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.

Well, this one wasn't my cup of tea. I think my main problem is the writing style, it felt like I was reading a fanfic, and in this case this isn't a good thing, it was repetitive and it kind of read more like YA than adult, especially considering the characters where in their late twenties but seemed like teenagers more than anything.

I think the premise was interesting, I love revenge stories, and it had so much potential to be a good book, but it felt like the author didn't know what to really do with the story; many of the plot points were unbelievable and convenient, and the plot as a whole was messy, so in the end I couldn't take the story seriously.

As for the main characters, they were annoying, especially Paris, but I guess that figures. Also, apart for what they serve for the plot, I don't know anything about them, they are one-dimensional, they only exist for taking revenge (Paris' case) and for being the unstable love interest (Helen's case). Though I have to say that one thing I thought was done pretty well, excluding the repetitive and immature writing style, were Helen's disassociating episodes and it was interesting to read them.

The romance felt rushed, and, for a lack of a better word, unbelievable. It all happened so fast that I couldn't be convinced that Helen and Paris loved each other, or that they had any chemistry or tension between them. There were some moments that were good, but in the book as a whole there wasn't really much.

The only reason I don't give this book one star is because it was easy to read and kind of entertaining, I mean if you are looking for something to pass the time, this book serves that purpose. But I have to say, it doesn't really happen anything in the first half of it.

Having just watched Mobland I ate this up and finished it in one sitting. I haven't read much mob inspired dark romances but will definitely be reading more after this and can't wait to read more by the author

Thank you Mary E. Roach and Netgalley for this ARC!

Greek mythology and morally grey characters... Ummm yes please!
This dark romance is filled with passion and explosive tension.

Honestly if you grew up as a wattpad girlie then run... this has all that nostalgia and more.

This story is about Helen who is caught between an arranged marriage versus the love she truly wants.

i thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend to those wanting that dark sapphic mafia romance vibe but with complexity. this book was refreshing, thrilling, compulsively readable, and has great prose!!

It’s rare to find a romance that balances rage and tenderness this well, but this one did it with grace and power. I love stories about women reclaiming their lives. About love that blooms right at the edge of ruin. About desire that doesn’t ask for permission. This was everything I needed. It was violent and lyrical and messy and intimate. And most of all, it was unforgettable. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

What a rollercoaster of a ride! This book definitely started out slow and quite a bit confusing but the ending definitely made up for it. There are some typos that made me have to do a double-take to understand it, but I’m hopeful those are fixed before publishing. It was a great take on the Helen of Troy story (something I knew nothing about prior to this novel) and I look forward to seeing what else the author has in store.

It mixes Greek mythology, politics, and mafia all in one (whats not to love!). The book is a dark romance with 2 female leads which isnt done enough in the romance genre. It's different from the 19yr old girl and 1000yr old 6ft + dark hair Tattooed man and honestly refreshing.

As much as I'm definitely not the kind of person to do this, I'm not even going to lie: the first time that I opened this book, I read the first chapter and automatically almost threw it into the "DNF dungeon". I just didn't feel like this book was going to be what I was expecting from it, but then I told myself I was being irrational, and Paris is always going to be annoying, no matter which version of him we're getting! - so I decided to give it another chance and that is why I'm here today.

I fell for Helen right away, and I'm pretty certain she truly is the reason why I pulled through and finished this book even when there were multiple opportunities where I almost chose to just dnf and be done with it.
As much as it's a nice story that the writer has given us, for some reason it just didn't do it for me and to be quite honest, I think it's because it felt a lot like reading fanfiction, rather than a retelling - and not necessarily in a good way.

Wow. I had such a fun time reading this book! To be fair, I have no idea what the story was based on. So I went into this blind and I was EATING. IT. UP. I loved the banter and female rage. It was a fun and easy read and I would buy this book and recommend to others! Thank you so much for the Arc!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this book. It's a retelling, which I can usually get down with. There's lesbians, another one of my fave pairings. And it's mafia, aka my kryptonite.

But it just... didn't work for me. It could be a mood reader thing. That's been known to happen to me.

While we do get to see two strong women fight against patriarchal mafia foundations, I wanted to *feel* more than I did. The relationship didn't spark the way I'd hoped it would. And the start of the book was very "dropping in" vibes - as in, I felt lost from the start and had to run to catch up to the story.

I think there are definitely things to love about this book. Overall, it didn't hit for me.

Thank you to Montlake, NetGalley, and Mary E. Roach for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

We Are the Match is an actual and queer retelling of the story of Paris and Troy that is new and unexpected, bringing a lot of elements that when you read, you can't help but get hooked.

First of all, as a humanities student and myth lover, this book is everything I didn't know I needed. We all know that what captures a reader's attention it's the style of the book, the way it's written, and I must say, We Are the Match it's so beautifully written that it took my breath away for most of the parts. Every time I read it, I was floating, seeing actions that are from the modern world, but with a strong presence of Ancient Greek. Also, this is not your same old retelling where words are just words. In this book, every word matters because it's not always explicit about the meaning behind the words, which is so enchanting.

The characters, Paris, who's seeking revenge, and Helen, sweet but powerful Helen, are unique but still really well-done. They have depth, they have character, richness, and their interactions don't leave you indifferent. The way their relationship evolves in the whole book is fascinating, and they, as individuals, are morally grey and conflicted, but still, they work, and you can't help but love them, as well as other characters.

This book might not be for everyone because it's not your typical standard book. It's something else, something better in my opinion. If you're looking for a book that hooks you, have you re-read the words written on the paper and your heart aching in the most delicious way, We Are the Match is, indeed, a match.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This is a sapphic mafia dark romance with a Greek retelling. Like others have mentioned it definitely gives Wattpad vibes. I was able to get through it, I wouldn't say it's my favorite but found it enjoyable enough not to DNF.

We are the Match by Mary E Roach is a loose reimagining of the myth of Helen of Troy in a contemporary Greek underworld.

The main reason I am rating this book as adequate is because of the improbability of some of the events in the story. I understand that the reader has to adjust to some extent and accommodate any type of world the author has created, however, some points were just too unjustifiable to allow such incongruity to make sense.

I have read a number of mafia romance novels and some are also reimagined Greek mythology. Unfortunately, for me, We are the Match does not live up to its contemporaries. As a whole, the novel is acceptable but falls short when on par with other notable books of the same theme.