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Biggest Flirts
Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laidback swagger.
As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…
As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2014
About the author
Jennifer Echols
34 books4,906 followersJennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews
July 4, 2015
I didn't want to DNF so I pushed through this book no matter how hard it was for me. Needless to say, this book is not for me. I guess 19 is way too old for this shit? Maybe if I was younger, I could've bought everything about this but the characters were so immature and shallow, it was all very tiring to read. 13-year old me would be giggling so hard but 19-year old me is not amused.
May 29, 2014
Not the young adult you read everyday. Jennifer Echols was always, at least for me, one of those authors that tries to push boundaries of the genre. Even before the term "new adult" became popular or anyone talked about meaning of it, she was one of the few people writing about a bit daring topics for young adult. Biggest Flirts was everything I expected it would be.
Shocking beginning, Tia and Will. The way this book started... I understand now why few of my friends were surprised, but unlike them I loved it. Not all teenagers are like characters from Sarah Dessen novels. Nor all girls are "good girls". Jennifer Echols just slapped all slut-shaming hypocrites - Tia is not a "bad guy", she is not a perfect girl that needs saving and, thank you God, she is not allowing anyone to make her feel bad about decisions she makes. Will starts out as quite the dreamy new boy, with all stereotypes you might expect, but what happens later - HA! Nope, not so perfect, but he is more like a real person. Not all boys are all strong and alpha and other "masculine" adjectives.
Why I think you should read Biggest Flirts? Because it is a book that fights stereotypes usual for young adult novels. Because it tells you it is absolutely normal to explore your sexuality. And that there is nothing to feel ashamed of. That no one is perfect. And that you have to admit when you are wrong.
Review posted at Ja čitam, a ti?
*Copy of this book provided by publisher, Simon Pulse, via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*
Shocking beginning, Tia and Will. The way this book started... I understand now why few of my friends were surprised, but unlike them I loved it. Not all teenagers are like characters from Sarah Dessen novels. Nor all girls are "good girls". Jennifer Echols just slapped all slut-shaming hypocrites - Tia is not a "bad guy", she is not a perfect girl that needs saving and, thank you God, she is not allowing anyone to make her feel bad about decisions she makes. Will starts out as quite the dreamy new boy, with all stereotypes you might expect, but what happens later - HA! Nope, not so perfect, but he is more like a real person. Not all boys are all strong and alpha and other "masculine" adjectives.
Why I think you should read Biggest Flirts? Because it is a book that fights stereotypes usual for young adult novels. Because it tells you it is absolutely normal to explore your sexuality. And that there is nothing to feel ashamed of. That no one is perfect. And that you have to admit when you are wrong.
Review posted at Ja čitam, a ti?
*Copy of this book provided by publisher, Simon Pulse, via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*
January 6, 2015
I’ve had a really up and down relationship with Jennifer Echols books, but after devouring Biggest Flirts, I can safely say that this is my favourite Echols story yet. Echols brings a delightful, but also easy to relate to character in Tia, she’s quirky, fun, but also like everyone else has a lot of self doubts, because of this she doesn’t really do things to her full potential, she gives up on purpose such as trying for drum captain and on her school test. But when new boy Will turns up, Tia’s facing a real challenge, can she be with this guy who gets her, or is she risking her heart being trampled on?
I totally understand Tia’s predicament, with her sisters not having the best history with guys, like Tia I would probably be a bit reserved when it came to relationships with guys. Yes her sister’s lives had been thrown up side down and they had been burned multiple times, so not wanting to go through the same thing was understandable. But I wish Tia could have been honest with Will from the beginning about why she couldn’t be with him after their first day together. If I was in Will’s shoes I would assume too that there was a chance of a good thing between him and Tia, but to just be turned down the way he was awful. But I’m glad that he struck through this with his pursuit of Tia, although at times he didn’t go the best way about it, I’m glad that he didn’t completely give up. Because it was obvious to everyone that what Tia and Will had was truly special.
Alongside Will and Tia’s relationship, Echols managed to throw a nice mix of weird and wonderful characters from Tia’s trusty pelican friend Sawyer to Mrs Nakameto, whose continual one lines would have me in endless hysterics. I for one can’t wait to read the follow up books in the series, so that I can be with these great characters once more.
Echols was able to give us a story with a lot of fun, but she was able to weave in some serious aspects too. Echols was able to manage the balance between these really well, she could easily brighten up a scene when necessary, but also give you great insights in to a character’s back story with a deeper meaningful scene, and this was something I hugely appreciated. She was also able to show great character growth too, a lot of characters early on could have come across a little immature, but with the introduction of certain characters (Will), characters really went out of their ways to do the right thing not only for themselves, but other people too.
Overall Biggest Flirts was a truly wonderful fun read, despite the up and down relationship of Will and Tia, Biggest Flirts was certainly a winning read in my eyes.
This review can be found on: The Readers Den
I totally understand Tia’s predicament, with her sisters not having the best history with guys, like Tia I would probably be a bit reserved when it came to relationships with guys. Yes her sister’s lives had been thrown up side down and they had been burned multiple times, so not wanting to go through the same thing was understandable. But I wish Tia could have been honest with Will from the beginning about why she couldn’t be with him after their first day together. If I was in Will’s shoes I would assume too that there was a chance of a good thing between him and Tia, but to just be turned down the way he was awful. But I’m glad that he struck through this with his pursuit of Tia, although at times he didn’t go the best way about it, I’m glad that he didn’t completely give up. Because it was obvious to everyone that what Tia and Will had was truly special.
Alongside Will and Tia’s relationship, Echols managed to throw a nice mix of weird and wonderful characters from Tia’s trusty pelican friend Sawyer to Mrs Nakameto, whose continual one lines would have me in endless hysterics. I for one can’t wait to read the follow up books in the series, so that I can be with these great characters once more.
Echols was able to give us a story with a lot of fun, but she was able to weave in some serious aspects too. Echols was able to manage the balance between these really well, she could easily brighten up a scene when necessary, but also give you great insights in to a character’s back story with a deeper meaningful scene, and this was something I hugely appreciated. She was also able to show great character growth too, a lot of characters early on could have come across a little immature, but with the introduction of certain characters (Will), characters really went out of their ways to do the right thing not only for themselves, but other people too.
Overall Biggest Flirts was a truly wonderful fun read, despite the up and down relationship of Will and Tia, Biggest Flirts was certainly a winning read in my eyes.
This review can be found on: The Readers Den
October 31, 2016
DNF at 40%
Aaaand we’re back to this again.
This book is tedious, boring, and all around annoying. The characters are flat, the plot is non-existent, and the dialogue is. So. Boring.
Tia, our main character, just wants to have fun. She’s not into commitment. She’s not interested in being the good girl. Nah, she is here to let loose and, ugh offer us a snooze fest because there is nothing fun about Tia.
There's not much of a plot so I guess this paragraph will remain short. . .
Introducing. . . the cliches:
1. “I’m-like-sooooo-funny”
2. “I’m-totally-not-jealous-even-though-my-actions-prove-otherwise”
3. “I-hate-her-because-she’s-with-him”
4. “I’m-totally-not-like-other-loser-girls”
5. “Who-care-about-the-plot-let’s-just-make-out”
And lots more but I didn’t stick around to find out.
I really wanted to like this book because I thought it would be one of those cute contemporaries like the ones Kasie West writes, but ugh, no, it’s one of those sickening contemporaries.
Ahhhhh, well can’t say I didn’t try. :)
1 star!!
March 30, 2018
RATING: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cute!
Cute!
May 26, 2014
Despite only having read from Jennifer Echols once in the past, I did enjoy her writing and was eager to read more of her works. Then when I saw the absolutely adorable cover for Biggest Flirts and fell for the fluffy-sounding synopsis, of course I had to read it next.
Our heroine is Tia, and she's a girl you'll either love or hate. She's a bit of a wild girl and isn't afraid to admit that she enjoys fooling around with boys. Personally, I thought her character was really unique--a lot of the heroines we come across are a bit too nice, right? The best part about her character was that she really seemed like a teen. We've all seen complaints about main characters seeming like old ladies or children--I didn't experience that with Biggest Flirts.
Now, just because I liked Tia doesn't mean everyone will. She was one of those heroines who didn't want serious relationships and caused a lot of drama because of that. She had no contact with her sisters. She might be a bitch for some, even. It's all up to how the readers interpret Tia's character.
Like I said earlier, Tia had no contact with her sisters. This really saddened me a bit, since it does happen to people in real life. So family didn't play a huge role in Tia's story, but by the end of the book that had changed (a bit) and I was thankful for it. Aside from family, friends also did play a small role in the book. Tia had some friends who were supportive of her, but I wish there were more interactions with them.
The romance, of course, played the biggest part of the book. Will is the love interest, who was a bit immature at first, but then he grew into his own skin and I really liked his character by the end of the book. Again, I thought his character was a realistic teen, too--pretty bipolar and tends to make unwise choices. He and Tia were both so similar yet so different--I guess that explains their undeniable chemistry, despite their quick-paced romance (but hey, that's teen love for you)!
Biggest Flirts is a book you'll either love or hate. Best go into it with an open mind.
---
A quickie overview:
Read this if: You want something cute and genuinely funny. You like YA narrators who actually sound like real teens.
