So, in browsing through the blogosphere, I’ve seen Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance by Brendan Halpin and Emily Franklin take a bit of flack. Now, my question concerning that is just what did you expect out of a book with a bright pink cover? Surely, you didn’t expect anything along the lines of Tolstoy? Personally, I quite liked Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance but I also did not have any unrealistic expectations out of it.
Charlie (a girl) and Fielding (a boy) are actors on a show called Jenna And Jonah. To boost ratings, they pretend to date in real life. However, in actuality they strongly dislike each other. Of course, we can see where this plot is going (holla if you see love-hate for what it is!!). What results is almost a parody of those Disney Channel stars who show up in headlines of gossip magazines. If it’s not Miley, it’s the Jo Bros, or Selena Gomez. Yet, this book is not without sympathy for the young stars. I mean, can you imagine having your every move stalked and documented by the paparazzi, especially at an age when so much awkward and stupid happens. I think this does work on a deeper level as a very subtle critique of fetishizing child celebrities. Yet, we see that those celebs work pretty damn hard for their paychecks.
As I said before, we know where the plot is going to end up, but the journey is fun and rife with sexual tension (ooo la la). The story is told in alternating chapters between Charlie and Fielding. My favorite character point of view was Fielding. He was very laid back and seemed like a realistic teenage boy, I mean what with erections and all. Also, he’s described as a total book worm, reading more than just classics but also mysteries and fantasy which I think is more realistic than only ever reading classics. I mean, I was an ADD reader as a teenager, reading the classics, YA, mysteries, fantasy, contemporary, pretty much anything with an interesting cover copy. Yeah, so Fielding is the type of character I would not mind hanging out with.
I think Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance is a great book for those of us who shamelessly check Perez Hilton and read TMZ. Yes, it’s a very light critique of the culture, but not so heavy (not even close), that it would bring down your beach trip. It’s a quick read and perfect for spring break getaways.
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Frenetic Reader
Sarah’s Random Musings
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I saw this at B&N the other day and almost bought it. I might just have to go back and get it now! Great review!
Two Readers Reviews recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday 4
This one’s on my TBR list. It sounds like an interesting take on the whole celebrity culture while still being pretty light.
Heather @ Geeky Reads recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday 29
Yes! I completely get what you’re saying — it’s like watching any romantic comedy with Jennifer Lopez. Well, what did you expect? An Oscar winner? No. But it’s totally awesome at being what it is! Everyone loves some entertainment. Not everything needs to be earth-shattering. I’m reading this one for sure!
Anna recently posted..Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
I liked this book, too. A very quick, cute, if somewhat predictable story. I also liked Fielding a lot more than I expected.