Please note: I received an ARC copy of this book as part of Nori's Sunday Street Team in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (From GoodReads):
Taylor Simmons is screwed.
Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.
Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.
Review:
This was a fun book!!! Overachiever Taylor is the best at everything, but when she doesn't get accepted to her dream college, she goes on a bender, and winds up with a reputation. This is not something she was prepared for. Where once she is the apple of most teacher's eyes, she is now thought of as "that girl"who got drunk and hooked up with notorious bad boy, Evan.It was painful to read about how Taylor was slut-shamed after the party. But I think that, sadly, this happens to teens all the time. No one is doing that to the guy; they are high-fiving him and calling him a stud. I wish that more people had stood up for Taylor and called people out for their double standards. But, I think this is how this would play out in real life.
Taylor takes the abuse of her classmates for a while and then decides she has had enough. Evan sees how the students are treating Taylor and begins to feel guilty. She talks Evan into pretending to be more than just a one-night stand. They will pretend date. It works and people stop harassing Taylor. Of course, you know what will follow...
Although this seems so cliche, it was actually really well done. Taylor and Evan begin to see each other as actual people, and not just stereotypes. I liked that neither of them actually had perfect home lives. They both had family issues to deal with. Perhaps author Jenn P. Nguyen could have added more about Taylor's absent dad, but I think that issue was for Evan's character to come to terms with, and it may have distracted from his story arc. More could have happened with Taylor seeing how no one is perfect. It would have been good for her to go from being judgemental to being more accepting of others. But the main focus of the book was on the romance.
I liked this so much I was inspired to make a playlist on Spotify! Here it is:
Rating:
Release Date: June 7th, 2016
Source: Nori's Sunday Street Team & the Publisher
Format: E-book ARC
Recommendation: This will be a fun read for teens dealing with all the pressures of college applications and relationships.
AND...Here is a giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh my gosh I love how you created a spotify playlist!!! That's so awesome :D
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