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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
A story with heart ❤️ It was predictable, sweet, and honest about grief and life in a way I wasn’t expecting it to be. Thanks for helping me procrastinate, book!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A gay romance with great asexual representation and a bit of a love triangle element that had me squealing and kicking my feet in delight the whole way through!
Wren Martin hates two things with a burning passion: his school's Valentine's Day Dance and the student council vice-present, Leo Reyes. As the newly not-elected president of the student council, Wren finally has the power to take things into his own hands. The first thing on his agenda is to abolish the school's dance that drains the school's financial resources and is a social nightmare for minority groups (especially people like him who are asexual). Unfortunately, things don't go as planned when Leo steps in with a solution to Wren's budget problem: a sponsorship with an app called Buddy that is designed to help people connect anonymously (though Wren knows that it's really a dating app in disguise). Somehow, Wren finds himself not only in charge of orchestrating the biggest dance Rapture High has ever seen, but he also finds himself downloading Buddy and discovering things about himself that he never knew.
Literally every part of this book is just so wholesome. I love all of Wren's relationships with his germaphobic dad, his pushy bestie Ryan, his archnemesis Leo, his anonymous Best Buddy, and let's not forget his five pet chickens. The relationships that he forges throughout this novel are precious, and I found much of it to be relatable.
The entire premise of this story is so funny. I mean, an asexual teen wants to destroy the town's Valentine's Day Dance because he finds it awkward and heteronormal, and therefore, severely problematic. However in doing so, he finds himself as head of the dance committee and downloading the accursed Buddy app that he is embarrassed to be found within throwing distance of. And then he ends up developing a crush on his anonymous pal. This is truly the set-up for a hilarious rom-com that had me laughing aloud, smiling from ear to ear, and covering my mouth to prevent myself from squealing aloud. This book is seriously wholesome and dopamine for my soul.
Though the overarching story plot was a bit predictable, that didn't take away any of the joy from reading this book and watching as Wren puts together all of the pieces himself. The anonymous Best Buddy thing was pulled off so well, and it was nice to see different sides of Wren when he is in person versus when he is anonymously communicating online. This really had me thinking about the different personas that we wear on a daily basis and how first encounters can really shape how we see a person potentially forever.
The romance in this book was giggle-inducing, but I think my favorite thing about this novel was watching as Wren came into his true self. He has many self-doubts and insecurities that he works on overcoming as the novel progresses. Some of these things include making decisions about college, grief from losing his mother, insecurities about his asexual identity, and much more. This is a great coming of age novel which also brought me so much joy and happiness from all the romantic nonsense that surround these harder hitting topics.
Overall, "Wren Martin Ruins It All" is such a wholesome, lovable rom-com that just filled me with joy the whole way through. I love the in-depth characters, the asexual representation, the real life issues, the adorable romance, and every other piece to this beautiful puzzle. I can't recommend this one enough and I know it will be on all of my Pride lists for the foreseeable future.
Wren Martin hates two things with a burning passion: his school's Valentine's Day Dance and the student council vice-present, Leo Reyes. As the newly not-elected president of the student council, Wren finally has the power to take things into his own hands. The first thing on his agenda is to abolish the school's dance that drains the school's financial resources and is a social nightmare for minority groups (especially people like him who are asexual). Unfortunately, things don't go as planned when Leo steps in with a solution to Wren's budget problem: a sponsorship with an app called Buddy that is designed to help people connect anonymously (though Wren knows that it's really a dating app in disguise). Somehow, Wren finds himself not only in charge of orchestrating the biggest dance Rapture High has ever seen, but he also finds himself downloading Buddy and discovering things about himself that he never knew.
Literally every part of this book is just so wholesome. I love all of Wren's relationships with his germaphobic dad, his pushy bestie Ryan, his archnemesis Leo, his anonymous Best Buddy, and let's not forget his five pet chickens. The relationships that he forges throughout this novel are precious, and I found much of it to be relatable.
