One of my best reads of the year. This is very different from other romantasys I have read and was actually really engaging and drew me in from the start.
So many twist and turns throughout with real character growth that all can appreciate. The fact it is a stand alone is another bonus!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Whilst fairly predictable, which seems an odd thing to say given the unusual premise, it was incredibly enjoyable. I adored Sath, flawed, imperfect Sath, and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book from this author

3.5⭐

This was such a fun read filled with wit and
humour from the start that I found myself completely flying through the pages. Though it felt a little too predictable at times it really didn't bother me at all as I just really enjoyed the dynamic between Willow and Sath throughout the book and the trials that Willow has to undertake.

A really fun and unique adventure of a book!

Willow went from being super annoying with many of the worst traits of a modern day MFC to coming across as sympathetic - she was dealt a really bad hand, had poor mental health, terrible family, friends and boyfriend - but by the end of the book she'd found a new family all of her own. A friend she was prepared to risk it all for and a man who was still trash, but a huge step up. Which leads into our MMC. I didn't mind him crying, and I enjoyed his story and his devotion, I just found the whole set up a little off. (plus we're not technically in hell, but minor issue)

I just really wish Noah had gotten some comeuppance. He came across as abusive and while we only saw the relationship from Willow's PoV, who is not the most reliable of narrators, there is no way that relationship was anything other than toxic. Her mother was also a real piece of work.

I enjoyed the way the afterlife was set up, the different areas, the concept of a sorter, what 'life' was like for those who had passed on. I enjoyed most of the trials and everything Willow had to do to prove herself only to realise what she actually wanted to prove was something else completely.

The ending felt a little rushed, we got to the 'twist' then it raced to the end and an epilogue that felt a little shallow in comparison to the stakes that had come before.

A fiery, fun adventure that won't linger in the mind for too long, but is enjoyable while it lasts.

Willow dies, and ends up in Asphodel, where she makes a deal with the Devil to complete 7 trials to try and be revived.

This was great. I really liked seeing Willow explore Asphodel throughout the book, it felt well fleshed out as a setting.

Big fan of Sath and their romance - it didn’t feel stupidly fast like a lot of book romances do. There was intrigue, then friendship, then a deeper connection, and so on. It felt very realistic and I really enjoyed that. And the icy scene near the end with the staying? Yes.

Willow is strong but flawed. She has her issues, but as a FMC I think she was well depicted.

I liked the idea of a trial for each of the seven deadly sins, and I thought they worked well within the book.

I’m pretty sure this is meant to be Adult because of the spicy scenes, but the actual plot and relationships could be sort of High/Upper YA?

Overall a really enjoyable read! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC via NetGalley! This did not influence the review and all opinions are my own.

I yelled so loud when I was accepted for this book. I’d seen so many positive reviews about it and I just had a feeling it was gonna be fantastic.

Let me start by saying that initially I was hesitant about this; sometimes with YA books they can feel ‘immature’ and I feel like a boomer reading them. But this one was so refreshing. It was casual, had a great flow, and it was so easy to read. I may or may not have lost some sleep staying up to read this…

The characters were so multi-dimensional and I think this was one of my favourite things about the book. Willow (FMC) battles with various different emotions in the book which I think a lot of us can relate to. We find out that it was inferred so many times that she wasn’t good enough, she was a failure, she was selfish, all things I’m sure we’ve heard from others before. And I just felt as though she was incredibly relatable throughout the book. She didn’t make any decisions that made me think ‘girl what the heck are you doing’ which I’ve had before with some unrealistic main characters. She made choices that I feel I would’ve made myself. The writing style just really matched well with the plot and storyline.

The emotions this book pulled from me was nothing short of magic. I really felt the anger, guilt, betrayal and hurt along with the characters of the book, and at one point I literally cried because I felt so immersed and consumed by the feelings of the book. A lot of parts also weren’t easy to guess - there were some surprises and plot twists that I really wasn’t expecting, and I like being kept on my toes.

The friendships and relationships between characters were also explored to a good degree; there was a nice balance of interaction between characters and plot development. The spice level was perfect for me, and I feel that it worked really well as it was placed perfectly. It didn’t feel cliche, it just *worked*.

Willow, I would die for you. Like I would literally go to war for you. I love a sarcastic, outspoken and strong FMC who can fight her own battles. And the ending she got just felt perfect. And Sath, the man that you are, I adore you in so many ways.

Honestly I reallllly hope there’s a sequel to this book cause I’m really interested in seeing how Willow’s story progresses!

Rating: 5/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜.

Willow is a stubborn, rash and all-round terrible decision maker. After a particular bad decision, Willow is dead and finds herself in Asphodel (not Hell) and at the mercy of King Sath. Sath is everything you’d expect from a fantasy/romance perception of the King of Hell - brooding, grumpy, and hot.

