ARC REVIEW: Mona Lisas And Little White Lies – by John Herrick

Title: Mona Lisas And Little White Lies
Author: John Herrick
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: March 19th 2019
Publisher: Segue Blue
Finished reading: February 8th 2019
Pages: 324

“Unlike men – and cars, for that matter – a new tire had never let her down.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Segue Blue in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Surprised to see this title on my little blog? I know I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance, but I like to read something different every once in a while. There was just something about this title that caught my eye, and maybe the fact that it’s due to be published on my birthday was a sign? Anyhow, while I do think that contemporary romance fans will enjoy Mona Lisas And Little White Lies better than I did, I still had a good time reading it. I really liked the premise of this story. The artist inspired by a face he only saw once in all those years, the down to earth car mechanic who doesn’t know the power behind her appearance… The art, the chance meeting, the different worlds colliding: the story definitely has all the signs of that feel-good fairytale romance. The main characters Lily and Ryder are easy to like and each have their own personality. I like my quirky characters with flaws and they do feel quite realistic. Their story sounds like something straight out of a movie and it’s a story romance fans most likely will fall in love with. For me, there were a bit too many cliches involved, including romance tropes as insta-love and a love triangle. The whole ‘little white lies’ part felt a bit forced, as well as the final part of the story. Their reactions to the plot twist reveal and aftermath were a bit too cliche and over the top for me, but then again I’m not a drama fan. Some parts were a bit underdeveloped as well, including for example Aaron’s past and the role of Chase in the story. I really liked the many descriptions of Thailand though! Overall Mona Lisas And Little White Lies was an entertaining and fluffy contemporary romance read I can recommend to fans of the genre.

Ryder saw Lily only once a couple of years ago, but has never been able to forget her face. He has incorporated her into his art for years now, using Lily as his muse for commercials and other art alike. Everybody wonders who this woman in his art is, but he never reveals her identity… Mostly because he doesn’t have a clue who or where she is. Then Lily’s friends see one of his commercials and Lily is determined to confront the artist about using her face without permision. But what will this meeting lead to?

If you enjoy cute ‘love at first sight’ stories with quirky and flawed characters that are easy to like, you will probably love Mona Lisas And Little White Lies. The general idea behind this story is interesting and I loved the many art, car and Thailand references. The plot did get a bit predictable and cliche at points, and the dose of drama was a bit high towards the ending, but overall this was still a satisfying contemporary romance read.