Title: before we bond (@annabellacx )
Sounds like a werewolf title.
Audience: young adult
I didn't get that vibe from the first three chapters but then again I also didn't catch the age of the characters.
Genre: Romance
Initial thoughts: I'm prepared for a nice lil meet cute.
Hook: Will they get together? Won't they? The first three chapters are mainly character introduction and the start of a possible relationship, but for a contemporary romance that functions fine as a hook.
Characters: Two evidently ageless poetic smokers. One is a barista, one is an artist who drinks coffee completely appropriate for the time of day (black, in the morning). Little details about Cassandra like her tattoos and piercings were cool to read and added a dash of characterization to set her apart from the thousands of other Coffee Shop AU MCs.
Syntax: Prosaic: It doesn't fall into the trap of ineffective word usage as often as so much other similar writing but there are moments that get too close to purple prose for comfort. There is a fine line between immersive, thoughtful verbiage and pretentiousness. A really, really fine line.
I briefly mentioned the pacing earlier and I'll say more specifically here that the chapters felt short, I'm almost tempted to say all three chapters could be made into a single first chapter. Then again, the short snappy chapters make for a nice quick read.
Technicality: Pretty good, the em-dashes are all hyphens but I saw the note about Wattpad's messed up editor.
Formatting: It's all very aesthetic and it suits the genre and tone of the book well. The graphics at the start of each chapter were cute, were they handmade?
Final thoughts:
8/10 the almost-purple prose made me wary but this would make a nice binge read on a long bus ride.
