Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy

3.5 ⭐ (rounded up)

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free ARC!

I enjoyed this story. It was a cute M/M romance with a modern twist on fae lore that felt quite refreshing to read.
Even though the characters are adults in their early 30s, the story reads more like YA. As someone who enjoys reading in that genre, I wasn't phased by this much but I often had to remind myself of how old they were supposed to be because they often came across as much younger.
The pacing felt quite slow up until the last quarter of the book (even though, paradoxically, I felt like the romance had very little build up and they just became head over heels very quickly without many ups and downs) so I found myself losing interest at times. However, I really did enjoy the ending very much and I'm hoping the next book is a bit more plot focused than the first one (the book is the first one in a series but can be read as a standalone - no cliffhangers!!)
Overall, it was a strong debut book that tackled a lot of themes that will resonate with many people (addiction, mental health, LGBTQ+ struggles) while having it all happen in a world similar to our own but that is parallel with the whimsical world of faeries.
I will be eagerly waiting for the sequel!