Skip to main content

The Fill-In Boyfriend

I have enjoyed Kasie West's books in the past. She is a wonderful voice to have in the world of female YA writers who write about the experiences of girls. Her books are always enjoyable, but The Fill-In Boyfriend was particularly excellent.

Gia is about to walk into her senior prom and prove to her friends, once and for all, that her college boyfriend, Bradley, really does exist. The problem is Bradley breaks up with Gia and leaves her standing in the parking lot. In a desperate move to ensure her friends believe her, Gia conscripts the assistance of a random boy sitting in his car who just dropped off his sister and her date. But Gia's Fill-In boyfriend, Hayden, is quite intriguing in his own right. When his sister forces Gia to go to a party with him thrown by his ex-girlfriend, Gia becomes even more convinced he is a truly good guy and she genuinely begins to like him. She also begins to develop a friendship with his sister as she starts to realize that her family relationships and friendships are lacking in depth. Then her brother does something that causes her to question her life, her need for validation, and how she's contributed to the shallowness of the relationships in her life.

The Fill-In Boyfriend is one of the best teen romances I've read. The chemistry between Hayden and Gia sparks and fizzes from their first sentences spoken to each other. The banter between them is truly fantastic, but also realistically teen in nature. I also enjoyed how both of them have some growing up to do, and they have a positive effect on each other. At first I was worried that Hayden might be a little too awesome of a hero. He's easy to fall for, but West did a good job of showing his weaknesses too. Gia is the star of this story as it is told from her point of view. Her growth in this book is excellent as well and is a realistic look at how one might come to see the need to reevaluate one's life approaching a major milestone.

As much as I loved the relationship between Hayden and Gia, it was the portrayal of female friendship that made this book shine for me. Gia has three close friends and their group is super popular, but Gia is always playing a part when she is with them. Jules, a newer member of their group, seems focused on ousting Gia. I really liked the way this entire dynamic was handled. West showed how people can grown away from each other and face roadblocks in a friendship that seem insurmountable without resorting to cliches or cutout caricatures. Every single one of Gia's friends have motivations and layers that are evident (including Jules), and Gia is certainly not completely innocent of the wrongs her friends become upset over. And I love how messy and complicated this situation still was in the end. Gia's growing friendship with Hayden's sister, Bec, is also a plus to the story. It is a newer friendship, but the two of them bonding is fun reading. I enjoyed that almost as much as the Hayden/Gia scenes.

I also liked how the family dynamics played out as the contrast between Gia's family and Hayden's family is important to her journey of self discover as is her fraught relationship with her brother.

This novel is perfect for anyone who enjoys stories of human growth and questioning, friendship, family, and, of course, romance.

Comments

Kim Aippersbach said…
Would not have picked this up based on the cover, but the premise is more interesting than most teen romances, and you sell it well!
Brandy said…
I do love to sell books I enjoy. :)

Popular posts from this blog

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper  by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a

The Field Guide to the North American Teeanager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a book I picked up on a whim at the bookstore when it first came out. I liked the cover. I thought it had an engaging premise. I went into it with a healthy does of trepidation because the execution could have gone so terribly wrong. Fortunately, Philippe is an excellent character writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading about Norris's adventures in Texas and high school. High school junior Norris Kaplan's life is ruined by his mother when she takes a job that requires them to leave the only home he has ever known in Montreal, Quebec. Moving is always hard, but Norris knows for him it will be harder than it's ever been for anyone else. Norris is moving to Texas. He will be a Canadian living in Texas. Not just a Canadian. A French Canadian who speaks fluent French. And not just your average run-of-the-mill French Canadian. A black son of Haitian immigrant parents French Canadian. If Norris has