I keep encountering this problem, where a book gives me a "love triangle" and BOTH guys don't deserve anything good. That sort of seemed to be the point, that everyone has flaws, but this took it to a level where I kept yelling "LEAVE THEM BOTH" at the book.

The writing of this book was done well. It was a very simple and easy book to read, which I enjoyed because of it being a young adult novel. I didn't really have a real connection to this story, unfortunately, and I really wanted to but something about this book felt off for me. I did enjoy the way that Cam and Steve interact and challenge each other. There were a lot of funny and enjoyable moments between the two of them, and a lot of the scenes that I read reminded me of the way that I have interacted with some of my friends in the past. I will say, one of the things that I am not a fan of in books are pop culture references. There's nothing wrong with connecting current themes and references to books, but I'm not really a fan of that so I didn't really care for that. But overall this book was a solid read and I think most people who read it would in fact enjoy it. The characters were easy to like, the story was easy to follow, and it would definitely leave you with many many laughs.

I wanted so badly to like this book going into it. The premise was unique, original, and highly amusing. Unfortunately, I couldn't even finish it. I found it incredibly shallow and unengaging. The main character felt rather whiny at points, and Steve was so jerkish as to feel more like a cartoon than a real person. Other than the main character drooling over the female lead in a way that felt uncomfortable, I could not see why there should be any real relationship between them. It almost felt like a situation where the guy feels entitled to the girl simply because he's decided he has feelings for her. I don't know. I worry I'm being too harsh, but as I said, I had great expectations for this title and it was a pretty big letdown from the first chapter.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Save Steve by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan.

Cam is going to ask Kaia out...tomorrow...or maybe the day after that. He might be a chicken, but he's absolutely infatuated with his SJW in crime, who attends all of the rallies, and fights for justice.

But to Cam's horror, Kaia is already dating Steve Stephenson, who has a reputation for being a total tool, and womanizer. How could someone like Kaia end up with someone like Steve? But it gets worse, Steve has cancer, garnishing love and concern from all around him. You couldn't possibly try to steal the girlfriend of a cancer patient, right?

Which is how Save Steve begins, because maybe if Cam goes to ridiculous lengths to save Kaia's boyfriend, she will finally notice just how selfless Cam can be, and maybe win her heart.

This is such a silly book. Fun, but totally silly. It even references "sick kid" YA books, as if poking fun at itself. It has LOL moments for sure, and also heartwarming moments, but mostly this is just light hearted fluff.

We have this tendency to elevate cancer victims in fiction. We see them as strong, stoic. WE see them distilled to their purest self, as if going through cancer as wiped away the nonsense and vanities and turned them to someone better. Not Hendriks. The titular Steve is even more himself after his diagnosis. More showy, more "bro-y". Actually, all of the characters are extreme forms of themselves, more concerned with perceptions than being genuine. It's funny, in an awkward, uncomfortable way.

When I first started reading Save Steve, I thought it was going to be a tear jerker like The Fault in Our Stars, and it’s kind of funny that the book is referenced in here too, so I though I would need tissues. Turns out I was wrong, but I still needed tissues because this book is hilarious, it had me tearing up from laughing. I wouldn’t even call it a romance more like a friendship story, because of how close their friendship grew. I wish there was an epilogue to see what happened to them but the ending was perfect in my opinion. Save Steve was a great story and one that I can totally see becoming a movie.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to review an early copy of Save Steve by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan before it's September 1st release date!

This book was SO fun and full of antics, making me love every second of it!

First off, I loved how Steve loved Cardi B and she was in so many scenes in this book because I love her and she's my Queen.

Secondly, I loved reading about the pranks that Steve would make Cam do to raise money and how Cam did it, no matter how embarrassing, and from that, we see Steve and Cam's friendship grow and the two really began to open up to one another. There were so many scenes of banter between Cam and Steve that had me laughing to myself like a lunatic. Steve had such a crazy, free-spirit whereas Cam was more reserved and politically correct. Despite their differences, I felt like Steve and Cam really learned a lot from one another. It was a nice change to have a male character narrate the story as opposed to the typical female. Steve was really unlikable at first and kind of an ass, but I felt like he was really opening up to Cam and redeeming himself towards the end of the book. Kaia felt kind of like a useless character to me, and she didn't really add much to the story besides being a big plot point.

The writing is so laid-back and easy to follow. It flows and it feels natural. There is sarcasm in the writing that gives the story a lot of depth and makes the experience that much more enjoyable. The writing made you want to not put the book down and know what would happen next. There were a lot of themes present in this book as well, which I always enjoy when a book has multi-layers and is able to pull it off well.

This was equal parts sweet and surprisingly hilarious. Reminded me of many of the books I loved as a teenager.

Cam, the protagonist and POV character of this novel, is horrible. He's sort of a Ted Mosby-type, in the sense that he's too self-righteous for his own good. He thinks this makes him better than Ur-bro Steve Stevenson, who is also terrible in a more conventional way. Watching Cam eventually catch up to the rest of us, and watching Steve show us who he really is, ends up being extremely entertaining, and this book reads like a classic teen comedy movie more than anything else. I really enjoyed this and think that students will love a book that puts a spin on what seems to be a burgeoning "sick kid" genre.

This book is well written and funny in parts. I found the repetition of the first few chapters to be quite clever, but after that point I was overwhelmed by the selfishness and bullying in this book. I was completely turned off by Steve (even with his character arc), found Cam to be unlikable, and felt like Kaia’s character fell flat. I really wanted to like this book, but I was cringing for most of it. For me, the keys to an noteworthy book are characters that I can empathize with, but this book didn’t deliver that experience for me.
2.5 stars rounded up.

Advanced readers copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

I really liked _Unpregnant_ and so was excited to read this next installment, but WOW did I have problems with this novel.

The first 90% of the novel is nearly intolerable. Cam is very connected to what's right and wrong in the world but cannot manage to keep himself out of the most ridiculous series of calamities with Steve and Kaia. He gets fooled over and over again by the same person and somehow can never think of a way to avoid this scenario, even when he has clear outs. Character growth? It's not for him. I found it impossible to root for him at any point. As a side note but one that I keep coming back to, Cam also uses the term "prostitute" at some point (as in he'll "save the prostitutes" in a video game), and I found it wild that a character who is obsessed with his own #wokelyfe would use this outdated and offensive word. Of all of the odd incidents, choices, twists, etc., this was one that really demonstrated inconsistency for me. Kaia also seems weirdly oblivious to the people around her, even though she is admittedly more concerned with everyone else's happiness than her own. The most likable character is Steve - the villain - and he is like a 3 out of 10 at his best. There's so much gross-out humor that is...not funny. From having taught Stephen King's _The Body_ many times, I know how sensitive some folks are to vomit. There is vomit. It's not the only offender of this childish kind. The antics read way too young overall.

By the end, the characters do evidence some development, but it feels quite minimal in relation to their experiences and ages. It bums me out to say this is a disappointing novel in general but especially in light of how much I liked the predecessor.