[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Doe finds out her beloved Weston girls school is merging with their rival, Winfield boys school, after her senior year, she’s devastated. She’s convinced that when the school goes co-ed, the girls will lose far more than they gain. Doe is certain this is the worst idea ever, and she’s determined to do her part to see the merger fall through.
But Doe’s rivalry goes beyond the rival schools. She also has a personal rival at Winfield – Nathaniel Wellborn the Third. So, to escalate her feud with Three, she agrees to fake date his cousin. But Wells wants something from their arrangement besides watching his cousin go ballistic. So, they’ll fake date until Doe helps Wells get a family heirloom back from Three. It will just require some secrets and maybe some small, harmless lies.
But Doe’s lies start to compound until she’s at risk of losing everything at Weston that matters to her.
Review
Wow, this was great! There are a ton of laugh-out-loud moments, which I loved. But there are also some serious ones, too. Doe starts falling apart and alienating everyone who loves her. And it’s painful to watch. But when she has a cause outside herself to fight for, she is a force to be reckoned with. And I was cheering all the way to the end.
I loved the cast in this. Even the antagonistic characters have moments to shine. I might have liked a few more pages dedicated to the fall out at the end, but that would have made the story more about what happens at the end. And this is really about Doe – about her figuring out who she wants to be, about her learning to channel her anger, and about her relationships with all of the important people in her life.
Fans of coming-of-age stories with fantastic characters should not miss this. Come for the romance, humor, and prank war. Stay for a Moxie-ish “we’re not going to take it any more” climax that is a home run. (Language, TW: Sexual harassment/predator)
Rating:♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read