The entire premise of this story is so funny. I mean, an asexual teen wants to destroy the town's Valentine's Day Dance because he finds it awkward and heteronormal, and therefore, severely problematic. However in doing so, he finds himself as head of the dance committee and downloading the accursed Buddy app that he is embarrassed to be found within throwing distance of. And then he ends up developing a crush on his anonymous pal. This is truly the set-up for a hilarious rom-com that had me laughing aloud, smiling from ear to ear, and covering my mouth to prevent myself from squealing aloud. This book is seriously wholesome and dopamine for my soul.
Though the overarching story plot was a bit predictable, that didn't take away any of the joy from reading this book and watching as Wren puts together all of the pieces himself. The anonymous Best Buddy thing was pulled off so well, and it was nice to see different sides of Wren when he is in person versus when he is anonymously communicating online. This really had me thinking about the different personas that we wear on a daily basis and how first encounters can really shape how we see a person potentially forever.
The romance in this book was giggle-inducing, but I think my favorite thing about this novel was watching as Wren came into his true self. He has many self-doubts and insecurities that he works on overcoming as the novel progresses. Some of these things include making decisions about college, grief from losing his mother, insecurities about his asexual identity, and much more. This is a great coming of age novel which also brought me so much joy and happiness from all the romantic nonsense that surround these harder hitting topics.
Overall, "Wren Martin Ruins It All" is such a wholesome, lovable rom-com that just filled me with joy the whole way through. I love the in-depth characters, the asexual representation, the real life issues, the adorable romance, and every other piece to this beautiful puzzle. I can't recommend this one enough and I know it will be on all of my Pride lists for the foreseeable future.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was super cute and I enjoyed it
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eu gostei do Wren e do Leo, mas o ritmo me incomodou muito, depois dos 70% eu já comecei a ficar impaciente pra que a história do Buddy se resolvesse logo, e mesmo assim isso é segurado até o último momento do livro, o que eu acho que acabou sabotando todo o potêncial que essa premissa tinha. A demora não seria tão problemática se os outros desenvolvimentos do livro fossem mais satisfatórios, mas no fim está tudo relacionado à esse principal, gerando um ritmo muito sem graça.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
“I think I might have a crush. Shit.”
➽ Wren Martin Ruins It All was a delightful, witty YA Contemporary. The story follows newly elected student council president Wren Martin who's determined to get rid of the annual Valentine's Day Dance. It's an even bigger event than prom and as an asexual teen, he's given up on romance and dating when there's the pressure to have sex at some point. I really liked Wren, he's got a strong, sarcastic character voice and is endearing even when he's a bit too brash and judgemental. His gruff personality was nicely balanced out by Leo, a fellow student council member who's popular and charismatic. In the wake of Wren's aversion to the dance, Leo suggests having the app Buddy sponsor the event, so they can invest their money into other projects. Wren isn't thrilled to be working together with perfect Leo, but has no choice if he doesn't want to ruin his social reputation!
➽ I thought Wren hating the Buddy app but then finding a secret crush was hilarious. The app is designed to be a meeting place for students of Rapture High, but Wren hates that it's used as a dating app by most students. Because Leo convinced Buddy to become the sponsor of the Valentine's Day Dance, he decided to go undercover and try out the app. Surprisingly, Wren actually finds someone that he likes talking to, despite not planning to take the app seriously. I loved that the story included an anonymous crush, especially as it was clear who it was in real life 😉
➽ I had so much fun with this story and I'm eager to read more by this author!! I loved how Wren's asexuality was incorporated into the book and how it influenced his relationship with dating and romance. He's a bit jaded, as he's tired of having to explain himself immediately, especially as society considers sex a necessary part of romance. In general, Wren isn't the best at opening up to people and can come across as a jerk, but he has a softer side as well. No matter how much he wants to stay away from golden boy Leo, he can't help but work with him and get to know him better. I liked their dynamic so much!
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia