Courtesy of Cupid

by Nashae Jones

Erin Johnson’s thirteenth birthday starts out in a typical way: with her mom’s quirky (and embarrassing) choice of outfit and competing with Erin’s nemesis, Trevor Jin, for the best seat in class (first row, smack in the center, of course). Until her magical powers kick in. Turns out, Erin’s mysterious father is the love god Cupid, and she’s inherited his knack for romance. Erin has no time for love, though. She only cares about being at the top of her class and getting elected president of the Multicultural Leadership Club. But when her win starts look - ing unlikely and she decides to make her number one opponent (Trevor, of course) fall in love with her to make him drop out of the race, love suddenly becomes a lot more interesting— and complicated, when she realizes Trevor might not be as obnoxious as she’d thought. . . .

Genres: Romance, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology, Audiobook, Magical Realism, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 7, 2025

About the author

Nashae Jones is a freelance writer and an educator. Her pieces have appeared in publications such as HuffPost, McSweeney’s, Yahoo Voices among others. Currently she lives in Virginia with her husband, two kids, two cats, and one dog. She is passionate about diversity initiatives, especially in children’s literature.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

There has been a surge in middle grade romances for tweens and it makes me excited to know that authors and publishers are interested in producing content that shows romance and relationship dynamics from the perspective of a tween. Courtesy of Cupid is a genre blend of a book that leans more heavily towards contemporary/realistic fiction with fantastical elements. Readers follow main character, Erin, as she learns of her connection to the God cupid and her ability to control/influence the love lives of individuals around her. Though it lags in certain sections (it took me a while to really want to read this one), Jones does an excellent job exploring the pressure that comes with dating as a teenager. Courtesy of Cupid didn't exactly blow me away, but it is a title that I would recommend to younger readers who are interested in exploring romance novels written for their age group.

[Florence Migga]

DNF on o. 76. I know EJ has to start at a place to allow character growth, but she’s SO unlikeable. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and hang on, but I was over 2 hours into the audiobook and just couldn’t with her anymore.

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Erin Johnson (biracial - Black & white), a 13 year old girl whose life dramatically changes when she comes into her powers that she inherited from the dad she never met…Cupid. Erin decides to use her new powers to make her rival Trevor Jin fall in love with her, so he will drop out of the Multicultural Club presidential race…but Erin quickly learns the consequences of meddling with other people’s feelings. ⁣⁣
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This was such an adorable coming of age story. Erin reminds me so much of myself as a kid. She’s persistent, headstrong, and ambitious. Erin is determined to be the first Black woman to receive a Nobel prize in Medicine and no one will stand in her way! I also really loved her relationship with her mom, and how large of a role their relationship played out in the plot.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Theresa author does a really fantastic job of capturing that middle grade angst especially when it comes to Erin and Trevor. It’s clearly that the two of them like each other, but they are constantly competing with each other to be the best. ⁣⁣
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Lastly, the audiobook is narrated by Jade Wheeler, and she does a phenomenal job of bringing Erin to life!⁣⁣

Thank you to Simon Kids and Simon Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

[ß · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[swiftie 💗💗🤭💅 jinu wife!!:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the characters were kinda annoying honestly

[Kaitlin Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely charming novel that was a total pleasure to read. The main character, Erin, is ambitious, hard- working, and extremely bright, but (like many of her peers) she still has quite a bit to learn about relationships of all kinds. The story is a wonderful blend of comedy, romance, and magic. I smiled, laughed, cringed, and even puddled up in a few places. What an absolute treat!

[ray ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 or 3 🌟

Enjoyable, cringe (but acceptable considering it’s middle-grade), only thing that was weird is that it’s romance in 8th grade…

[LESLIE J (mrsj_readsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Simon Audio for my complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Super cute YA enemies to lovers. EJ and Trevor are adorable. You can tell they have a spark from the first chapter. Always competing and trying to one up each other until a teacher forces them to be partners.

All the angst of middle school complicated by finding out you’re Cupid’s daughter. How is EJ going to navigate all this new information.

The narrator had a very pleasant voice. This was a nice easy listen.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow THIS BOOK! I knew I was going to like it, but I looooved it.  Almost from the very moment I started the book I connected with Erin and loved her voice and POV.  She is smart and caring and a bit sassy, but not in a normal teenage way that drives you mad. As a mom, the cringiest parts were when her mom did something to exasperate Erin because I know that will be me one day (/ probably already is), but even so I loved their dynamic because even though her mom "didn't get her" she obviously loved and cared so much for her and they still had a loving relationship.  I adored all of the characters, but of course ESPECIALLY Erin and Trevor.  Everything that happened just felt so realistic and natural and even with the magic and seeing this magic in a smart young girl was so much fun. I could not stop reading this book!

Note: I read the audiobook and it is FABULOUS! It drew me in, made the characters even more vibrant and I felt so many emotions while listening (yes I was sobbing in one of the later scenes with her grandma). Highly recommend that format.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable middle grade novel about a 13 year old girl who finds out her father is Cupid. I loved the relationship between Erin and Trevor. This was a cute rom com with lots of heart, no pun intended!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character in this novel was so mean to everyone and had very few redeeming qualities. It was a cute concept, but I wish the protagonist wasn't so unlikable.

[Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was super cute!! I could totally see people currently in middle school LOVING it! “From The Start” by Laufey played when I finished this and I think it fits so well.

I LOVED Trevor :) he was such a sweetheart the whole time I just loved seeing him being in love with EJ and doing literally everything and more to show that, even tho Erin was a bit oblivious about it for most of the book…
Like him helping her with everything and getting her the snacks?! oh adorable.

The footnotes were cute tbh I honestly loved reading them, I’ve never seen that before and it worked so well with her character

I wish we went a little further with the whole “Erin has magic powers and is Cupid’s daughter” it honestly felt like it was on the back burner for 90% of the book. Honestly the book would’ve worked just as well without the Cupid plot and it was the same plot of her trying to making him fall in love with her to her realizing she has feelings for Trevor. The couples she got together just to break up but they stayed together?? Like wdym? No point in her being Cupid’s daughter. It was literally just a hiccup, I understand that it’s a short book but if you have a book that is called “Courtesy Of Cupid” I feel like we need a chapter or two more of her working out her powers and being part Cupid and not just her ignore the manual till the second to last chapter

On that note, her relationship being strained with Bruno should’ve been talked about just a tad bit more. I understand it was her magic doing that but I felt like we needed one more scene of it being explained in some way to really show the extent of her power because again he was kind of on the back burner after a while too and you kind of forget about them being friends (in my opinion)

But it was still a lot of fun!

I love how goofy and middle school this felt like the author did such a good job. Erin’s mom was a handful but it worked out in the end. This book did NOT need to say grimace 10 times but I digress.
Also there 15 commandments and I wish there were 15 chapters instead of 14 and ik there was an epilogue and prologue but those didn’t have commandments so

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great MG magical realism romance!
💘
EJ is finally turning 13 when most of her peers are already 14. She wants to keep things low key, just her and her bestie, Bruno, but her quirky and embarrassing mother has other plans. She throws EJ a surprise party and reads an excerpt from her latest romance novel where she and her academic rival and nemesis, Trevor Jin, are the leads. After EJ dies of embarrassment, she learns that she has magical abilities that kick in after her 13th birthday because her father is Cupid, the god of love. Armed with this new power, EJ decides to change the fate of those around her, including making Trevor fall in love with her so he will drop out of the race for president of the Multicultural Club. When EJ starts developing feelings of her own for Trevor she realizes this might not be the best idea.
💘
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we need more middle grade romance books for our tweens and teens not yet ready for YA. This fits the bill perfectly! It released last month and is the ideal book for valentine’s day. Great on audiobook too!

CW: divorce, bullying, parental abandonment, grief, death of a grandparent (mentioned)

I wanted more about the dad and how his relationship with the mom came about and where Cupid is now. I also didn’t love the constant footnotes.

4.25⭐️

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erin Johnson is a smart girl who sees life as a competition with Trevor Jin. She lives with her mother, a romance ghost writer, since her father has been absent from birth. Erin misses her grandmother who was the stabilizing force in the family. When Erin's mother finally reveals information about her father, Erin is flabbergasted to find out that her father is Cupid, the god of love, or maybe just a god of love. When Erin discovers that she also possesses Cupid powers, life takes a predictable turn. She uses her powers, makes mistakes, rectifies the mistakes, and finds that her competition with Trevor to be the best in school is really more of a crush on him.

[Rachel Holtzclaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

audio (!!!!! huge for me!!)

i think the diversity in so many aspects of this book was really great, and i was happy to see it! i also think a lot of this could be developed more, especially when it comes to the cupid magic and the ultimate effects it has on those EJ uses it on, but i'm not sure that a kiddo in the targeted age group would care too much about the things i still had questions about.... i think maybe though!! especially a kiddo that might find themselves relating to our girl EJ.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute middle grade debut that sees a Black teen girl discovering that her estranged father is actually a Cupid and she has magical powers to affect people. What follows is a fun enemies to lovers romance with a bit of a triangle with her best friend. I loved how diverse the characters were in this book and how relatable it was despite the magical/fantasy elements. Definitely a worthwhile read and good on audio. I'm excited to see what the author writes next! Recommended for fans of books like Ok, cupid by Mason Deaver.

[Ashley Krech · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a cute book! Perfect for Valentine’s Day! It involves Cupid and magic powers and of course falling in love! The main character was in middle school so it was an innocent love story! I loved reading about a character that’s a lot younger than I normally read! The writing was also definitely fit for a middle schooler, the author did a good job of writing in the perspective of Erin and saying things a middle schooler would say. It was cute, funny, and not like any other story I’ve read! I recommend this book!

Writing: ✍️✍️✍️✍️
Story: 📚📚📚📚
Spice: (none)

[Keira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so cute and I felt like I was right back in middle school! It's an adorable read, perfectly adding a magical touch to the already complicated life of Erin Johnson, a thirteen year old girl who has completely devoted her life to studying and succeeding in science (and for her, this includes wanting absolutely nothing to do with love), but turns out to be a cupid. This book is a perfect mix of humor, teenage romance, heartwarming moments, and grief.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I found this book to be boring and predictable. To be fair, it was written for middle schoolers and I'm in my 30's. I won this book from Goodreads giveaways and wanted to read it and review it anyway. The main character is honestly annoying and rude and the way she speaks to and about her mother just rubs me the wrong way. No thanks.

[Corrin V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute read! Appropriate for grades 4 and up. Even though there is some talk of dating/liking each other, there is no kissing or physical intimacy discussion so can be appropriate for elementary students independent reading. Characters are in 8th grade. Positive role models!

[Arlin Treaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️

[Ash (eat.pray.decorate) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - rounded up. Such a cute middle grade romance! This was my first MG and I think I just found a new fave genre!

[Elaine Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. I really loved this book!

[Kenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Jade qcbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book!

I had the best time

The story was quite unique and even if it’s about 13 years olds, I loved it

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute middle grade book. As a middle school teacher it portrays middle school pretty accurately. While it’s sorta an enemies to lovers romcom, I like that the book focuses on school drive and internal growth as well as friendship more than the romance side.

Thank you Libro.fm for the ALC

[Sloan The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so amazing!!! It had me giggling so much. I stayed up late to finish this book and it was worth it!! You need to read this book if you like academic rival stories!

[୨⎯ gabs ⎯୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

very first “YA” novel😽

it was pretty good! it seemed like there were no slow parts, and I loved the lgbtqia rep🤩 it’s such a good romance book for young ages and I hope it gets the love it deserves!!!
moving on to mark of Athena as I speak✨🦉

outta here🫡

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect coming of age story mixed with an enemies to lovers plot. I will definitely be reading more books by Nashae Jones. Although......If there was just the tiniest bit more of P.D.A my rating would skyrocket to 1000000000000000000/10!

[Cat Herder McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!! The characters were so well thought out and described and you can picture them and hear their voices. You get so wrapped up in the characters and it is so hard to put it down!! Highly recommend this fabulous book!! It is hard to believe that this is Nashae Jones’s first novel!! I can’t wait to read her next novel and every novel she writes after that! Highly recommend!