Nissa | Of Pens and Pages Book Blog's Reviews > The Replacement Crush

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3.5 stars!

Nerd hot was most definitely a thing.”

After a heartbreaking brush-off from a long-time crush cum night time summer affair, book blogger/ high school junior Vivian "Viv" Galdi, comes up with a plan to move on by turning her attention to a replacement crush. Perfectly safe, zing-free crushes.

Her best friends disagree, but Vivian will not be swayed. She has her list of safe crushes, and she intends to find her date in said list for the annual Surfer Ball. She won't add anyone with a zing factor higher than five, not even the new kid in school––the nerd-hot senior from Wisconsin, Dallas Lang a.k.a. Vespa Guy a.k.a. McNerd.



But as people say, true love can't be strategized. Your inner-Spock isn't always right.

I was so happy to have a book blogger heroine! The Replacement Crush was quite fun and entertaining to read. I finished the book in less than half a day; obviously I enjoyed it. Haha!

I loved Vivian when she wasn't being obstinate and oblivious. She's a kind, smart girl with an affinity for romance novels and Star Trek, has quite a successful blog, and she runs the romance book club at her mother's book shop. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to see much about her life as a book blogger other than snippets here and there (book reviews she's written, staying up late to finish book reviews haha, mentions of ARCs and sub-genres).

She has a wonderful relationship with her mother. Her mother, a fairly successful mystery novelist (who publishes her book using a pseudonym), was chill and kind. She's the type of person who'd hang out over pizza and a movie, and give sage advice to her love-sick children.

Guys shouldn't become an obsession...Think of them as sprinkles on the donuts of life. Fun, but not necessary."

Dallas was cute, and his antics made me giggle, but sometimes he felt a bit too perfect for me. He's smart, funny, sweet, kind, can play the cello, and has a secret sport that won him countless trophies. As a young adult fan, I'd definitely him as a "perfect" hero, but even I know someone like him is one in a million.

I really did enjoy reading Vivian and Dallas' banter though. They liked the same things and got along well, and I giggled every time Dallas did or said something only Vivian would understand or appreciate. Inside jokes are the best! And when he flirted with her, Vivian seems completely oblivious, but dear lord if someone flirted with me the way Dallas did with Vivian, I would have given in. I'd rip the Replacement Crush list in front of him and kiss the bejeezus out of him! Haha



Toff, Vivian's childhood friend and sort-of step brother (their parents were dating), was hard to read at first. I didn't know if he was a possible romantic interest, and I was hoping he wasn't. The world has too many YA love triangles. Thank goodness this book didn't add to the list of the millions of YA love triangle stories.

Vivian's best friend, Jasmine, was entertaining and was a good friend to Vivian most of the time... unless she opened her mouth and told practically the world (or in teen speak, their crush and anyone whose opinion mattered to them the most) about Viv's agenda. Maybe it's just my thing about secrets and how I've always believed they're secrets for a reason and should be kept that way, but I hated it every time she blurted something she knew was a secret. I wouldn't trust my phone code with someone like her, let alone my secret replacement crush list.

Don't get me wrong. Jasmine's a good person. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut.

The Replacement Crush was a fun, light read. It's It made me miss high school and the teenage years just a bit. The characters were relatable (for the older readers, I'm sure they reminded you of the teenage years filled with thoughts of boys/girls, the social calendar, and other extra-curricular activities), the plot light, and the pace just right.

The ending made me smile, and the book made me happy. It made me miss reading contemporary YA novels!

If you like hot-nerd male leads, cute flirtations, and tons of pop culture (mostly Star Trek) reference, I recommend The Replacement Crush.

A little warning though, there's a bit of a sensitive scene here. Assault/ intent to rape.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review



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