No Love Allowed is one of those books that once it was over I kind of felt sad about it. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. I read the book in a 24hr time span too so you can tell I was completely submerged.No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 19th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis:
It’s all fun and parties until someone falls in love in this modern fairy tale from author Kate Evangelista.
Caleb desperately needs a fake girlfriend. Either he attends a series of parties for his father’s law firm with a pretty girl on his arm, or he gets shipped off to Yale to start a future he’s not ready for and isn’t sure he wants. And sadly, the last unattached girl in his social circle has just made the grievous mistake of falling in love with him. Fortunately, Didi, recently fired waitress and aspiring painter, is open to new experiences. As the summer ticks by in a whirl of lavish parties, there’s only one rule: They must not fall in love!
Kate Evangelista is one of those authors that you can also count on an awesome, confident female lead. Didi is someone who has definitely struggled but she is has accepted the detour her life has taken. She is also very proud of where she comes from and has fantastic relationship with her mom. I love her artist and free spirit.
Didi is the perfect compliment to Caleb. He’s not looking to commit to anyone and is just trying to escape life circumstances. He has experienced loss and struggles in a different way than Didi. They find themselves forming a bond and a relationship of understanding. I also really loved Caleb’s cousins Tash, Nathan and Preston (not cousin but kind of like one).
There are swoony moments in No Love Allowed, even with the rules. There is not instalove in sight and everything develops at a natural pace. Caleb and Didi definitely start out as friends and things just start to change from there.
I like that the book tackles mental illness and how it deals with it. My brother actually has the same issues as Didi and I think sometimes people have a misconception about how detectable some of the illnesses can be. You might not even realize someone is being treated for one. There is also the issue of medication, some of the treatments can cause a person to feel empty which is why you find that people can sometimes stop taking it. I thought this book shows this in such a great way. It’s gentle instead of exploding it in your face, giving the reader a better understanding.
I’m breaking Caleb’s rules and saying I loved No Love Allowed. I have had good experiences with Kate Evangelista’s books and this might be one of my favorites of hers now. I’m always happy with how awesome her female leads are and she creates the swoony romance well.
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn’t going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is a graduate of De La Salle University – Manila with an Bachelor of Arts in Literature. She taught high school English for three years and was an essay consultant for two. Currently she writes full time and is based in the Philippines. To learn more about Kate, please visit her website at www.kateevangelista.com or follow her on Twitter @KateEvangelista
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