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Call Your Boyfriend
She Gets the Girl meets Bottoms in this fun and flirty young adult sapphic rom-com about two teens who want revenge on the flaky popular girl they’re both crushing on.
Cynical but sensitive Beau Carl is on a mission. She needs to know if ultra-popular Maia Moon—the girl she’s been secretly hooking up with for months—really has feelings for her. But when she shows up at the last big party of the year before prom, she sees Maia about to kiss someone else.
Sweet, inexperienced Charm Montgomery is the “someone else.” And she’s ecstatic that she’s been reading Maia’s flirty behavior in their tutoring sessions correctly. But when the kiss is interrupted and Maia accepts an elaborate promposal from her douchey, popular boyfriend just a few days later, both Maia and Beau end up heartbroken.
There’s only one thing for them to do—get her back. And the only way to do that is for Beau to tutor Charm on how she can get their former crush to fall for her so hard that Maia will dump her ex…and then get dumped for once.
As their plan starts working, Beau and Charm grow closer too, in a way neither expected. But are either of them ready to let go of their scheme to take a chance on something a little sweeter—and scarier—than revenge?
Cynical but sensitive Beau Carl is on a mission. She needs to know if ultra-popular Maia Moon—the girl she’s been secretly hooking up with for months—really has feelings for her. But when she shows up at the last big party of the year before prom, she sees Maia about to kiss someone else.
Sweet, inexperienced Charm Montgomery is the “someone else.” And she’s ecstatic that she’s been reading Maia’s flirty behavior in their tutoring sessions correctly. But when the kiss is interrupted and Maia accepts an elaborate promposal from her douchey, popular boyfriend just a few days later, both Maia and Beau end up heartbroken.
There’s only one thing for them to do—get her back. And the only way to do that is for Beau to tutor Charm on how she can get their former crush to fall for her so hard that Maia will dump her ex…and then get dumped for once.
As their plan starts working, Beau and Charm grow closer too, in a way neither expected. But are either of them ready to let go of their scheme to take a chance on something a little sweeter—and scarier—than revenge?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2025
25 people are currently reading
4862 people want to read
About the author
Olivia A. Cole
16 books447 followersOlivia Cole is an author and blogger from Louisville, Kentucky. She spent eight years in Chicago and two in South Florida before finding her way back home. She is the author of PANTHER IN THE HIVE and its sequel, THE ROOSTER’S GARDEN, as well as her latest young adult series, A CONSPIRACY OF STARS and its sequel AN ANATOMY OF BEASTS. She is on the Creative Writing faculty at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and is the founder of the sci-fi art show for young Kentucky women, KINDRED: MAKING SPACE IN SPACE.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
July 8, 2025
i NEED the girlies in ya romances to stop getting together on the very last page i BEG 😫😫😫 this was very very cute though!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2025
“A girlfriendless misfit teaching another girlfriendless misfit how to reel in the prom queen.”
Call Your Boyfriend opens up with Beau arriving to a party with a pair of panties in hand, hoping to return them to the girl she’s been hooking up with for months. Beau had finally gathered up the courage to have a real talk with Maia about their relationship when she stumbles across her about to kiss another girl.
Charm is excited to see where all the flirty exchanges she’s had with Maia during their tutoring sessions will lead, but when their kiss is interrupted she learns that Maia’s intentions weren’t as sweet as she assumed. Worse, only days after the party Maia accepts the very public promposal of her on-again-off-again boyfriend, leaving both Beau and Maia heartbroken.
Realizing they’ve both been played by the same girl, Beau and Charm decide to team up and give her a taste of her own medicine. The plan is for Beau to teach Charm how to flirt so that she can woo Maia, go to prom with her, and then dump her. However the more time Beau and Charm spend together for their “lessons” the more they begin to grow closer themselves.
—
I will forever hold a soft spot for contracts with an “if we do this, we can’t fall in love” addendum. Shooting themselves in the foot before they realize how they’ll grow closer, creating their own complex obstacle and miscommunication when there never needed to be one. It gets me every time!
There were definitely some comedic moments but overall this is truly a story about learning to welcome love. Both Beau and Charm have parental abandonment issues and feelings of insecurity when it comes to dating. Beau is constantly getting the attention of “straight” girls who want to keep her a secret, and Charm’s ex-girlfriend callously told her all the ways she fell short as a partner. As they spend time together, they begin to learn how to demand more from love and to be with the people who actually care for them.
All the characters were so well developed and multifaceted. It was nice how even Ezra and Celine got some interesting insights into their insecurities and struggles. Every character, no matter how small, really jumped off the page.
Beau being this playboy who falls to her knees for the shy clueless girl is such a delicious set up. Charm being effortlessly irresistible while thinking that she’s awkward made me giggle. She has girls falling for her left and right, and yet she thought she had no game. Beau quickly realizing that she’s created a monster by teaching Charm the art of seduction. She’s dug her own grave as she falls for Charm.
Maia is differently a very interesting figure. You feel a lot of sympathy for her because you know that she’s clearly struggling with her sexuality and being closeted. But at the same time, some of her actions are inexcusable and harmful. So you’re constantly flipping between empathy and disdain.
I had a lot of fun with this sapphic romcom and I think this will be a perfect read for many!
Thank you Simon Teen for the eARC
Call Your Boyfriend opens up with Beau arriving to a party with a pair of panties in hand, hoping to return them to the girl she’s been hooking up with for months. Beau had finally gathered up the courage to have a real talk with Maia about their relationship when she stumbles across her about to kiss another girl.
Charm is excited to see where all the flirty exchanges she’s had with Maia during their tutoring sessions will lead, but when their kiss is interrupted she learns that Maia’s intentions weren’t as sweet as she assumed. Worse, only days after the party Maia accepts the very public promposal of her on-again-off-again boyfriend, leaving both Beau and Maia heartbroken.
Realizing they’ve both been played by the same girl, Beau and Charm decide to team up and give her a taste of her own medicine. The plan is for Beau to teach Charm how to flirt so that she can woo Maia, go to prom with her, and then dump her. However the more time Beau and Charm spend together for their “lessons” the more they begin to grow closer themselves.
—
I will forever hold a soft spot for contracts with an “if we do this, we can’t fall in love” addendum. Shooting themselves in the foot before they realize how they’ll grow closer, creating their own complex obstacle and miscommunication when there never needed to be one. It gets me every time!
There were definitely some comedic moments but overall this is truly a story about learning to welcome love. Both Beau and Charm have parental abandonment issues and feelings of insecurity when it comes to dating. Beau is constantly getting the attention of “straight” girls who want to keep her a secret, and Charm’s ex-girlfriend callously told her all the ways she fell short as a partner. As they spend time together, they begin to learn how to demand more from love and to be with the people who actually care for them.
All the characters were so well developed and multifaceted. It was nice how even Ezra and Celine got some interesting insights into their insecurities and struggles. Every character, no matter how small, really jumped off the page.
Beau being this playboy who falls to her knees for the shy clueless girl is such a delicious set up. Charm being effortlessly irresistible while thinking that she’s awkward made me giggle. She has girls falling for her left and right, and yet she thought she had no game. Beau quickly realizing that she’s created a monster by teaching Charm the art of seduction. She’s dug her own grave as she falls for Charm.
Maia is differently a very interesting figure. You feel a lot of sympathy for her because you know that she’s clearly struggling with her sexuality and being closeted. But at the same time, some of her actions are inexcusable and harmful. So you’re constantly flipping between empathy and disdain.
I had a lot of fun with this sapphic romcom and I think this will be a perfect read for many!
Thank you Simon Teen for the eARC
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September 13, 2025It's a YA sapphic rom-com with messy characters and a revenge plot! Call your Boyfriend follows two sapphic teens who have been hurt by a seemingly straight girl who keeps getting back with her boyfriend. So they decide to teach her a lesson by getting her to fall for one of them and then give her a taste of her own medicine. But along the way, they just might fall for each other...
This was fun and would probably make a great movie. It explores some of the challenges of coming out and fears surrounding it, and the problems that come with only dating girls who are "straight" for fear of rejection. It's entertaining and heartfelt and feels very on par with what high school is like. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
This was fun and would probably make a great movie. It explores some of the challenges of coming out and fears surrounding it, and the problems that come with only dating girls who are "straight" for fear of rejection. It's entertaining and heartfelt and feels very on par with what high school is like. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
September 22, 2025
Revenge is a dish best served cold and boy do these girls want revenge. Beau who has been secretly hooking up with Maia starts to develop feelings for her. Charm who tutors Maia in trig has been on the receiving end of flirtatious touches and texts. Now jump in time to a house party where Beau and Charm are both looking for…you guessed it. Maia. Let’s just say things didn’t go well and hearts were broken. So now what? Now it’s time for Maia to get a taste of her own medicine.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book, and it was a page-turner for me. In the beginning, I wasn’t a big fan of Beau, but after getting to know her character more, she grew on me. Charm was likable, funny, and a great best friend. There were times when I laughed out loud and there were other times when I wanted to yell out of frustration. I felt like the ending was abrupt, but overall it was a good read. Are you looking for a queer coming-of-age story that has relatable characters dealing with family drama and their own insecurities? Something with all the teen angst you could possibly want? That might have been too specific. Oh, well. Here you go! Happy Reading!
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for giving me an arc.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book, and it was a page-turner for me. In the beginning, I wasn’t a big fan of Beau, but after getting to know her character more, she grew on me. Charm was likable, funny, and a great best friend. There were times when I laughed out loud and there were other times when I wanted to yell out of frustration. I felt like the ending was abrupt, but overall it was a good read. Are you looking for a queer coming-of-age story that has relatable characters dealing with family drama and their own insecurities? Something with all the teen angst you could possibly want? That might have been too specific. Oh, well. Here you go! Happy Reading!
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for giving me an arc.
July 4, 2025
2025 reads: 159/300
i received a digital review copy from the publisher as part of their influencer program. this did not affect my rating.
beau wants to know if the girl she’s been secretly hooking up with—maia moon, the most popular girl in school—has feelings for her, too. but when she goes to the last big party before prom, she finds maia about to kiss someone else. charm, the other person, is excited when she realizes she’s been reading maia’s signals correctly in their tutoring sessions…until their kiss is interrupted and maia accepts her boyfriend’s promposal days later. now, both beau and maia are heartbroken. they make a plan to get back at maia, but as they get closer to their end goal, they also get closer to each other.
this was a cute book! the premise reminded me just a bit of a book i read last year, rani choudhury must die (because of the getting-back-at-a-two-timer aspect), so i was eager to get into this one. i really liked how the plot of this book played out, and i even started to feel for maia a little. it was also fun to see the dynamic between beau and charm, especially since this book was dual pov and they are such opposites. as beau is much more experienced, she teaches charm how to “seduce” maia for their plan to work. this led to some pretty interesting moments!
overall, this was a lovely YA romance. i’m looking forward to reading more from both authors.
i received a digital review copy from the publisher as part of their influencer program. this did not affect my rating.
beau wants to know if the girl she’s been secretly hooking up with—maia moon, the most popular girl in school—has feelings for her, too. but when she goes to the last big party before prom, she finds maia about to kiss someone else. charm, the other person, is excited when she realizes she’s been reading maia’s signals correctly in their tutoring sessions…until their kiss is interrupted and maia accepts her boyfriend’s promposal days later. now, both beau and maia are heartbroken. they make a plan to get back at maia, but as they get closer to their end goal, they also get closer to each other.
this was a cute book! the premise reminded me just a bit of a book i read last year, rani choudhury must die (because of the getting-back-at-a-two-timer aspect), so i was eager to get into this one. i really liked how the plot of this book played out, and i even started to feel for maia a little. it was also fun to see the dynamic between beau and charm, especially since this book was dual pov and they are such opposites. as beau is much more experienced, she teaches charm how to “seduce” maia for their plan to work. this led to some pretty interesting moments!
overall, this was a lovely YA romance. i’m looking forward to reading more from both authors.
July 21, 2025
I need an epilogue!!!
My book playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25v...
My critiques:
- “locked in” as a phrase was used too many times
- the sibling dynamics were very sweet but not that realistic imo…… who refers to their sibling as “little sis” for real??
- the adults act like rom com adults, not like real people. For that matter, the dialogue isn’t always that believable, considering these are teenagers who are written as less emotionally mature and articulate as their dialogue itself is
- we didn’t lean into Bo’s songwriting as much as I wanted!!! So many moments where she would think something that would be a great song lyric that went unacknowledged 🤦🏻♀️
- Maia was just not as realistic of a specimen as Beau and Charm; her character seemed way less fleshed out and even somewhat inconsistent
Things I loved:
- Beau as a character was such a delight. I swear I’ve known so many Beau’s!!!
- how this book was truly giving Bottoms x Good Luck Babe
- the problems these characters are actually real problems. Many lesbian romance books have the most contrived ridiculous problems you’ve ever heard in your life
- feels contemporary and of the present moment and time without being too heavy-handedly obvious about how into adults writing the experience of youth/teenagedom
- the two love interests are secure in their queer identities and the book isn’t about primarily about them hiding or figuring that out
- sooo angsty and cute and sweet
My book playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25v...
My critiques:
- “locked in” as a phrase was used too many times
- the sibling dynamics were very sweet but not that realistic imo…… who refers to their sibling as “little sis” for real??
- the adults act like rom com adults, not like real people. For that matter, the dialogue isn’t always that believable, considering these are teenagers who are written as less emotionally mature and articulate as their dialogue itself is
- we didn’t lean into Bo’s songwriting as much as I wanted!!! So many moments where she would think something that would be a great song lyric that went unacknowledged 🤦🏻♀️
- Maia was just not as realistic of a specimen as Beau and Charm; her character seemed way less fleshed out and even somewhat inconsistent
Things I loved:
- Beau as a character was such a delight. I swear I’ve known so many Beau’s!!!
- how this book was truly giving Bottoms x Good Luck Babe
- the problems these characters are actually real problems. Many lesbian romance books have the most contrived ridiculous problems you’ve ever heard in your life
- feels contemporary and of the present moment and time without being too heavy-handedly obvious about how into adults writing the experience of youth/teenagedom
- the two love interests are secure in their queer identities and the book isn’t about primarily about them hiding or figuring that out
- sooo angsty and cute and sweet
July 15, 2025
Screaming that this was SO fun and I had the BEST time listening to this audiobook!!
Within the first chapter it being mentioned that Beau arrives to a party with the girl she's been hooking up withs panties honestly had me on the FLOOR because what do you mean Beau was just carrying around a pair of panties!!!! HAHA. One of the best scenes I've read at the start of a book because it had me HOOKED from the beginning and I was so excited to see where it went.
Beau and Charm (other FMC) both realized they were played by the same girl (Maia) so they come up with this plan to get revenge on her for kissing them both and then accepting a prom-posal from her boyfriend. This was so fun, messy, and brought me so much laughter. I think the authors did a really good job of making every character that was introduced feel very fleshed out and it made me want to read books about them as well.
Call Your Boyfriend is one of my favorite books I've read so far this summer, and if you want to read a sapphic/YA/rom-com I think this is the perfect book for you. Once you read it you can slide in my DMs so we can talk about it too btw <3
————————
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. all thoughts are my own.
Within the first chapter it being mentioned that Beau arrives to a party with the girl she's been hooking up withs panties honestly had me on the FLOOR because what do you mean Beau was just carrying around a pair of panties!!!! HAHA. One of the best scenes I've read at the start of a book because it had me HOOKED from the beginning and I was so excited to see where it went.
Beau and Charm (other FMC) both realized they were played by the same girl (Maia) so they come up with this plan to get revenge on her for kissing them both and then accepting a prom-posal from her boyfriend. This was so fun, messy, and brought me so much laughter. I think the authors did a really good job of making every character that was introduced feel very fleshed out and it made me want to read books about them as well.
Call Your Boyfriend is one of my favorite books I've read so far this summer, and if you want to read a sapphic/YA/rom-com I think this is the perfect book for you. Once you read it you can slide in my DMs so we can talk about it too btw <3
————————
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. all thoughts are my own.
June 18, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I liked the cover and the title. The book had a good beginning. I had some laughs and quotable moments. The characters were cute as their inner monologue went on about the other person. As well as relatable queer/lgbt representation. However, along the way things felt flat. To the point the story seemed to last longer than it should have.
Wishing the authors much success.
I liked the cover and the title. The book had a good beginning. I had some laughs and quotable moments. The characters were cute as their inner monologue went on about the other person. As well as relatable queer/lgbt representation. However, along the way things felt flat. To the point the story seemed to last longer than it should have.
Wishing the authors much success.
April 19, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the eARC!
This was such a cute fun read that really embodies what it feels like to be a teenager, while also having a very interesting plot!
This book had me hooked from page one and it was such a blast.
This was such a cute fun read that really embodies what it feels like to be a teenager, while also having a very interesting plot!
This book had me hooked from page one and it was such a blast.
February 15, 2025
Call Your Boyfriend is a story of a queer teenage life, love, and a revenge plot gone wrong. Sensitive and introverted Beau Carl and sweet, caring, inexperienced Charm Montgomery join forces after Beau finds Charm almost kissing ultra-popular Maia Moon in a dark room at a house party. After the party and the foiled kiss, Beau and Charm find out they have both been lead on Maia as she continues to flirt with the girls, while still being "on-again/off-again" were her popular, jerky boyfriend. Beau and Charm hatch a plan to get her back and show her how it feels, while Beau tutors Charm in how to get Maia to fall for her so hard that Maia dumps her ex, and she finally gets dumped for once. But as the plan starts to work, Beau and Charm grow closer too, which neither one expected. Instead they find themselves wanting to spend time together, but feeling unable to share their feelings and being ready to let go of their plan, so maybe they could instead, find happiness together.
This is such a cute, sapphic slow burn with amazing jokes and humor, kindness, and a beautiful diversity of gender expressions, family dynamics, and friendships. This is a book that queer teens, and former queer teens need in their lives to feel seen and loved. This book made me smile and laugh so much. It's perfectly binge-able and perfect to escape and just feel so much tenderness, emotion, and love - which we all need more of right now.
This is such a cute, sapphic slow burn with amazing jokes and humor, kindness, and a beautiful diversity of gender expressions, family dynamics, and friendships. This is a book that queer teens, and former queer teens need in their lives to feel seen and loved. This book made me smile and laugh so much. It's perfectly binge-able and perfect to escape and just feel so much tenderness, emotion, and love - which we all need more of right now.
June 29, 2025
a dual pov GL focused on revenge..
what's not to like?
so beau (I'm not totally sure how to say her name.. I was just calling her...🎀)
anyway she's mad hooking up wit this girl Maia moon. but Maia has a boyfriend.. Maia is playing the boyfriend (on and off again) but secretly hitting up Beau ykykyk
😺 PLS DON'T DO THIS. well anyway at a party Beau goes looking for Maia to give her back a certain article of clothing Maia left at her house.. (she’s also rlly over Maia and her on/off relationship with her boyfriend) (🤫..🩲) So she's looking for her yada-yada-yada and suddenly she finds her.. this close to kissing ANOTHER girl. and that's where we get into Charm Montgomery (Beau calls her Monty later on, WHICH I RLLY LOVE 😘⭐️) but the second Beau walks in the closet they were in (ironic for Maia) Maia just stops.. like full on: 🧍♀️. "I'm not here" like girl yes you are.. but anyway both Beau and Charm feel heart broken a little bit and definitely feel a little used and betrayed. after the party Charm goes to the "bakery" her Aunt Miki works at.. yk, she can talk to her aunt and get free milkshakes.. win/win. BUT you know who else is there? Beau. they say a few words,
Beau: "Maia moon isn't worth your time"
Ezra: "you look like you would know"
Aunt Miki: "who's this?"
Charm: *Wallows in sadness and free milkshakes and doesn't actually say anything*
but they end up parting ways.
The next day at school when Maia is walking up to Charm she literally gets intercepted by none other than Beau Carl.. and Tate Westbrook.. (captain douche canoe... AKA Maia's Boyfriend.. who's literally about to prompose Maia.... awkkkwardddd)
Beau is this close to crying when she enters the girls bathroom, minutes later she hears a soft knocking.. "you okay?" -Charm. They get to talking.. "Maia accepted Tate's proposal.." a bit of bonding... "I wish we could make her feel what we feel. Have somebody do to Maia what she did to us". So they do just that.
they make up a plan..
Step 1: Ask Maia out.
Step 2: Kiss her in a way she can't forget.
Step 3 Get her to post a photo with you.
Step 4: Convince her to dump her dumb boyfriend.
Step 5: Ask Maia to prom.
Step 6: Dump her.
progress throughout my reading journey:
won this book April 22. Book arrived May 1st.
May 7th: 4 pages. (basically doesn't count)
May 15th: (started it over) 9 pages
May 20: 30 pages
May 24th: 37 pages
May 26th: 4 pages
June 24th: 15 pages
June 25th: 2 pages
June 26th: 35 pages
June 27th: 0 pages 😝
CURRENT PAGE NUMBER: 132
June 28th: 192 pages (FINISHED!!)
genuinely a very cute, interesting, well written/well thought out and sweet story 😓😌😌
I was really scared to pick this book up.. I had really high hopes.. and they were accomplished. why was it so good?? l am SO HAPPY I own this book!
the new Christian Lauren??
I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I KNOWWW THAT THESE TWO AUTHORS CAN GO REALLY FAR IN A DUAL WRITING FUTURE AND PLSSS DON'T GIVE UP OR QUIT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.. pls pls pls write another lgbt book omg.. maybe a MLM ABOUT EZRA AND ENZO???? AHH PLS
sorry 😆, why was I getting Ezra and Enzo confused???? in the Enzo chapter while Charm was doing his braids, I LITERALLY thought we were at EZRA'S house.. oh yeah it's just Enzo.. her bff.. NO EZRA'S HER BFF NOT ENZO 😔
like 😟 the WHOLE chapter. why didn't anyone tell me 💀✌️
(also.. while talking about Ezra.. I loved his character okay?? he was so funny but like the cool older friend idk) so baddie.
(4.7/5)⭐️🥁
(it's VEEERRRY close to a 5 star.. the only reason it's not, is because the thing I hate about WLW's like this is.. the mc or wtv will always find a way to be like.. "oh but I can't be WITH her.. like that" 😺 yes you can. who's gonna tell her? cause it won't be me. ALSO another thing, the denial about the feelings.. a very real thing that happens to a lot of people BUT I hate it.. obviously 🫥 and if ur going thru that rn 😵💫 I feel for u. and u got this. UNLESS you're over here with feelings for your teacher.. or like idk your dads friend? pls stay in denial)
(I won this book in a giveaway.. all thoughts are my own) ♡
what's not to like?
so beau (I'm not totally sure how to say her name.. I was just calling her...🎀)
anyway she's mad hooking up wit this girl Maia moon. but Maia has a boyfriend.. Maia is playing the boyfriend (on and off again) but secretly hitting up Beau ykykyk
😺 PLS DON'T DO THIS. well anyway at a party Beau goes looking for Maia to give her back a certain article of clothing Maia left at her house.. (she’s also rlly over Maia and her on/off relationship with her boyfriend) (🤫..🩲) So she's looking for her yada-yada-yada and suddenly she finds her.. this close to kissing ANOTHER girl. and that's where we get into Charm Montgomery (Beau calls her Monty later on, WHICH I RLLY LOVE 😘⭐️) but the second Beau walks in the closet they were in (ironic for Maia) Maia just stops.. like full on: 🧍♀️. "I'm not here" like girl yes you are.. but anyway both Beau and Charm feel heart broken a little bit and definitely feel a little used and betrayed. after the party Charm goes to the "bakery" her Aunt Miki works at.. yk, she can talk to her aunt and get free milkshakes.. win/win. BUT you know who else is there? Beau. they say a few words,
Beau: "Maia moon isn't worth your time"
Ezra: "you look like you would know"
Aunt Miki: "who's this?"
Charm: *Wallows in sadness and free milkshakes and doesn't actually say anything*
but they end up parting ways.
The next day at school when Maia is walking up to Charm she literally gets intercepted by none other than Beau Carl.. and Tate Westbrook.. (captain douche canoe... AKA Maia's Boyfriend.. who's literally about to prompose Maia.... awkkkwardddd)
Beau is this close to crying when she enters the girls bathroom, minutes later she hears a soft knocking.. "you okay?" -Charm. They get to talking.. "Maia accepted Tate's proposal.." a bit of bonding... "I wish we could make her feel what we feel. Have somebody do to Maia what she did to us". So they do just that.
they make up a plan..
Step 1: Ask Maia out.
Step 2: Kiss her in a way she can't forget.
Step 3 Get her to post a photo with you.
Step 4: Convince her to dump her dumb boyfriend.
Step 5: Ask Maia to prom.
Step 6: Dump her.
progress throughout my reading journey:
won this book April 22. Book arrived May 1st.
May 7th: 4 pages. (basically doesn't count)
May 15th: (started it over) 9 pages
May 20: 30 pages
May 24th: 37 pages
May 26th: 4 pages
June 24th: 15 pages
June 25th: 2 pages
June 26th: 35 pages
June 27th: 0 pages 😝
CURRENT PAGE NUMBER: 132
June 28th: 192 pages (FINISHED!!)
genuinely a very cute, interesting, well written/well thought out and sweet story 😓😌😌
I was really scared to pick this book up.. I had really high hopes.. and they were accomplished. why was it so good?? l am SO HAPPY I own this book!
the new Christian Lauren??
I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I KNOWWW THAT THESE TWO AUTHORS CAN GO REALLY FAR IN A DUAL WRITING FUTURE AND PLSSS DON'T GIVE UP OR QUIT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.. pls pls pls write another lgbt book omg.. maybe a MLM ABOUT EZRA AND ENZO???? AHH PLS
sorry 😆, why was I getting Ezra and Enzo confused???? in the Enzo chapter while Charm was doing his braids, I LITERALLY thought we were at EZRA'S house.. oh yeah it's just Enzo.. her bff.. NO EZRA'S HER BFF NOT ENZO 😔
like 😟 the WHOLE chapter. why didn't anyone tell me 💀✌️
(also.. while talking about Ezra.. I loved his character okay?? he was so funny but like the cool older friend idk) so baddie.
(4.7/5)⭐️🥁
(it's VEEERRRY close to a 5 star.. the only reason it's not, is because the thing I hate about WLW's like this is.. the mc or wtv will always find a way to be like.. "oh but I can't be WITH her.. like that" 😺 yes you can. who's gonna tell her? cause it won't be me. ALSO another thing, the denial about the feelings.. a very real thing that happens to a lot of people BUT I hate it.. obviously 🫥 and if ur going thru that rn 😵💫 I feel for u. and u got this. UNLESS you're over here with feelings for your teacher.. or like idk your dads friend? pls stay in denial)
(I won this book in a giveaway.. all thoughts are my own) ♡
September 11, 2025
evil gays
October 20, 2025
i feel too old to be reading about teenagers but this was still kind of fun! i love messy girls being messy and some angst in my romance soup
July 4, 2025
Teaming up and playing a little revenge on the girl who broke your heart sounds like a great time until you start falling for your partner in crime.
