Unfortunately this wasnt my favorite, but that's not to say I didnt like it! Overall, I couldnt bring myself to really root for the love interest. I felt like he had a lot of growing that he could have done, even after the end. I hope that he did. There were a couple times that I noticed perspective changes, which was a major issue because it was told from both POVs in first person. Each chapter focused on one perspective so the jump confused me.

The story itself was cute and I liked the romance enough to make me want to read more. I'm glad I got the chance to!

Two Haley's and one mixed up problem. Bryce finds himself in hot water when he drops a rumor about hooking up with a girl named Haley at school. Now he is being blackmailed but will it turn out to be a good thing, especially with Haley being an honor student and quite likable. She definitely isn't what he expects will this turn into the real thin?. This is a cute story that will have you cheering for the couple. I voluntarily agreed to receive an ARC of this book for an honest review.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

2.5 stars.

I have mixed feelings about this book: part of me liked it, and part of me was just irritated by it. I'll explain.

The idea behind the book is cute. Actually, I guess now that I think about it in real-world terms, it's kind of messed up. I guess I'm a sucker for fake relationships that turn into real ones.

But let's think about this for a moment . . .

Bryce is basically a heartless, rich, womanizing high school student. He dates girls for their bodies rather than their personalities. In fact, he admits multiple times that he prefers to keep things simple by not dating smart girls. For someone who has been raised to care for appearances so much, he really has no skill when it comes to saying what he means; his words often came out in ways that could be misunderstood. Scratch that. They just came out wrong, and he had difficulty recognizing why they were. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to like him. In fact, it took a long time for me to have any good thoughts about him.

Haley is one of those "smart girls" that don't interest Bryce; she's got more of a boyish body (at one point, Bryce--in his head--describes her as having the body of a child). I'm sure I was supposed to like her from the start, but again, I did not. I found her rather annoying, to be honest. She was frequently rude, easily hurt and offended, and became rather clingy. She chose to take everything Bryce said or did in the worst way possible. True, he made many mistakes, but she always jumped straight to the worst conclusion and refused to give him a chance to explain. Not only that, but she put him on the spot a lot, even in situations that were quite uncomfortable for him.

The two of them together was a disaster, though somehow they were also good for each other. It's like the raw, sore spot you get when something is rubbing against your skin for a while. But then it becomes a callus, and that spot is a lot tougher than before, less likely to blister.

I'm sure you can figure out how things work out in the end, and it's entertaining to watch the characters get there. I think Bryce underwent some great changes from the beginning to the end--he reprioritized the things that were important in his life, recognized many of his shortcomings, saw his parents for who they were, realized what he actually wanted, and stood up to his father. By the end of the book, I did like him. Haley, however, did not grow much as a character, which was unfortunate. She realized she truly liked Bryce pretty early and was no longer interested in her original motive for blackmailing him. I suppose her big epiphany was that she didn't care about others' opinions of her, but that's pretty much it.

Having seen these characters in another Chris Cannon book I read (99% Faking It, starring Haley's brother Matt and his friend Lisa, which takes place after this one but in a different series), I did enjoy seeing how the characters got to the point they were at in that book. Jane and Nathan, though supporting characters, were fun to watch. I liked seeing their relationship develop, especially since it's a big deal to Matt in the other book.

I have a few minor gripes about things that happened in the story, as well:
- The animal shelter declaws all the cats? I'm pretty sure that's not an acceptable practice anymore.
- How does Haley's family afford a vehicle for each child? (She says her dad helps with the downpayment, but they're responsible for everything else. FYI, I held a job and taught piano in high school, and I still couldn't have bought my own vehicle.)
- Haley's insurance company asks her to get three quotes for her car repair. I've never heard of a car insurance company requiring that. From my experience, it seems that the insurance companies have preferred service companies they like their customers to use. Yes, you are free to go somewhere else, but you have an auto-insurance policy that explains your benefits. It's not a "give us quotes, and we'll tell you where to go"--they typically work with the auto body shop and then let you know how things are going to go.
- Since when has sparkly lipgloss ever made a boy want to kiss a girl?
- Why on earth would Haley believe that things would have worked out between her and Bryce if they had met under different circumstances? The only reason he even noticed her was because she blackmailed him. Considering how he was at the start of the book, he never would have looked twice at her because she was the exact opposite of what he looked for.

