I’ve never read any of Rebekah Weatherspoon’s adult romances, but I’ve heard really great things about her writing so I was excited to read a YA book by her. First of all, this author has an incredible YA voice! Bethany was a very believable and sympathetic teen protagonist. The high school lifestyle and teenage struggles were also written in a way that read honest and connected.
The story is a sweet play on the fake dating trope, which worked out well! I think it was the character development that really sold the story as well as how seamlessly the author wove in the YA themes of identity and change in a diverse world filled with queer teens and adults and fat rep and positivity AND racial diversity as well. Nothing felt contrived or forced. Instead the world and the characters felt real and familiar, and I think those are important qualities in a romance novel. Romance readers want to be surprised while at the same time comforted by the expectations that must be met in a romance such as a happily ever after and relatability of characters and story no matter how far-fetched the plot.
I highly recommend this sweet YA romance to teens and adults alike!
The story is a sweet play on the fake dating trope, which worked out well! I think it was the character development that really sold the story as well as how seamlessly the author wove in the YA themes of identity and change in a diverse world filled with queer teens and adults and fat rep and positivity AND racial diversity as well. Nothing felt contrived or forced. Instead the world and the characters felt real and familiar, and I think those are important qualities in a romance novel. Romance readers want to be surprised while at the same time comforted by the expectations that must be met in a romance such as a happily ever after and relatability of characters and story no matter how far-fetched the plot.
I highly recommend this sweet YA romance to teens and adults alike!