A ridiculously cute, formerly-famous new guy dropping into your life? It's practically every girl's dream.
But not Jules McCallister-Morgan's.
I realize that on paper I look like your standard type-A, neurotic, overachiever. And maybe I am. But I didn't get to be the editor of my school's long-revered newspaper by just showing up*. I have one main goal for my senior year-early acceptance into my first choice Ivy League college-and I will not be deterred by best friends, moms who think I could stand to "live a little," or boys.
At least, that was the plan before I knew about Alex Powell**.
And before Alex Powell betrayed me***.
I know what you're thinking: Calm down, Jules. But you don't understand. This stuff matters. This is my life. And I'm not going down without a fight.
----
* Okay, I sort of did. But it's a sore subject.
** I mean, I guess everyone knows about Alex Powell? Two years ago, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing about viral video boy band sensation Chaos 4 All. Two years ago, Alex Powell was famous.
***Some people think I'm overreacting. But this. Means. War.
Filled with romance, rivalry, and passive-aggressive dog walking, Amy Spalding delivers a hilariously relatable high school story that's sure to have you falling for The New Guy.
Flo's Review
The New Guy had so many elements that speak to me directly. For starters -- Alex Powell is a former boy band member. If you know me, you know that I still love, love, love New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys. And others, but especially those two. Then, there's the issue of new media causing the death of print journalism. As a former magazine editor and journalism major, I know very personally the struggle around this.
But I just did not like Jules, and that caused me to struggle a bit with this book. She has blinders on in her life as she looks to her goal of getting into Brown University. This makes her goals and things to do more important to her than anything relating to her loved ones. I guess I would have liked for her to grow out of that by the end of the story. If she started off with the blinders and then by the end realized, through all the events in the story, that her life experiences and relationships are just as important -- and maybe even more important -- than getting into the college she wants, then that would have been cool. But her moms (I love them!) try to tell her this over and over. So does her best friend and so does Alex. But it all seems to go in one ear and out the other, and by the end, she does seem to have really changed. I also felt that her loved ones gave her too many passes and she just kept using them without reciprocating. "Oh, your phone died for the 89th time in a week and a half? That's okay, Jules, we're still cool."
Besides Jules, I really did enjoy the other characters. As I said before, her moms were fantastic, and I loved the relationship she had with them. Her group of friends were also fun and seem like the type of people I'd want in my wolf pack. And of course -- Alex. *swoons* He may be book boyfriend worthy. He was willing to be with Jules on her terms just because he wanted to be with her. And he just sounds super hot!
The New Guy comes out April 5, 2016. Thank you to The Novl for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Giveaway
Looks like I once again ended up with an extra copy. Let's give this away! Giveaway will run until the end of the month. Good luck! Rafflecopter below:
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Man, that' tough, everyone has been foretelling the demise of print for so long. But, I think for the foreseeable future, there will still be both.
ReplyDeleteI don't there will be a complete death of print media, but I can see a future where print copies are only for things you love, like a collector's item.
ReplyDeleteI think there is always room for both types of media.
ReplyDelete