The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris

The Fine Art of Pretending

by Rachel Harris

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date-Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy's biggest hottie and most notorious player. With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school's second biggest hottie, and now Aly's pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from funny friend to tempting vixen is only a matter of time. But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable break up leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can't explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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It's a known fact that I am trash for friends-to-more romances, and I was delighted with the way Harris used that trope in THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING.

Aly was a cute and sporty young woman, who wanted to be noticed and wanted to be, well, wanted. She hoped that she would finally have a "real" date for the annual homecoming dance. No more friend-dates. No more pity-dates. Her goal was to attract a guy via her Operation Sex Appeal make-over, but when she threw in some fake dating, things got complicated.

Having been the short, cute girl, I could really relate to Aly. Always being "the friend", never being the one the boys were climbing over each other to date. It makes you feel less than, and I really felt that come through, when I was in Aly's head. I can't say I thought her plan was an amazing one, though, I think teen me tried the same exact thing. I appreciated her struggle and felt it was an important learning experience for her. Maybe the tight, revealing clothing didn't yield the results she was seeking, but they did embolden her a bit, and that, along with Brandon as her fake-hookup, kicked the confidence that she always had into high gear. I liked the focus on the inside versus the outside, and that Brandon also shared this view was a bonus.

Speaking of Brandon. His fear of losing people kept him from enjoying a full-on romantic relationship. He was, however, an wonderful friend to Aly. They had great chemistry and a wonderful rapport, and it was easy to see they shared a special bond, but, yeah, I definitely wanted to see that move to the next level, because they were tailor made for one another.

The book also had many of the elements I love to see: a great female friendship, male characters sharing their feelings, and a solid family with great sibling bonds. All these things was wrapped up in a super cute romance, which was light, fluffy, swoony, and sweet.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 December, 2019: Finished reading
  • 27 December, 2019: Reviewed