I love this so much. It was such an enjoyable read with such lovable characters. If you liked the movie Bottoms I feel like you’d enjoy this book, the humor was simply amazing. I really liked seeing the character development through this story and really enjoyed how it mixed well with the plot as well. I would love to see this get a movie adaptation, it was genuinely so good.
Thank you to Simon Teen for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read For
✓ Sapphic
✓ Slow Burn
✓ Revenge Plan
✓ Friends to Lovers
✓ Good Friendships
⚠️ Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Racism, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Spice Level: (light mentions)
Sad Level: 💧
Plot: 8/10
Pace: 8/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 9/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Charm
Favorite Quote: ❝ "But I've never felt like I really fit in anywhere. I never felt Black enough, or smart enough, or skinny enough." The queer or straight enough feels tucked into the air between us, though she doesn't say it. ❞
POV: Switching, First Person
Pages: 336
Format: eBook
Language: English
Release Date: 01, July 2025
Rep/Extras: LGBTQIA+ Characters, BIPOC Characters
September 20, 2025
When the story began at a party where the main lesbian girlie was trying to return her secret hookup's panties, I was immediately engrossed. Reading this was a crazy amount of fun!
• Pretty girl who can't flirt her way out of a paper bag meets another pretty girl who offers flirting lessons under the condition that they're not allowed to catch real feelings (spoiler: they do).
• "Let's make out... for research purposes, obviously."
• An elaborate revenge plot with the unavoidable dramatic flair of scorned teenagers being scorned teenagers.
• One part messy sapphic rom-com, one part coming-of-age story centered on identity, sexuality, and self-acceptance.
I would have loved this even more if I got to see more of Beau and Charm as an official couple. Still, this was thoroughly enjoyable and really darn cute.
Recommended!
• Pretty girl who can't flirt her way out of a paper bag meets another pretty girl who offers flirting lessons under the condition that they're not allowed to catch real feelings (spoiler: they do).
• "Let's make out... for research purposes, obviously."
• An elaborate revenge plot with the unavoidable dramatic flair of scorned teenagers being scorned teenagers.
• One part messy sapphic rom-com, one part coming-of-age story centered on identity, sexuality, and self-acceptance.
I would have loved this even more if I got to see more of Beau and Charm as an official couple. Still, this was thoroughly enjoyable and really darn cute.
Recommended!
June 29, 2025
i need everyone to read this NOWWWW!!
July 17, 2025
could have done with an epilogue!!
October 18, 2025
They thank their editor in the acknowledgments, but I think they need a new one. Why would you name two characters Enzo and Ezra if you yourself can't even keep track of which one is which? Also there are multiple spelling mistakes. The editor should have caught this maybe.
Still giving it 5 stars though because it's so silly and gay and dramatic in the best way possible.
Still giving it 5 stars though because it's so silly and gay and dramatic in the best way possible.
July 8, 2025
cute and wholesome but needed a bit more oomph
July 21, 2025
just because a book mentions the word lesbian about a million times doesn’t mean it’s good or interesting
September 16, 2025
finished this a few days ago and it was sooooo good!
Read
September 25, 2025Let’s go lesbians
October 18, 2025
Needed a light palate cleanser this delivered 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
August 24, 2025
Cute and easy. I hope this really is what it is like for queer seniors in high school these days.
dnf
December 11, 2025dnf at 5%
August 5, 2025
Absolutely beautifully written! Loved the wording and metaphors, just the writing style in general was divine.
I felt very seen and heard by this book. It just felt like a lot of what queer people have had to experience or think about in their journeys.
My only frustration was waiting for the love interests to just figure it out! But a good frustration.
I felt very seen and heard by this book. It just felt like a lot of what queer people have had to experience or think about in their journeys.
My only frustration was waiting for the love interests to just figure it out! But a good frustration.
July 7, 2025
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!~~
2.5/5 stars rounded down.
Messy, messy lesbians (and other queer folks) all around. But this book felt so much longer than it needed to be.
Charm was definitely my favorite between the two protagonists. Her personality is as adorable as her namesake; her POV endured me so much more. Beau, on the other hand, needed therapy more than a girlfriend. Despite the two having some cute moments, I wasn't really rooting for them to get together by the end, especially during the last quarter or so where both girls were agonizing over the whole "friend" debacle. It just stretched out the page count so unnecessarily and made reading it so tedious and repetitive. The other characters, primarily Charm's best friend and Beau's sister, had hints of realized secondary characters, but their ultimate purpose boiled down to nagging the girls to just get together, and it was so obnoxious.
(Side note, the best friend, Ezra, is gay and is trying to get together with his crush Enzo throughout the whole story. The fact their names are so similar hurt to read whenever the focus shifted to them. One of the first lessons in writing is to never have characters have similar sounding/looking names, because it really screws with the reader's perception. How did no editor catch and correct this???)
The whole revenge plan wasn't all that great, either. Even though it was clear this plan wasn't really ethical, and the characters themselves admitting to that fact by the end, it's still really hard to read, especially when the person they're getting revenge on, Maia, is shown with nuance. While Maia's actions toward Charm and Beau were really manipulative and gross, it's not so great when they're turning it on her. I dunno, I still felt bad for this girl. Plus, there was also the element of the plan that had the high risk of outing her when she wasn't ready. Maia did a lot of bad, but publicly outing someone could never make up for all that. This whole thing was just a brand of messiness that, the more I thought about it, I just couldn't gel with.
All in all, I'm quite sad I couldn't enjoy this read as much as I wanted, because one of Woodfolk's works is one of my all time favs, and Cole is an interesting author in her own right. I'm still hoping to whatever they, separately or together, write next.
2.5/5 stars rounded down.
Messy, messy lesbians (and other queer folks) all around. But this book felt so much longer than it needed to be.
Charm was definitely my favorite between the two protagonists. Her personality is as adorable as her namesake; her POV endured me so much more. Beau, on the other hand, needed therapy more than a girlfriend. Despite the two having some cute moments, I wasn't really rooting for them to get together by the end, especially during the last quarter or so where both girls were agonizing over the whole "friend" debacle. It just stretched out the page count so unnecessarily and made reading it so tedious and repetitive. The other characters, primarily Charm's best friend and Beau's sister, had hints of realized secondary characters, but their ultimate purpose boiled down to nagging the girls to just get together, and it was so obnoxious.
(Side note, the best friend, Ezra, is gay and is trying to get together with his crush Enzo throughout the whole story. The fact their names are so similar hurt to read whenever the focus shifted to them. One of the first lessons in writing is to never have characters have similar sounding/looking names, because it really screws with the reader's perception. How did no editor catch and correct this???)
The whole revenge plan wasn't all that great, either. Even though it was clear this plan wasn't really ethical, and the characters themselves admitting to that fact by the end, it's still really hard to read, especially when the person they're getting revenge on, Maia, is shown with nuance. While Maia's actions toward Charm and Beau were really manipulative and gross, it's not so great when they're turning it on her. I dunno, I still felt bad for this girl. Plus, there was also the element of the plan that had the high risk of outing her when she wasn't ready. Maia did a lot of bad, but publicly outing someone could never make up for all that. This whole thing was just a brand of messiness that, the more I thought about it, I just couldn't gel with.
All in all, I'm quite sad I couldn't enjoy this read as much as I wanted, because one of Woodfolk's works is one of my all time favs, and Cole is an interesting author in her own right. I'm still hoping to whatever they, separately or together, write next.
June 11, 2025
5/5 stars
WOW! This was such a treat to read! I love the revenge plot as well as our two main characters, Beau and Charm, growing and improving throughout the course of the book. These characters felt very realistic, making me root for them as well as breeze through the story!
If you loved Bottoms, you’ll definitely enjoy this book! I 1000% recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
WOW! This was such a treat to read! I love the revenge plot as well as our two main characters, Beau and Charm, growing and improving throughout the course of the book. These characters felt very realistic, making me root for them as well as breeze through the story!
If you loved Bottoms, you’ll definitely enjoy this book! I 1000% recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
abandoned
July 24, 2025DNF @ 30%
I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book, and usually wingman-to-lovers style books are my jam, but I found it pretty impossible to get into this one. There's certainly outside factors that made my reading experience less enjoyable, but I also didn't like the writing style, or feel any real interest in either character or their eventual romance. I'm glad this worked for others, and I'm glad I'm moving on.
I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book, and usually wingman-to-lovers style books are my jam, but I found it pretty impossible to get into this one. There's certainly outside factors that made my reading experience less enjoyable, but I also didn't like the writing style, or feel any real interest in either character or their eventual romance. I'm glad this worked for others, and I'm glad I'm moving on.
April 6, 2025
i would die for these two
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