'This May End Badly' by Samantha Markum

 4.5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do."

Review:

Really enjoyed the ride, following prank mastermind Doe and her clever friends in their feud against 'the boys' of the nearby rival elite boarding school. They've all set out to prove to both administrations that Weston girls and Winfield boys are seriously against their schools merging, with some rather creative methods. Elite boarding schools with rich histories and traditions was the perfect setting for unsupervised shenanigans.

I loved the slow burn, enemies-to-lovers after fake-dating between Doe and Wells, and all the ways this affected Doe's group of friends and Wells' complicated family life. These characters are all well-developed and have realistic and relatable reactions to things. I also really appreciated that both Doe and Wells' parents were loving and supportive, despite some dysfunction between cousins and other relatives.

'This May End Badly' is out on April 12, 2022

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

Fools In Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales - Edited by Rebecca Podos

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"Join fifteen bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they reimagine some of the most popular tropes in the romance genre.  

Fake relationships. Enemies to lovers. Love triangles and best friends, mistaken identities and missed connections. This collection of genre-bending and original stories celebrates how love always finds a way, featuring powerful flora, a superhero and his nemesis, a fantastical sled race through snow-capped mountains, a golf tournament, the wrong ride-share, and even the end of the world. With stories written by Rebecca Barrow, Ashley Herring Blake, Gloria Chao, Mason Deaver, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Malinda Lo, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Rebecca Podos, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, and Julian Winters this collection is sure to sweep you off your feet."

Review:

There is something for everyone to enjoy in this collection of LGBTQIA+ inclusive Young Adult short stories, which re-imagine popular tropes in Contemporary, Sci-fi, and Fantasy books.

My Favorites:

What Makes Us Heroes by Julian Winters 

And by Hannah Moskowitz 

My Best Friend's Girl by Sara Farizan 

The Passover Date by Laura Silverman 

Boys Noise by Mason Deaver

'Fools In Love' will be available on December 7, 2021

#FoolsInLove #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Out of Character' (True Colors #2) by Annabeth Albert

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"It's friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers in this LGBTQIA+ Romance for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Pros of Cons who enjoy:

• Ex-best-friends falling in love 

• Gaming, conventions, fandom & cosplay 

• Nerd culture at its finest 

• Learning how to be true to yourself

Jasper Quigley is tired of being everyone's favorite sidekick. He wants to become the hero of his own life, but that's not going to happen if he agrees to help out his former best friend turned king of the jocks, Milo Lionetti. High school was miserable enough, thanks, and Jasper has no interest in dredging up painful memories of his old secret crush.

But Milo's got nowhere else to go. His life is spiraling out of control and he's looking to turn things back around. Step one? Replace the rare Odyssey cards he lost in an idiotic bet. Step two? Tell his ex-best-friend exactly how he feels—how he's always felt.

Jasper may be reluctant to reopen old wounds, but he never could resist Milo. There's a catch, though: if Milo wants his help, he's going to have to pitch in to make the upcoming children's hospital charity ball the best ever. But as the two don cosplay for the kids and hunt for rare cards, nostalgia for their lost friendship may turn into something even more lasting..."

Review:

Great second entry in the True Colors series.  

Set in a fictional college town in New Jersey, our two main characters were best friends in childhood, then turned enemies when Milo's friends and family couldn't accept Jasper even hinting at being gay. Rather than defend Jasper, Milo remained silent and Jasper had the good sense to end their friendship. Years later, Milo needs the type of help only Jasper can provide; he gambled away expensive, rare Odyssey cards that didn't even belong to him. Not only is Jasper a whiz at internet research, but he also works at the local comic-book shop which hosts table top gaming.

My favorite thing about 'Out of Character' is the familiarity between Jasper and Milo. They grew up in each other's houses, with each other's sibling madness, and it shows. They take turns narrating the chapters and their memories of time previously spent together clearly affects their present-day interactions. Watching Milo's hard outward persona soften up and treating Jasper right was very satisfying, and I found Jasper to be incredibly sweet and easy to root for.

This is a slow-burn, former best friends-to-lovers tale with minimal, PG-13 heat. It’s technically classified as New Adult due to the main characters being in their early 20’s but I am comfortable recommending this to mature YA readers (and gaming fans) who have seen the trigger warning and want to read former best friends get together.  

'Out of Character' is available on July 6, 2021.  Please note: Trigger warnings for homophobia and bullying.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.