Skip to main content

Review: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen



Blurb from Goodreads:
Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard. 
My Review:
I liked this one a lot -- the conflict before the end wasn't my favorite but luckily it was resolved quickly. At first (and this kind of reminded me of the beginning of The Deal), I couldn't stand Evan because I kept wanting him to defend Taylor against the gossip and tell the truth. But, as we get to know both Taylor and Evan better, I was rooting for them so much! They were really sweet together and it was really fun to see both of them transition from not knowing each other to cute, relationship types. One thing I also really loved was Taylor's relationship with both of her parents and Evan's relationship with his mom -- it felt real for their ages and maturity levels.  The ending was also very realistic and had a fun twist (without spoilers), too, which I find is rarer and rarer in YA these days. I definitely can't wait to read what this author writes next!

I would definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary YA romance!  This had a definite To All the Boys I've Loved Before, The Deal and Charade vibe with its fake relationship between the nerd and uber popular womanizer trope.  The Way to Game the Walk of Shame came out yesterday TuesdayJune 7, 2016, you can purchase HERE, and I definitely recommend it!
It was . . . god, like nothing I had ever imagined. I'd read about kisses like this in novels, but I never thought that it was possible.  Nothing can make the world melt away and make you forget about everything and everyone except the person in front of you.  The way he smelled.  His muscles and warm skin pulsing beneath your fingertips. The softness of his hair as your fingers ran through it.  And his lips, soft but impossibly hot without burning as they pressed against yours, opening and moving to massage, to kiss, to taste.

Comments

  1. I wasn't sure about this one at first, Eva, but you've convinced me. I like that it reminded you of The Deal a bit. I love that the characters have good relationships with their parents. That's really awesome. I'll go add this to my shopping cart!
    Great review, Eva!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've seen this around and wondered about it. It seems like a lovely read and I like that their parents have a solid presence in the book

    ReplyDelete
  3. I keep thinking this is going to be a great read, but I'm a little nervous. Thanks for this review. I'm pondering...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love that there were present parents involved, that doesn't happen much anymore. This sounds like a cute read and I'm glad you warmed up to Evan. Wonderful review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Eeeek! So happy you liked it! I really liked the relationship between the parents. Like you said, they were real, even with the grounding. Some YA parents "ground" but don't really follow through so it was nice to have this for a change. Lovely review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I LURVE those relationships that start out slow (friends) and then it slowly develops into something so much more. I'm also a SUPA fan of those romances that start off as enemies and then they become MORE. SO MUCH MORE. <3

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like the cover and title, and the first thing that came to my mind was Kimberly Lauren's Beautiful Broken Rules with the walk of shame in the beginning of the book, but I don't think the two would be anything alike from your review. I love a realistic ending, too, and I'm always happy with the fake relationship trope. One of my favorite movies is Can't Buy Me Love with the fake bf/gf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I LOVE THAT MOVIE and I totally thought of it while reading this ♥

      That and Drive Me Crazy!!

      Delete
  8. I love a good taming the bad boy plot, I'll definitely have to check this out it sounds like my kind of read.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was kind of on the fence with this one. I didn't know how it would go but I am so happy to see you enjoyed it!! Definitely adding to my TBR!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I wasn't sure about this one when I read the blurb, because it sounded like a typical 'slut shaming' story. It appears I was wrong about that, though, and now I think I might really enjoy The Way To Game The Walk Of Shame.
    Great review, Eva!
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I love this trope, sub-genre, setting: My Best Friend's Brother/My Brother's Best Friend

I Love This Trope, Sub-Genre, Setting is a new feature on my blog in which I discuss a trope, sub-genre or setting that I love and tell you about books that are shining examples of said trope, sub-genre or setting.  Feel free to play along and please let me know about your favorite books in this realm and whether you like this trope, sub-genre and/or setting as much as I do! Today I am spotlighting the trope of:  My Best Friend's Brother/My Brother's Best Friend , which I would define as any book where the heroine either has a crush on or falls for her brother's best friend or her best friend's brother. I have to confess that I love this trope in nearly all of its iterations!  I have a younger brother so I never got to crush on any of his friends but it's fun reading about that and it's equally as fun as reading about falling for your best friend's brother -- instant sisters!  I know there are a ton

Conversations With Myself (& Hopefully You): ARC Greed

This discussion is inspired by my feelings lately when reading and reviewing ARCs versus the feelings I had when I requested those same ARCs: ARC GREED ARC greed -- have we all experienced this?  What I even mean by this term is that I sometimes feel overwhelmed when looking at Netgalley and Edelweiss and  I sometimes over-request, if only because I can!  I get greedy when I see all the new and shiny ARCs available and I will sometimes request things that have even a hint of interest for me, not necessarily focusing only on those books that I really, really want.  The problem with this over-requesting and with getting greedy with requesting (and receiving) ARCs is when it comes time to read and review these ARCs.  Last month and this month, I have looked at my ARCs with a release date in each respective month and I just haven't wanted to read any of them.  I need to start asking myself -- If I was immediately approved for this ARC, would I read it right thi

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday  is hosted by the fab ladies at  The Broke and the Bookish ! What books are you anticipating for the rest of this year?