Cameron is generally pretty good about accepting himself as who he is. He loves anime and so he proudly wears anime shirts to school. Him and his friends even have a group called GANU (geeks and nerds United).
His friends basically hate the “cool” kids though and they assume that the cool kids hate them. One particular cool kid, Lucas, has been picking on Cameron for years.
But Cameron is keeping a secret from everyone. Cameron has been hooking up with one of the coolest girls in school for months in secret. Cameron would never even dream of dating Karla before this past summer. But then Karla and Lucas broke up (again) and Karla started working at the same coffee house as Cameron. They got to know and like each other away from school, away from their cliques.
When school starts back up they either have to keep their situation secret or break things off. It’s not that Karla is embarrassed of Cameron. It’s not. Or is it? Because it’s hard to explain away her hesitation beyond he’s not cool and she is cool.
But, the thing is, Cameron’s friends would hate them dating too. They think the popular kids look down on them and, as a result, they almost pre-emptively dislike all the popular kids.
So Cameron gets the idea in his head that he just has to bridge the gap between the groups. If he can get the popular kids to like him then Karla will be able to admit that her and Cameron are together (not that it’s official, but it could be).
In the meantime though he starts getting to know Mackenzie better. Mackenzie is an official member of GANU. She likes all the same things Cameron likes. He can be himself around her. At first he thinks she dislikes him but it turns out he’s wrong about that. He’s misread her sarcastic personality as unfriendliness.
Which girl will he fall for in the end?
I think there’s some good lessons here about accepting yourself.
I think the biggest problem at the beginning for Cameron and Karla was how their secret hook ups made him feel about himself. If she wants to hook up with him but it’s not ok for anyone to know, then she’s probably not cool with how he comes off at school. And if he’s ok with being her secret then is he accepting himself as he is? It’s something to think about.
There’s also another thought about being with someone you can be yourself around. Someone who likes you as you are and not the version of you that’s cool enough for their friends. But, at the same time, you don’t all have to like anime to be a good couple huh?
I first received an early edition from NetGalley of this book and then won a physical book from BookishFirst.
I liked the characters in this book and the storyline. I liked the subtle Pride and Prejudice comparisons. And I like that the book makes you think about what the characters are going through. The conclusion came on a bit suddenly, I felt like the book flew by.
His friends basically hate the “cool” kids though and they assume that the cool kids hate them. One particular cool kid, Lucas, has been picking on Cameron for years.
But Cameron is keeping a secret from everyone. Cameron has been hooking up with one of the coolest girls in school for months in secret. Cameron would never even dream of dating Karla before this past summer. But then Karla and Lucas broke up (again) and Karla started working at the same coffee house as Cameron. They got to know and like each other away from school, away from their cliques.
When school starts back up they either have to keep their situation secret or break things off. It’s not that Karla is embarrassed of Cameron. It’s not. Or is it? Because it’s hard to explain away her hesitation beyond he’s not cool and she is cool.
But, the thing is, Cameron’s friends would hate them dating too. They think the popular kids look down on them and, as a result, they almost pre-emptively dislike all the popular kids.
So Cameron gets the idea in his head that he just has to bridge the gap between the groups. If he can get the popular kids to like him then Karla will be able to admit that her and Cameron are together (not that it’s official, but it could be).
In the meantime though he starts getting to know Mackenzie better. Mackenzie is an official member of GANU. She likes all the same things Cameron likes. He can be himself around her. At first he thinks she dislikes him but it turns out he’s wrong about that. He’s misread her sarcastic personality as unfriendliness.
Which girl will he fall for in the end?
I think there’s some good lessons here about accepting yourself.
I think the biggest problem at the beginning for Cameron and Karla was how their secret hook ups made him feel about himself. If she wants to hook up with him but it’s not ok for anyone to know, then she’s probably not cool with how he comes off at school. And if he’s ok with being her secret then is he accepting himself as he is? It’s something to think about.
There’s also another thought about being with someone you can be yourself around. Someone who likes you as you are and not the version of you that’s cool enough for their friends. But, at the same time, you don’t all have to like anime to be a good couple huh?
I first received an early edition from NetGalley of this book and then won a physical book from BookishFirst.
I liked the characters in this book and the storyline. I liked the subtle Pride and Prejudice comparisons. And I like that the book makes you think about what the characters are going through. The conclusion came on a bit suddenly, I felt like the book flew by.