The story starts out very cute, the normal cliche of popular guy helps the social anxiety nerd. I enjoyed the beginning of the story but toward the end I got a little frustrated. Not because it was a bad, but because it was such a relatable high school experience. There's no bad guy to this story, and the only enemy is yourself and miscommunication. I really liked all the characters, and I understand that the focus was on Wade and Elijah, but I really wanted to get to know the techies more. They were so interesting to me, but we barely got to know anything about them. Obviously due to Elijah being bad at telling people no. Reese and Elijah's relationship in the middle did make me a little uncomfortable, which isn't resses fault. He did try to communicate but him not pushing it any further and Elijah's people pleaser tendacy plus not being able to say no did make it hard for me to read. Its hard to see a character in a book make the same mistakes as you growing up haha. I did love wade's character development and learning that sometimes good intentions may be the wrong move.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book. It was a fun romance novel.

Wade Westmore has big dreams: get cast as Henry Higgins in the spring production of My Fair Lady, get into NYU, and win his ex-boyfriend Reese back. When nothing seems to be going Wade’s way, he needs a plan. Enter shy, quiet Elijiah, who is thrust onto the tech crew with little knowledge or desire to be there. Elijah is in need of a confidence boost, Wade needs to prove to his ex that he isn’t just a selfish scene stealer, and the show must go on! What starts out as a far-fetched proposal from Elijah quickly blooms into a friendship, but can this unlikely duo understand their character’s motives before the curtain falls?

I could have read all night
I could have read all night
And still have begged for more!

As a theatre (correct spelling!) kid who started acting in high school but eventually made a career being on the business side, this charming novel spoke to me on the deepest level. It captured the over-the-top, dizzying, enchanting magic of high school theatre and transported me back to the throes of “hell week” while blushing at the thought of my own backstage showmances.

Watching these characters grow up and come into themselves on the page is an absolute delight. Kennedy wrote a novel that exudes warmth and light. Being a teenager is confusing, and messy, and often makes for a protagonist I don’t like very much. Here, Kennedy makes you root for every one of them, despite how complicated and flawed they may be. If you’re looking for a novel that will leave you feeling like you’re wrapped in a hug with a big smile on your face, then do yourself a favor and pick this up when it hits shelves this January 23, 2024.

(Trivia Fact: @bdkennedybooks delivers another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read)

Thank you Brian for the ARC!

Wade Westmore is accustomed to be the star of his school's theater program -- and all of his theater friends. So it comes as a particular disappointment when he loses the starring role in the spring musical his senior year to his ex-boyfriend, Reese, who dumped Wade for being too focused on himself and not on others. Instead, Wade is given a supporting role. On the first day of rehearsals, he runs into, literally, Elijah Brady, a shy sophomore who joined the stage crew for the musical in an attempt to make some friends. When Elijah later inadvertently overhears Wade complaining about his situation backstage, Elijah make a bold proposal: if Wade mentors Elijah about how to be popular, he can prove to Reese that he is not so self-involved ... and hopefully win Reese back in time for prom. Wade agrees and launches into a program to transform quiet and reserved Elijah into confident and popular "Brady." Awkward at first, the two each find themselves looking forward to their lessons and the opportunity to hang out. When Brady proves a hit and Reese seems to warm up to Wade, Wade finds himself surprisingly unexcited ... and less concerned with winning Brady back than losing Elijah.

This is a charming and heartwarming story. With two compelling characters at its center, it is a fun, funny, and thoughtful exploration of popularity, fitting in with both friends and family, and the gap between what people show others and their true selves.

Highly recommended!

Does your brain need something fun and fluffy after the wild whirl of year-end wackiness? Look no further for your reading slump-breaker! My Fair Brady, a gay high school musical retelling of My Fair Lady, is just the ticket. I loved both these boys and their drama (literal).

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book! The review will post to my blog on January 17, 2024. I will also post the review to Goodreads, retail sites and highlight the book on Instagram that same week.

Review:
I read "A Little Bit Country" by this author back in June and really enjoyed it, so as soon as I heard about "My Fair Brady," I immediately added it to my TBR. This is exactly the type of book I wish I'd had when I was in high school. I saw several versions of the younger me in so many of these characters, and I loved it. It made my theatre nerd heart very happy.

The story follows and is told through the first-person narratives of Wade Westmore, a high school student who is used to being in the spotlight, and Elijah Brady, a shy sophomore who is accustomed to being overlooked by his classmates. Wade's life hasn't been great lately. His boyfriend, Reese, recently broke up with him, claiming that Wade was too self-centered and only cared about himself. Things just got worse for Wade when he was passed over for the lead role in the spring musical, and Reese was cast as the lead instead.

