A review by ramunepocky
The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“Where are your gloves? Your scarf and hat? If I left the house wearing only a coat in January, my parents would punt me into the sun.” 

this review is not spoiler free 

Oh my god, this was such a chaotic, funny and beautiful book. I absolutely adored the found family element and I loved the way the lines blurred between this guy is such a prick to I have a major soft spot for him, that developed into romantic feelings. 

I loved Noah, the protagonist, so much, and he made me cry a lot too. It broke my heart the way he felt like he had to prove himself to everyone and act a certain way and like certain things to be seen as a boy. The way that he distanced himself from dance because “boys can’t dance” when it was something that made him so genuinely happy hurt me so much, but it was beautiful watching him fall back in love with dancing again and getting the opportunity to express himself through dancing with other members of the club without anyone seeing him as less than. I also think it was so important that he had the conversation with his parents after he had his name changed asking why they continue to call him by his nickname instead of using his actual name and why it hurt him. It made me sob so much when they realised that they were unintentionally hurting him when they never intended to make him feel like they weren’t supportive and accepting of him, and them immediately using his name. It was so nice to see supportive and loving parents. I also love that, in the end, Noah realised and learned that he doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone and that he was a boy regardless of what he liked or what he did or what club he was in. 

My favourite characters were Lenny and Camilo; they both made me laugh so much. I know they were my favourite characters, but I clearly didn’t write enough notes because it’s been days since I read this book and I legit cannot remember a single thing they did. Good job me. 

I really loved Asher too. He kept breaking my heart with his family situation and the way that he held himself responsible for a borrower getting mugged, even though it wasn’t his fault, and the way that he kept fighting the school administration to install lights to prevent future incidents from happening again. I loved his dynamic with Noah too and they made me laugh with the way they’d bicker, especially when it was extremely obvious that they were gaining feelings for each other, and yet Asher kept trying to pass it off so he wasn’t breaking the rules of the club. I liked seeing him turn the club into what he wanted in the end and not continue running it the way that his brother did because, as it turns out, his brother wasn’t as perfect as he’d believed him to be. I liked that it helped Asher to stop holding himself up to such high unattainable standards too and that he could just be himself. I felt bad for him that he’d been raised in such a lonely household where even his family had such strict rules and expectations of him, so it was nice to see him finally get to relax a bit towards the end of the book and just be.  

I absolutely adored the found family within the club and the way that they all cared about each other so much!! When they throw the name change party for Noah towards the end after he got his name legally changed, I absolutely bawled my eyes out. It was so goddamn sweet. The dance that they do for the competition too to try and save the club is just so funny. Like please!! I was crying laughing the entire time, but doing those practices and then winning the competition, really helped solidify the friendships between Noah, Camilo and Lenny, and it helped the club get to live on. 

Overall, this was a really fun, emotional, chaotic and incredible read and Page Powars will absolutely become an autobuy author for me!!!! 

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