Wren Martin Ruins This Review

Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt

#ContemporaryYA #RomCom #MLM #Ace

CW: Underage Drinking, Grief, Cancer, Loss of a Parent, Bullying, Internalized Acephobia, Discussed Classism, Suicidal Thoughts, Discussed Injury

4.5/5

This is a review I accidentally skipped posting. It was originally dated August 21st, 2025.

I discovered Amanda DeWitt through a tumblr post with ace book recs a few years ago. It was recommending Aces Wild: A Heist to me. It's taken a long time for my library to get that book, so I haven't read it yet. I am impressed that it has a long wait list as well! Proves that ace books are wanted! In the meantime, Wren Ruins It All, the book I am reviewing today, came to me a lot quicker. Still a waiting list for this one, though! As you can guess, this was my first time reading an Amanda DeWitt book, even if I wanted to for quite some time. I absolutely loved this one and I remain excited for when I do get to read Aces Wild.

Wren is annoyed that his school puts so much focus on the Valentine's Day Dance instead of anything that could actually benefit from the school budget. It's also annoying to him that it's allosexual-focused.  Now that he's the school president, he's going to put a stop to the dance! His plans are dashed when a popular social media app, Buddy, ends up sponsoring it. He may now have the budget he needs to help the rest of the school and the app at least claims not to be for romance and hook ups, but now there's two new problems. 1, the dance is much bigger and more involved than before. 2, Wren has to work closely with Leo, the vice-president… whom he hates. Being asexual, Wren has decided it's better for him not to attempt romance, but this whole ordeal has led to him falling for two guys. Will he be able to figure out what he wants for his future without causing too much pain?

Wren Martin Ruins It All is a very cute high school rom-com. It has the "sunshine one is soft for grumpy one" trope. Wren sees Leo as perfect, too perfect. Despite Wren's obvious hatred of him, Leo has a huge crush on the guy. It's fun to witness their interactions as the book goes on, plus the reactions of those around them. I appreciate that the story takes most of the school year, but it's fast paced for the reader. It allows the characters to have a slow burn and allows me to read the book quickly. The timing still feels realistic, too. A number of the events may be improbable, but what's a romcom without its hijinks and drama? One of my favorite aspects of the novel was when Wren would talk to the audience. He's so funny!

It's not just the light and sweet things that DeWitt is great at writing. She has a great handle on grief, stress, fear, and inner turmoil. While asexuality is the main reason Wren won't date, he's also dealing with grief. He lost his mother two years ago. Although grief is easier to deal with as time goes on, some things will be hard no matter what. He has a hard time letting people in or making major changes to his life because he no longer has his mother. Interestingly, his grief is far more subtle to the reader than the fear and stress Leo is suffering from. This is true even though we know what happened to Wren and don't find out about Leo's troubles till much later. It makes perfect sense, however! Wren may have a lot he's sorting out in his head, but he's a bit oblivious about himself. But Leo? He's always paying attention to Leo. These two boys are going through a lot, but they have DeWitt's excellent writing on their side.

I always appreciate ace rep in fiction. We just haven't gotten to the point where it's mainstream and easy to find. To this point, the gay rep is just such a non-issue throughout. No one bats an eye about the gay characters, even though they're in a small town in Florida named "Rapture". Similarly, asexuality doesn't have to be explained in the story. Unfortunately, I must say I end up explaining it plenty in my own life. Wren does worry he won't ever find anyone because he assumes everyone expects sex in a relationship. Like me, he does enjoy kissing, though! I think the only place the novel could be improved would be knowing what Wren's love interest feels about the asexuality and where the pair hope their relationship will go. As much as I am rooting for them, I have no idea if their relationship has hope or not. Perhaps that's their business and not ours. What we do get to know, if we read the book, is that one supporting character is aromantic. Another underrepresented identity in fiction. Thank you to DeWitt and other authors who are helping represent the A's of LGBTQIA+.

If you're looking for a fun queer romcom starring an asexual nerd, please read Amanda DeWitt's Wren Martin Ruins It All. You're in for a tale of teens stumbling into exactly what they need while trying to avoid it. You'll get cute chickens, creative baking, an ugly sweater party, and two girls that know how to sass. Pick it up before Wren ruins everything!