Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Publisher: HarperTeen

Goodreads link: (click here)

What's it about?

Gia Montgomery has been waiting for prom for a long time, mostly so can show off her hot new boyfriend, Bradley, who goes to UCLA. It wouldn't be such a big deal if Gia's friends actually believed he existed, so tonight at prom, she's ready to make an entrance on Bradley's beefy arm and show him off. If only she lived in a perfect world. Instead, Gia finds herself alone in the parking lot, dressed for prom with no date. Bradley was there, but only long enough to dump her. Now, Gia is about to face the biggest embarrassment of her life. Not only are her friends going to think she's been lying to them about Bradley, but she's going to spend the most important night of her high school career alone and dateless. At least until she spots a cute guy reading in a car in the parking lot waiting to pick up his sister. All she has to do is convince him to pretend to be Bradley for a few hours, get him to "break up" with her in front of her friends and move on with her life. After prom, she can think about how to win back the real Bradley.

 The night doesn't go exactly as she's hoped, but fill-in Bradley does his job, but he also makes quite and impression on Gia. She can't stop thinking about him, but she doesn't even know his real name. She's sure she'll never see him again, but a twist of fate (and the fact that his sister is in one of her classes), gives her a chance to see him again. He needs her to do him a favor as payment for his acting on prom night. Fill-in Bradley is going to his ex-girlfriend's graduation party and he needs a fake girlfriend for a night. There's no commitment and it's just one night, so Gia agrees, but the more time she spends with him, the more she wants to get to know him. This, of course, is a problem, because all of her friends think he's Bradley, and if they see them together, her lies will be exposed.

The thing about fill-in Bradley is, he makes her want to at least try to be a better person. She's beginning to see that she's maybe not been all that kind or accepting, and her new secret life is showing her the true meaning of friendship and love. The only problem is, she's been weaving a web of lies that she'll eventually get tangled up in, and it all gets worse when the real Bradley shows up again, just in time to ruin everything.

My Thoughts:

This book was wonderful! It was cute, fun, sweet, romantic and touching and I really needed that. You know, I tend to not read as much contemporary as I do fantasy/dystopian/paranormal, and it's books like The Fill-In Boyfriend that make me wonder why. Sometimes I do need a dose of reality and Kasie West did a great job administering it. It's a fun story and I loved the characters. Fill-in-Bradley was adorable (and MINE) and Gia started off as a typical stuck-up queen bee and she gradually changed and grew throughout the book into a person I wanted to hug. Also, Gia's friends were a perfect blend of diabolical and devoted. Even though it was a light and entertaining love story, it still had tender and emotional moments concerning family and friendship. There was bit of a lesson weaved throughout, but it wasn't a preachy one. It's mostly about being a nice person and knowing who your true friends are. I just really enjoyed this book. I laughed, I swooned and I cared. I'd definitely recommend it to people, and I actually already have! Kasie West is fabulous and now I have a book hangover because I want more from her! GO read this book!

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<3 Michelle