The ending was rather abrupt. I mean, there was closure and all (for Haley and Bryce, anyway), but it felt like the author just kind of . . . ended it.

Note: Some swearing. Main characters that aren't particularly likable. Bryce is known for sleeping around.

The premise is fun, fast paced and engaging. The romance is flirty, and hot, the characters are energetic, sweet and animated. Really a great book, even thow not my normal type of book that I read. Would recommend

Bryce and Haley don't know each other well. However, they end up in a fake relationship that saves Bryce from getting beat up and Haley hopes it will make her look dateable after they break up.

While it is a cute story, the characters jumped around emotionally too much. I understand teenagers are immature and Haley is new to the dating world, but it felt like every other page she liked Bryce, then she was mad at him, etc.

A couple things that made me rate this book a little lower:

1. Haley mentions she's uncomfortable with the length of her skirt she bought but decides to wear it because it will get Bryce's attention.

2. When Haley is angry at Bryce she says she is close to going up to the girls he's talking to and telling them he is a post-op transexual or that she might post it on YouTube. Even though it's just a thought, it honestly didn't seem right and it felt wrong for the character.

I liked it enough. I had read the book that comes after this one first so I kind of knew who was who. But I thought everything was a little fast.

I enjoy Chris Cannon’s writing. I’ve read several of them. But this one felt kind of lackluster for me. It wasn’t that the characters didn’t have chemistry. They definitely did. It was more that everything seemed sort of…glossed over.

Bryce was very much a jerk. Even to his friends. He was a real a**hole to almost everybody. And this wasn’t one of those “I’m an a**hole to everybody except my momma and the girl I love”.

No, he was a jerk to Haley too. And it was kind of disturbing. The parents were also acting really weird in the book. It was just really surreal.

I don’t know. I didn’t really like this one as much.

Loved this sweet romance. It was good to read a story where the female held all the cards. The main reason for my high rating is the easy, fast read. It was smooth and an absolute pleasure to read. About time there was a lead male who struggled with his feelings. There were so many ups and downs,

After reading 99% Faking It, I loved Haley and Jane. Blackmail Boyfriend has been on my TBR for a while and I didn't make the connection between these books until a couple chapters into this one. And man, am I glad I got to know these characters better!!

I loved Haley so much. She's smart, caring, and not afraid to stick up for herself. I loved how she never backed down and wouldn't take mistreatment from anyone. Bryce, on the other hand, would do better if he could find his inner Haley. When he finally stood up for himself to his family's expectations, I gave a little cheer for him.

I loved this lead in to the other series!!

Haley Patterson has had a minor crush on Bryce Colton, a rich jock. When Haley arrives at school, she is on the other end of a rumor mill. She supposedly got busy this weekend and hooked up after a party with Bryce. The thing is Haley Patterson didn't, but another Haley did. The Haley that did give her a fake last name as she doesn't want her actual boyfriend Denny to find out. Haley Patterson sees this to her advantage as she needs someone to be her fake boyfriend to get her brother's off her back and to show the world that she is not just an honors nerd who loves animals but is in fact also quite dateable. One thing leads to another and what starts out as a fake romance, starts to blossom between the two and eventually will turn into something real. The thing is though that they come from two totally different worlds and their parents aren't exactly fine with them dating. When I read Haley's mother is overreacting, I was hoping it had something to do with Bryce's dad - that would have made a nice twist, but I still didn't see the twist of the real reason coming. When Bryce has to choose between Haley or his family and wealth, what will he choose? Will Bryce make the right decision or go back to dating fake blondes who only want his money?
Find out in this fun YA romance by Chris Cannon - a change from her more popular Dragon shifting series - "Blackmail Boyfriend."