The Pride Awards

Category Winners - Romance

Hello everyone! I loved reading all the amazing entries we got for the romance category this year. It was so hard picking a winner because all of you have such fantastic books!

I've posted reviews for the three finalists down below and all other participants can PM for their feedback, and winners can PM for prizes! There's a glitch with my wattpad messaging so please text me on discord, if possible, at @itsmeimthevampire

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First Place Winner

Sweet Little Birds
99/100 lisa_london_

I had actually read this book before and I was so glad I got the chance to read it again! Robin and Tyler are the most lovable characters and it was so sweet to see them slowly and awkwardly falling in love. The title is cute and I like the reference to birds in the protagonists name. The cover art is so pretty! The placement of the title and everything is perfect, and I love this little pop of colour from the lollipops. I think the book was overall a lot more fun than the blurb made it out to be! The blurb suggests something a little more dark and depressing but the story is a pleasant surprise. I really like the plot because it's not just focused on the romance between them (although of course that's a major aspect!) but there's a lot more to it in regard to dealing with disabilities, Robyn's family issues, and it's core coming-of-age storyline. If I had to pick my favourite thing I'd definitely say it's the characters. Their dialogue is so natural and their personalities complement each other perfectly. I noticed you have a sequel out now too and I can't wait to see what happens next!

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Second Place Winner

Nobody Like You
98/100 AziaElga

I'll start off with the cover because it's just so dang pretty! I love the art of the two girls, and how they're sort of standing away from each other also alludes to the enemies to lovers trope in the book. You've got a great hook in the opening dialogue. I was immediately invested in the storyline, and interested in finding out more as to why Yeju still lived with her ex-girlfriend. All the characters come out really strong and three dimensional, especially Yeju's character voice. After the initial hook there's a lot of exposition that follows that could maybe be spread out a bit throughout the story, perhaps by not giving out all the details as to why Yeju is angry about living with Lia. The reason for Yeju's hated towards Lia feels a bit contrived right now, so it there could be more build up to the reveal. But after the initial reasoning is cleared up, you've done a great job at showing the tension between the two girls. I would certainly HATE having Yeju as my roommate! I'll definetely be reading on to see how Yeju and Lia sort out their differences and work together. A great story that I'd recommend to anyone!

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Third Place Winner

The Beautiful You
97/100 officialjeki

I absolutely loved this book! To start off with, the cover looks perfect. I always love line art, and the one here is so pretty! The blurb has a neat logline and hook and gives out just the right amount of information in the rest of it. I actually really enjoyed the opening paragraph of the book. It's quite dark but I think it sets the scene really well, and it takes us straight into the protagonists thoughts. A lot of information is given out in the beginning through Apollo's introspective thoughts, but I personally very much enjoyed the style in how it was written. Apollo comes across as a very relatable character—at least to me! He certainly has some issues that he needs to work through, but that's what makes him so interesting, and the first several chapters sets the scene really well for Apollo's path to healing. The grammar throughout the story is close to perfect—I noticed a few punctuation errors, but I didn't think they spoiled the reading experience in the least. Amory seems to complement our MC very well so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship progressing. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and it's definitely one to add to my evergrowing reading pile!