The Gay Girl's Guide to Ruining Prom

by Siera Maley

She’s sleeping with the enemy …and might be catching feelings.

When Zoey Seever’s best and only friend Skylar is unceremoniously dumped on the night of her Prom, the last thing Zoey wants to do is get involved with the girl responsible for breaking her best friend’s heart. Chelsea McDaniel has a reputation at their rival school for using girls up and tossing them aside when things get serious. It’s the same sort of rumor people have been spreading about Zoey ever since she abruptly ended things with an ex-girlfriend of her own.

Soon enough, Zoey finds herself roped into Skylar’s plot to make Chelsea pay. The plan is simple: Zoey will seduce Chelsea, make her fall in love as only another heartbreaker can, and then cruelly dump her at her own Prom.

But Zoey isn’t the coldhearted girl her own best friend thinks she is. She doesn’t use girls. She’s hardly even properly out of the closet. And Chelsea is more than just an attractive stranger; back in middle school, she was also Zoey’s first kiss. Caught up in a whirlwind of deception, guilt, and her own growing feelings, Zoey will be forced to decide between the only friend she has left and the girl she might be falling in love with…who may want nothing to do with her once she finds out the truth.

The Gay Girl's Guide to Ruining Prom is Amazon-bestselling author Siera Maley's newest young adult lesbian romance. 

Genres: LGBT, Romance, Lesbian, Young Adult, Contemporary, Queer, High School

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2019

About the author

Siera Maley was born and raised in the southern Bible Belt. After coming out as a lesbian as a teen, she relocated to a more suburban area and now lives with her girlfriend and very adorable dogs while she works on writing young adult lesbian fiction.

Reviews

[m · Rating 4 out of 5]

in a perfect world, this would end with zoey and chelsea’s friend group banding together to beat the shit out of skylar

rep: lesbian mcs, 3 bi side characters

[Harrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I was stuck swinging like a pendulum, going back and forth between liking her and reminding myself that she was probably evil."

The plot was a bit similar to 'John Tucker Must Die' but the author made it gay which always equals better to me.
Siera Maley's books always have the most adorable couple, Zoey and Chelsea being each other's first kiss at 12 *swoon*, Zoey saving her contact name as “First Crush” in Chelsea's phone etc . It'd be going so well and then Zoey would always be like 'plan, plan, plan', like Chelsea is so charming and lovable, stop deceiving her, you sociopath. All that lying somewhat lessened the significance of their interactions for me. I didn't expect her to take it so seriously and go all Emily Thorne.


“Any plans to break my heart?”
“No.” She answered instantly; confidently. It surprised me. She was a good liar."

I wanted to scream at her, of course she meant it, you were her first kiss, her first crush, the reason she figured out she liked girls and you are the one who breaks her heart.
I was both intrigued and uncomfortable reading this because her lies were piling up and since i got attached to Zoey two pages in, I was ready to be hurt, which I was badly..
I really wish the characters could've been more likable, since I only liked Chelsea and Alex(later) and that Zoey and Chelsea could've gotten together in the last chapters at least instead of the epilogue. Also, I really need someone to come help me beat up Skylar.

[lov2laf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Players and heartbreakers aren’t generally my go-to reads. But, Maley did a great job bringing the pressure cooker that is high school to life and all the crap that goes with it. I commend her for elevating what could’ve been a two dimensional and catty storyline to something much more complex and redeemable. I loved the characters, the journey we were taken on, and the dialogue was excellent. Well done.

[charlotte, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rep: lesbian mc & li, bi side characters

CWs: homophobia, mc gets kicked out by parents

[;3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

everybody shut up im about to uwu

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a one to two page review I wrote that I do not have access to at moment. Of the things I noted, I made some comment about how it is quite rare for me to read everything by an author. And Maley is basically the only F-F author who has at least five books published and I've read them all.

Right, so, this is a solo POV book about someone around the age of 17 & currently a high school student. She is very much a not likable character.

I seem to alternate rating Maley books something near 5 stars and 2.75 stars. Unfortunately this one is a 2.75 book.

Skylar is dumped on Prom night. While attempting to pick up her date. She decides on a little revenge plot: she's going to get her 'hot' best friend to seduce that ex, get the ex to really like them, and then have the friend, Zoey, dump Chelsea, the ex, at or on Prom night.

Skylar isn't the main character, neither is Chelsea, no it's Zoey. Zoey, for reasons, is kind of a push over when it comes to doing what her friends ask (she doesn't want to lose friends, so they use her and she loses friends anyway), and is a messed up kid.

