Review: You’re My Glory

Overview

Review

Strengths

• Funny gaming segments and interactions between friends.
• A very human and flawed male love interest with independent interests & realistic struggles.

Flaws

• The conflict/misunderstanding at the end between the protagonist and love interest felt a bit contrived, but it's saved by the fluffy, sweet resolution.

This has to be one of my favorite het cnovels I've read in a while. The main character is an actress who has to quickly learn how to play a mobile game that she's endorsing for the competition, and the tutor she finds is her high school crush who rejected her. Unlike the typical c-entertainment novels, the main character has a very steady and mature outlook about the various petty schemes & dramas, taking things competently in stride.

The strongest point of this book is definitely the male lead, however. In a genre filled with overbearing love interests who are always more powerful, richer, and smarter than the female protagonist, and who spend the entire book hovering over her shoulders fixing all her problems, we finally get someone who actually feels like a real person. Instead of having his life revolve around the main character, the male lead mostly leads an independent life struggling to balance his desire to earn more money to support his parents vs pursuing his dreams as an underpaid researcher. The themes of family and money and reputation here were extremely sympathetic and relatable. You also see how he slowly grows from his days as an arrogant high school student who looked down on the main character because she wasn't as smart as him, to the current timeline where he draws strength and inspiration from her support and faith in his dreams.

Beyond the romance, the supporting characters are all very fun and quirky in their own ways, and the gaming moments (and gaming fails) were hilarious as well.

I highly recommend this book to someone looking for a more mature, down-to-earth romance with a good dose of humor and emotional growth.