You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
beomgyuluvr's review
4.0
4 stars!
A pretty solid read and I highly recommend! The Legally Blonde premise got me hooked as it is one of my fave movies, and this book delivered! The main bunch is so likeable, the antagonists ticked me off, and the writing style is so smooth that I breezed through the read effortlessly.
The reason I took away .5 stars is that I feel like the resolution of the conflicts near the end could've been handled better. It was also a bit frustrating when Blaine's friends had to spell things out and make solutions for the problems he's involved with at times. Maybe I just wanted more agency from our main character during those moments, but it did not tarnish the overall magic of the book. Such a fun read!
A pretty solid read and I highly recommend! The Legally Blonde premise got me hooked as it is one of my fave movies, and this book delivered! The main bunch is so likeable, the antagonists ticked me off, and the writing style is so smooth that I breezed through the read effortlessly.
The reason I took away .5 stars is that I feel like the resolution of the conflicts near the end could've been handled better. It was also a bit frustrating when Blaine's friends had to spell things out and make solutions for the problems he's involved with at times. Maybe I just wanted more agency from our main character during those moments, but it did not tarnish the overall magic of the book. Such a fun read!
royalgreen's review
4.0
4 ish, maybe 4.5.
I think this book suffered from some misaligned marketing. If you read the author's note at the end, even Couch himself says that this book expanded way past the original idea of "Legally Blonde but gay".
As a big Legally Blonde fan I fully admit that blurb is why I picked up the book. But beyond the "serious" bit, there is nothing here that is the same as Legally Blonde. And that's actually good! It isn't a watered down rehashing of an iconic movie. It is its own thing.
But because I was expecting the Legally Blonde comparison to be stronger (because it was everywhere in marketing and some reviews), a sense of disappointment hung around the book, even though I did enjoy my time. I couldn't help but filter some scenes through "hmm, how is this Legally Blonde???".
Like I said, its very much its own thing. High school politics, a sprinkle of art, found family and actual family, current events, and a dash of Chicago (which I enjoyed, as I miss living in that city).
Overall I did enjoy reading it! Its cute and fluffy.
I think this book suffered from some misaligned marketing. If you read the author's note at the end, even Couch himself says that this book expanded way past the original idea of "Legally Blonde but gay".
As a big Legally Blonde fan I fully admit that blurb is why I picked up the book. But beyond the "serious" bit, there is nothing here that is the same as Legally Blonde. And that's actually good! It isn't a watered down rehashing of an iconic movie. It is its own thing.
But because I was expecting the Legally Blonde comparison to be stronger (because it was everywhere in marketing and some reviews), a sense of disappointment hung around the book, even though I did enjoy my time. I couldn't help but filter some scenes through "hmm, how is this Legally Blonde???".
Like I said, its very much its own thing. High school politics, a sprinkle of art, found family and actual family, current events, and a dash of Chicago (which I enjoyed, as I miss living in that city).
Overall I did enjoy reading it! Its cute and fluffy.
mattwiz13's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn’t like this as much as I wanted to. The characters’ motivations and actions made zero sense.
ibriff's review
3.0
I think I was caught up in the “omg gay” when I saw this because tbh I think it’s for a younger audience. Like it was okay but I just felt like it was so simple and childish (NOT THAT THATS A BAD THING) it was still a cute fun read. BUT the did my man Danny dirty like where was he for the last 80 pages
lim's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
blueskyreview's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
I had been meaning to read Blaine for the Win since earlier in 2022 when my librarian recommended it but I kept returning the book unread. It wasn't until RivetedLit was doing their 25 days of free reads in December that I finally got to it. Apparently 11:30 at night reading Blaine on my phone in it's entirety in a four hour time span was a better idea 😆
Honestly, though - worth it! I not only loved the story but also the diverse cast of characters. The relationship between Blaine and his Aunt Starr was wonderful. I also really enjoyed the twist towards the end. Some decision making annoyed me as an adult but made sense for the characters' ages. Definitely holds up to being a queer high school age version of Legally Blonde and I would have loved to have been able to read this when I was in high school!
Honestly, though - worth it! I not only loved the story but also the diverse cast of characters. The relationship between Blaine and his Aunt Starr was wonderful. I also really enjoyed the twist towards the end. Some decision making annoyed me as an adult but made sense for the characters' ages. Definitely holds up to being a queer high school age version of Legally Blonde and I would have loved to have been able to read this when I was in high school!
jono_thon's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
brookeisbusyreading's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Realism. Quirky, flawed, ridiculously relatable characters. A slow-burning and beautifully-paced plot.
From the get-go, Blaine is a wonderfully creative, emotional guy with an insanely big heart and a knack for making real mistakes. Then there’s his group of equally big-hearted and queer friends (dare I say a second family?).
I love all the characters - even the ones I hate! Every one, from the main and side characters to ones barely mentioned once, has something different about them. This builds up a nice balance of representation for a school that’s as big as Wicker West is supposed to be. On top of that, I love any inclusion of culture in books and bringing in Danny/Bao’s Vietnamese culture in the form of food was really satisfying! (And definitely made me hungry!)
Although I’ve mentioned specific things about the book, it does still follow a somewhat familiar plotline - high school drama sparks a stubborn determination/emotional decision that leads to an internal and external awakening while challenging norms.
BUT, one thing Blaine for the Win has that no other book does - an Aunt Starr. She’s a wild ride of impulses, compassion, and a spectrum of things she’s interested in. Plus, the aunt-nephew relationship is something I haven’t seen before and I’m so freaking here for it!
Overall, as you can tell from how much I’ve raved about it so far, I just love everything about this book! It’s a bit refreshing too because it’s not a ‘fangirling/squealing kind of excitement where all logic and manner of speaking elude me’ thing. I feel like Blaine for the Win has taken me on this slow burn of a journey that has the perfect pacing and is packed with so many little goodies (i.e. cringey mistakes, public speaking gone wrong, the right kind of romance, a supportive LGBTQ+ community, etc).
I’ve only recently begun to dive into the world of LGBTQ+ books, especially romances, but Blaine for the Win is sitting pretty at the top of my I Can’t Believe These Perfect Books Exist list and I’m so excited to read more of Robbie’s work!
From the get-go, Blaine is a wonderfully creative, emotional guy with an insanely big heart and a knack for making real mistakes. Then there’s his group of equally big-hearted and queer friends (dare I say a second family?).
I love all the characters - even the ones I hate! Every one, from the main and side characters to ones barely mentioned once, has something different about them. This builds up a nice balance of representation for a school that’s as big as Wicker West is supposed to be. On top of that, I love any inclusion of culture in books and bringing in Danny/Bao’s Vietnamese culture in the form of food was really satisfying! (And definitely made me hungry!)
Although I’ve mentioned specific things about the book, it does still follow a somewhat familiar plotline - high school drama sparks a stubborn determination/emotional decision that leads to an internal and external awakening while challenging norms.
BUT, one thing Blaine for the Win has that no other book does - an Aunt Starr. She’s a wild ride of impulses, compassion, and a spectrum of things she’s interested in. Plus, the aunt-nephew relationship is something I haven’t seen before and I’m so freaking here for it!
Overall, as you can tell from how much I’ve raved about it so far, I just love everything about this book! It’s a bit refreshing too because it’s not a ‘fangirling/squealing kind of excitement where all logic and manner of speaking elude me’ thing. I feel like Blaine for the Win has taken me on this slow burn of a journey that has the perfect pacing and is packed with so many little goodies (i.e. cringey mistakes, public speaking gone wrong, the right kind of romance, a supportive LGBTQ+ community, etc).
I’ve only recently begun to dive into the world of LGBTQ+ books, especially romances, but Blaine for the Win is sitting pretty at the top of my I Can’t Believe These Perfect Books Exist list and I’m so excited to read more of Robbie’s work!
bookreststop's review
4.0
This was such a sweet story! The teenage years are such a wild time, I always love reading about the drama, the emotions, the dumb decisions. This book perfectly portrays that.
I also adore Blaine and his posse. They’re so sweet, I love reading about a really solid group of friends. Highly recommend picking this one up!
I also adore Blaine and his posse. They’re so sweet, I love reading about a really solid group of friends. Highly recommend picking this one up!