Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen - OPTIONAL

Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen, 295 pages.  Swoon Reads ((Macmillan), 2019.  $18.  

Content: Language: R (124 swears); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Jake and Mia are juniors in high school and their mothers have been trying to get them to be friends ever since they were eight.  Now that Jake and Mia are older, they don’t get along and want their moms to leave them alone, so they hatch a plan to fake date.  The plan is to break up after two weeks and convince their moms they can’t stand each other, so their lifelong friendship can be over.  What they don’t expect is to start enjoying spending time together.  

Aw the fake dating premise—good stuff.  I enjoyed Jake and Mia and watching their relationship develop.  They had good chemistry and I also liked the side stories about Jake’s brother and Mia’s crush on a boy named Ben.  The swear count is over the top otherwise I would put it as advisable.  It’s not a new idea, but it’s like watching a Hallmark, a nice predictable fun romance.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson