2.5 “Almost Book Boyfriend” Stars

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, Entangled Teen (Crush)

I try not to get mad at books, but I have to say I’m pretty mad at this one, because I was so close to finding a new book boyfriend and he practically got ripped out of my hands last minute.

Like I mentioned in my last review of an Entangled Teen (Crush) title, I can often count on them to bring me sweet and cute YA romance stories. This started out like that. Boomerang Boyfriend attracted my attention with the “falling in love with my best friend’s older brother” trope, and kept it when I first met Jack.

Jack-the-Jerk, like the MC Delia called him, wasn’t a jerk at all (not until the 85% mark, at least). Sure he had the brooding teen thing going on, but I love that, so I didn’t mind. But most of all, Jack was a dog person. A true dog person. His actions and thoughts when around Rocky, his best friend’s dog, was just too adorable. Right from the beginning I saw Jack was a boy after my heart.

Then came the whole story with his grandfather and his father, and the way he thought he was losing his mother, too, and I was ready to hug him because my heart hurt for him.

Up until the 85% mark, I was in love with Jack. So in love with him that I found it easy to ignore how unlikable Delia, the other main character was. I was in it for Jack and nothing mattered. But, then…the jealousy/pettiness plot kicked in and Jack lost major points with me. Worst of all, it felt so out of character. He hadn’t come across as the kind of guy that would throw a hissy fit over something so small as Delia refusing to share a secret that wasn’t even hers with him. I honestly thought the whole thing felt contrived and ruined his character, which was a shame.

I still like Jack, but it’s disappointing to go from love to like here because of something so silly.

As for Delia, I can’t say I felt as bad for my change of heart. I thought she was an interesting character in the beginning, because she had the “I don’t care what other people thing” attitude and she even made it sound genuine. But then she turned into a little monster early on, and she completely lost me.

I went from annoyed to mad with Delia pretty fast. She came across as selfish and immature when she poorly dealt with the situation with Aiden. The guy was sharing a huge secret with her, and explained why it was a secret, and instead of being a friend, she was only worried about herself. Besides, it wasn’t as if she had been so in love with him that his rejection really hurt her. It was just a crush. So get over it already, girl! Maybe I could’ve forgiven her if she had shown Aiden a little more support as the story progressed, but in all honesty she only got worst.

In fact, I was way more into Jack’s chapters and his interactions with his best friend and the dogs (plural, because he adopted one for himself) than anything about his relationship with Delia. It simply didn’t work for me, because I had no sympathy for Delia at all.

I truly enjoyed all of Jack’s scenes with Trevor, Rocky and Buddy (the puppy), and I wish the book had been about those two best friends and their amazing dogs being adorable together.

If it had been, and if Jack hadn’t been ruined at the end, I wouldn’t rated this book higher (even though the writing was too simplistic for my taste) and added Jack to my book boyfriend list.

I absolutely adored this book. I hoped to get a story about Delia after reading The Boyfriend Bet.

Delia's story didn't happen the way I thought it was going to happen, and I really liked that. After reading The Boyfriend Bet you think she's going to be with a certain guy, but she starts developing feelings for someone she shouldn't.

The best friend's brother trope will always be my favorite. It's like there is this moment when you realize they aren't just your friend's annoying sibling. And maybe your sister's friend isn't so bad.

Both Delia and Jack bring out the best, and sometimes the worst, in each other. I liked seeing them jump over those hurdles. They are complete opposites in every way, and it was fun watching them interact.

Overall, Boomerang Boyfriend is a cute story. You'll laugh, you'll get upset for both Delia and Jack, and you'll swoon.

Horror story of the month in only one sentence ... I voluntarily read a romance novel. Would someone please alert a paramedic?

Delia: I have no idea what's going on with Aiden. Never again will I kiss a boy first. Now he's being all weird and mysterious. I think I need to move on and find a new boy. Not that I need a male in my life to make it complete or anything. Maybe if I paint some more it'll help. Ugh! There's Zoe's brother, Jack. Why is he always such a jerk? 

Jack: Ever since Dad and Grandpa died in the accident I've been the only male in the house. Sure, I go to Trevor's place a lot. Rocky is a great dog and he likes it when I sneak him bits of pepperoni off my pizza, even though Trevor's mother said not to. I like being at Trevor's place but it can't make up for Dad and Grandpa being gone. Sometimes I feel so alone. It doesn't help that my younger sister Zoe and Delia, her annoying best friend, are always giggling in the kitchen at home. Doesn't Delia have a home to go to?

Delia: I really should get a job. Mum and Dad don't have any money to spare and it's not fair to expect them to pay for my art supplies. It's interesting that Mum and Dad have always had money troubles and because a few things broke recently they're sort of having to budget to afford decent groceries yet I have my own truck. Hmm ... Anyway ... Guess what, Zoe? I just got a job as the new Pie Princess at Betty's Burgers. Isn't that so exciting? That's where Jack the Jerk works. Let's not tell him I got the job and surprise him. That'll be fun.

Jack: What? First she takes over my home and now I can't escape her at work either?

Delia: Ah, art class. Nothing beats it. What do you mean another class is joining ours because their teacher went on maternity leave early?!

Jack: What? Now I can't escape her during art class either?

Delia: I don't want to have to draw Jack's portrait. Hey! When did Jack get so cute?! No, wait. I can't think about him like that. He's like an older brother.

Jack: And now I have to draw her too ... Hey! When did Delia become pretty?! No, wait. I can't think about her like that. She's like a little sister.

Delia: I'm so confused.

Jack: I'm so confused.

I'm so confused. I'm way outside of my comfort zone here. I'm more of a horror girl and usually avoid romances like they're diseased. I'm much more comfy reading about people getting chopped to bits than getting kissed. That's why I can't believe I'm going to say this but I quite enjoyed this book. It would make a good holiday read, incorporating Thanksgiving and the lead up to Christmas. My main pet peeve, but this seems to be a fairly universal romance novel annoyance, is people trying to keep their relationship a secret and forgetting how to communicate.

Boomerang Boyfriend contains plenty of sweet and lovely bits. There's plenty of introspection and just enough tragedy and heartache in everyone's life (think death, grief and addiction) that ensures the romance isn't all consuming, until near the end when I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room.

I loved that Delia stumbled upon some of her quirkiness out of necessity but then made it her own when she discovered a passion, and I enjoyed her snarky side. But girl, seriously? You don't need to ask a boy's permission to go out with a friend on a Friday night. Grr! And playing little word games like you don't understand what he's saying so he'll kiss you? I may have just vomited in my mouth a little. Oh, and I'm so mad at her for [spoiler: ditching her friend date with Aiden when she knew how important it was to him after she'd already promised him she'd go].

OK, so maybe I'm more cranky with Delia than loving her but at least Chris Cannon made me care about her protagonists before I wanted to hit them over the head for annoying me. And Jack, jealous much? You and Delia only kissed for the first time, what, maybe four days ago and you've got your cranky pants on over her sitting with a boy at lunch she's sat with for, let me think, the entire book? Not cool, Jack the Jerk.

I was really liking both Delia and Jack, even when they first started kissing. Then they started questioning their relationship and their stupid started showing. Is there something in 'How to Write a Romance' that says your protagonists' brain cells must fall out of their ears each time they kiss? Moving on!

I adored Zoe and Jack's grandma and wanted to hang out with her. I wanted to pull up a chair in the kitchen and chat with Zoe while she baked, and of course be her quality control test dummy for all of the yummies that came out of the oven. I definitely wanted to go to Betty's Burgers for dinner, or maybe just dessert. Plus there are two adorable dogs in the story, Rocky and Buddy, who steal the limelight with their innate cuteness.

I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm actually interested in reading more of Chris Cannon's Boyfriend Chronicles series. I just hope for my Kindle's sake that the main characters don't halve their IQ's once their relationship commences. Seriously, has anyone got a thermometer? Oh, yay! She also writes paranormal novels! 

I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you very much to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC's Teen Crush imprint for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

Oh goodness! I absolutely adore the Boyfriend series. Such a wonderful addition. Chris Cannon is one of my top favorite authors. Her characters are always so much fun and run deep. So good!

