Lisa Brown Roberts is now officially on my radar. The Replacement Crush blew my expectations out of the water. The novel follows Vivian and her mission to logically fall in love after she is broken up with by her long term crush. I knew I was going to have fun with this just based off of the synopsis, but I didn't know I would be so invested with the story.
Vivian is such a great main character to read from the perspective of. She's a trekkie, and man did I adore that! Instead of her being this perfect girl without any weird quirks, Vivian was relatable and believable. She is what I am pretty sure my mom was like when she was a teenager. Vivian not only is a trekkie, but a major book nerd with a fair share of body issues. Combine all that together, and you get a teenage protagonist that speaks to the reader.
Because Vivian was such a great female protagonist, I became heavily invested in the plot. I so badly wanted Vivian to get her happy ending, leading to increasing anxiety while reading the book. The whole entire time I was reading the book I was become more and more invested. I was yelling at Vivian for her decisions and then cheering her on. She's a girl I would be best friends with in real life.
I honestly don't have any real qualms about the book. All the side characters were complex and lifelike. None of them were your classic cardboard cut out best friends. One thing I really loved about The Replacement Crush was that it had an accurate portrayal of mother/daughter relationships and friendships. Many young adult novels have absent parents, and I loved how Viv's mother was so relevant to her life, because that is the norm. Viv's friends also weren't the petty one dimensional friends that are now so unfortunately common in YA. The accurate portrayal of relationships added to the believability and my enjoyment of the book. I would definitely pick up a spin off book of this that focused on Vivian's best friends. The novel had a great balance between fun and heavy. The plot had it's fair share of fun and light moments while also touching on serious subjects. There is a great banter between Vivian and her love interest, Dallas. However, one of my favorite aspects of their relationship is that their interaction scratches a lot deeper than the surface. They accept each other, flaws and all. The push and pull of their relationship just made me want to go into the book and make them be together.
Needless to say, I absolutely adored this novel. I haven't even touched on Dallas that much, but it's because I will just go on and on about how much I loved him as a love interest. Every single character was dynamic and fun. The plot was simple enough to not get confusing, but never bored me. The Replacement Crush made me laugh and cry out loud. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun, quick paced contemporary novel with nonstop drama that is perfect for the summer.
With that, I give this book
4.25 out of 5 Stars!
What are some YA contemporaries that you've recently read?
Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!
Happy Reading!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!
*Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled Publishing, and Lisa Brown Roberts for an ecopy of The Replacement Crush in exchange for an honest review!*