Who doesn't love fake-dating? Borrow My Heart is a cute and quick YA read that I devoured in one sitting. I typically am not a fan of the miscommunication trope but Wren and Asher's story hit just right. I was rooting for them the entire time and their chemistry was off the charts.
Kasie West writes an endearing, sweet, easy read when you need a slice of some YA romance. Thank you for the advanced copy, Random House Children.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love this book! I don’t usually read YA but Kasie West is my exception. I’m so glad I got to read this book. It’s the perfect blend of cute teenage love and serious topics.

I am actually in love with Asher. He is so sweet and cute and just all the good adjectives that one would want in a high school boyfriend. Where was he when I was in high school???

This is my new favorite Kasie West novel (which is impressive considering how many books I’ve read of hers). Thanks again to the publisher for my copy. I recommend this book to everyone that loves dogs and friends to lovers.

This is another fun and cute read from Kasie West!

Wren has many rules, even ones for falling in love. She guards her heart so that she can't get hurt, like how her mom left her years ago. When she overhears a boy get humiliated by his friend for being catfished, she decides to step in and pretend to be the girl that he's been talking to online. As she spends more time with this boy, Asher, she finds herself falling in love with her heart and ignoring the rules in her head. However, this lie is bound to come out and crumble her new relationship.

I'm not <i>that</i> old, but reading this book made me feel young again! It reminded me of those summers that I would devour every single Kasie West book that I could get my hands on, and I absolutely loved having those feelings again. This is just a sweet and interesting read that will lighten your day!

I loved this book. The characters came to life as I read the story. I went through so many emotions from laughing to crying as I read this book. I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
This is a cute and very quick YA story. Perhaps a little too quick? Parts definitely felt rushed and at times, the dialogue was hard to follow in terms of who was speaking. The premise was definitely very cute and it certainly covered a lot of issues. I do wish Wren had stood up to her mother and had been more honest with her father about the whole toxic relationship.

the storyline and characters were predictable and a very quick cute book when you are in a slump!!!!!

In this book we follow a group high school school students over the summer. Our female main character, Wren, loves control. And when she sweeps in to help Asher, a boy who’s being threatened with humiliation due to the fact that his friend thinks he’s been talking to a catfish. Wren steps in and helps trick Asher’s friend, but as she begins to fall for him, she knows she needs to tell him the truth…

This book is SO solid!!!! I enjoyed it so much! I was literally maybe 3-5 chapters into the book when I started asking the question “Why do YA romances like this make me feel more butterflies than a whole adult steamy romance???” There is SO much chemistry between the two main characters and it keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I also want to add that I LOVED and APPRECIATED the fact that this didn’t follow the path that an average reader would expect it to take! You expect the book to play out the way that you predict/can see happening in the beginning and then it COMPLETELY doesn’t do that and it’s AMAZING!!!💖🤩💕

This book was so good and is definitely 5/5 stars from me!!!😍

I absolutely adored this book! Wren & Ashers story was so sweet & I highly recommend reading if you’re looking for a lovely YA!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the ARC!

I loved how cutesy and simply this book was! A perfect quick read for anyone wanting a cute story about dogs, unexpected romance, catfishing, and miscommunication (but not enough that it hurts) The characters were well written, the family dynamics were fleshed out well, and the storyline was predictable in the way rom-coms are—it makes you feel fuzzy inside. Would recommend this book for teen readers looking for a nice read!

Thank you to Netgalley for access to an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story! Kasie West took some pretty serious themes about family and growing up and addressed them in a light-hearted and approachable way. Also, the storyline had some great twists and turns that I didn't see coming.
I really enjoyed the main characters (Wren and Asher) and the settings were very well written and so unique (I was TOTALLY absorbed in the animal shelter!). There were a few times when the dialogue felt a little bit unrealistic to me but overall, it didn't detract from a great story. I would definitely recommend this book and look for other titles from this author.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Mit “Borrow my heart” hatte ich ein interessantes und größtenteils gutes Leseerlebnis, auch wenn gegen Ende des Buches ein paar Probleme aufgetaucht sind.

Lasst mich damit anfangen, dass ich in den ersten vier Kapiteln dachte, dass ich einen Roman für Erwachsene lese. Ja, ein paar Sachen kamen mir komisch vor, aber vor allem Wrens Liste an Lebensregeln passte meiner Meinung nach nicht zu einer Siebzehnjährigen.

Erst Ende des fünften Kapitels is mir klar geworden, dass es sich um eine YA - Geschichte handelt. Ich hätte mir den Klappentext vielleicht etwas genauer anschauen sollen. :) Es wäre interessant zu wissen, wie jugendliche Leser:innen die Charaktere wahrnehmen und ob sie sich selbst in ihrem Verhalten wiederfinden können.

Der Roman war flott und einnehmend geschrieben, daher ließ er sich sehr gut zu lesen. Die Geschichte ist frisch und die Hauptcharaktere waren mir über weite Strecken sympathisch. Auch gefiel mir der Verlauf der Liebesbeziehung und Wren habe ich beim Lesen richtig ins Herz geschlossen.

