I was rooting for them from the minute she asked him to dance, and kept rooting all the way to the end. He was everything you’d want in a boyfriend, but it was never about how much I liked his character and always about how good he was for Jen. When I enjoy a relationship in a book, it’s usually because I have developed a not-entirely-appropriate crush on the guy.

It was eye opening to see Jen’s deeply distrustful outlook on life and it was heartbreaking to see her disbelief in happy endings almost sabotage getting everything good she deserves. The book deals with other sensitive teen issues, like drugs, celibacy, abuse, adoption and drinking, which enhanced the story and added great insight to the characters. Jen is a foster child, and her past is slowly revealed giving us a great insight into why she is the way she is. There were little touches that gave the story a lot of depth. Everything about it was so real and natural and it had me absolutely hooked. The chemistry between Jen and Trevor was so palpable that I couldn’t contain my excitement and devastation through the ups and downs of their relationship. While the premise may have been familiar, the book ended up being much more than I expected-it was a well-rounded story about trust, first love and self-discovery. The idea was clichéd, but to be honest, I adored this book so much I read it in one sitting.

To be honest, I’m a sucker for popular guy/unpopular girl love stories (see Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill, most John Hughes movies, and the recently adorable Jenna and Matty from Awkward), so I thought it would be fun to see the She’s All That concept in reverse.Īt first glance, Jen is your typical goth girl, while Trevor is a handsome geek.

I requested this book from NetGalley on a whim. But when Trevor finds out about the wager, all bets are off. Unexpectedly, Jen discovers that hanging out with Trevor isn’t so bad after all. In an effort to combat her boredom, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a nice little geek, into a “bad boy.” She’s immediately pulled into Trevor’s world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even-ugh!-bowling. Jen’s life of rebelling and sneaking out is growing stale.

Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett