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A review by kfriend
Somethin' About That Boy by Lani Lynn Vale
3.0
3.5 Stars
We’ve got a sweet, high school romance here- full of bullies, some drama, insta-love, and the over the top devotion that comes with that first love intensity. I love this type of story- it brings back the nostalgia of how epic and dramatic everything felt when you were a teen, and this one is a juicy, quick page turner with ample sweetness and steam. Seems that the high school angst is the perfect vehicle for some of Lani’s writing charms.
Our story is about Banner, the new senior escaping to a new school given some drama at his old one, who immediately is drawn to Perry, the leader of my new favorite girl crew and talented school athlete. All your favorite cliches come to play- adorably done- the random sitting next to each other in first period meeting, him defining her against yucky bullies, all the swooning, and the fake date turned real interest. The two start to develop af tentative romance that speeds up quickly- not too much drama as it evolves, just really cute and sweet, very INSTALOVE, which is just how it felt when you were young. But, Banner’s past and his future create some dramatic moments and potential barriers.
I loved the relationship here- it was cute and sweet. They just fall together naturally are are both so genuine and authentic with each other. I also appreciated that Perry is an AAPI character, although I wish this had been more than just a toss out mention since her ethnicity most certainly would influence her as a character. This seems a bit under-explored.
What kept me from rating this higher was that the book couldn’t decide what the REAL conflict was going to be. It is not a long read, but there are two big dramatic conflicts squeezed in on top of the budding relationship, and as such, both felt short changed- not developed enough, not letting us see the impact and emotion of our characters, not even having them interact much about them, and both resolving lightning fast. With a lot of secondary characters swirling around, too (all of whom were interesting), the story just felt rushed and surface level in places.
Still, a super enjoyable read and brings back all those fun high school first love butterflies. The relationship really does shine- and is truly very adorable and charming.
We’ve got a sweet, high school romance here- full of bullies, some drama, insta-love, and the over the top devotion that comes with that first love intensity. I love this type of story- it brings back the nostalgia of how epic and dramatic everything felt when you were a teen, and this one is a juicy, quick page turner with ample sweetness and steam. Seems that the high school angst is the perfect vehicle for some of Lani’s writing charms.
Our story is about Banner, the new senior escaping to a new school given some drama at his old one, who immediately is drawn to Perry, the leader of my new favorite girl crew and talented school athlete. All your favorite cliches come to play- adorably done- the random sitting next to each other in first period meeting, him defining her against yucky bullies, all the swooning, and the fake date turned real interest. The two start to develop af tentative romance that speeds up quickly- not too much drama as it evolves, just really cute and sweet, very INSTALOVE, which is just how it felt when you were young. But, Banner’s past and his future create some dramatic moments and potential barriers.
I loved the relationship here- it was cute and sweet. They just fall together naturally are are both so genuine and authentic with each other. I also appreciated that Perry is an AAPI character, although I wish this had been more than just a toss out mention since her ethnicity most certainly would influence her as a character. This seems a bit under-explored.
What kept me from rating this higher was that the book couldn’t decide what the REAL conflict was going to be. It is not a long read, but there are two big dramatic conflicts squeezed in on top of the budding relationship, and as such, both felt short changed- not developed enough, not letting us see the impact and emotion of our characters, not even having them interact much about them, and both resolving lightning fast. With a lot of secondary characters swirling around, too (all of whom were interesting), the story just felt rushed and surface level in places.
Still, a super enjoyable read and brings back all those fun high school first love butterflies. The relationship really does shine- and is truly very adorable and charming.