What a premise! This was an action packed read that hooked me quickly. We have dual POV switching between chapters of our mains: Helen and Paris. Paris very obviously exudes danger and this draws Helen in like a moth to flame. But our dear Helen is dangerous in her own right just beneath the surface. Hers is the subtle danger of political power and when that fails? Bombs, baby. These two + Helen's bodyguard, Tommy were the highlight of this story. I enjoyed their interactions and wanted things to work out for all three of them. The hope for this is what kept me reading through to the end.

We Are the Match is written in this understated way that I found appealing, but did lead to some confusion later. A example is at one point a character is eavesdropping on a meeting and from the vague description I couldn't tell if they were watching from a vent in the ceiling or from beneath the floorboards. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which, but there were a lot of scenes like this that could have been avoided with a little more description. I get what the author was going for and maybe others did not have this issue.

I was very interested in this world the author built her story around. We get little details here and there as the plot requires, but I never felt I got a good sense of just what was going on. How did these "gods" or "queens" come into power? Is Helen's dad the only guy in power? Why? What do the queens actually have power over? The characters aside from our main two (+Tommy) were painted in vague strokes and moved through a cloudy, unrealized world. I mixed up the "queens" constantly and even the two brothers Marcus and Milo tripped me up sometimes, for all that one was a violent hothead, we didn't really see that. The M names and them not being on screen together most of the time would make me second guess who was who. I think adding a little paragraph about the world this story takes place is as a sort of prologue could help towards this and provide some crunchy details for those of us that love worldbuilding.

Things really picked up in the last quarter of the book. The stakes were high and even though I didn't understand the world stakes, I was very invested in the personal ones of our leads. This story didn't shy away from the violence that formed these characters and that they inflict in turn. We know they're not good people, but we're rooting for them anyway.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mary E. Roach paints a thrilling tale of love, war, and revenge. Both Paris and Helen are beautifully written, well-rounded characters and the changing POV lends to an even more gripping romance. This book will sweep you off of your feet!

We Are the Match is a bold and modern-day retelling of the myth of Helen of Troy, full of passion, tension, and fierce devotion. While you don’t need to know the story of Helen and Paris before diving in, having a general understanding of the myth definitely adds some helpful context, especially as the story hits the ground running.

The pacing at the start felt a bit uneven: it’s fast in terms of action, but slow in terms of connection. You’re dropped straight into the story with little background on the characters, which can make it tricky to find your footing early on. I have a hard time fully investing myself into a story without first understanding who the characters are, why they are important, and what their context is to the story as well as what their relationship is to other characters, but once you settle in and get your bearings, the payoff is worth it.

The heart of the story is undoubtedly the relationship between Helen and Paris - and for Paris, this fine line between lust/love and pure hatred and need for revenge. Their chemistry is electric. Even though there are only a couple of intimate scenes, the love and longing between them radiates from the pages. The author strikes a beautiful balance between their individual journeys and their shared story, weaving them together in a way that feels both natural and emotionally gripping.

What makes We Are the Match so engaging is the emotional intensity—not just in the romance, but in the dynamics between all the characters. You grow to fiercely love the ones worth rooting for, and just as fiercely despise those working against them. There's also no shortage of political maneuvering, action, and layered plotlines that keep things moving with plenty of depth. There is not a point in this book that it feels slow or gratuitous.

Overall, this was an immersive and compelling read. Whether you’re a mythology fan or just love a good story full of love, betrayal, and passion, We Are the Match is a book I’d definitely recommend.

Sexy captivating different than any of my other read I loved it this really kicked ass for me such a great read love how the story came together

Love. Vengeance. Power. And the fire that consumes when all three collide.

Paris has spent her life waiting for the right moment to strike. A fixer in the sun-drenched shadows of the Grecian islands, she knows how to navigate mob families, how to stay invisible—until Zarek, the man who destroyed her childhood, pulls her into his orbit. The job is simple: investigate a bombing. The truth? She’s here to burn everything he built.

And that starts with Helen—Zarek’s daughter. A woman trapped inside a life of opulence and expectation, promised to a man she doesn’t love, tied to a name she never chose. Helen sees Paris as her escape route. Paris sees Helen as her weapon.

But in a world where loyalty is bought, bloodlines are binding, and love is as dangerous as any bullet, nothing stays clean for long. What begins as manipulation spirals into something volatile and real. A connection too intense to ignore. A fire that neither woman expected to feel.

When murder forces them into hiding, the question is no longer if they’ll survive—but how far they’re willing to go for each other. If war is what Zarek wants, Paris and Helen are ready to set the world alight.

A sapphic reimagining of Helen of Troy, set in a brutal, glittering underworld where love is a risk—and revenge is a promise.

I was hoping for just a little bit more world development on this one! The pacing felt a little strange as well. It took me a little too long to get invested with the first part of the book and really understand what was happening and the last part felt rushed or incomplete. The middle portion read the best and is where I cared the most.

This is a sapphic retelling of the Trojan War, focused on the story of Helen and Paris. Rather than a fantastical, olden days Greece, it's set in a modern world with a mafia-like monarchy. Paris is a badass woman whose home on Troy has been destroyed by Helen's father, Zarek. She starts off set on revenge, until she actually meets Helen and they feel a spark.

