ARC REVIEW: THE WAY TO GAME THE WALK OF SHAME by Jenn P. Nguyen

THE WAY TO GAME THE WALK OF SHAME

Author: Jenn P. Nguyen
Source: eARC via the Publisher
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: June 7, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary:
Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

That was so cute! I love love love the fake relationship trope but I think this one was one of the best I've read. It felt so natural and I liked that neither of them were really stereotypes. Sure, Taylor was a Good Girl but she was also catty and a bit rude to people. But she was driven and determined to succeed. And yes, Evan was a Player but he also had dreams of his own, he just needed a bit of a push to get there. I was rooting for them the whole time and if you read this one you will definitely fall in love with their love.

I really liked their interactions, the fact that Evan fell first even if he realized it second, and the idea that they both had someone else who would have been "perfect" for them if they hadn't screwed up that night. I also like that they acknowledge that things would have been different if they had never met that night. I just liked (almost) everything about this.

I didn't like that while they both had best friends, we never really got to see more of them other than when it was convenient for Taylor or Evan. And then when we did see them, they only talked about Taylor or Evan and their problems. I would have liked to see more interaction between Taylor and Carly, especially about Carly's interest in the theatre, or even more with Evan trying to get Aaron to participate more in football. Just, something, really. I also thought that Brian fell a little flat but maybe that is just because I really liked Evan. But I also didn't like that Brian basically changed everything about himself to impress Taylor. I think it worked for his character but it still made me a little sad. I also thought that their relationship could have been fleshed out a bit more instead of being insinuated that they were BFFs but he loved her.

I did really like that the night that started everything was at the end and the contract was in here too! They were cute things to add that gave me happy feelings at the end. Like I said, reading this made me feel like the Grinch after he realized the true meaning of Christmas: my heart swelled three sizes too big. I highly recommend checking this one out when it releases in June!