**Many thanks to BookishFirst, Penguin Teen/Putnam, and David Yoon for an ARC of this book!**
Sunny Dae (yes, that's really his name) has always been a nerd, a far cry from his wannabe rockstar older brother Gray who is out pursuing his dreams in LA. When he moves to a new town due to his entrepreneurial parents' unyielding ambitions, he finds brothers-in-arms in Jamal and Milo, and the trio stand up against full-time jock and part-time bully Gunner. Sunny's life takes a dramatic turn, however, when his parent's prospective clients bring their fun and quirky daughter Cirrus around to meet Sunny...who has consequently been hanging out in his rockstar brother's former bedroom, wearing his clothes, and even holding his guitar. Of course, Cirrus instantly gets starry-eyed for the teenaged rocker Sunny. And naturally, this leaves Sunny no choice but to recruit his friends and transform into said rockstar. Can these nerds get their rockin' revenge? Will Sunny get the girl...and more importantly, can he keep her?
Super Fake Love Song is, at its core, a love song in and of itself: to all nerds, everywhere. Yoon goes so far as to actually dedicate this book to them, and he lived up to that promise! This book is SO nerdy and quirky, in fact, that it took me quite a while just to get used to the narration. At first, I felt it might just be a bit over my head, but as time went on, I got very invested in Sunny and his friends and got increasingly hopeful they would be able to pull off their scheme. Super Fake Love Song reminded me in some ways of what John Green attempted to do (and in my opinion, did not do) in an Abundance of Katherines, with the almost Asperger-like qualities in those characters. What felt jerky and strange there flowed much better here for me, and these teens are full to bursting with uniqueness. The story kept moving and I appreciated Yoon's balance of relationships, from Sunny's relationship with Cirrus, to his brother, to his parents, and beyond.
Though perhaps not the most inventive in terms of plot, Super Fake Love Song is a fun ride through the ups and down of high school, first love, and rock and roll, ultimately underscoring the universal truth: Nerds really DO rule the world.
Sunny Dae (yes, that's really his name) has always been a nerd, a far cry from his wannabe rockstar older brother Gray who is out pursuing his dreams in LA. When he moves to a new town due to his entrepreneurial parents' unyielding ambitions, he finds brothers-in-arms in Jamal and Milo, and the trio stand up against full-time jock and part-time bully Gunner. Sunny's life takes a dramatic turn, however, when his parent's prospective clients bring their fun and quirky daughter Cirrus around to meet Sunny...who has consequently been hanging out in his rockstar brother's former bedroom, wearing his clothes, and even holding his guitar. Of course, Cirrus instantly gets starry-eyed for the teenaged rocker Sunny. And naturally, this leaves Sunny no choice but to recruit his friends and transform into said rockstar. Can these nerds get their rockin' revenge? Will Sunny get the girl...and more importantly, can he keep her?
Super Fake Love Song is, at its core, a love song in and of itself: to all nerds, everywhere. Yoon goes so far as to actually dedicate this book to them, and he lived up to that promise! This book is SO nerdy and quirky, in fact, that it took me quite a while just to get used to the narration. At first, I felt it might just be a bit over my head, but as time went on, I got very invested in Sunny and his friends and got increasingly hopeful they would be able to pull off their scheme. Super Fake Love Song reminded me in some ways of what John Green attempted to do (and in my opinion, did not do) in an Abundance of Katherines, with the almost Asperger-like qualities in those characters. What felt jerky and strange there flowed much better here for me, and these teens are full to bursting with uniqueness. The story kept moving and I appreciated Yoon's balance of relationships, from Sunny's relationship with Cirrus, to his brother, to his parents, and beyond.
Though perhaps not the most inventive in terms of plot, Super Fake Love Song is a fun ride through the ups and down of high school, first love, and rock and roll, ultimately underscoring the universal truth: Nerds really DO rule the world.