Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn | Book Review

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.

Coworker, childhood friend, and worst enemy: the changing dynamics of friendship (and maybe...relationship?) are front and center in this charming debut novel with equal amounts of wit and heart.

Quinn is having a rough summer. Her beloved grandmother has been put into a nursing home, her dad’s gambling addiction has flared back up, and now her worst enemy is back in town: Wesley James, former childhood friend and life ruiner.

So when Wesley is hired to work with her at Tudor Tymes, a medieval England-themed restaurant, the last thing Quinn’s going to do is forgive and forget. She’s determined to remove him from her life and even the score for once and for all—by getting him fired.

But getting rid of Wesley isn’t as easy as she’d hoped. When Quinn finds herself falling for him, she has to decide what she wants more: to get even, or to get the boy.

Wesley James Ruined My Life is an engaging romp through rivalry and restaurants from debut author Jennifer Honeybourn and chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads.

Praise for Wesley James Ruined My Life:

“Quinn and Wesley are fun, well-developed protagonists, and there is a full cast of interesting secondary characters, too. The book’s even pacing will entice teens from the start and keep them reading...this [is a] pitch-perfect quirky summer romance.” —School Library Journal

“The writing is excellent, pacing spot-on, and main character’s voice is sweet and funny.” —Lisa Buscemi Reiss, reader on SwoonReads.com

“Immensely readable, utterly charming and absolutely un-put-downable. The duality of Quinn longing to forget Wesley while hurting over being forgotten by her Gran was just beautiful. I got a little weepy. I'm not going to lie.” —Jennifer McKenzie

“Sweet, well written and utterly relatable.” —Inna Hardison, reader on SwoonReads.com

“I liked the main character, Quinn—she was interesting, loyal and passionate. I was rooting for her the whole time and had to know how her story turned out. She was why I kept reading!” —GoodGothGirlReads, reader on SwoonReads.com

Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn did not substantially impact my life. I mean, with a book title like that you might think it’ll have some kind of impact. It did not. Actually, going in, based on the summary I had some expectations for this book. I was hoping it was going to be full of chemistry and hijinks and such. My mind pictured something along the lines of Past Perfect. That was absolutely not the case. I mean, this book is light and an okay read.

So, Wesley James Ruined My Life is about this girl named Quinn who works at the Renaissance themed restaurant. It is a little bit like Medieval Times, but with King Henry instead of jousting. Quinn is obsessed with all things England and in the band. Her grandma has Alzheimers, if I am remembering correctly. Anyways, Quinn used to be friends with this boy named Wesley James. That is, until he supposedly caused her parents divorce. However, Wesley moved away. Only now he is back in town and working with Quinn. But also in band with her too. Now Quinn is dead set on getting Wesley fired as retaliation for what happened all those years ago.

Well, you would think the romance would center around this love-hate push-pull. It kind of does. I mean, Quinn can’t stand Wesley, however, everyone around her is calling her out on it. Wesley is not at all ever mean to her. He actually doesn’t understand why she is kind of cold to them. The moments when Quinn isn’t being the worst are the moments where there’s chemistry between her and Wesley. I liked how things eventually resolved between the two, just there was such a noticeable lack of chemistry up until then.

Friends, this is a short book. You can read it in the time of a readathon or in a single day. I thought, though, that there was a little too much packed in. Like instead of being able to focus in on something, hone it, and make it excellent there are ALL these different directions. So, there’s Quinn’s awesome job, her band responsibilities, her Dad’s gambling and money issues, her grandma’s Alzheimers, the issues with Wesley. Also, there’s the whole band going to England thing. I know that teenagers are multifaceted. Still, I just felt like this book focused on quantity and really missed out on quality. That said, I wouldn’t try to dissuade anyone from reading it. It’s a perfectly pleasant read, just not about to become my favorite.

Other reviews of Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourne:

• The Eater Of Books – “Light, cute, and a quick read“
• Arctic Books – “it’s a no-brainer to say that I enjoyed reading Jennifer’s YA debut“
• Mrs. Reader Pants – “a cute romance that will find lots of fans“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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