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The Awkward Duckling #1
Her Book Boyfriend
She believes the secret to love is in the tropes of her favorite romance novels. He’s the best friend prepared to prove her wrong.
Then comes the bet.
If she can’t land a boyfriend for prom by recreating the ten popular tropes in her favorite romance author’s books, she has to go to the prom with her.
The glitch?
They’ve been close their entire lives. He’s the rock god and school legend, while she’s the brainy sidekick who does all his dirty breakups. Thus, finding a guy who doesn’t think they’re already an item is going to be a lot harder than she thinks.
Will she land the book boyfriend of her dreams? Or will she be forced to go to prom with her best friend?
The truth is in the pages.
Then comes the bet.
If she can’t land a boyfriend for prom by recreating the ten popular tropes in her favorite romance author’s books, she has to go to the prom with her.
The glitch?
They’ve been close their entire lives. He’s the rock god and school legend, while she’s the brainy sidekick who does all his dirty breakups. Thus, finding a guy who doesn’t think they’re already an item is going to be a lot harder than she thinks.
Will she land the book boyfriend of her dreams? Or will she be forced to go to prom with her best friend?
The truth is in the pages.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2017
2 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
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August 24, 2017
*Thanks again to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
‘Her Book Boyfriend’ tells the story of Macey who desperately wants to find a boyfriend she can take to prom with her. Unfortunately, that proves more difficult than she thought. But Macey loves reading and so she decides to go through her favorite author’s books and write down 10 steps, she think will most certainly help her find the perfect book boyfriend in time for prom.
I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book because, let’s be honest here, don’t we all sometimes wish our favorite book boyfriends were real people? That’s why I was very excited for this novel and was really hoping I would end up liking it.
It definitely turned out to be a very cute and romantic story which made me smile a lot. ‘Her Book Boyfriend’ was also a very quick read, and I finished it within a couple of hours. Due to the fact that it was such a short book, I also feel like a couple of things that would usually bother me in young adult romance books, didn’t really bother me at all while reading HBB. One of those things was the fact that the female main character was sometimes a little too naïve. I usually don’t like it when teens that are almost of age, act like twelve-year-olds in certain situations. But like I said, since this book was only about 150 pages long, I could easily ignore things that might’ve usually bothered me and was able to really enjoy the story nevertheless.
There were also a couple of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in my copy of the book but I think that was because I was reading an ARC and I’m sure that will be different in the actual finished copy of this novel which is why I won’t let this influence my rating.
All in all, ‘Her Book Boyfriend’ was a cute and quick read and I really enjoyed it. It’s one of those books that will just make you smile a lot and will make you happy which is why I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.
‘Her Book Boyfriend’ tells the story of Macey who desperately wants to find a boyfriend she can take to prom with her. Unfortunately, that proves more difficult than she thought. But Macey loves reading and so she decides to go through her favorite author’s books and write down 10 steps, she think will most certainly help her find the perfect book boyfriend in time for prom.
I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book because, let’s be honest here, don’t we all sometimes wish our favorite book boyfriends were real people? That’s why I was very excited for this novel and was really hoping I would end up liking it.
It definitely turned out to be a very cute and romantic story which made me smile a lot. ‘Her Book Boyfriend’ was also a very quick read, and I finished it within a couple of hours. Due to the fact that it was such a short book, I also feel like a couple of things that would usually bother me in young adult romance books, didn’t really bother me at all while reading HBB. One of those things was the fact that the female main character was sometimes a little too naïve. I usually don’t like it when teens that are almost of age, act like twelve-year-olds in certain situations. But like I said, since this book was only about 150 pages long, I could easily ignore things that might’ve usually bothered me and was able to really enjoy the story nevertheless.
There were also a couple of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in my copy of the book but I think that was because I was reading an ARC and I’m sure that will be different in the actual finished copy of this novel which is why I won’t let this influence my rating.
All in all, ‘Her Book Boyfriend’ was a cute and quick read and I really enjoyed it. It’s one of those books that will just make you smile a lot and will make you happy which is why I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.
August 16, 2017
♥♥ 4 Sweetheart Stars ♥♥
Let's take a minute to talk about this cover. Seriously, how cute is it?! Like, I actually see her as myself and I love it. You know that seen in Eclipse where Bella reads in the clearing? Stop judging, but this is totally her -- the real Bella, not Kristen Stewart, thank you very much. Seriously, don't judge me on that.
And the title! It calls to all those romance junkies out there who love to find love over and over and over again, amiright?? I mean, I'm happily married and I want a new book boyfriend every other day...
So yeah, this one surprised me. I don't know if it was me or what but I didn't catch that this was a high school romance. I haven't read one of those since...well, since I was in high school. And you know what? It was really good. It was cute, and the characters stole my heart, and yes, it felt a little high school, but not in that unbearable God-why-am-I-reading-this-immature-drama-crap sense.
Macey takes a dare from her best friend, Cam, that if she doesn't find a guy who fits "book boyfriend" material, then she has to go to prom with him. Yeah, this kind of gives away the fact that he likes her more than as a long-time best friend, and yeah, she's a little dumb for not seeing this. But if you can get over this little tidbit, then you're in for a cute ride. Macey finds herself going through a list of qualifications that a book boyfriend would fulfill, and the results are funny and cute. I thought the climax was a little overdone, but given how short the book is, this didn't really bother me. I really liked Cam and Macey together. They have this comfort level that not many H/h pairings have because of how close they are, and it made my heart melt a little bit. This really only took me a couple hours to read (and for someone who reads so much, I really do read pretty slowly....), so all the little things that might have annoyed me much more had it been a normal length book didn't bother me at all. I all can say is that this is a super cute read!
**ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for honest review**
Let's take a minute to talk about this cover. Seriously, how cute is it?! Like, I actually see her as myself and I love it. You know that seen in Eclipse where Bella reads in the clearing? Stop judging, but this is totally her -- the real Bella, not Kristen Stewart, thank you very much. Seriously, don't judge me on that.
And the title! It calls to all those romance junkies out there who love to find love over and over and over again, amiright?? I mean, I'm happily married and I want a new book boyfriend every other day...
So yeah, this one surprised me. I don't know if it was me or what but I didn't catch that this was a high school romance. I haven't read one of those since...well, since I was in high school. And you know what? It was really good. It was cute, and the characters stole my heart, and yes, it felt a little high school, but not in that unbearable God-why-am-I-reading-this-immature-drama-crap sense.
Macey takes a dare from her best friend, Cam, that if she doesn't find a guy who fits "book boyfriend" material, then she has to go to prom with him. Yeah, this kind of gives away the fact that he likes her more than as a long-time best friend, and yeah, she's a little dumb for not seeing this. But if you can get over this little tidbit, then you're in for a cute ride. Macey finds herself going through a list of qualifications that a book boyfriend would fulfill, and the results are funny and cute. I thought the climax was a little overdone, but given how short the book is, this didn't really bother me. I really liked Cam and Macey together. They have this comfort level that not many H/h pairings have because of how close they are, and it made my heart melt a little bit. This really only took me a couple hours to read (and for someone who reads so much, I really do read pretty slowly....), so all the little things that might have annoyed me much more had it been a normal length book didn't bother me at all. I all can say is that this is a super cute read!
**ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for honest review**
September 22, 2017
Trigger warnings: slut shaming, misogyny, shitty LGBTQIA and POC representation.
When this popped up in my Goodreads feed the other day, I was instantly sold when I read the premise. I mean, a teenage bookworm who decides to try and find a boyfriend by following the tropes in her favourite books? That's pretty stinking great.
However.
This was kind of a hot mess.
Let's start with the fact that Macey - commonly known as Mace (REALLY??) - is basically only a fan of one author. Her list of tropes comes exclusively from that author's books, and they're largely hella questionable. I mean, she's an eighteen year old who's never been kissed, and one of the tropes is "Try starting in the bedroom". And another is "Try batting for the other team". Obviously, it's going to end really well...
Okay. Let's start with Macey. She's...kind of the worst. She's completely hung up on pigeonholing people. She actively refers to herself as super smart and a "cool nerd". She's constantly slut shaming the girls that her douchey BFF has her break up with for him. All her other friends are put into boxes too. There's the gymnast and the inventor and the musician and the foreign exchange student. And, like, GIRL. STOP IT.
Moving onto Cam. He's...a dick. He's making out or having a grope-fest with a different nameless female character practically every time we see him. He has Macey break up with them because he's too chicken to do it. He's all "Tralalala, I'm too cool to study or go to university because I'm a rock star". He's pretty damned judgey towards Macey a lot of the time. And yet they have these movie nights where they're lying in each other's laps and being silly and sleeping in each other's beds. (And she wonders why everyone at school thinks they're a couple. Oy.)
Let's talk about the representation, shall we? There are several POC boys that Macey is vaguely interested in during the story. And every single one of them has blue eyes. Now, I'm not saying that POC can't have blue eyes. But it was super fucking weird to me that every time a male character was described, it would be all "his skin was the colour of coffee with just the right amount of milk and his eyes were ice blue". Uh. Okay.
The only female POC in the story is the Korean exchange student. Macey thinks they're, like, super close friends. This character NEVER SAYS ANYTHING. Well. That's a lie. She says one sentence. The rest of the time, they just assume that she doesn't speak English. Like...??????? WOW.
There are a few openly LGBTQIA characters in the story, and they're all handled poorly. There's a lot of talk of LGBTQIA characters having "straight-dar" and of Macey just suddenly realising that one particular character is gay because he passes comment on her outfit. And she then outs him to various other people, which NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Add in the fact that one of her friends calls another friend a lesbian, and the friend is all "No, I'm just undecided" and Friend A calls it THE SAME THING, and I was about ready to slam my head into a wall. Especially when two lines later, Macey refers to the friend as asexual???? Just...stop. Please stop.
And then my final gripe is that the writing is...pretty bad. There were lots of really clunky and nonsensical moments. "I whacked him on the shoulder with all my strength. He jumped and clutched the injured appendage to his chest." is one that stands out. Please, clutch your shoulder to your chest. I'll wait.
Oh, and the word "whom" is used a lot, clearly to show the character's intelligence. Except that EVERY SINGLE TIME, the word "whom" was used incorrectly. So. Yeah.
I mean, I didn't expect greatness from this. But I WAS hoping that I'd get something that wasn't full of gross stereotypical gender roles and crappy characters and bad grammar. Alas.
When this popped up in my Goodreads feed the other day, I was instantly sold when I read the premise. I mean, a teenage bookworm who decides to try and find a boyfriend by following the tropes in her favourite books? That's pretty stinking great.
However.
This was kind of a hot mess.
Let's start with the fact that Macey - commonly known as Mace (REALLY??) - is basically only a fan of one author. Her list of tropes comes exclusively from that author's books, and they're largely hella questionable. I mean, she's an eighteen year old who's never been kissed, and one of the tropes is "Try starting in the bedroom". And another is "Try batting for the other team". Obviously, it's going to end really well...
Okay. Let's start with Macey. She's...kind of the worst. She's completely hung up on pigeonholing people. She actively refers to herself as super smart and a "cool nerd". She's constantly slut shaming the girls that her douchey BFF has her break up with for him. All her other friends are put into boxes too. There's the gymnast and the inventor and the musician and the foreign exchange student. And, like, GIRL. STOP IT.
Moving onto Cam. He's...a dick. He's making out or having a grope-fest with a different nameless female character practically every time we see him. He has Macey break up with them because he's too chicken to do it. He's all "Tralalala, I'm too cool to study or go to university because I'm a rock star". He's pretty damned judgey towards Macey a lot of the time. And yet they have these movie nights where they're lying in each other's laps and being silly and sleeping in each other's beds. (And she wonders why everyone at school thinks they're a couple. Oy.)
Let's talk about the representation, shall we? There are several POC boys that Macey is vaguely interested in during the story. And every single one of them has blue eyes. Now, I'm not saying that POC can't have blue eyes. But it was super fucking weird to me that every time a male character was described, it would be all "his skin was the colour of coffee with just the right amount of milk and his eyes were ice blue". Uh. Okay.
The only female POC in the story is the Korean exchange student. Macey thinks they're, like, super close friends. This character NEVER SAYS ANYTHING. Well. That's a lie. She says one sentence. The rest of the time, they just assume that she doesn't speak English. Like...??????? WOW.
There are a few openly LGBTQIA characters in the story, and they're all handled poorly. There's a lot of talk of LGBTQIA characters having "straight-dar" and of Macey just suddenly realising that one particular character is gay because he passes comment on her outfit. And she then outs him to various other people, which NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Add in the fact that one of her friends calls another friend a lesbian, and the friend is all "No, I'm just undecided" and Friend A calls it THE SAME THING, and I was about ready to slam my head into a wall. Especially when two lines later, Macey refers to the friend as asexual???? Just...stop. Please stop.
And then my final gripe is that the writing is...pretty bad. There were lots of really clunky and nonsensical moments. "I whacked him on the shoulder with all my strength. He jumped and clutched the injured appendage to his chest." is one that stands out. Please, clutch your shoulder to your chest. I'll wait.
Oh, and the word "whom" is used a lot, clearly to show the character's intelligence. Except that EVERY SINGLE TIME, the word "whom" was used incorrectly. So. Yeah.
I mean, I didn't expect greatness from this. But I WAS hoping that I'd get something that wasn't full of gross stereotypical gender roles and crappy characters and bad grammar. Alas.
August 24, 2017
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Macey is very smart, she’s the best student at school and is apparently very beautiful too but she doesn’t know it because no one sees her since she’s the best friend of the school’s sex god, Cam.
But prom is around the corner and she really wants a date with someone who cares, who loves her.
Enter the list.
Since she’s so smart, she decides to make a list of tropes to get her perfect boyfriend out of her favorite author romance novels...
I was expecting a sort of Kasie West contemporary or something like Jennifer Echols Superlative series…
But no.
Disappointed doesn’t begin to cover what I felt.
First of all, the list:
I mean the sexism in this is astounding.
Macey needs a new favorite author….
Also, there’s nothing I hate more than a character calling themselves smart and everyone calling them smart but that it never shows in how they act. Well this was a textbook case.
Or a character that is called a bookworm but is never reading…
There was so much sexism in this book… Slutshaming and also this kinda thing:
I mean… She’s so smart!
Now onto the LGBT+ representation…
First :
I don’t think I need to comment on this…. It speaks for itself.
Then, Macey decides to ask this girl, Neyland out:
This makes me so angry. Besides the fact that you cannot tell people what their sexuality is, there’s more sexualities than gay or straight……………
And finally, after Macey follows some guy in a basement, he starts commenting on her clothes and then:
Yep. Thanks to that supersmart brain of hers, she just figured out he was gay. I’m not even gonna start explaining why that’s not ok.
I hated all the characters. I already went over the main one (stupid, sexist, etc..) but now, her best friend, Cam.
I mean Macey keeps telling us what a great friend he is.
And that’s true. Such a good friend who keeps asking her to break up with every girl he hooks up with for him...
I couldn’t stand him.
It was also filled with clichés and I do mean FILLED.
To me, it’s only quality was how short it was………….
Macey is very smart, she’s the best student at school and is apparently very beautiful too but she doesn’t know it because no one sees her since she’s the best friend of the school’s sex god, Cam.
But prom is around the corner and she really wants a date with someone who cares, who loves her.
Enter the list.
Since she’s so smart, she decides to make a list of tropes to get her perfect boyfriend out of her favorite author romance novels...
I was expecting a sort of Kasie West contemporary or something like Jennifer Echols Superlative series…
But no.
Disappointed doesn’t begin to cover what I felt.
First of all, the list:
Wendi Cooper’s Guide to Catching a Man
1. Every man loves a damsel in distress
2. A lady worth having is hard to catch
3. If a man wanted a parrot, he’d buy the bird
4. Men love to compete against each other
5. If Men Aren’t Working for You, Try Batting for the Other Team
6. A Makeover is the Way to a Man’s Heart
7. Every Good Romance Starts in the Bedroom
8. Arranged Dating -It’s Still a Thing
9. Date Your Best Friend’s Sibling
10. Fake Your Way to Love
I mean the sexism in this is astounding.
Macey needs a new favorite author….
Also, there’s nothing I hate more than a character calling themselves smart and everyone calling them smart but that it never shows in how they act. Well this was a textbook case.
Or a character that is called a bookworm but is never reading…
There was so much sexism in this book… Slutshaming and also this kinda thing:
“So, if a girl said a guy was bothering her, would that bring out your protective instincts?” I blurted as soon as I sat down in my usual seat. “Hello to you, too.” Cam smirked. “Why are guys supposed to have protective instincts?” Teagan blinked, looking up from a piece of a motherboard he was tinkering with. “Because it’s their job to protect women.” I nodded indignantly.
I mean… She’s so smart!
Now onto the LGBT+ representation…
First :
“I’m not a lesbian. I’m undecided.”
“Same thing.” He waved her off.
I don’t think I need to comment on this…. It speaks for itself.
Then, Macey decides to ask this girl, Neyland out:
“So, um, Neyland, would you be interested in going out this Friday? Maybe catch a movie or something?”
There, I’d said it. My heart was doing the cha cha in my chest. Then she laughed.
