The Boyfriend Bracket
Author:Kate Evangelista
Release Date: June 18, 2018
Publisher: SwoonReads
Get it Here:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Synopsis:
Stella has had a hopeless crush on Will, her older brother’s best friend FOREVER, but now that Cam and Will have graduated and are going off to college, this year is her chance to really strike out on her own. Without her overprotective brother and his sidekick around to distract her, she can focus on having all the typical high school experiences that she’s always dreamed of—starting with finding a boyfriend! With the help of her best friend Franklin, she comes up with the perfect plan to have a boyfriend by Christmas: The Boyfriend Bracket.
Or it seems like the perfect plan…right up until Will starts showing up again. How is she supposed to find the perfect boyfriend when none of her dates measure up to the one boy she can never have?
I wish I liked this book more than I did! The Boyfriend Bracket is all the fluff of a marshmallow, but nothing past the sugary-sweetness. The fact that it’s a bit over 200 pages doesn’t help either, giving only glimpses of character and relationship development. Over the course of these pages, Stella goes through almost her whole senior year of high school. It’s a huge time frame that passes by really quickly, making for a hastened pace that makes the glimpses mentioned above even more scarce. Nonetheless, it was an adorable read that romcom lovers should consider picking up!
The premise of the story is that Stella has a bracket for potential boyfriends for her senior year. She’ll go on dates with every boy (eight names) and see who she can stand. The only problem is that her first crush, Will, is finally noticing her. Also the fact that her brother literally disapproves of every potential love interest coming her way. How will this end up?!
What I Liked:
- Stella is an #ownvoices Filipina narrator who wants to be a fashion designer! She mentions her heritage frequently and her love for fashion is clearly evident through her actions and motives.
- I love how the book discusses the future in terms of college and the twists surrounding college acceptances. It made Stella’s story more realistic and empathetic.
- The love interest, Will, was super sweet and supportive. I love that he was an artist as well!
- Although I could not understand Stella’s reasonings to have a boyfriend for senior year, I totally supported the fact that she was also planning to drop them before college. Here’s a girl with a plan!
What I Disliked:
- The romantic development between Stella and Will was super quick and unsettling for me.
- There was great overall family shown, but Stella’s brother was a stagnant character despite his huge role in the conflict of the story. He was too cardboard for someone who had such an important role.
- Girl on girl hate. Stella’s only friend is Franklin, a gay Korean classmate at school.
- In general, the premise. Maybe it’s my aromantic me, but I didn’t find it necessary for Stella to find a boyfriend for senior year. I guess senior year is particularly close to my heart since it wasn’t long ago when I was in her shoes, but I honestly didn’t have time for boyfriends, much less 8+ dates. What in the world.
I think it’s a case of 50/50 in my lists, so ultimately I’m settling for a 2.5 rating, rounded to 2 stars.The Boyfriend Bracket is all kinds of adorable, and I am LOVING the #ownvoices Filipina narrative, but everything else is exceptionally generic and forgettable. I would recommend this very light read to readers who adore contemporary romance, but that’s about it.
Thank you Macmillan for the review copy!
200 pages is not enough book for a whole senior year in my opinion.
Agreeed. :’) It had potential, but I wasn’t a fan of the execution!
This is such a nice review for a book you only two-starred! It’s a shame it wasn’t better, I’m always rooting for ownvoices books.
Great review, Alia! 🙂
Thank you so much Lily! ❤ Haha, I always try to go for nicer reviews, even with lower ratings.
200 pages is pretty short for even a YA contemporary! I requested this last week from NetGalley and haven’t heard back yet. Though I want to read the book, after reading this review I won’t be too disappointed if I don’t get approved. I hate girl on girl hate, and I also agree that having a boyfriend my senior year was not my focus at all! I was completely focused on college apps, AP tests, and getting all the time I could with my friends before we left for our respective schools. I think there’s this pressure on women to have a boyfriend, and that if they didn’t have one within the four years of high school that was a problem, but it’s such BS. One of my best friends was determined to find a boyfriend senior year, and she put so much effort into it. Honestly, I didn’t have the time to go on dates and worry about other people outside of myself, my family, and my friends senior year! 😀
I had the same exact experience with you for senior year of high school, Genni. College apps and studying for exams took up my life, and even now I can’t stand the thought of having a partner while dealing with school. I still hope you enjoy the book if you get approved – if not, then at least you can move onto better reads! 🙂
Lovely review! I’m sorry to hear some of the characters weren’t as developed as you would have liked and it’s really too bad that there is a bit of girl-on-girl hate…. why are there still too many tropes like these, we don’t need that, we definitely need more powerful female friendships and less hate like that.
I’m glad that you found some positive elements to this book, though, it sounds like a fun contemporary if you’re looking for a very light read 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment as always Marie 🙂 And yes, girl on girl hate isn’t something I like in my stories.
Great honest review! I didn’t know Kate Evangelista is releasing a new book. I loved No Love Allowed from her Dodge Cove series, and Taste. This book sounds pretty fun. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it as much as you hoped.
If you liked her previous books, I think you’ll love this one Raven!
Great review! This book sounds really interesting, but it sucks that you didn’t enjoy it? It sucks about the girl on girl hate, that sounds really unnecessary imo
Thanks Julianna! I honestly feel so bad rating this kind of book so low because it’s TOTALLY up my alley, but I think the author’s writing and me just don’t agree.
Sounds like a good one for me to skip. Little to no romantic development and girl on girl hate? No thanks!
Thank you for your honest reviews! I love them so much. AND I miss you <3333
~Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles
MISS YOU ALWAYS LOVE ❤
Yeah but seriously, I felt so bad rating this one so low but I just didn't enjoy it.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this more, it actually sounds interesting to me and the fact that it’s #ownvoices makes me want to give it a chance. This is such a good review and even when you gave it a low rating, I loved the fact that you pointed out so many of the things you actually liked about it. Great job!
I always try to point out both the good and bad. I really hope you still end up picking it up Sofia! 🙂