This LGBTQ+ YA romcom is a light and gentle read. The characters and storyline are well developed, but the romance is a slow burn and was a little lackluster. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I have reached an age where I read less YA books because I think I wouldn't like them but then I stumble upon a book like Blaine for the Win that reminds me how wrong I am avoiding the genre because I end up loving it and just simply enjoying the ride and wish I could teleport inside the book and hug these kids telling them everything is going to be alright.
Blaine had the worst of dates and his heartbreak was deep and I was heartbroken, too. He decides to change himself to get his ex back. We all know how that usually ends up. The book was so much fun while also giving us important moments. I will keep reading this author's books for sure.

When Blaine is dumped on his one-year anniversary with Joey he decides to run for senior student council president. Joey is looking for a more serious boyfriend so Blaine decides that he will try & prove to be just that.

There was nothing inherently wrong with this book, it just felt a bit lackluster to me. I don't even know why you would want to date someone like Joey if he can't appreciate the person you truly are. I really wanted to root for Blaine but I just felt like he was doing this for all of the wrong reasons. I also found that there was far too many pop culture references included to the point that it just felt forced. I did love Fudge though, Fudge was definitely my favorite character!

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the E-ARC!

such a cute novel that I thoroughly enjoyed!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an E-Arc of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.

A really great and diverse cast of characters. Thank you for my ARC, this was a sweet heartwarming read that is sure to bring a smile on your face. The queer rep is fantastic!

I loved Robbie Couch since 'The Sky Blues' and knew I had to dive into this newest YA. A slow burn for me that was so enjoyable and fun to experience! Queer, legally blonde with a sprinkle of Glee. The side characters are wonderful and the emotional level of Blaine and his family is explored in a great way.

Funny, light and uplifting YA that I'd definitely recommend. Many others noted this and I found it to be true...similar to Legally Blonde for the high school/YA crowd. Not a bad thing at all! Positive vibes and a fun boom all around. Definitely suggest picking it up; will make you smile.

I didn’t have high hopes for this one because lately I haven’t been enjoying YA rom- com books but I was pleasantly surprised. This book was very good .
I very much liked the story and the characters.

I do recommend

I loved The Sky Blues. It was one of my favourite books of 2021 and I was so excited to read more of Robbie Couch's work, but this just fell flat. I definitely will read more of Robbie's work in the future, and hopefully I love them as much as The Sky Blues.

The book follows Blaine, a teenage muralist whose boyfriend, Joey, breaks up with him because he's not "serious enough." His boyfriend is a part of the student council and has rich parents who expect him to go to university, while Blaine is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy. To win Joey back, Blaine decides to run for class president and quit painting to show Joey he can be a Serious Guy.

The characters were so one-dimensional and flat. Blaine has no passions or personality besides the fact that he's an artist and is constantly covered in paint. His best friend's girlfriend Camilla has seriously ZERO personality besides her love of dinosaurs (she wears dinosaur clothes and works at the dinosaur exhibit and makes dinosaur jokes). The only character I actually liked was Trish, who has some semblance of a personality as a Black lesbian with mental health issues and a headstrong, loyal, and fun personality.

The conflicts were some of the silliest and most easily-resolved conflicts I've ever seen in a YA book. The unnecessary third act conflict where everyone is mad at each other for no reason and then they all apologize and make up... And the final plot twist I could see coming from a mile away.

The romance was also completely under-developed. The love interest and the main character had one heart-to-heart and suddenly they were in love? It was really unbelievable.

I debated DNFing it because I truly didn't care where the story ended up going.

BUT it wasn't terrible. I know some people will like it. It's sweet, cute, fun, wholesome teenagers. I just wasn't that interested.

DRC provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book was not for me. I just could not connect with the characters and the pacing was not my favourite. I will try giving it a second chance in the future. Perhaps, I was not in the right mind-space at the time.

