If I had to summarise this book in a word, I'd say it was juvenile. This book is clearly aimed at mid-older teens (given the focus on sex and related issues), yet it's full of fart and poop humour that feels more appropriate for a twelve year old, and the little asides from Kate and Libby felt like they were trying to hard to be funny. All of the characters felt very one-dimensional as well, particularly the antagonists, who could have been cut and pasted from any teen rom com.

I will note that I appreciated the ace rep, and there were some nice moments of female solidarity which I think is important in books for teens (and everyone really). However, unfortunately I won't be recommending this one.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I am a huge fan of Jennas first book What I like About Me, and was super excited to read more of her work.
This is the story of two friends who accidentally create the perfect boyfriend for one of them and the drama the ensues, making the reader consider is perfect all that it’s desired to be?

Overall, I found this book a super fast and pleasant read. At times the main character annoyed me because I thought she was such a shitty friend, but if I think back to when I was 16 I’m sure I was just as self involved, weren’t we all at that age? This also might be because I felt an attachment to the main character Maisie in her other book more than I had to Katie in this book.

This book gave me vibes of Suddenly 30, one of my favourite movies of all time, and there were so many moments where I laughed out loud. The relationships between family and friends came across authentic for the story of a 16 year old girl.

Jenna does a great job at writing in references to remind you that this story is taking place in Australia. Loved the roll up reference - the only true way to eat it.

I would recommend this to anyone who has read Jenna’s other work, and honestly anyone wanting to escape the real world for a light hearted, easy read

Jenna Guillaume is an amazing author. I loved her debut, and absolutely couldn't wait to read this one when I got my hands on it.

I binge-read this novel in one sitting. It's a lighthearted, humorous YA tale that made for a great story.

I loved the characters, the general wriring style and the representation included in the book.

Thank you so much to Panmacmillan for providing me with a copy of this book.

I was meant to only read for a few minutes tonight and yet I found myself not able to put this book down. I loved the humour and quirky main characters.

It was a great, light hearted and fun read. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something to escape with.

I received this title from Netgalley in return for my honest opinions.

You Were Made for Me is one of the most delightful books I've had the pleasure of reading this year! Jenna is an icon and quickly becoming Australia's queen of teen rom-coms.

Our protagonist Katie has never been kissed and wants her very first one to be perfect with the perfect boy. So when her best friend Libby and herself accidentally create a boy who happens to look like Hemsworth brother, has the personality of a very happy Golden Retriever and he's utterly devoted to Katie, what's a girl to do?

I should also mention her first encounter with him is finding him naked in her bed. 16-year-old me would have died.

Narrated by mostly Katie with a dash of Libby, the book is hilariously self-aware and filled with fluff and utter fun as they try to hide this super hot guy who doesn't quite understand how he came to be, but knows Katie is his world. Luckily Katie's friend Theo, who happens to live next door, has some space for a roommate and just enough patience to deal with him. While the book is very much a light-hearted Australian contemporary, it also examines the idea of perfectionism, which I feel will resonate with a lot of teen girls. There's also discussions around sexuality, friendship, dating, and body image, all of which I found effortlessly written into the story. This book ticks all the right boxes for a teen rom-com!

You Were Made For Me is a laugh-out-loud delight that all teens and fans of YA should pick up!

You were made for me was told as a conversation between two friends about a made up boy who comes to life.

This was cute and unique, but a little outside of what I am looking for as an adult who reads young adult.

It is much more suited to a young audience.

(ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

Katie didn't mean to create a boy. A boy like a long-lost Hemsworth brother: six-foot tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer's day; whose lips taste like cookie-dough and whose skin smells like springtime.

A boy who is completely devoted to Katie.

He was meant to be perfect.

But he was never meant to exist.


fun and unique read that made me smile and laugh. The idea of a girl accidentally creating a boy was fun, however I didn’t love the book. It’s a great light hearted read but I found some of characters annoyed me a bit (I’m looking at you Katie) with their devotion and infatuation. I guess that’s probably the point - highlighting to young girls that boys aren’t everything and that the “perfect boy” doesn’t really exist. However, it’s a fun and fluffy book - the perfect book when you want a break from anything heavy or real.

Let's summarise. Single Katie wants a dreamboat boyfriend for her very first kiss. So what happens when you wake up in the middle of the night with six feet of solid, yet alluringly strange boy hunk in your bed? Freak the hell out.

