This was the type of book that you could take with you to the pool or beach and read.

It was fun an engaging and I really enjoyed it

Another great read on the shelf. I loved the story and the characters and finished it quite quickly.

Ugh I loved how steeped in deep south this book was, at times it was a *little* much but I just loved it to pieces. A modern day YA tale, definitely one you'll want to read. Georgia and Beau were just too cute.

I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't. The culture of the big name families being the most popular and admired in the small southern town really bothered me and the way the main character spoke about it was obnoxious. I happen to live in a small southern town, and the attitude of "the haves" is spot on, but the view others have of them is not. The only positive I can give is it is a quick read.

This is the book you’d want to read on a rainy day (or any time you fancy). It’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy, make you laugh and scream in frustration, and make you wish it’s summer. This is the book you’d want for a fast read.

I love this book because:

a) It’s something I love to watch if it was a movie

b) LGBT characters

c) Female/Male friendship that doesn’t turn into romance (the fakeship doesn’t count)

d) Healthy family relationships (mostly)

e) Misunderstandings

f) Small town where everyone knows everyone

g) Summer. Childhood sweetheart. Wedding.

The characters, I think, were great. They were entertaining, and I really like Will. The narration was okay too. It’s not “wow, amazing!” but it’s not horrible either. The only problem I have with it is some of Beau’s part. There were some bits that made me bored a little.

Overall, I quite enjoy this book. It’s a book that I would definitely pick up again for a quick read, or if I didn’t want anything with “too heavy” topics to read.

I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I received an eARC from Entangled Teen thru NetGalley in exchange of my honest review. And this will not affect my thoughts and opinion about the book in any way. 

Cute and fast read that talks about romance, friendship and faking a relationship is what The Sweetheart Sham is. 

Being honest and true to yourself and to others is one way to express what you really are being a person. Upon reading the entire novel, I was having mixed emotions with the characters. As each one of them faced different struggles in life. One great thing is that their struggles are being solved by helping each other. And also by accepting what the person did in the past and who they really are.

The writing style described and capture what it takes to have a friend and family that will support you in any way. It also showed how a person can support their friends.

The Sweetheart Sham was full of fun, bad timing, and a whole lot of love. Secrets were kept creating often times awkward and strained situations. But in the end The Sweetheart Sham had a whole lot of love and heart.

The friendship between Georgia and Will made this story amazing for me. The sacrifice Georgia made for Will by entering into a fakeship not knowing what turmoil it would later cause her and sticking to it was admirable. The fact that she stuck with Will until whenever he felt comfortable coming out to his family and the rest of his friends was beautiful and I loved it. I also really loved that she was a person who didn’t judge Will in any way for his sexuality and that their friendship was unaffected by his confession. I’m glad to see that sort of reaction portrayed in a book.

Now let’s talk about Beau, our gorgeous southern gentleman. A childhood friend to both Georgia and Will, with a little bit spicer past with miss Georgia, Beau was a lot of fun to read about (especially because of his past mistakes). Beau coming back into Georgia’s life was something of a rocky time for both of them, but it sure was fun to read about on the sidelines. With secrets and the past keeping them apart, but a love forged in the happiness of childhood, the back and forth the ensued was both fun and agonizing.

The Sweetheart Sham is a read that you don’t want to miss. I enjoyed it with all my heart and had a smile on my face till the very end.

This was a new author to me,but I really like her writing style. The story was sweet and romantic

Adorable read. Definitely could have been a bit less drama involved but cute for what it was. Georgia needs to be less wishy washy and self sacrificing and more selfish and true. Beau seemed a bit "poor me" in my opinion. Other than that it was worth reading at least once. I don't want to give away too much, so maybe you should decide for yourself on this one.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆
I enjoyed this story about small town Culler, SC and its close knit, very small population. Will and Beau are cousins and along with Georgia Ann, best friends. The three amigos all growing up together in a small town. But Will has a secret, so do Georgia Ann and Beau. Secrets that can put pressure on a new budding relationship or on someone not ready to disclose exactly who they are. Then you have the adults in town, experiencing divorce and deceit that rip Beau and Georgia apart when Beau's mom up and leaves town, taking Beau with her. That is, until the wedding of the century brings everyone back to town again to face old loves and old hurts.

I think this story really could have gone further into the love triangle aspect and still been a good young adult read. Will's mystery boy is revealed with very little fanfare and I wasn't even sure we knew who he was. The ending was sugary sweet and wrapped the book up nicely, but I guess as a jaded adult, I think it could have used just a little more drama. Still, a sweet and nicely written story of small town misconceptions and revelations.


Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 Stars

The Sweetheart Sham will be sure to please young adults looking for a warm and fuzzy story, without too much angst, featuring second-chance-romance and a fake relationship tropes, as well as adding an LGBTQ twist. The southern setting was a nice change of pace, with the dialect and accent, gossipy townsfolk, and the mentality of the locale, giving a touch of down-home humor.

Georgia Ann is a Southern Belle, a daughter of a founding family from Culler, South Carolina. There are social rules she must abide by, with gossip and pressure to do as those in the town wish from her. She’s licking her emotional wounds in private, suffering from the abrupt end of a relationship no one knew existed. Instead of worrying about herself, Georgia Ann focuses on her best friend, Will, by pressuring him to come out of the closet, while simultaneously becoming his beard within a fake relationship to hide his budding, real relationship with another in-the-closet boy.

Beau is Georgia Anne's one who got away, having left the area abruptly due to the divorce of his parents. Angsty, brooding, and wounded, young adults and those young at heart will surely swoon over Beau. After having been gone for quite some time, Beau returns home for the summer to attend his cousin's wedding.

Georgia Ann's mother is planning the wedding of the summer, with Georgia Ann having to be her helper. With her faux relationship with Will, and the return of his cousin, Beau (the secret one who got away), The Sweetheart Sham has all the juicy, sweet, and charming elements sure to please readers.

I'm on the fence with the writing style, unsure it it's a good fit. I'm curious to read the next book in this series, to see whether or not it was the writing style, my mood, or the subject matter. I do recommend, but suggest downloading the sample to determine if the writing style suits with your reading tastes.

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I need to voice something that rubbed me slightly wrong with the LGBTQ theme. I understood Will's reluctance to come out in a small southern town, especially with the pressure of being a founding family's son. While I appreciated Georgia Ann supporting Will in his decisions, I felt her pressuring him to come out was in poor taste. For the first few chapters, she was so hyper-focused, turning most inner monologue and dialogue shared with Will, into her warning him/threatening him/making him promise to come out/thinking about how she wished Will would just come out already. While this plays into the overall premise of the story, with such sensitive subject matter, I felt Will's story should have been voiced only by Will – not as if Georgia Ann had ownership in Will's journey. While I'm thrilled the LGBTQ community is popping up in mainstream fiction, Will's coming out story belongs solely to Will. Just my two cents from a member of said community.

Young adult age-range: 12+

This was such a sweet book! I love the whole friends-to-lovers trope and this one was perfect.

Such a great story!The whole book is written from Beau and Georgie's POV, there are also back flashes thrown in.The plot in The Sweetheart Sham mostly revolves around Beau and Georgia Ann's second chance at love, the wedding of the summer, and the friendship between Beau, Georgia Ann, and Will. I loved all three main characters in The Sweetheart Sham. Georgia Ann was kind, smart, and fierce!Will was definitely a charmer with lots of confidence on the outside, but he was also super cute !Beau was swooning!He wanted to make everyone happy!

The Sweetheart Sham by Danielle Ellison.

At first I was really slow getting into this book but the further i read the more I fell in love with the characters and actually felt like I was in the book. I was kinda let down by the ending of the book though seems like so much more could have been answered! I’m really hoping for some more follow up books! All and all I give it a 3 star rating just cause it seemed unfinished and slow to start!

I am such a sucker for an Entangled Teen Crush with a cute disclaimer! The Sweetheart Sham did not disappoint. I adored the friendship between Georgia Ann and Will and always love a second chance romance. I was glad to see that this was the first book in a series- I'll definitely be checking out more from Danielle Ellison.

Despite everybody else loving this book, it didn't really do anything for me. Sure, it was cute, but that's it. Everything about this screamed "cute" - the characters, the storyline. None of it was life changing, yet that's okay, because it doesn't have to be. Still I expected a little more, coming to think that the characters didn't even have to deal with problems. Or so it seemed. Georgia Ann sure didn't. Her secret wasn't even hers, it was the secret of her best friend Will, who was by far one of my highlights of the story. Alright, there's that thing with her mother. Thankfully, the author didn't make the book only about that.

Every misunderstanding between Georgia Ann and Beau could have been avoided if he had opened up to her about why he left Culler the first time. That's actually what I hated the most - that both of them weren't honest with each other. They got along fine but still couldn't talk about whatever happened between them after such a long time had passed. I liked the flashbacks, though, because every so often, stories like this one pick up years after the characters have seen each other last without letting the reader get a glimpse of their history.

The whole thing with Will being gay and being too afraid of his family's reaction really got to me. It's sad to think that so many teens out there can relate to him. It shouldn't matter who you love, who you decide to spend your life with. It's nobody's business but yours. And so at times I really felt like hugging Will, but then again I was happy he had a best friend like Georgia Ann who supported him no matter what.

This might be one of my shortest reviews. There's just not a lot that I can say. The publisher is known for cute reads like this one and I'm sorry I didn't like it any more. If you're looking for a sweet second-chance romance taking place in summer and in the south, then I think you'll actually love The Sweetheart Sham.

It was a good book, but I couldn’t really love it for some reason.

This was a very sweet story. I enjoyed the southern charm and the spin on the fake relationship trope. Georgia and Beau were both relatable and likeable characters, I was also a fan of the side characters, especially Will. One of the best parts of the story was how it was rooted in friendship.

the sweetheart sham by danielle ellison was such a fun read.

there a lot of great characters in this book, but georgia ann, will, and beau are fantastic as this kinda-sorta love triangle's key players.

georgia ann is what i would imagine to be an all-american southern girl. she is charming and witty and though she's a belle by upbringing she wants to be more than a pretty girl in a pretty dress.

will is the southern prince charming, all good looks and athleticism and an important family name. but he's gay, and in this quaint little southern town he is reluctant to just come out. he also happens to be georgia ann's lifelong best friend and both of their families would just die to have the two of them live happily ever after - together.

beau is just as crush-worthy and happens to be will's cousin. after leaving town with his mother, he is back for his brother's wedding - and for a chance to redeem himself with georgie ann after leaving her with no explanation and breaking her heart when he left town with his mother.

now throw in the fact that georgia ann and will decide to have a "fakeship" over the summer so that will can actually go out on dates with the boy he likes, and add to that the fact that they can't let beau know their secret and you've got the makings for quite the summer romance(s).

ellison nailed the character development in this book! i truly love when i read a book and can picture the characters as well as if i'd actually known them somehow.

everything about this book was charming and endearing. definitely a fun read for a cold night! curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea, or coffee, or a rockstar and get ready to fall in love with this southern trio!

4.5/5 stars from this girl!

The Sweetheart Sham by Danielle Ellison is the 1st book in the Southern Charmed series, and a wonderful book. It is a sweet, fun, and delightful YA contemporary romance. I love this genre, even though I am far from a young adult. There is something so innocent about first loves. Georgia Ann pretends to be her best friend's girlfriend to keep his secret safe, but her first love returns to town which complicates everything. I found this book to be a quick read, and highly recommend it to all YA romance readers, young and old.

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

I loved this book so much. The characters are so much fun and SO swoon worthy. Beau <3 I love the relationships in this book.