Well Met by Jen Deluca // Book Review

Good Morrow, gentle fellows! I woke up this morning looking over my Goodreads when I noticed I didn’t write a review for Well Met. How could I make such an error? It probably was vacation brain taking over trying to pack and figure out what reads to take with me.

But I’m back from vacation and I’m writing a review of Well Met because I absolutely loved it and I need to talk about it.

Well Met is about young Emily who recently moved in with her big sister and niece after her sister broke her leg in a car accident. But when she escorted her niece to sign up for the Renaissance Faire, she didn’t realize she’d be roped into it as well. With her skills bartending in the past, she’s given the role of wench; not her favorite idea of spending weekends in the summer.

As she settles into her role as a wench, she meets Simon, another cast member who’s older brother helped create the Ren Faire experience in their little town. Simon is a little neurotic making sure the faire goes off without a hitch; booking the performers, planning the events, and trying to keep Emily in line with his family’s original vision of the faire.

It’s obvious Emily can’t stand Simon’s behavior and Simon can’t stand Emily’s attitude, but when Simon and Emily partake in a handfasting ceremony on opening day, their relationship went from barely tolerable to something much bigger. And as the summer comes to a close, Emily needs to decide on her next journey and whether or not it’ll include Simon.

I’ve never been to a Ren Faire in my life. I’ve always wanted to go, but never had the friend group who wanted to make the journey out in the middle of the woods to eat smoked turkey legs and talk with an accent. I loved how the book portrays them, but I wish I had a frame of reference to really get a feel of the faire. However, from what the book entails, I think I would love a ren faire very much.

Truth be told, I found this review extremely difficult to write because I loved the book so much. I loved how light and breezy this book was while also incorporating some heavier issue like grief, loss, heartache, and finding your own path. I loved the growth between Simon and Emily when they were together and even when they were apart. While there wasn’t a lot of conflict, I love the internal conflict within all the characters.

I couldn’t stop envisioning Simon as Captain Hook from “Once Upon a Time.” This is partly because he was a pirate in the faire and secondly because Emily’s faire name was “Emma,” which (if you watched the show) was Captain Hook’s love interest. Emily’s character was also my favorite. Her romantic past reminded me a lot of my own, so it fueled my interest in seeing where this story goes. I also loved the transition place she’s in when she goes to help her sister. I’m a huge fan of new perspectives and having Emily move to this small town and discover what she’s made to do with her life made me feel hopeful that one day I’ll figure out the same.

But also, I loved how much books are incorporated into the story. Simon’s an English teacher and Emily works part-time at the bookstore (Read ‘Em And Weep, which is the best bookstore name ever).

If you’re looking for something funny and light, this is definitely the book for you. You don’t need to be a fan of Renaissance Faires, but it’ll make you curious about them. And you’ll definitely want to see where the next book will take you.