This book was so cute, y’all! It was nice to have something like this after reading some really heavy books.

Cam is an easy character to relate to. Like her, I am a people pleaser and that sometimes makes me loose myself a bit, which is exactly what happens with Cam. She is so focused on making her boyfriend happy and being there for her friends, she stops trying to find her own happiness. Not that being a supportive friend is a bad thing! It’s not! At all! But not at the expense of your own identity. I think that is a very easy trap for some people to fall in and I was so happy for Cam finding her own way by the end of the story.

Also, I was happy to see that this is a story set in high school that doesn’t automatically vilify the cheerleaders. I was not one of the popular kids when I was in school, but I also knew several cheerleaders and they were very nice girls. I really appreciated having characters like Avery and Nikki break that stereotype. Avery was probably my favorite character in the whole book because she didn’t think twice about reaching out to someone who was hurting and trying to help.

Ultimately this is a story about friendship and about finding out what you want in life. I always worry when young girls focus so much on having a “relationship” or having a “serious” boyfriend when they are in school. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but not when it holds you back from realizing your own potential.

This was such a sweet story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was excited to try this one out. It seemed like it would be pretty cute. And really, it was cute. It kept me turning pages and smiling, and shaking my head at the crazy things that happened to Camryn. I loved when her friends decided to do a Bachelor style thing to find her a new guy. I loved that we don’t get the stereotypical characters, like mean girl cheerleaders. And that even the “other woman” wasn’t really necessarily an evil seductress that we have to hate. Other than the story being really cute, I guess I didn’t realize just how much of a “love story about friends” it was going to be. Because about halfway through, I saw it going that way, and I was disappointed, because I get it, friends are more important than boys. But when I read what I think is going to be a romance, I want a good romance. So it was not exactly the type of ending I was looking forward to. But it’s probably great for a YA book, and for young girls to read so they don’t think they have to have a boy to be happy.

I’m a huge romance reader and I’m a sucker for a cute main love interest. I think the thing that disappointed me most about this book is that there was no main love interest. It also killed me how dense Cam could be at times.

That said, there were parts that I did enjoy. It was funny how much Cam enjoyed being the school mascot. And don’t even get me started on Jemma! You can say what you want, but we all know Jemma’s the true star of this book.

The ending of this book was nice, and I hope that whatever happens to Cam, life doesn’t disappoint her. With such great friends, I think we all aim to have a life like Cam’s.

What I love about Shani Petroff's books is that once you sit down and start reading them, you just can't put it down. Once again, I was able to finish Finding Mr. Better-Than-You in one sitting! I really enjoy this author's writing style and that hasn't changed.

Our main character Camryn, or Cam as her friends call her, is in her senior year. She's ready to start the year and work towards going to college in the Fall. When her boyfriend breaks up with her out of the blue, plans change. Especially when she hears she needs to work on extracurricular activities to be able to get in the college of her dreams.

Cam was an interesting character. I could relate to the fact that she loved all things romcoms! That's totally me. That's kind of where my connection with her ended. I have to be honest and say I struggled with her character at times. I loved seeing her realize that it's okay to be herself and what she wants is just as important. But part of this story is just her trying to get another boyfriend and that definitely annoyed me at times.

Finding Mr. Better-Than-You is an interesting story and definitely has some laugh out loud and some sweet moments. It's a fast and fun read! Not much really happens though. Or at least it felt that way. That being said, Finding Mr. Better-Than-You isn't your typical contemporary in the sense that romance is the main part of this book. It's actually really about Cam finding herself and learning what she wants. This may be through some awkward moments trying to find a date, but it was a nice touch. Shani Petroff shows girls it's okay to be yourself and go for what you want. A guy or girl shouldn't change what you want!

My favorite part of this book has to be the friendships though. I loved Camryn's friends and how much they supported her. There were also many moments she supports them. Definitely lots of girlpower! I also loved that this book shows us people aren't always what they seem. There are defintiely friendships formed that our main character wouldn't have expected at the beginning of the book.

Cam, the ultimate lover of rom-coms, has her perfect senior year planned out. She’s going to have the best time ever with her friends and then attend Columbia with her longterm boyfriend. Except then her own rom-com comes to a sudden end when Marc breaks up with her. To make matters worst, Cam doesn’t have any extracurriculars to include in her college application since she dedicated so much of her time to her ex. Now she’s on a mission to get over Marc (added bonus if it makes him jealous in the process) and beef up her college application.

