[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Amulet Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Rory and her older sister, Merrilee, got into Hero High, it was supposed to be this “great opportunity.” Their oldest sister, Lilly, was marrying into a senator’s family, and the senator used her influence to get the girls into Reginald R. Hero High. Nevermind that her influence led to some resentment by some students and administrators about the girls skirting the rules and procedures. While Merrilee had negotiated a lot of that, and emerged triumphant, Rory was dealing with her own struggles.
Rory’s early weeks at Hero were not filled with a lot of academic success. It’s hard to be the little sister to someone as brilliant – and as personable – as Merri. And the one place that should have been a safe haven for Rory – the art room – was a bigger minefield than any of her academic classes. In Advanced Art, the freshman and “new girl” stuck out. And the resentment of the older students meant her easel was always under “accidental” assault. Her projects were “lost” or “destroyed” constantly. School was one disaster after another for Rory.
Even her life outside school was filled with complications. Her forever-crush, Toby, was her next door neighbor. There was no avoiding him. That meant she also couldn’t avoid seeing how he looked at Merri. Toby’s affection for Merri was at war with his hurt at seeing her fall for someone else. It was painful for Rory to watch while her own feelings of longing were obviously never going to be returned.
Two reading assignments for the mysterious Ms. Gregoire stir up a lot of questions and feelings for Rory as she considers her school woes, her family relationships, and her crush. She’s embarking on a life and literature adventure she won’t ever forget.
Review
When book 1, Bookish Boyfriends: A Date with Darcy released last year, there was no way I wasn’t going to read it. Books, romance and a possibly magical teacher pulling strings to use literature to instruct her students on life? SIGN ME UP! And book one was a DELIGHT in all ways – characters, story, heart. And I re-read it before starting this one so all the story details would be fresh for me.
That re-read actually made me a little nervous about reading this book. I loved Merri in book 1. Her voice is a huge part of why I enjoyed that first story. Since this is Rory’s story, I was concerned I wouldn’t connect with her like I did with Merri.
Rory’s voice and story is EVEN BETTER!
I almost don’t have words for how much I adored this book. I think chapter 3 was when I started crying and fell in love with Rory. All the sharp, snarky attitude and behavior in book 1 suddenly made complete sense. I could see all the ways Rory developed to protect herself – from feeling “not enough” or left out or “settled for.” And this is a young woman who should never feel like she is second fiddle to anyone – no one should. I bookmarked more than 40 spots that were just magical for me in this story. Actually, I wasn’t even 1/4 through the review copy when I set it aside to pre-order my own copy. I am a fanatic for this story!
Just like with Merri’s story, Rory works through two books with Ms. Gregoire – The Great Gatsby and Little Women. As with book 1, I’ve only read one of those books, but I was completely able to follow the action here anyway. I almost felt like I was reading two whole books because of the depth of Rory’s story related to both of these classic novels. The author does not skimp through the arc of the first to get to the second. Both were important – to the story and to Rory’s growth.
I gushed at the author on social media because I just could not contain how much I was adoring this story. (It was too early to talk about it online because it wasn’t going to release for another month or two.) She told me book three will be Talk Nerdy to Me (2020), and she’s already at work on book 4. This series is now firmly on my “must buy” list. The richness in the characters and the stories are not to be missed. At every page turn, my heart sang, “I LOVE this book!” I could not have asked for a more perfect book for me.
I feel like there’s a lot for readers to learn here from Rory – what happens for her when she speaks her truth, how her feelings have driven her behavior, what role she should play when she’s unhappy in a relationships, etc. You do NOT want to miss this book – be sure to check out A Date with Darcy and then scoop up The Boy Next Story too. Perfect for summer reading. I can’t recommend this highly enough.