I'm somewhat new to Otome games, but I'm playing about five now and have been for a little over a month, so I have some data for comparison. The concept is interesting and unique. However, once you choose a suitor, there is very limited interaction with others. (At least, that's the scene in Hijikata's story.) I also haven't seen any story events, so there's less exposure and, for me, less interest in starting a new story once I've finished the current one. Maybe I started at a bad time?
What really turns me off, however, is the pacing. Tea time is impossibly unproductive unless you shell out in-app purchases to boost your beauty. Have triple the amount of grace as your competition? You are still likely to lose, and changing up your competition only cycles through the same 20 competitors. So any other strategy for tea time is useless. It means I'm finally near the end of my first story, but I had to take a week off of reading the story to do tea time frequently. The result? I kind of forget the story. I get that this is how the games go, but I shouldn't have to wait a week (or pay) to move things along faster so I don't forget. There is some strategic lag with my other games, but nothing like this.
So for me, it's a great concept, and the bonus stories do actually seem worth it. But eh. We'll see if I keep on after finishing this story. ATM I'm stuck again for at least three days (or 1500 gold pieces) so perhaps it's time to give it up.