I read this book as an arc from Netgalley. THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Bethany and Jacob are my kids. Like I am protecting them!!!!!!!!!!!

This book follows Bethany and Jacob as they decide to practice dating to be ready for 'real relationships'. This book went so fast and it was so easy to read. Rebekah did something with this oneeeeeee. It was kinda low angst and so fluffy. Bethany and Jacob are so cute. The way they confide in each other really show how they trusted each other. I wish the book went on longer. I need a physical copy BADDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

The absolute cutest read ever! Bethany and Jacob are THE fake-dating couple of the YA genre and I couldn’t get enough. Beth is brave, confident and an incredible basketball player, just like her mums. Jacob is shy, talented and passionate about film. He’s also been dumped twice in a couple of months and wants help being comfortable talking to girls and being himself. He thinks Beth is the perfect girl to make this happen. Beth, recently rejected by two potential dates, decides she needs to take action or she’ll never shed her reputation. With a plan in place, Beth and Jake start fake-dating, deceiving their friends and families in their bid to learn how to date.
This book has a fantastic cast of characters and I loved nearly all of them (sorry not sorry Oliver and Poppy). It was fun seeing them all hanging out in their friendship groups, with their families, and Beth and Jake alone. Jake is super sweet and his interactions with Beth show he knows how to be a great boyfriend, but only for the right girl. That sketch! If you know, you know. I’m all about a good dual narrative in a romance and this gave me exactly what I needed and the representation in this book is spot on, too. I need everyone to grab a copy and read it!
I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I'm so happy I got to read it early! It's the absolute cutest YA romance, with two super loveable main characters.

There's a lot I loved about this book when it comes to the practice dating, and I think it has a great message. However, I did feel like the "latebloomer" thing could have been subverted a little more. As an aroace person, people used to call me a latebloomer all the time, and I felt like there was something wrong with me. I never want other aroace(spec) people to feel that way, and especially since this book was so queer-inclusive, I would have loved a conversation about it being okay if falling in love or wanting to have sex just never happens to you, and how you should not have to feel like you need to date or have sex for external reasons. I did think this message was implied, to be clear, but I would have loved to see an explicit conversation about it.

Either way, though, I did really enjoy this, and I think it has excellent rereading potential. I loved Bethany and Jacob so much as characters, and it was amazing to see them connect like they hadn't with other people.

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

Ahh! What a book! I was so excited that I got approved for this that I read it in one sitting as soon as I downloaded it. Rebekah Weatherspoon is absolutely going to slay in the young adult market, if this book is any indication. I loved the representation, the heartfelt discussions, the banter and wit, and just overall couldn't put it down. I'm so excited for other people to get the chance to read this!

Loved these characters!

My favorite part of this book is how well the characters are all fleshed out; they all had their quirks and distinctive traits and felt so real to me. The strong friendships and loving families and caring, supportive adults made me want to hug this book when I finished.

The fake relationship trope is one of my favorite and this book played it out differently than others I've read before. I enjoyed how the agreement between Bethany and Jacob led to a deep friendship. It broke my heart when, although they could be honest with each other about relationships, they held back their true feelings when it came to each other.

The writing and voice are fantastic--I never had trouble knowing which character's point of view I was reading (this book is told in dual point of view which is perfect for this relationship trope) and I had all the emotions while reading, including lots of smiles and laughter. I enjoyed the body positivity Bethany gifted herself and her character growth arc felt natural and I immediately connected to her. Bethany is a character that will remain with me for a long time.

4.5 stars
Bethany is a late bloomer, never been kissed, on a date, or had a boyfriend but after her crush turns her down for homecoming, she is determined to change that. Bethany's best friend convinces Bethany to take her boyfriend, Jacob, to homecoming as a friend. But when Saylor ends up breaking up with him, Jacob and Bethany decided to fake date. So that they can both build up their confidence around dating.

This book was so cute! It had fake dating and it’s a romance for all those late bloomers out there. My kind of content haha. Anyways, yea it was super cute. I loved all the characters they were all very well written. The relationship between Bethany and Jacob was all I could have asked for and more. I can't get over how sweet they are. I thought that the fake dating aspect was fun. I always find the fake dating trope to be a real hit or miss and in this case I think it was a hit. Overall a cute and fun ya romance that I highly recommend adding to your TBR.

