Happy Pub Day!!!
Well it has been a hot minute since I have been in high school or really even read a YA book taking place in high school.This sweet, coming of age YA Romance really took me back in time!
This book does contain multiple trigger warnings: alcoholism, body shaming, bullying, cheating, divorce, death of parents & anxiety/panic attacks.
Jesse Harmon is the star football player with bad grades. He is on the verge of being kicked off the team when the Coach recruits his smart, book nerdy daughter (Frances) to help Jesse write an English paper. Neither are happy about this arrangement. Frances gets nominated for Prom Queen - she thinks her friends nominated her and wants no part of it until the popular “mean girls” start to ridicule and bully her. Frances wants to prove them wrong so her friends start a full-on campaign for the crown! Jesse overhears some of the bullying and goes into a protective mode and finds himself kicked off the team for good. Both have a lot of family drama which seems to bond them together as they quickly go from enemies to lovers.
This book is well written and is a quick read. The secondary characters are what really make this book! They are relatable but sometimes seem to come across as too juvenile for high school kids. I did have a tough time relating to Frances. She despised the “mean girl” attitude and yet she turned into one herself even to her mother. I can understand her feelings towards her past but she was quite hypocritical with giving her mother the same grace that she wanted from everyone around her. As a mother myself, the way Frances treated her really hurt my soul.
Frances and Jesse do have an insta-romance but I would have loved to see more of a relationship develop between them. Same with the relationship between Trevor and Chris.
I really enjoyed the diversity in this book - plus sized main character, Autistic character, LGBTQIA+ representation. It was refreshing! I loved the multiple POV’s but I do wish we got to hear more from Sonny - she was definitely my favorite character of the book!
I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book! I especially love the ending!!! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good YA Romance especially one that goes outside the norm. I cannot wait to read more books from Robin!
Thank you to Robin Mimna & Booksprout for an Advance Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review!
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