My face flushed hot as embarrassment weighted down in my stomach. “Um, what’s so funny?”
She waved me off as she wiped a tear from her eye.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh at you, but you’re so straight, you couldn’t be gay if you wanted to.”
Anger replaced embarrassment. “What the hell does that mean?”
“The first day I met you, my straight-dar said you were not one of us.”
“Straight-dar?”
“Yeah, the internal indicator that tells me if someone is straight or gay,” she said between laughs. “I’m sorry. I know I should get control of myself.”
It took her several deep breaths before she regained her composure.
“If you were gay, I’d totally date you, but you’re not.”
This makes me so angry. Besides the fact that you cannot tell people what their sexuality is, there’s more sexualities than gay or straight……………
And finally, after Macey follows some guy in a basement, he starts commenting on her clothes and then:
He shrugged and stuffed his hands into the front of his pressed khaki pants. “I’m merely stating the truth. You are definitely a dress and cardigan type. Very simple and classy. I will give props to whoever did your hair, though. The lightened color really makes your eyes sparkle.”
Oh. My anger quickly subsided. It made sense now.
Yep. Thanks to that supersmart brain of hers, she just figured out he was gay. I’m not even gonna start explaining why that’s not ok.
I hated all the characters. I already went over the main one (stupid, sexist, etc..) but now, her best friend, Cam.
I mean Macey keeps telling us what a great friend he is.
And that’s true. Such a good friend who keeps asking her to break up with every girl he hooks up with for him...
I couldn’t stand him.
It was also filled with clichés and I do mean FILLED.
To me, it’s only quality was how short it was………….
Want to read
August 22, 2017wtf this has all my favorite tropes I NEED TO READ THIS
August 23, 2017
3 “BFFs and Book Tropes” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you!
I'm going through a BFF to lovers phase, and as soon as I soon this book on NetGalley (the cover is pretty adorable) and read the blurb, I wanted it.
For me, this was supposed to be the story of how Macey, bookworm and one of the smartest girls in school, started using her romance-book-tropes expertise to find herself a boyfriend, but instead ended up falling for her best friend. Two things to get me salivating: a romance-loving main character and BFFs falling in love.
Those two elements were present, but I didn't love the execution.
I thought it took way too long for Macey and her BFF, Cam to go from friends to more. For 70 or 80% of the book, Macey had shown no signs of romantic feelings for Cam, because she was too busy going through her romance-tropes list, making silly choices or worrying about something else entirely. There was too much going on.
I understand the entire point of this story was to focus on book tropes, but I was expecting a more critical approach or at least something more refreshing. I didn't like how a lot of things were handled here.
First, I didn't approve of how the author tried to insert diversity, but didn't do a good enough job staying clear of poor, cheesy characterisations and, at times, got a little too close to offensive. Wen Li's character was probably the worst one.
I also wasn't a fan of how Macey called out the girls Cam dated and dumped, or how all the guys she dated ended up being horrible. What? None of them could be nice? It felt like a way to ensure the only decent romantic interest was Cam, and he wasn't all of that, either, but Macey didn't have a problem with it.
Don't get me wrong. I didn't dislike Cam. He was okay. I felt for him when his family problems came to light. I thought he was adorable when he interacted with his sister. And I loved how he cared and respected Macey, but he had his problems, and since Macey seemed to find a problem with every other guy she dated, it would've been a little more believable if she had been able to see Cam's problems, too.
Since the romance kicked in so late, we got to see a lot of the frienship between Cam and Macey, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. They were fun together and they gave off that vibe only long time friends could, which means the author did a good job building their friendship.
Their dynamic as friends and the fact that this was a quick read was probably why I'm giving this a positive rating. The lack of romance and the representation issues are why I'm not rating it higher.
August 22, 2017
Her Book Boyfriend was a cute book that was perfect to read next to the pool. This was a sweet and quick romance story that definitely put a smile on my face!
Macey, the main character, was easy to relate to. I loved her passion for romance novels and books in general. I am a sucker for stories where the main character loves to read, so I was automatically drawn to Macey because of that. I had a little hard time understanding why she went after the guys she did in this book considering she didn't seem to know any of the guys. I also didn't like some of the other decisions she made in regards to other classmates. However, I thought she was a good character overall.
The romance element of this book was very cute. I thought Cam and Macey made a really sweet couple. I love the friends to lovers trope, so I was shipping Cam and Macey right from the beginning! Their romance might have been a little cliche, but I was eating them up! I wish this book could have been a little longer so I could have more time with them as a couple.
Overall, this was a fun and quick book! I would be intrigued to see what happens next in this series!
3 / 5 Fangs
*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
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Macey, the main character, was easy to relate to. I loved her passion for romance novels and books in general. I am a sucker for stories where the main character loves to read, so I was automatically drawn to Macey because of that. I had a little hard time understanding why she went after the guys she did in this book considering she didn't seem to know any of the guys. I also didn't like some of the other decisions she made in regards to other classmates. However, I thought she was a good character overall.
The romance element of this book was very cute. I thought Cam and Macey made a really sweet couple. I love the friends to lovers trope, so I was shipping Cam and Macey right from the beginning! Their romance might have been a little cliche, but I was eating them up! I wish this book could have been a little longer so I could have more time with them as a couple.
Overall, this was a fun and quick book! I would be intrigued to see what happens next in this series!
3 / 5 Fangs
*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
August 24, 2017
3.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Buoni Amici Press via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of Her book boyfriend by . Her book boyfriend will be released on August 25, 2017
"well, while you get your kicks behind the bleachers and on car hoods, I get my in books. Don't judge"
Mace desperately wants to go to prom with the perfect guy but her standard are too high, fictionally high. So Maces best friend Cam dares her that if she cant find someone that fits her book boyfriend material then she has to go to prom with him. Mace goes theough all of the things she needs in a boyfriend that corespond with her book boys.
Mace has a guide on how to catch a guy, thinking that everything fictional characters like obviously real boys would like too, this was going to be easy how hard could it be to be A damsel in distress, Hard to catch, Not parroting, Hot enough that he has to compete for you, Playing hard to get, Getting a make over, Good romance, arranged dates, and my favorite faking your way to love...
Mace is in over her head but maybe she will get something better then fictional.
Mace is smart and not viewed as very pretty so she is in my mind the "ugly" friend that helps the popular, gorgeous star. Thats how i pictured her, low self estee and hiding in her books. So when forced to get out of her book she was lost.
Her book boyfriend was very similar to mine when i was younger and how i acted about boys in books and in real life and sometimes now to this day i will be so in love with a book that one of the characters is like my boyfriend the way i talk about them.
I really liked the conversations all the characters had, some times in books or movies they try and make teenagers seem more mature than they actually are and I really like that this book kept all the characters their own age and have them say stupid stuff and just real conversation that made this book more enjoyable and more realistic to read. I also really enjoyed the writing style. She had the funconversations but she also gave descriptions about the characters, their interactions and their school experience so neither was over powering which made the flow nicely.
It was a cute, quick read and i really enjoyed this new take on the typical prom/high school experience.
Thank you so much to Buoni Amici Press via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of Her book boyfriend by . Her book boyfriend will be released on August 25, 2017
"well, while you get your kicks behind the bleachers and on car hoods, I get my in books. Don't judge"
Mace desperately wants to go to prom with the perfect guy but her standard are too high, fictionally high. So Maces best friend Cam dares her that if she cant find someone that fits her book boyfriend material then she has to go to prom with him. Mace goes theough all of the things she needs in a boyfriend that corespond with her book boys.
Mace has a guide on how to catch a guy, thinking that everything fictional characters like obviously real boys would like too, this was going to be easy how hard could it be to be A damsel in distress, Hard to catch, Not parroting, Hot enough that he has to compete for you, Playing hard to get, Getting a make over, Good romance, arranged dates, and my favorite faking your way to love...
Mace is in over her head but maybe she will get something better then fictional.
Mace is smart and not viewed as very pretty so she is in my mind the "ugly" friend that helps the popular, gorgeous star. Thats how i pictured her, low self estee and hiding in her books. So when forced to get out of her book she was lost.
Her book boyfriend was very similar to mine when i was younger and how i acted about boys in books and in real life and sometimes now to this day i will be so in love with a book that one of the characters is like my boyfriend the way i talk about them.
I really liked the conversations all the characters had, some times in books or movies they try and make teenagers seem more mature than they actually are and I really like that this book kept all the characters their own age and have them say stupid stuff and just real conversation that made this book more enjoyable and more realistic to read. I also really enjoyed the writing style. She had the funconversations but she also gave descriptions about the characters, their interactions and their school experience so neither was over powering which made the flow nicely.
It was a cute, quick read and i really enjoyed this new take on the typical prom/high school experience.
August 27, 2017
Rate: 4/5 ★
This was so lovely! First of all every thing about this book calls out to every bookworm out there, the cover, the blurb, the title. The title did it for me right away and reading the blurb definitely solidified for me that I just had to read this!! All my favorite tropes in one book, YAS PLEASE!!!
I'm so glad for getting a copy of this. I loved reading it, it was a super fast read, it made me laugh out loud several of times, several!! I found it so funny and cute, even with some of naive and stupid high school cliches and all, the book was great. I loved Cam a lot even though I thought he was an asshole too throughout the whole book but I also knew that he was a good guy beneath all that crazy. And I mean, the way he always was with Macey, swoon!!! I wanted more Cacey in the end, there wasn't enough of them as a couple and for that reason I cannot wait to read 'The Hollywood Boyfriend'.
⌲ ARC generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
⌲ Order at: Amazon UK ⁕ Amazon US
⌲ Follow me on: Blog ⁕ Instagram ⁕ Facebook
This was so lovely! First of all every thing about this book calls out to every bookworm out there, the cover, the blurb, the title. The title did it for me right away and reading the blurb definitely solidified for me that I just had to read this!! All my favorite tropes in one book, YAS PLEASE!!!
I'm so glad for getting a copy of this. I loved reading it, it was a super fast read, it made me laugh out loud several of times, several!! I found it so funny and cute, even with some of naive and stupid high school cliches and all, the book was great. I loved Cam a lot even though I thought he was an asshole too throughout the whole book but I also knew that he was a good guy beneath all that crazy. And I mean, the way he always was with Macey, swoon!!! I wanted more Cacey in the end, there wasn't enough of them as a couple and for that reason I cannot wait to read 'The Hollywood Boyfriend'.
⌲ ARC generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
⌲ Order at: Amazon UK ⁕ Amazon US
⌲ Follow me on: Blog ⁕ Instagram ⁕ Facebook
August 19, 2017
This is the first book that I have read by K.R. Grace and I will admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. While the story is considered young adult, it had a great plot to it and I loved the characters. Our H/h have grown up together and their families have lived across the street from each other since they were babies. That is a bond, that is truly hard to break. Now both seniors in high school, Cam is the bad boy rock star and Mace is the intellectual book nerd, while opposites to some they have a unbreakable connection.
This is a tender-hearted read and I read it within an afternoon. I loved how Macey goes through her list of 'How to find a Boyfriend' and then realizes he was there the whole time.
This is a tender-hearted read and I read it within an afternoon. I loved how Macey goes through her list of 'How to find a Boyfriend' and then realizes he was there the whole time.
October 1, 2017
DNF AT 25%
- So yeah this is not for me. It was unrealistic in my opinion. The main character was described as an intelligent person and I thought her taste for book oh I don't know would also be smart . But I was wrong. She needed a new favorite author and new kind of books to read though.
- I keep choosing wrong book to read lately and it's frustrating.
- So yeah this is not for me. It was unrealistic in my opinion. The main character was described as an intelligent person and I thought her taste for book oh I don't know would also be smart . But I was wrong. She needed a new favorite author and new kind of books to read though.
- I keep choosing wrong book to read lately and it's frustrating.
October 24, 2017
I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Because this book is quick and cute romance read (it's not even 150 pages), I can forgive a lot of the corny moments that happen in here because it was all done in the name of having a shorter book. I can even forgive a lot of the bad high school tropes in here because of its shortness and since it's a "romance" novel. But what I definitely did not like was the stereotypes and lack of dimensional characters.
I know that because it is so short that does not leave a lot of time for character development, especially for this particular book which has a whole long list of side characters. But they all are reduced to gross stereotypes. It is beyond eye-roll-worthy. The LGBTQIA and other "diverse" characters are misrepresented, washed down, or not actually that diverse.
I liked Cam a lot more than the main character, Macey. Which made it hard to read this since it was her infuriating head we were in. Ugh the immaturity of that girl was unreal. Also it took wayyy to long to get any romantic payoff, and when it finally happened they didn't even have enough scenes together.
I mean... I managed to finish it, so that's something I guess? But I saw someone else describe this as a "hot mess" and I have to say I agree.
Because this book is quick and cute romance read (it's not even 150 pages), I can forgive a lot of the corny moments that happen in here because it was all done in the name of having a shorter book. I can even forgive a lot of the bad high school tropes in here because of its shortness and since it's a "romance" novel. But what I definitely did not like was the stereotypes and lack of dimensional characters.
I know that because it is so short that does not leave a lot of time for character development, especially for this particular book which has a whole long list of side characters. But they all are reduced to gross stereotypes. It is beyond eye-roll-worthy. The LGBTQIA and other "diverse" characters are misrepresented, washed down, or not actually that diverse.
I liked Cam a lot more than the main character, Macey. Which made it hard to read this since it was her infuriating head we were in. Ugh the immaturity of that girl was unreal. Also it took wayyy to long to get any romantic payoff, and when it finally happened they didn't even have enough scenes together.
I mean... I managed to finish it, so that's something I guess? But I saw someone else describe this as a "hot mess" and I have to say I agree.
August 16, 2017
Mace is smart, sassy, pretty and funny. she wants to find a boyfriend to take her to prom. Mace has never really looked for love before because she has been too busy with school work. She wants to find the kind of romance they write in books, and therefore, turns to them for advice. This is a how to book, only with bad advice. The ending is predictable, but the journey is worth reading. You see it's hard to find a boyfriend when your best friend takes up all of your time.
The chapters are complex, and diverse giving more than a romance story.
This book gave me a new favourite quote (this totally describes me!)
"I'm a book junkie. I admit it. If I don't have a book in my hand, I will die. It's called Bibliomania. Look it up."
I really enjoyed Her book boyfriend. It was funny, Witty and loveable.
K. R. Graces author info also brought a smile to my face.
This was a good start to a new series; The Awkward Duckling. It describes this book well, and I can't wait to read the next one.
4.5 stars out of 5. *ARC received in exchange for a fair review*
The chapters are complex, and diverse giving more than a romance story.
This book gave me a new favourite quote (this totally describes me!)
"I'm a book junkie. I admit it. If I don't have a book in my hand, I will die. It's called Bibliomania. Look it up."
I really enjoyed Her book boyfriend. It was funny, Witty and loveable.
K. R. Graces author info also brought a smile to my face.
This was a good start to a new series; The Awkward Duckling. It describes this book well, and I can't wait to read the next one.
4.5 stars out of 5. *ARC received in exchange for a fair review*
October 18, 2017
DNF at 65%.
Recently I've enjoyed YA novels more than most other genres and this sounded right up my alley - high school rock god best friends with the school nerd - I mean what's not to like, right?
Macey is the nerd in question, but as high school draws to a close she realises she runs the risk of having to attend prom with some random dude, rather than with a boyfriend. As any true nerd would so, Macey decides that she will adopt the tried and tested approach to winning guys found in her favourite romance novels (yes, she's supposed to be ultra-clever but she thinks romance novels are a realistic way to meet 'the one'). Macey's best friend Cam is a budding rock god and, according to Macey, man-slut who has had his tongue down the throat of practically every girl in the school. This charmer then gets Macey to break up with the girl, most of the time he doesn't he know their names!
Cam bets Macey that she won't find a boyfriend using the dubious advice from her romance novels - if he's right she'll go to the prom with him.
I stuck this out to 65% at which point Macey did something so heinous that I wouldn't have finished the book even if I liked it. I found Cam to be unrealistic and devoid of character. Macey was so full of herself and how amazing she was that she was totally obnoxious, for example:
Don't even get me started on all the caricatures that Macey tries to foist herself on - she didn't even like any of them, she decided they would be the next "one" - or her so-called friends who all come with a label, I found the characterisation of poor Wen Li borderline racist and certainly offensive.
Suffice to say that I didn't like this book!
Nevertheless, I remain grateful that I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Recently I've enjoyed YA novels more than most other genres and this sounded right up my alley - high school rock god best friends with the school nerd - I mean what's not to like, right?
Macey is the nerd in question, but as high school draws to a close she realises she runs the risk of having to attend prom with some random dude, rather than with a boyfriend. As any true nerd would so, Macey decides that she will adopt the tried and tested approach to winning guys found in her favourite romance novels (yes, she's supposed to be ultra-clever but she thinks romance novels are a realistic way to meet 'the one'). Macey's best friend Cam is a budding rock god and, according to Macey, man-slut who has had his tongue down the throat of practically every girl in the school. This charmer then gets Macey to break up with the girl, most of the time he doesn't he know their names!
Cam bets Macey that she won't find a boyfriend using the dubious advice from her romance novels - if he's right she'll go to the prom with him.
I stuck this out to 65% at which point Macey did something so heinous that I wouldn't have finished the book even if I liked it. I found Cam to be unrealistic and devoid of character. Macey was so full of herself and how amazing she was that she was totally obnoxious, for example:
"Roll with me here. I'm sort of the cool nerd, which means I need to date above my status. So I need jocks."And she revelled in breaking up with girls on Cam's behalf and doing it in a fairly brutal fashion.
Don't even get me started on all the caricatures that Macey tries to foist herself on - she didn't even like any of them, she decided they would be the next "one" - or her so-called friends who all come with a label, I found the characterisation of poor Wen Li borderline racist and certainly offensive.
Suffice to say that I didn't like this book!
Nevertheless, I remain grateful that I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
September 17, 2017
I received this e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.
For this and many more reviews, check out my blog! Marianna's Corner
I’m so disappointed. I had high hopes for Her Book Boyfriend. Best friends to lovers trope? Nerd chick falls for Mister Popular? How could I say no? But as the book progressed I started noticing some themes that really irked me and ended up blowing the whole book off for me. So let’s see some of the problems:
Misogyny. I could stop right here ’cause this is a deal breaker for me. The main character had so much internalized misogyny. She would go on and on about how pathetic all those girls were for getting their hopes up and throwing themselves at Cam, completely abolishing him of any blame (he used them and then dumped them?!?!?!) and instead she would blame the girls wholy. Yep, it sucked. Also some slut shaming was in the air which is a big NO from me.
LGBTQA+. Listen. Really, truly listen. If you want to include queer people in your book, you either do it right, or you don’t do it at all. There is no in between because you end up offending the minority. One of the things Mace has in her list is “play for the other team“. This alone is offensive. How? Being gay is not a damn switch. You don’t turn it off and on. You either like people of the same sex or you don’t. You don’t wake up one day tired of not having a boyfriend and say “that’s alright, I’ll get myself a girlfriend even though I’m neither lesbian nor bisexual”. You see the point?
Mace was plain annoying. She had that whole, I’m a nerd but I’m also extremely hot and all the boys like me even though I have no idea they do vibe which to me personally, is super annoying.
Anyway, if you’re able to disregard all that, Her Book Boyfriend is a very light, fast paced novel, perfect for reading at one sitting. Also the romance is super cute (best friends to lovers trope you know you want it).
For this and many more reviews, check out my blog! Marianna's Corner
I’m so disappointed. I had high hopes for Her Book Boyfriend. Best friends to lovers trope? Nerd chick falls for Mister Popular? How could I say no? But as the book progressed I started noticing some themes that really irked me and ended up blowing the whole book off for me. So let’s see some of the problems:
Misogyny. I could stop right here ’cause this is a deal breaker for me. The main character had so much internalized misogyny. She would go on and on about how pathetic all those girls were for getting their hopes up and throwing themselves at Cam, completely abolishing him of any blame (he used them and then dumped them?!?!?!) and instead she would blame the girls wholy. Yep, it sucked. Also some slut shaming was in the air which is a big NO from me.
LGBTQA+. Listen. Really, truly listen. If you want to include queer people in your book, you either do it right, or you don’t do it at all. There is no in between because you end up offending the minority. One of the things Mace has in her list is “play for the other team“. This alone is offensive. How? Being gay is not a damn switch. You don’t turn it off and on. You either like people of the same sex or you don’t. You don’t wake up one day tired of not having a boyfriend and say “that’s alright, I’ll get myself a girlfriend even though I’m neither lesbian nor bisexual”. You see the point?
Mace was plain annoying. She had that whole, I’m a nerd but I’m also extremely hot and all the boys like me even though I have no idea they do vibe which to me personally, is super annoying.
Anyway, if you’re able to disregard all that, Her Book Boyfriend is a very light, fast paced novel, perfect for reading at one sitting. Also the romance is super cute (best friends to lovers trope you know you want it).
August 31, 2017
Thank you, Netgalley, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.
Her Book Boyfriend by K.R. Grace is about an overachiever in school named Macey Greere who realizes she's never dated. To find herself a date to the upcoming prom, she's developed a list of tropes that book characters do to get themselves a boyfriend. If she doesn't get someone by the time prom rolls around, she'll end up going with her best friend, Cam.
This book was initially very slow, but once I got a feel for all the characters, I really enjoyed it. It's a very light, fluffy read. It's much along the lines of I Believe in a Thing Called Love, but unique in its own ways too. It's fun having a main character with a fascination for books. You didn't get to see how much she really loved books, though. She mentioned them maybe three times. You'd think that'd be mentioned more since that's the main idea of creating the list.
Cam was a total sweetheart, and he was probably my favorite character. At first he comes across as just this guy who sleeps around with no qualms and gets his best friend to do his dirty breakups so he doesn't have to deal with them. Basically, he sounds like a total jerk. But the further you get along in the book, the more you end up rooting for him.
I do have issues about how naive Macey is, but I can't get into too much detail because that would spoil the book!
Definitely pick it up if you want a fun, light read.
Her Book Boyfriend by K.R. Grace is about an overachiever in school named Macey Greere who realizes she's never dated. To find herself a date to the upcoming prom, she's developed a list of tropes that book characters do to get themselves a boyfriend. If she doesn't get someone by the time prom rolls around, she'll end up going with her best friend, Cam.
This book was initially very slow, but once I got a feel for all the characters, I really enjoyed it. It's a very light, fluffy read. It's much along the lines of I Believe in a Thing Called Love, but unique in its own ways too. It's fun having a main character with a fascination for books. You didn't get to see how much she really loved books, though. She mentioned them maybe three times. You'd think that'd be mentioned more since that's the main idea of creating the list.
Cam was a total sweetheart, and he was probably my favorite character. At first he comes across as just this guy who sleeps around with no qualms and gets his best friend to do his dirty breakups so he doesn't have to deal with them. Basically, he sounds like a total jerk. But the further you get along in the book, the more you end up rooting for him.
I do have issues about how naive Macey is, but I can't get into too much detail because that would spoil the book!
Definitely pick it up if you want a fun, light read.
September 4, 2017
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
The book is a light-hearted romance novel which focuses on Mace who is on a quest to find a boyfriend for prom. Mace comes up with a list of ways that all the characters in her favourite books find love and sets out to create the same situations. Through-out her mission Mace makes a deal with her male best friend Cam that if she doesn’t have a boyfriend by prom they will go together. The story in this book is simple and cute it was an easy read and at times a little bit boring. The characters lacked depth and it seemed that there were some irrelevant characters who brought nothing to the story. The writing was a little bit monotone in my opinion and there were a few rather pointless parts to it. Overall the story had some potential but they maybe it didn’t need as many irrelevant characters and pointless things happening.
The book is a light-hearted romance novel which focuses on Mace who is on a quest to find a boyfriend for prom. Mace comes up with a list of ways that all the characters in her favourite books find love and sets out to create the same situations. Through-out her mission Mace makes a deal with her male best friend Cam that if she doesn’t have a boyfriend by prom they will go together. The story in this book is simple and cute it was an easy read and at times a little bit boring. The characters lacked depth and it seemed that there were some irrelevant characters who brought nothing to the story. The writing was a little bit monotone in my opinion and there were a few rather pointless parts to it. Overall the story had some potential but they maybe it didn’t need as many irrelevant characters and pointless things happening.
September 12, 2017
3/5 Stars
* I received this as an ARC from NetGalley is exchange for my honest review*
Overall this book was good. I was slightly disappointed because it didn't meet the expectations I had for it, which were based of the synopsis. However it was still really cute. We have our main character is just as bookishly as the rest of us, which was nice and relatable and an adorable romance . Overall a cute contemporary book, great for the summer or right back to school and it's a super quick read.
* I received this as an ARC from NetGalley is exchange for my honest review*
Overall this book was good. I was slightly disappointed because it didn't meet the expectations I had for it, which were based of the synopsis. However it was still really cute. We have our main character is just as bookishly as the rest of us, which was nice and relatable and an adorable romance . Overall a cute contemporary book, great for the summer or right back to school and it's a super quick read.
August 29, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This was my first K.R. Grace book and I loved it. The story is very captivating and very well written. The characters are well written en very real. This book is official one of my favorites now.
This was my first K.R. Grace book and I loved it. The story is very captivating and very well written. The characters are well written en very real. This book is official one of my favorites now.