When Elijah joins the stage crew for the musical and has a chance encounter with Wade backstage, he proposes an arrangement that could benefit both of them. Elijah asks Wade to teach him how to be popular and more confident. At first, Wade balks at the idea, but then he realizes that this could be exactly what he needs to win Reese back. If Wade helps Elijah, then Reese will see that Wade went out of his way to help someone else. Intrigued by the possibility of proving that he cares about more than just himself, Wade agrees to the deal and thus begins the transformation of Elijah into the new and improved "Brady."

As Elijah starts to gain popularity and finds himself unexpectedly in the spotlight, Wade begins to question his motives. Suddenly, winning Reese back doesn't seem as important as losing Elijah. The dynamics between the characters are captivating, and the chemistry between Wade and Elijah is electric. Readers will find themselves rooting for their relationship to blossom and for Wade to realize what truly matters.

I thought the story was absolutely adorable, and I loved how it took a very familiar trope from a lot of 90s movies and made it feel fresh. The pacing is well-paced, with just the right balance of humor, drama, and romance, but what I really loved about the book was its diverse and multi-dimensional cast of characters. Each character, whether major or minor, is intricately developed and brings something unique to the story. Wade is a charismatic and flawed protagonist, while Elijah is a lovable and relatable underdog. The supporting characters, such as Ava (Wade's best friend), Reese, and the members of the stage crew, add depth and charm to the story. I could easily see several of my old theatre friends in many of these characters.

Overall, I thought this was a delightful and engaging read. Kennedy's ability to create realistic and relatable characters, combined with the charming and swoony romance, makes this book a must-read for fans of YA rom-coms. Whether you're a teenager navigating high school or an adult reminiscing about your own teenage years, this book will resonate with readers of all ages.

This book brought me right back to being a theater kid in high school. Not to mention I’ve been watching the movie version of My Fair Lady since I was 4 years old. I absolutely loved the theater references. I felt like I could have been watching the drama and relationships unfold in my own theater department. And as a wallflower type in high school I completely understood where Elijah was coming from at the beginning of this story. I loved seeing the relationship between Elijah and Wade turn from project to friendship to more. It’s the concrete ending we all wish My Fair Lady had.

So sweet! I love a good makeover and especially enjoy watching shy, anxious characters grow into their confidence. Add in a romance angle, and it’s like all my favorite feel-good stories. My Fair Brady captures the magic of that sweet combination with charming, three-dimensional characters you will absolutely want to hug, shake, and celebrate. It’s a YA queer variation on the classic My Fair Lady/She’s All That setup. I loved it and was rooting for them all from start to finish. Anyone who enjoys a good musical or ever did (or wished they’d done) theater will love the throwbacks. I highly recommend this one to anyone needing a smile.

My Fair Brady was such a great addition to the gay YA genre. I loved the author’s first book but this one was even better. The high school theatre department was such a great choice for a setting as all the drama felt just right. The characters were engaging and the modern take on the movie She’s All That wasn’t heavy handed. If you love broadway musicals and character driven YA, pick this up.

This was so cute! The perfect contemporary read for queer ex-theater kids. I loved the sweet romance, the diverse cast of characters and all of the musical references.

I loved Brian's first book, but I think I love this one more! I hope every book of his just gets better and better.

The setup here is adorable of course, as well as a solid teen classic situation. I loved the dual pov, it worked really well to see where the two characters minds were.

It can be so hard to execute two characters who have flaws while making them likable. Wade is a little self centered, Elijah has a lot of self confidence issues. Both of the flaws came through wonderfully, and left me rooting for the characters rather than being annoyed by them.

The drama of who is upset with who, who is talking to who, who has crushes on who, was all perfect to add to the tension of the story. A well versed reader will see where things are going and be so nervous for the characters to find out exactly how things will play out.

On top of that there is a lot of depth to the secondary characters and their world. No one feels like a chariacture. Which made the world leap off the page and feel authentic.

This is exactly the sort of story I wish was made into movies.

12/10!

Thanks Balzer + Bray for the Arc. :)

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

Thank you to Brian for sending me this ARC as part of your tour!

After reading A Little Bit Country last year, I was so stoked for this book. Brian’s last book blew me away with its charm and humor and this one was no different.

Wade and Elijah were absolutely adorable together. The chemistry was great. While Wade had moments he was a huge jerk, I appreciated his growth and understanding. One of the biggest things I liked was how everyone dealt with jealousy in this book. It’s hard to see your friends get things that you don’t. We’ve all been there. It’s dealt with in an honest way and they talk through it and make up quickly. I liked seeing how the jealously didn’t eat Wade alive.

This shows how well a person can change and be better. We all have room to grow and accept things about ourselves that we need to fix for the better. And also there’s some things that we don’t need to fix. I fully campaign to be a little weirdo all of the time.

