4.5 stars

I loved this story. Both Jess and Gabe are dealing with way more than any teenager should have to. There are some heavy topics discussed but the book balanced the emotional and fun well.

I love Jess and Gabe together. He pulls her out of her comfort zone but still respects her boundaries. I love the way Jess breaks through his Hollywood facade to see the real Gabe.

This is a great YA read!

No spice but there are steamy kisses. The characters do discuss sex in a way that feels appropriate for 17-18 year olds.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest opinion.

It was a very cookie-cutter YA romance. I didn't feel it had anything special to offer (aside from being set in Dallas? Always fun to see the place I grew up in a piece of media).

Such a cute romance. I loved the characters loved their story. The chemistry was cute hot and on pointe. Cannot recommend this book enough.

No public review as I don't have a positive review.

I understand that this is YA but it felt very immature for the age of the characters involved. Every adult in this book was a nightmare, the writing style was again immature for the age, the plot wasn't particularly enjoyable and I just couldn't connect with this at all. The adults being so awful really ruined this for me.

Cute heartwarming YA book with no spice.

I enjoyed hitting the romcom trope checklist in this book, we got the ups and downs with some slight mystery and angst.

Gabe and Jess both have family dysfunction and carry a secret that weighs on them in their professional life. While each hold it differently, they are both essentially masking their true self in the public eye.

They are opposites attract, found family, don't judge the book by it's cover, and pull on your heart strings.

Enjoyed this one, ore than I thought I would. I felt like the characters were easy to love and their love story was realistic. Thought it would be a silly romance but had more depth to it. Would make a great movie :)

Loved Jess and Gabe.

Their first meeting had me laughing out loud.

Would love to read more from this author.

Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. I was drawn in thanks to a promising premise – and I'm always a sucker for this kind of plotline, but this book just didn't do it for me. I feel like the execution just fell flat, as the pace was way too slow for my liking, and the reinforcement of certain clichés over and over again just made my brain hurt.

Imagine your first kiss is from a heartthrob, the equivalent of if you were kissed by Dylan O'brien from Teen Wolf... Then you are thrown in a whirlwind of drama when everyone thinks you're dating.

Jess is a new author going to her first event who is kissed by Gabe, who is a heartthrob trying to get away from his crazy fans and is looking for a way out. So he kisses Jess.... Then they end up fake dating in order for his fans to be more focused on him instead of his family drama. And Jess gets more eyes on her upcoming book. But soon they develop real feelings

But will their relationship last the drama of what it means to date a heartthrob???...

This was a really fun YA romance - it had great back story and development of the characters and was very cute and quick to read.
The supporting characters were also well written and added to the story. Fake dating, opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine - lots of fun. I really liked Gabe!
Really fun book and would highly recommend.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book got off to a slow start, but I enjoyed it a lot after that!

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me, it’s taken me so long to read as I just kept putting it down and reading something else. I’m never one to leave a review less than 3 star but unfortunately this just wasn’t a book for myself.

This book was really sweet and a perfect YA story. I really enjoyed Gabe and Jess and I could relate to their family struggles. The heavier topics were well handled in my opinion and made me emotional. Their dynamic was super fun to read and the humour in the writing was on point.

Unfortunately, I could not finish this book. This book felt like it would have been better coming out in the early to mid- 2000s. The premise was very intriguing to me - fake dating, famous/normal trope, black cat girl/golden retriever guy... however, the cheesy writing (the "caveboy" references) and the out-of-date stereotypes (she's not like other girls) made the actually novel fall flat.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an early copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day.
I loved the storyline and all the characters. I thought they had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

So much fun to read. Jess and Gabe's meet was so wild. The two deciding to fake date seemed like a cause for disaster but these to learned so much from each other and were there for one another when needed. The banter was so much fun and Jess got herself into the most awkward situations. This book was so much more than just a romance. There were some heavy topics that made this much deeper than your average enemies to lovers story. Gabe seems to have it all and Jess is so socially awkward but the two realize they have more in common than they think.

So, this book is out of my usually reading comfort zone, but I’m doing research and this book worked out for that.

This romcom starring a young author and teen TV star is a good amount of cheesy, mixed with a bit of cringe, and pulled together with enough special sauce that makes it different from other books. There were certainly a handful of moments where I remembered why I don’t read this genre very often. I mean, the werewolf thing is a bit annoying but that’s just me. However, I do appreciate the deviations this book takes from typical romcoms of today. The spice was there, but stayed legal (she is 17 to his 18, after all), and I could feel the connection between the two. As far as timeline goes, it does feel a bit fast, but there have been worse and it’s written well enough that you feel like it’s been a lifetime (just like the characters).

I appreciated the more serious topics in the book and how they were handled, but don’t see Jess getting over everything as fast as she did. And while I did see character growth with Jess, I didn’t see as much with Gabe. It could’ve been more interesting to see him change in a more personal way, but I appreciated how he overcame barriers that weighed him down. I don’t now if they changed him as a person so much.

Last note: Coley annoyed me immensely by having everything be on Gabe. She’s the OLDER sister, and yet acts like she’s a few years younger than Gabe. Perhaps if we saw more into her own problems as opposed to hints here and there, I’d feel for her more.

Overall, it was a good read and very helpful research.


Rating: 3/5

Recommend? Sure

I liked the contrast between the two characters. I could really relate to Jess at times with her quiet and homeschooled personality. It was interesting to see how things would play out with Jess and Gabe seeing how different they are from each other. I recommend this book to anyone who likes opposites attract tropes.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a digital copy for review.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. While the premise initially intrigued me, I struggled to connect with the characters and found the pacing slower than expected. I appreciate the opportunity to read an early copy and wish the author the best with its release

A charming and funny romance that feels real and relatable. The characters are well-written and the story is both humorous and heartwarming. The self-discovery and personal growth of the characters resonate throughout the book and depth and relatability.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of The Accidental Boyfriend by Lori Freeland