I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West Also by this author: Pivot Point, Split Second, The Distance Between Us, On the Fence, , Lucky in Love, Borrow My Heart
Published by HarperCollins on May 5th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Social Issues, Dating & Sex, Love & Romance, Friendship
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable…convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. The task is simple: two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
The problem is that days after prom, she can't stop thinking about her fill-in boyfriend. But can Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?
Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West's talent shines in this tale of one girl's unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself.
The Fill In Boyfriend by Kasie West has turned me into a heart eyes emoji. I actually had to wander over to twitter after reading and proclaim my love to the entire world and then describe how I want a new Kiersten White book like right now because she’s mentioned in the acknowledgments and omg I LOVE YA Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon style. You guys! I have read every single Kasie West book and I have never ever been disappointed. Pretty much her words are gold and they stay gold and I love that forever and ever amen.
Gia Montgomery is in the parking lot before prom and is about to walk in with her gorgeous boyfriend, Bradley, who has never met any of her friends when he breaks up with her. Gia is pretty pissed off at this, mainly because she is scared of what her friends, and in particular, a frenemy named Jules, will think. Gia notices a boy in a truck who has just dropped his sister off. He’s reading a book. She decides to enlist him as her fill in boyfriend for the night. He plays the role to perfection, and even better, ends the night in a fake breakup. Gia, however, can’t stop thinking about him.
THEN! It turns out he needs her to return the favor and be a fill in girlfriend. As cute as this book is, it’s more than a simple contemporary romance. It’s a book about finding yourself and your place. It’s about owning your feelings. It’s about not being defined by friends who maybe aren’t so good for you. In short, this is a book with some depth to it.
Gia is the class president. She’s popular, well liked, and considered to be ‘hot.’ She’s generally nice. However, she’s also addicted to her phone and finds validation in others. She’s got a brother, Drew, who she isn’t all that close with, but would like to be closer to. She also has parents who seem perfect, but when it comes down to it, that is all surface. What I love about The Fill In Boyfriend is that it reminds me of a Sarah Dessen book, in that the truth strength resides in the main character’s journey. Gia has this journey of self discovery, where she learns to express herself and own her emotions. I love that. I love that she learns it is okay to not be perfect and to get mad. ALSO! Sidebar, there’s a girl friendship that forms in this book and it is perfect. Shout out to that.
I know like half of you read books for the kissing and the swoons and the heart eyes and yo this book has got that for sure. The dude who fills in for Bradley is fantastic. He’s a genuinely good guy who enjoys acting, has this ridiculous family, and great taste in road trip food. He pretty much steals all the scenes he’s in with Gia. I think that the two play off each other very, very well – whether it’s throwing stones or running lines or playing Twenty Questions, I really liked these two characters together. He really makes Gia want to be a better person and I think that is one of the best things a relationship can make people want to aspire to.
Kasie West’s book, The Fill In Boyfriend is one that I definitely would have read in a single sitting if I actually had a whole single sitting to read this book in. I mean, it kept me completely engrossed during my lunch break. It kept me up kind of late the other night, and I just kept thinking about it. If that’s not the mark of an awesome book then I do not know what is. I genuinely loved reading this book and kind of think you should just read it TODAY.
Other reviews of The Fill In Boyfriend by Kasie West:
Andi’s ABCs – “One sitting. That’s how long it took me to read”
Snuggly Oranges – “fluffy, fun, and surprisingly deep”
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Haha. Heart eyes emoji indeed. I loved this book, too. I think it’s my favorite West book, but I did also LOVE The Distance Between Us. It’s just been awhile since I’ve read it.
Fill-In Guy is totally fantastic! And the loved the new friend Gia makes. Bec is awesome. Gia’s old friends really pissed me off, though.
I just picked this one up from the library. I’m looking forward to it.
Well good heavens after a review like that it may be sin for me to not at least check it out. 🙂
Ahh, I want to read this book even more now!
I LOVE Kasie West, and hearing that this book is more than just cuteness and kisses (which I am not averse to, *at all*) is really great.
Thanks for the great review April! 🙂
I highly recommend reading this book. Kasie West is an amazing author! All of her books are outstanding! She is by far my favorite author, I am a huge fan, and have read almost every book of her and loved them. One of my favorite things about this book, is how it is in a high school setting. It makes it very easy to relate, especially for teens. I really liked how she has a hook at the end of each chapter, making it so you never want to put down the books. This book had a very interesting plot, and it lead to some drama but it made the book fun and kept you excited to keep reading. It was amazing how it was supposef to be a one night thing, but turned into a full story. (; The Fill-in Boyfriend deserves a 5-star rating with no question.