a cute and charming romcom that was delightful.

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

16 year old Bethany Greene has never had a boyfriend, let alone been kissed by a boy. When Bethany is turned down by her crush for Homecoming, and all her other options turn into dead-ends, Bethany reluctantly agrees to attend the dance with her best friend's new boyfriend, Jacob. When Saylor breaks up with Jacob unexpectedly, he starts to question if there is something wrong with him. Bethany and Jacob hatch a plan to fake date, and use one another to gain experience. But, as they spend more time together, they start to realize that their feelings may not be so fake.

I loved this way more than I originally thought I would. This was so cute and brought me such good vibes the entire time I read it. This was told in dual POV between Jacob and Bethany, which I enjoyed being in both of their heads. I loved how much both of these characters grew not only together, but as individuals as well. They both learned how to speak up for themselves, and go for what they want, rather than what people expect of them. I'm a sucker for the fake dating trope, so I was definitely intrigued to see how this was going to play out in the end. This was definitely a slow burn romance since Jacob is dating Saylor for a good chunk of the book. I love how much Jacob and Bethany cared for one another, as friends at first, but slowly becoming more. I loved the banter they had with one another. Both were so supportive of each other's hopes and dreams, and really pushed each other to reach for them. Also, big fan of Bethany's moms, they were so fun and I loved how supportive they were of Bethany and her dreams. I also loved how Bethany was a plus sized character that loved her body and embraced her curviness. She refused to let people shame her for her size or her passion when it came to food and I really liked that.

I'm definitely interested in checking out more of this author's work sometime in the near future!

This was a pretty low-stakes YA, the story seemed to have slipped through my fingers. It was over before I knew it. I just wish I liked it more.

This book was adorable! I loved it from start to finish. Every single character made me feel like I was a part of their little friend group. The author did a fantastic job of balancing out the character development when it came to writing about naive, vulnerable teens but at the same time giving them some maturity and brains. This book didn’t feel immature or “high schoolish.” The struggles were real. The drama was real. The heartbreak was definitely real!

Bethany was a phenomenal character. Strong, smart, driven but also nurturing, sassy, and witty. She knew exactly who she was and didn’t apologize for it. Being plus sized didn’t phase her. She knew she was beautiful and worthy of love. Jacob was his own kind of perfect. His character really pulled me in, which I didn’t expect. I loved how much he truly cared about Bethany and her successes.

I didn’t think I’d love a YA fake dating romance story but I sure did! I would love to see some of the side characters get their own books.

This was such a cute and fun YA! I loved the crushing, the fake dating, the uncertainty, the characters, the authenticity of emotions, and just how lovely it all was. An absolutely beautiful and heartwarming read, recommended for any readers of YA.

👍
+ I just loved both of these characters. Jacob who’s so thoughtful, slightly geeky, plus super talented behind the camera. And Bethany, who lives her emotions to the fullest, cares for everyone and gives herself fully to whatever who does. While I think I liked Bethany a bit more, I loved all the small and big ways Jacob showed how much he cared.
+ Both of the main characters were “late bloomers”. I was too, so I saw a lot of myself in these characters. Jacob is a little shy and says yes to most things to make others happy. Bethany is afraid of the unknown in terms of getting physical with someone. I thought that these feelings were handled very authentically. And it’s great to see this perspective in YAs.
+ The representation was quite great too. Bethany has two moms, one of her best friends is non-binary and she is fat. Her body and her weight is a part of the story and I loved the way the MC was a great example and embodiment of body positivity.
+ There were also many side characters that I loved. Both of the MCs’ friend groups are so fun, loving and supportive. They also all had distinct personalities, and I love how some situations in the book that could have caused drama in other friend groups were handled with open communication and support instead.

