Thank you so much to Harper/Balzer + Bray & Brian D Kennedy for the advance copy of this book!

I was such a fan of Brian's debut A Little Bit Country, that I knew I had to have this one and man he knocked it out of the park!!!! He does such a great job with getting inside the mind of teenagers and it felt believable.

This book will be published on January 23rd.

Content Warnings from Storygraph:
(view spoiler)

This whole book was so much fun and I was rooting for both Elijah and Wade - together and in their own separate journeys. Wade was such a fun character and even though he had his bratty moments, his confidence was so strong and has that main character energy. And then you have Elijah who wants to have that confidence that Wade has. I love how Kennedy didn't have them interact right away but rather it build and then a messy run in after Wade accidentally joins the stage crew. I was not part of the theater group in any shape but this made me felt like I was there.

As a reader you were just waiting for it to click that they actually had feelings for each other. There is a moment when they were camping that I was screaming while reading. Also this may be a new favorite micro trope.

"Leading roles are not why I do theater. Theater is why I do theater."

Just like with most YA romances, the communication isn't fully developed and it just makes you want to throw your book because you know things could have progressed a little faster if they just said something. Reese made me angry in this because he knew exactly what he was doing to both of them.

As I mentioned above, each character goes on a journey. Wade has to learn how he doesn't always get what he wants and that it is okay to be a side character. Elijah learns how to open himself up not only with love but with friendships as well.

I have never seen My Fair Lady but this made me want to watch movie! It is labeled as a My Fair Lady meets She's All That (I am not sure if I've seen this in full but I promise you I know the concept and how it ends) and I can totally see how it feels like She's All That.

If you are a fan of theater, opposites attract, and just love a queer rom com told in dual POV!
PS - If you are not following Brian on instagram, what are you waiting for! I love seeing his love for Dolly Parton (iykyk)!

PSS - Is it ironic that I was reading two books at the same time that had a My Fair Lady storyline?! WILD!