Review--The Fairest Kind of Love by Crystal Cestari

"Amber! I never even thought of that! Maybe she can tell you your match."

Whoa. Now that's interesting.

Amber Sand has spent half her life solidifying other people's happily-ever-afters. As a matchmaker, she has the ability to look into anyone's eyes and see their perfect match. But lately, her powers have been on the fritz, and not only is she totally unsure whether her matches are true, she can't see anyone in the eyes of her boyfriend Charlie Blitzman. With Amber and her friends graduating high school and about to take off for various colleges, Amber is hoping to have one last carefree summer-but she's also dying to find a way to fix her powers, and learn, for better or worse, if she and Charlie are truly meant to be.

So when an online matchmaker named Madame Lamour comes to Chicago, Amber sets out to talk to her and find out who her match is once and for all. Of course, when it comes to the magical community, nothing's ever that easy, and Amber soon finds herself caught up in a breathless showdown that involves a fairy family feud and a magical-creature auction--and requires teaming up with a certain siren nemesis. Can Amber and her friends save the day one more time before setting off for their new lives? And will Amber ever learn whether Charlie is her one true love?
 
With tons of laugh-out-loud moments, appearances by all your favorite characters, and one totally tearful reveal, you won't want to miss a single swoony moment of this romantic conclusion to the Windy City Magic trilogy.

Crystal Cestari’s charming trilogy Windy City Magic comes to a delightful end with The Fairest Kind of Love. Here the story follows matchmaker Amber as she tries to gain back her matchmaking powers and will do whatever it takes to see her own happy ending come true.

Amber and her friends just graduated high school and plan to have the best summer ever before they go off to their respective colleges. Amber and Amani discover that there’s another matchmaker in the woodwork and her name is Madame L’Amour. She televises her visions through streaming services and when they hear she’s coming to Chicago for a rare, in-person visit, they are all over it. Amber particularly wants to meet another matchmaker like herself and to see if she knows anything about dwindling powers.

Though they receive a shock over how Madam L’Armour really operates and it’s not at all what Amber was expecting. Before she knows it though the event is over and she finds herself on a road trip to save the one and only Ivy. Ivy is still severely ill from having given up her powers to save her sister. In fact, Ivy might be dying. Not wanting to lose an almost friend, Amber and Amani travel with Ivy to a fairy farm where fairy dust is harvested in hopes of getting a wish granted that will heal Ivy…and perhaps Amber might be able to solve her own problems too.

This was quite the whirlwind of a story! From secrets to surprises to dashing rescues this book pretty much had it all. Including delectable treats that I envy Amber for getting! If you’re looking for a book with a sweet tooth, this is it! This whole series is it!

What I’ve enjoyed about this series was how it was a truly magical series from the getgo. I believe they call it “magical realism” so not quite your modern day fantasy (or a lighter version of Urban Fantasy) but something more in between. There’s no dark edges to this one, although the villains can be pretty nefarious.

Other things I enjoyed were how completely likable Amber is. She’s a very genuine person and kind-hearted. She’s got her sass though with a side of snark. Maybe not has heavy as some of our other YA heroines in the paranormal genre, but Amber is very relatable. I positively love her friendship with Amani and her relationship with Charlie is just straight on adorable! This is definitely the kind of read I’d recommend if you like paranormals that are on the lighter side because that is just what this trilogy is!

The ending was absolutely the sweetest too. It might be mushy gushy, but after you’ve read the first two books, you kind of expect it. It’s an ending where you can be happy and content knowing that everyone you cared about had a happy ending in some way. It’s an ending filled with hope and happiness for the characters’ futures…even if those futures weren’t what they thought they originally wanted.

I will leave you with this…if you’re looking for that paranormal read to help ease you into the genre without leaving the contemporary realms too far behind, I highly recommend starting with the Windy City Magic trilogy! The Fairest Kind of Love gives us all that delightful and hopeful ending we all hope to see for ourselves in the future and it’s the sweetest kind of ending you’d hope for!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars