I received an electronic advanced reading copy (e-ARC) of this book from NetGalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for a review. I express my gratitude to both parties for this opportunity.

Aspiring nature photographer Kenzie Reed just can’t get her straitlaced family of optometrists to take her art seriously. She’s resigned to putting aside her dreams and accepting the depressing life that awaits her at the family business. She even makes up a fake, boring boyfriend—Jacob—to get her parents off her back. But when the Reeds arrive in Hawaii for spring break, Kenzie is shocked that "Jacob" shows up at the airport—and joins their vacation. Kenzie can’t reveal him as a fraud without confessing her lie, so she’s stuck playing along while trying to find out who he really is. No way is she going to actually fall for him—because even though he’s funny, nice, smart, and cute, he’s also a liar. Isn’t he?

I am particularly drawn to narratives set in Hawaii, which initially captured my interest in this work. Additionally, as a resident of Northern California, I found the Reeds family dynamic especially relatable. The premise of a fake date evolving into a genuine connection is a concept I find compelling. My appreciation for Jacob grew significantly as he consistently encouraged Kenzie to embrace her true self and rekindle her passion for photography during their trip. Furthermore, I valued the exploration of Jacob’s motivations for traveling to Hawaii and found myself invested in his journey toward achieving his goal.

The book in question did not present any significant elements that I found unfavorable. I thoroughly appreciated the development of the characters, particularly Kenzie’s grandmother. The setting, character dynamics, and plot were all engaging. However, I regret that we did not have the opportunity to meet a particular character who is referenced towards the conclusion of the book, which I will refrain from detailing further to avoid spoilers.

In conclusion, this narrative is likely to resonate with readers who have previously engaged with the author’s work, as well as those who appreciate young adult travel romances, the themes of fake dating, and narratives wherein the protagonist evolves toward greater self-acceptance. Therefore, this story promises to be enjoyable for these audiences.

As I read this book, I was looking for connections to Texas. Besides the main character being from Texas, there was none. The romance story was cheesy and predictable. If you need a quick, easy read. This would be the choice.

This was such a good book! I read it in a day and I’m so mad it took me so long to get to! I will definitely buy a physical copy for my shelf

This was a really cute read but I would have loved for depth, more anything. I don‘t like the overly controlling parents trope but I‘m also not in my ya era anymore.
I can absolutely see why people love love love this book but it wasn’t for me

'Picture-Perfect Boyfriend" was a fun beachy YA read. It follows Kenzie - the Black Sheep of her family - and Jacob - her unexpected fake boyfriend - as she vacations with her family in Hawaii for Spring Break. To avoid her family's scrutiny and expectations, Kenzie makes up a fake, boring boyfriend named Jacob. However, as she and her family lands in Hawaii, Kenzie is shocked when her fake "boyfriend" shows up. Since she can't tell her parents the truth, she ends up playing along, continuing her lie, all whilst spending more time and getting to know this "Jacob."

I was really excited to read "Picture-Perfect Boyfriend" because, first of all: what a cute cover! and second, this book promised the "Fake Boyfriend" and "Fake Dating" and I'm a massive fan of these romance tropes. While the novel did deliver on the trope front, the romance and chemistry between Kenzie and Jacob fell a little flat for me. It was a fairly easy read and since it was a set in Hawaii, I thought it was a fun read for the summer (even though it's set during Spring Break).

While it's not my favourite YA contemporary romance, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cute and easy beachy summer read with a bit of fake dating!

I didnt really like this book. I found it to be lacking and the writing wasnt my favorite. I will. read more from becky though

This was just what I was looking for. A fun, sweet, and very easy breeze. This has everything, a fun seaside setting, a crazy plot, and a group of fun characters. The lying trope is strong in this book and it would have been annoying if it hadn't completely hooked me. So fun all around.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

A great easy summer YA read. The parents were quite a bit overbearing. It was a little on the cheesy side but I think a younger YA audience would enjoy this one.

This book was so fun and cute! I absolutely loved the setting, the characters and all the mayhem that was scattered throughout.
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As fun as this book was there were parts that had me stressing, the fake dating was definitely strong in this one. I loved Kenzie an dJake together and thought they brought out the best in each other and encouraged character growth fr each other. I loved kenzies family so much, especially her fun and spunky grandma.
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overall this book was so much fun and the perfect summer read.

IM SORRY BUT I HATED IT, THE CHARACTERS THE WRITING IT WAS LIKE READING THE DIARY OF A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD WHO A LOT OF POTENTIAL “BOYFRIENDS ” WHAT THE HECK DID I READ

"Two strangers, one tropical island, and lots of lies."

Let's be real, the cover art on this one was a FAIL. Despite that, I thought the premise was cute, if not a little far-fetched. It turned out to be a cute read, despite the characters reading a little young. I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The fake boyfriend trope is one of my favorite ones in romance, just behind enemies-to-lovers, and I love that this book pulled in a bit of "enemies to lovers" with the fake boyfriend aspect of it since the main character wasn't expecting this fake boyfriend and had no idea what he was up to. The romance was well-paced as a slow burn, and I appreciated the attention paid to family dynamics and the way family doesn't always really "see" us as we are or as we want to be seen and appreciated. Very satisfying read with a sweet ending.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

What a cute YA Rom Com.
Kenzie Reed is the main character on spring break with her family on the beautiful island of Maui. Kenzie tells her family she wants to pursue a career in photography but her family has other plans They want her to work at the familys optometry business. Kenzie decides to work at the family business because she doesn't not want to disappoint her parents. She also makes up a boyfriend but then he actually shows up in Hawaii.

Who is this man? Where did he come from?

We all want to know more.

Fun summer romp in paradise. Interesting take on the lying trope, although there were a lot of characters lying to protect themselves and what they wanted to to most in life. The setting of Hawaii was written beautifully, making me want to travel there some day! Lesson to be learned; lying doesn't get you anywhere except trouble, where everything blows up in your face. Sweet building of a love story built on a few fibs. Follow your dream, not what your parents want You'll be happier in the end.

While I didn't enjoy this one as much as the author's first book. I did enjoy following Kenzie to Hawaii and watching her grow and change. As well as finding who she is and having the courage to tell her parents who she really wants to be.

Kenzie Reed loves nature photography; some might even say she is obsessed. Her parents don’t see this as an option for a career and want her to join the family business. Kenzie really wants to please her parents and have their approval like her older sister does, so she makes up a fake boyfriend, Jacob. The problems start when fake Jacob arrives in Hawaii to join the family on their vacation. Kenzie is left wondering who he really is and how he knows all the information she made up about him! As she tries to unravel the mystery, she learns a lot about herself and that as much as she wants to please her parents, she needs to be true to her dreams for the future. I really enjoyed this book by Becky Dean and highly recommend it for middle school and high school. I appreciate that Dean provides entertaining and clean (no bad language and no sexual content) books that I am comfortable adding to my middle school library.

This has a fun fake-dating romance. Kenzie has been talking about Jacob since she attended a conference for young adults interested in medicine. When Jacob shows up as a surprise for her family's Hawaii vacation, she is truly surprised as Jacob doesn't exist. She made up a fake boyfriend. As the vacation goes on, what started as fake becomes real and causes more chaos than expected. It was a fun read.

This was an adorable YA beach read. I typically don’t read YA, but I found this to be very sweet and fun. Who doesn’t love a fake dating scenario! The scene setting in Hawaii made me want to book a flight immediately. Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

This is such an adorable story! I will eat up and YA fake dating because it never fails!