The Fill-in Boyfriend

This book made me feel incredibly old. I read a lot of YA books. I have a teenager and we like to talk about books every once in a while. I have seen this book floating around internet and thought it would be one that I would enjoy. I think that the target audience for this book would really enjoy. My daughter would most likely love it. I thought it was okay but during much of the story I kept wondering why anyone would do the things they were doing.

Gia is dumped by her boyfriend, Bradley, in the parking lot as they are going into her senior prom. She is able to talk another boy waiting in his car to fill-in for Bradley and take her to the prom. She doesn't want her friends to know that she was dumped because she thinks that they may just think she made Bradley up completely. Things take off from there and the pair develop a nice friendship that could lead to more.

I couldn't help but wondering why it was so important what Gia's friends thought since she is only weeks away from graduating. I do remember how important my friends were at that age but as an old lady I know that she will not see most of those people again except for on Facebook. Most of the problems in this book could just be solved if she quit worrying about what everyone else thinks.

There were some cute moments in the book. The fill-in was adorable at the prom and I loved Beck and the rest of his family. Gia's family was a nightmare in that perfect Barbie sort of way. The friends that Gia was trying so hard to impress were very hard to like. The time spent with the fill-in and his family really made up for most of the negatives. He was just such a nice guy.

I like the narrator quite a bit. Shannon McManus capture Gia perfectly. I thought she did a great job with all of the voices but she really became Gia. The pacing of her reading was nicely done and I think she captured the emotions of the characters very well. It was a pleasant listening experience and I would certainly listen to her work again.

I would recommend this book to others. I think that teenagers and young adults will really enjoy it. This is the first book by Kasie West that I have had a chance to read but I would pick up more of her work in the future.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media - Ideal Audiobooks.