seemed to become much more than the typical quirky female lead. I really enjoyed how much depth were added to the characters. The family theme is also really touching, and it manages to insert some well-timed humor and chaos while we’re at it. In the end I was pretty impressed at how mature the story was.

Overall, although it kind of had a slow start, I ended up really enjoying this one, and I think any other chick-lit or YA contemporary romance lover will too.… (altro)

Morgan is an author I always enjoy. I've read all her books. This is as good as any she has written. You start with Stella, a girl who is obsessed with spreadsheets and logistics, to a point where she's lost touch with the unpredictable beauty of real life. When her boyfriend dumps her, she still goes forth with plans to attend prom, plans that include going to Disneyland beforehand, all dressed up in her gown. Lady fortune has bigger plans, ones that include her best friend's girlfriend inviting a strange boy to join them...Only Reese isn't really a stranger. He was the waiter who witnessed her getting dumped and subsequent disaster when she backed into him and ended up wearing cola all over her white dress. Not the best memory for either, but Reese got fired because of it.
Their prickliness is tipped upside down when they rush back into the castle to retrieve his phone and end up in a fairy tale. He knows the story, she doesn't, and they must work together in order to make it end happily. Read the story, feel the enchantment, and watch Stella discover there's a lot more to life that logistics.… (altro)

I'm a Morgan Matson fan but 60 pages into Promchanted I was struggling. I just couldn't get into the characters. I like the ancillary characters, Nisha and Allyson more than I liked the main characters.

Stella's boyfriend broke up with her several weeks before prom. It occurred in a restaurant and their waiter, Mauricio, witnessed it all. When he is invited to her pre-prom Disneyland adventure by her friend Allyson, Stella is mortified. Going by the name Reece, he saw Stella at her lowest point. But she tries to make the best of this bad situation.

If this is an enemies to friends romance, they needed a little more 'dislike' before they can get together. There was no spark. There was more of a spark with Stella and her prom nemesis, Avery, than there was with Reece. And if I missed the mark, shame on me for not reading further.… (altro)