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This enemies-to-lovers young adult romance is set in Trinidad, and its Carnival celebration is featured heavily. Which is pretty cool. I enjoyed reading about the customs there and the intricate, resplendent costumes that play such a large part in the festival. It was interesting to learn that the celebration in Trinidad is joyous, delightful and family friendly (the last of which is not the case for Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, for instance).
This is just one great reason to read the book: to be educated in a fun way about a different culture that doesn’t get a lot of exposure in most places here in the U.S. The other is that it’s well-written and a good take on the enemies-to-lovers trope.
Tess (short for Beatrice) is the niece of a renowned costume designer. She hopes to work for the mas (masquerade) band their family has run for decades and run it one day. She is skilled at design and creating the costumes and knows good quality when she sees it.
She has hated Brandon, a popular social influencer even at not quite 18, since she met him in school seven years before. She can’t think of anything to like about him. They’ve bickered for years.
But when a rival mas band puts the future of their band in jeopardy, Tess finds herself teaming up with Brandon to help save the family business. That’s about the only reason she would spend time with him, and she does what she can to be civil.
Of course, as these things go, as they spend more and more time together, she finds he may not be as bad as she thought. And could those weird niggling feelings be attraction? Yikes.
A fun and colorful young adult book with a good romance that I recommend for getting a look at another place and culture.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes around 5 instances of moderate profanity, 30 uses of mild language, and 23 instances of the name of Deity in vain. A few instances of kissing and making out.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
