A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon Book Review
Synopsis
A student finds herself accidentally betrothed to a demon—and investigating his connection to the magical irregularities plaguing her city—in this cozy, whimsical YA romantasy.
As a scholarship student at the magical Lyceum, Naomi would rather focus on deciphering ancient scrolls than dating. Especially since the only boys asking her out are less interested in a night in Naomi’s company than an introduction to her influential aunt.
So Naomi devises an excuse to turn down her persistent suitors: She claims to be betrothed to a demon.
Her story works perfectly. Until she arrives home one night and finds the demon Daziel lounging in her rooms, insisting he’s her betrothed. Naomi knows he’s lying—after all, the betrothal was never real—but the gorgeous and infuriating demon is surprisingly resistant to her banishing spells. And with his penchant for baking and home décor, it’s not so bad having him around.
Besides, she has bigger worries—like the ancient scroll she’s trying to translate, and the way the city’s magic has become suddenly unstable. But the more Naomi learns about the scroll, and the more she gets to know Daziel, the more it seems like she might be at the center of something bigger than she could have imagined.
REVIEW
“The end of the world was not the right time to think about love.”
Isn’t it, though?
I thought this was such a cute YA read! And as a scholar and linguist myself, I was fascinated by the dilemma our group of young students faced in Language X. But the stars of the show were definitely Naomi and Daziel. Their relationship and development, not only as a couple but individuals, was so sweet yet… complicated. It could have gone so wrong, but who they each were at their cores, the time the author allowed to let them get to know each other, to grow, made it work.
To be fair, some suspension of disbelief about certain things is necessary. But is it a perfect little cozy romantasy for when you just need something fun and light? Absolutely.
Thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours and Penguin Teen for the gifted copy for review!
Original publication date was 3 February 2026.
Author Profile
Hannah Reynolds is the two-time Sydney Taylor Honor author of young adult romantic comedies. She grew up outside of Boston, where she spent most of her childhood and teenage years recommending books to friends, working at a bookstore, and making chocolate desserts. She received her BA in Creative Writing and Archaeology from Ithaca College, which meant she never needed to stop telling romantic stories or playing in the dirt. After living in San Francisco, New York, and Paris, she came back to Massachusetts and now lives in Cambridge.
