Reviews

I read Robbie's debut book last summer and it was easily one of my favorite books ever. I was so excited to read his second novel and it didn't disappoint! In fact I loved this book more than his first and that's saying something. Robbie is one of my all time favorite authors now. I read this book in 24 hours and I have 3 exams to study for! I can't wait for Robbie's 3rd book next year!

liralen's review against another edition

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3.0

What to do when your über-prep boyfriend breaks up with you? Prove that you can become him, of course!

The result is fun, if predictable. There are some positives to that predictability—nothing ever comes out of left field—but the setup is visible miles in advance.

Spoiler

The very first time Danny shows up...when Blaine reads the rule that says that his campaign manager can take his place in the campaign if need be...when Blaine first decides to postpone giving his aunt that business card...when Blaine finds the stack of ballots and notes that it's a bad idea to print them in advance...

When any of these things happen, it's pretty much immediately obvious what's going to happen with them.

And that's okay. It's not my favourite thing (I like a bit less predictability), but it's still a fun read. But...I'm struck by how many times Blaine fails to follow through, and how few times he's held accountable. He bails on a half-painted mural, promises an aloe vera plant that he has no intention of acquiring, tries to quit his presidential race multiple times, doesn't have a single idea of his own throughout that race, avoids and avoids and avoids giving his aunt that business card...and while this is set up as part of Blaine's character—and it's a genuinely interesting character flaw with a ton of potential for exploration—he is never held accountable for these things.

Spoiler

The woman who hired him for the mural sends him a very nice email offering to pay him extra to finish the thing he already agreed to do. He buys the aloe vera plant at the very very end of the book and Danny instantly forgives him for all his flaws. His friends basically run his campaign for him, all the while saying 'See? Look how great you're doing [with our ideas, but who's counting]!' His aunt still gets the job and finds it basically cute that Blaine doesn't want her to leave.

It's very nice for the characters that everything ends up so tidily! It is! But I don't think Blaine has actually learned anything here.

jens3's review

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funny hopeful 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? No

4.0

A super sweet, lighthearted, fun romance. Blaine is easy to root for, as are all the supportive characters around him.

jacobthebookworm's review

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5.0

Blaine Bowers has it all, or so he thinks. He's got a job painting murals for businesses in the city, and he's got the perfect boyfriend in Joey Oliver. On their one-year anniversary, Blaine thinks Joey will ask him to go with the Olivers to Cabo for spring break. Instead, Joey dumps him for being too "unserious". To show Joey that he, in fact, can be serious, Blaine decides to put his name in the running for senior class president. What started out as a plot to prove himself as a serious boyfriend might end up being more than Blaine bargained for, and he'll have to figure out how far he's willing to go to prove himself.

I really enjoyed Couch's debut novel, The Sky Blues. When I heard this book was similar in ways to Legally Blonde, I was hooked. I absolutely loved Blaine for the Win! I found myself smiling at this book quite often, which hasn't happened in a while. I really enjoyed the characters that Couch created, and I loved Blaine's friend group so much. I'm super excited to read more from Robbie Couch in the future!

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