September 11, 2017
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an ecopy in exchange for an honest review. This review is originally posted on lilisblissfulpages.wordpress.com
Using ten tropes(as its own blurb called them), Macey set to find herself a date/boyfriend for Prom. She thought, she can find the perfect boyfriend material just like how it happens in the Romance books she'd read. But her best friend, Cam, is determined to prove her wrong. Cam, unlike Macey, has no problems finding himself 'girls'. He is a rock god and a high school legend, while she's known just as his nerdy best friend who does all his dirty break ups.
Some even thinks that their an 'item', that's why finding herself a boyfriend isn't easy. And Cam isn't making it at all easier. He even thinks of a bet to prove his point. The question is; who will win, him or her? Or both?
I love this cover. It's actually one of the reason why I requested for an ecopy of this book. The illustration is actually perfect for the title.
First of all, I must say how interesting the blurb of this book is. It was promising. I think every girl/woman who reads Romance has a book boyfriend. And I thought how amazing this book would be making a book boyfriend fantasy somehow a reality. But my expectations weren't met. Maybe it was because this is very short and I wouldn't call this a novel, a novella perhaps. Maybe that's why this book lacks some things.
There are too many other issues that bothered me.
The Romance was a little poorly executed. I, in fact, wished that Macey and Cam just remained best friends rather than romantically involved.
It's filled with cliches. I believe that most Romance are really cliches that's why the execution of a worn out plot matters so much. But like I said, it was poorly executed. This is, in away, an example of Telling not Showing.
SEXISM and LGBT Representation: (I'll discuss it below in character section)
Racism: Poor Li.
Plot Holes: What's with the bet? It was unnecessary. Macey needs a date. Obviously, Cam was okay to go with her. So why even bother with the bet and all those stupid things Macey let herself into. Maybe so Cam can prove that real life can be based on fiction. Or maybe Macey just want to be not Cam's shadow anymore. Whatever the reason, it wasn't enough to be interesting.
Like I said above, this is an example of TELLING. Literally, the heroine labels everyone including herself. She even calls herself a 'cool nerd' and admit that she is very smart. She thinks so highly of herself and so little of others. Thus enters the sexism. How she executes the break ups with Cam's girlfriends is just rude. And her beliefs between guys' and girls' 'job' was too much.
The LGBT representation wasn't handled properly. God, it was insulting even for a straight person.
Our hero, Cam, was also a disappointment but not as much as Macey. Cam's a ****. If Macey believes that he is a great friend, then she was deceived. What kind of a guy friend let his girl friend takes care of his dirty break ups? Well definitely not a great guy friend.
I think, the characters are TOO polished but unfortunately not to be believable ones but to be the characters expected to be seen in a Romance. A bad boy, a nerdy girl. And of course it's YA, so there has to be mean girls who happen to be our Hero's exes. You know what I mean. And the two MCs are part of a group usually seen in a YAs, novels and even films.
OVERALL:
I am sad that my expectation wasn't met. I am also sad that a great plot turned out like this. But the fact that the author thought of this wonderful idea is a proof that she CAN write. And because of that I consider myself bound to read more of her works.
P.S. In the blurb... finding a guy who doesn’t think they’re ALREADY AN ITEM is going to be a lot harder than she thinks.
....How can possibly some people think that they're an item? Yeah, they've been close since forever, but Cam is known for his playboy habits. And Macey seems even helping him so....
Using ten tropes(as its own blurb called them), Macey set to find herself a date/boyfriend for Prom. She thought, she can find the perfect boyfriend material just like how it happens in the Romance books she'd read. But her best friend, Cam, is determined to prove her wrong. Cam, unlike Macey, has no problems finding himself 'girls'. He is a rock god and a high school legend, while she's known just as his nerdy best friend who does all his dirty break ups.
Some even thinks that their an 'item', that's why finding herself a boyfriend isn't easy. And Cam isn't making it at all easier. He even thinks of a bet to prove his point. The question is; who will win, him or her? Or both?
I love this cover. It's actually one of the reason why I requested for an ecopy of this book. The illustration is actually perfect for the title.
First of all, I must say how interesting the blurb of this book is. It was promising. I think every girl/woman who reads Romance has a book boyfriend. And I thought how amazing this book would be making a book boyfriend fantasy somehow a reality. But my expectations weren't met. Maybe it was because this is very short and I wouldn't call this a novel, a novella perhaps. Maybe that's why this book lacks some things.
There are too many other issues that bothered me.
The Romance was a little poorly executed. I, in fact, wished that Macey and Cam just remained best friends rather than romantically involved.
It's filled with cliches. I believe that most Romance are really cliches that's why the execution of a worn out plot matters so much. But like I said, it was poorly executed. This is, in away, an example of Telling not Showing.
SEXISM and LGBT Representation: (I'll discuss it below in character section)
Racism: Poor Li.
Plot Holes: What's with the bet? It was unnecessary. Macey needs a date. Obviously, Cam was okay to go with her. So why even bother with the bet and all those stupid things Macey let herself into. Maybe so Cam can prove that real life can be based on fiction. Or maybe Macey just want to be not Cam's shadow anymore. Whatever the reason, it wasn't enough to be interesting.
Like I said above, this is an example of TELLING. Literally, the heroine labels everyone including herself. She even calls herself a 'cool nerd' and admit that she is very smart. She thinks so highly of herself and so little of others. Thus enters the sexism. How she executes the break ups with Cam's girlfriends is just rude. And her beliefs between guys' and girls' 'job' was too much.
The LGBT representation wasn't handled properly. God, it was insulting even for a straight person.
Our hero, Cam, was also a disappointment but not as much as Macey. Cam's a ****. If Macey believes that he is a great friend, then she was deceived. What kind of a guy friend let his girl friend takes care of his dirty break ups? Well definitely not a great guy friend.
I think, the characters are TOO polished but unfortunately not to be believable ones but to be the characters expected to be seen in a Romance. A bad boy, a nerdy girl. And of course it's YA, so there has to be mean girls who happen to be our Hero's exes. You know what I mean. And the two MCs are part of a group usually seen in a YAs, novels and even films.
OVERALL:
I am sad that my expectation wasn't met. I am also sad that a great plot turned out like this. But the fact that the author thought of this wonderful idea is a proof that she CAN write. And because of that I consider myself bound to read more of her works.
P.S. In the blurb... finding a guy who doesn’t think they’re ALREADY AN ITEM is going to be a lot harder than she thinks.
....How can possibly some people think that they're an item? Yeah, they've been close since forever, but Cam is known for his playboy habits. And Macey seems even helping him so....
August 19, 2017
HER BOOK BOYFRIEND was a fast, cute read perfect for the summer. It centers around Macey Greere who is obsessed with reading Wendi Cooper romance novels and has convinced herself that to land her perfect book boyfriend she must follow all the rules laid out in Cooper’s novels. Only problem is, her best friend, the school’s rock God and her best friend, Cam Davis doesn’t believe she can do it. His bet? Land a boyfriend for prom or go with him instead. Sounds like the perfect friends to lover story that is my kryptonite!
While i enjoyed the story (particularly the ending), I had a few problems with it. Macey was a bit ridiculous in choosing which boys she should go after. She would literally pick any guy and make him her next target without even liking in the slightest bit. Also, Macey outs another student to someone else for no reason and no thought at all that it might be wrong. When I read that I couldn’t believe what I just read. It was offensive. Plus, her whole “guys aren’t working for me so I am going to try girls” was just awful to me. Also, spoiler, what was with all those promposals? Every single guy that asked her even if things had been terrible after their meeting asking her to prom made absolutely no sense and wasn’t even explained. I still don’t get why it was included at all.
What was really enjoyable was the ending though. Cam’s jealousy over Macey’s trying to date different guys was a little obvious that I can’t believe she didn’t see how he felt sooner. But I enjoyed their connection so much more when she finally got it. I would have liked if their friendship was showcased more so we could have had a bigger picture of them as a couple, but this was a bit of a short book.
Overall, it was okay. I don’t really know if I would recommend it. But if you’re interested in a quick read, maybe give it a try.
While i enjoyed the story (particularly the ending), I had a few problems with it. Macey was a bit ridiculous in choosing which boys she should go after. She would literally pick any guy and make him her next target without even liking in the slightest bit. Also, Macey outs another student to someone else for no reason and no thought at all that it might be wrong. When I read that I couldn’t believe what I just read. It was offensive. Plus, her whole “guys aren’t working for me so I am going to try girls” was just awful to me. Also, spoiler, what was with all those promposals? Every single guy that asked her even if things had been terrible after their meeting asking her to prom made absolutely no sense and wasn’t even explained. I still don’t get why it was included at all.
What was really enjoyable was the ending though. Cam’s jealousy over Macey’s trying to date different guys was a little obvious that I can’t believe she didn’t see how he felt sooner. But I enjoyed their connection so much more when she finally got it. I would have liked if their friendship was showcased more so we could have had a bigger picture of them as a couple, but this was a bit of a short book.