Delia has been friends with Zoe since they were a kid! Delia practically shares everything with Zoe and since her parents are so busy with their work and working at an odd time, Delia has been spent her time more with Zoe's family and there is Zoe's brother, Jack. Jack, he is been kind of a jerk to Delia and his sister for something that they had made Jack mad.While Delia, she is this funky cool girl with pink hair.

I think the book has so much thing that I looking forward to reading. The sweet romance between Jack and Delia start slowly and both them trying to figure out whether is it the relationship that they really want to and how to tell Zoe if the relationship starts. 

I love and enjoy the book. The only thing that I'm a bit sad is that the ending is a little bit too fast because you know, I want more. But overall, I love love the book and recommend to you, if you would like to read a YA fluffy romance. 

Rating: 4.5 star

Whenever I need a light hearted romance I can count on YA to give me the best in that. In this is Delia and Jack but they will also fool you too. Once they begin their story ensuring you are in a front row seat you forget this is that getting involved with them to the extreme. This is also the time in their lives when things change and so do they with it also seeming like they are new and improved lol. This author also does a fabulous job of giving us raw emotions that will tear at us too. Along with the other characters that are in here it added a well rounded story to be consumed and captured by. It did not matter I had not read the others in this with this also be first time for this author.

3.5 stars cute teenage love story

Delia and her best friend's brother, Jack did not get a long, she was more like a pesky little sister to him, but things change when they start working together.

The story definitely had its good moments, but I found it lacking in the chemistry department, maybe if the story was longer we would have seen more growth between them, but I didn't see that spark. I found Delia and Jack a bit mean at times, but I try to see things from their perspective, Jack lost his father and Grandfather, and Delia was home alone a lot due to her mom and dad always working.

The little bit of teenage drama was there and I thought it was a good little twist in the story.

Boomerang Boyfriend was definitely an enjoyable read though were some aspects that bothered me.

Delia and Jack have always been at the opposite ends of each other. Jack has always seen her as his sister’s annoying best friend and Delia too saw Jack the same way until she begins to work in the same place as Jack’s where she finally gets to see a whole different side of him. Both of them feel the chemistry between them but they are both afraid to take a step forward. Will they be ever able to have something real?

The plot of Boomerang Boyfriend, although enjoyable was too predictable. Delia and Zoe have been friends forever and she has been a part of that family for as long as Jack remembers. Delia has mostly seen the jerk version of Jack but when she starts working as the Pastry Princess where Jack works as well, they both begin to see each other in a different light. Their perspective towards each other change.

I liked Delia’s character but sometimes her attitude bothered me, especially towards Aiden. It felt like just because he wasn’t interested in her, she treated him poorly, even after knowing the truth. He truly trusted her and she did keep that trust but still, I was bothered by the fact how she simply blamed him and didn’t try to understand his situation. I dunno, it felt weird. Anyway, Jack was a really sweet guy but he really took his time in deciding what he wanted and kept running away! And his over-reaction towards Delia’s secret of Aiden’s showed how he didn’t trust her, it felt too much at times though I was glad when he managed to make up to her, I enjoyed the chemistry between those two. Though again, Zoe’s reaction was too much when she learned about their relationship. :-/ Anyway, I enjoyed how the everything was wrapped up at the end.

Overall, Boomerang Boyfriend was a good read. The plot was executed neatly and I liked the romance between Jack and Delia. The writing was smooth and easy to read and the pace was even throughout the book.

Recommend it?

Maybe.

I'm definitely not the target demographic for this book, but I enjoy YA.  This felt pretty childish to me however. There wasn't a lot of depth or understanding. Why did she like Aiden?  The only thing I got was proximity.  Why aren't her parents home?  Sure work, but plenty of people work and still see thier kids. And the big reveal at the end makes it all ok for Jake and that excuses his behavior?  Just didn't work for me.

the theory of the boomerang boyfriend is pretty simple. he's the one who runs, but always comes back. delia has been jack's little sister's best friend forever. she's over at their house so often he finds himself running away. truth is, he's never really spent time with delia until she gets a job as the pie girl at the burger joint he works at.

suddenly delia is everywhere he is and there is nowhere to run. and for the first time ever they actually talk. and suddenly delia isn't his little sister's annoying best friend. and jack isn't sure what to do about that. if he's even ready to deal with that. delia is just as stunned to realize that her best friend's older brother isn't the jerk she always thought he was.

