Debut author Adrienne Rivera kickstarts her writing career with a quirky and gory good time. In her new, charming YA romance, she brings her Indiana roots and bold love for horror, romance, and baked potatoes to life. My Fair Monster follows a pageant queen who teams up with a brooding SFX makeup artist to compete in a horror costume competition in hopes of getting a little closer to achieving their Hollywood dreams. Here is everything you need to know before the book drops on August 19!
Trigger warning: This article contains discussions of undiagnosed ADHD. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Synopsis
Corie Nielson has been upholding her family tradition of winning beauty pageants for as long as she can remember. Her looks, dresses, and charismatic answers have won her many titles. But the beauty queen’s performance keeps faltering due to her undiagnosed ADHD. Her difficulty focusing keeps getting in the way, making it impossible for her to keep up with her pageant and family responsibilities. Most of all, it makes her dream of following in her great-grandmother’s footsteps to become a Hollywood scream queen feel extremely unachievable.
To prove to her pageant coach that she is capable of getting herself together, she enters a local horror costume contest that she hopes will also pay homage to her great-grandmother and sow the seeds of her acting career. To help her transform into an award-worthy creature, she ropes in grumpy SFX makeup artist Everett Robbins, who truly doesn’t want anything to do with her. As the event day draws closer and the teens’ feelings for each other begin to change, Corie struggles to manage the pressure and relationships in her life and has to decide whether shooting for her dream is worth letting down her family.
A Unique and Adorable Romance
How could I sit back down across from him, now that I’d seen it full-on, and go back to eating pizza and making jokes, to pretending I was the same Corie who’d never seen Everett smiling at me with those blue eyes crinkling that way I didn’t know they could crinkle?
Adrienne Rivera, My Fair Monster
Corie and Everett have a really sweet, young love relationship that leaves you with butterflies! Their journey from being mutually averse acquaintances to being head-over-heels for each other is lovely. The two bring out the best in each other; Corie reveals Everett’s softness while Everett grounds and supports Corie. They encourage each other to keep dreaming and pushing toward their goals and provide the support to do so. The obstacles their relationship faces are also very realistic and reflective of their age and experiences, making their bond feel genuine.
A Love Letter to Art and Creativity
“Consider it: You’re a special effects artist. I’m a beauty queen and a commercial actress with a budding career. We’re a perfect team.”
Adrienne Rivera, My Fair Monster
From the very beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Corie and Everett’s enthusiastic passion for art. Corie’s dream of becoming a dazzling actress is reflected in her enthusiasm for horror films and commitment to artistic opportunities. Meanwhile, Everett’s dedication to his craft is shown in the way he volunteers his talents for many events, even going as far as putting aside his dislike of Corie to participate in the horror competition with her. The teens’ devotion to their artistry and future aspirations is further enhanced when they team up and allow their creativity to flourish together.
However, like many artists who aim to make a career out of their passion, Corie and Everett face their own set of challenges if they want to achieve their dreams. Everett’s parents already have his future planned out for him, leading them to disapprove of his creative interests and belittle his talent as a hobby. Meanwhile, Corie struggles to believe she is capable of a career in acting due to her forgetfulness and difficulty focusing caused by her undiagnosed ADHD. As they team up together, they motivate each other to overcome their obstacles and strive towards their dreams.
A Portrayal of ADHD in Everyday Life
Why was Gigi so prepared for me to mess up? Oh, probably because I keep messing up. Why did I keep messing up? As angry as I was with Gigi, I was angrier with myself.
Adrienne Rivera, My Fair Monster
While the sweet rom-com premise seems to be the most prominent facet of the book at first glance, the heavier subjects it expands on are truly just as significant. Corie’s experience is an accurate portrayal of living with undiagnosed ADHD. Though there is significantly more to Corie than her ADHD, it does have a hefty influence on her thoughts and actions. She has trouble understanding why she is the way she is since she can’t identify the root of her issues. She relies on her mom’s help to discover and accept her neurodivergence, demonstrating the need for familial support while overcoming mental health issues. There is a need for accurate representations of mental health like this one to help readers going through similar situations feel less alone and allow others to empathize with the struggles of people who have mental disorders.
Final Thoughts
In My Fair Monster, Adrienne Rivera brings us more than a cute, cozy rom-com — she delivers the story of a teenage girl navigating her relationships and dreams while struggling with ADHD. Full of hilarious dialogue, heart-warming moments, and a ton of horror references, Rivera’s debut is certain to capture the heart of its readers. If you’re an artistic soul, horror devotee, or rom-com lover, you should definitely give this book a read!
You’ll love My Fair Monster if you enjoyed these books:
- Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
- Love on Paper by Danielle Parker
- Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
- Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey
- Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Bookstr’s My Fair Monster Dream Cast:
- Alyvia Alyn Lind as Corie Nielson, a young pageant star with undiagnosed ADHD
- Mason Thames as Everett Robbins, a brooding teen with a talent for SFX makeup
- Jessica Lange as Ingrid Nielson, Corie’s horror-loving great-grandmother
- Amanda Seyfried as Vanessa Nielson, Corie’s worried, overloaded mother
- Dakota Johnson as Gigi Nielson, Corie’s strict pageant coach and aunt
- Madeleine McGraw as Teagan Nielson-Daniels, Corie’s supportive bestie and cousin
- David Lacono as Luca Flores, Everett’s friend with a heart of gold
Final Score: 4/5
If you’re interested in My Fair Monster, you can preorder it on Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon! Thank you to Page Street Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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For more books like this, check out our Young Love: YA Romances to Swoon Over collection on Bookshop.
