Bloggin' 'bout Books: 07/09/16

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

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International:

- England (5)

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Easy Breezy Beach Read (a Little) Enlightening, (a Lot) Entertaining

10:47 AM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Gia Montgomery has the perfect boyfriend. For two months, she's been dating Bradley Harris, a great-looking older guy who happens to be a junior at UCLA. Since the two live in different towns, they don't spend a lot of actual time together. Not that it matters—17-year-old Gia is willing to take on a long-distance romance for someone as great as Bradley. Even if her friends are starting to doubt his existence.

Prom night is Gia's chance to show off the elusive Bradley. When he dumps her in the school parking lot right before the dance, she's devastated. And desperate. Desperate enough to nab Hayden Reynolds, who's sitting in his car reading a book while he waits for his sister. The plan is simple; all Hayden has to do is pretend to be Bradley for a couple hours. It works like a charm, convincing most of Gia's frenemies that she's telling the truth about her older boyfriend.

Now, Gia has another problem. She can't stop thinking about Fill-in Bradley (FIB for short). Neither can one of Gia's so-called friends, who's determined to catch Gia in her lie. Then, there's Hayden's sister, who doesn't want self-absorbed Gia anywhere near her brother. Forced to take a harsh look at herself and the increasingly artificial life she's leading, Gia knows she needs to grow up. Can she do it in time to keep her relationships intact? Or will lying mean losing everything that's important to her?

From the pastel cover to the frothy plot summary, everything about The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West screams easy breezy beach read. Which is totally accurate. It's a fun, fluffy romance that makes for a light, enjoyable distraction between heavier tomes. Is the novel silly? Yes. Predictable? You bet. Worth the read? Definitely. It's a clean romance with enough substance to be (a little) enlightening and (a lot) entertaining. If you're looking for the perfect beach bag novel, look no further. You've found it.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of Kasie West's other YA romances, including The Distance Between Us and On the Fence)

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