I love a good elle woods moment and this book served in that matter. other than that, i'm not sure what to say. it didn't stand out to me compared to other ya contemporaries, but it wasn't bad either! it's a good book and i recommend it.

really cute book! Epic rep and definitely worth the read. Super sweet and light, also important discussions.

Hi, friends and Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to share another recent read that I was fortunate to receive an egalley for (thanks @simonteen !)📖 #BlaineForTheWin by @robbiecouch follows junior Blaine Bowers in his race for next year’s senior class president. If his passion is painting murals and he has no interest in student government, what spurred him to do this? Good question! After being dumped by his ex without warning on their anniversary, Blaine decides that the only way to win him back is by becoming a “serious guy”, and who is more serious and put together than a politician? Thus, the race to become the next senior class president. There were so many reasons why I loved this book and why I gave it 5⭐️: firstly, I quite liked Blaine as a main character! I was able to emotionally connect to his story through the writing, and I enjoyed his journey of discovering things about himself and high school and why you shouldn’t give up on your passions. After the breakup, he believes he needs to fundamentally change (mainly demonstrated when he gives up painting his murals) in order to be loved and accepted in a relationship. Thankfully his friends keep reminding him of this, even as they support him in his campaign. This brings me to my next thing…I loved how even though Blaine started his campaign for not the best reasons, him & his friends truly took on a fantastic cause, making their message about improving the mental health of all students at the school. This dialogue continues to be so, so important for students and I commend the author for providing such a highlight and a practical example for students to follow in their schools. Going off of this, I also really loved the cast of secondary characters who each held their own, but also provided such a life to the story. They are a great example of diversity, but also reinforced the messages about mental health, good friendship, and family. Being that this is a teen book, I quite enjoyed the school setting, as well as the secondary setting of the coffee shop where they often meet…so great!Finally, there’s another romance that comes out of this story & it really is the cutest thing 😍

Are you ready for a light, feelgood coming of age story about finding out what’s important to you? Get ready for Blaine For the Win.


blaine ftw banner

Story—★★★★☆
Characters—★★★★☆
Writing Style—★★★★☆
Themes and Representation—★★★☆☆
Enjoyment—★★★☆☆

I feel like a good chunk of how you receive Blaine for the Win depends on if you’ve seen Legally Blonde, if you liked it, and how you feel about reading a book that is literally just gay teen Legally Blonde.

(I hadn’t watched Legally Blonde before. But I will by the end of this review!)

Blaine for the Win is a light, easy read. Very low on drama, virtually no angst, lots of friendship antics and a dash of introspection. There’s no homophobia, and Blaine has a healthy relationship with both of his parents. The pacing is bouncy and natural, and it’s a book you can easily read in one or two sittings. I really enjoyed how Couch ties things up: it’s not what I expected at the start, but it all works out perfectly. I should note that Blaine for the Win leans more into the “coming of age” genre than the “romance” genre, so readers reading specifically for romance might find themselves disappointed in that regard.

The only thing I really disliked is how clueless Blaine is during the section when he inevitably screws some things up. He acts like a jerk in some really obvious ways, and needs other characters to hold his hand and explain it to him.

As for the 3.75 Stars… I did find Blaine for the Win to be a bit on the unmemorable side. As in, sure, I had a nice time reading it, but I can’t see it as a book I’ll ever think about again.

Blaine for the Win is written in first person present tense from Blaine's point of view. Couch has a very readable writing style and Blaine has a distinct and vibrant voice. There were a few spots with weak wording or an unnecessary chunk of description, but these instances were very minimal.

As for representation, Blaine, Joey, Danny, and Zach are achillean, with Joey confirmed as gay, and Trish and Camilla are sapphic, unspecified. Trish is black and Danny is Vietnamese-American. Blaine's platform in running for president centres around student mental health.

Overall—★★★★☆ (3.75 Stars)

Recommended For...
Anyone who needs a feel-good read to lighten up your day! Readers looking for characters discovering what's important to them.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

I cannot believe I read this in one sitting. Although actually I can, because it was a surprising addicting read.

Blaine for the Win is a YA contemporary romance that, honestly, focuses more on internal struggles and growth than romance. And I love that. While we all need a good romance every now and then, books that acknowledge romance as being nice, but not vital to our success as humans, are incredibly important.

Couch weaves a fun, cute story using the threads of friendship, self-worth, and identity (and yes, a bit of adorable romance). While I do believe that the story moved a bit fast— or is this just because I read it in one sitting?— it is the perfect light read for people who love YA novels with sweet friendships and LGBT representation.

Oh! This book comes out tomorrow/today since it is now past midnight!!! Perfect timing- go read it!

A cute, rom-com about the dangers of love.

This book. That’s honestly all I have to say. While I don’t typically read a lot of rom-coms, I adored this. The cast of characters, the setting and the subtle Legally Blonde moments made this one of my favourite books to read.

Blaine is dumped by his future president of America boyfriend because he wants to start dating more “serious” guys. On their one year anniversary. Blaine decides to show him just how serious he is, and runs for senior class president, with the help of his best friend Trish, her girlfriend Camilla and his new maybe crush Danny.

It was a bit fast paced from the get-go, and I found a few of the characters hard to differentiate, but other than that, it was a wonderful easy read. The diversity, both queer and POC was so easily mixed in that it makes me want to read more of Robbie Couch’s writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

😫🥰

I was not expecting to love this book so much? It was YA, and seemed at first a lil bit sketchy, but OMG SO CUTEEEE
So BASICALLY... this high school junior named Blaine is dumped by his boyfriend, Joey, on their 1 year anniversary dinner date. Joey says that Blaine isn't enough of a Serious Guy, so Blaine decides to run for senior class president in order to win Joey back. Along the way, Blaine realizes what he truly enjoy doing, and he ends up fAlLiNg In LoVe

This book was actually so uplifting and cute and wholesome and DANNYYYYY😫💞 Danny is amazing you will meet him if you read the book which you should if you need a break from good old colleen hoover lmaooo

Blaine for the Win comes out on April 12 2022, and I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book, so THANK YOU NETGALLEY 😭 also not me reading this book in 5 days which is good for meeee

ANYWAYS... xoxo

you know who I am bestieeee

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blaine for the Win was so cute. From the first chapter, Robbie Couch had me absolutely hooked. Blaine Bowers, a junior in high school, paints murals on some of the businesses surrounding his little slice of Chicago. When his boyfriend breaks up with him on his anniversary, he decides to run for senior class president to get him back and show him - and everyone else - that he can be a "Serious Guy" and that he's not just the mural kid.

While I was expecting this book to be light and feel-good, I didn't expect the feelings I got while reading it. They really came out of nowhere and it was a great surprise. Blaine feels like the kind of guy I would've been friends with in high school. He's personable, a little awkward, kind of dramatic; but he's also got great friends and a good head on his shoulders. There are a few instances where Blaine isn't such a great friend - or nephew - but he's quick to realize his mistakes and want to make things right for everyone involved. The cast of characters were standouts: from Trish, to Aunt Starr, to Camilla, Zach, and Danny. Blaine for the Win wouldn't have been what it was without the amazing cast of characters surrounding the leading man.

While the romance is more subdued than I'm used to, the progression of Danny and Blaine's relationship was perfection. They moved from almost strangers, into acquaintances, into friends, and then into boyfriend's. The representation in this novel was also very welcome. With an African-American character, a Vietnamese character, and almost all of the characters identifying as LGBTQIA+, it was great to see a lot of diversity.

One other thing Blaine for the Win dealt with that came as a surprise for me was mental health. Blaine's platform revolves around mental health for seniors and I almost wish I was voting for him as my senior class president. Nobody talked about mental health when I was in high school, but I'm noticing that authors are helping to break the stigma surrounding mental health, therapy, and asking for help (especially as it relates to high school aged kids). This is a great book for teens and I will continue to celebrate authors that are breaking down the stigma surrounding this topic.