Don't read this if: Quick-developing romances make you cringe. You don't like high school drama (kind of) and on-and-off relationships.
August 10, 2016
Provided by the Publisher via Edelweiss
Maybe 1.5
Sad to say, I've had a few hit and miss with Jennifer Echols books. And this is definitely a miss.
Sometimes it's hard to enjoy a book, even the writing is nice when you want to do some harm on the main character. That was what happened to me when I was reading this book. I really, really, didn't like Tia. I couldn't stand her from the very beginning. Me and her kind of character are not meant to be together. Yes, she had a good sense of humor, but seriously, she was such a floozy and so rude.
Not to sound like a prude or anything and I absolutely have read books more graphic than this, but come on! It was supposed to be a young adult book. The fact that Tia and Will getting freaky, even not all the way, just maybe an hour after they had met made me cringe. She was only what, 17, and she had a f*ck buddy?!? Like are you kidding me? Maybe I'm old school, still I wasn't comfortable with the way Tia character portrayed. And my initial impression of this book was sweet and fluffy teenage romance. Wrong was an understatement.
Will and Tia's relationship didn't make the book any better. It was fast, weird and I'm not sure it was even possible.They went on from a random hookup, to Will asked (and was shot down) Tia on a real date, to them flirting (way too much) while Will was dating another girl, to Tia kinda, sorta, maybe wanted to date Will (something so foreign to her because she was more comfortable having wild monkey sex with random guys and her beloved friend with benefits) and so on and so forth. It was a hot mess.
Some people might find this book more than interesting and enjoyable. I'm not one of those people.
Thanks Simon Pulse for the eGalley.
Blog: YA Obsession
May 4, 2016
Porque a veces todo lo que necesitas es desconectarte del mundo y leer un libro cuya única pretensión es entretener.
Biggest Flirts es perfecto para esto. Ligero, rápido, romántico, tonto de una manera divertida y, sorprendentemente, ¡sexualmente positivo!
Echols logra un romance adolescente creíble, donde el sexo - sin ser el foco de la historia (solo una escena medianamente "sexy" al comienzo) - es algo completamente natural. La protagonista acepta su sexualidad y no se avergüenza, ¡ni se deja avergonzar! Alabado sea Cthulhu.
El final es algo apresurado, quedan unos pocos asuntos pendientes por resolver y tiene algunos de los típicos clichés del género (#Alianza para un mundo libre de YA con padres ausentes), pero te deja con una sonrisa en los labios. Y eso es mucho más de lo que puede decirse de otros libros.
Biggest Flirts es perfecto para esto. Ligero, rápido, romántico, tonto de una manera divertida y, sorprendentemente, ¡sexualmente positivo!
Echols logra un romance adolescente creíble, donde el sexo - sin ser el foco de la historia (solo una escena medianamente "sexy" al comienzo) - es algo completamente natural. La protagonista acepta su sexualidad y no se avergüenza, ¡ni se deja avergonzar! Alabado sea Cthulhu.
El final es algo apresurado, quedan unos pocos asuntos pendientes por resolver y tiene algunos de los típicos clichés del género (#Alianza para un mundo libre de YA con padres ausentes), pero te deja con una sonrisa en los labios. Y eso es mucho más de lo que puede decirse de otros libros.
May 3, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I really liked this book. I'm still in the mood for contemporaries, and this one seemed like the perfect book to get my mind off finals. I didn't really know what to expect when I picked this up. I knew it was going to be set in high school, most likely senior year (because of the superlatives thing), but that's about it. I was hoping it would be cheesy, light and fun, which this book definitely was!
I didn't really connect with the characters. Don't get me wrong, I liked them, but it took me a while to start appreciating them. I couldn't stand Tia after the first paragraph. I knew she wasn't my type of protagonist, but I thought she was funny, so I continued reading. Though I hated her attitude at first, I realized that she hides more than she lets on. Her behavior has roots that go back as far as her family history. I grew to like her, despite her flaws. Same goes for Will. Usually, I'm all for the tall and dark stranger, but strangely, I just didn't care much about Will. However, I liked the relationship that bonds our two main characters. It's clear from the very beginning that these two have chemistry, and it was interesting to see it develop throughout the book. Yes, it's insta-love, but I liked to see it unfold.
This book is full of clichés. Did I enjoy it nontheless? Hell yes! I'm a sucker for this kind of books. I knew I wasn't getting into heavy literature when I picked this up, and that's totally okay. It was what I needed and I enjoyed reading it. Even if the story was predictable, there were a few plot twists along the way that I totally didn't see coming. And it was clearly interesting enough for me to finish it in one sitting! I was hooked and needed to know what would happen next.
I was sad that we didn't see much of other characters besides Will and Tia because others held so much potential, but then I found out that two other books in the trilogy are centered on Harper and Kaye (who I thought held the most potential besides Tia), so I'm happy! I'm definitely looking forward to reading their stories!
I like how Jennifer Echols write. I don't know if it's just because I liked reading from Tia's point of view (who, as I have mentioned earlier, is quite funny) or if it's because I like Echols's style, but I did enjoy reading this book.
Overall, it's a cute light read and was exactly what I was looking for!
I really liked this book. I'm still in the mood for contemporaries, and this one seemed like the perfect book to get my mind off finals. I didn't really know what to expect when I picked this up. I knew it was going to be set in high school, most likely senior year (because of the superlatives thing), but that's about it. I was hoping it would be cheesy, light and fun, which this book definitely was!
I didn't really connect with the characters. Don't get me wrong, I liked them, but it took me a while to start appreciating them. I couldn't stand Tia after the first paragraph. I knew she wasn't my type of protagonist, but I thought she was funny, so I continued reading. Though I hated her attitude at first, I realized that she hides more than she lets on. Her behavior has roots that go back as far as her family history. I grew to like her, despite her flaws. Same goes for Will. Usually, I'm all for the tall and dark stranger, but strangely, I just didn't care much about Will. However, I liked the relationship that bonds our two main characters. It's clear from the very beginning that these two have chemistry, and it was interesting to see it develop throughout the book. Yes, it's insta-love, but I liked to see it unfold.
This book is full of clichés. Did I enjoy it nontheless? Hell yes! I'm a sucker for this kind of books. I knew I wasn't getting into heavy literature when I picked this up, and that's totally okay. It was what I needed and I enjoyed reading it. Even if the story was predictable, there were a few plot twists along the way that I totally didn't see coming. And it was clearly interesting enough for me to finish it in one sitting! I was hooked and needed to know what would happen next.
I was sad that we didn't see much of other characters besides Will and Tia because others held so much potential, but then I found out that two other books in the trilogy are centered on Harper and Kaye (who I thought held the most potential besides Tia), so I'm happy! I'm definitely looking forward to reading their stories!
I like how Jennifer Echols write. I don't know if it's just because I liked reading from Tia's point of view (who, as I have mentioned earlier, is quite funny) or if it's because I like Echols's style, but I did enjoy reading this book.
Overall, it's a cute light read and was exactly what I was looking for!
November 28, 2018
ACTUAL RATING -76
God, this book is so boring and stupid I hate myself a little for finishing it.
Everything about this book is horrible - the cringy dialogues, cardboard characters, "I'm so funny oh so funny just look at me how funny I am" characters, a character that doesn't want a boyfriend but will have one eventually because YA, no plot whatsoever, and obvs a miserable fauliure of Bechdel test.
Also, omg, THAT COVER. Why is there a pale redhead, whn Tia was half Puerto Rican, and a dark skinned boy when Will was as pale as Edward Cullen??
Alo, why Tia's name is Tia? What kind of Hispanic parent would call their daughter that way? Dear Author, you know that Tia means "Aunt" in Spanish? Right? So how are her nephews calling her? AUNT AUNT?????? COME ON!
God, this book is so boring and stupid I hate myself a little for finishing it.
Everything about this book is horrible - the cringy dialogues, cardboard characters, "I'm so funny oh so funny just look at me how funny I am" characters, a character that doesn't want a boyfriend but will have one eventually because YA, no plot whatsoever, and obvs a miserable fauliure of Bechdel test.
Also, omg, THAT COVER. Why is there a pale redhead, whn Tia was half Puerto Rican, and a dark skinned boy when Will was as pale as Edward Cullen??
Alo, why Tia's name is Tia? What kind of Hispanic parent would call their daughter that way? Dear Author, you know that Tia means "Aunt" in Spanish? Right? So how are her nephews calling her? AUNT AUNT?????? COME ON!
July 19, 2014
"Mr. Matthews, get off Ms. Cruz" This is one of my favorite lines from the book.
Yes, it's basically about two people who love each other but have a hard time coming to terms with their feelings. I loved the witty dialogue and the swoon worthy scenes. I loved the Will and Tia tandem but my book boyfriend award would have to go to resident badass, Sawyer. I don't know why but his colorful history and his maladaptive behavior just draws me to him. I want to read more about him!
Anyway, overall I loved this book. It wasn't perfect but I absolutely adored it. I definitely recommend this book for ya contempo-romance lovers.
Yes, it's basically about two people who love each other but have a hard time coming to terms with their feelings. I loved the witty dialogue and the swoon worthy scenes. I loved the Will and Tia tandem but my book boyfriend award would have to go to resident badass, Sawyer. I don't know why but his colorful history and his maladaptive behavior just draws me to him. I want to read more about him!
Anyway, overall I loved this book. It wasn't perfect but I absolutely adored it. I definitely recommend this book for ya contempo-romance lovers.
February 27, 2016
3.5 stars
Even though our MC was a train wreck, I actually grew very fond of Tia and her sarcastic humor. I really liked Will. The teen flirting and romance as times made me roll my eyes a bit, but it was cute and funny! I wish there had been more with her Dad, or any parent really...all these teenagers just roaming around parent-free didn't seem realistic. Also, FYI, this is OLDER YA, as some of the sex scenes get a bit graphic, and there's lots of smoking, booze, and drugs throughout.
Even though our MC was a train wreck, I actually grew very fond of Tia and her sarcastic humor. I really liked Will. The teen flirting and romance as times made me roll my eyes a bit, but it was cute and funny! I wish there had been more with her Dad, or any parent really...all these teenagers just roaming around parent-free didn't seem realistic. Also, FYI, this is OLDER YA, as some of the sex scenes get a bit graphic, and there's lots of smoking, booze, and drugs throughout.
January 28, 2016
This book was really just what I needed. It was fun, it was cute, it was hilarious and it was just a joy to read. There was some hidden deepness here and I really felt for Tia in so many ways. I'm also glad that this is the first in a series of companion novels because all the side characters were great and I look forward to spending more time with them!
August 16, 2016
Full review closer to pub date. For now, I will say that I adore Jenn and her writing. Tia and Will are a couple with a lot of problems that could be fixed quite easily, but in high school, nothing is ever easy. This read like a story out of my own life so I found I could relate very well. I mean, the images of the hot mornings and long nights of band camp brought to life my own very vivid memories of the event. I also remember having that guy friend with whom I couldn't stop flirting, even when he wasn't available. It's a tough line to walk. The romance is a bit more intense than Jenn's previous comedies. It's deeper and more mature for sure. I found lots of similarities between this and Sarah Ockler's The Book of Broken Hearts, especially with Tia and her family dynamic. Overall, I think people will love it. I know I did! Bring on Perfect Couple & Most Likely to Succeed, please and thank you!
ETA: Full review posted here.
First of all, YAY for another awesome marching band book. Considering most high schools have football teams and most of those schools have marching bands to go with them, I feel there is a distinct lack of band books in ya. Good thing my girl Jenn always delivers! Marching band was a huge part of my life for 20 years. Yes, 20. I was five when my brother joined the marching band, and my family had at least one child (occasionally two) in that band until I graduated. Then, I was part of my college band for four years with a two year break during which I went back to assist my high school again. So, yes, I'm always happy when there's a book that captures in some way an activity that was so meaningful to me.
Secondly, this actually isn't a straight up band book. Biggest Flirts is a book about labels and identity, both the ones others place on us and the ones we place on ourselves. As such, I think Jenn did a wonderful job of creating beautifully complex characters. At first look, Tia is a somewhat-naughty girl. She's the girl at the party keeping the beer company, and we find out she likes no-strings hookups, particularly with bad boy Sawyer. Then we find out she's an incredibly intelligent slacker, and the youngest sister in a family rife with emotional drama from a workaholic dad and an absentee mother. All of these identities are true, but some are fact while others are the roles Tia plays for self-preservation (and totally reminding me of Jude in Sarah Ockler's Book of Broken Hearts in the process). And then there's Will. First look through Tia's eyes, he's a pirate, an appropriate brand of naughty compatible with her own. But then, Will transforms into Tia's worst nightmare: a Good Guy, the Boy Next Door, a straight-A-earning, overachieving drum captain/drum major/class president. He's also the cuckolded boyrfriend, betrayed by his closes friends from Minnesota, and the Fucking New Guy, who is a snobby douche. Once again, some of these labels are simple facts while others are prepetuated by high school herd mentality and Will's shyness.
Meanwhile, Tia and Will's explosive chemistry and easy friendship prevent them from keeping their hands off one another, leading the class to label them Biggest Flirts. The primary conflict of the novel comes from Will and Tia's comfort in some of their labels and fear of others. Will's problems seem to stem from the fact that as the new guy, he has to completely rebuild his public persona from scratch while attempting to overcome the early judgments placed on him in Florida, and Tia's come from the fact that she pigeonholed herself into her labels very early in her life and she can't overcome them now that people have come to expect it of her. I think Biggest Flirts could entirely exist without any secondary charactrers since Tia and Will seem to provide enough conflict when it's just the two of them, but I do like that many of the secondaries help Tia and Will challenge their labels.
I am fascinated by this series. I've already read Biggest Flirts twice in six months and loved it both times. I think Jenn has taken a staple of the high school experience, class superlatives, and used it to truly explore how labels official and otherwise affect the recipients. If you are looking for a book that turns teenage identity on its head, Biggest Flirts and its upcoming sequels will definitely be right up your alley. Speaking of sequels, is it time for Perfect Couple yet?!
ETA: Full review posted here.
First of all, YAY for another awesome marching band book. Considering most high schools have football teams and most of those schools have marching bands to go with them, I feel there is a distinct lack of band books in ya. Good thing my girl Jenn always delivers! Marching band was a huge part of my life for 20 years. Yes, 20. I was five when my brother joined the marching band, and my family had at least one child (occasionally two) in that band until I graduated. Then, I was part of my college band for four years with a two year break during which I went back to assist my high school again. So, yes, I'm always happy when there's a book that captures in some way an activity that was so meaningful to me.
Secondly, this actually isn't a straight up band book. Biggest Flirts is a book about labels and identity, both the ones others place on us and the ones we place on ourselves. As such, I think Jenn did a wonderful job of creating beautifully complex characters. At first look, Tia is a somewhat-naughty girl. She's the girl at the party keeping the beer company, and we find out she likes no-strings hookups, particularly with bad boy Sawyer. Then we find out she's an incredibly intelligent slacker, and the youngest sister in a family rife with emotional drama from a workaholic dad and an absentee mother. All of these identities are true, but some are fact while others are the roles Tia plays for self-preservation (and totally reminding me of Jude in Sarah Ockler's Book of Broken Hearts in the process). And then there's Will. First look through Tia's eyes, he's a pirate, an appropriate brand of naughty compatible with her own. But then, Will transforms into Tia's worst nightmare: a Good Guy, the Boy Next Door, a straight-A-earning, overachieving drum captain/drum major/class president. He's also the cuckolded boyrfriend, betrayed by his closes friends from Minnesota, and the Fucking New Guy, who is a snobby douche. Once again, some of these labels are simple facts while others are prepetuated by high school herd mentality and Will's shyness.
Meanwhile, Tia and Will's explosive chemistry and easy friendship prevent them from keeping their hands off one another, leading the class to label them Biggest Flirts. The primary conflict of the novel comes from Will and Tia's comfort in some of their labels and fear of others. Will's problems seem to stem from the fact that as the new guy, he has to completely rebuild his public persona from scratch while attempting to overcome the early judgments placed on him in Florida, and Tia's come from the fact that she pigeonholed herself into her labels very early in her life and she can't overcome them now that people have come to expect it of her. I think Biggest Flirts could entirely exist without any secondary charactrers since Tia and Will seem to provide enough conflict when it's just the two of them, but I do like that many of the secondaries help Tia and Will challenge their labels.
I am fascinated by this series. I've already read Biggest Flirts twice in six months and loved it both times. I think Jenn has taken a staple of the high school experience, class superlatives, and used it to truly explore how labels official and otherwise affect the recipients. If you are looking for a book that turns teenage identity on its head, Biggest Flirts and its upcoming sequels will definitely be right up your alley. Speaking of sequels, is it time for Perfect Couple yet?!
October 11, 2016
This review is also posted on my blog, Anatea's Bookshelf.
I have heard many great things about Jennifer Echol's books and I finally decided to read one of them! I choose Biggest Flirts. Not so wise idea. To say I didn't like it would be a little too harsh, but I didn't love it either. I think it is safe to say that there were some things that prevented me of liking this book.
Tia and Will met at a party. Will was the new guy and because of that, perfect for Tia who wanted to hook up with someone. An hour later things were definitely not YA book material. I know that probably some of you will have a problem with this, but I didn't. I actually liked how it started, but my problems with the book started right after the beginning.
Tia has commitment issues and thus she doesn't want to be together with Will who kind of expected they would start dating after they hooked up. It drags through almost whole book how she doesn't want to date, but you could see the sparks between them flying everywhere. It even came to that that Will started dating another girl, but the flirting between Tia and Will doesn't stop. They actually get the Biggest Flirts titles in their yearbook.
As you can see, my biggest problem with this book were the characters. I don't like the whiny oh-what-am-I-going-to-do type of characters, and Tia and Will were both like that. I just wanted to strangle them half of the time, even though they were cute sometimes. Another thing I didn't like was Marching Band, drums and everything related to that. I don't think we have Marching Bands in Croatia, and I'm damn glad for that! Tia and Will were both part of their schools Marching Band and a lot of scenes in Biggest Flirts happened during their practice. I'm sure it not that boring, but reading about it was incredibly boring. Note to authors, don't write a book that features a Marching Band!
While Biggest Flirts wasn't exactly the right read for me, I am sure that many other people are going to like it. It just wasn't for me. But despite me not liking it, I still want to give a try to some other books by Jennifer Echols and I am sure I'm going to find the one I like, as well, I am probably going to read the next book in the series.
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I have heard many great things about Jennifer Echol's books and I finally decided to read one of them! I choose Biggest Flirts. Not so wise idea. To say I didn't like it would be a little too harsh, but I didn't love it either. I think it is safe to say that there were some things that prevented me of liking this book.
Tia and Will met at a party. Will was the new guy and because of that, perfect for Tia who wanted to hook up with someone. An hour later things were definitely not YA book material. I know that probably some of you will have a problem with this, but I didn't. I actually liked how it started, but my problems with the book started right after the beginning.
Tia has commitment issues and thus she doesn't want to be together with Will who kind of expected they would start dating after they hooked up. It drags through almost whole book how she doesn't want to date, but you could see the sparks between them flying everywhere. It even came to that that Will started dating another girl, but the flirting between Tia and Will doesn't stop. They actually get the Biggest Flirts titles in their yearbook.
As you can see, my biggest problem with this book were the characters. I don't like the whiny oh-what-am-I-going-to-do type of characters, and Tia and Will were both like that. I just wanted to strangle them half of the time, even though they were cute sometimes. Another thing I didn't like was Marching Band, drums and everything related to that. I don't think we have Marching Bands in Croatia, and I'm damn glad for that! Tia and Will were both part of their schools Marching Band and a lot of scenes in Biggest Flirts happened during their practice. I'm sure it not that boring, but reading about it was incredibly boring. Note to authors, don't write a book that features a Marching Band!
While Biggest Flirts wasn't exactly the right read for me, I am sure that many other people are going to like it. It just wasn't for me. But despite me not liking it, I still want to give a try to some other books by Jennifer Echols and I am sure I'm going to find the one I like, as well, I am probably going to read the next book in the series.
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July 5, 2014
Biggest Flirts is just what I needed from Jennifer Echols. I had so much fun reading this book and I am so happy that this is part of a companion novel/trilogy. I've basically read almost all of Jennifer Echols's books and I have to say that ever since Such A Rush.. I haven't enjoyed any of her newer books until I read Biggest Flirts
We have Tia here, who is a senior in high school and basically someone who lives in her own world. Her dad works nights and sleeps through the day and her older sisters moved out so she basically lives on her own. She's known as a party girl and that's what we witness in the opening chapters of the book. Tia partying hard, drinking, and hooking up with new guy Will. However Tia is more than that, and we get to find the little pieces of herself that she hides from everyone else as we read on. She's in the marching band and really takes it seriously however she hates taking responsibility of anything and tries to get away from any position that would give her any sort of responsibility. She is also very smart but always hides that by acting all flirty and hooking up with anyone. I felt sorry for her.. I really wanted to understand her and sometimes she frustrated me but at the same time I pitied her. Tia's family life is obviously a mess and I was very interested in finding out how she came to live like that with her father.
I like the whole idea of the book, with each title being a different senior title. Tia along with Will get voted Biggest Flirts and that's after they hook up and then Will moves on and starts semi-dating someone else. Things got awkward fast and I found it hilarious that whenever Tia and Will are together they always end up close to each other or touching and everyone around them always screams "GET YOUR HANDS OFF EACH OTHER". I cracked up so much reading that. I know I mentioned this is a ton of fun, and it is, but this is more mature YA material than typical mature. Also, it isn't only fluff, we truly get invested and feel for Tia. I just wanted her to not hide herself and reach her full potential! I loved her two other girlfriends and I can't wait to read their own stories through books two and three. I definitely recommend Biggest Flirts to all the contemporary fans and if you still want convincing then check out my video review of it where I just gush gush and gush about how great it is.
We have Tia here, who is a senior in high school and basically someone who lives in her own world. Her dad works nights and sleeps through the day and her older sisters moved out so she basically lives on her own. She's known as a party girl and that's what we witness in the opening chapters of the book. Tia partying hard, drinking, and hooking up with new guy Will. However Tia is more than that, and we get to find the little pieces of herself that she hides from everyone else as we read on. She's in the marching band and really takes it seriously however she hates taking responsibility of anything and tries to get away from any position that would give her any sort of responsibility. She is also very smart but always hides that by acting all flirty and hooking up with anyone. I felt sorry for her.. I really wanted to understand her and sometimes she frustrated me but at the same time I pitied her. Tia's family life is obviously a mess and I was very interested in finding out how she came to live like that with her father.
I like the whole idea of the book, with each title being a different senior title. Tia along with Will get voted Biggest Flirts and that's after they hook up and then Will moves on and starts semi-dating someone else. Things got awkward fast and I found it hilarious that whenever Tia and Will are together they always end up close to each other or touching and everyone around them always screams "GET YOUR HANDS OFF EACH OTHER". I cracked up so much reading that. I know I mentioned this is a ton of fun, and it is, but this is more mature YA material than typical mature. Also, it isn't only fluff, we truly get invested and feel for Tia. I just wanted her to not hide herself and reach her full potential! I loved her two other girlfriends and I can't wait to read their own stories through books two and three. I definitely recommend Biggest Flirts to all the contemporary fans and if you still want convincing then check out my video review of it where I just gush gush and gush about how great it is.
October 18, 2016
This book felt like a series of random events based on these two people meeting at a party. There was no real reason for any of the things that happened in this book and there was no real resolution at the end. I feel like you'd have to read the rest of the series to find out what happens to Will and Tia even though the other books are about Tia's friends and their boyfriends. I don't know if I'll continue with the series even though I have the others from the library already. I may and most likely because I want to know what'll happen to Sawyer cause he seems interesting . Other than him, this book left a lot to be desired.
July 31, 2014
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols
Book One of the Superlatives series
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 20, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Official Summary:
Tia and Will’s lives get flipped upside down when they’re voted Yearbook’s Biggest Flirts in this sassy novel from the author of Endless Summer and The One That I Want.
Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laid-back swagger.
As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn't interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…
What I Liked:
I really enjoyed this book! I had a feeling that I would, because it's Jennifer Echols, and I've had good experiences with Echols' books. I loved Such a Rush, and liked Dirty Little Secret. This novel might be my favorite of the three... it comes close between this one and Such a Rush.
Tia doesn't want a boyfriend, for various reasons. Will, the new guy, really likes Tia. They have amazing chemistry, and they flirt constantly, but Tia refuses to go out with him, as a couple. So Will moves on to another girl, which makes Tia irrationally jealous. Tia needs to own up to her feelings, before it's too late for her and Will.
This book seems like a bit of a cliche, on the surface. However, I wouldn't say that it is. Tia's character surprised me. I wasn't really expecting such a wild, free girl. I feel like in YA novels, the girls are quiet, shy, slightly introverted girls. Tia is not afraid to hook up with whomever she wants to hook up (not that she hooks up with anyone and everyone). This is definitely a bolder, different type of "strong", and I like it. Tia also acts like a not-very-intelligent person, even though she is crazy smart. She's afraid of starting a serious relationship with someone, and she is afraid of being put in a leadership role. Tia is more complex and interesting than I thought she would be. I love the depth of her character.
The same goes for Will. He's not just the new boy, the love interest, the spurned one. He's got a rather recent tragic incident with love, and so his love life is not the most straightforward at the moment. He's also from Minnesota, which is apparently much more different than I thought it was. Interesting. Anyway. He has a certain charm that I absolutely LOVE. Also, he's a hockey player. You know what that means... ab heaven!! Yes, I definitely just said that. But in all seriousness, Will is a total sweetie and hottie at the same time, and that is a glorious combination.
This book revolves around Tia and Will's flirtation, their weird relationship/non-relationship. I loved seeing them flirt, and then get mad at each other, and then flirt some more, and then try to stay away from each other. Everything felt so backwards, but the two of them together definitely got more than enough alone time/page time. I love the development of their relationship. I also love the Senior Superlatives aspect to this book. It made me think of my Senior Superlative - I think I got something with positiveness? I can't remember. It was something sweet though.
Anyway, if I haven't convinced you yet, I don't know what else to say. Great story, excellent development of characters, superior yet subtle depth to just about everything, HOT MALE. Run, don't walk. I'll be reading the next book(s) in the series for sure!
What I Did Not Like:
I feel like I wanted a more concrete ending from this book. I totally get that this is part of a series, but I think this series acts as a companion series. This one ended well, but I wish things were more solid. Of course, I'm a very clear-cut person, and I generally dislike it when things are left to the reader's own interpretation. But whatever.
Would I Recommend It:
Definitely! I'm not a contemporary romance person, and I really liked this book. There is just something about Jennifer Echols' contemporary novels - I really like them! She's definitely my go-to author, when I want something in the contemporary genre. If you like contemporary romance novels, read this one and/or anything by Jennifer Echols. Even if you don't, read something by Jennifer Echols.
Rating:
4 stars. What a fantastic start to a cute, original series! I definitely cannot wait to read the next book in the series - there are some characters about which I cannot wait to learn!
Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols
Book One of the Superlatives series
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 20, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Official Summary:
Tia and Will’s lives get flipped upside down when they’re voted Yearbook’s Biggest Flirts in this sassy novel from the author of Endless Summer and The One That I Want.
Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laid-back swagger.
As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn't interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…
What I Liked:
I really enjoyed this book! I had a feeling that I would, because it's Jennifer Echols, and I've had good experiences with Echols' books. I loved Such a Rush, and liked Dirty Little Secret. This novel might be my favorite of the three... it comes close between this one and Such a Rush.
Tia doesn't want a boyfriend, for various reasons. Will, the new guy, really likes Tia. They have amazing chemistry, and they flirt constantly, but Tia refuses to go out with him, as a couple. So Will moves on to another girl, which makes Tia irrationally jealous. Tia needs to own up to her feelings, before it's too late for her and Will.
This book seems like a bit of a cliche, on the surface. However, I wouldn't say that it is. Tia's character surprised me. I wasn't really expecting such a wild, free girl. I feel like in YA novels, the girls are quiet, shy, slightly introverted girls. Tia is not afraid to hook up with whomever she wants to hook up (not that she hooks up with anyone and everyone). This is definitely a bolder, different type of "strong", and I like it. Tia also acts like a not-very-intelligent person, even though she is crazy smart. She's afraid of starting a serious relationship with someone, and she is afraid of being put in a leadership role. Tia is more complex and interesting than I thought she would be. I love the depth of her character.
The same goes for Will. He's not just the new boy, the love interest, the spurned one. He's got a rather recent tragic incident with love, and so his love life is not the most straightforward at the moment. He's also from Minnesota, which is apparently much more different than I thought it was. Interesting. Anyway. He has a certain charm that I absolutely LOVE. Also, he's a hockey player. You know what that means... ab heaven!! Yes, I definitely just said that. But in all seriousness, Will is a total sweetie and hottie at the same time, and that is a glorious combination.
This book revolves around Tia and Will's flirtation, their weird relationship/non-relationship. I loved seeing them flirt, and then get mad at each other, and then flirt some more, and then try to stay away from each other. Everything felt so backwards, but the two of them together definitely got more than enough alone time/page time. I love the development of their relationship. I also love the Senior Superlatives aspect to this book. It made me think of my Senior Superlative - I think I got something with positiveness? I can't remember. It was something sweet though.
Anyway, if I haven't convinced you yet, I don't know what else to say. Great story, excellent development of characters, superior yet subtle depth to just about everything, HOT MALE. Run, don't walk. I'll be reading the next book(s) in the series for sure!
What I Did Not Like:
I feel like I wanted a more concrete ending from this book. I totally get that this is part of a series, but I think this series acts as a companion series. This one ended well, but I wish things were more solid. Of course, I'm a very clear-cut person, and I generally dislike it when things are left to the reader's own interpretation. But whatever.
Would I Recommend It:
Definitely! I'm not a contemporary romance person, and I really liked this book. There is just something about Jennifer Echols' contemporary novels - I really like them! She's definitely my go-to author, when I want something in the contemporary genre. If you like contemporary romance novels, read this one and/or anything by Jennifer Echols. Even if you don't, read something by Jennifer Echols.
Rating:
4 stars. What a fantastic start to a cute, original series! I definitely cannot wait to read the next book in the series - there are some characters about which I cannot wait to learn!
December 10, 2017
December 2017 re-read:
1) I read this in basically one sitting the second time around as well, which bodes well for this novel.
2) I do think the re-read wasn't a great thing for this novel, and maybe I shouldn't have done it. I wanted to do it because I finally got the other two novels in the series, but I did like the re-read less than the original read. I got more annoyed by Will and Tia's back and forth this time, and I suddenly realize how quickly everything went down. I guess it's because they have so many scenes together that I really didn't notice it the first time around, but this time I was paying more attention.
3) I am STILL super excited for Sawyer's story lol
ALSO PUBLISHED ON MY BLOG, AFTERWORDS!
Okay, I'm glad to say I have finally found the Jennifer Echols novel I truly and honestly loved. Like, with all my being loved. I have read two other novels by her and wasn't impressed, but this was what I was looking for: fun, sweet and funny!
First, I loved Tia. I loved that she was unabashed and unapologetic by her sexuality. I honestly find nothing wrong with that. And most of all, I loved that underneath everything she was just really afraid of letting people down... so she decided to never give them a reason to expect anything.
Then there's Will. Sweet, kind, considerate Will who basically decided Tia was it at first sight. Like, I would date him.
But this isn't insta-love, just insta-attraction and insta-possibility. And I acutally loved this about it. The more (flirtatious) conversations the two had, the harder they fell. And they had funny, cute, charming conversations. It's no wonder their teacher had to shout at them to get their hands off each other lol
Aside for loving Will and Tia (and even loving their drama, oddly enough), I loved the friendship between Tia and her two best pals - Harper and Kaye, and Tia's relationship with class clown and (unfairly) Most Likely to Go To Jail Sawyer. I am honestly so looking forward to the latter's story.
1) I read this in basically one sitting the second time around as well, which bodes well for this novel.
2) I do think the re-read wasn't a great thing for this novel, and maybe I shouldn't have done it. I wanted to do it because I finally got the other two novels in the series, but I did like the re-read less than the original read. I got more annoyed by Will and Tia's back and forth this time, and I suddenly realize how quickly everything went down. I guess it's because they have so many scenes together that I really didn't notice it the first time around, but this time I was paying more attention.
3) I am STILL super excited for Sawyer's story lol
ALSO PUBLISHED ON MY BLOG, AFTERWORDS!
Okay, I'm glad to say I have finally found the Jennifer Echols novel I truly and honestly loved. Like, with all my being loved. I have read two other novels by her and wasn't impressed, but this was what I was looking for: fun, sweet and funny!
First, I loved Tia. I loved that she was unabashed and unapologetic by her sexuality. I honestly find nothing wrong with that. And most of all, I loved that underneath everything she was just really afraid of letting people down... so she decided to never give them a reason to expect anything.
Then there's Will. Sweet, kind, considerate Will who basically decided Tia was it at first sight. Like, I would date him.
But this isn't insta-love, just insta-attraction and insta-possibility. And I acutally loved this about it. The more (flirtatious) conversations the two had, the harder they fell. And they had funny, cute, charming conversations. It's no wonder their teacher had to shout at them to get their hands off each other lol
Aside for loving Will and Tia (and even loving their drama, oddly enough), I loved the friendship between Tia and her two best pals - Harper and Kaye, and Tia's relationship with class clown and (unfairly) Most Likely to Go To Jail Sawyer. I am honestly so looking forward to the latter's story.
September 17, 2014
*3.5 star rating*
“Worst of all, Will had been elected Biggest Flirt too. I’d felt like I was only teasing him, but the school thought he’d been flirting back. That gave me a head rush. Will secretly liked me.”
Wanting an ultimate high school experience? Wanting to be thrown into a world full of teenagers, romance, and drama? Jennifer Echols basically has done it here in a matter of 336 pages. Hilarious, witty, and fresh, Echols has mastered the mind of an ordinary teenage girl who has never dated before until a one special someone.
This book was sassy. First word that comes to mind when hearing the title? Sassy. This book is all about sass and the wonders of it and how teenagers use it on a daily basis. Tia, the protagonist, is full of it, and I guess I can say that you’ll either love her or hate her. I, myself, ended up loving her and her confidence. She was strong and passionate about everything going on around her. She lived by going with the flow.
In this high school in this world, things were ordinary. There were people like this:
And then there were people like this:
And then there was Tia and Will. Tia is your ordinary teenage girl, except with the fact that she loves partying and has a history of hooking up with guys but never dating anyone particular. Then, Will moves into town and they hook up the moment they meet. Things don’t really work out but they end up staying as friends, at least that’s the way they see it. Everyone at their school sees them as flirts and when they get nominated as ‘Biggest Flirts’ for the school yearbook, they’re basically screwed for different reasons each. They’re just friends, and it’s all awkward. Plus, Will likes someone else. Or does he?
“As we hiked up the lawn to her house, holding hands, Will asked the next logical question, knowing me. “Do you want a drink?” I had a crazy answer: “Not if you’re not. It’s really hard to communicate with somebody when one of you is drinking and the other isn’t.”
This book was actually pure logic. If you want to visualize many teenagers’s lives, just go and read this. It’s cute, funny and true. The atmosphere is so alike to the ordinary person’s, and Jen Echols must’ve had some complete research done to master it all.
Through the end, I realized that this was a quick read that was light. If you just want to go for a read that really doesn’t teach you anything and is all logical, then you should go for this. I was actually planning for this to be an in-depth read with all of these feelings and meanings inside of it. I wanted to read something that I’d have to read and signify in between-the-lines. But really, this was just a book with not much going on. It was pretty good and enjoyable, but not the nicest nut in the shell.
I guess you could say that I could relate to the characters very well, since I’m in high school as well. Now that I’ve begun my experience in an atmosphere like this, it all seemed so real and believable. Tia was the perfect kick-ass protagonist of sassiness. I had a love-hate relationship with her in the beginning, but through the end, she proved the negativity wrong and proved my inner starting thoughts wrong. This girl showed the truth behind teenage life and she proved that being a teenager is tough. High-five for inner sassiness!
Will was… cute. He sure wasn’t the type of guy that made me fan myself or got the air around me steamy, but the connection that he had with Tia was believable. The romance totally wasn’t insta-love, (although there was a hookup at the beginning which didn’t prove any “love”) and they truly were a flirtatious couple if you ask me. They’re the type of people that you imagine having one of those weddings in Vegas, haha.
Biggest Flirts really proved that the Jennifer Echols is a fantastic writer. In the past, I haven’t enjoyed her books (The Ex Games, specifically) but this really made me want to go out and pick up all of her goodies! This is a very easy nothing-really-going-on-at-the-moment book that you’ll have to either go for if you’d like or stay away from. Either way, it was okay and enjoyable for the right moment.
“Worst of all, Will had been elected Biggest Flirt too. I’d felt like I was only teasing him, but the school thought he’d been flirting back. That gave me a head rush. Will secretly liked me.”
Wanting an ultimate high school experience? Wanting to be thrown into a world full of teenagers, romance, and drama? Jennifer Echols basically has done it here in a matter of 336 pages. Hilarious, witty, and fresh, Echols has mastered the mind of an ordinary teenage girl who has never dated before until a one special someone.
This book was sassy. First word that comes to mind when hearing the title? Sassy. This book is all about sass and the wonders of it and how teenagers use it on a daily basis. Tia, the protagonist, is full of it, and I guess I can say that you’ll either love her or hate her. I, myself, ended up loving her and her confidence. She was strong and passionate about everything going on around her. She lived by going with the flow.
In this high school in this world, things were ordinary. There were people like this:
And then there were people like this:
And then there was Tia and Will. Tia is your ordinary teenage girl, except with the fact that she loves partying and has a history of hooking up with guys but never dating anyone particular. Then, Will moves into town and they hook up the moment they meet. Things don’t really work out but they end up staying as friends, at least that’s the way they see it. Everyone at their school sees them as flirts and when they get nominated as ‘Biggest Flirts’ for the school yearbook, they’re basically screwed for different reasons each. They’re just friends, and it’s all awkward. Plus, Will likes someone else. Or does he?
“As we hiked up the lawn to her house, holding hands, Will asked the next logical question, knowing me. “Do you want a drink?” I had a crazy answer: “Not if you’re not. It’s really hard to communicate with somebody when one of you is drinking and the other isn’t.”
This book was actually pure logic. If you want to visualize many teenagers’s lives, just go and read this. It’s cute, funny and true. The atmosphere is so alike to the ordinary person’s, and Jen Echols must’ve had some complete research done to master it all.
Through the end, I realized that this was a quick read that was light. If you just want to go for a read that really doesn’t teach you anything and is all logical, then you should go for this. I was actually planning for this to be an in-depth read with all of these feelings and meanings inside of it. I wanted to read something that I’d have to read and signify in between-the-lines. But really, this was just a book with not much going on. It was pretty good and enjoyable, but not the nicest nut in the shell.
I guess you could say that I could relate to the characters very well, since I’m in high school as well. Now that I’ve begun my experience in an atmosphere like this, it all seemed so real and believable. Tia was the perfect kick-ass protagonist of sassiness. I had a love-hate relationship with her in the beginning, but through the end, she proved the negativity wrong and proved my inner starting thoughts wrong. This girl showed the truth behind teenage life and she proved that being a teenager is tough. High-five for inner sassiness!
Will was… cute. He sure wasn’t the type of guy that made me fan myself or got the air around me steamy, but the connection that he had with Tia was believable. The romance totally wasn’t insta-love, (although there was a hookup at the beginning which didn’t prove any “love”) and they truly were a flirtatious couple if you ask me. They’re the type of people that you imagine having one of those weddings in Vegas, haha.
Biggest Flirts really proved that the Jennifer Echols is a fantastic writer. In the past, I haven’t enjoyed her books (The Ex Games, specifically) but this really made me want to go out and pick up all of her goodies! This is a very easy nothing-really-going-on-at-the-moment book that you’ll have to either go for if you’d like or stay away from. Either way, it was okay and enjoyable for the right moment.
May 17, 2014
I didn't understand Will, but I knew enough that I didn't want to. He was so hot, and kissed so well, and that earring! He was the type of guy I could get really attached to if I wasn't careful. And though I might not seem like the most conscientious person most of the time, I was always careful about boys.
Having witnessed all of her older sisters fall in love and fall apart, the last thing Tia Cruz wants is a boyfriend, but senior year, when Will Matthews arrives at her school—the undeniably cool kid from the Midwest, and possible the cutest boy she has ever seen—her determination begins to falter. Will Matthews is the kind of boy who could make her forget.
Tia and Will's playful relationship is definitely fun to follow, especially watching both characters grow as they discover themselves within each other. I also love the portrayal of high school casual relationships—better known as "friends with benefits"—which seems like a racy topic for YA fiction, but is actually prevalent among teenagers, and thus, entirely relevant; Echols brings the experience to life maturely and memorably. What bothered me, however, was the progression of the relationship. The breakup, makeup, breakup-again sequence was too formulaic, too predictable. Given the synopsis of the book, there's nothing I couldn't have seen coming. Nothing about Tia and Will as a couple particularly surprised, devastated, or delighted me; it was nothing we've never seen before in YA romance. Once the two are paired as the school's Biggest Flirts (since when is that even a superlative?), the rest of the story just went along as expected.
I loved Tia as a character; she's unconventional, and not your typical bashful, romantic heroine. She's strong, but also has a thousand insecurities; brilliant, but intentionally an underachiever. I think she's a hit-or-miss character, though; I can definitely see some readers not liking her recklessness or her brash tone. Her chemistry with Will is spot-on, and the sexual tension and energy the two create will have your heart thumping and you remembering what teenage romance feels like again.
The secondary characters are both a strength and a weakness of Biggest Flirts. Most of them make very minor but very frequent appearances that I found sort of pointless, other than to keep confusing me with all the different names. Tia's best friends rarely show their faces, which made me feel like they aren't her friends at all. Will is a beautifully written character (Jennifer Echols creates another heartbreaker—surprise!) but I absolutely loved Sawyer, Tia's on-again-off-again "boyfriend," and can't wait for Book #3, because it's his story. Won't give too much away, but if you like tragic teen boys, be prepared to swoon!
Pros
Tia is an imperfect, but genuine character with lots of attitude! // Family backstory is important, not just the romance // Portrays the mindset of casual, rather than dating, relationships well // Hot hookups! (Nothing wildly explicit, but still for an older YA crowd) // Will and Sawyer ♥
Cons
Plot is predictably structured // The only real characters are Tia and Will, the rest seem to have come from YA character moulds // Flows well, but style is not remarkable
Love
"I would really like to get in trouble for touching you right now."
Verdict
Sexy and smart, Biggest Flirts is a thrilling escape of a contemporary young adult novel that captures the spirit and squalor of high school colorfully and entertainingly. I didn't find Tia and Will's relationship that special, and stylistically, it's not particularly clever, but Jennifer Echols's newest book is fun, flirty, and full of impressionable characters and a convincing romantic undertone.
Rating: 7 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; borrow, don't buy!
Source
Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Simon & Schuster and Itching for Books!).
December 31, 2014
We are The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, to know more about this book, go to the post in our website:
Biggest Flirts (Superlatives, #1) by Jennifer Echols
If you are interested, you can visit our website:
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:
Rate: 4 stars
Review:
I am a big fan of Jennifer Echols' books and I have been dying to start the Superlatives series for a while now. Knowing Jennifer's stories I knew I would love this new series, but the lovely cover really caught my attention.
The main character in Biggest Flirts is not a sad girl or a girl who has no friends, it's the complete opposite and you, as a reader, might end up either loving her or hating her. Tia Cruz is a wild spirit, she doesn't care about school or her grades, she doesn't do relationships or boyfriends because she wants to avoid all the drama, she's well-known around her school and she's one of those girls one seeking a fun night - no strings attached. She loves to make people laugh and even better if the laugh comes from a hot guy. She's not afraid to say things as they are and she has no problem to talk openly about any topic: sex, music...
I think I liked her because of that. It was kind of a fresh air in the main character type department, since I have been reading books where the heroine started as a wounded or defenseless girl. Because of Tia's wild spirit, cracking up some jokes while trying to live up to her stereotype: the irresponsible girl who will always drop everything, was one of the things that made this story so enjoyable.
I was surprised by Tia's maturity under her "I-don't-care" behavior and also her wisdom about love and relationships as such young age and even more after realizing that she has never allowed herself to suffer the consequences of love.
Another important character in this story is Will, the person who will make Tia's rules crumble. We meet this character at the very first pages along with Tia and he's as lost as her. Although it is more visible that his character is hurt and afraid, they find a way to move along the two of them together and ending up being inseparable.
Will was a true teenager because sometimes I wanted to punch him in the face for some of the things he said to Tia. That's what makes characters real: the not being perfect all the time. Also he had some switch of moods that made my heart ache for Tia and that's always part of being a teenager. So Jennifer Echols did a great job creating her teen characters.
I have wanted a little more involvement from Tia's family, since the decisions her family members did affects her and what they think of her, too. We only get to see her sister Violet come home again and it was nice, but I would have liked to see the whole Cruz' family coming to terms with one another.
The romance was a good one and when things were finally coming to terms, Tia and Will's story ended up so suddenly... I wanted more!
Jennifer Echols not only introduces us to the Superlatives world and what it means to be labeled at high school, but also it makes us wonder about our choices, about being brave enough to risk being hurt by someone else and to decide to move on or get stuck forever doing what's safe.
I loved the wisdom Jennifer Echols put in this new story and I loved every single page of this book. I am definitely a Superlative fan and I'm dying to read the following stories about Tia's friends. That's why I highly recommend this story to you and ask you to give Tia a chance, although it might not have your typical heroine's character.
Biggest Flirts (Superlatives, #1) by Jennifer Echols
If you are interested, you can visit our website:
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:
Rate: 4 stars
Review:
I am a big fan of Jennifer Echols' books and I have been dying to start the Superlatives series for a while now. Knowing Jennifer's stories I knew I would love this new series, but the lovely cover really caught my attention.
The main character in Biggest Flirts is not a sad girl or a girl who has no friends, it's the complete opposite and you, as a reader, might end up either loving her or hating her. Tia Cruz is a wild spirit, she doesn't care about school or her grades, she doesn't do relationships or boyfriends because she wants to avoid all the drama, she's well-known around her school and she's one of those girls one seeking a fun night - no strings attached. She loves to make people laugh and even better if the laugh comes from a hot guy. She's not afraid to say things as they are and she has no problem to talk openly about any topic: sex, music...
I think I liked her because of that. It was kind of a fresh air in the main character type department, since I have been reading books where the heroine started as a wounded or defenseless girl. Because of Tia's wild spirit, cracking up some jokes while trying to live up to her stereotype: the irresponsible girl who will always drop everything, was one of the things that made this story so enjoyable.
I was surprised by Tia's maturity under her "I-don't-care" behavior and also her wisdom about love and relationships as such young age and even more after realizing that she has never allowed herself to suffer the consequences of love.
Another important character in this story is Will, the person who will make Tia's rules crumble. We meet this character at the very first pages along with Tia and he's as lost as her. Although it is more visible that his character is hurt and afraid, they find a way to move along the two of them together and ending up being inseparable.
Will was a true teenager because sometimes I wanted to punch him in the face for some of the things he said to Tia. That's what makes characters real: the not being perfect all the time. Also he had some switch of moods that made my heart ache for Tia and that's always part of being a teenager. So Jennifer Echols did a great job creating her teen characters.
I have wanted a little more involvement from Tia's family, since the decisions her family members did affects her and what they think of her, too. We only get to see her sister Violet come home again and it was nice, but I would have liked to see the whole Cruz' family coming to terms with one another.
The romance was a good one and when things were finally coming to terms, Tia and Will's story ended up so suddenly... I wanted more!
Jennifer Echols not only introduces us to the Superlatives world and what it means to be labeled at high school, but also it makes us wonder about our choices, about being brave enough to risk being hurt by someone else and to decide to move on or get stuck forever doing what's safe.
I loved the wisdom Jennifer Echols put in this new story and I loved every single page of this book. I am definitely a Superlative fan and I'm dying to read the following stories about Tia's friends. That's why I highly recommend this story to you and ask you to give Tia a chance, although it might not have your typical heroine's character.
March 8, 2015
I received Biggest Flirts in return for an honest review from the publisher via Edelweiss. Tia has no intentions of finding a boyfriend after watching her sister’s terrible relationships she’s going to steer clear. One night at a party her friends send a boy to her who she assumes is for one of her one night hookups only to find out the next day that the new guy is a drummer like her. Even though they never did hook up they have this connection that leaves them both drawn to each other building a fast friendship and naming them both the Biggest Flirts in their senior class.
Will even asked out Tia but she makes it clear that she doesn’t want a boyfriend so he proceeds to date another girl one who’s a majorette with the band. However the two continue to flirt with each other and the girls breaks up with Will because of his flirting with Tia. Determined to get her back Tia talks will into agreeing to do date to make her jealous but the more time the passes Tia finds herself falling in love with Will. Can Tia change her ways and choose Will this time around or will she let him go forever? What about when her sister comes calling?
I loved Tia she’s such a great character. I felt I was really able to connect with her, and I understood why she didn’t want responsibility or a boyfriend. I like that Will is exactly what Tia needs in every way even though she just doesn’t know it yet, he’s the good guy who will push her to do better. I haven’t checked out what the next book is but I have a hunch it will be about someone from Tia’s story and with all the great supporting characters my curiosity is peaked.
I’ve had this one sitting on my Kindle way to long and after finishing it in just a few days I can’t believe I waited so long. I’m such a fan of HAE novels and this one doesn’t disappoint. The characters are great easy to connect with and memorable it’s hard not to get sucked into their lives and cheering them on. I love when a book has a character who isn’t perfect but has their own issues and overcomes them. This is my first book by the author but right from the start I enjoyed her writing style it’s well written and the book flows smoothly from start to finish. Biggest Flirts is a high school YA romance with some real issues mixed in a little humor and a whole lot of flirting. I enjoyed the book it’s a great first installment and I look forward to continuing the series in the future.
Will even asked out Tia but she makes it clear that she doesn’t want a boyfriend so he proceeds to date another girl one who’s a majorette with the band. However the two continue to flirt with each other and the girls breaks up with Will because of his flirting with Tia. Determined to get her back Tia talks will into agreeing to do date to make her jealous but the more time the passes Tia finds herself falling in love with Will. Can Tia change her ways and choose Will this time around or will she let him go forever? What about when her sister comes calling?
I loved Tia she’s such a great character. I felt I was really able to connect with her, and I understood why she didn’t want responsibility or a boyfriend. I like that Will is exactly what Tia needs in every way even though she just doesn’t know it yet, he’s the good guy who will push her to do better. I haven’t checked out what the next book is but I have a hunch it will be about someone from Tia’s story and with all the great supporting characters my curiosity is peaked.
I’ve had this one sitting on my Kindle way to long and after finishing it in just a few days I can’t believe I waited so long. I’m such a fan of HAE novels and this one doesn’t disappoint. The characters are great easy to connect with and memorable it’s hard not to get sucked into their lives and cheering them on. I love when a book has a character who isn’t perfect but has their own issues and overcomes them. This is my first book by the author but right from the start I enjoyed her writing style it’s well written and the book flows smoothly from start to finish. Biggest Flirts is a high school YA romance with some real issues mixed in a little humor and a whole lot of flirting. I enjoyed the book it’s a great first installment and I look forward to continuing the series in the future.
May 29, 2014
THOUGHTS:
2.5
What docked this down to a three was the constant fights between Tia and Will. They would make up and agree that they were "friends" only to get in a fight again leaving them both irritated with each other. It was a cycle. I hated how they defined their relationship as "just friends" (at Tia's request) however despite claiming she wanted to remain unattached, Tia always felt jealous of Will's relationship with Angelica when she had no right to in the first place. If she really wanted to be with him she should just be with him.
That brings me to another thing. Tia. Clearly, this girl doesn't learn. Both her sisters got knocked up for fooling around. You would think that Tia would take this as a lesson and be mindful of how far she goes with boys. Yet that doesn't stop her from almost having sex with Will the night she meets him. Or hooking up with Sawyer all the time. Plus, I was starting to get sick of her lazy attitude and her policy of "no responsibility". I hated how she was a secret genius under her facade of playing stupid. Now that's just stupid. You have a brain for a reason, so use it.
Ex. She purposely throws the opportunity to be drum captain because she feels that it would be too much responsibility.
Worse- Later she challenges Will to be drum captain only because she was mad at him. And then gets upset when she actually wins the challenge claiming that she forgot to purposely lose the challenge. She literally starts crying. What???
2.5
What docked this down to a three was the constant fights between Tia and Will. They would make up and agree that they were "friends" only to get in a fight again leaving them both irritated with each other. It was a cycle. I hated how they defined their relationship as "just friends" (at Tia's request) however despite claiming she wanted to remain unattached, Tia always felt jealous of Will's relationship with Angelica when she had no right to in the first place. If she really wanted to be with him she should just be with him.
That brings me to another thing. Tia. Clearly, this girl doesn't learn. Both her sisters got knocked up for fooling around. You would think that Tia would take this as a lesson and be mindful of how far she goes with boys. Yet that doesn't stop her from almost having sex with Will the night she meets him. Or hooking up with Sawyer all the time. Plus, I was starting to get sick of her lazy attitude and her policy of "no responsibility". I hated how she was a secret genius under her facade of playing stupid. Now that's just stupid. You have a brain for a reason, so use it.
Ex. She purposely throws the opportunity to be drum captain because she feels that it would be too much responsibility.
Worse- Later she challenges Will to be drum captain only because she was mad at him. And then gets upset when she actually wins the challenge claiming that she forgot to purposely lose the challenge. She literally starts crying. What???
January 19, 2014
I honestly had an “I’m too old for this shit” moment while reading this, but being the anal-retentive-must-finish-this-book reader that I have become, I saw this one through and I’ve come away with this: this was supposed to be sweet and cute, except there's the way things begin: too convoluted.
The beginning in this one is meant to elicit an “aaw-shucks” romantic moment but given the convoluted way things progressed, the latter took away from said “aaw shucks” and transformed it into a “WTF?” one instead. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her DIRTY LIOTTLE SECRETS (there’s something about the Nashville-feel there that worked for me) But like PLAYING DIRTY, I just couldn’t keep up with what was going on or why any of them were doing what they were doing.
