So before I get into the actual review I just want to say that I received this ARC for free. And I was not expected to review the book, nor was I paid to do so. These opinions are entirely my own and given of my own free will.

Okay now that's out of the way let's get to the fun stuff! And FYI this is a non-spoiler review! Here is a synopsis of the book for some context. "Boys are so much better in books. At least according to Merrilee Campbell, 15, who thinks real-life chivalry is dead and there'd be nothing more romantic than having a guy woo her like the heroes in classic stories." So basically the book is about a girl who gets to experience dating and befriending the romantic boys she's read about in classic books. I wanted to read this book based on the title alone! I mean Bookish Boyfriends, come on! But then the plot, I mean that's every readers fantasy come to life. Falling in love with your favorite literary boys in real life. Swoon! 

Now when I started reading I was worried that it wouldn't surprise me at all. I was definitely interested, but I wasn't expecting to be dazzled. Because I didn't really get how Merri was going to date these Bookish Boys. Was she going to be transported into these books, were the boys going to leave the pages of their stories and enter her world, or were the boys going to be re imagined as boys she already knew? The third option seemed the most possible and that's what happens. Merri has several boys in her life and they are all representative of a certain literary hero. I will not spoil it and tell you who is who. But I will say if you've read the classics you can probably guess! This was the most fun part for me. I love the classics: Jane Austen, Shakespeare, the Brontes, you name it! And seeing these men, whom I've loved for so long brought to life in such a fun and unique way was amazing! I fell in love with Mr. Darcy all over again, both the Austen version and the boy who represents him in Merri's life. 

I think the best part of this story is when Merri draws parallels between her life and these classic stories. Is this really happening? Is her English teacher a magician? Because the teacher really seems to know the exact story that Merri needs to read to make sense of herself and her life. It's amazing how this book makes these classic story come back to life. It really inspired me to examine them with fresh eyes, something I haven't done in a long time! This book was really a dream come true, because who wouldn't want to date Mr. Darcy? It is a truth universally acknowledged that he is swoon-worthy!  

So to all my fellow hopeless romantics I hope you're excited for this book! If you've ever fantasized that a book boy was real, if you've ever claimed a book boyfriend for your own, this book is definitely for you. This book was everything I had hoped it would be and I can't wait until I can discuss it with all of you. It will be available for purchase on May 1st 2018 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.

I hope you all love Bookish Boyfriends as much as I did!

Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt follows bookworm Merrilee Campbell as she transitions from her all-girls school to a co-educational elite private school. Merrilee hopes that her new school promises boys as amazing in the book she reads. Within the first day, Merrilee meets a boy who sweeps her off her feet. However, he may not be what he seems on the surface.

I was excited, but also apprehensive when I read the description for Bookish Boyfriends. I think this book will speak to many readers, but I also worried that since this book featured a freshman in high school, I wouldn't be able to relate. While I do think I would have enjoyed this book more if I read it at a younger age, it was still an overall cute story that has companion novel potential.

One aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the main character, Merrilee. However, I do think some readers will find her a little annoying until the second half of the book. Merrilee has an outgoing and bubbly personality which I feel like has become less common in YA, so I really appreciated reading about her personality in this book. That being said, Merrilee is a huge romantic in this book which grants some long-winded descriptions of people and places at the beginning of the novel. While her personality and delusions about romance may off-put some readers, I enjoyed that Merrilee actually acted like her age.

Another part of this book that I really enjoyed was the message. This book includes both elements of Romeo and Juliet as well as Pride and Prejudice. By reading and responding to both of these books and experiencing them in real life, Merrilee develops a more realistic approach to romance and love. As a result, Merrilee does a grow and mature throughout this novel which will make her more likable and relatable for readers initially put-off by her.

While I did like some aspects of this novel, I also had a few problems. In this book, I felt like the side characters weren't extremely well-developed, so they felt more like stereotypes than actual people. Merrilee's first love interest, while supposed to be over-the-top, came across as way too cartoonish and I found myself wanting to skip over any parts that included him. Even Merrilee's eventual love interest was a cardboard cutout Darcy, who as a result, didn't make his relationship with Merrilee particularly memorable. Especially with so many side characters in this book, I needed a little more to easily differentiate the characters.

I also wanted a little more of the romance characters coming to life part of the book. It is suggested in this book that when Merrilee's teacher gives reading assignments to particular students, the book practically comes to life in front of them. Merrilee mentions seeing some of the teacher's stuff having a "magic glow" and constantly emphasizes the school's name (Hero High), but it's always brushed off in the book. I think this book might be trying to go for some "magical" element, but it was never clearly defined so I don't know whether it it's just a teacher's intuition or actual magic. Still, I think whatever it is definitely gives the book some series potential with new characters seeing new books manifest in their own lives (for example, at the end of the book Merrilee's sister is given Little Women to read and it is implied she may have a crush on Merrilee's male best friend).

Overall, Bookish Boyfriends was a cute book, but it's one that I think I would have enjoyed more as a younger YA reader. While there were parts of this book that I enjoyed, there were also many aspects of characters and the plot that needed fleshed out for me to understand the story better. I give Bookish Boyfriends three out of five stars.

Cute cover! Cute story! I think this book was made for those of us who get lost in the stories we read and who have thought more than once that bookish boyfriends are indeed better than the real thing. Are they really though?

Thank you to Netgalley, Tiffany Schmidt and the publisher for my ARC of Bookish Boyfriends.
I really loved the synopsis of this book, a 15 year old bookworm goes to a new school and discovers it is full of the hero's and heartthrobs of her favourite classic novels. On the way, she discovers herself as well.
Unfortunately, for me, I DNF'd this book at 30% I just couldn't seem to get on with it. I found the character of Merilee too dreamy and almost childish, while Eliza her best friend seemed self centred and bitchy. I know Merilee is supposed to be dreamy but her half-conversations with people and her way of drifting off mid conversation was just too distracting for me.
The concept was great but not what I was expecting, I thought she was actually going to meet boys called Romeo and Darcy and Gatsby etc. But they're just ordinary boys who do some of the things fictitious ones do. To be completely honest I couldn't even work out who some of them were supposed to be.
I've ended up saying harsher things about this book than I really wanted too, I didn't hate it. If I hated it I wouldn't have got as far as 30% but what I think is that it is much more suited to young teen readers rather than young adult. I don't doubt that some will absolutely love it and there's no reason not too, I just didn't get on with it myself.

A fun, light-hearted read that proclaims its love of books from the rooftops while being entertaining.
Merrilee is a self-confessed romantic. For the first part of the book this was rather infuriating . She lives every moment picturing herself in the pages of a novel, and her endless fantasising about every boy she meets became frustrating. However, once she tones this down and gets on with being a little less gushing she’s good fun.
Loosely, this is a modernisation of Pride and Prejudice, with Merrilee taking her time to realise her true feelings for Head’s son, Fielding. She’s surrounded by good friends and it sends a really positive message.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.