this change in perspective affects more than just them. zoe, jack's sister and delia's best friend, also figures into their romance. if anything goes wrong their relationships would all be affected. and at the same time, whatever is happening between them is something that shouldn't involve her. they can't live their lives worry about what zoe will think and feel. so it's an interesting dynamic for all of them.

because the truth is jack and delia are very different people. they handle things differently and this makes their relationship more volatile because they don't always understand where the other person is coming from. but as much running as jack does, he keeps coming back to delia. because there is something about her that calls to him.

boomerang boyfriend was a sweet young adult contemporary. the friendships and cast of characters are all well drawn, and i enjoyed reading this.

Best friend’s big brother is a trope I have always enjoyed. There’s just something about it that attracts me to a story. So when I read the synopsis for this book, I wanted so badly to read it and to love it.

Overall, this was such a light-hearted and cute read. I breezed through it. The characters were engaging and entertaining, and the plot, while light, was perfect for the genre. Delia and Jack were both 3-dimensional characters with enough differences and similarities to make their relationship plausible. Giving both of them flaws and strengths helped to make them real and visceral. The same with Zoe, and even Topher.

On the other hand, Grant and Aiden felt a little bit flat and one-dimensional. The ‘kisses that make the world fall away’ promised also seemed a little bit flat to me, though there were moments where I giggled out loud as I was reading. The use of Aiden’s secret as a plot point felt a little bit demeaning and insulting, what with the very real fear he was facing. It seemed to make light a very serious topic.

I am unsure if it was the copy I received, but the formatting of the novel appeared to be off. Sentences had no spaces between them, some quotation marks and punctuation was missing, and certain sentences were structured a little oddly. If this was a formatting issue because I was using Kindle on the iPad, then it is no problem. However, this did detract from my experience with the story as a whole.

Still, it was an entertaining read, and while it is not something I would possibly reread, it has sparked an interest in the author’s other works. And I will definitely be recommending it to friends whose tastes veer in this direction.

Loved this book!  It's fun, sassy, and sweet.  A great clean YA read that all ages can enjoy.

Delia is a fun loving free spirit that spends as much time at Jack's house with his sister as she does her own.  With her parents work schedules they are hardly ever home so why not??  Now Jack has to put up with her at work too?  It could all be too much, or......

A great read you don't want to miss.  I highly recommend it.

Boomerang Boyfriend by Chris Cannon  is a cute YA romance, but not one of my favorites.  I did not dislike this book, but I just didn't feel the chemistry between the main characters, as I have in other Entangled Teen Crush books.  
I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to people who enjoy YA romance books. 

This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm a huge fan of the sibling/friend of the BFF and this one sounded like a bit of fun fluff. 

I liked Delia well enough. I liked her artistic side and that she was up to try anything and that she wanted to stand out. Zoe was a bit annoying and I still don't know how to feel about Jack. 

Plot wise, it was a lot of push and pull and a lot of tell and not show. I wasn't a fan of Alden's secret being a plot point for the drama, especially considering how hard it is in real life. I especially didn't like how Jack was a huge d-bag to Delia in regards to that secret. 

Overall, it was a quick read, but I didn't see any chemistry and the promise of banter was quite lacking. Honestly, the best part of the story was all of the dog parts. 

**Huge thanks to Entangled Teen for providing the arc free of charge**

Cute, fun, romantic YA read. Good characters and enjoyable story line, including the secret that must be kept and the concern for attraction between friends.

