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A review by liralen
Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch
3.0
What to do when your über-prep boyfriend breaks up with you? Prove that you can become him, of course!
The result is fun, if predictable. There are some positives to that predictability—nothing ever comes out of left field—but the setup is visible miles in advance. When any of these things happen, it's pretty much immediately obvious what's going to happen with them.
And that's okay. It's not my favourite thing (I like a bit less predictability), but it's still a fun read. But...I'm struck by how many times Blaine fails to follow through, and how few times he's held accountable. He bails on a half-painted mural, promises an aloe vera plant that he has no intention of acquiring, tries to quit his presidential race multiple times, doesn't have a single idea of his own throughout that race, avoids and avoids and avoids giving his aunt that business card...and while this is set up as part of Blaine's character—and it's a genuinely interesting character flaw with a ton of potential for exploration—he is never held accountable for these things. It's very nice for the characters that everything ends up so tidily! It is! But I don't think Blaine has actually learned anything here.
The result is fun, if predictable. There are some positives to that predictability—nothing ever comes out of left field—but the setup is visible miles in advance.
Spoiler
The very first time Danny shows up...when Blaine reads the rule that says that his campaign manager can take his place in the campaign if need be...when Blaine first decides to postpone giving his aunt that business card...when Blaine finds the stack of ballots and notes that it's a bad idea to print them in advance...And that's okay. It's not my favourite thing (I like a bit less predictability), but it's still a fun read. But...I'm struck by how many times Blaine fails to follow through, and how few times he's held accountable. He bails on a half-painted mural, promises an aloe vera plant that he has no intention of acquiring, tries to quit his presidential race multiple times, doesn't have a single idea of his own throughout that race, avoids and avoids and avoids giving his aunt that business card...and while this is set up as part of Blaine's character—and it's a genuinely interesting character flaw with a ton of potential for exploration—he is never held accountable for these things.