Sath informs Willow that he will let her leave and return to the mortal plane - IF she successfully completes seven tasks, each linked to the seven deadly sins. But is it ever truly that easy, especially when you’re making deals with the devil?

This was absolutely brimming with wit and humour and overall was just an insanely fun read, I had a really great time with this one and enjoyed Willow and Sath’s dynamic throughout the book. Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing an advance copy!

I was able to fly through this because the writing was very basic but overall, i didnt enjoy it.

The cover, the blurb, the title, everything about this made it seem like it was going to be a fun Romantasy and in my opinion, also made it seem like there was going to be some adult content/smut, of which there is only one scene embedded in otherwise childish text. Constant use of the FMC saying “wait” because there was no way to connect their dialogues so she just makes them effectively re set and talk about something else, reaaally annoyed me. Why have i noticed that so many times!?

Anywho, it starts out funny enough with main character Willow realising that she is in fact dead and in some kind of Inbetween place. There was some promise for me here when its clear that Willow is hiding something about herself/her past that could warrant her being sent here. However this back story was revealed fairly early on and it didnt hold the depth I thought it would. I understood the drips of Mental Health issues it was meant to convey but honestly, it came across quite contrived and Willow increasingly more annoying and i wasn’t that empathetic towards her. <spoiler> I understood her pain over never being enough for her mother but this didnt hold enough weight for me to be the reason that she was suicidal/irresponsible and a bit of a drip. </spoiler>

Coupled with how impulsive she was, i found myself rolling my eyes constantly. She is everything wrong with new FMCs lately. Shes unnecessarily bold, impulsive, rude/sarcastic and its not the endearing or relatable trait that authors seem to think it is. Why are you questioning the Devil!? Who are you!? Why do you think youre more special than everyone else here to demand anything from him!? On that note, Sathanas.

Well we find out thats not his real name but what is it!? We never find out. For the King of Asphodel (Hell), he was incredibly weak. He wasnt actually that hot for a start: standard dark hair/tan skin stuff. Hes not particularly powerful or scary and he cries WAY too often. Again, i guess it was meant to make him different and us to feel his plight later but it was just a bit boring.

Speaking of boring, the “trials”. Willow has to go through 7 temptations in order to escape hell and she gets through them way too easily. Then, for the ACOTAR stans, remember in book 1 <spoiler> and the Tamlin heart thing that came out of nowhere and that was meant to be the reason for all this crap… </spoiler> yeah so that happens here. Then we’re given some info dump about why and who and what and when and none of it really makes sense or is cohesive enough for it to be <bold> the reason </bold> , ya know 😒. Then theres the stuff with the gates and i was just like, what!?😕😤

This is getting lengthy but needless to say i was super disappointed in this. I wanted it to be everything more than it was. Funnier, sexier, scarier even. It was just very bland and uninventive.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the eArc as always. All thoughts are my own.

Willow very quickly finds herself sorted into Hell, and her challenges only really start there! She finds herself participating in 7 trials linked to the seven deadly sins. At first, I didn't think that I was in love with the FMC or the depth of the story, but by the time I reached the halfway mark, I found that I was invested in both the story and the character development of Willow.

A Match Made In Hell is marketed as New Adult, which felt spot on for me. Willow is only 21 and her character arc takes her from someone flawed and impulsive to someone who knows they're flawed but can exhibit control and can be better than they were. So some of the decisions she makes along the way feel right for NA, and it matches the tension and then culmination of the open door (but not overly graphic) sex scenes.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

I did enjoy the first 3/4 of this book. It wasn't anything ground breaking and was generally predictable, but it kept my attention and I related to the FMC most of the time. I appreciated how this was a story about her learning to be herself, and realizing the people around her didn't actually care about her and letting go of the pressure.

But the 77% mark is where I was really disappointed. The trials over all were just too simple and shallow. Each a poor derivative of the seven deadly sins. The final one was extra disappointing, for her to see through the bullshit other ones but not be able to think at this, and then claim that what she did was on purpose...There were so many other ways that could have gone, while also having her character development. Especially considering how murky the rules seem to be.

It didn't seem like their romance was the focus of the story to me, but it was still cute. Personally though, this shadow daddy isn't for me, I need someone a little more proactive. Or maybe I only feel that way because I had the notion he was actually supposed to be a villain.


Favourite quotes:

"I’ve gained plenty of experience ignoring the voices in my head, and these demons have got nothing on my mother."

"Too much time spent pretending to be someone else meant that the real me became unleashed in all the worst ways, unable to contain herself at the most inopportune times."