What a fun summer read.  Fast and full of enough mischief of a couple who were supposed to hate each other.
     You see Delia Desmond’s parents were always working.  And since Zoe Cain and she have been best friends since Kindergarten she just always ended up at Zoe’s house.  The Cain’s were the family she never had.  She suffered the loss of Zoe and Jack’s, Zoe’s old brother, father and grandfather’s death when they were killed in a car accident as hard as they did.  Although if you heard Jack tell it that could not be.
     For two years now Mrs. Cain has been like a zombie but with the help of their grandma who lives with them, she is coming around.  Which is good because the four girls used to go for girl’s days out and have beauty days.  And things like that had gone along with her spirit during those dark days.  Jack however carry’s a bit of a chip on his shoulder and most of his anger seems to be directed at Delia.
     Which is about to change.  You see Jack likes to run from change or difficult moments but this time he can’t.  He hates that Delia is over all the time.  Yet, he is mad at himself because he knows her parents are not home most of the time and she is all alone.  When she is being raised by his grand and mom too or home all alone which is a lot.  Which means that her parents forget sometimes to buy food, pay bills like electric, or other things he takes for granted.
     At the same time, his two favorite places to be are his friend Trevor’s and work.  They are a “No Fly” Delia zones.  And being he’s a senior and she’s a junior at school it will be too.  That is until she gets a job at Betty’s Burger where she is the newest Pie Princess.  She gets to wear a vintage waitress uniform which he thinks she is slamming by the way. And she gets to wear a tiara which she blinged-out making her look adorable and she sings Happy Birthday and she does it on tune no less.
     Where Jack sees her as a real live girl for the first time.  The uniform stirred him up.  The thing is when they both start to notice each other the one thing that stands out “Drama Queen Zoe” is not going to like it!  As well as how much they each have to lose if it doesn’t work out.
     See how these two feels about each other.  Their thoughts and fears.  See how they choose to deal with Zoe or if they do.
     I give this: 5 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

I absolutely loved this book! I had been slightly iffy going into it since I wasn't fully prepared for the plot but I've been on a YA Contemporary kick for the past six months so I figured I'd give it a shot.
Delia was a spunky main character that I simply adored! I loved how she grew into accepting a potential relationship even though it meant potentially jeopardizing a secret. I also liked that she put thought into whether the relationship would be worth it in the end. I believe that it showed that both her and Jack really do care for each other. I just hope that that do make it last the long haul.

I'd love to get a story regarding Trevor finding love. I don't think I'd want to read one regarding Aiden due to me not liking his character. It was a jerk quite a bit towards the end and I'd just rathernot know if he found his dream guy...

I wasn't always sure on if Jack and Zoe were twins or not. I thought that he was older but there were times when he seemed less mature than he should have? I still enjoyed his character but I was just really confused. Maybe they're about the same age but he's just a tiny bit older?

How I feel about this book: unsure. 

It's not that it was bad....it's just that it wasn't good either. It was unfortunately somewhere in between. The thing is, I walked into this book knowing exactly what it was: a light, fluffy, inconsequential, cheesy romance. So, I can't really say I'm disappointed. I just got exactly what I expected. 

The writing is not great, the plot is not particularly well-built, but all in all, I don't really regret the experience. I think this is one to read if you want a less intense read. I had just read Queen of Shadows before this so it was quite nice to relax a bit after the stressful ride that is Queen of Shadows. The main character Delia was bearable, but she is neither refreshing nor particularly interesting. Supporting characters were okay. I've read better books on wattpad, to be honest. 

I guess, with my low expectations, you'd expect me to be impressed. Unfortunately, no such luck here. 

The #1 thing that pissed me off about this book was definitely the chapter endings. They were so abrupt and unconclusive. I like the end of a chapter to either:
1) tie things up
2) have a cliffhanger for the next chapter

This book had neither of these, which made the flow of the book really weird. 

Please don't let my opinion discourage you from reading this book! Everyone has different preferences in reading, and I completely respect that! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Yomna

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of best friend's brother romances, I loved Boomerang Boyfriend! 

This book was a sweet and quick read- I just couldn't put it down and read it in one day!

Delia is an outgoing and fun spirited girl with pink streaks in her hair who isn't afraid to be different and Jack is a kind family guy and dog-lover, who you can't help but fall in love with. Niether of them ever expected to fall in love but this book shows that sometimes it is with who you least expect. 

Overall I give it 5 stars- super cute YA romance.

I received this book via NetGallery in exchange for my honest review. 

This was a cute adorable YA read that I think younger audiences would like.

The characters for me where just ok for me. Delia stood out on her own, but sometimes she was not my favourite. Jake didn't really stand out either as a book boyfriend. I loved his interest in dogs. Liked the reading the funny dog stories about Rocky, it brought some nice humor to the story. 

For how the story played out I think it kinda of dragged on longer then needed. There was no big wow to the book for it to be as long as it was.