Overall, it was okay. I don’t really know if I would recommend it. But if you’re interested in a quick read, maybe give it a try.
August 27, 2017
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**
When the man of your dreams is right there all along. Awww...
Macey needs a date to prom but not just any boy will do. She wants someone who will appreciate her. Someone who is real boyfriend material. So with the help of her favorite author, she devises a plan to land her perfect prom date. Unfortunately, it's hard to get anyone to take her seriously when everyone thinks of her as only Cam's friend.
Even though Macey adores her best friend, she's growing tired of always being attached to him. And she's definitely tired of the string of girls he parades around. So when she starts to look for her own guy, she's surprised to find Cam is so against the idea. With every attempt she makes, he seems to be there to catch her. Could it be that her perfect boyfriend is the one person she never even considered?
This book had a lot of things that I liked. The leading lady was quirky, had courage to put herself out there, and was a bit of a daydreamer. I liked that about her. Yes, she wasn't exactly smart about keeping herself out of potentially harmful situations but most teen girls are not. It didn't feel out of character for a hormonal teenager to me.
I also loved the relationship between Macey and Cam. No, I didn't love that he made her break up with his flings but I did like seeing them interact. They had a very openly affectionate thing happening which made it easy to picture them together. I'm married to my best friend so I completely understand the ability to be yourself with someone. It's a benefit, for sure.
Macey's kindness to her family and Cam's family was also a great character trait. I didn't mind being in her head as much as I usually do when reading a single POV story written in first person. I do think this story could have been better if we'd had a few chapters from Cam's point-of-view but we do get to see a lot of him. Several other characters entertained me too. The silent girl reminded me of the quiet woman on Pitch Perfect. I laughed a few times while reading this book.
But there were some things I didn't love about this also. We started off so well with the plan to snag a boyfriend and I enjoyed Macey's antics. Then toward the end, things got a little strange. We hear Macey's thoughts about everything and everyone at every turn. Yet, after Cam's feelings come to light, she just goes through the motions and doesn't really stop to consider what this means. She doesn't look back at the times he fulfilled her list of requirements or the small signs that this was coming. She just accepts it as truth and goes back to working and homework. I thought that was a little odd.
And even though I am happy for the couple, I don't know if I see them working out in the future. Macey will be at school for years and Cam will be on the road with his band. This just screams disaster-in-the-making. So I would consider this more of a HFN than a HEA. Still was a cute story, though.
In closing...
A sweet YA best-friends-to-lovers story. Four suns!
Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/review-release-blitz-her-book-boyfriend.html
September 17, 2017
Reviewed for Netgalley - SPOILERS
I didn’t love this book and that is partly my fault. I read a blurb about it which left me thinking that it was a story about a girl who sets off to find herself a boyfriend based on the boys she loves in the books she reads. I was expecting lots of references to or excerpts from these books and examples of her “book boyfriends” verses the boys she is pursuing during her quest. I was very wrong.
Unfortunately, what Macey actually does is use examples set forth in books by her favorite author to figure out how a girl can snag a guy with each method being more shallow and pathetic than the previous one. We readers never see any of the author’s words or meet any of the fictional author’s boys. Instead, we witness Macey make one stupid mistake after another. The way she goes about trying to land a guy is so ridiculous that I just couldn’t buy that a potential valedictorian would actually think her plan had any shot at succeeding.
The boys that Macey pursues while attempting to carry out said plan are so one-dimensional and clichéd that there is never any chance she will end up with one of them. There’s the in-the-closet guy who insults her fashion choices, the seeming sweetheart who just wants instant access to what’s inside her pants, and the overachieving nerd having a pre-college admission freak out. Perhaps the reason these boys are so undeveloped and forgettable is because it is clear from chapter one who Macie is going to end up with.
Her best friend Cam, who instantly goes from a total Man Whore to a lovesick puppy the minute he realizes his lifelong bestie is serious about finding a guy. And just like every other guy in this book, Cam is completely underdeveloped. He tells Macey not to be like him and not to get sucked into his “crap hole” (quite the way with words this future rockstar has) but never explains why he behaves the way he does or why his life is a crap hole. He’s spent time getting photographic evidence that his father is also a male whore with a whole other family on the side, so why on earth would he want to follow in slutty daddy’s footsteps? I don’t know because it is never explained. Of the two MCs, Cam is the more interesting one and, sadly, he too ends up being one-dimensional and ultimately disappointing.
Also disappointing was Macey herself who started off as kind of cute and quirky, but quickly became whiny and ridiculous and lets not forget selfish because she doesn't know or even like the boys she's pursuing. She's just using them to achieve her goal of landing a boyfriend. Overall, the entire story was dissatisfying.
I didn’t love this book and that is partly my fault. I read a blurb about it which left me thinking that it was a story about a girl who sets off to find herself a boyfriend based on the boys she loves in the books she reads. I was expecting lots of references to or excerpts from these books and examples of her “book boyfriends” verses the boys she is pursuing during her quest. I was very wrong.
Unfortunately, what Macey actually does is use examples set forth in books by her favorite author to figure out how a girl can snag a guy with each method being more shallow and pathetic than the previous one. We readers never see any of the author’s words or meet any of the fictional author’s boys. Instead, we witness Macey make one stupid mistake after another. The way she goes about trying to land a guy is so ridiculous that I just couldn’t buy that a potential valedictorian would actually think her plan had any shot at succeeding.
The boys that Macey pursues while attempting to carry out said plan are so one-dimensional and clichéd that there is never any chance she will end up with one of them. There’s the in-the-closet guy who insults her fashion choices, the seeming sweetheart who just wants instant access to what’s inside her pants, and the overachieving nerd having a pre-college admission freak out. Perhaps the reason these boys are so undeveloped and forgettable is because it is clear from chapter one who Macie is going to end up with.
Her best friend Cam, who instantly goes from a total Man Whore to a lovesick puppy the minute he realizes his lifelong bestie is serious about finding a guy. And just like every other guy in this book, Cam is completely underdeveloped. He tells Macey not to be like him and not to get sucked into his “crap hole” (quite the way with words this future rockstar has) but never explains why he behaves the way he does or why his life is a crap hole. He’s spent time getting photographic evidence that his father is also a male whore with a whole other family on the side, so why on earth would he want to follow in slutty daddy’s footsteps? I don’t know because it is never explained. Of the two MCs, Cam is the more interesting one and, sadly, he too ends up being one-dimensional and ultimately disappointing.
Also disappointing was Macey herself who started off as kind of cute and quirky, but quickly became whiny and ridiculous and lets not forget selfish because she doesn't know or even like the boys she's pursuing. She's just using them to achieve her goal of landing a boyfriend. Overall, the entire story was dissatisfying.
September 5, 2017
Her Book Boyfriend was a fun YA read that was relatively quick too (I think I read this over 2 sittings). The story centres around Macey and her best friend Cam. Macey is 18 (Rather immature - I'll go into that later) and never been kissed or had a date. Prom is approaching and she wants it to be perfect and what better way that with a boyfriend just like the ones she reads in her books by her side. Macey is smart and studies her favourite authors books as who else would know better than how to land that perfect man, right? A list is formed and she sets off on a hilarious journey. I'd like to say Cam her best friend and man whore helps with this journey, but that would be giving away things and I don't do spoilers.
As with a few of these YA books where we have a SEVERE case of naivety with the main character I struggle a little. When you have a best friend (Doesn't matter if it is male or female) who is a bit of a 'go getter' in the sexual department I feel it would be hard to be as naive as some characters can get. At times Macey came across as far more immature than she was which kind of made this feel more unrealistic. Don't get me wrong the situations were funny, amusing and I certainly felt that teen angst, but I did wonder how Macey could be so smart but no so street smart - you get me?
Still like I said Macey aside this was a funny book and it was sweet too. I love YA reads like this as they give you the story without the extra stuff a NA book does. Does Macey get her boyfriend? Is there that HEA? Will Cam meet you BBF requirements? Well I think you'll have to read this one and see. Either way I felt Her Book Boyfriend is worth a read if you like a YA romance and deserves its 3.5 stars.
As with a few of these YA books where we have a SEVERE case of naivety with the main character I struggle a little. When you have a best friend (Doesn't matter if it is male or female) who is a bit of a 'go getter' in the sexual department I feel it would be hard to be as naive as some characters can get. At times Macey came across as far more immature than she was which kind of made this feel more unrealistic. Don't get me wrong the situations were funny, amusing and I certainly felt that teen angst, but I did wonder how Macey could be so smart but no so street smart - you get me?
Still like I said Macey aside this was a funny book and it was sweet too. I love YA reads like this as they give you the story without the extra stuff a NA book does. Does Macey get her boyfriend? Is there that HEA? Will Cam meet you BBF requirements? Well I think you'll have to read this one and see. Either way I felt Her Book Boyfriend is worth a read if you like a YA romance and deserves its 3.5 stars.
August 27, 2017
Review toThis was so adorable, sweet and fun. I loved the friendship between MAce and Cam. How they were each others support and just everything for each other.
Cam he seems like he is a horndog but he isn’t. He loves his bestfriend and isn’t sure how to tell her. He is having problems that are personal and doesn’t know how to deal with them and that has him act out. He is so sweet and caring. For example him dressing up as a princess for his little sister and eating unicorn food for her. He is so attentive and sweet. He is smart but is just acting out due to issues in his life. He is also very talented. Watching him help Mace when you can see he obviously loves her is sweet but heartbreaking. How can I say it’s obvious he loves her? Well his comments to her, how he is there no matter what and how he reacts to things. he doesn’t feel he is deserving of Mace and that is so hard to see because he is just a wonderful guy.
Mace is wanting a date for prom. She wants to meet the guy to have her heart palpitate and be perfect. So how does she go about finding this? by following the advice of the best romance author to her. And so we get each chapter as a different number on the list to finding the perfect book boyfriend in real life. Cam takes this as an opportunity to get mace to see him as more than a bff and they bet. Only this bet leads to some secrets being revealed and Cam showing his pain and anger to her about things in his life. Her confusing his actions and almost losing everything and mace seeing that she is more than a geek. She is smart, funny,loyal and as Cam says gorgeous. She gives us some hysterical moments and you just smile at the antics and banter in this sweet, adorable and just entertaining book where you get the aww factor at the end that has your heart smile with you. come but was adorable.
Cam he seems like he is a horndog but he isn’t. He loves his bestfriend and isn’t sure how to tell her. He is having problems that are personal and doesn’t know how to deal with them and that has him act out. He is so sweet and caring. For example him dressing up as a princess for his little sister and eating unicorn food for her. He is so attentive and sweet. He is smart but is just acting out due to issues in his life. He is also very talented. Watching him help Mace when you can see he obviously loves her is sweet but heartbreaking. How can I say it’s obvious he loves her? Well his comments to her, how he is there no matter what and how he reacts to things. he doesn’t feel he is deserving of Mace and that is so hard to see because he is just a wonderful guy.
Mace is wanting a date for prom. She wants to meet the guy to have her heart palpitate and be perfect. So how does she go about finding this? by following the advice of the best romance author to her. And so we get each chapter as a different number on the list to finding the perfect book boyfriend in real life. Cam takes this as an opportunity to get mace to see him as more than a bff and they bet. Only this bet leads to some secrets being revealed and Cam showing his pain and anger to her about things in his life. Her confusing his actions and almost losing everything and mace seeing that she is more than a geek. She is smart, funny,loyal and as Cam says gorgeous. She gives us some hysterical moments and you just smile at the antics and banter in this sweet, adorable and just entertaining book where you get the aww factor at the end that has your heart smile with you. come but was adorable.
August 17, 2017
First, I just want to say thank you to Buoni Amici Press for giving me the opportunity to read Her Book Boyfriend in exchange for an honest review!
The description for this book put me in mind of a chick flick I would really like, so I couldn't resist. Turns out, it is exactly the light and fluffy read I was craving. I'd actually really like to see this turned into a movie. Just putting that wish out there.
As this kind of story goes, it was predictably predictable. Not a bad thing. I actually really look forward to the next book in the series.
Macey was the perfect contemporary romance character model. A little quirky, clueless to her own appeal, relatable, and witty. I thoroughly enjoyed her pop culture references like her "Chandler smile."
I started a little annoyed by the idea of a guy having his female best friend do all his breaking up for him, but I got over it. In the end, my only issue with this book was the amount of errors in the writing. It was like autocorrect had a bit of a hay-day at times and somehow went unnoticed. It was just at random times it was like intended words were replaced by very similar ones. Like "sense" ended up as "since" for example. That kind of thing. In no way, even remotely, a deal breaker though
I recommend this to any contemporary romance fans looking for a quick and enjoyable read.
The description for this book put me in mind of a chick flick I would really like, so I couldn't resist. Turns out, it is exactly the light and fluffy read I was craving. I'd actually really like to see this turned into a movie. Just putting that wish out there.
As this kind of story goes, it was predictably predictable. Not a bad thing. I actually really look forward to the next book in the series.
Macey was the perfect contemporary romance character model. A little quirky, clueless to her own appeal, relatable, and witty. I thoroughly enjoyed her pop culture references like her "Chandler smile."
I started a little annoyed by the idea of a guy having his female best friend do all his breaking up for him, but I got over it. In the end, my only issue with this book was the amount of errors in the writing. It was like autocorrect had a bit of a hay-day at times and somehow went unnoticed. It was just at random times it was like intended words were replaced by very similar ones. Like "sense" ended up as "since" for example. That kind of thing. In no way, even remotely, a deal breaker though
I recommend this to any contemporary romance fans looking for a quick and enjoyable read.
September 15, 2017
**I received an ARC from NetGalley** .
Macey feels like she is the only person in the history of...pretty much ever...to make it through high school without having a boyfriend. She makes it her mission to get a boyfriend before prom and if she doesn't she is stuck going with her best friend, rockstar wannabe Cam.
Cam hooks up with girls left and right, but then makes Macey "let them down gently" because he doesn't actually want to date any of them.
Taking a page (hah. see what i did there?) out of her favorite romance novels, Macey decides to use the plot devices that worked out so well for the heroines in said books in hopes of winning the bet.
This book, billed as New Adult (but I would call it YA since the characters are in high school), was a cute fluffy read without all of the trappings of what I've come to expect from new adult lit (sex every three pages, lots of language). It was totally trope-y but that's honestly kind of what I expect from a book like this. It was cute. I'd add it to the YA section at my library.
Macey feels like she is the only person in the history of...pretty much ever...to make it through high school without having a boyfriend. She makes it her mission to get a boyfriend before prom and if she doesn't she is stuck going with her best friend, rockstar wannabe Cam.
Cam hooks up with girls left and right, but then makes Macey "let them down gently" because he doesn't actually want to date any of them.
Taking a page (hah. see what i did there?) out of her favorite romance novels, Macey decides to use the plot devices that worked out so well for the heroines in said books in hopes of winning the bet.
This book, billed as New Adult (but I would call it YA since the characters are in high school), was a cute fluffy read without all of the trappings of what I've come to expect from new adult lit (sex every three pages, lots of language). It was totally trope-y but that's honestly kind of what I expect from a book like this. It was cute. I'd add it to the YA section at my library.
August 25, 2017
copy received for review
This is a young adult read. High school age characters. Macey is a senior in high school and has never been kissed. Her best friend is Cam and he is the school rock hero. He seems to have a different girl every week. She feels like high school is passing her by and she needs to experience a few things before college. Se comes up with a list from a romance author on how to get the perfect guy. What follows is one misadventure after another. Cam is there to clean up each mess. They seemed to be your typical HS kids. Worried about dating, prom and what happens in their world. Probably a little to young for me.
This is a young adult read. High school age characters. Macey is a senior in high school and has never been kissed. Her best friend is Cam and he is the school rock hero. He seems to have a different girl every week. She feels like high school is passing her by and she needs to experience a few things before college. Se comes up with a list from a romance author on how to get the perfect guy. What follows is one misadventure after another. Cam is there to clean up each mess. They seemed to be your typical HS kids. Worried about dating, prom and what happens in their world. Probably a little to young for me.
August 13, 2017
Cute YA romance about a girl who wants a date for senior prom. She decides to follow characters in her favorite romance novels to obtain a boyfriend and date. It works in all the books, right? Her best friend is a gorgeous rock star who gets a new girl each week. He doesn't have trouble with love, and he thinks Macey's plan will fail, so he makes a bet that when her plan fails she will go to prom with him. Each chapter is a different strategy and it has tones of emotional struggle because teens aren't perfect and struggle with family problems and finding out who they are.
August 16, 2017
The premise of the story is cute, but the execution - not so much. I stopped by 30% because I both found the main character annoying and aspects of the book fairly offensive. The main character, who is female, not only seems to accept her male best friend's objectification and mistreatment of girls but actually helps him do it. She views other girls in a negative light and as if they deserve this mistreatment. Then, she finds it annoying when a guy she attempts to attract by acting like a damsel in distress actually respects her ability to handle situations on her own. Plus, the characters' attitude toward an Asian student at school seems to be heading in a racist direction. Don't really need any of that right now.
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