I loved "The Sky Blues" by Robbie Couch so I was really excited when I saw that "Blaine For the Win" was available. I just finished reading this lovely coming-of-age YA novel and I absolutely loved it. It's actually one of my favourite YA novels this year.

When this novel opens, high school student Blaine is painting murals and late for a date with his awesome and slightly-posh boyfriend, Joey, for their anniversary. What Blaine doesn't see coming is Joey dumping him at the restaurant when they should be having the best night ever.

It turns out that Joey thinks that Blaine isn't serious enough. Joey has his life planned out. He knows where he wants to go to school, he knows what career he wants. And Joey has realized (with the help of his parents) that Blaine isn't the guy for him.

Heart-broken, Blaine retreats home to lick his wounds. Blaine eventually hatches a plan to run for student council to prove to Joey that he can be serious. After all, if he wins the election, then surely he can win Joey back.

This book is utterly readable and I was drawn in from the very beginning. I loved being invited into Blaine's mind, his emotions and his story. I was rooting for him from the beginning. The story unfolds at a great pace, there's a lot going on but Couch keeps it all manageable and engaging.

The cast of supporting characters is wonderful and engaging and they have varying interests. Their voices are unique and I always love that. They are a team of the kind of friends you want in your life; they tell the truth and they have your back. There's a lot of truth in the conversations that the characters have and it was refreshing.

Be prepared to have tears in your eyes or a smile on your face... sometimes, both at the same time! Loved this one.

So I read this entire book in about 4~ hours at work, it's frankly such an easy and delightful read. It's PEAK romance and yes, it is every Legally-Blonde-but-make-it-gay vibe you think and hope it is.

Overall, the premise is kind of simple: Blaine gets dumped by his richer, hotter, smarter, overall "better" boyfriend because he's not serious enough for someone who is one day going to be the first gay president (these are high school students. I get being ambitious but sir you are like 18 at BEST. Calm down). Blaine decides that he's going to run for senior class president, to prove that he's serious and win Joey (his ex) back. The main problem is, he's never been involved in student government and is up against a shoe-in, Zach. So he gets together with his best friend Trish, her girlfriend Camilla, and a student council member Danny to build his campaign based on addressing the needs of students, specifically the mental health crisis that a lot of students face (and the author actually comes up with a plan that would be feasible by a student council, which I very much appreciate nothing takes me more out of a book than something that doesn't fit with the rest of the vibe of the story).

Potential cons
- If you don't like Legally Blonde, chances are you won't love this. That being said, if you like (or love) Legally Blonde, I think you'll really enjoy it.

- The characters, particularly the love interest, can read a bit flat. The book is, rightly, focused on the main character. Because it's done in first person, I found that it was a bit hard to feel how fleshed out the others were, especially for Trish and Danny as we see them most often.

- Questionable chemistry. For a split second at the end, I thought there was supposed to be a different love interest and when there was about 30~ pages left I was left wondering how the bridge was going to be closed. And the gap is closed but I personally like a little "revel in the romance" right at the end where we actually get to see the couple being a couple.

What I loved
- The easy of this book. As I originally said, I read this in one sitting, about 4~ hours while at work (whoops). It's very easy to get lost in this book and keep changing because yeah it's trope-y and cliche, but it's done well and it's like a warm, comfy blanket.

- The prompt of this book. I, like anyone with taste, LOVE Legally Blonde. I also love queer romance novels. This was my heaven.

- Representation. Trish is a black sapphic woman, and Danny is a Vietnamese bi man. They're not the main characters, and yes I've said in some ways they read a little flat, but their representation feels genuine and real, particularly when you remember we're understanding their representation from the perspective of Blaine (a white man). Danny talks a bit about how hard it was on his dad to open a Vietnamese cafe and how that's impacted his fears for the future. Trish talks about her mental health struggles. Neither of these things are the "focus" of the book, but rather help to flush out why these characters are helping Blaine with his campaign