The story is dual POV, pretty evenly split between Paris and Helen. This works well, because Helen and Paris are from very different worlds with very different stories and perspectives, and it's nice to see both sides. They both have backstories that make them understandable, their actions easier to empathise with. And they are incredibly active—rather than a war kicking off because of them, they are the key instigators, planting their own bombs. Likewise, they are willing and equal participants in the relationship that develops between them. Despite Helen's perceived higher standing and the lies and secrets they both keep, they both continuously seek each other out and their attraction is mutual from the beginning.

The relationship does feel heavily focused on this attraction, and a sense of possession, rather than much real emotional connection, which was the primary let down for me. Another slight issue I had was working out or believing the setting. It's explicitly modern, with the characters wearing jeans and using mobile phones, wielding guns and prepping passports to flee from an airport. But there's also the mythic feeling, with gowns and mansions and servants, kings and queens and fleets of ships, and the language and narration which feels like it's working hard to be poetic or legendary. It could work, but it feels a little disconnected, and I just wish it had been more committed and focused one way or another.

I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys a good action-based retelling or sexy sapphic vibes. If nothing else, this story has a lot of badass women, and a satisfying enough ending.

sexy, emotional, and gay as hell. this was exactly what i wanted from this premise. i was whooping and cheering throughout the whole thing. definitely one of those books that are a little wacky, so if realism is what you’re looking for — look away. this ride is all camp.

I really wanted to love this one, but ultimately it didn’t click for me.

The concept had promise but the execution just didn’t land. I found myself constantly putting it off, and eventually had to DNF. The writing felt more like I was reading a AU of a story rather than a fully original world where the characters lived and breathed on their own. but to be fair, that is the concept, it’s technically a Helen of Troy mafia AU, and if that sounds like your thing, you might enjoy it way more than I did.
I can see this hitting for readers who love high-drama, and mystery more than me.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
The premise of this one sounded intriguing but I just can't do it. The setting and world building is very unclear and just feels unsettled. They do have cell phones so seems to be urban fantasy. The characters are in late 20s but the writing and energy is very YA just w adult material layered on top. I did like the queer representation and seems like most people in the world are some kind of bi/fluid. The writing was so clunky and jarring I was really struggling to read. The dialogue was all way too cheesy and I couldn't believe any energy between the leads.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oh my GOD - I adored this. It was so unlike the things I usually read in the best way. I'm going to be hunting down stories similar to try and replicate this lmao. I have a friend who swears by this sort of story so I've been yelling at her about We Are The Match for weeks now. Its sapphic chaos. What's not to love?

I wanted so badly to like this book. Dark, mafia romance but make it sapphic?!? Yessss please! But it ended up falling flat for me…o struggled getting pulled into it and really struggled with both of our main characters so sadly..this was not for me.

Mary E. Roach does a fantastic job in writing this book, it had that tense atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this book. The characters worked well in this universe and was everything that I was looking for in the genre. I was hooked from the first page and was so glad it worked together to tell the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of the book.

Decided to DNF the novel at 21%. I hadn't really picked up on the book being dark romance when I requested an ARC as it's a genre I don't really enjoy reading.

What had originally piqued my interest was it being a sapphic retelling of Helen of Troy. Reading the book felt like being in a fever dream, the plot progressing quickly but with barely anything sketched out to hold on to. I found the characters pretty flat and the worldbuilding non-existent. The were barely any descriptions to set the scene and the world the characters inhabit as well as its history was very bare bones. Unfortunately it was not enough to keep me going.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary E. Roach and Montlake Publishing for the ARC of “We Are The Match”.

I honestly didn't expect to be hooked as soon as I read the book. I love Helen's character, though I wish we could see more of her dangerous side. A well written book, I'm rating this as 4 stars because towards the end of the book, it somehow felt rushed.

Really, really good storytelling. It paints the iconic story of Helen and Paris in modern times with all the tragedy and all the romance.

Helen and Paris’ love story but make it sapphic and mafia.

I don't think the Greek mythology element works at all. It's barely present and labeling it a reimagining gives expectations that the book doesn't meet.

It's an easy, fun dark mafia romance. That aspect of it is pretty good, it's not to my personal tastes but I can imagine a lot of people will enjoy it.

What stops me from rating it higher is the writing style. It did not work for me. It was all tell, no show and a little bit cringey.

This book had me absolutely breathless. The romance is intoxicating, tangled up in revenge and vulnerability, and it unfolds with such slow, devastating precision that I was constantly teetering between wanting to savor every line and tear through the pages just to see them collide again. The writing is lush and razor-sharp, drenched in atmosphere and emotion. Every setting felt cinematic, every moment between them electric with tension and longing. I loved how Paris is both ruthless and aching, and how Helen, trapped in a gilded cage of mob power, pulses with quiet defiance. I adored every second of it.

We Are a Match is quiet but emotionally intense. It explores connection, grief, and love in a way that feels super intimate and raw. The writing is delicate and subtle, but it hits deep. You feel the ache and tenderness in every moment.

The characters are super relatable—flawed, vulnerable, and real. If you’ve ever tried to hold on to someone or something that’s slipping away, this piece will stay with you.

This book is marketed as a modern retelling of Helen of Troy. But, it doesn't stay too close to the source material. With that said, it is still a really good story. The book is a fast read, and I literally gasped when it ended. I want more of this world that Mary E. Roach has written. I. Want. More.