A stunning YA debut, Rebekah Weatherspoon has captured the essence of young love in such a beautiful and silly way. Bethany and Jacob are so truly adorable in their fake dating idiots to lovers goofiness. The whole cast of characters is just precious beyond words. I hope there are more books with these babies because I cannot let them go quite yet.

god, I sure do love a good fake dating plot, but I especially love it when the MMC is a skater boy with a passion for film <3

from the first few chapters, I knew this was going to be an incredible book, between the fantastic queer side characters (love you heaven), the cutest romance I've read in a while (Jacob and Bethany forever), and the believable teen characters who actually seemed like teens and not adults pretending to be teens. the sweet progression of Jacob and Bethany's relationship throughout the book felt like I was watching a cute teen romcom, and watching Bethany manage the pressures of finding what she wanted to do rather than what her parents wanted her to do...I felt like a proud older sister cheering her on.

all in all this book was an amazing fast-paced read with such a cute romance definitely put this on your preorder list <3

thank you to penguin teen for providing me with a physical copy to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion,

The first thing that grabbed my attention was that cover, which I loved. From the diverse characters to the eye-catching color scheme, I was interested immediately, and while I have a few of Rebekah Weatherspoon's titles on my shelves, somehow I had yet to read one of her books. I am SO glad I read this excerpt because it was the perfect glimpse into a flirtatious, fake-dating YA romcom full of emotion and fun friendships.

In both our male and female leads, Weatherspoon manages to capture the pressure of a high schooler, from their looming futures to the family dynamics, class assignments, and how first loves all impact their everyday lives. Quick to fall in love, fast to change their minds, all as time flies by too soon, it was a pleasure to read these characters find their joy. As someone who doesn't always pick up sporty titles, I love how the setting wasn't just her devotion as a basketball player, but gave us the highlight reel of a typical teen, with unique hobbies and families, and how that all looks vs just focusing on Bets as an athlete.

Thank you Penguin Teen + NetGalley for the eARC to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion, this title was such a fun, quick and easy read.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy of Rebekah Weatherspoon's upcoming YA novel, HER GOOD SIDE. (Publication date: May 30, 2023)

This novel was just a nice marshmallow fluffy read. For the romance fans - it's fake dating (your best friend's ex-boyfriend, no worries, she set the two of you up), wrapped up in educational kissing. It's just enough to give you warm fuzzies.

It's also a novel about having fabulous, and strong friend groups, how friends change as their interests change - but it doesn't have to be a bad thing to grow, and that everyone needs to move at their own pace.

For those that have read Weatherspoon's Cowboys of California series, Chef Evie's show is mentioned a few times.

I really hope that you put this book in your radar, and to pre-order and/or ask the library to add it to their collection.

Note that this is a contemporary YA, and there are passing mentions of the Pandemic.

I have been anticipating this release since it was first announced and it honestly exceeded my expectations by far. Witherspoon’s transition into YA was smooth and incredibly well done. This book was fake dating done right, mostly because Bethany and Jacob did not start fake dating for anyone else– they started fake dating for themselves. This small detail made this book stand out against all other fake dating books out there. The book was centered around their experiences in their fake relationship, and not the drama that typically ensues in fake dating romance books. Bethany and Jacob both had excellent development throughout the book, both individually and with each other. They truly became best friends before anything else which made the romance that much sweeter. Witherspoon did a stellar job at building the worlds around Bethany and Jacob; their families and friends were a large part of their lives, but they did not take up too much of the story. I loved that Bethany and Jacob both helped each other achieve their goals (cooking for Bethany and filmmaking for Jacob). The romance was so so so sweet! This is a must read for fans of YA romance!!!

This was such a cute teen rom-com! Her Good Side is my first book by Rebekah Weatherspoon but I've heard so many great things about their books! I loved following Bethany and Jacob in this novel and watching them go from acquaintances to friends to fake dates to lovers. Their secret thoughts about one another were so cute and I was rooting for them to confess their feelings for so long. At times their dialogue and interactions seemed overly awkward, but it also highlighted how awkward being a teenager often is.

The additional subplots involving Bethany and Jacob's friends and family, such as Bethany's desire to go to culinary school instead of play basketball professionally, her relationship with her parents and her body image, and Jacob's desire to attend a top film school were also super interesting. I loved how strong of a friendship Bethany and Jacob had with their friends as well. The fact that in this novel, the female main character is the "jock" character archetype while the male main character is the nerdy, shy, awkward character archetype was super refreshing. I think all fans of teen rom-coms and the fake dating trope will love Her Good Side when it releases next year.