I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Any book that Entangled publish have always been enjoyable, and this was no different. In Incriminating Dating, all Ayla wants is to become class president, and beat the popular queen of school, Jenna. If she does so, she thinks she will be able to change school for the better, as she honestly, truly, cares about what happens, but she has next to no chance of winning as it goes. However, when she spots resident Mr Perfect, Luke, damaging school property and sort of blackmails him into pretending to be her boyfriend, and using his own popularity to win the vote. However, they both soon learn that being with the other is better than they could've expected, Luke especially, and they end up struggling with the fact they are both from different walks of life, and should really have nothing in common.

I loved Ayla. Okay, she did do wrong by blackmailing Luke, but she was honestly a good person, and helping others was all she cared about, so being class president was the only thing on her mind. She always stood up for what she believed in, and for those who needed help. She wants to see the best in people, even when she has been treated like crap by others, so when she spots Luke and some of the other basketball players doing wrong, she uses that to help people, while also believing that Luke is a good person, who might just have done something wrong. Luke, on the other hand, has an awful home life, but at school is treated somewhat like a god. He has such a weight on his shoulders, but is kind, and that is what mainly brings the two of them together. The compliment each other so much, and use what skills and strength they have to do better in life.

Yes, at times the book was a bit predictable, but it was still such a quick and enjoyable read. Definitely a book and author I would happily read from again.

This title was a Did Not Finish. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with it whether it be for characters, story-line or writing style.

Thank you for providing me with a copy.

This is one of those cutsey YA books that I can either read in 1 sitting or not.
I didnt feel the greatest connection btwn the 2 MCs and that is the reason why I read. I need to feel the connection not be told.

So maybe 2/5 stars on this one.

I loved this book! I loved how their lives were more different than either expected.

Ayla Hawkins is looking for a change in her high school. The arts are underfunded while the sports get all the money. The answer is to run for student president. She’s not popular enough to make it on her own. So one night she catches a video of Luke Pressler defacing public property. She uses the video to blackmail him into pretending to date her. He agrees to keep it from coming out. Luke and Ayla come from different worlds but they collide. How will they come back apart after the election?

In an Oyster Shell – A cozy romance that will have you reading to the point you can’t put it down.

The Pearls – The concept is one of my favorites. The underdog gets with the popular guy. It’s my favorite kind of story. I like that the popular guy is not all that he seems. He’s a real person with real struggles. Ayla gets to see that side of him when even his friends don’t. Luke gets to see Ayla as a breath of fresh air with her honesty and true to self-attitude.

The characters were rock solid. Ayla was a strong feminine character with her own style. She made no apologies for it and I loved that. Luke was a character with a lot of depth. As mentioned before he was a real person with real problems. He had problems he kept from his friends. The supporting characters added a nice layer to the story as well.

The romance was sweet. It was a slow burning love. It was an opposites attract story. I really enjoyed the story. If you like an underdog that overcomes story. This is the one for you.

The Sand – It was a really good story!

Major thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for generously allowing me to read an ARC.

I always enjoy Entangled Crush books. Always. Are they cheesy? Incredibly. Do I still love them? YES. And this book was no different. I'm a sucker for a plotline like this. I like that Ayla is actually quite smart; I always appreciate that in a lead character. But I really liked Luke. He was genuinely a good guy, despite what it looked like.
The plot in this one was actually a bit darker than the rest of the imprint, but I really appreciated the fact that it was just a touch different than what would normally be there. It made Luke's character and Ayla's as well, more likeable and more dynamic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this (as always) and look forward to reading even more from this imprint!

Ayla and Luke couldn't be more different; she is studious, apart of several different clubs and he is a popular jock that has a scholarship for his basketball skills. When they are thrown together to act as though they are dating, thanks to blackmail, they will begin to get to know one another and sometimes looks and reputations aren't what they seem. A fun read that had me rooting for them!

I know I’ve talked about this before on here, but WHY DO I KEEP READING BOOKS FROM THIS PUBLISHER. They always have promising premises, but then they never payoff. I just need to learn my lesson and STAY AWAY. Seriously, next time I’m going to read one of these please, somebody stop me.

I liked Luke as a character but Ayla was just too much. I found her overbearing, judgmental, and more than a little self-righteous. To be honest, I’m not totally sure what Luke sees in her, but whatever. Luke had a surprisingly in-depth backstory and I feel like it was given enough screen time to really get to know who he is. Without giving anything away, I do question the plausibility of some things that happen towards the end…but maybe it’s a really big town.

The plot is predictably infuriating. Lack of communication leads to all kinds of drama, etc., etc. Also, characters really need to learn how to passcode protect their phones. That’s pretty much all I have to say about the plot. It’s all just very blah. The antagonist throughout the whole thing is a girl named Jenna Lee who is the cardboard mean girl that makes her way into most of these books. We get nothing from her as far as motivations go–she’s just mean for no reason. So that doesn’t really help to drive the plot forward much or make it more interesting.

Overall, I would not recommend this book. There are plenty of other “blackmailed into dating” books to read if you’re interested in that trope. I’d say give this one a hard PASS.

Overall Rating: 2
Language: Heavy
Violence: None
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate
Sexual Content: Moderate

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ayla and Luke were so interesting. They seemed like such an unlikely pair until they got to know each other and then they really complimented each other. Both acted slightly more mature than many high schoolers, but for good reasons - Luke because of his home life and Ayla because of her social standing. The details at the end were a little sketchy, coming from a foster parent perspective. Overall though, I really enjoyed this story that started as a comic caper and turned into a sweet YA romance.

Incriminating Dating suffers from a lack of originality and spark. So much of the book feels manufactured, including plot and characters. In using the very tired YA device of 'fake boyfriend', author Purdy would have really needed to create some kind of wit or charm to elevate beyond the cliches. Unfortunately, there was none to be found here. As a very fluffy Summer read, I imagine this will fit the bill. But keep in mind that we have a Twinkie instead of steak for dinner.

Story: Ayla is frustrated that the school keeps pumping money into the jocks rather than the arts and sciences. Her only solution is to run for student body president so she can have a say in how the school's funds are allocated. When she catches super popular jock Luke Pressler misbehaving, she has the perfect blackmail material to force him to pretend to be her boyfriend. With a popular guy at her side, she might just have a chance to win the election.

I just wasn't believing any of the characters and how they interacted with each other. From the 'oh-so-perfect' Luke Pressler to the 'chubby and nerdy' Ayla, nothing felt real. The problem with creating a 'nerdy' character is that you really need to show more than tell. Ayla supposedly plays video games a lot - but never once do we see her doing so. In fact, our only indication is maybe mentioning picking up a purse with Zelda's Link on it or listing off various games she's played in the past so she has a talking point to impress Luke's younger brother. And I even had to wonder if the author knows the games herself since the games that Ayla mentioned to Luke that would impress his little brother have graphic violence and even sexual hook ups in them (e.g., Skyrim and Dragon Age).

Luke was, of course, too perfect to be real. Here's a guy who is desperately trying to stay afloat in the midst of his family financially hurting, keeping up appearances so he can get a college scholarship, and very careful about how others perceive him. And yet he isn't too upset to be blackmailed in a way that would lose him EVERYTHING - and not too upset with the girl doing it. And the supposed "must go along with the flow' guy doesn't seem too worried about having a very uncool girlfriend. Of course, to moralize, Ayla will teach him to respect others and stand up for the weak - even though it would have been social suicide in reality. Luke should have been edgy and resentful but instead was the perfect, girl-sniffing, nuzzling, hand holding boyfriend. I just didn't buy it.

Of course, side characters suffer - here even worse. There is the requisite head cheerleader queen B, the stupid jock who abuses the weak, and teachers who supposedly care more about the jocks than the arts. Add in the quirky best friend and yeah, we've seen it before.

I got bored around 40% into the book - it was just too unrealistic and the promise of something charming went unfulfilled. A well trod plot coupled with bland and insipid characters lacking nuance didn't help propel the story further. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)

I received this copy from Entangled Teen Crush through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Let's go :D

*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)

I knew Incriminating Dating would be cute and fun, but I won way more than I asked when I started reading. I saw girl power, action, adventure, emotional and heavy moments tangled in high school’s everyday life. Seriously, Incriminating Dating has all the right elements for a fluffy book and more. Five stars without even blinking!

The narrative style was first person switching between Ayla and Luke’s points of view. THANK ALL GODS both were cool characters and that Purdy’s writing was awesome, because I’m honestly getting a little sick of first person narratives. It’s not my favorite and I’ve been reading too many books with it, so you know how it goes, haha! Anyway, Purdy’s writing style was full with pop and nerd culture references, which rocked, and very fluid, so you never ever want to set the book down – I read it in one sitting myself, haha!

EXPECT MANY TWISTS. It’s obvious that both characters are hiding secrets alright, but you’ll never guess how wrong life will turn at certain points for Ayla and Luke. I was seriously thinking of giving the book 4 stars because it was cute but mainstream until like 70% of it. Then Purdy took off her writer glove and slapped my face, haha!

The characters are great, if a little stereotyped. Ayla is your friendly, headstrong and nerdy curvy girl, Luke is your perfect, beautiful and intelligent basket star and their friends are the perfect sidekicks. HOWEVER, this doesn’t take off their individuality or how much you’ll relate to them and I was surprised by yet another element inside Incriminating Dating, haha!

But enough jibber jabber, because…

NOTHING SELLS THE FRIGGING BOOK LIKE THE BOOK ITSELF! So, quotes!


Up until now, I’d been a goody-goody who stood in the background, thinking about all kinds of witty things to say to the jocks and popular kids. Words I never got the courage to speak. I was so much better at writing about stuff. – Ayla’s thoughts

Actually, I had no clue what her plans were. For all I knew she [Ayla] could be working on a big laser to fry everyone’s brains. But if it pissed Jenna off this badly, it was worth it. – Luke’s thoughts


And those killer dialogues:


Ayla: How about the library, then? Unless you want a pigeon to crap in your perfect hair.
Luke: You don’t have any problem speaking your mind, do you?
Ayla: Nope. What you see is what you get.

Luke: We’ve already agreed that we met here at Crusty’s.
Ayla: Right. And you fell madly in love with me over a pepperoni pizza.
Luke: Or you came in knowing I worked here because you’ve had a huge crush on me since middle school.
Ayla: Now you’re just delusional. The only man I’ve had a crush on since middle school is Link from Zelda.

Luke: I could listen to you sing all night.
Ayla: If you want, I’ll serenade you beneath your window at two in the morning, then we’ll see how much you like singing.


*~.Cover Analysis.~*

While this cover is cute (I’m ignoring these shoes the girl has on, as I hated them), I don’t feel it represents the story at all. Ayla would never wear these kind of shoes, Luke isn’t the Converse shoes kind of guy… Seriously, there’s nothing about these models that say Ayla and Luke and I’m disappointed :/ Regarding technical stuff, I only have compliments, but what is the point of having a beautiful cover that doesn’t COVER the story?? This panda is sad.

~*~

Overall, if you like YA, Contemporary Romance, Pop Culture references and girl power in books, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

Thank you so much for reading this review! Also, thanks so much to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for my review copy =D

Ayla is desperate, her theater class can not raise funds for a presentation and the newspaper of the school where she works is threatened to close because the director only wants to invest in sports. She and her friends may have no chance of getting a scholarship to college if that happens. After witnessing a particular scene, she blackmails Luke, the basketball star, pretending to be dating her in an attempt to call attention to her cause and to the election of student president where she is a candidate.
Luke has an extremely complicated life and sees no alternative but to accept Ayla's threat. What he did not expect was that the girl who blackmailed him would be such a sweet, smart, loyal, and kind girl with him and his younger brother. Luke is a strong boy who also surprises Ayla by looking very different from the stereotype of a rich popular athlete. Together with his friend Brady and his brother Landon, Luke managed to win over my heart.
Between conversations in the tree house, caresses around the bonfire and school challenges, the two find themselves engaged in something more than a fake dating.
The book surprised me, at first I started to think that it was more a cliche story about High school but it ended up presenting itself as a story about forgiveness, overcoming and second chances. I really enjoyed the author's light writing and the interaction of the protagonists with their friends.
I just did not favorite it because I found the end a little too fast, I think the writer could have put more dialogues and made a more complete closing.
I loved the fun and colorful cover.
https://www.amazon.com/review/R1TDAMMHDCBBMB/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

This was an absolutely adorable quick read that had me rooting for the main characters. They are adorable together, because really if you think about it, having a fake boyfriend at any time will always lead to some kind of trouble at some point. It also makes for a very entertaining book and Rebekah L. Purdy did a really great job bringing these characters to life. It was all very realistic and kind of sweet.

We meet Ayla, the theater geek who just wants to make a change in her school and she has a brilliant plan to make that happen. You know blackmail the hottest jock there is to date you so you can get more votes. Can we say super entertaining because really how often can that happen? It’s really interesting because in reading books like these you always think of these two people who couldn’t be more different, who don’t run in the same circles whatsoever but they always turn out to be quite brilliant when they are together. So I have to ask, why can’t we let stereotypes fall to the ground and be open with one another? Ok, I officially have gone off on a tangent.

Luke, the hot popular jock is just trying to get by day by day, trying to take care of his family because they aren’t the best (well specifically his mom). And we all know sometimes this happens more times than necessary, but it happens. I loved how the author bought his reality well to life, sometimes things aren’t always as peachy keen as we think they are and sometimes the ugly needs to come out before anything good can happen. I loved the domesticity of this book and the different scenarios plaid throughout by different characters. No two lives are exactly the same but we can all still get along, well most of us, can’t same the same for Jack and Jenna.

I didn’t really want to give too much about the plot, but there is some great scenery in this book as well. The characters were developed and you just started falling in love with them the more you read, especially Luke. There is a lovability about Luke and Ayla that you can’t resist.

Overall I really loved the plot, the emotions between the two main characters and the supporting cast as well. It’s always nice when the best friends get together and conspire in the background to keep you altogether too. It’s cute, it was adorable, and overall very sweet. Even the cover is just perfect too, because I would definitely pick this up based on the cover and buy it based on the description. Although the book really didn’t have a lot of blackmailing, he seemed pretty willing and able throughout the book, it was a great way for the two of them to get together. Sometimes you just never know who it is that will tickly your fancy.

Go check out this new Entangled Crush novel, it’s worth it! Read it! It’s quick, it’s fun, it’s funny, it’s sweet and will definitely make you want to eat pizza, and maybe even some cheesy garlic knots. Just saying!

Book Review: Incriminating Dating Rebekah L. Purdy. Apr. 2017. Entangled. Crush series. Netgalley.

Ayla Hawkins last year at high school has fallen under stress. Her college future is hanging on if she doesn’t get more meaty articles in her school newspaper. Her drama club isn’t getting the funds it needs to do better plays. All the money is going to sports. Her best friend convinces her to run across the girl who wins everything, for class president.

Luke Pressler, star basketball player, leads a life few people know about: he’s working to help pay the bills along with his single mother and brother. When he’s not working, he’s taking care of his brother. His life used to be mansion hill, now it’s the slums. One night, he gets carried away with his teammates and attacks the town’s statues one of which is his grandfather.

Unbeknown to Luke, Ayla secretly tapes the destruction of the statues and plans to use it to help save the school newspaper and drama club. When Luke doesn’t show for their interview, she shows up where he works and plays the video for him. Luke knows he’s sunk both with his scholarship and jail time if his deed is discovered. He agrees to pretend to be Ayla’s boyfriend and help her win the election.

Neither expects to wind up liking the other and when trouble hits Luke’s household, Ayla’s there to help. Can they make it past a fake relationship and the video?

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! Ayla and Luke are both such sympathetic characters and you know neither of them are the bad thing either fears. The plotline is pretty straightforward: girl wants boy to help her win election so she can better the school. As in life, nothing quite goes the way they expect it to but that makes for FUN!

I give it *****.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Incriminating Dating by Rebekah L. Purdy. Ayla's point of view alternates with Luke's point of view throughout the story. Ayla is a good student that minds her own business and doesn't like to make waves. That changes when funds are being cut for drama and the school paper; the activities she participates in. Luke looks like a normal popular high school guy but he struggles with poverty and a dysfunctional family and he has only one true friend that he feels like he can confide in. Ayla decides to run for class office to make a difference but she's taking on the entire school culture when she runs. Luke and Ayla build a relationship under interesting circumstances, but sometimes that's the only way to find out who your true friends are. 4 stars for this realistic fiction story geared towards young adults who want to see fairness in the world a little more often!

This book was really amazing. It had me laughing, swooning, I had so much fun! This was exactly the kind of read that I needed and I easily finished it in two sittings.

Ayla is tired of school politics, she decides it’s about time for some change due to which she enrolls her name for the class president against the most popular girl in high school, Jenna. But Ayla’s a nobody and to make everyone notice her, she has to do something big. She hits the perfect jackpot when she captures a video of the the school star player, Luke vandalizing the school property. She blackmails him to be her boyfriend until the election is over but when feelings come in the way, it’s up to Ayla to decide which path she should choose.

The plot of this book was no surprise, it was definitely cliched but the execution won me over. I have read a lot of fauxmance stories but I have to say, this is definitely one of my favorites, more so because the characters felt so real, they were not devoid of flaws which made them much more realistic. With a little push from Ayla’s bff, Chloe, Ayla decides to run for the class president against Jenna, one of the most popular in their school but she doesn’t know how to get people to notice. With dumb luck, she sees with her own eyes how Luke and his friends vandalize the school property and she captures it and uses it to blackmail Luke. The story was pretty fun to read about and I was never bored for a second.

I loved Ayla’s character from the very start and I could relate to her so much. She is also one of the girls who is not skinny or just perfect like most of the protagonists that we usually get to read, in fact she is on the other side and this was quite a refreshing change. Although she decides to blackmail Luke, but her conscious is always aware of the fact that she is doing something wrong but she never crosses the limit, in fact she was quite the opposite, helping out Luke whenever possible, taking care of his kid brother (who was adorable btw) and Luke was definitely swoon-worthy. He had no way out when Ayla blackmails him, he reluctantly agrees to play the part so that she doesn’t rat him out but I loved their friendship which made their chemistry perfect!

The relationship between Ayla and Luke developed slow and steady, it didn’t feel forced which was an added bonus. Another fact that I really loved about Luke was that no matter her what her size was, his feelings were genuinely real. And Ayla was so real, she always stood up for the right and when the dress fiasco occurred, I felt so proud of her and how maturely she handled the situation. The ending was definitely realistic, about how things went down and I would love to see a little payback to Jenna and I really hope Chloe is the one who takes it. I felt so bad for Luke’s situation about his home, he so didn’t deserve that but I was glad how everything turned out for him at the end.

Overall, Incriminating Dating was a super cute read! I immensely enjoyed how the plot was executed and I fell in love with the characters. I really loved the romance between Ayla and Luke and I sooo wanted more. The writing was smooth and easy to read and the pace was even throughout the book. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by this author.

Recommend it?

Yes.

This YA fake relationship story was so sweet and adorable!

Ayla and Luke have attended school together since kindergarten but they have completely different groups of friends and really don't know each other at all. When Ayla sees Luke defacing statues in their town, it gives her the opportunity to blackmail him into helping her win the election for class president so she can save the non-sports related extracurriculars. Once these two really get to know each other, they realize that they have so much more in common than they thought they would. But the plan is to end their "relationship" when the election is over. Will they keep their plan or try to turn their fauxmance into a romance?

Ayla was such an awesome character. For a high school senior, she has clear plans and a solid self image. She stands up for other people and is one of the most selfless characters I've read in a long time. Luke has the strength to carry the world on his shoulders, which he often needs to do. It was great to see him opening himself up to Ayla and finally catching a break. This book deals with some intense themes but was able to show how a great support system can change outcomes. There were so many great characters in this book that I read through it in one sitting!

*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

I actually liked this a lot.

Our female lead was very family oriented, she had great parents, she was cool and smart. And I really believe it had to do with the influence her parents had on her. They were very balanced on what they let her do. I loved her friendship with Chloe. I love she fought for her ideals.

Luke cared too much about what others said or thought about him. Which I have to say took some point off in my book, but at the end he redeemed himself. I was surprised about the twist with his mom I really didn't expect that. He was super romantic and caring. I love his relationship with his brother and Brady.

The romance was super cute.

Overall a great book I really did enjoyed it.