Finding Mr. Better-Than-You is a fun read about finding yourself with the help of supportive friends. Going in I thought this would be a cute rom-com, but I loved that the story turned out to be about friendship! It was such a great message to see Cam figure out that she doesn’t need a boyfriend to be happy or fill a void. She let boys derail her own goals, dreams, and happiness, but was able to grow and learn that what she wants is important.

The tone of the novel was light and fun. There were totally some awkward scenes that left me embarrassed for Cam, but they were funny. What I really loved though were her interactions with her friends. Plus Cam’s a rom-com fan like me, so of course I loved her. I think it’s important to have a character like Cam and hope this will show teens that there’s so much more for them out there, especially if they feel like they wasted time on a relationship that ended.

Overall, Finding Mr. Better-Than-You is a love letter to the friends who stick with you no matter what!

A fun read! I didn't know what to expect when I started this one, but I liked the cover, and the blurb sounded fun. I really enjoyed it, though, and am glad I got the chance to read it! I enjoyed the characters, and the story was well written!

This book was a fun, fast read that carries a wonderful message for young girls!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a very engaging and fast-paced high school romance, Mr. Better-Than-You threw a few curve balls my way. Camryn Roth is ready to rock her senior year of high school. She and her high school sweetheart are deeply in love and they both have the same dreams to attend Columbia for college. But Cam's world is thrown into a whirlwind after meeting with the school counselor and then later having her heart broken at a local diner. After moping and piecing together her broken heart, Cam takes initiative to improve her college resume, her love life, and even herself.

Cam is a rom-com aficionado. As a dedicated fan of romantic comedies, she lives and breathes romantic tropes. However, when her own happily ever after ending is crushed, she takes matters into her own hands. On a mission to find a boyfriend better than her ex-boyfriend, Cam’s definition of love changes throughout the novel and morphs into self-appreciation and the value of friendship.

One of the most unexpected things about Mr. Better-Than-You is that this book is not your typical rom-com. While dating shenanigans ensue throughout the pages, Cam’s mindset of love is altered and molded into a variety of understandings of “what is love?” As a must-read, I highly recommend this book to readers who are fanatics of watching female friendships blossom and characters who take initiative into finding their true selves through heartache, laughter, and the support of the people around them.

If you love YA books of self-discovery, lighter vengeance, and independence.

We follow a main character in the last year of high school, ready to make it the best one yet. And she will not let a crappy breakup be the end of it. Instead, she enacts vengeance on her ex, showing him she’s way better without him.

This is not necessarily a romance-heavy read. There is a little bit of romance stuck in more of a high school contemporary book.

It was an enjoyable read overall, bringing back those feelings of heartbreaks and teenage drama. I ended up giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommend this story to readers who like lighter contemporaries with tons of high-school themes.

Cam’s senior year of high school isn’t working out that great. First, her guidance counselor tells her she probably won’t get into her dream college, and then her boyfriend breaks up with her – very publicly. Good thing she has some great friends to help her through the tough times ahead. And a wonderful family. In fact, her life is starting to sound like one of her beloved rom-coms. But where’s her new love interest? After all, “The best way to get over an old guy is to find a new one.” And, in looking for Mr. Right, she might just end up finding herself.

I love how supportive Cam’s friends are, as are her parents and little sister. Even though Cam initially comes across as self-centered, she is actually a thoughtful friend and big sister. By the end of the story, she learns that some things are more important than having a boyfriend.

A cute, funny, easy-to-read story about friendship.

FINDING MR. BETTER-THAN-YOU starts off like a cheesy romantic comedy, but ends up being a lot more fulfilling light-hearted YA contemporary. Camryn (Cam) is excited to start her senior year and plan to get in for Columbia. However, it's only the first week of school and things are not going according to plan. The guidance counselor has pointed out that she lacks the AP courses and extracurriculars that she would need to get in to Columbia, and Cam reflects on why she ditched her previous ones, namely her boyfriend of three years, Marc.

Marc is a legacy for Columbia, and Cam and he have been talking about going there together for ages. However, when Cam needs Marc's comfort the most, he ends up publicly dumping her in a diner. Cam decides that she can turn her life into a rom-com by meeting a new guy and making Marc jealous so that he'll come crawling back. However, Cam still has a lot to learn about herself and who she wants to be.

Although the book starts out seeming a little silly, there are some important messages in there about staying true to yourself, hanging on to the best friends, and carving your own path. I also super-love a contemporary where the point is not romance.