I read something that seemed to indicate this got better the last 32% of the book. It never got better, and, for that matter, was never that good.

I might not have liked anyone with the possible exception of Chelsea, but that's not because of poor characterization. No this book has strong well developed characters. The plot also is, for the most part, quite solid. No, none of that was the problem. The problem is that basically everyone in the book is basically unlikable. That also includes Chelsea, but she is, at least, trying to become a better person.

Despite how I felt about this book, I look forward to reading another book by this author.

Rating: 2.75

December 15, 2019

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this author's writing style! I was super addicted to reading this and tried to read this in every spare moment I had. But the only problem was...I didn't really like Zoey. Everyone talks about how horrible her friends are (and I agree...to an extent) but Zoey really isn't that good of a person either and I struggled with not judging her some times which I hated but I couldn't help it. I actually ended up feeling really bad for Chelsea with the whole prank and the fact that Zoey kept at it until basically the very end and it made me feel like honestly, maybe Chelsea deserved better. The prank was super, mega fucked up and the fact that it goes on for that long, I don't see how Chelsea wouldn't have trust issues after that but that's just my opinion.

I definitely need to check out more books from this author though!

[Paradise Lost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having a little trouble reviewing this, to be honest. Maley's writing style really resonates with me. I think I've read most of her books. My favourite by far, though, is "taking flight". I really enjoyed that book. And the characters were exactly what I needed them to be, as well as the general story.

This... Not so much. Character motivations seemed a bit... flimsy, at best, I guess. As well as the plot.

I guess what I'm saying is, I love maley's style, and I can go through her books pretty quickly and easily, and more than that, I want to. Same with this. I really enjoyed the pace and flow. Even the general idea of the story was totally appealing. I just wish the characters had better motivations. And I wish both the characters and the plot were a bit stronger, not quite as flimsy.

Then again, I remember being in school, and how every little thing seemed like it was the biggest deal ever, every fight, every slight, all of it... It was all so dramatic and seemed life changing. So, I kind of also get it :)

3.5 stars

[jut · Rating 4 out of 5]

it went better than i expected and surprisingly well

[Starsandsun18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, its been a while since I’ve read Siera Maley book. She’s actually one of my go to authors.

Okay, so if you’re looking for a classic kind of YA book you got it here.
Angst, full of teenage drama, Lies and denial. Homophobe parents, fake friends etc. wow!

I actually like Chelsea and Zoey but I also like Alex.
I find it weird that I also like her history with Zoey.
Bummer! Fake friends everywhere.
I hate Skylar! I can smell her from the beginning, she’s actually worse than Zoey’s mom.
Grrr!


Why do I feel like there’s a sequel coming? Or it’s just me?


3.75

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

so this is basically john tucker must die but lesbians and better??

[Dag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ach, więc przyszedł czas na opinię i chociaż zazwyczaj ich nie piszę, to teraz jest 4:30 i czuję się natchniona. Więc, jak przy prawie każdej książce z resztą, trudno mi było się zdecydować na liczbę gwiazdek (hmm, może powinnam po prostu przestać je oceniać?). Przeczytawszy pierwsze ~20 stron, pomyślałam sobie, że to na pewno nie będzie dobra książka. Dlaczego? Bo zobaczyłam, czym autorka chce zrobić fabułę. W skrócie: socjopatyczna przyjaciółka głównej bohaterki wpada na bardzo głupi pomysł, ale głównej bohaterce brakuje szarych komórek, żeby powiedzieć jej, że plan ten jest na prawdę bardzo głupi. I z tego wynika cała drama tej książki. Obiektywnie nie powiedziałabym, że ta książka jest dobra (naprawdę można by się troszkę bardziej wysilić z fabułą). Natomiast, widzicie, ja lubię przewidywalność i dramy znikąd. Gdyby tak nie było, nie sięgałabym po ya romanse. O ile trudno mi jest zakwalifikować tę książkę do tej samej kategorii, co inne, obiektywnie lepsze książki z tego samego gatunku, to choć lubię ambitniejsze lektury, które są lepiej napisane czy zaskakujące, ja zazwyczaj czytam książki po to, żeby zwyczajnie się wciągnąć i dobrze bawić (gdyby tak nie było, nie sięgałabym po ya romanse...), a tutaj muszę przyznać, że książce udało się złapac mój słaby punkt i czytanie jej sprawiło mi przyjemność (większą niż sporo tych lepszych książek), dlatego stwierdziłam, że zasługuje na 3 gwiazdki. (to wydaje się nisko, ale ja generalnie raczej nisko oceniam książki, może powinnam zrobić 4 moją bazą dla książek ya, ale wtedy to też mi psuje oceny, aaaaaa potrzebuje 10-gwiazdkowej skali chlopakiiii)

[thi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
- tw homophobia (from mc’s parents)
- Siera maley has become an auto read author for me, I’ll read anything and everything by her bc I love so many of her works (taking flight, colourblind, dating sarah cooper, on the outside)
- That said .. when I read this synopsis .. I was not super excited just because I’m just not a huge fan of revenge-dating type plots
- If you liked the sound of the synopsis I doubt you’ll be disappointed, I think the romance, the story the pacing are all up to par with maley’s work
- maley is such a great writer who’s so in tune with her young characters feelings, which I’m sure can be attributed to her being an own voices author writing sapphic love stories that are still grounded in reality
- That said a certain theme that came up was the idea of coming out to family even though already “out” to their peers, and the personas and guilt that (may) come from it .. an all too common experience that I’m sure many can relate to 😭💕
- It’s not a favourite of mine from her but I can still appreciate how great it is for anyone else who finds these “tropes” enjoyable 💕

[m. (archived) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex, date me.

[Nev · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - I liked that this book used the plot that was prominent in a lot of 90s teen movies, where someone dates a person as part of a bet or a scheme, but then actually starts to fall for them… just making it with two girls instead of a straight couple. It’s always interesting to see how the other person finds out that their relationship started as a lie and if it can recover from that.

However, I felt pretty “meh” about this book overall. I did appreciate that the main character Zoey felt conflicted about the whole plot and constantly thought about how morally grey it was. But I just felt like I didn’t really care about the outcome of the story. I wasn’t rooting for Zoey & Chelsea’s relationship. I wasn’t rooting for Zoey’s best friend Skylar to get the revenge on Chelsea that she wanted. Everything just got way too dramatic and over the top in the end.

I don’t really think I would recommend this book. If you haven’t read anything by Siera Maley, I’d definitely say to read Taking Flight over this.

[Charlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 Stars

Zoey Seever:
1st Person POV. Homophobic parents. Loyal. Good-hearted. Brunette. Stem. Attractive. Experienced. Age: 17

Chelsea McDaniel:
Lesbian heartbreaker. Old middle school friend of Zoey. Commitment-phobe. Brunette. Femme. Attractive. Age: 17

Romance:
Fade-to-Black. First Love. Revenge.

Sub-Genres:
High school. Fauxmance Revenge.

[Barbro-Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a lot excited and a little scared to read this because I’ve been real disappointed with lesfic lately but I didn’t need to worry. Siera Maley delivers! She’s one of my favorite lesfic authors and I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for her new novel and I love it. The build up, the feelings, the characters. I can feel the emotions. I haven’t ever been disappointed with Siera Maley and her writing and I’m (im)patiently waiting for her next book.
My only “problem” with her books is that I wish they were a little longer.

I will admit that I’ve kept checking Maley’s profile in the last years to see when she was publishing a new book. As said, one if my favorite lesfic authors. She never disappoints me

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

So let me start off by saying Siera Maley is one of my go to writers. I admit it, I really like her YA books. I have read pretty much everything she has done and given her 4 pluses on all of them I think. She is a go to for me and a re-read as well. BUT..not this one. I didn't really like this book. It started out good, and then just, blea. Don't get me wrong it is a worthwhile read but not up to her usual class. In fact I didn't really like the MC. And the end was not the outcome I would have wanted either..and the good people I think,, did she want me to like them? cause if so she failed..and the people I think she wanted me to dislike..na, not so much. You have to read it for yourself and see how you take it. Again a good enough book but the lowest of scores of all her books from me...3 and small change stars but still cant wait for her next one.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/3 Stars.
TW: homophobia from parents


I didn’t like the revenge plot. It just went too far. There was so many chances for Zoey to tell Chelsea and I wish she did.

But I did like the build of Zoey and Chelsea’s relationship and I wish we were able to see them be together for a few chapters instead of only the epilogue.

The authors writing is definitely easy to read and I did enjoy it until I started skimming since I couldn’t care about the revenge trope. This definitely makes me want to pick up Colorblind (finally).