Ayla Hawkins knows where she’s going in life. She’s editor-in-chief of her school newspaper; she’s just landed the lead role in her school play; and she’s going to Columbia University as soon as high school is over. So when her best friend Chloe insists on her running as school president, Ayla isn’t so sure she’s up for the task. But when her school’s drama club budget is cut (yet again) along with the threat of the school paper going online-only in order to funnel more funding into sports, Ayla realizes she has to stand up for herself and the other kids in her school who aren’t sports-inclined. Only how is she supposed to win when no one knows who she is and she’s running against the most popular girl in school who has won the presidency the past three years? Ayla’s chance is granted when she stumbles across Luke Pressler, the school’s star basketball player, and his two fellow teammates intoxicated and destroying public property in the local park one night. Ayla captures it all on her cell phone and hatches the perfect plan: to blackmail Luke Pressler into pretending to be her boyfriend and help her win the election. With Luke having the chance at a full-ride to a Big Ten university, he can’t chance his actions getting out and facing criminal charges and the loss of his scholarship. So Luke agrees to Ayla’s terms. But as their fake relationship goes on, Luke finds a solace and a much-needed confidante in his blackmailer and Ayla realizes that Luke is very different from what her past prejudices were. And as the election looms and they grow closer, the lines start to get blurred about what exactly is fake in their relationship…and what might be real.

I instantly fell in love with this cute little contemporary romance. While the premise may sound overdone and clichéd, this book is filled with such fun, relatable characters and just the perfect amount of quirkiness that it completely avoids falling prey to the trope. Contemporary romance is not normally my favorite to read but every so often I find one that is so well-done that I fall in love with it. This is one of them. (And I’ve already read it twice).

I really loved the characters that are featured in this book. Ayla is such a relatable and genuine character that I feel many readers will connect with her. With her nerdy interests that include Doctor Who, Zelda, and Minecraft, and her obsession with her favorite food of pizza, she’s not the typical YA main character. I also love that Ayla is plus-sized and embraces herself for who she is and never lets it hold her back. She is certainly a character that I would find myself friends with. I loved getting to know Luke as he revealed the true circumstances of his life. That he’s not just some jock with an easy life with rich parents, but instead struggles to help feed his divorced mom and brother while keeping his grades up and performing well in basketball. Instead of the typical jock, we get to see someone who is just barely holding it together and feels like they have to put up a façade to fit in, just like so many other high schoolers. While the focus of the story is on the romance, there’s certainly some real issues that are touched on in this book and I really appreciated that.

I also found the writing style and pacing to be extremely engaging and finished this book in two days. While I normally don’t care for alternating points of view in books, Purdy did such an amazing job with it that I loved the alternating chapters between Ayla and Luke. Both characters had unique voices and I loved getting to see how each of their opinions changed about the other as the book went on. The chapters also flowed together seamlessly so I never found myself irritated with being taken from an engaging event to something else in other author’s attempts in creating suspense. Overall, the writing style and plot were just done so well. There’s also a nice small-town feel to the book with the characters going on hayrides and making smores by the fire which was a fun aspect. There are definitely some typical YA tropes in this book but overall I loved the romance so much in this that it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of it at all.

Basically if you’re looking for the next cute contemporary romance must-read, this is it. While it does come with the disclaimer of adult language and sexual situations, I personally feel that there didn’t need to be a disclaimer for sexual situations since they are very minor. The adult language though? Yeah, that’s fitting. If you get any amount of enjoyment out of contemporary romances, pick this book up. You won’t regret it.

Budget cuts seem to be out there to get Ayla when both the newspaper she edits and drama club go through funding problems. That's when a chance lands on her lap, she gets a video of popular jock Luke vandalizing school property. Now he has to pretend to be her boyfriend and help her win the election.

This was the average YA. There's not much to mention when it comes to flaws, really.

At the same time. there were some nice touches. I really liked Luke's story. Actually I liked the whole of Luke. Not that Ayla wasn't a good character, she was. But Luke was quite lovely. Considering how male characters are in YA's, I feel that is a big win. And his brother is so cute!

In my opinion, the flaws were two. First, the story never left what was to be expected, unless you count Luke's money problems but that was more of a distraction—though a worthy one—than a creative development for the main plot. And then there is the issue that some key parts were rushed. I couldn't figure out why because I don't think the book wasted time anywhere. Still, they could have gone deeper in some parts, especially the climax.

As I was saying, this is the average YA. It's an easy read with a nice conclusion and likeable characters. You'll have fun, you'll find it lovely, it'll just be very likely you'll soon forget all about it.