The Boyfriend Thief by Shanna Norris

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

Avery James has her life planned out: this summer she’ll work with a humanitarian program in Costa Rica, next year she’ll graduate at the top of her class, and after that, college and medical school. Perfect, planned, total order.

The only problem: getting the rest of the money she needs for the trip before the deadline. Hannah Cohen, her biggest competition for the valedictorian title, makes an unexpected offer: If Avery can win over Zac Greeley and make him break up with Hannah before the end of the school year, a check for five hundred dollars is all hers. Faced with the prospect of spending yet another summer working as a giant hot dog, it’s an offer Avery can’t refuse.

Zac is nothing like Avery expected. Within his chaotic world of midnight slushie runs and spontaneous dance parties, her total order is quickly falling apart while Hannah seems poised to get everything she wants. But just how much is Avery willing to give up for the perfect life?

Review:

Ever since reading Shana Norris' Troy High, which was hilarious as well as very sweet, I've been eagerly awaiting her next book, so when I heard about The Boyfriend Thief, her newest YA, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible, if not sooner. Thankfully, The Boyfriend Thief was exactly what I was hoping it would be and more- romantic, witty, and utterly delightful!

If Avery James had one wish for the summer lying ahead of her, it would probably go towards her dream destination: an expensive humanitarian program in Costa Rica, which would allow her to not only help the underprivileged but also provide the extra edge to her college applications. As luck may just have it, Avery actually may be able to go, thanks to all the extra hours she puts in at her part time job as well as the sacrifices she has made. However, there is one slight problem: Avery is short a few hundred dollars. Just when Avery is afraid she may lose her chance, Hannah Cohen, her school’s ice queen, makes an unexpected yet tempting offer: Hannah will give Avery the money she needs, but only if Avery wins Zac, Hannah’s boyfriend, over and in the process inspires him to break up with Hannah. Avery jumps at the offer, knowing that this is her last chance to get what she wants, but what Avery is not expecting to do is becoming attached, or more accurately falling for Zac. Will Avery be able to snap out of it and get the money before it is too late, or will Avery let her heart take over and hurt more than one person before this charade is complete? Only time and more pages can tell in this quick and fun read sure to reel in any contemporary or YA fan!

The Boyfriend Thief contained several fantastic aspects and one of them was the characters of course. While Avery may have appeared to be a bit headstrong and nasty at first, as the novel progressed and Avery’s backstory was revealed, it was easy to see just how sweet this girl was deep down, which made me like and root for even more! What I liked best about her character, however, was how she never really took no for an answer. Constantly she aimed for the stars in a way she hoped would help her as well as her friends and family even when it meant putting in a few extra hours of work in, or saying no to a tempting chance… basically she was realistic and lots of fun to read about it.

As you probably can garner, The Boyfriend Thief mainly revolves around Avery’s attempt at a friendship and something more with Zac, and while I am generally opposed to cheating of any kind (however this was not really cheating I suppose), it was a fun part of the novel. Relaxed and just all around great guy, Zach was very lovable as a character for not only his zany antics but also his ability to bring Avery out of the shell she had cocooned herself in. Because of this all, I was continuously rooting for them as a couple, even when the going got a bit disastrous.

The Boyfriend Thief addressed family and friend drama, which I also felt was well done. Avery’s relationship with her father and brother appeared realistic, while her friendship with her best friend provided lots of laugh and heart as well.

Amusing as well as heartwarming, The Boyfriend Thief is sure to enchant readers every step of the way. Best of all, The Boyfriend Thief is now available in eBook format for the low price of $2.99, and let me tell you, it’s worth every single penny!

Grade: A-

The Boyfriend Thief is now out!

Source: eBook version provided by author- thanks Shanna!

To find out more about Shana and her books, be sure to visit her website, twitter, and/or facebook. Also, checkout Shana's thoughts on deciding to self-publish this book here if you have the time- it's an interesting post.