Thanks to HCC Frenzy for an ARC to review! A very charming and funny read! Find my full review at www.spinesinaline.wordpress.com!

The author has such an easy way of incorporating humour into his narration and dialogue and now that I’ve been following him on social media for some time, I can see that it’s his own sense of humour that’s made it onto the page. Whether Henri sharing his sarcastic quips, his best friend, Ming, joking along with him, or the banter between them and Corinne, there’s a lot that kept me laughing along with these characters.

And they’re all such wonderful characters! From the blurb, it may seem like they have some pretty serious faults (blackmail and a falsified business) but trust that they are incredibly likeable and relatable, especially as they each deal with the stress of college applications in their own way. No book has made me more happy to be past the application stage than this one, and I didn’t even have to deal with the intense requirements of Ivy League schools!

Some folks have complained about the lack of romance in this one but I loved the two together and it is billed as a romantic comedy, so the romance isn’t intended to be the main focus. I will say that the genre makes me think of more lighthearted reads and this one comes with a punch. The major conflict in this book is a BIG. DEAL. For the folks in the story, and if this had happened in real life. I felt really stressed reading out because the foreshadowing is there but I kept hoping it wouldn’t actually happen.

However, I really appreciated that with something that big, it wasn’t just brushed aside or neatly taken care of. It comes with consequences, deservedly so, and while it’s not great watching characters you’ve been getting to know forced in this situation, I felt the ending and resolution was exactly what was needed.

So I wouldn’t call it a lighthearted read but it’s got heart. Maybe don’t read it right now if you’re in the middle of applications though