New Release Review: The Boyfriend Bet
by Chris Cannon
Today is release day for The Boyfriend Bet by Chris Cannon! We are so excited to have had a chance to read an advance copy and bring you all our thoughts on this Entangled Crush title!
The Boyfriend Bet by Chris Cannon
Category: Young Adult, Contemporary
Purchase: Amazon
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains multiple PDAs, after-school detentions, and gambling on the side. Warning: betting on a boyfriend is bad for your health.
Zoe Cain knows that Grant Evertide is way out of her league. So naturally, she kisses him. Out of spite. Not only is Grant her brother’s number-one nemesis, but he has zero interest in being tied down to one girl. She’s shocked—and secretly thrilled—when they start spending more time together. Non-exclusively, of course, but that doesn’t mean Zoe can’t change his mind, one PDA and after-school detention at a time.
Zoe’s brother claims Grant is trying to make her his “Ringer,” an oh-so-charming tradition where a popular guy dates a non-popular girl until he hooks up with her, then dumps her. Zoe threatens to neuter Grant with hedge clippers if he’s lying but Grant swears he isn’t trying to trick her. Still, that doesn’t mean Grant is the commitment type—even if winning a bet is on the line.
BUY IT ON ITUNES, B&N, & OTHER SITES
Review:
[book rating=4.5/5]The Boyfriend Bet, Chris Cannon’s second contemporary romance, is a light, airy, funny read. I read it over the course of two evenings, and it was such a nice break from the heavier YA paranormal I usually read.
Zoe Cain is brash, somewhat unsteady, and very stubborn. So when her brother warns her away from Grant Evertide, Zoe does the only logical thing she can think of: she kisses him. Because, who wouldn’t, right? And of course she likes it because, again, who wouldn’t, right? What follows is the story of Zoe and Grant’s on-again, off-again relationship.
The Boyfriend Bet is filled my very favorite thing that Chris Cannon writes: snark. Lots and lots of snark. Zoe and Grant have great chemistry and I spent a lot of time snorting in amusement while reading. Zoe is a whirlwind. There were so many scenes where I thought, What the hell is she doing? As Grant so eloquently put it, “On the positive side, Zoe was fun, and she made me smile. On the negative side, she was a drama queen who jumped to conclusions and threatened to shoot me on more than one occasion.” I love that Zoe didn’t take anyone’s bull; she knew who she was and was comfortable in her own skin, and if people didn’t like that, well then too bad. She had a great, healthy relationship with her best friend Delia (by the way, Chris Cannon, I’m hoping Delia’s story is next!), and it felt like it was the two of them against the world.
Grant was sweet and caring. There were times when I definitely felt for him, because I’m pretty sure Zoe rocked his world. He was also a ginormous idiot in a few instances, to the point where I thought, no way does he deserve her. Like, at all. But that all worked itself out and by the end of the book he grew a spine. I loved his best friend, Aiden, who was so completely and unapologetically weird. He was the perfect foil for Grant.
There were so many funny scenes, and some fantastic one-liners. I lost myself in the story and was back in high school home ec (although, I’ll tell you, I did not have a stud for a home ec partner!). I had a grin on my face for most of the story and again, it was such a nice treat to read the book version of a romantic comedy, in lieu of my usual YA PNR.
My only reason for not rating the book five stars is because I wanted a bit more. I felt there were some areas that could have been fleshed out more. For example, there is tragic backstory that was the catalyst for the entire story. We get bits and pieces but we never get the full explanation for what happened. I would have loved more scenes of Zoe at home with her family, which probably would have helped with understanding that backstory. Her brother Jack and her mother were sort of ships in the night, flitting in and out, and I would have really loved some more scenes with them (especially where Jack and Zoe weren’t fighting), because I felt like we didn’t get enough of a chance to know them. It would have also been nice to have the bake sale be a bigger event, since they were working throughout the whole story to find a design to sell. But these are minor details and truly, I just love Chris Cannon’s writing so much that I want more of it!
The Boyfriend Bet: 4.5/5 stars. Light, sweet, hysterical, snarky, and smooth.
Quotes:
Zoe wasn’t shallow. She tended to freak out first and ask questions later, which made her difficult, but when she realized she was wrong, she tried to make amends. Some people never admitted they were wrong. I imagined my life without her and it seemed a bit boring. –Grant
“Okay. It was a dick move.”
“It was and you need to find a way to make it up to Zoe, or they will seek revenge. In case you didn’t notice, they both have a temper and an evil streak, which is part of what makes them so interesting. Now get out of my car.” –Conversation between Grant and Aidan about something stupid Grant did.
Should I look up and smile at him? Maybe, maybe not. Let him wonder what I’m thinking, for a change. In my mind, I was mentally skipping through a field full of flowers, singing, He likes me. He likes me. He really, really likes me. –Zoe
Author Bio: Chris Cannon
Award winning author Chris Cannon lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and her three dogs, Pete the shih tzu who sleeps on her desk while she writes, Molly the ever-shedding yellow lab, and Tyson the sandwich-stealing German Shepherd Beagle. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures and snarky contemporary romance.
Twitter ** Facebook ** Website
