Thank you to Netgalley and Kasie West for the ebook ARC!

This might be my favorite Kasie West book yet. It’s so sweet and funny and it reads so quickly, which honestly is the case with all of her books.

This one has a male lead who is likely being catfished by his online love interest. When he tries to meet up with her, and it seems that he’s being set up, Wren steps up and pretends to be said Catfish. But she’s a little too convincing, and now she’s got to keep the charade up, because Asher is dreamy.

100 % adored this book!

I love Kasie West so I was extremely excited that I was approved for this novel!

Wren overhears Asher about to get totally humiliated for being catfished by a girl he met online. She thinks to herself, "Let me play savior and rescue this man from complete embarrassment." His friend Dale is suspicious of her but it works! Here we go fake dating, what's the worst that can happen? More importantly, will her heart be okay at the end of this?

Wren holds a lot of resentment for her neglectful mother and that shows in her trust issues with people. Which is surprising given the dating situation with Asher. She has a rocky relationship with her sister who only wants to believe the best about their mom. Now that Wren and Asher are fake dating, all she is thinking about is when to tell him the truth. The two are spending more and more time together and pretty soon, Wren is crushing on Asher for real!

This was such a cute and super sweet story. I can sense it being a perfect teen summer read. Anyone who loves animals will adore Wren's love for dogs as she is on a mission to get one of the oldest dogs at the shelter adopted. Asher is a sweetheart and helps her out with hosting fun games to get this dog, named Bean, noticed. He is a whiz at editing and social media which Wren is grateful for.

This had the best twist! I was expecting some horrible way for Asher to find out about Wren not being who she said she was, but turns out he already knew! Sadly Wren had to find out through TikTok where Asher and Dale had posted about the catfishing situation, and had gone viral.

This novel has some pretty great messages about the power of social media and how hurtful and gross it can be if misused. I really enjoyed the banter and sarcasm. The friendships and bonds were so nice to see. The slow burn romance was also very enjoyable. The miscommunication trope is one I enjoy yet despise. I appreciate the balance of fluffy and angsty. It shows some real issues people struggle with which is super important.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Borrow My Heart” is nothing special. It isn’t one of those novels you can’t put down. It isn’t one of those novels you think about for years to come. But, it is still worth your time. It is the perfect amount of serotonin if you are in need of some. It has all the most important cute things in the world: lots of dogs, a few kittens, older sisters, boyfriends with nerdy glasses, and picnics on the beach. I loved our characters, our setting, and our story. While this novel isn’t one I am screaming and shouting about to my friends, it is a novel I look back on with fuzzy, warm feelings in my tummy. I recommend it for any classroom library as well as anyone who likes nose boops and snuggling their pets.

Wren likes hanging out with her friend Kamala, who likes hanging out on the beach near their West Coast town than Wren does. While Wren is waiting for Kamala to get off work at the coffee shop, she sees two guys their age come in. Asher has arranged to meet Gemma, a girl he has met online, at the shop, but it doesn't look she is going to show up. This delights his friend Dale, who is filming Asher's humiliation and has made a bet with him that if Asher is being catfished, he will have to do something embarassing at Dale's birthday party. Even though she is usually cautious and has a lot of rules for her own behavior to guard against disappointment, Wren jumps in and pretends to be Gemma. This causes a little confusion, since Wren doesn't have any idea what Asher has said in online conversations, but it works well enough to keep Dale quiet. The guys are on their way to another meeting, and Wren is concerned that Asher won't know where to find her again (since she won't be answering "Gemma's" DMs), but since she had mentioned working at a dog shelter, he's able to hunt her down. Wren likes working, since it takes her mind off her somewhat strained home life; her mother left the family, her father is stuck in a routine and not treated well at his work, and Wren is processing some trauma from her mother's behavior. There is one dog who has been at the shelter a long time. Bean is a good dog, but difficult around many people, so despite her best efforts, Wren can't seem to get Bean adopted. Asher volunteers at the shelter, and is soon helping Wren with the social media posts. The two hope that by featuring Bean in some fun videos, there will be some interest in him. Wren keeps trying to tell Asher that she isn't the same person that he met online, but every time she tries, someone interrupts them. Complicating matters is the fact that Wren's coworker Chad, on whom she had a bit of a crush, is more interested in her now that she and Asher appear to be dating, Kamala and Dale's flirtation, and also the fact that her mother wants Wren and her older sister Zoey to visit her for the Fourth of July. Wren is very uneasy about many aspects of personal relationships, but will she be able to set aside her reservations and connect with Asher?
Strengths: I enjoyed the fact that Wren had a job with a decent amount of responsibility; when someone drops off a box at the shelter over the weekend, her boss calls her to go check, since she is closest, and she also has the password for the social media sites. Her devotion to Bean is good to see, and it was realistic that her father wouldn't let her bring a dog home. The fact that she and Asher don't go to the same high school is realistic, and makes them find other ways to hang out. There's just enough about the mother and Bean to forward the action of the book and keep the romance from getting boring. West is really good about keeping the romances light and keeping everything PG. This book seemed a little shorter than some of her other titles, and the cover will immediately appeal to me readers.
Weaknesses: While this is much less whiny than most Young Adult romances, there is still a lot of misunderstandings and misgivings about who knew what when and why people were keeping secrets from each other. Couldn't Wren have just told Asher right away that she wasn't Gemma and have moved on from there? It would still have been a good romance with the side stories of her mother and of Bean.
What I really think: If a Kasie West book has a cartoon style cover, it must be a Trend in Young Adult, since her previous titles always had photographs! Hand this to readers of the Scholastic WISH books that include pet shelters, like Girls Just Want to Have Pugs.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

This is my first book by Kasie West and I absolutely enjoyed it! The cover, the premise, the characters, Bean, the writing.... just *chef's kiss*

As a child, Wren had a (what some could describe as) traumatic event. As she grows up, to cope, she creates boundaries in the form of rules and introverted-ness. One summer day she meets Asher, who is the opposite of said rules. That's all I will say so as to not spoil this book.

This book felt so alive to me. As main character Wren was going through the events that happened, the emotions that she felt, I felt. I was living through Wren. Highly recommend it and looking forward to reading other works from Kasie West.

I thought this was a cute read. I really liked the beginning but the book sorta seemed to slow down in the middle. Things didn’t get really interesting until like 70-75% of the book but it was a nice ending. I wish Wren was a more fleshed out besides her one hobby and I would have liked for the side characters to have had more dimension but I enjoyed the premise so much I was willing to let that go. The story was a bit rushed at the end and the forgiveness comes a little too easy but still a solid read I’d suggest others give a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I am totally in awe with the cute cover with the dogs! I usually have been shying away from young adult books lately but when I read the description for this one I had to check it out and am so glad I did because I fell in love with Wren's big heart not only for trying to help out a total stranger but for the love, heart, and soul she put into her work at the local animal shelter. The dogs was just icing on the cake for this incredible read.

This was a fun short read about social media, young love, and the angst of just being a teen tossed with a bit of family drama.

#BorrowMyHeart #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are all my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Borrow My Heart.

I may be biased, but Kasie West is my go to when I recommend YA Romance to my students and this one will be added to my list as well.

There are so many feels in this book.
It's a super sweet story of love and how things are not always what they seem. Wren is super kind and sweet and when she thinks someone is being catfished she has to step in to help. She didn't intend to keep the act going, but falls deeply for Asher, but some things are not as they seem.

Wren's life is complicated. She lives with her dad, because her mom left her family. Wren deals with her pain by making lists and being in control. Little does she know that she truly isn't in control and must deal with the hand she has been dealt.

I love that there are dogs in this story.

Borrow My Heart follows Wren, an animal shelter employee, who swoops in to save the day when she sees a guy, that is most definitely being catfish, about to have his heart broken. Wren and Asher then bond over and team up to get an unadoptable dog, Bean, at her shelter adopted. Omg Bean 😍 Honesty he was my favorite character because he wasn't just a love anybody dog, he was a picky judge if character and I loved how his story was woven into Wren and Asher's. May have had some tears in my eyes towards the end with that sweet pup.

This is a pretty typical West book all summery and full of teen love balanced with a few serious topics. A quick, easy read!

Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.

Asher is cute, charming . . . and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he's waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. And it’s . . . amazing.

It's not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules. But will he forgive her when he finds out she's not who she says she is? Wren's not so sure. . . . After all, rules exist for a reason.

Kasie West is always a yes. Love her writing and great YA romance books! This one was just another in a long list of books I will continue to recommend to my students by this author. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

It was cute but fell flat for me. I felt a minimal connection with the characters, making it less enjoyable. I really enjoyed the plot of this but the characters just didn't connect with me and that the overall reason for my poor rating.

On the surface, Borrow My Heart is a light YA romance novel that has the characters dealing with the negative aspects of social media, catfishing, parental issues, relationships, and helping animals in need.

Wren will tell you that she is a control freak. She has rules for every situation. Her mother left when Wren was a child to go off and do her own thing. Wren's rules make her feel safe. She also loves working with animals and is doing her best to make sure a certain loveable dog gets adopted.

Asher is good with computers and editing videos. He comes from a large family and has a close group of friends.

When Wren overhears Asher being picked on by his friends after being catfished, she jumps in and pretends to be his online love interest. His friends are suspicious, but she goes with it. Soon she and Asher begin spending more time together mainly at the shelter she volunteers at.

This was an enjoyable book that took both characters on their own journeys while also on a journey together. I loved the chapter headings and thought they were very clever and a nice set up for the chapters.

This is the first book in a series. The writing is solid, and I appreciated how the author delt with the real life issues her characters were experiencing. This proved to be an enjoyable, sweet, fast read that is perfect for YA readers.

3.5 stars

I will always jump at the chance to read a Kasie West Book. Just putting that out there to start. 3 1/2 stars rounded up.

Wren has rules for life- especially her love life. But when she hears an attractive guy, Asher. being mocked for being catfished, she decides to jump in and help him save face. Problem is, she can't just leave it alone. Pretty soon Asher has become a part of her life, to include her goal to find a home for one of her favorite dogs at the animal shelter she works at. Together the two of them work hard to make that perfect family match, In the process, most of Wren't rules have to be thrown out the window.

Overall a really cute read. Again, I really enjoy Kasie West and her stories. This one didn't grab me and keep me like some of her others, but it had such a sweet message and was a joy to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall this was a cute read. I think I am just mostly getting away from really really liking books with kids in high school which is why I didn’t score it as high.
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Nevertheless, Kasie continues to be a fantastic writer. Seriously, she comes up with great storylines that can keep you engaged (even if you’re not a fan of the characters ages).
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Even if you’re unsure about this book, I would always recommend giving a Kasie West book a shot. Always.
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🌟🌟🌟/5

Overall adorable cute fast read. I mainly got this book because of its cover. So cute and the story didn’t disappoint.

Kasie West doesn’t disappoint, I have loved all her books and this one is no different. The charterers were so cute and funny, and Bean, such a precious pup.. This was a book one of those books this will be a “must buy”.to have on my shelf.

I needed this book so much. Kasie delivered yet again! The cover was cute, the story was a fun read, and the pages just kept me turning. I recommend it! Thank you for the opportunity to read this one.

Ever since I discovered the fill-in boyfriend I've devoured anything Kasie West has written, and this book felt a little fill-in boyfriend-esque and I didn't know how to feel about that. I feel that I couldn't help but draw parallels and then maybe was let down a little by how this one played out. Still really entertaining, but I felt that Asher wasn't really fleshed out which made it hard to root for them, and the twist wasn't entirely captivating because I didn't buy the relationship quite as much. Wren also seemed a little one-dimensional that it's more descriptive of her being a control freak than actually seeing it in action.

Also, it felt like the family dynamic/drama that I typically adore West for also wasn't fleshed out enough. It was entertaining, but felt somewhat derivative from some of her past work without enough oomph to make it work.

dnf at chapter 13 - maybe this is my own fault. i didn't realize that there wasn't a "send to kindle" option and that i would have to read this arc on my laptop, and unforch that severely limited my ability to get through this book.

however, i think i would still have the same issue concerning the plot. the plot is very focused on a mistaken/hidden identity story line. i underestimated how much of the book was going to be this. at ~45% the guy still doesn't know that she's lying about her identity, and personally, i just really hate that. the mistaken/hidden identity trope can be very interesting, but this was not. she's just lying to this poor guy. and i get that she's "saved face" for him, but i'm allowed to still hate it.