In this 2nd book in the Bookish Boyfriends series, Rory is a freshman at tony prep school Hero High where she, her older sister Merri, and sister’s friend Eliza are the scholarship kids. Toby, a sophomore lacrosse player side-lined for the season with an injury, is the boy-next-door. They’ve all been friends since sandbox days which is where Rory kissed him as a pre-schooler…and she’s been in love with him ever since. Unfortunately, he only has eyes for Merri. Rory got into Hero High because of her prodigious art talent, but her fellow art students are routinely sabotaging her work, seeing her as a threat to winning the once-every-four-years competition to work with a famous artist for a week in New York City. How the teacher fails to see that the destruction of her work isn’t accidental is incomprehensible, especially when Rory might lose her place at the school if she doesn’t keep her grades up. When she needs some math tutoring, Toby volunteers and, as the months ensue, their friendship strengthens and they begin to see each other as more than just the crush and the little sister. Is there a chance Toby will ever see her as more than a substitute?
If you picked this book up based on the publisher’s blurb, you might be a bit confused when nearly the first half of the book focuses on The Great Gatsby, not Little Women. And, if you’re a fan of the latter, you’ll find many of the comparisons loose, at best. Merri is nothing like Jo March in looks or personality; the father isn’t away at war, but is very present; and Amy and Laurie are adults by the end of the Little Women whereas Rory and Toby are 15 and 17. Also, the “quirky teacher” who makes fantasies come to life isn’t Miss Frizzle for the literary set, but just a teacher who knows her students well enough to put the right books in their hands and hope that they’ll make the connection between the characters and their own lives.
Overall, this is a cute YA romance that would make a fun summer read. In all likelihood, most teens haven’t read Little Women, so the loose comparisons won’t bother them. They’ll be eager for the 3rd book in the series.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Amulet Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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