I love this! It was so cute and good! I liked its ending not being everything working out. I think its good for teens to get to see the idea that maybe they can keep dreaming when it doesn't work perfectly! I do wish there was more time spent on both MCs getting to explain their feelings to people.

I really loved the relationship that developed between Elijah (Brady) and Wade. I thought they were very sweet together and it was so nice seeing their character development grow together. Their interactions was really wholesome and for their romance alone leads to me recommending this story.

There was one element of the story that I wasn't keen on and that was the relationship (or lack of) between Reece and Elijah as they did not have chemistry, a lot of their interactions felt very forced and awkward and their relationship itself lead to some really uncomfortable situations.

But overall, I really loved Elijah and Wades relationship and I thought this story was pretty wholesome.

The only thing I know about "My Fair Lady" is what I've learned from "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," and you know what? Both that and this feel like excellent adaptations. This was sweet and made the theatre kid within me fall in love.

@ 19%
The story is blunt and doesn't have any pace at all. Struggling to get through it, making me thinking about DNF

@39%
Story finally getting better, but still a decent read

@100%
The story ended nice but there was the beginning was a dealbreaker for me.
Making this only a 2 star read.
Elijah is forced to be someone he doesn't want to be at first, and keeps playing that role. In addition the love triangle was really blunt and could have been much better worked out

Very cute. As someone who hasn’t ever read my fair lady I’m sure some of it went over my head with references but it was a cute little romance.

Guys, this is an absolute gem , Elijah Brady is just so lovable and oblivious to what happens around him, im a sucker for a good makeover and this book delivered the goods. I loved the way queer characters were portrayed, no one at that school batted and eye at someone for being queer and that’s so refreshing to read.

I really enjoy reading about Elijah and Wade falling slowly for each other and the lesson of not judging a person for their appearance.

The only thing I would have love is to have more time with Wade and Elijah as a couple, I needed more than a few chapters but I guess that’s why fanfic was invented, right?

This book is a love letter to theater and musicals and the people. I loved it so much.

I thought this was a pretty cute contemporary my fair lady retelling. And as someone who did a lot of high school theater it was fun to re-immerse myself in that setting. If you’re not already a fan of YA I would not recommend, but if you liked the genre then this is definitely a worthwhile pick.

I’m so embarrassed that it took me about 50% of this book to realize that one character was named Elijah to mirror Eliza… like Eliza Doolittle. And that’s on me and honestly made the reading experience even better.

This is a fun story about a My Fair Lady retelling during a production of My Fair Lady. The layers! The hot shot senior actor decides to take the shy underclassmen under his wing to teach him how to be cool and confident. But you know that by the end, he’s grown accustomed to his face.

This was such a unique take on a retelling because again, I loved that the show was in the forefront of everyone’s minds while also watching it play out in real life between these two characters. I really did love both of our main characters and their POV chapters were so different and seeing them fall for each other in mirroring and complementing ways was delightful.

Deeply recommended for theater fans!

Thank you so much, NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Wade is used to being in the spotlight. He's a brilliant actor, he had a cute boyfriend and an incredible best friend. Now he lost the leading part in the school musical and his boyfriend left him after a bad fight, after accusing him to be too self-centrered. In order to prove him he's not like that, he makes a deal with the shy new boy, Eljah, promising him to teach him how to be popular. Now they can both gain something from their deal, but when Brady is put center stage, being a smash it, Wade starts to question his feeling for the new boy and his fear of losing him.

I'm gonna be honest. I haven't seen My Fair Lady, but after reading this book, I was so curious I had to watch it and I'm so in love with everything. So, inspired by this movie, Brian D. Kennedy wrote a charming and cute rom-com, starring a cute, but shy Elijah, Brady and a boy too self-centered and too sure of himself, in a deal to help one other.
I truly loved everything. I love theatre, so reading a story set in one was truly an experience and I loved following the boys' story and the production and how Wade and Elijah helped one other and how their feelings start to chance. I was more involved in Brady's story, because I'm "awkward" and shy like him, so his story felt more relatable than Wade's, with his confidence and being extrovert, but I truly loved how much they changed one other, bringing up sides they didn't know about themselves.
A gorgeous and funny, sweet and swoony story.

This book was absolutely everything! I knew from the stunning cover and synopsis that I had to read this book but I couldn’t believe it when I was approved for an ARC. The story and characters were so much more than I could’ve hoped for, I loved everything about this.

While reading, I was transported back to my time in high school, taking part in musicals with my friends. The full day rehearsals, months practicing every line and cue, every note and harmony in a song. The nostalgia made my heart ache in the most bittersweet way.

The whole book was so much fun. There were moments where my face hurt from smiling and so many lines that had me laughing out loud. I love when a book is so captivating I forget myself and get lost in the story, not caring if I’m grinning or laughing away to myself.

Additionally, the writing was so beautiful. I couldn’t stop highlighting on my Kindle as I was reading it. I’d love to do a reread and annotate physically because there are so many lines I want to remember.

The development of both Elijah and Wade’s characters was excellent. I instantly loved Elijah, he’s so sweet and I loved his sarcasm. Seeing him grow in confidence throughout the book made me so happy. Wade was more of a slow burner for me, I immediately admired his ambition and wanted him to thrive but I could see how his
drive sometimes led him to making poor decision that hurt those around him. Seeing him grow and become self aware was beautiful and I was rooting for him so hard.

I loved the ending, Elijah and Wade deserve all of the happiness in the world and I was smiling so hard at the final scene!

I also loved the other themes within the book, especially the theme of friendship. Both Wade and Elijah’s groups of friends were full of wonderful characters and I enjoyed reading about them. The dynamic between Wade and Ava was really interesting to read and I think showcased Wade and his character development perfectly. I loved Ava, Hannah and Ebony and the scene where Wade acknowledges that the four of them are sharing the stage for the last time made me want to cry. I also loved the tech crew that Elijah became friends with! It was interesting seeing Elijah balance getting to know them with trying to become ‘Brady’. (It honestly gave me Mean Girls vibes in the best possible way) I was so happy when Elijah finally decided to do what he wanted for himself and spend time with his tech crew friend, instead of doing the things that he thought he should want.

I loved the queer rep, especially the more subtle queer rep in having trans and non-binary side characters! It makes me smile so much to have these characters just exist naturally without being a plot device.

From start to finish, I couldn’t stop thinking about this book whenever I put it down. These characters will stay with me for a long time, I think the fact I’m already thinking about a re-read speaks for itself. Thank you so much to Harper360YA, NetGalley and, of course, Brian D. Kennedy for the chance to read an ARC.

This is a great, quick light hearted read. It is great for fans of theater and seeing the under dog triumph. The references to different muscials will keep readers entertained and maybe broaden their horizons. Love a good story about someone coming into their own and learning to be confident in who they are.

I really enjoyed Brian D Kennedy’s debut last year so I was super excited to pick this one up. I didn’t love this one quite as much but I did still enjoy it. The characters were a little too frustrating for me at times but in general I really liked them both and the storyline was enjoyable. Definitely would recommend to YA readers and theater kids (current and former).

I am a big fan of reading anything that is both YA and queer in nature, so naturally I picked this one up. However as much as I wanted to totally love it, the main character left a bitter taste in my mouth time and time again. Though growth is meant to be shown, and Kennedy certainly does make that attempt, I found myself really disliking Wade. It's not as though I couldn't sympathize with him, but the fact that the entire plot is based around him wanting to make himself look good to his ex-boyfriend annoyed me a bit.

The saving grace in the book was getting to see Elijah blossom over the course of the novel. I found myself relating quite easily to this wallflower, wanting for him to be able to make friends that he deserves, even if it means stepping out of his shell. I think that by the end of the novel, I could see where Kennedy had been going in writing the book and casting Wade in the light that he did.

