Zeke is a star baseball player dealing with a sick father whose medical bills are piling up. He has dreams and ideals about how things should work, and a tough time of letting those go. One of those dreams is finally being with Imogene.

Imogene is a dreamer and a writer. She views Zeke more as a best friend or even brother, but everyone expects there to be more between them. How does she push past the pressure to speak her truth?

This was an engaging read, but not an easy one. Told from dual points of view, sharing the inside thoughts of both Imogene and Zeke, the readers is let into their worlds, including all of their worries, faults, and frustrations. It carefully touches on tough topics of expectations, loss, and sacrifice.

One thing I appreciate is that things get messy as lives intertwine and choices are made, and while there is growth and learning, there is no easy forgiveness or excusing of behavior. Consequences are real and appropriate.

What a debut!

How to Lose a Best Friend delves into the all too reoccurring phenomenon of young boys not taking no for an answer, and thereby ruining their friendships. This book was so unique, and depicted the all too real but never talked about issue of young men thinking they're inherently owed something by women just because they want it. And with Gen's family perpetuating this, all of the pressure is on a young woman to acquiesce, rather than teaching young men to understand that no is a full sentence.

This was truly a great read, and I think all teens (and even some adults) would benefit from reading it!

Thank you for providing me with a copy of this book. I really enjoyed it! I had a lot of emotions reading it and it reminded me why i don’t miss highschool. I liked how realistic it was without the typical happy ending.