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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt
5.0
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.