Elijah started out as a project for me. And I do feel good about helping him, but more than that—it makes me excited. Like, butterflies-in-my-stomach excited.
Wade Westmore had very specific plans for how he wanted his senior year to go and near the top of the list was nabbing the lead role in his high school’s spring musical. His plans began to unravel when he found out he didn’t get the role and that it went to his ex-boyfriend Reese (whom he hoped to get back together with) instead. When a shy underclassman, Elijah Brady, approached him to see if Wade could teach him how to be popular, Wade saw it as a way to get his senior year back on track because helping Elijah would prove that Wade’s not self-centered like his Reese thought he was. Surely Reese would take him back then. But his efforts to help Elijah wound up having unintended consequences – not the least of which were the confusing feelings Wade developed for Elijah. Suddenly, getting Reese back doesn’t seem quite as important as figuring out a way to keep Elijah in his life.
“…the perfect person was right there in front of you the entire time. But you couldn’t see it. Because you were stuck on this other idea of what your life should look like.”
I loved this book! I was hooked from the start. It was funny, sweet, and swoony and it was filled with realistic, interesting, and layered characters. Wade starts as seemingly self-centered and a little arrogant but his intentions are usually good. He turned out to be a complex character with many relatable insecurities and flaws. I enjoyed his journey to try and be more selfless. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, he messed up plenty of times but the important thing was that he learned from his mistakes. I loved seeing his character grow throughout the story.
Elijah, sweet, sweet Elijah, was my favorite! He was shy and awkward but so funny and sarcastic. I totally would have been friends with him in high school. The secondhand embarrassment I felt from some of the things that happened early in the story was real. The poor kid tried, he did, but it didn’t always go well. I gave him a lot of credit for continuing to try. I loved seeing the friendship form between him and Wade. Elijah was making all these changes to build his confidence as his new persona “Brady” but all the while Wade was falling hard for the real Elijah. It was so cute.
This book was chock full of teenage angst and I think anyone who’s in their teens or has lived through their teens will be able to relate. From having to juggle different friend groups, living up to parental expectations, dealing with peer pressure, worrying about prom dates, and getting into your dream college – this book had it all. It also had a really lovely message about finding the confidence to be your true self, not the version you think you should be just to impress others. It was such a cute book and I highly recommend it for any teens and theater lovers in your life or really for anyone who is looking for a super sweet story!
This definitely wasn’t how I imagined my senior year ending. It’s a total surprise. Which is maybe even better.
The Book Boyfriend Addict 