The Art of LaineyAuthor: Paula Stokes
Publisher: HarperTeen, 384 pages
Publication Date: May 20, 2014
From Goodreads:
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.
And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.
What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?
Review:
Such a cute and fun read…I'm a sucker for the fake dating plot. And the opposites attract plot. The whole book just made me smile.
Poor Lainey, I felt bad for her. She's been dating Jason since her freshman year and her entire identity is tied to being his girlfriend. Who is she if she's not with Jason? Even though this book is romance heavy, it's also about Lainey figuring out who she is and she shows amazing character growth. She gets out of her comfort zone, which is exactly what she needed to do.
Hated Jason given the way he broke up with her. Who does that? It would have made more sense (the whole plot to win him back) if he hadn't been such a jerk, but it made it easy to root for Lainey and Micah.
Micah…incredible guy (still trying to picture the Mohawk, though…and like it). I loved that he cared so much for his little sister. Loved that he enjoyed baking. Loved that he didn't take crap from Lainey and he was so confident in who he was. Their fake dates were the best part of the book. An excellent contemporary…definitely recommend.
Posted by: Pam
I missed out on this one when it was up on Edelweiss. I'm glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was really cute. ~Pam
DeleteI have to admit to really disliking this book. I didn't like Lainey very much at all, I didn't get why Micah wanted to be with her either. Jason treated her like crap in the way he dumped her and then she spends most of the book trying to get him back. I wanted her to wake up and get some self respect. Sorry, rant over lol. I am glad you enjoyed it though, this was one I'd been really looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree, it was hard to understand why she wanted him back so bad given the way he dumped her. That part would have made more sense if he hadn't treated her that way, but then maybe we wouldn't have been rooting for Lainey and Micah. ~Pam
DeleteHmm fake dating plot. I'm glad I know that going into the books this time. Regardless, I am SUPER excited for this one. So glad you enjoyed it :)
ReplyDeleteHope you end up enjoying it! (At first, I thought I might have spoiled something by mentioning the fake dating plot, but it's in the Goodreads synopsis…whew!) ~Pam
DeleteI really like the idea of the main character discovering who she is outside of a guy. My sister really struggles with that so I might read this and then book push it on her. Lol maybe she will learn something. :)
ReplyDeleteThat part read real to me. Especially when you've been with someone for so long (and in high school) your whole world revolves around that person. ~Pam
DeleteThis one is high on my tbr and I meant to already read it by now. It makes me happy that you liked it. It definitely sounds like I will too. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute read, hope you enjoy it! ~Pam
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