Hi! I know it’s been a long time since I made an actual book review, but this year wasn’t a good reading year at all. This really hurt me, because reading brings me so much joy, so not being able to get that extra dose of happiness definitely showed. However, this book might actually get me out of my reading slump. I read this in one day so that already was a big achievement for me this year.
1. Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
“In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbour might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.”
2. Characters
Liz Buxbaum:
I really liked Liz throughout the book. She definitely had some character development towards the end, but there were moments when she acted really childish. Her whole hatred/dislike towards Wes started from a feud they had when they were 8-ish, so that personality trait was annoying. However, I definitely liked her because she reminded me of me. I also am a huge rom-com fan and I started watching them as a way for me and my mom to get closer together a couple of years ago. So, those aspects are really similar to her character. Liz also read like a teenager, she was funny, snarky, anxious, which is something that I really like in YA (young adult) contemporaries.
Wes Bennet:
He was such a great love interest, probably my favorite one from all the YA contemporaries that I’ve read. Since the book doesn’t have his POV (point of view), it’s hard to get a really in-depth picture of him, besides his role as a boyfriend. Wes seems like the typical high school bad boy, but once we get to know him, we learn that he is so much more. He’s caring, sweet, and attentive, which by my standards (and later on Liz’s) makes a great (book) boyfriend.
3. Writing Style
When it comes to YA contemporaries/romances it’s pretty hard to find a very unique writing style. Lynn’s writing style was exactly what I expected considering the plot and demographic for this book. This isn’t to say that her writing wasn’t good, it was just normal for this type of book, which is perfectly fine.
4. Things I Liked
While the first part of this review was kind of generic, now it’s my time to start gushing about this book, because it deserves it. Firstly, I loved how each chapter starts with a quote from a rom-com that Liz watched. That w
as just brilliant, and even more so when the quotes matched the plot of that chapter perfectly. Secondly, I really liked how Lynn wrote Liz’s grief. It was so beautifully written, each of Liz’s feelings got through to the reader. Thirdly, the romance was so delectable. The chemistry was there from the start, but there were so many cute moments throughout the entire book. I definitely, liked how the main focus was on romance. Also, i really liked her passion for music and how she created playlists for essentially everything. That was a really cool aspect because you were told what the songs were, so you could listen to them alongside the characters.
5. Things I Didn’t Like
As I’ve said multiple times already, I really liked this book, so there aren’t many things that I would change. The only aspect that, in my opinion, dragged the book down was that singular POV. If you’ve been following me for some time now, you know that I love dual povs so much. I feel like they could really help the reader get to know both characters better and form stronger relationships with them. And I especially love them, if there is romance in the book. So, I think the book would’ve been better if we also had Wes’s pov. However, the author does have 2 chapters in the book also told from his pov on her website, so I will definitely advise you to check them out, since they are perfect.
6. Favorite Quotes
“Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.”
“She’s pretty, but her face doesn’t transform into sunlight when she talks about music.” He did that clench thing with his jaw and said, “She’s funny, but not spit-out-your-drink-in-astonishment funny.” It felt like my heart was going to explode as his eyes moved down to my lips under the glow of the buzzing streetlight. He moved his face a little closer to mine, looked into my eyes, and rumbled, “And when I see her, I don’t feel like I have to talk to her or mess up her hair or do something—anything—to get her to swing that gaze on me.”
“I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you.”
7. Overall Opinion
I gave this book 4.5/5 stars (or CDs :)) since I feel like it’s such a great romantic ya book. It is a great summer, feel-good read, so pick it up while you still can. There are some great tropes in this as well such as enemies-to-lovers, (kinda) fake dating, it’s always been you. Definitely, a swoony book that I loved.
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