Still, I felt that Wade's character played a little too much into the 'bitchy gay' stereotype that the queer community is constantly labeled with.

In the end, while I won't be adding this to our collection, I do still think that it is worth a read if only for the look into theatre life that you get along the way.

After thoroughly enjoying Brian D. Kennedy's debut novel last year, I was so thrilled to get my hands on My Fair Brady to see what he had come up with next! It's obvious that Kennedy has a delightful grasp on musicality and the teenage voice, and combines both of these to glorious effect in his books.

After a romantic gesture goes too far and he finds himself single and playing secondary lead to his new ex boyfriend for the spring musical, Wade needs to prove that he cares about more than just himself. Enter: Elijah Brady, withdrawn, introverted, and desperate for a place to belong. If Wade can remake Elijah into "Brady" - popular, well-liked, and someone others might be interested in - then maybe, everyone else can see that Wade isn't quite as self-absorbed as he seems. There's just one problem: Brady's almost too popular, and Wade might not be able to handle losing him.

While this book isn't overly demanding, it's obvious that Kennedy has figured out how to write teenagers. His characters are lovable and frustrating in equal measure, and their actions aren't always logical - because teenagers are all of those things. There is no huge overarching plot to puzzle over that will haunt you at night, or anything requiring in depth thinking, but there doesn't need to be. This is just a delightfully fun tale of weird high school theatre kid antics and all that goes along with that.
Elijah Brady is a sweetheart from the very start. He's anxious and introverted so desperate to fit in and find his place. He's so relatable and neurodivergent-coded. Wade takes a bit more time to warm up to because he absolutely is self-absorbed at the start, but it's lovely to watch his growth over time into someone who genuinely cares about both Brady and his friends - and realizes how badly he'd messed up in his relationships.
The story itself, of one boy growing into who he wants to be and finding a middle ground between that and who he actually is, and another finding his place in the world once he realizes the reality of what dreams are attainable, are both so relatable. Teenagers will connect with both Wade and Brady, and that is what made me love this story so much. Plus, you know, the absolutely manic theatre kid energy throughout.

‘My Fair Brady’ was such a joyous read. A queer romantic comedy set during a high school production of ‘My Fair Lady,’ the heart of this story reminds us that however you change your outward appearance, the best version of yourself is whatever is the truest. Wes and Elijah “Brady” were so wonderful and I loved watching their friendship grow, as well as how they challenged each other. I also loved how supportive the parental figures in this book were towards their kids!

Brian D. Kennedy has another hit on his hands and I cannot wait to see what comes next!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Did I like this? Yes. Were there some issues? Also yes. But for the most part I really did like it. And now I want to read the other one featuring country music by Brian next. Because this was so much more fun than I thought it would be.

As someone who’s not a theater kid I was a little worried about this one. It seemed that it was going to have a lot of references about plays and musicals etc. And it was, but it was more than that also and I enjoyed it. I liked that all of them were explained or at least said where they came from. I was able to go back and look them up or find out more information about them. I was happy I was never left in the dark because of it.

However, I wish I liked the characters as much as I liked the premise. The main characters were not great. Wade was HELLA annoying. And let me just say, I don’t think he learned anything even tho the book ended the way it did. And Brady was so cute, but he had to have anxiety or social anxiety, but they never gave him a specific thing, I guess it was because he didn’t want to seem as if he was cured because of Wade, but I think if he framed it as helped him get confidence and made it clear that that’s all it was, it wasn’t GONE, just he gave him a way to help manage it.

The romance was cute, but I also hated some of it. I really disliked how they were playing with Brady. They took advantage of him because he hardly knew people’s social cues and I just didn’t like that. But I was glad that they actually talked before they got together. Because Wade needed to come clean. (Although he didn’t deserve what Brady and his ex did to him either.)

