3*
When the only three freshmen in an extremely difficult class on entrepreneurialism are thrown together to come up with an idea and pitch for the next hot app, frustrations mount and diametrically-opposed personality traits threaten to sink them before they even get started. Sara is an obsessive control freak from an upper-middle-class midwestern family who is a whiz at coding and has a strong work ethic and moral compass. Arrogant, insensitive, rich boy Braden is the epitome of white male privilege and only wants to get out from under his morally-bankrupt father’s thumb. He has the marketing savvy but knows nothing about computers. Kind, dedicated scholarship student Roberto needs to become successful in order to afford legal representation for his mother who, as an illegal immigrant, was deported to Mexico when he was a pre-teen. He can’t afford to fail the class, but refuses to compromise his ideals by continuing to promote an app that, despite the hype, doesn’t inspire romance, but plays on people’s vanity and need for validation from virtual strangers. Will they be able to work together despite their differences or will they lose the game before they’ve even begun?
Although the book is an easy read with a storyline that has great potential, it falls flat for a number of reasons. There is very little character development despite the first-person narrative from all 3 protagonists, and Braden’s personality goes from bad to worse as the story progresses. Since Sara can’t stand him, it seems improbable that she’d start dating him after a moment of sensitivity on his part. Roberto is the more likely love interest, but their relationship is never developed. So, the love triangle seems forced and devoid of chemistry. Although Roache avoids the eroticism of most New Adult novels, this book is still not geared to high school students.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Inkyard Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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