While the story still managed to be overall light-hearted, this is a great story about finding yourself, being true to yourself and friends, and owning it all. I completely fell in love with Cam and her friends in this lovely book. Highly recommend for fans of YA contemporary fiction.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

likes:
- positive female friendships
- minor character growth?
- a MC who loves books

dislikes:
- very bland, (I almost want to say sub-par but also don't b/c wow mean) writing. it really almost read like YA that was published in like 2013 or something
- so much of this was so cringe-y. you could tell this was an adult writing to seem like a teen and just didn't work for me
- Cam was so unlikable & irritating. she was so obsessed with Marc, having a boyfriend, and just changed herself to like everything someone she was interested in liked. I know this was part of her character growth & she did realize this wasn't great in the end but it happened way too late for me, I really didn't get to enjoy her character growth at all
- I feel like this is meant to seem like it's about Cam realizing not everything is about boys or being in a relationship but... 80% of the book was her thinking about boys or trying to get a boy and wishing she was in a relationship

This story was so cute! I have a friend who has a similar issue to Cam and appreciate this in a book for teens. I won’t lie I wish the ending was more romantic, but overall cute story!

I really enjoyed this fun contemporary. Readers will relate to Camryn and cheer for her as she rediscovers herself and realizes how much her friends really mean to her. I liked that the emphasis was on friendship rather than romance.

This might be a case of me being too old for a particular YA book because this one felt too young for me and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. Camryn has recently been dumped (quite badly) by her longtime boyfriend, Mark, a guy she has gone all out for-cheering enthusiastically at his games, begging and pleading to have her schedule changed to share a class with him, and so on. After the very public and poorly planned breakup, her focus becomes finding a guy who is better than Mark. However, in her quest to replace him with someone superior, she never considers what it is SHE is looking for in a guy and instead tries desperately to fit whatever the guy is looking for or needs. Her chameleon nature doesn't seem to bother her or especially worry her many, supportive friends (though it should and needed to be addressed much sooner) and it's only at the very end of the book that Camryn has any sort of personal revelation. This made her read as a much younger character (like twelve or thirteen) versus the preparing for college, almost on my own age she's described as. While I was grateful to see her finally focus on herself and what is best for her, it felt like too little too late.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary advance copy. This had no impact on my review.

The perfect book for anyone who loves romcoms!

Camryn is dumped by her boyfriend Marc and told by the school counselor that she doesn’t have enough extracurriculars to get into Columbia. Instead of giving up, she decided to find a better boyfriend and create enough extracurriculars to get into any college. But you can’t force “meet-cutes” or “happily-ever-afters.” Especially if you’re not being yourself.

A unique love story with laughter, tears, friendship, and self-realization. You’ll be hard press to “find a better” book, #wink!

I was stumped between 2 and 3 for a bit, but I decided it’s earned a 3 just barely if only because I liked the references to romance books and movies. I hated how they were always called rom-coms though. And the main character is really annoying. I mean, gggaaaaahhhhhh!!! Buy a clue.

However, I found the supporting characters interesting and I finished it just to find out if this chick could get her personal thing together. Lo and behold, neat and tidy ending. Grrrrrrr.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the advance reader copy Finding Mr. Better-Than-You by Shani Petroff, in exchange for an honest review. Teens will love feisty Camryn as she is very publicly dumped after a three-year high school romance. Camryn has planned her life and college plans around Marc; so she is totally blindsided by him; even more when she finds out he has been seeing another “new” girl all summer while she was away as a camp counselor. But what teens will love MOST is how her friends get behind her and never stop encouraging her to be her best person (hadn’t she been doing that for the last 3 years?). Even more surprising is her new found friendship with the cheerleaders. Whether she is looking for Mr. Right or jumping into new school activities; Camryn’s search for new school clubs and/or priorities will lead her into a fast-paced, often humorous journey with this reader rooting for Camryn’s happiness and growing self-reliance. I loved Shani Petroff’s use of authentic teens, high school drama, best friends (and new friends) being forever and finding yourself. Highly recommended!

dnf @ 10%. the writing style really isn't working for me on this one. it could be that it's geared towards a younger audience, but even then i find the constant use of 'my boyfriend' really jarring when she could just use the boyfriend's name instead. also, it's really telling everything that's going on, not showing, so i'm out.

I absolutely loved the message in this story! It is so easy to lose yourself to someone else, particularly in a relationship at a young age. To feel like you won't be whole when it's over. I love that this "rom-com" is more about finding and falling in love with yourself, not a dream man. Would definitely recommend to middle and high school aged readers.