I had the honor of reading Nothing Special by Dina S this past weekend while making a 12-hour trek to and from a friend’s house. While I do not often indulge in romantasy set in a real-world setting, I was drawn to Nothing Special by the narrator’s strong on-page voice and its unique twist on real-world magic. Of course, Dina is pretty cool too.
Nothing Special is a romantic fantasy book, often known as romantasy, and the story revolves around Paisley Adams, a small-town high school student in search of someone who sees her for more than just another face in a crowd. Paisley also possesses a unique power, she is a Discerner. As you may guess, much of the story is about Paisley struggling with friendship and love throughout high school. However, Dina adds a layer to the average struggles of a small-town girl by giving Paisley the ability to look beyond what lies on the surface, and deep into people’s emotions.
Paisley’s ability is clear from the start of the book but woven into the daily life she experiences in a seamless manner that despite Paisley’s own insistence as the narrator that her life is “nothing special”, it’s clear to the reader she’s far more unique than she realizes. This opening that Dina gives her main character, however, created an instant connection for me. Dina made it so that I felt Paisley’s pain, her frustration, and I could remember a time I myself was Paisley Adams (yes, even the fawning over dark handsome boys bit).
The book progresses naturally through the narrative of Paisley’s ups and downs in life. It drip-feeds you information about her abilities as a Discerner, and that there may be far more lore behind Discernment than even Paisley knows. And the world around Paisley becomes more vibrant as the book goes on. I struggle with slice-of-life, romance, and real-world settings often because they are too dull to keep me interested in the very world I live in, but Dina writes a world that is colorful, exciting, and bursting at the seams with emotion. Nothing Special keeps you hooked from the first page to the last one.
I wish I could provide adequate comparisons for this story, but this is one of the rare and few real-world romantasy books that I can say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I could not put it down. Dina’s voice and style are easy to get into, but prepare to have your heart in pieces by the end of it. Nothing Special is truly far more special than its title implies, and with its sequel Something Special coming out later this year, I would encourage any reader of slice-of-life, small-town, romance, and magical realism to seek out this story and give it a read.
You can find Nothing Special by Dina S on the Lost Boys Press website, and for updates on the sequel Something Special check out Dina S(@DinasaurusD) or Lost Boys Press (@LostBoysPress) on Twitter/X!