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A review by xsophiehoughton
Not Okay Cupid by Heidi R. Kling
3.0
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
This book was just one of those cute, fluffy contemporaries that you need to sort of cleanse your reading palette between hard hitting fantasy, dystopian, etc. I read the book in just under 24 hours, and it definitely hit the spot, though wasn't my favourite I've ever read.
In the book, Hazel's best friend Kimmy and boyfriend Jay commit the biggest sin: they get together and cheat on Hazel. As you'd expect, Hazel is devastated, especially considering it all happened in the school cafeteria. To get back at them, Kimmy's brother (I'm thinking twin brother?) Felix cooks up a plan for them - that they get into a fake relationship to make them jealous. Suffice to say, it doesn't turn out for the best, as their 'fake' feelings slowly turn into actual, real feelings. Told in dual PoV, we get to see how both Felix and Hazel deal with their new feelings.
I quite enjoyed the fact that the book offered an insight into both the main character's feelings. However, the voices weren't very distinctive, and seemed very same-y. I liked them as characters, but just wish they were a bit more.
The storyline was very similar to many I've read before, and the whole 'fake relationship to real feelings' trope is one of my favourite in YA books. I don't think I've ever seen one like this though, where it's one of the cheater's brother who came up with the plot. I found the relationship between Hazel and Felix really cute and fluffy, and definitely shipped them. I got very confused at times, because one of Felix's nicknames for Hazel as Basil, and, being English, basil doesn't rhyme with Hazel for me. That definitely took some time getting used to when reading.
All in all, it was a quite enjoyable book. It hit the spot just when I wanted a nice contemporary. However, I think one of the main problems I had with not enjoying it as much, was that I've just read Kasie West's The Fill-In Boyfriend, and that just seemed a bit better executed. I'd still recommend this book, though it may not be my top choice.
This book was just one of those cute, fluffy contemporaries that you need to sort of cleanse your reading palette between hard hitting fantasy, dystopian, etc. I read the book in just under 24 hours, and it definitely hit the spot, though wasn't my favourite I've ever read.
In the book, Hazel's best friend Kimmy and boyfriend Jay commit the biggest sin: they get together and cheat on Hazel. As you'd expect, Hazel is devastated, especially considering it all happened in the school cafeteria. To get back at them, Kimmy's brother (I'm thinking twin brother?) Felix cooks up a plan for them - that they get into a fake relationship to make them jealous. Suffice to say, it doesn't turn out for the best, as their 'fake' feelings slowly turn into actual, real feelings. Told in dual PoV, we get to see how both Felix and Hazel deal with their new feelings.
I quite enjoyed the fact that the book offered an insight into both the main character's feelings. However, the voices weren't very distinctive, and seemed very same-y. I liked them as characters, but just wish they were a bit more.
The storyline was very similar to many I've read before, and the whole 'fake relationship to real feelings' trope is one of my favourite in YA books. I don't think I've ever seen one like this though, where it's one of the cheater's brother who came up with the plot. I found the relationship between Hazel and Felix really cute and fluffy, and definitely shipped them. I got very confused at times, because one of Felix's nicknames for Hazel as Basil, and, being English, basil doesn't rhyme with Hazel for me. That definitely took some time getting used to when reading.
All in all, it was a quite enjoyable book. It hit the spot just when I wanted a nice contemporary. However, I think one of the main problems I had with not enjoying it as much, was that I've just read Kasie West's The Fill-In Boyfriend, and that just seemed a bit better executed. I'd still recommend this book, though it may not be my top choice.