I don’t know anything about musicals or plays but this is my fourth book in a row about musicals so you’d think I need to learn a thing or 2!

My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy is a charming queer retelling of My Fair Lady, setting the scene in a high school doing a production of the musical. At the core of our Fair Brady is Wade Westmore, the cocky and self-centered senior actor who has just been broken up with. Enter, Elijah Brady, the shy and demure sophomore who has a hard time cultivating friendships and rarely speaks to anyone. In their own Eliza Rocks moment, Elijah asks Wade to help him become more confident, and Wade seizes the day in thinking maybe if he does this he can win back his ex. As the plan unfolds things don’t go according to script but will they find their way to each other? Read to find out.

As a theatre kid at heart, reading this brought me back to my time in High School Theatre because Kennedy has crafted a nearly perfect spotlight of that world. I also love, as a gay man, that this story exists because it fueled a nostalgia for those late 2000s girl gets the guy films, a la A Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray, but with a queer twist, something that, maybe, if I had back then, I would have been more comfortable with myself. Being seen in YA novels like this one is so important when coming to terms with accepting yourself and that theme is the heart of this novel, as Wade and Elijah work together and fall for each other they learn that being true to yourself never goes out of style. Kennedy only amplifies this through the duel POV so both of their voices are lifted off the page and into your heart.

What I love about YA novels is that the story can transcend age and Kennedy’s is no exception, I would even go so far to say, if you ever felt like you lost yourself or were a theatre kid, naturally, this should be required reading. Finished in nearly one sitting, I was on the edge of my seat as the romance slowly burned and Kennedy’s characters discovered themselves. Some tears of happiness were shed has I felt the music swell with the curtain closing and the lights fading to black, leaving a story I didn’t want to end. I loved this book so much it made my heart overflow as if I could have danced all night, and I only hope you feel the same.

My Fair Brady is out January 23, 2024!

Scarf Rating: 🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣

Taylor Swift songs I associate with this book: Jump Then Fall, You Belong With Me, Fearless, I’m Only Me When I’m With You, Sparks Fly, Today Was A Fairytale, It’s Nice To Have A Friend, Enchanted

Thank you Brian, Harper Collins, and Netgalley for the arc!

“My Fair Lady meets the classic teen film She’s All That in this charming and swoon new rom-com from Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country.”
God, what an adorable book! Brian Kennedy really nailed it. This young adult rom-com is so cute and funny, and the genuine emotion that was captured in these teenage characters was remarkable. I would also 100% be friends with Elijah (and Brady.) I loved how, even though Wade was essentially giving Elijah a makeover and a confidence boost, he never once insinuated that Elijah wasn’t enough the way he was—and Elijah is who Wade found himself falling for. The writing flowed so well and the dual points of view were written perfectly. Both of the boys have such a unique voice and the way they feel for each other comes through in a bunch of little moments throughout the story. Perfect for fans of queer romance, rom-coms, 90’s movie cliches (done right) in a 2020’s setting. I cant wait until this one is published!

Wow. Just a fun updated gay boy, queer friendly, take of My Fair Lady (tho since it's not a musical, probably closer to Pygmalion itself lol). It's definitely a love letter to the theater kids (and the tech teams). It's also a gay fantasia where everyone loves the many, many gays/queers who inhabit this small town school and most of the problems don't stem from them 'being' gay, but rather them being young and hormonal.. I haven't read his first novel, but after this one, I definitely want to go back and read it.



I received a free copy of the book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Brian D. Kennedy isa knock out YA author and I think more people should have their eyes on him. He’s amazing and this book just like his first sucked me in and lit me up. I loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the eARC!

This book was WORLDS better than A Little Bit Country. I’m talking the difference between being bored out of my mind and actually enjoying a book.

I really enjoyed Wade, from beginning to end. I loved his cockiness and his excitement over the little things. He was really adorable and pained and you could see it all. I also really liked that you could see that he is a good guy - from beginning to end. Sure, he’s arrogant but he is NOT and never was, a bad guy.

Elijah was also really cute, although he was a tougher sell because of his personality - it’s hard to like someone with such low confidence. I am glad he found his voice though and I liked his growth. Since he’s the younger character, it makes sense that he was less sure of himself.

Slight spoilers follow!!

However, I hated most of the side characters: Wade’s friends felt so disingenuous. They kept pushing Wade off because we were told he was a pompous guy - but tbh, I didn’t see that in the book. Did he love himself? Yeah. Was he arrogant? Yeah. But he always tried to do what he thought would make people happy. And when he ended up getting the short end of the stick, his friends just went “what gives you the right to complain” and I hated that they left him to fend for himself for a while. It was sad.

Reese… was a complete tool. He was definitely the worst character here and he never really got called out for it - which is upsetting.

Overall though, I liked this book - I enjoyed reading about these two characters and most of all, I liked the relationship that developed over the course of the entire book and felt it was a very well developed and interesting love story.

I’ve re-written this review so many times because I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading this book. But this one just wasn’t for me 😭 I think it was a one-off and I will definitely continue to read this author’s books.

There will be spoilers ahead, but after my synopsis. (I’ll warn you beforehand).

I really enjoyed A Little Bit Country so I was stoked when I got approved for this ARC for My Fair Brady.

My Fair Brady tells the story of Elijah, a quiet and shy underclassman who is desperate to make some friends. Openly gay, he decides to join his high school’s theater show in the hopes that another queer person he knows, Connor, will befriend him. But Connor is cruel to Elijah and leaves him feeling worse than before. When he runs into (literally) the popular and handsome senior, Wade, the gears start turning in his head. He begs Wade to help him learn to be better in social situations and ultimately be able to make friends. Wade has just been capital-D Dumped by the lead of the play, Reese, and thinks that maybe if he helps Elijah, Reese will take him back. A win, win for everyone… right?

I really loved this book up until about 70%.

***HERE’S WHERE THE SPOILERS START SO TURN AROUND NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM***

I felt the Reese subplot became so unnecessarily messy. I hate that Elijah started hooking up with him because I really don’t think he would have done that to Wade. I also didn’t like Reese AT ALL. He was so pushy with Elijah and felt like a fuckboy. He didn’t seem to have any regard for Elijah’s feelings and even said as much when he tells him he only asked him to prom to make Wade jealous. And after disclosing that, he just pats Elijah on the shoulder and walks away to spend the rest of the night with his “bros”. No regard for any possible carnage he might have created for this newly 16-year-old with no dating or relationship experience.

I also felt Wade was way too hard on himself at the end. His bestie Elijah starts hooking up with his ex-boyfriend… and he’s… just supposed to smile and be happy for them? Even if he didn’t have feelings for Elijah, that part felt incredibly unrealistic. A friend’s ex is always a hard no and in the high school setting, that’s some major drama. I feel like Wade probably would have never spoken to Elijah again. The other part is when Wade lies about his NYU deferment. I genuinely felt he panicked and was trying to not ruin the moment for Ava. But he beat himself up so badly and really convinced himself he was a selfish asshole for doing that. It broke my heart.

Lastly, a very minute detail, but I absolutely hated that the abusive, controlling Drew ended up being crowned prom king and just got to live his best life. Toxic masculinity for the win? No thanks 😭

I want to circle back to the fact that I truly did love the first 70% of this book. I loved both Elijah and Wade. I loved watching Elijah gain self-confidence and start to come into his own. I loved watching both Elijah and Wade be able to be their true, authentic selves with one another. I think they both really needed a friend like one another and I’m so happy they found it. I loved the camping trip (although Elijah’s secretive Reese texting kind of dulled that part for me), Wade getting to know Elijah’s family, and all of Elijah’s trivia facts.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wade usually finds himself in the spotlight, so when he’s passed over for the lead in the school musical, he’s shocked. Especially because his ex-boyfriend gets the part instead of him. Meanwhile, Elijah is used to blending into the background. In an effort to make more friends, he joins the stage crew for the musical.

After a mishap backstage, Elijah asks Wade for help in being more outgoing. In exchange, Wade realizes he can use it as an opportunity to get his ex-boyfriend back. But as the two boys start spending more time together, they realize that there might just be a spark there.

Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an advanced copy of My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy to review! I was definitely in the mood for a cute little rom-com, and this book definitely fits the bill. Especially if you’re a theater nerd! You’ll love all the little references scattered throughout this book.

Kennedy does a pretty good job showing character growth, through our main characters Elijah and Wade. At the beginning, Elijah is just a timid cinnamon roll of a character, desperate to make friends but extremely socially awkward. You’ll just want to wrap him in a hug. Wade, on the other hand, is on the more self-centered side, but as you get to know him, you realize there’s a reason for it. They’re both just really well-developed, and you know I love a good, well-developed character.

In addition to Elijah and Wade, the side characters fill out the cast pretty well too. I think Wade’s friends are a bit more developed than Elijah’s, but chalk that up to the fact that overall, we hang out with them more.

This book does hit a lot of your typical romance beats, pretty well for the most part. My only complaint really is that I wanted to feel a little more of the romance for Elijah from Wade. Something about it didn’t feel quite all the way there, and just a few more details really would have pushed it over the edge.

Overall, if you’re looking for a sunshine romance to combat winter, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in January!

I loved this one. It’s really funny and sweet. The characters were great and very believable and likable.