[Giovanna Mandarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has one of the most commom plots for teen romance but it's lesbian and i dare to say Siera Maley handled the ending better than any other straight movie ever did. Chelsea and Zoey are cute as hell and they have the amazing ability to TALK which most of YA books protagonists don't. I love all Siera Maley's books and this one is probably the best one so far... I loved it so much.

[em]

It has gay. What else do you need?

[Josalynne Balajadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. It's based on a common teen movie plot, but with the classic lesbian romance "lets talk about the things" mixed in. So unassuming.

The author did a great job of subtly increasing the intensity throughout the novel. I am still reeling that one of the more exciting reads I have had in the last few months came from this YA romance.

[luciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I'm so so glad with how it all turned to be because I was actually kinda scared that I would hate it !! Gladly the author did very well with the story and I also really appreciate how the characters would proudly say the word lesbian :(

[yvee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ailsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

If there had been slightly less lying and deceiving and double-crossing, I’d have rated this higher. I just found it so stressful to read 😬

Also Skylar is a TERRIBLE friend and this should have been stated more.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

this swept me up within the first chapter and I literally finished it in one sitting. amazing.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Zoey's best friend is suddenly dumped by Chelsea on the night the two were supposed to go to the prom together, Zoey is enlisted to get Chelsea interested in her so she can dump Chelsea. Zoey reluctantly goes along with the plan because she's worried about losing her best friend, especially since she's getting no support from her religious parents who aren't happy about her being a lesbian. It turns out Zoey and Chelsea knew each other in middle school before they went off to different high schools and were each other's first kiss.

Of course the plan goes awry when Zoey and Chelsea develop feelings, but a lot of high school drama means that there's a lot that Zoey will have to deal with before the truth comes out.

Siera Maley is one of the best of the lesbian/bi YA book authors and this book didn't disappoint. It's hard to watch Zoey dig herself deeper into a lie, and the big reveal is quite interesting and surprising.

[Misago · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. Once in a while, I enjoy the kind of messy romance that blooms in a situation that always tethers on the brink of violently exploding, and eventually it does, but finds a good ending.

I also like it when characters do the wrong things for the right reasons.

The two leads, Zoey and Chelsea, were deep and well-written, in my opinion, and I was surprised what I could still learn about them, the longer the story went on. Not in a "the author made up new stuff about them" sense, but connecting little hints and giving the answers to questions I've been pondering in regards to the backstory.

I liked the the relationship that unfolded, and the feelings happening felt a lot more deep and well-developed than they do in a lot of romances.

Can definitely recommend!

[Story of a Book Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew if I ever wanted a real relationship I’d have to be myself, but I was scared if I did that I’d be a disappointment.

Zoey’s best friend, Skylar, gets dumped the day of prom. She doesn’t take it well. So she devises an evil plan, but she needs Zoey’s help in order to put it into action. They want to make the girl who broke Skylar’s heart pay. They want her to suffer the same way she did. In order for her plan to work, Zoey has to seduce her best friend’s ex, Chelsea.
But there are two main reasons why their plan might fail:
1. Chelsea and Zoey actually knew each other, they went to middle school together, and they were each others first kiss.
2. The more Zoey gets to learn Chelsea, the more she starts to catch feelings.

~ 🌈 ~

Although ‘The Gay Girls Guide to Ruining Prom’ is a love story at its core, it also faces very relevant and important topics such as:
~ what it feels like to feel like a disappointment in the eyes of your own religious parents
~ homophobia
~ toxic friendships
~ fear of losing a friend, fear of being alone
~ being misunderstood
~ coming out
~ standing up for yourself
~ what it means to use someone
~ how lying can hurt, even if you had the best intentions when you first told that lie
~ forgiveness and acceptance

~ ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 ~

Even though the book is short, the characters are well developed. The relationship dynamics are well played out.
The relationship between Zoey and Chelsea is a mature one, they don’t judge each other and they always try to understand one another.
Theirs is a very cute and spicy love story.
It’s a really sweet romance novel.
It’s both a fun read and a heartbreaking one at times.

[XR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me weird feelings inside while I read. The whole plan of lying to Chelsea just didn't sit right with me but hey... it's the plot right? I wondered if Zoey was going to be able to work things out and was happy for a few things that happened. Firstly, that she was no longer friends with Skylar. Second, that her and Alex sorted out their friendship... and finally, Zoey was able to get her truth out and worked things out with Chelsea.