The Fill-In Boyfriend

by Kasie West

[Angie]

The Fill-In Boyfriend was an entertaining twist on the fake relationship turned real trope. It all starts with Gia being dumped by her older boyfriend outside of the prom. For the last two months her frenemy, Jules, was trying to prove that Gia made Bradley up, and if she shows up to the dance without him it'll just prove her right. But then Gia spots Hayden sitting in the parking lot. Luckily, he agrees to get changed and be Bradley for the night before breaking up with her so she can move on. But once the lies start, it's kind of hard to stop them.

I quite enjoyed The Fill-In Boyfriend. The fake boyfriend thing was just a way for the characters to meet. From there is mostly about Gia not letting anyone see the real her, even her supposed best friends. She honestly believes that they'd dump her because of Jules' accusations, so she never gives them a chance to prove otherwise. It all winds up being one huge mess, since there's two Bradley's running around, plus Gia admits to meeting a new guy, even though that's Hayden. Gia does learn that lying is not the way to go and that she needs to have more faith in people and stop worrying about being perfect. However, there's no closure at the end when it comes to her BFF. It was this big thing, but then it's like she and Jules never existed.

My favorite part of The Fill-In Boyfriend was actually Hayden's sister, Bec. She and Gia do not get along at first, because they run in completely different social circles. Gia realizes that she hasn't been the nicest and puts an effort into standing up for Bec when her friends are taunting her. Of course, they bond and become friends, and Bec becomes an amazing ally for Gia in this big 'ol mess that she creates for herself. I believed their reluctant friendship much more than the shallow relationship between Gia and the other girls.

In the end, I liked The Fill-In Boyfriend. It wasn't quite what I was anticipating, but it was still enjoyable. I do wish there had been more fake dating, rather than the complicated web of lies and mistrust that followed. I did like the strong focus on friendships and sharing your feelings, but fake dating is my favorite! Give me more!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.