👎
- While I did appreciate that the MCs were late bloomers, which is not a phrase I love btw, I feel like the book also could have done more to highlight that it’s okay to wait to be sexually active when you’re ready.
- One of Bethany’s mothers does a lot of dictating of what Bethany should eat or how she should work out in the name of making her a better athlete. I didn’t feel this issue was addressed fully by the end.

Overall rating: 4.3 ⭐

Thank you so much to Razorbill, Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the eARC!

I did like this book. It shared a positive message about body positivity and there was a nice representation of an LGBQIA+ character and other diverse characters. being Asian myself, it was nice to see an Asian character.

Back in school, I was like Jacob as the awkward, nerdy one that did not really know how to interact with others. I had a very small group of friends like Bethany and her friends. Bethany and Jacob may not have came up with the idea to be together but they did make a cute couple.

While I did like them, I just never really became emotionally connected with all of the rest of the characters in this book. yet, as someone who is not the target audience of this book, I still felt like because of the positive message that it will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book a lot. I love the representation and the body positivity. The main couple was adorable and I was smiling during the whole story. The fake dating trope was written well. I did feel like there was too many info dumps. The ending was also a bit underwhelming in my opinion. But overall I really liked this story.

🏀Book Review🍴
Her Good Side
Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon
Method: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin
Published: May 30, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to PenguinTeen for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one. It was sweet and fun with quite a bit of diverse representation. I really loved how real it was, too, as we watched Bethany learn to navigate making her parents happy and being true to herself as well as high school dating. And Jacob was kind and sweet and always told her what she needed to hear, even if it was hard. The writing was great and didn't feel full of drama like many of the YA high school books currently out. Most of all, though, my favorite was Bethany's confidence and body positivity. We need more books with characters like this.

Read if you like:
🏀 Sports rep
💙 Fake dating
🍴Solid friend groups
🏀 Diverse casts

#qotd : Did you play any sports in school?

#review #penguinteen #penguinreview #sportsrep #basketball #penguinrandomhouse #fakedating #diversity #bodypositive #teen #youngadult #romance #betruetoyourself #hergoodside #netgalley

Thank you so much to Penguin Young Readers (Razorbill) for an early copy of Her Good Side by one of my favorites, @rebekahweatherspoon! Her Good Side is my new favorite young adult fake dating romance. I loved Bethany and Jacob together and their respective friend groups. One of the reasons I loved the fake dating so much is that they like each other from the very beginning and even though they are chicken about telling each other, it was just so satisfying to read. So I guess it's more like it's fake dating but only because neither of them will admit it's real dating.

I found the book to be low angst, full of representation and 100% a good time. I smiled a lot while reading it and sped right through until the very end because I had to see how everything wrapped up, bedtime be damned.

Her Good Side is out now and I haven't stopped thinking about these characters since last night when I closed my Kindle.

I loved the characters and their overall chemistry! Bethany wears her heart on her sleeve and she’s so fun and spunky. I was highly rooting for her and for Jacob, such a cute book!

In Her Good Side, we meet plus-size, confident teen basketball star and secret chef, Bethany, just as she's turned down twice for homecoming. Not wanting to go along, she decides to pair up with her BFF Saylor's then-boyfriend, Jacob, since Saylor had already said yes to a friend date before they got together. But when Jacob and Saylor break-up, Jacob and Bethany become friends. Disappointed by their romance struggles, the two decide to fake date to brand themselves as relationship material for future suitors. But the plan works a little too well as they start to fall for each other.

I read the first few chapters of this book for BookishFirst and LOVED it. Bethany is a great character and I was so entertained by her. However, as I read the entire novel, my enthusiasm waned. It read very juvenile, even for YA, and Jacob and Bethany were so oblivious it was hard to stomach. It felt like the author, who normally writes adult fiction, was writing down, instead of bringing their skills to a new age group.

