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damagedglories's review against another edition
3.0
i mean… it’s a YA book that’s all i can really say about it !
dgiacalone13's review against another edition
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
4.0
calebcandy's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
triflesandvanities's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
5.0 Stars
Summary
Bethany is rejected by her crush after asking him to Homecoming, leaving her dateless and painfully aware that her late bloomer reputation is to blame. Her best friend, Saylor, steps in with a solution: take her boyfriend, Jacob, for a platonic night with friends. The pair agree to the awkward arrangement, which gets more complicated when Saylor dumps Jacob. Now Jacob has been dumped twice and is wondering what he keeps doing wrong.
Bethany and Jacob make a deal to fake date as practice for when the real deal comes along. But... could this be the real deal?
My Thoughts
It is so rare for me to enjoy a YA romance, so this took me by surprise. This story felt real to me, which is a testament to the character work done in the novel. Rebekah Weatherspoon took great care in crafting these characters, and the love, both platonic and romantic, was in the details. There were queer characters of all ages represented, and Jacob's Korean background was respected in the novel, which was beautiful to see.
Bethany and Jacob's individual storylines also added to my enjoyment of the book. Bethany was scared to tell her family she wanted to pursue cooking over basketball, and Jacob was struggling in his film class, though he aimed for film school after graduation. I loved how their friendship became the foundation for more and how their commitment to caring for one another came through even while they were strictly in a fake dating arrangement. I giggled as they grew closer and experienced many "firsts" together. I do wish we had a bit more depth to Jacob's story, but I understand that in comparison to everything Bethany was juggling, he had less to worry about.
I highly recommend the audiobook as the story is told from two perspectives and features talented voice actors for Bethany and Jacob, who contribute to the overall atmosphere of the novel.
Summary
Bethany is rejected by her crush after asking him to Homecoming, leaving her dateless and painfully aware that her late bloomer reputation is to blame. Her best friend, Saylor, steps in with a solution: take her boyfriend, Jacob, for a platonic night with friends. The pair agree to the awkward arrangement, which gets more complicated when Saylor dumps Jacob. Now Jacob has been dumped twice and is wondering what he keeps doing wrong.
Bethany and Jacob make a deal to fake date as practice for when the real deal comes along. But... could this be the real deal?
My Thoughts
It is so rare for me to enjoy a YA romance, so this took me by surprise. This story felt real to me, which is a testament to the character work done in the novel. Rebekah Weatherspoon took great care in crafting these characters, and the love, both platonic and romantic, was in the details. There were queer characters of all ages represented, and Jacob's Korean background was respected in the novel, which was beautiful to see.
Bethany and Jacob's individual storylines also added to my enjoyment of the book. Bethany was scared to tell her family she wanted to pursue cooking over basketball, and Jacob was struggling in his film class, though he aimed for film school after graduation. I loved how their friendship became the foundation for more and how their commitment to caring for one another came through even while they were strictly in a fake dating arrangement. I giggled as they grew closer and experienced many "firsts" together. I do wish we had a bit more depth to Jacob's story, but I understand that in comparison to everything Bethany was juggling, he had less to worry about.
I highly recommend the audiobook as the story is told from two perspectives and features talented voice actors for Bethany and Jacob, who contribute to the overall atmosphere of the novel.
cluelesswonder's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.5
jaidenmcg's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
captwinghead's review against another edition
3.0
This felt like the quintessential YA novel - filled with tropes I like and dislike. So, I'll keep my review to what was uniquely an aspect of this book and not what falls into my typical issues with YA novels.
This was a wonderful example of representation. It's still surprising to me how few interracial romances are out there between BIPOC of different communities. It's a rarity to find one that isn't a character of color and a white character. Not only is this a story about an Asian American boy and a Black girl, we see their families! That's not always a guarantee. We see lots of Bethany's moms, we see Jacob's parents and his sister. Both of their friend groups are racially diverse and have people from the LGBTQIA community. That was great to see.
Bethany as a character confused me almost as much as Jacob. Both of them are quite timid and will not speak up when they want something so I guess that explains the set up of the book:
The premise of this is rather confusing, to be honest. It's hard for me to put myself in the shoes of someone that would care so much about not going to a Homecoming dance alone that they'd ask out guys they don't seem to have expressed romantic interest in outwardly. The solution to their issues being fake dating made little sense to me.
When the big fall out comes towards the end, I kid you not, it was like 80-83% into the story and that was not enough time for a decent wrap up. It made it feel like Jacob just gave up way too easily, the misery period was .125% of the New Moon misery period, and then everything's good like a few pages later. The wrap up with Bethany's basketball issue was also incredibly short.It all felt too rushed - but I'll be honest, was that an issue unique to this book, or is that a common issue in YA novels?
There were some style choices that took some getting used to. There were so many names thrown at you at the start of the book that it took me out a bit. Mostly because the names were insane. Saylor, Sweeney, Tatum, Landon, Glory, Axel - I don't know any Gen Z but are these common types of names now? There's also this thing where a character will make a joke. There's nothing to break up the set up like an action or even a pause before the next sentence says "Just kidding", which was odd. At times the dialogue sounded too mature for teenagers - but that might just be a common issue with YA novels.
Anyway, aside from some style choices that weren't my jam (see what I did there), this was a solid read. I'd definitely recommend it to young Black girls. Especially young plus size Black girls. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other YA novels starring a Black plus size teenage girl other than Talia Hibbert's recent release.
This was a wonderful example of representation. It's still surprising to me how few interracial romances are out there between BIPOC of different communities. It's a rarity to find one that isn't a character of color and a white character. Not only is this a story about an Asian American boy and a Black girl, we see their families! That's not always a guarantee. We see lots of Bethany's moms, we see Jacob's parents and his sister. Both of their friend groups are racially diverse and have people from the LGBTQIA community. That was great to see.
Bethany as a character confused me almost as much as Jacob. Both of them are quite timid and will not speak up when they want something so I guess that explains the set up of the book:
The premise of this is rather confusing, to be honest. It's hard for me to put myself in the shoes of someone that would care so much about not going to a Homecoming dance alone that they'd ask out guys they don't seem to have expressed romantic interest in outwardly. The solution to their issues being fake dating made little sense to me.
Spoiler
Didn't help that (yes, I know it's HS), but everyone in their friend groups was so flippant about them flip flopping and dating each other and then other people. Bethany worries more about how Saylor will feel about it than Saylor.When the big fall out comes towards the end, I kid you not, it was like 80-83% into the story and that was not enough time for a decent wrap up. It made it feel like Jacob just gave up way too easily, the misery period was .125% of the New Moon misery period, and then everything's good like a few pages later. The wrap up with Bethany's basketball issue was also incredibly short.
There were some style choices that took some getting used to. There were so many names thrown at you at the start of the book that it took me out a bit. Mostly because the names were insane. Saylor, Sweeney, Tatum, Landon, Glory, Axel - I don't know any Gen Z but are these common types of names now? There's also this thing where a character will make a joke. There's nothing to break up the set up like an action or even a pause before the next sentence says "Just kidding", which was odd. At times the dialogue sounded too mature for teenagers - but that might just be a common issue with YA novels.
Anyway, aside from some style choices that weren't my jam (see what I did there), this was a solid read. I'd definitely recommend it to young Black girls. Especially young plus size Black girls. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other YA novels starring a Black plus size teenage girl other than Talia Hibbert's recent release.
calllmekali_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dinma_reads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia