The beginning of this book is a little rough. Okay, more than a little. It reads like someone is trying to write a stereotypical high school nerd character. The way Sunny talks, especially with his friends, seems over exaggerated and it was hard to look passed as we’re introduced to our characters. Then, of course, you have the stereotypical bully character, Gunner, who lives to torment Sunny and his friends Milo and Jamal.

It’s pretty average. Until Cirrus arrives.

Once we meet Cirrus and Sunny’s older brother, Gray, things take a turn from the predictable to the unknown. While Sunny and his friends still make predictably nerdy jokes, we see them transform from unbearable geeks to somewhat confident rock stars. As a self identified nerd myself, I hate the geek stereotype. I think it’s so overrated and overdone, but while it appears that this book makes the same mistake, Yoon turns this stereotype on its head and shows us that everyone has an inner nerd.

As Sunny continues his roose to impress Cirrus, I was really surprised how much his self confidence grew. It was so cute to be able to see him go from self doubt to self assured in the span of 300 or so pages, even when met with some difficult moments. And Sunny counts himself lucky because Milo and Jamal are the best friends anyone could have who are there to help him out. One of my favorite things about their friendship is that they’re open about their love for each other, which I loved to see between high school boys. It’s not often writers include male characters actively saying “I love you” to other men who aren’t their lovers. The fact that these friends can admit they love each other was such a great change.

And while there are some stereotypes that Yoon eventually smashes, every character has a character arc in this book. Even the ones you think wouldn’t change, change. Yoon does an amazing job making every character fleshed out and real or go through a process to make them more relatable. It made the experience of reading this story that much better. I was genuinely surprised how much I found myself loving this story, especially after the rough beginning.

In the end, I ended up enjoying myself and now I wanna go rock out!

*given to me by PenguinTeen in exchange for an honest review*

'Super Fake Love Song' is great for the following reasons: light-hearted, written by a POC author has diverse characters, rom-com vibes, and a troupe reminiscent of countless coming-of-age and teen movies that typically only feature all white leads. David Yoon wrote an intriguing storyline that's perfect for younger readers, which may have been the reason it missed the mark with me. I found the humor and writing to be juvenile, and didn't really enjoy the main character, whose point of view the book is told from. However, as an Asian teen (18) who grew up in Souther California and near the OC area, I think David captured the essence and the attitude of the community very well, and I especially enjoyed the interior cover art on the hardcover copy I received also from PenguinTeen.

Overall, I would recommend this to younger audiences or people looking for an easier read, and give it a solid 3/5 stars.

Thank you so much @PenguinTeen & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 17 November 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Sunny Day is a self-proclaimed Dungeons & Dragons cosplay nerd, but when he meets Cirrus Soh he tries to impress her by pretending that his older brothers room is his own... as is all the musical instruments in there because he is the front man of a rock band.

WHAT I LIKED:
- Sunny's two best friends were the real champions of this book

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- i've come to realize that David Yoon's writing just isn't for me. The near constant made up words & forced witty dialogue makes me cringe at a molecular level.
- I didn't root for the romance or the fact that Sunny felt he needed to change his entire identity to impress Cirrus (miscommunication is one of my most hated romance tropes)
- the ending. This story didn't need a Happily Ever After.

I really really really wanted to love this book. David Yoon has such a way to bring me back to my younger years as a teen with his authentic dialogue. The summary sounded way cool and fun. Except halfway thru, I just want to shout ‘tell the thrush already!!!’ to the main character. It started getting repetitive and I felt a bit frustrated. Maybe because I was hone in as child and as grown up to just fest up. Instead, this book continue to snowball with the lies and I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to DNF. Which made be very sad cause I’m a fan of David Yoon. This book was just too juvenile for me.

Super fake love song is another cute story from David Yoon. A rom com, a touch on identity, and mixing in family and friends, this story can pack a powerful punch.

David Yoon does a great job of writing families, loving families who have issues. I really appreciate how he weaves in things like microagressions and culture so subtly. And I loved how he turned the character of Gunner right on his head, making him more than a jock bully trope.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG?
Books that involve music might as well be my catnip. I love them! Granted, Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon is not entirely based around music but it plays a role. Also, the audiobook was on Volumes and appealed to me because I knew I could get to it faster via audio. Plus, there’s the fact that it is contemporary and lately I just find contemporary so much easier to follow via audio.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Super Fake Love Song stars Sunny Dae, a teenage boy who is a total nerd. I mean, he is so much of a nerd that he has this Youtube channel with his best friends where they make cosplay weapons for LARPing. They also play Dungeons and Dragons. Needless to say, Sunny is not popular at school. There’s this new girl at his school named Cirrus and she is so cool and confident.

She comes over to Sunny’s house and she ends up thinking that his older brother Gray’s room is his. Gray was a musician in high school and quite cool. So, because Sunny is super into Cirrus, he leans into her assumptions and fakes being in a band with his best friends. He starts wearing Gray’s old clothes and actually does form the band with his friends. Will his lies catch up to him though? Because really, at heart, he’s into the whole cosplay/LARP thing.

HOW DID I LIKE SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG?
This is the first book I’ve read from David Yoon and I genuinely loved it. Sunny Dae is such a good kid and a great protagonist. While it was shady to lie to Cirrus, I admire his dedication to impressing her. I also liked the development of the relationship between Sunny, Gray, and their parents. And don’t even get me started on Sunny’s friendships! I LOVED THEM!

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook is narrated by Micheel Bow and is 9 hours 3 minutes long. This was my first time also listening to an audiobook narrated by Micheel Bow but won’t be my last. He’s very believable as a teenage boy. I thought that the audiobook was well paced and actually kept my attention the whole way through. I’d absolutely recommend this audiobook if you’re interested in giving Super Fake Love Song a shot.

AHH! YAY! A romcom that actually feels like a romcom!
I swooned, I laughed, I cheered for our main couple.
I'd been wanting to pick up this title for ages but it kept getting pushed back on my TBR, and I'm so glad I finally got to it! I flew right through it. Just couldn't put it down.
All the nerdy and musical content felt absolutely perfect and I so enjoyed my time reading! I've recommended this to a whole handful of friends and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

(Have reviewed in my stories, but will have a proper bookstagram post up soon. My Reviews are just behind because of the Christmas content).

I was so excited when Ir ecieved a copy of Yoon’s newest book as I loved his debut novel. Sadly, I did not connect or enjoy his sophomore novel as I had hoped, but I am glad I read it. I struggled to get behind Sunny’s determination to pretend to be something he isn’t in order to impress a girl. I’m not stranger to this premise, but I’m not the biggest fan of it. Sunny’s character had nothing to be ashamed of as he is a self-proclaimed nerd with some amazing friends and a great family. He and his friends had a somewhat successful video channel for DIY costumes/crafts/etc. He is introduced to a girl that he crushes on, she mistakes him for his “cooler” musician brother and he doesn’t correct her. I just don’t see how lying to impress a girl is ever a good idea…

I did not want to DNF this as I like Yoon’s writing style but it took me getting over half-way through to find my groove with this one. I did cringe a lot at the crazy (to me) thoughts Sunny had in justifying his actions. The romance with Cirrus felt a little bit forced so it wasn’t believable in my eyes. Maybe if they had started out as friends and let the romance happen naturally it would have been better. I was also disappointed that I wasn’t given the opportunity to learn more about Sunny’s family until the last few chapters of the story. I feel if we had been given more insight into his family early on, it would have made a difference.

Please know I’m trying to bash this book at all as I really did enjoy Yoon’s writing, I just did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I can see how other readers will devour and love this so I encourage everyone to give it a read.

I enjoyed this coming of age story in which a boy 'fakes it til her makes it''. It was fun to see his confidence growing as he loses his sense of shame and begin to like himself for who he is. I like the suggestion that a person can re-invent themselves and still be authentic. This story is would be enjoyed especially by those who enjoy rock music and the culture that surrounds it. .

This hilarious, romantic and diverse young adult contemporary read was completely endearing, and so much fun. This was one of my most anticipated reads this summer, and Super Fake Love Song definitely did not disappoint.

Sunny Dae and his friends love being complete nerds with each other until .... super cool Cirrus Soh enters into his life where all of a sudden, pretending to be his amazing Hollywood musician brother was the best thing to do to impress Cirrus. In this captivating, hilarious and charming read, you will find yourself completely immersed into these amazing characters.

The narration and writing is impeccable - witty, clever, and super fun, Yoon captures the hearts of all ages, while addressing racial stereotypes in that coming-of-age, finding your identity and your true self underneath all the expectations of wanting to be accepted and loved.

This is Perfect.

I enjoyed this one and I highly recommend!

it’s not you. it’s me i promise

i have a love hate relationship with this writing style. on one hand, it’s very fresh and unique, but sometimes i feel as though the author is trying so hard to be relatable that it makes me kind of cringe

Super Fake Love song had a bit of a slow start, and it took a little while to get used to the banter between Sunny and his friends. I had a similar issue with Frankly in Love. The best elements of the story included Sunny's self-realizations and his relationship with his brother. David Yoon is so talented at portraying families.

Great read!! Fun, enjoyable and it will have you laughing as you read! This is the perfect YA book to recommend to students who are looking for a "next read" - it is lighthearted and fun! That makes a a read for fun match! Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

“𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨.”—David Yoon

In this rom-com, a case of mistaken identities leads to true love. When Sunny Dae, self-proclaimed nerd and Dungeons & Dragons extrordinaire, meets Cirrus Soh, the cool new girl who’s lived all over the world, she mistakes his brother Grey’s room—full of guitars and rock band posters—for his. Before Sunny knows it, he’s wrapped up in the lie that he’s the front man of a band called the Immortals, who will soon be playing in the school’s talent show on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. But when his lies start to catch up to him, he’s left questioning, was it worth it?

This hilarious read is all about having the courage to express yourself to those you love. It illustrates the consequences of trying to be anyone BUT ourselves, and how important it is to let everyone see the real YOU. It was a fast-paced, light and easy read that kept me laughing and flipping pages. I loved the rockstar references, and Sunny’s struggle to maintain his lie, especially when it started to involve his friends and others at school. This kept the suspense going strong. I also loved seeing the cute romance unfold between him and Cirrus, as well as the reparations of a sibling relationship between him and his big brother.

This was my first read by David Yoon. His writing style was fun and engaging. I loved the voice he created for Sunny, with its extra asides, crossed out thoughts, and silly references. Sunny is a quirky goofy high schooler. The way Yoon writes him makes him completely relatable. He infuses Sunny with tons of personality. And Yoon’s portrayal of Sunny’s family was also realistic. There were some genuine issues that his parents were forced to confront before the end, which made their relationship much stronger.

My only critique is that the romance didn’t feel as developed as it could have been. It as cute. But I’d have liked to see something a tiny bit deeper. But that’s okay because the rest of the story still held up great! And it was a wonderful “happily ever after” kind of story. My favorite kind.

While this contemporary read was a little outside my preferred genre, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a YA romance that people of all ages can enjoy. Thank you to Penguin Teen for a review copy in exchange for my honest review! 𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟯.𝟱/𝟱⭐️

This was such a cute and quirky book. It was also a super fast read and I sped through it. It was an adorable laugh-out loud romcom and it filled my own nerdy little heart with joy.

Sophie’s next book was Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon a contemporary young adult romance set in a wealthy neighborhood close to Hollywood.

Sunny Dae is a self-confessed super mega nerd who attends high school with his two equally nerdy best friends. Together, the three of them run a YouTube channel specializing in making special-effects laded props for LARP and cosplay and Sunny is happy with his meticulously organized life where every risk is mapped out and his possessions all neatly stored in carefully labeled white storage boxes.

That is, until the day his parents introduce him to some old friends and their daughter Cirrus. When Cirrus spots Sunny’s rockstar older brother’s bedroom and assumes it is his, he goes along with it, believing this super attractive and super cool new girl will never like the real, nerdy Sunny. Soon, Sunny’s lie has escalated out of control. He’s wearing his brother’s punk rock clothes to school, has pushed his friends into forming a fake rock band, and has somehow gotten said fake band signed up to the school talent show; all to keep his one original lie from being revealed. As his relationship with Cirrus deepens, Sunny’s guilt at hiding the real him also grows, but how much of this new Sunny is really him too?

This was one of those books that had Sophie shouting “just tell her the truth for pity’s sake” at nearly every page. The premise is frankly ridiculous as are many character names (she lost it entirely at Gunner Schwinghammer), there’s a crazy amount of serendipity laden throughout and Cirrus’s personality is straight out of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl handbook. That being said, Sophie did enjoy this one a lot! It’s silly and ridiculous but it’s also funny, and sweet, and ideal for this time of year where we all need a bit of extra light and joy. No, this book won’t change your life but it will almost certainly bring a smile to your face.

Thank you @penguinteen and @netgalley for the gifted copy of Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon!

I really enjoyed this book, even more than I thought it would. While it started off a little slow and a bit choppy for my taste oh my did I love the ending.

Full of cultural norms, full of expectations, and full of mistakes I really loved the way this one wrapped up.

My favorite character by far was Gray! No doubt. To see his struggles, his shortcomings and his set backs but ultimately the growth! I loved the parents coming to “aha” moment too.

Great second book from Yoon! I think all young adults will love this one too!

This was such a fun and wacky book. It made me laugh constantly and I always had a smile on my face. The characters where such fun and I loved the friendships within the story.

I fully recommend reading this for when you’re in need of a pick-me-up.

SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG by David Yoon was a fun book about a nerdy, insecure teenage boy Sunny Dae who lies to impress a "cool" girl, Cirrus Soh and tells her that he's the lead singer in a rock band. He gets his BFFs to join in on the lie.. Sunny is afraid of what will happen when Cirrus finds out the truth. I actually wasn't a big fan of the romance scene, particularly because I didn't like Cirrus much- she was a one-dimensional character but, sthe entire book is told from Sunny's POV so I could somewhat understand. I especially enjoyed the friendship of Sunny, Jamal and Milo AND scenes of Sunny and his brother Gray. I did find the beginning to be a tad bit "too YA," and some of the dialogue a little too nerdy. I wondered if I was just too old for it. HAHA. While the book is marketed as a romance YA novel, just like Frankly In Love, Super Fake Love Song felt more like a coming-of-age novel while exploring themes of friendship, familial love and trying to find yourself and love yourself in this messy world.