Durch Ashers Verhalten, dass nicht so richtig zu ihm passte, wurde er mir gegen Ende der Geschichte leider etwas unsympathisch. Davon habe ich mich auch nicht mehr so richtig erholen können. In diesem Zusammenhang hätte ich mir eine breiter angelegte Diskussion darüber gewünscht, warum schon das Filmen ohrn Erlaubnis ein Problem darstellt und nicht nur das Hochladen von Videos ohne Erlaubnis.

Ein kleinerer Erzählstrang hat mit Wrens Mutter zu tun. Dieser war recht vorhersehbar und konnte mich leider nicht packen.

Trotz dieser beiden Kritikpunkte hat mir das Jugendbuch insgesamt gut gefallen, vor allem die ersten Dreiviertel des Romans fand ich unterhaltsam und einnehmend.

🖤🖤🖤 3/4

Für wen?

Wer Jugendromane mit einem Fokus auf die Liebesgeschichte, einem besonderen Hund sowie Social Media mag, sollte sich mal eine Leseprobe anschauen.

This romantic YA book will get you out of your next reading slump…

Thank you to netgalley, Kassie West and Random House for the arc of this book.

As an animal lover as soon as I saw this book I was so excited. The cutesy banter between Asher and Wren was to die for and had me smiling at my phone all day.

We start by sweet Wren saving the day when Asher gets stood up by his internet love by pretending to be the girl he’s been talking to online. Little does she know the complications that will come from her little white lie…

The book brought up issues that unfortunately many readers can relate to such as family dynamic and absent parents. As well as not knowing what you want as a teenager.

If you need something fun, yet emotional all wrapped into one you just read a Kassie West book.

What a sweet and heart warming (and sometimes breaking) read ❤️ It has the classic fake dating ploy to save Asher from humiliation that leads to quite the rollercoaster of emotions and adventures. Be warned that the second half of this book does tissues!!

Thanks so much Random House Children's and Delacorte Press.

I love Kasie West and was so excited to read this book! There's nothing really wrong with it, but I felt like it dragged on for me. I also found the characters a little annoying. Maybe I'm getting too old for this genre? The writing is still great and Kasie West will always get my praise!

I was definitely brought in because of the cover, it’s SO adorable! The story didn’t live up to it, unfortunately. Wren was a bit annoying at times and the insta-love was not enjoyable. Also really did not like the whole Asher twist and it kinda soured the ending for me. I loved Bean though!

2.5

there’s nothing inherently wrong with this book, its story, or its characters, but seemingly nothing landed for me. it kind of felt like a drag to get through to the end.

#netgalley

Borrow My Heart is a cute, lighthearted story with a very relevant plot following social media-- specifically catfishing and consent. Wren is caught witnessing the possibility of Asher being stood up by someone he was messaging online and saves the day by pretending to be "Gemma." As the story progresses, Wren struggles as she learns more about Asher and starts falling for him, but needing to keep up the lie as she get introduced to more people and put in more difficult situations. Aside from the romance, she also has her own problems from struggling to home a dog at work and with her personal mom issues.

Overall I thought it was a nice story and easy read. It personally wasn't anything special and I didn't fall in love with the characters. I wasn't the biggest fan of Asher due to some of his actions, but I did like Wren and enjoyed her full circle character development from the beginning of the story until the very end.

Thank you Netgallery for this ARC!

I loved this book and the story !! The characters chemistry was amazing! The character development was really great. It’s was a lighthearted book!
Overall, cute romance with a sweet dog. I recommend this to others that enjoyed her previous books. I loved the animals 🥺

Thank you again!

I was super excited when I saw I was approved for an ARC of Kasie West’s latest book. She is one of my favorite YA-romance authors and never disappoints. Let me tell you, “Borrow My Heart” exceeded all of my expectations!

The plot was such an interesting twist to the “catfishing” trope and subverted all of my expectations. I was so happy!

Kasie West should teach master classes on dialogue. Every moment feels organic and I don’t think she’s ever written a joke that doesn’t land. I was laughing out loud so much but also incredibly absorbed in the serious moments.

The main character, Wren, was incredibly relatable and all of her choices felt true to her character. And the subplot added so much to the overall story! Everything in this book fit so well together that it was clear Kasie West had a clear vision and understanding of what she wanted. Perfection.

The romance was so cute!!! Even through the weird circumstances of their relationship, Wren and Asher felt like soulmates. It was so enjoyable I wanna go back and read it all over again. I’m not gonna spoil any, but there are so many quotes I made note of that just had my heart <3 <3

Overall, it was an amazing book. I didn’t even want to be pulled away from the pages just to make my notes on what I was enjoying. 10/10. Will recommend to everyone.

This cover! The cover got my interest, but I really enjoyed this book. Its a sweet YA common that touches on social media and dysfunctional families. Its a cute story and I'm glad to have been able to read an early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.