The Nerdy and the Dirty

by B T Gottfred

Pen Lupo is sick and tired of hiding who she is. On the outside, Pen is popular, quiet, and deferential to her boyfriend. On the inside, however, Pen is honest, opinionated--and not quite sure that she's like other girls. Do they have urges like she does?

His classmates may consider him a nerd, but Benedict Pendleton knows he's destined for great things. All he has to do is find a worthy girlfriend, and his social station will be secured. Sure, Benedict is different--but that's what he likes about himself.

When fate intervenes, both Pen and Benedict end up at the same vacation resort for winter break. Despite their differences, the two are drawn together. But is there such a thing as happily ever after for a nympho and a nerd?

• ISBN10: 1627798501
• ISBN13: 9781627798501
• Publish Date: 15 November 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 24 November 2021
• Imprint: Henry Holt & Company
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leah]

The Nerdy and the Dirty is one of those books that kind of amazes you – it’s so frank and honest about sex, which is a blast of fresh air since most YA fades into black so in that respect it’s completely different to any YA novel I’ve ever read, but it is, also, in the way Benedict and Pen act. They’re unfailingly honest – about everything. Perhaps a bit too much sometimes, but let me tell you this: once you’ve read this book, you most certainly won’t forget it.

I admit to struggling a little bit with how much I liked the book – on the one hand, it definitely got better the more I read, and the short, sharp chapters are a great bonus; but on the other hand? The insta-love? PLEASE. I just didn’t understand how Pen became completely enamoured with Benedict, simply because they were in the same place on vacation? Was that all there was to it? Because pages earlier she was calling him a retard (which perhaps was edited out in the end? But I fear not?) and I can’t comprehend her having such a quick change of opinion, it just seemed too quick for me, no matter HOW nice it was for Benedict to talk to her.

Benedict kinda made the book for me – with his wry humour, his Sheldon-Cooper-like way of dealing with things (ie. with his mind, not his emotions). But I liked seeing him understand he has issues with being sociable, and the way he tries to be more sociable is pretty impressive as it would have been SO easy to just keep going as he was.

The Nerdy and the Dirty is such a thought-provoking read that will leave you with tons of questions, and I genuinely liked it’s frankness, it was just the quickness of the love story that didn’t entirely make sense to me. HOWEVER, the best part of this book isn’t even really part of this book – it’s the acknowledgements. They are the BEST acknowledgements I’ve ever, ever read in my life. Like seriously, authors: The bar has been set and I dare you to try and beat B.T. Gottfred’s fantastic acknowledgements. It’s worth reading for that alone, but it is an interesting, fast-paced, honest read.

[Angie]

The Nerdy and the Dirty is the most adorably awkward and honest book I have ever read. Benedict is a dork. He doesn't think he is, but that's what the entire school and his best friend thinks. Benedict has a very high opinion of himself (despite this little voice named Evil Benny), and has decided that he's going to get a girlfriend. He doesn't know who, just that it won't be Pen, who is very popular and Robert's crush. Pen might be popular, but she's fake, and she hates it. She's determined to say exactly what's on her mind, but the only person who might appreciate that is the school's biggest dork...

I wasn't sure about The Nerdy and the Dirty at first. Benedict's opening chapter didn't paint him in the best light, but once I got to know him, I loved him! But it was Pen's first chapter that got me hooked. She admits to loving to masturbate, but it's not something she'd ever admit out loud, even to her boyfriend. Pen has all kinds of thoughts which her friends would think she's weird for, so she just keeps her mouth shut. But when she ends up at the same resort as Benedict for winter break, she finds herself saying exactly what she's thinking and it feels so good!

The Nerdy and the Dirty was just so freaking awkward and I loved it! It's basically Pen and Benedict rambling on and on about everything happening inside their odd minds. Pen wants to be herself, but is afraid of ending up alone because people will think she's "freaky." Benedict realizes that even though he's super smart that he "has social problems" which is why he has no friends besides Robert. Of course, since we're getting the unedited thoughts of hormone driven teenagers, there's a lot of talk of sex and masturbation. It's very frank and I loved that! Pen and Benedict are not afraid to talk to each other, which makes them basically the perfect couple.

I just really, really loved The Nerdy and the Dirty. Benedict is nerdy, and Pen is dirty (but not really, she's pretty normal, just likes self lovin'). It's a very different kind of read, but one that made me laugh out loud and cringe and was just generally a delight to read.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.