Book Review: Just Stab Me Now, by Jill Bearup

"Just Stab Me Now" by Jill Bearup is about an author and her recalcitrant heroine.

I loved this story. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy stories, or romances for that matter, but this one was different from the usual formula.

Caroline, the author, is trying to write a fantasy romance, but her characters keep wandering away from the outline. As a fiction writer myself, I can tell you that is an accurate assessment of the writing process. So, the romance tropes are often ignored, much to the author's (Caroline's) chagrin.

Paralleling the fantasy story that Caroline is writing, we also follow Caroline on her own story with her stressful day job, her shitty boss, and her blooming crush on her editor and all the fears that come along with that. Another thing I loved is that Caroline often broke into a story to talk to her characters, which made for some hilarious moments.

I honestly can't give enough compliments to Ms. Bearup and her debut novel. It was a fun read. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes funny books, whether or not you like romance or fantasy.