Also, there’s that annoying thing of some aspect being touched upon but being set aside and forgotten even. I mean, why bother mentioning that her sister was so and so? I would have loved for a resolution on this but: how do things turn up for her and her sisters? How do things pan out for her and her father? What do we end with instead? A him and her we see coming miles away, but not happy for anyway… because man, the guy in this one? He’s no prize; hell, neither was she, for that matter.
Thank you, Edelweiss!
The beginning in this one is meant to elicit an “aaw-shucks” romantic moment but given the convoluted way things progressed, the latter took away from said “aaw shucks” and transformed it into a “WTF?” one instead. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her DIRTY LIOTTLE SECRETS (there’s something about the Nashville-feel there that worked for me) But like PLAYING DIRTY, I just couldn’t keep up with what was going on or why any of them were doing what they were doing.
Also, there’s that annoying thing of some aspect being touched upon but being set aside and forgotten even. I mean, why bother mentioning that her sister was so and so? I would have loved for a resolution on this but: how do things turn up for her and her sisters? How do things pan out for her and her father? What do we end with instead? A him and her we see coming miles away, but not happy for anyway… because man, the guy in this one? He’s no prize; hell, neither was she, for that matter.
Thank you, Edelweiss!
August 13, 2015
was it just me or was the narration super confusing? like i just had so much trouble following tia's narration. she had a lot of personality but the way she described events had me scratching my head going what happened. also it was just a really bizarre book like idk i just didnt get it and some aspects didnt really add anything to the book and i wasnt sold on the romance so yeah idk... i was just really bored by this book. i ended up skimming like huge chunks of the book towards the end
January 5, 2014
I usually enjoy *very much* Echols' books. This one did not do the trick. I expected more out of this story; I wished all the problems/flaws ailing the main characters would have been delved into more...
May 1, 2020
*3.5
This was really cute! I loved Tia and Will together. And I enjoyed seeing Tia's character development.
This was really cute! I loved Tia and Will together. And I enjoyed seeing Tia's character development.
June 30, 2014
Jennifer Echols always manages to craft wonderfully flawed and interesting characters. Her girls are not your typical perfect, straight A virgins (although there is nothing wrong with that), but their lives and choices make them sometimes a little rough, but always endearing and once you get to know why they are how they are, you have to love them. I did like that Tia owns her sexuality. She has a friend with benefits(how far those benefits go is never really stated) and hooks up with whomever she chooses to, without any real regret or shame. She doesn't care that she has something of a reputation because she has, as she believes, rightfully earned it and so there.
Will's struggles to find his place in his new school was well done. He was quickly labeled due to some misunderstanding of his actions and personality and I think this rang very true. I do think this is more realistic than the books where the new person is simply universally adored by everyone with people lining up to be friends.
The reason this isn't higher rating is that I thought the ending was too brief and I'm not sure I actually bought into Tia's big gesture(nor do I think it would fly with the school, no matter what Tia thinks).
Also, would going shirtless really help in the Florida sun? There was so much reference made to Will taking his shirt off and all the girls enjoying the view but this also felt wrong to me. I'd think with the sun scorching down, that it would be important to have something on and a t-shirt absorbs the moisture which would actually keep you cooler for longer, wouldn't it?
There is a great deal about playing drums with the marching band and being part of the marching band once upon a time, I enjoyed those parts. But I didn't really get the sitting on towels during pauses. Where exactly would you keep this towel while you're marching? Oh, and marching in flip-flops or bare feet? I just can't see their very strict band director allowing that to happen. If a student is injured from marching in those conditions, she'd be in lots of trouble. So, some of the band stuff, for me, was a little troublesome and seemed off. And I didn't really feel Tia's passion for drumming or being in the band, which Echols has done so well in other books with flying and music, etc. Tia's motivation seemed a bit flat all round.
Oh, and this is the start of a series, but it is more a series of related stories rather than one continuous story so this book mostly finished off Tia and Will's story, but they will likely be mentioned in upcoming books, but not the main focus.
All in all, a really good read.
Will's struggles to find his place in his new school was well done. He was quickly labeled due to some misunderstanding of his actions and personality and I think this rang very true. I do think this is more realistic than the books where the new person is simply universally adored by everyone with people lining up to be friends.
The reason this isn't higher rating is that I thought the ending was too brief and I'm not sure I actually bought into Tia's big gesture(nor do I think it would fly with the school, no matter what Tia thinks).
Also, would going shirtless really help in the Florida sun? There was so much reference made to Will taking his shirt off and all the girls enjoying the view but this also felt wrong to me. I'd think with the sun scorching down, that it would be important to have something on and a t-shirt absorbs the moisture which would actually keep you cooler for longer, wouldn't it?
There is a great deal about playing drums with the marching band and being part of the marching band once upon a time, I enjoyed those parts. But I didn't really get the sitting on towels during pauses. Where exactly would you keep this towel while you're marching? Oh, and marching in flip-flops or bare feet? I just can't see their very strict band director allowing that to happen. If a student is injured from marching in those conditions, she'd be in lots of trouble. So, some of the band stuff, for me, was a little troublesome and seemed off. And I didn't really feel Tia's passion for drumming or being in the band, which Echols has done so well in other books with flying and music, etc. Tia's motivation seemed a bit flat all round.
Oh, and this is the start of a series, but it is more a series of related stories rather than one continuous story so this book mostly finished off Tia and Will's story, but they will likely be mentioned in upcoming books, but not the main focus.
All in all, a really good read.
August 31, 2016
Actual rating: 3-3.5
I seriously adored the idea of the Superlatives companion series the first time I heard about it. I was totally excited to read Biggest Flirts, which focused on Tia and Will, high school seniors who meet at a party and basically flirt at first sight, if there’s such a thing. They even bag the official title for their yearbook senior superlative! The two, despite their shared tendencies of flirting and casually hooking up, proved to not meet eye-to-eye when it came to one thing: taking their flirtationship one step further.
The quirky thing is- it’s Will, the male lead, who wants to get serious. The reversal of roles held some appeal for me, as well as the story’s fast-paced-but-fun romance. Will Matthews oozed charm despite being the new guy in town and I liked him (and his abs!) very much. He’s vulnerable and introverted, not so comfortable yet with his new schoolmates, having just moved from Minnesota. The quick-developing attraction between him and Tia could have made him feel better about too-hot California, but Tia was hard to pin down.
Tia, Biggest Flirt’s main character and female lead, was afraid of commitment. Not just relationship commitment, but any other kind of responsibility really. She goes as far as continually selling herself short (despite the fact that she’s actually smart and talented) just so that no one expects anything of her. Tia sure comes off as immature and stubborn but that just made her juvenile and realistic as a teenager. She’s not an easy character to like; she gets a little frustrating sometimes. Nevertheless, I enjoyed her vibrant voice, her extroverted personality and her character development. Also, she was a band geek (so was Will!) and band/drum corps was another aspect of the book I liked!
While Tia and Will were definitely interesting, I also was fond of the secondary characters, who had their own subplots that were to be the focus of the next books! Sawyer is probably my favourite and I can’t wait to read about him in the third book, Most Likely To Succeed, and also the next book, Perfect Couple, which will be about Harper, one of Tia’s BFFs. I just hope that the next books will dig deeper into the characters. Still, Biggest Flirts was delightful, funny and absolutely cute!
"And I wouldn’t change my life for her. I’ve learned that from you. I’m not changing for somebody else, because that person could disappear. The only person to change for is yourself."
I seriously adored the idea of the Superlatives companion series the first time I heard about it. I was totally excited to read Biggest Flirts, which focused on Tia and Will, high school seniors who meet at a party and basically flirt at first sight, if there’s such a thing. They even bag the official title for their yearbook senior superlative! The two, despite their shared tendencies of flirting and casually hooking up, proved to not meet eye-to-eye when it came to one thing: taking their flirtationship one step further.
The quirky thing is- it’s Will, the male lead, who wants to get serious. The reversal of roles held some appeal for me, as well as the story’s fast-paced-but-fun romance. Will Matthews oozed charm despite being the new guy in town and I liked him (and his abs!) very much. He’s vulnerable and introverted, not so comfortable yet with his new schoolmates, having just moved from Minnesota. The quick-developing attraction between him and Tia could have made him feel better about too-hot California, but Tia was hard to pin down.
Tia, Biggest Flirt’s main character and female lead, was afraid of commitment. Not just relationship commitment, but any other kind of responsibility really. She goes as far as continually selling herself short (despite the fact that she’s actually smart and talented) just so that no one expects anything of her. Tia sure comes off as immature and stubborn but that just made her juvenile and realistic as a teenager. She’s not an easy character to like; she gets a little frustrating sometimes. Nevertheless, I enjoyed her vibrant voice, her extroverted personality and her character development. Also, she was a band geek (so was Will!) and band/drum corps was another aspect of the book I liked!
While Tia and Will were definitely interesting, I also was fond of the secondary characters, who had their own subplots that were to be the focus of the next books! Sawyer is probably my favourite and I can’t wait to read about him in the third book, Most Likely To Succeed, and also the next book, Perfect Couple, which will be about Harper, one of Tia’s BFFs. I just hope that the next books will dig deeper into the characters. Still, Biggest Flirts was delightful, funny and absolutely cute!
"And I wouldn’t change my life for her. I’ve learned that from you. I’m not changing for somebody else, because that person could disappear. The only person to change for is yourself."
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