I also feel I must call attention to what I found to be an extremely offensive joke about a fellow student potentially enacting a knife attack at school. This was in extremely poor taste, akin to joking about a school shooting, which I can't imagine why anyone would do this day in age, and doesn't address mental health in the best way. I am hardly a "woke" person, yet I found this crossed a line. Hopefully it's removed for future printings.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars - 6/10

This was so freaking cute!
Seeing the evolution of Joshua and Bethany's relationship had me so giddy.
It was so great to see teenagers who knew what they wanted and had their passions that were important to them, but who also had vulnerabilities and were working on themselves. They were both incredibly self-aware, and had great familial (mostly) and friendship supports.
A feel good read if there ever was one.

A beautiful story brimming with the joy of new friendships and first love. This story expands beyond the center romance, encapsulating the conflicts of adolescence, ie with parents, with coursework and wraps it all up in a tale that feels like a warm hug.

Fans of YA romance, this is one that you can’t miss!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon. I was fortunate to also receive Her Good Side as an ALC from LibroFM. It was really nice to be able to flip back and forth from print to the audio version. Her Good Side was a easy and fast read. It was a sweet and satisfying coming of age young adult novel. I enjoyed the story of Bethany and Jacob who are two friends that are bad at dating and they fake a relationship in order to practice. The end up liking each other as more than friends. I would definitely pick up another book by Rebekah Weatherspoon.

Her Good Side is a lovely coming-of-age story about figuring out what you want in life and going for it--both romantically and generally. I loved how the mcs hobbies were incorporated into the plot and that aspect never felt forced. The romance did sometimes feel forced to me because it felt like the author was trying to make it too cute? But also it was really cute in parts... just other pieces didn't work for me.

Overall I liked this and thought it was light and fun. Give it a read if you're into Nicola Yoon or Tashie Bhuiyan.

I loved this!!! Bethany and Jacob had me giving heart eyes the entire book. I loved the dual POV because you really get to see each ones individual thoughts, I loved getting to know the friend groups and how eventually they each became friends. Jacob was such a good book BF and was so thoughtful. This book is something i would have devoured at 16 and also something i devoured as an adult.

This was just such a sweet YA with such interesting characters. I really liked the twist on fake dating... so often one character has dating all together and the other is clueless but in this one... both were clueless and were just late bloomers when it came to relationships. It worked so well for a YA and I loved the amount of diversity (race, LGBTQ rep) in this book. I hope she writes another YA because Rebeckah nailed this one.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!
‘Her Good Side’ was a conflicting read for me. Parts of it were great, but parts were also very frustrating. I can totally see the appeal of this book though, as it’s inclusive and could peak interest for those in that age group. I, however, feel as though I am slightly just out of the desired bracket. There is possibility that a second read would increase the rating.

3/5 stars.

I can definitely see the appeal for this one, I think fans of "Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute" or "Ophelia After All" will really like this one. Unfortunately, Bethany was too boy crazy for me, so I did not enjoy it as much.

Could this book me any more adorable? I want everyone--especially adolescents and young adults--to read this book because I think it's possible to read without identifying with at least one of these characters. Bethany is so many things: Black, daughter of two moms, basketball player who secretly hates playing basketball, inexperienced with dating and boys, and a good friend, She describes herself as fat, and has respect for her body, and expects others to as well. Her best friends, Saylor and Tatum, support her in everything. Seriously, these girls show up for each other, and I love that this book is as much about friendship as it is about romance, Jacob is an Asian skateboarding, film-making, long hair wearing, all around good guy. He's an introvert who sees himself more as skinny and awkward than the hot guy that his classmates all view him as. He gets dumped twice for being too nice and quiet. He's also a virgin who isn't afraid to tell people he's not ready to have sex yet. When Jacob and Bethany make a deal to help each other out by fake-dating, they think all they are doing is giving Bethany more experience with guys, and helping each other's reputation. What they don't count on his their very real friendship turning into their first loves. This book is so so so sweet and hilarious. It means so much to see these two navigate their relationship with such kindness to each other. I couldn't have loved this book more.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.