The writing style was ok for the most part but it wasn’t anything that like felt new or epic. I hope you all can find a better balance than me. Let me know if you read it and what you think about it.

A queer, love triangle, YA romance is everything I love to read, I'm absolutely addicted to these tropes, but sadly, this didn't spark as much joy as I'd hoped it would.

First, we have Elijah, who I really vibed with! As an autistic adult, I've always felt like my random word-vomit stops conversations in their tracks, and I really can't help but relate to how he is always deep in thought. And when he was changing to try to fit in and make friends any way he could, it sounded a lot like when I have to mask my autism and wow, it is tiring. I felt deeply for Elijah through his whole story.

Wade, however, was unlikeable at first. I did grow to like him eventually, though. He was very selfish originally and really only looked out for his own interests for about 70% of this story though, which put me off a bit.

And then there's Reese, and I honestly loved that boy for the most part. He was sweet and kind, and he was constantly looking out for Elijah. If only Elijah could've figured out how to communicate with him better, I feel like this story could've gone very differently.

When it comes to plot, that was barely existent. This was a very character driven book. If you're looking to read something with a deeper story to it, that's not this, but the character growth made it mostly enjoyable.

Where this really didn't work for me was the writing. I didn't really feel a connection with this story as a whole. It didn't make me laugh or feel any deep emotions. The opportunities were there for feels, and yet it just didn't hit. Sometimes, these moments were even skipped over by POV changes or time skips, and the characters came back all fine and dandy.

Part of my disappointment was also to do with the romance. I just didn't feel as much with Wade and Elijah as I did with Reese and Elijah. I wanted to, but it didn't seem to grow as naturally as I had hoped it would. It almost seemed forced

Overall, this was a quick, easy read with some sweet queer romance, but I was just missing the chemistry and wow factor

➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘻𝘦𝘳 + 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘋. 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘺. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

MY FAIR BRADY was such a brilliant surprise. It was an impulse request, mostly because I liked the My Fair Lady angle. I was surprised how quickly this book hooked me. I read the whole thing in just a couple of sittings, and if you’d asked me, I’d never have thought it was 350 pages – I flew through it!

The characters were really likable and engaging, and the relationship between them was really sweet. I enjoyed both the POVs: Wade who’s outgoing and popular, learning to be less self-centred; and Elijah (Brady) who’s shy and socially awkward, trying his best to push himself out of comfort zone and make more confident choices. I really liked that both characters had a little struggle within themselves, but neither was unlikeable. There’s a pretty big supporting cast too, and although most of them aren’t given a huge amount of page time, I felt they were all unique and distinct.

The story is charming, with lots of fun references to pop culture and musical theatre. Despite never being a theatre kid myself, I think I have to accept that plays and musicals are something I really like in my YA romances lately! It’s quite a simple plotline, although, obviously, there’s a few romantic speedbumps along the way, but this was just a great example of a sweet and touching romance. An easy, engaging read and pretty much a perfect YA romcom.

One I’d definetly recommend.

Something that shows how much I enjoyed MY FAIR BRADY, is that I immediately went off to look up the authors other books. After looking, I realise I had actually heard of his debut (A Little Bit Country) but wasn’t drawn to the country music angle. Now, having read MY FAIR BRADY, I’m adding A Little Bit Country to my TBR and will be eagerly anticipating Brian D. Kennedy’s future books!

Oh boy does reading about theatre kids take me back. This book did such a good job of putting us in that world of high school theater, where who gets the lead in the school play can be life shattering. As someone who never really fit in in high school I really related a lot to Elijah & I feel like a lot of kids will as well.

YA romance at its best in this M/M My Fair Lady x She's all that mashup that is equally fun and heartfelt. I really enjoyed this great cast of queer high school drama students as they help support each other through their last stage performance and deal with the anxieties of life after graduation. Good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Emma Lord, Becky Albertalli or Calyssa Erb. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!