As a debut novel, it was pretty good. The subjects broached here are real and hard to deal with and I think Pitcock really treated them with respect and care.

The book starts off a little oddly. Immediately, we have a sense of who the characters are and we get a odd game of pretend. It's weird. I can't really see a "good girl" and a "bad boy" doing that together and doing it well. That being said, you immediately see some of the chemistry the characters have with each other. Broaching the subject of "bad boy" and "good girl", I can't say they needed the labels. Chance was kind of a player, but there was nothing really "bad" about him. This definitely wasn't a Katie McGarry sitch where the he's part of a gang or the wrong side of town, he was just hot and girls liked him. Back to their chemistry though, the characters played off each other well, and I felt like their relationship was really natural.

The story itself was good. Labels aside, the characters were pretty down to earth and seeing into their worlds really brought the story to life. My heart actually hurt for some of them, 'cause honestly life sucks, but they dealt with it well enough. To be honest though, a lot of the story and problems the characters had could have easily been solved with this magical thing called communication. It was all just assumptions, overheard conversations, and jealousy, though I guess that's kind of what high school is anyway. I don't know guys, was high school really like this for you guys??

One thing that always drives me bananas is when the protag ditches her best friend for a guy. I get that it was a little different here, but her best friend plays a very peripheral role in this book, and she even states that she never sees Jenny anymore.

After typing all that out, you wouldn't know what's good about that novel, but honestly, there was something in the writing that kept me reading. The chemistry between the characters is great and the banter is funny, and as a whole, this book made me feel for the characters and their experiences. Is it a little cliche, sure. Is it super deep, not really. But I think it's a good book to keep you company because you can't help but smile while reading it.

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.76

eARC obtained via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

-review by Between Printed Pages