A dash of handsomeness, a pinch of blonde dreamy locks, a sprinkle of smoking hot body and generous amounts of kindness and you too can create your very own Guy. Of course there's more to the recipe and lots of sciencey goodness but now Katie has a very real and very much naked Guy in her room, staring at her adoringly and content to live under her bed until she knows what to do with him.

Girl, have at it.

Thankfully Katie can rely on her always dependable friend and next door neighbour Theo to have her back. If it weren't for Guy's weird and wide eyed wonder, no one would believe this tall, handsome hunk of a boy was only hours old. Kate is a natural storyteller and with input from best friend Libby when she starts rambling or using the word tongue far too often than necessary, Katie shares her story about creating the perfect boy.

Katie, Libby and Theo aren't part of the popular clique, in fact she and best friend Libby have been the target of the downright nasty and pretentious Mikayla. Even her maybe, sometimes boyfriend Declan Bell Jones is perfect, if only Katie could steal him from Mikayla's taloned clutches. Katie's had the hots for him as long as she can remember and all of Libby's eye rolling still isn't enough to douse those burning loins. Declan is no Guy and while he may seem nice, he's just another wanker with the need to feel adored. I believe he's also still looking for his spine.

You Were Made For Me is a feel great, laugh out loud romantic comedy, like a nineties teen film that'll have you swooning and peeing a little, regular toilet breaks are highly recommend. It's utterly delightful, a little bit batshit and hilariously funny. We could all use a hefty dose of fun and fluff and this is perfection.

We first meet Katie as she's pining away over the unobtainable boy, you know the type, he's usually popular, his girlfriend is a horrible bitch and he's typically a bit of a dimwit. On a girl's night in, Kate and bestie Libby are pretending to create the ideal guy, Libby ensuring she added a penis because no one deserves plastic genitals. Feeling better about her lack of boyfriend and kissing, Katie tucks her makeshift tiny boyfriend into bed. Sciencey and magical stuffs occur, which I believe is the technical term and that is how you end up with a hunk in your bed. Probably best not to try this at home kids, results may vary.

What ensues is a journey of learning, hard lessons and realising that there's no such thing as perfection, although Guy comes pretty close. A story of friendship, awesome friends, shitty friends and that guy you thought was hot? He's a massive wanker. You Were Made For Me also touches on grief, Theo having lost his mother to cancer. Infidelity, someone can't seem to keep their own tongue in their mouth and body shaming. Theo is often teased by his family and peers for his weight.

I loved the diversity of characters. There is a discussion surrounding sexuality when a character identifies as asexual and aromantic and it was brilliant to see that spoken about on the page so positively. Libby is Filipina Australian, she's intelligent, witty and an incredibly loyal friend. She also experiences taunting and racism at the hands of Mikayla and her minions.

Jenna Guillaume has cemented herself as Australia's young adult romantic comedy author and my love her her knows no bounds. This was absolutely delightful, fun, fluffy and super cute. Also, a handy guide when faced with a large, ridiculously good looking man doll come to life in your bed while you're asleep.

So it 7pm tonight I thought I'd just read something lighthearted and fun, new Jenna Guillaume... I loved her debut so hell yes!!

It's now 10.40pm and I binge read the whole book 🙈

I loved this book so much. I love the authenticity of the characters. I ADORE the sense of humor. I love the meaningful lessons and quotes interspersed into the story. I love the Australian culture shining through. I love the Ace representation ❤ I just love this.

It's an emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible. It's cheesy, and heartwarming, and rom-com cliche meets sci-fi young adult shenanigans...it's a strange, wonderful, warm and funny book and this has cemented Jenna Guillaume as a new fave author because my heart is just so full and happy and feeling warm and fuzzy right now.

Read this book. It is wonderful. I initially got frustrated with two narrators but it really helped the characterisation and hilarious wit shine through. Give it a go it is glorious ❤

Review will be live on socials by second week of July.

Kate is 16 and never been kissed.  She's certain she's never going to meet the perfect boy, and she knows exactly what that perfect boy would be like.  She's even gone as far as to make him out of clay, with her best friend Libby.  But that night something ultra weird happens when Kate goes to bed. Laying her clay boy down next to her and giving it a kiss, she wakes up to a real life boy.  Naked.  In her bed.  As the book progresses in a series of conversations, where Kate and Libby tell the story up to the present day, the idea of the perfect boyfriend starts to not live up to the reality.  

This book was fun and fluffy.  The kind of read to pick up when you need a break from heavier topics or you're looking for a beach read.  It was one of those books that was somewhat predictable, but still enjoyable.  The way it was written, as a conversation between the two girls, did take some getting used to. At times it felt a bit clunky and I lost the flow of the writing, but it was definitely a unique way to tell a story!  The characters also seemed quite young to me.  They were 16, which IS young of course, but they seemed so naive and younger than I expected.  This may be due to 16 year olds acting much older in so many YA books, saving the world and what-not, that reading typical 16 year old characters seems strange now, but they still felt that way throughout the story, particularly the main character.

I do sometimes struggle with YA contemporary, due to being so much older than the target audience and not quite connecting to the teenage angst, but I think this one will be a fantastic fit for younger YA readers who are looking for a sweet rom-com like book!

Synopsis:

The day I created a boy started out like any other.

Katie didn’t mean to create a boy. A boy like a long-lost Hemsworth brother: six-foot tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer’s day; whose lips taste like cookie dough and whose skin smells like springtime.

A boy who is completely devoted to Katie.

He was meant to be perfect.

But he was never meant to exist.

Review: If I had to describe this book in one word it would be QUIRKY. I had to remind myself quite often that it is young adult fiction, and fiction it certainly was. This book stands out against others in its category that do not have an element of complete fiction/ science fiction/ crazy things that just arent possible. If you are looking for something super easy to read, well-written, and super weird and quirky then this is probably it.

Something unique about this book (other than the perfect golden boy boyfriend who appears out of thin air and naked in the main characters bed) is the writing style of this book. The story is a first person recollection by the main character, Katie, but in between the chunks of story are conversational moments between Katie and her best friend Libby, as if they are talking directly to the reader. Super unique and made me feel like I was at a slumber party in my teens. It does take some getting used to though.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan Australia for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my review.

3/5 stars.

(Thank you Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me an ARC).

An enjoyable, light read.

Katie is a regular teenager who falls for the hot guy at school and is bullied by the mean girl (also known as Hot Guy’s girlfriend). At sixteen, Katie has never been kissed, and so she dreams of a gorgeous boy who would fall madly in love with her and give her the most perfect first kiss ever… Sounds unlikely, until Mister Perfect actually shows up.
One night, Katie and her best friend Libby inadvertently create him with clay and something sciency. Now Katie has this amazing boy in her life, made especially to love and worship her. What could possibly go wrong? Well, first of all, she’s got to hide him from her family.

You Were Made For Me is told as a conversation between Liddy and Katie as they recount their ‘science experiment.’ This gives the novel a fresh, engaging perspective. It was an enjoyable read with a varied cast of teens and some funny scenes. The main character was a bit angsty for my taste at times, with everyone around her looking way more mature, but I do recommend it if you like easy and light contemporary YA books in the vein of Kasie West.

Katie didn't mean to create a boy. A boy like a long-lost Hemsworth brother: six-foot tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer's day; whose lips taste like cookie-dough and whose skin smells like springtime.
A boy who is completely devoted to Katie.
He was meant to be perfect.
But he was never meant to exist.

'You Were Made For Me' was a fun and unique read that made me smile and laugh. The idea of a girl accidentally creating a boy was super cool however, I didn't love the book. I thought the characters were realistic which was wonderful! But they annoyed me at times and I didn't really connect with any of them. I also didn't love the writing style as it was very conversational, but I know that other people love reading books written that way!

Overall, I did enjoy this book but I didn't love it.

Katie and Libby accidentally create a hot guy (with science! and clay and a kiss) and his purpose in life is to dote on Katie and be the perfect boyfriend. While this should solve Katie's never-been-kissed problem, it threatens to tear apart her life and her friendships.

Well, I loved this. It's like Weird Science for girls in the 21st century! And thankfully this is a much more progressive tale than a 1980s iteration - diversity, ace representation, dealing with the fact that both parties must have agency in a relationship, etc. Libby and Kate acting as dual storytellers was inspired and it made the story feel hilariously self-aware. It was also nice to read a YA novel peppered with Australianisms. I'm a huge YA fan but most of them are foreign titles.

This is definitely the kind of novel I wish I could have read when I was a teenager.